Author: Lauren McDaniel

Personal hygiene is an important step in staying healthy. Neglecting your personal hygiene is not only a nuisance to others; it may also cause health problems such as gum disease from not brushing your teeth.

Every external body part requires basic care and grooming on a regular basis to maintain good hygiene and ward off serious infections and diseases. Consider these personal hygiene suggestions for good health:

Hair Care

• Keep your hair at a manageable length that is easy to maintain and care for.
• Wash your hair at least every other day using shampoo and conditioner.
• Brush your hair three to four times per day with a soft bristle brush or comb.
• Consider washing your brush or comb when you wash your hair.

General Body Care

• Take a bath or shower once per day, especially if you live in a warmer climate.
• Bathe immediately after engaging in exercise or physical activity.
• Use a mild soap to lather your entire body thoroughly and dry yourself with a clean towel when done.
• Put on clean clothes once you finish bathing.
• People who menstruate should change tampons and pads when on their period as suggested by manufacturers to avoid odors and infections.

Oral Care

• Brush your teeth for at least two minutes in the morning, in the evening and after eating a meal. Some electric toothbrushes will time your brushing for you, making it even easier.
• Pay particular attention to the crevices between your teeth, your molars and even your tongue while brushing.
• Floss your teeth daily.
• Use mouthwash to ensure fresh breath after brushing.

Hand Care

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating, after using the bathroom, after sneezing or coughing, after changing a diaper or after handling animals.
• Dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel after washing.
• Keep your fingernails at a manageable length by cutting or filing them often.

Foot Care

• Wear clean, cotton socks daily and consider placing fresh-smelling powder in your shoes to suppress odors.

According to recent research, approximately 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at some time in their lives. Keep reading to learn more about risk factors associated with breast cancer, as well as how to identify and treat this disease.

Risk Factors

Medical experts attribute the development of breast cancer to a combination of both unknown and known risk factors. Some risk factors are unavoidable, while others can be prevented through lifestyle changes. The most common risk factors for breast cancer include:

• Being a woman over the age of 50
• Having a family or personal history of breast or ovarian cancer, or certain non-cancerous breast diseases
• Starting menstruation under the age of 12
• Being overweight or inactive
• Smoking or drinking excess alcohol

Detecting Breast Cancer

To detect breast cancer, physicians may use the following tests:

• Mammogram—This is a breast X-ray. Women over age 50 should get a mammogram annually.
• Biopsy—This entails the removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope.
• Estrogen and progesterone receptor tests—These tests are used to determine hormone levels.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—An MRI procedure uses a magnet, radio waves and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of inside the body.

Treatment Options

The chance of recovery and the treatment options for breast cancer depend on many factors—including the stage of cancer, how fast the tumor is growing, hormone receptor levels and the woman’s age. Four common forms of treatment used for breast cancer are:

1. Surgery (ranging from a small lump of tissue being removed to an entire breast)
2. Radiation therapy
3. Chemotherapy
4. Hormone therapy

Know the Signs

It’s critical to assess your body regularly for potential signs of breast cancer. Common symptoms include a lump in the breast or underarm area, nipple pain or abnormalities, redness or scaly skin near the breast and discharge coming from the nipple. If you detect any of these signs, consult your doctor immediately. For additional lifestyle and well-being guidance, contact us today.

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years as a way to improve health and well-being. By uniting the mind, body and spirit, the health benefits of practicing yoga can be seen both physically and mentally.

Yoga Basics

Yoga is a science that consists of observations, principles and theories regarding the connection between the mind, body and spirit. It is physically, emotionally and mentally challenging. Because of this, many people think that you already need to be flexible and in good physical shape in order to practice yoga. However, this is not true.

Yoga will help you become more aware of your body’s patterns of movement, posture and alignment—increasing your flexibility and fitness level. Yoga is also often used as a stress-management and relaxation technique.

The practice of yoga involves performing a variety of poses, called asanas, along with breathing exercises and meditation to cleanse and unify your body, mind and spirit. These combined actions increase blood circulation, which can stimulate the body to “flush out” toxins. Regular practice of the stretches, twists, bends and inversions—the basic movements of yoga poses—have many physical and mental health benefits.

Flexibility

Because yoga requires you to stretch your body in new and sometimes unfamiliar ways, it helps you to become more flexible by using a greater range of motion of your muscles and joints. This releases the lactic acid build-up within your muscles that causes stiffness, tension and fatigue. Yoga also stretches the soft tissues of your body, such as ligaments and tendons. As you continue to practice yoga, you can expect to notice increased flexibility in your back, hamstrings, hips and shoulders.

