Health & Wellness Programs Tips
Read these 12 Health & Wellness Programs Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Health Screenings tips and hundreds of other topics.
High Blood Pressure Remedies
Hypertension can be alleviated by through simple lifestyle changes. Here we will cover alternative medicine techniques to help you can control high blood pressure and even cure high blood pressure without prescription drugs.
Stress is often a contributor to hypertension, so relaxation therapy is a high blood pressure natural remedy.
• According to Harvard Medical School Consumer Health, applied relaxation often involves imagining situations to cause muscular and mental relaxation. The goal of progressive muscle relaxation is to teach people what it feels like to relax by comparing relaxation with muscle tension.
• Massage therapy became popular in the 1970s, among athletes as a way to improve muscle injury healing and pain reduction, relaxation, stress relief, and sleep enhancement. Touch is central to massage and is used by massage therapists to locate painful or tense areas. There are many types of massage such as Swedish, deep tissue, aromatherapy, Shiatsu, and others.
• The psychological benefits of regular exercise are numerous including an increase in endorphins which creates a greater sense of well-being. Everyone needs exercise and anyone can find an activity suited to their lifestyle. Exercising regularly is the simplest way to improve your life. Common forms of exercise include aerobic/cardiovascular (running, dancing, jump rope), Resistance (strength training with weights, push ups, resistance bands), and Flexibility (stretching). It is recommended you get at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week.
Health and Wellness: Manage Your Stress
In today's busy world, you might think it's impossible to manage your stress level while still living your life. Not only is it entirely possible to manage stress, it's necessary to maintain your health and wellness. Prolonged mental or physical stress can lead to many physical ailments, including high blood pressure, stomach ulcers and even heart problems.
Try the following ideas for keeping your stress level in check.
* Commit to a physician-approved regular exercise program. Not only is regular exercise good for maintaining a healthy weight, it is a healthy way to release tension.
* Build a support network. Surround yourself with family and friends who are positive, supportive people. Try to avoid negative people and situations.
* Distract yourself. Make time for a favorite hobby or take a class.
* Practice mental relaxation. Breathing techniques and visualization are effective, time-efficient ways to bring your tension level down.
* Improve your communication. Be open and honest when discussing your feelings. Consider keeping a journal.
* Seek professional help. Professionals are available to help you and there is no shame in seeking one out.
* Stop smoking and drinking. Both of these habits detract from your overall health and wellness.
Preventive Tests Key to Good Health For Men
Preventive tests are as important for men as they are for women. Fortunately, reliable screenings are available for many of the health problems that primarily afflict men.
Prostate Cancer Screening – A blood test measures Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels in the blood. While PSA is usually presenting the blood, the presence of prostate cancer can cause it to rise. This preventive test is recommended for men age 50-70, or earlier for men with a higher risk of prostate cancer.
Colon Cancer Screening – Doctors recommend screening for colon cancer after age 50. This is done by colonoscopy, a procedure in which a fiber optic tube is inserted through the anus and up into the colon. This is the most thorough screen for colon cancer.
High Cholesterol Screening – A simple blood test measures your levels of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol and determines if they are healthy.
Depression a Very Treatable Mental Illness
Depression is a mental illness that affects millions of people, both men and women, everyday. It ranges from mild to severe and can increase or decrease as time passes. Some with depression still function normally, while others are incapacitated by it.
If depression is not treated, a person can face crises in all areas of their life. If you or someone you know is suffering, see your doctor. There is no shame in seeking help for depression.
Common symptoms of depression are listed below.
* Pervasive sad, anxious or "empty" state of mind
* Feeling hopeless
* Feeling guilty, helpless or unworthy
* Fatigue, lack of energy
* No interest in things that were once fun
* Memory or concentration loss
* Trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping
* Weight and appetite fluctuations
* Suicidal thoughts
* Irritability
Mental Illness Can Be Treated and Overcome
Mental illness can be an intimidating phrase. It conjures up many images, most of them unpleasant. Mental illnesses, however, affect everyday people, and they can often turn life upside down.
The term "mental illness" refers to conditions that affect the brain like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to name a few.
According to The Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, a national organization founded in 1979, mental illness can affect every area of a person's life. These illnesses are not caused by any particular environmental or personality factors. Disorders like these can affect anyone, regardless of race, upbringing or income.
Fortunately, there is good treatment available for mental disorders. Highly effective medications together with professional counseling, support groups and community life services can help most people with mental illness live a productive life.
Like most diseases, however, it is important that the illness be caught and treated early. This early intervention can speed a person's recovery and protect their brain from damage related to the disease.
Stress and Your Mental Health
Chronic stress is associated with mental conditions like depression and anxiety disorders as well as physical problems. If you have tried stress relief activities and still have problems with stress, get professional help right away. See your healthcare provider if you have:
• Difficulty sleeping
• Changes in appetite
• Panic attacks
• Muscle tenseness and soreness
• Frequent headaches
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Prolonged feelings of sadness or worthlessness
Your healthcare provider may sign you up for stress management classes, therapy or prescribe drugs for your symptoms.