Strength

There are many specific styles of yoga, and practicing any kind of yoga will help improve muscle tone and strength. While some poses target upper-body strength and others stress lower-body strength, almost all yoga poses build core strength in the abdominal muscles.

Posture

With greater flexibility and strength comes better posture. Because yoga poses develop core strength and body awareness, you will become more conscious of your posture. With a stronger core, you are also more likely to sit and stand without slouching.

Stress Reduction

Any kind of physical activity contributes to relieving stress, and this is especially true with yoga. Due to yoga’s quiet and precise movements, it has the capability to pull your focus away from busy daily responsibilities and toward a more calm state by moving your body through sets of poses with balance and concentration.

Each year millions of people fall ill due to food poisoning, which occurs after consuming foods that are contaminated during preparation.

Thawing Food Properly

When thawing food, outer sections warm up faster than inner sections, which can cause microorganisms to grow. That is why it is important to follow the correct thawing suggestions below, depending on your method, to prevent the growth of microorganisms:

• In the refrigerator—Thaw food at 41°F or lower to keep harmful microorganisms from growing.
• Under running water—Thaw food at about 70°F or lower.
• In the microwave—Only thaw food in the microwave if the food will be cooked immediately.
• During the cooking process—Some foods can be thawed while cooking, such as frozen hamburger patties on a grill.

Preparing Food Safely

To avoid cross-contamination, adhere to the following practices:

• Wash your hands using hot, soapy water before handling food and between touching different types of food.
• Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw and already prepared/cooked foods.
• Clean all work surfaces and equipment after each task, especially when handling raw foods.

Cooling and Reheating Food

When cooling food, time spent in the temperature danger zone must be minimized. When being reheated, food must reach the correct temperature in the right amount of time.

To properly cool food:

• Divide large quantities of food into small shallow containers for quicker cooling.
• Refrigerate or freeze prepared food and leftovers within two hours.
• Stir food to cool it faster and more evenly.
• Do not pack the refrigerator—cool air must circulate.

To properly reheat food:

• Make sure food reaches an internal temperature of 165⁰F for at least 15 seconds. Throw out any food that doesn’t reach this temperature within two hours.

If you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to stay healthy or lose weight, you need nothing more than your own two feet. Walking is an ideal form of exercise—it’s free, and you can do it almost anytime and anywhere. Walking is also a great way to maintain a healthy weight or to shed those extra pounds.

The First Step: Good Shoes

Whether you walk outdoors, on a treadmill or at the local mall, you will want to invest in a good pair of walking shoes. Walking shoes are designed to give you the flexibility, support and proper push off needed for walking. Everyone’s feet are different, but look for shoes that are light, flexible and immediately feel comfortable. Walking shoes should not require a “breaking in” period.

Setting the Pace

You can walk to maintain your health or as part of a weight-loss program. To get moving, experts advise beginners to start with a 15- or 30-minute walk daily, adding five or 10 minutes to the walking session time per week. More specifically:

• To maintain your health, walk 30 minutes a day most days of the week at a “talking” pace, which means you are able to carry on a conversation comfortably while walking.
• If you are walking for weight loss, walk 45 to 60 minutes a day at a medium to fast pace. In addition, do not skip more than two days per week.
• For aerobic and cardiovascular fitness, walk 20 minutes at a very fast pace (you should be breathing hard), three to four days a week.

After walking, gentle stretching can help keep your muscles from being sore. It is also wise to warm up before walking fast or going a long distance.

Cautions

Make sure to be safe while walking outside:

• Always walk on sidewalks (or on the left side of the street facing traffic if there are no sidewalks).
• Be aware of traffic.
• Carry identification and your cellphone in case of emergencies.
• In the evening hours, wear reflective gear and/or carry a flashlight in front of you.

Going the Distance

Once you get started, you will want to stay motivated. Consider finding a walking friend, joining a walking club or registering for a challenging walking event. Remember that you will not notice immediate physical changes to your body, but by adding walking and a healthy diet to your daily routine, it won’t be long before you look and feel better.

Note: Before beginning any walking program, consider discussing your exercise plans with your doctor, particularly if you have health issues such as diabetes.

Opioids: Addiction, Escalation and Overdose

Opioids, a class of prescription medications that are all derived from the same plant as heroin, are a particularly powerful—and particularly dangerous—class of prescription painkiller, and one that’s become especially prominent as a treatment for injuries. In fact, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the number of opioid prescriptions written has nearly tripled in the past three decades, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down.

In certain circumstances, opioids are a powerful tool that can ease a patient’s pain or aid in a speedy recovery from a traumatic injury. However, the risks associated with opioids—addiction, escalation to heroin or other drugs, and overdose—mean that patients, doctors, and loved ones need to remain vigilant about this pervasive, and potentially lethal, risk.

Dependence and Addiction

Patients who are prescribed opioids are often susceptible to dependence and addiction. Because the prolonged use of opioids results in a higher tolerance, the body’s endogenous opioids (which are opioids, like endorphins, that occur naturally in the body) become insufficient to stave off the physical symptoms of withdrawal. Doctors are aware of and even expect many patients to develop a physical dependence if prescribed opioids for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, doctors can account for this and create interventions that allow patients to break their dependence, usually by gradually lowering the dosage.

Unfortunately, physical dependence is often a precursor to addiction. Addiction occurs when a patient develops uncontrollable cravings for a drug and engages in risky or self-destructive behavior in order to acquire it. It’s worth noting that not all people who develop an addiction have a physical dependency on the drug, just as not all those who have a dependence on the drug will necessarily become addicted.

Heroin Use

One especially disturbing trend has been the rapid increase of both heroin use and heroin overdose. These increases coincide with the increased prevalence of opioid use and overdose in the United States. Though it is a disturbing trend, the correlation isn’t altogether surprising. Prescription opioids are chemically very similar to heroin, which is a naturally occurring drug derived from the opium poppy.

Two factors—the chemical similarity between heroin and prescription opioids and the increased availability of more potent forms of heroin flooding the country in recent years—have created an environment in which people see and use opioids and heroin interchangeably. When opioid users transition to heroin, either as a supplement to or as a cheap replacement for opioids, they then assume all of the risks associated with unregulated, illegal drugs. Unknown levels of purity can make it hard to ascertain the amount of heroin the body can tolerate, and additives used to “cut” the drug might themselves be lethal.

Overdose

Overdose is an especially complicated risk when it comes to opioids. Most overdoses are usually the result of a patient taking a combination of drugs that can depress the central nervous system and depress breathing, resulting in suffocation. Case law has been varied, depending on both the state and circumstances of overdose.

But, even in cases where other drugs aren’t in play, patients can and still do overdose. One of the side effects of opioid use is impaired judgment and confusion. It’s not uncommon for a patient to take a dose and find him- or herself taking an additional dose, having forgotten about the earlier dose.

3 Ways to Curb Opioid Abuse

Fortunately, there are measures that doctors and loved ones can take to decrease the abuse of opioids amongst patients. Taken together, they represent a robust, comprehensive strategy for keeping patients safe and free from substance abuse.

1. Education: The best way to combat drug use is to stop it before it starts, and the best way to prevent opioid abuse is through education. The good news is that a number of surveys show that patients are becoming more invested in their health care treatment plans and are looking for more information.
2. Speak with Health Care Providers: Talk to doctors about overprescribing opioids. Sometimes, when dealing with severe acute pain or chronic pain for which other interventions have failed, opioids might be an appropriate treatment. Often, though, doctors may prescribe opioids to patients who might do just as well, or better, with other, less dangerous pain relievers. Make sure the doctors that you work with are aware of all treatment options and are diligent about preventing opioid abuse.
3. Gather Thorough Patient Histories: Certain risk factors—like depression, high blood pressure or obesity—radically increase the likelihood of dangerous side effects from opioid use. Gathering patient histories can alert doctors to these risk factors and allow them to alter treatment plans so that patients with a high risk are closely monitored for those ill effects.

Mitigate the Risks

Opioids can be a powerful tool to assist in the healing process, so eliminating them completely isn’t an option. For more information on how to mitigate the risk of opioid abuse, contact Lawley today.

Scientific research indicates that gut health may play a bigger role in overall well-being than many people realize. In fact, research published in the National Library of Medicine shows that there is a nervous system in the gut that produces approximately 95% of the body’s serotonin, which regulates mood, sleep, digestion and other critical functions. Commonly referred to as a “second brain,” the gut’s nervous system contains over 100 million nerve cells that line the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the rectum, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. This nervous system is likely the reason for feelings like “butterflies” in your stomach and explains why people sometimes feel nauseous when they’re anxious or excited.

Crucially, the relationship between your mind and gut also impacts your mental and physical health. An unhealthy gut can contribute to mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, and vice versa. It can also contribute to the development of certain diseases. This article explains the gut-brain connection and provides guidance for improving your gut health.