What to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed
Stress is a normal part of life. While some stress is good, too much stress and anxiety is bad for your health. The National Institute of Mental Health issued a report in 2000 documenting the association between stress and the immune system. Apparently, people with chronic stress (couples with marital stress, medical students with exam stress, caregivers of the sick and elderly, etc;) experienced weakened immune systems and were more susceptible to viral infections like the common cold.
The National Institutes of Health provides these guidelines for stress control:
• First try to identify the things in your life that cause you stress: marital problems, conflict at work, a death or illness in the family; then find ways to control them
• If there's a problem that can be solved, set about taking control and solving it. For example, you might decide to change jobs if problems at work are making you too stressed.
• Some chronic stressors can't be changed. Stress relieving activities such as support groups, relaxation, meditation, and exercise are tools you can use for stress management. See your health care provider if you find that you worry excessively about the small things in life.
Persistent Tiredness May Indicate a Medical Condition
Many people experience tiredness. Busy schedules, on the job stress and late nights equal a recipe for fatigue. Most fatigue is caused by stress, sleep problems and depression. However, chronic fatigue syndrome is more severe and is also accompanied by other symptoms. If you have fatigue for at least six months that's not alleviated by rest in addition to other symptoms, you may have chronic fatigue syndrome.
According to the National Institutes of Health there are specific risk factors for CFS:
• People of every age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic group can have CFS.
• CFS affects women at four times the rate of men.
• Research indicates that CFS is most common in people in their 40s and 50s.
• Although CFS is much less common in children than in adults, children can develop the illness, particularly during the teen years.
Preventive Tests Key to Good Health For Women
With the many technological advances available to us today, we are lucky to be able to care for ourselves with preventive tests, catching many health problems before they are out of control. Many preventive tests look for cancer, but tests are also available to screen for bone loss and of course, heart problems.
Below are some preventive tests common for women.
Breast Cancer Screening – Usually done yearly in women over 40, a mammogram x-rays breast tissue in search of cancer.
Colon Cancer Screening – Doctors recommend screening for colon cancer after age 50. This is done by colonoscopy, a procedure in which a fiber optic tube is inserted through the anus and up into the colon. This is the most thorough screen for colon cancer.
Osteoporosis Screening – Starting at age 65, doctors recommend a DEXA scan for all women. DEXA scans use x-rays and radiation to examine the rate of bone loss.
Cervical Cancer Screening – All sexually active women need yearly Pap smears. A Pap smear is a painless test where a gynecologist collects a small sample of cells from the cervix. The sample is then examined at a lab for any abnormal cells that could indicate cancer.
Therapeutic Massage Helps Maintain Your Health and Wellness
If you enjoy getting a professional massage, but consider it an unnecessary indulgence, change your thinking! A therapeutic massage is directly beneficial to your health and wellness. In addition, it may speed the body's recovery from injury or illness and it helps the circulatory, muscular, skeletal, nervous and lymphatic systems function more efficiently. Therapeutic massages are also effective in preventing and easing pain and stress.
Because a massage simply feels good, it can be relaxing and soothing to the mind. Plus, it actually lowers the heart rate and the blood pressure and relaxes tense muscles. Therapeutic massage is sometimes recommended as part of certain medical treatments for the physical reasons listed previously, but also for the feeling of wellness it invokes in patients.
So, next time you feel guilty taking time out for a massage, remember, your health and wellness is at stake! And go for it!
Mind, Body, Relationships and Spirit Key to Finding Wellness
Wellness does not simply address one's physical being. Instead, it is made up of four major categories that, when taken together, constitute a well-rounded, healthy and content person. By putting effort into maintaining all factors, you maintain total wellness.
The wellness factors are:
Mind: A well mind is active, stimulated and most of all, at peace.
Body: Caring for the body with peaceful sleep, regular exercise, a healthy diet, prevention of disease and natural remedies for illness is vital to overall wellness.
Relationships: A key part of achieving wellness is having healthy, positive relationships that fulfill you, not complicate your life.
Spirit: A well spirit seeks deep connection within itself and with others. Our spirits bind us together with all living things and are often defined as the source of all that is good within us.
Finding true wellness can mean you have found peace. Immune from the lure of material wealth and the stress of external situations, if have total wellness, you have found both physical health and inner peace.
The Cause of Migraine headaches
Migraines are intense headaches. Sometimes they can be so severe that they interfere with work and life in general. Migraines are often caused by changes of serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is a chemical that in high levels constricts blood vessels and in low levels causes them to swell. Some people describe a premonition or feeling hours before a migraine, signaling that one is coming. This feeling can take the form of tiredness, more energy, mood changes or cravings for food. There are different symptoms associated with migraines such as:
• Throbbing or dull aching pain on one side or both sides of your head
• Nausea or vomiting
• Changes in vision, including blurred vision or blind spots
• Increased sensitivity to light, noise or odors
• Feeling tired and/or confused
• Stopped-up nose
• Feeling cold or sweaty
• Stiff or tender neck
• Light-headedness
• Tender scalp
| Guru Spotlight |
| Heidi Splete |