Understanding the Gut-brain Connection

Both the brain and the gut have neurons that tell the body how to behave. They also have neurotransmitters, which control feelings and emotions. Communication occurs through the vagus nerve, which connects the gut and the brain through the gut-brain axis. Scientists don’t believe that the “second brain” in your gut is capable of thought; however, they’ve shown that it can communicate with your brain, producing significant results. For example, people with irritable bowel syndrome often experience big emotional shifts, such as mood changes, depression and anxiety.

Signs of an Unhealthy Gut

The National Library of Medicine reported that gut health is linked to the following conditions:

• Mental health issues
• A weak immune system
• Autoimmune diseases
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Endocrine diseases
• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Cancer

An unhealthy gut can impact your immune system, weight and hormones. It may also make you more susceptible to disease. Gut health can be negatively impacted by stress, lack of sleep, antibiotics and diet.

Improving Your Gut Health

A healthy gut may be associated with improved mental and physical health. Promote gut health with the following practices:

• Manage your stress. Chronic stress is hard on your gut. Reduce stress by meditating, spending time with family and friends, limiting alcohol consumption and getting counseling.
• Get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep can negatively impact your gut, which can cause more sleep issues. Prioritize getting seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.
• Drink plenty of water. Hydration can increase the diversity of healthy bacteria in your gut and reduce the type of gut bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infections.

Eating for a Healthy Gut

Processed, sugary and high-fat foods can irritate your gut and cause poor gut health. Instead, focus on eating foods that are high in fiber and contain micronutrients called polyphenols, such as fruits, vegetables, coffee and tea. Eat plenty of the following foods to promote gut health:

• High-fiber foods (e.g., beans, vegetables and fruits)
• Garlic
• Fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut, yogurt and kefir)
• Collagen-rich foods (e.g., citrus fruits, meat, eggs and nuts)

You can also take prebiotics or probiotics to promote the growth of beneficial growth in the gut. Such products should be used with caution, as not all products are high quality or good for your gut. Additionally, people with severe illnesses or a weak immune system shouldn’t take these supplements without consulting a health care professional.

Conclusion

The connection between your gut and your brain has a significant impact on your overall health. With certain lifestyle changes, such as a healthy diet and adequate stress management, you can reap the benefits of a healthy gut. Speak to your health care provider for more information on gut-healthy foods.

Contact Lawley today to learn more.

Psoriasis affects more than 8 million people in the United States, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. The disease occurs equally in men and women, and people typically have their first outbreak between the ages of 15 and 25. Psoriasis most often occurs on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face, palms and soles of the feet.

Normally, skin cells mature and shed from the body after about a month. If you suffer from psoriasis, cell maturation increases, taking only three to four days. This causes dead skin cells to accumulate in thick patches resulting in lesions, which can itch, burn, crack or cause restricted movement.

Types of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is chronic and unpredictable. Symptoms can come on suddenly and disappear just as quickly. There are five common types of psoriasis, each with its own characteristic skin lesion:

• Plaque psoriasis—Raised, inflamed, red lesions covered by a silvery, white buildup of dead skin cells primarily affecting the trunk, elbows, knees, scalp, fingernails and toenails. This is the most common form of psoriasis.
• Erythrodermic psoriasis—Red, swollen lesions that appear on large areas of skin.
• Guttate psoriasis—Small, drop-like lesions that appear on the trunk, limbs and scalp.
• Inverse psoriasis—Large, dry, smooth, red lesions that appear in the folds of skin.
• Pustular psoriasis—Small, blister-like lesions that contain white pus found either all over the body or confined to the palms and soles. This form of psoriasis occurs most often in children.

Causes

The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, but it seems that the immune system somehow mistakenly triggers T cells in the skin. T cells trigger excessive skin cell reproduction, speeding up the growth cycle. Your genetic makeup may determine if you are likely to develop psoriasis, but not everyone with a genetic predisposition will develop the condition. Instead, certain triggers seem to awaken and activate the disease in those with a genetic predisposition, including:

• Emotional stress
• Injury to the skin
• Immune system response to disease
• Some types of infections
• Reactions to certain drugs

People suffering from psoriasis may also notice that there are times when their skin worsens and then improves for no apparent reason. Some factors that may cause flare-ups include:

• Changes in climate
• Dry or sunburned skin
• Alcohol
• Medications
• Infections

Treatment

There is no cure for psoriasis, but there are things you can do to help control your symptoms:

• Keep the skin lubricated.
• Use a humidifier in colder, dryer months.
• Do not get too much sun.
• Use mild soaps or soap-free cleansers.
• Eat a nutritionally balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight.
• Do not scratch, rub or pick the lesions.
• Bathe daily to soak off the scales.
• Use soaps, shampoos, cleansers or ointments containing coal tar or salicylic acid.

Most exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays happens before age 18. This is why experts strongly recommend that children, toddlers and infants receive the same level, or higher, of UV protection as adults.

Limiting Exposure

Protect a child’s skin from the sun every day, especially during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children less than one year of age should never be exposed to intense, direct sunlight, as they are especially sensitive to UV radiation and heat. Here are some helpful tips for UV protection:

• Try to ensure that children’s preschool or school schedules keep them indoors as much as possible during peak hours.
• Schedule sports and other outdoor activities early in the morning, late in the afternoon or in the evening. It is important not to reduce your child’s overall exercise in doing so, however.
• Don’t overlook natural shade. Look for play areas in shady spots.
• Keep children covered with clothing that provides protection from the sun. Closely woven materials, long-sleeved shirts and pants are best. Broad-brimmed hats are also recommended, but avoid caps that do not shade the ears or the back of the neck.
• Remember to protect children on cloudy days. Most damaging UV rays penetrate light cloud cover and haze.

Sunscreen

• When out in the sun for any length of time, children should use a sunscreen lotion with an SPF of 30 or more with UVA protection.
• For best results, sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes before exposure to the sun, so it is absorbed by the skin and less likely to rub or wash off. Reapply every couple hours.
• For children wearing bathing suits, make sure that sunscreen is applied up to and under the edges of the suit to protect sensitive areas like the upper thighs and chest. Pay particular attention to the tops of feet and the backs of the knees.
• Note that sunscreens become less effective over time. Check expiration dates before using old sunscreen and replace if outdated.

Sunglasses

The same UV rays that harm the skin can also cause injury to the eyes. Most brands are effective at screening or reflecting at least some UV light. Here are some tips for picking the right pair for your child:

• Look for lenses providing a minimum of 90% protection from UVA and 95% protection from UVB light.
• Make sure the glasses fit securely and do not fall off their face. The lenses should be wide enough to cover their eyes and skin around their eyes.
• Look for frames made with quality materials and scratch resistant lenses in order to get more longevity out of them.

By now the importance of adequate skin protection is widely known. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and the number of Americans who have had skin cancer at some point in the last three decades is estimated to be higher than the number for all other cancers combined. Most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer, are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. The sun’s UV rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. While there are several steps you can take to limit your exposure to the sun, proper sunscreen selection and application is critical.

Sunscreen Labeling and Differences

All sunscreen comes labeled with a Sun Protection Factor, or SPF, which is the measure of a sunscreen’s ability to prevent ultraviolet B (UVB) light from damaging the skin. SPF 15 filters out approximately 93% of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97% and SPF 50 keeps out 98%. Some sunscreen also protects against Ultraviolet A light, as well as UVB. This kind of sunscreen is called broad-spectrum.

While you can find information online about calculating sun exposure times, keep in mind that duration equations are not always accurate and SPF numbers are not supposed to help you determine the amount of time you can remain in the sun after initial application.

Recent changes mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have made sunscreen selection a lot easier. Under the new rules, sunscreen can only claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging if it is both broad-spectrum and has an SPF of 15 or higher. Sunscreen that is not broad-spectrum or has an SPF of less than 15 can only claim to prevent sunburn and must include a warning stating it cannot prevent skin cancer or early aging.

Sunscreen products also can no longer claim to be waterproof, only water-resistant, and labels must note a time limit of either 40 or 80 minutes before the sunscreen is ineffective.

Sunscreen Recommendations

While the FDA changes have cleared up confusion regarding the various types of sunscreen, how do you know what type is right for you? The answer can be found in sunscreen recommendations made by the American Academy of Dermatologists. Their suggestions include:

• Choose sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
• Choose sunscreen that is broad-spectrum.
• Choose sunscreen that is water-resistant.
• Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours, or more often if you’re sweating or jumping in and out of the water.
• Use approximately 1 ounce of sunscreen every time you apply so that you adequately cover your exposed body parts. This is roughly equivalent to a shot-glass full or a glob the size of a golf ball.

On top of these suggestions, it’s always important to keep in mind that:

• The need for sunscreen is not diminished by where you live or your skin type or color.
• UV rays can penetrate both clouds and windows.
• Sunscreen expires. Sunscreen is designed to remain at its original strength for up to three years. Many bottles come with an expiration date.
• Even if you’ve done a lot of tanning or have been sunburned in the past, it is not too late to protect your skin from further damage.