Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from February, 2013

Health Care and Bulimia

Eating disorders have been around for many years, and they have been diagnosed by the mental health community as psychological issues regarding food. People who have issues about the consumption of food fall into several categories, and one of the most severe is bulimia, or the life-threatening habit of bingeing and purging. According to the Mayo Clinic, bulimia nervosa, commonly called bulimia, is serious. People with bulimia may secretly binge — eating large amounts of food — and then purge, trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. For example, someone with bulimia may force vomiting or do excessive exercise. Sometimes people purge after eating only a small snack or a normal-size meal. Bulimia can be categorized in two ways: • Purging bulimia. You regularly self-induce vomiting or misuse laxatives, diuretics or enemas after bingeing. • Non-purging bulimia. You use other methods to rid yourself of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting, strict dieting,...

Health Care and Gout

In days gone by, gout was considered to be the “disease of kings” largely because those who usually had this malady were very wealthy or royalty. The primary thought was that only rich individuals developed gout because only they could afford the food and drink that led to this health care problem. Actually, there is no substantive connection as anyone could develop gout regardless of their social status. However, there are certain dietary conditions related to this health issue. Gout is a kind of arthritis that occurs when uric acid builds up in blood and causes joint inflammation, according to the National Institutes for Health (NIH). Here are some symptoms: • Acute gout is a painful condition that typically affects one joint. • Chronic gout is repeated episodes of pain and inflammation, which may involve more than one joint. Gout, according to the NIH, is caused by having higher-than-normal levels of uric acid in your body. This may occur if: • Your body makes too much uric acid...

Health Care and Driving

Remember how excited you were when you received your driver’s license, or your first permit to drive? How cool was it to be able to get in your first car, or your parent’s station wagon (Yikes!), and head out on the streets and highways near your home. Whether it’s your first time behind the wheel, or you have been driving for decades, safety is paramount when you are driving. Being healthy helps you to be prepared for all the incidents that may come your way. Not having an accident as a result of healthy living helps to keep you safe. Millions of Americans drive every day. Most of them are in their vehicle either going to or coming from work. Many individuals drive professionally—truck drivers, delivery personnel, race car drivers, first responders such as policemen, firemen, and EMTs. These are just a few of the types of jobs that require people to get into a vehicle and get out on the road, whether it’s for a job, for safety and protection of the population, or for services to the c...

Health Care and Fruit

For many years, the benefits of eating fruit in your diet have been reported by many sources as a great way to help maintain a healthy way to eat and increase the overall betterment of your daily food intake. Eating fruit on a regular basis also provides essential vitamins and nutrients that your body needs. Fruit is also available just about everywhere—grocery stores, convenience stores like 7-Eleven, and some pharmacies like Walgreen’s and others. Even Starbucks has bananas and dried fruit available to purchase along with your latte or frappucino. And, everyone needs to eat some fruit on a regular basis as part of a good way to help offset some health problems. Infants through senior citizens all need to eat fruit. According to this website, http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits-why.html , here are some health benefits from including fruit in your diet: o Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. None have cholesterol. o Fruits are sources of many essenti...

Health Care and Fitness 2013 (Part II)

Last time, the material about fitness posted in YourBestHealthCare Blog focused on fitness in the employer world. This information to be discussed in part two focuses more on fitness tips for individuals and families. The material provided here is not a comprehensive overview of fitness, but does provide some helpful ideas on how to be more proactive with your health using fitness ideas. According to www.MyDailyMoment.com , when you get right down to it, more than weight loss is important, the key is making lifestyle changes - eating more nutritious foods and focusing on physical fitness. When you recognize that fitness matters and that you're going to want to do more exercise, there are a number of things that you can do: 1. Choose one day of the week to walk or bike to work -- at least part of the way. If your fitness level is not quite where you want it to be, you may want to take the bus partway -- at least initially -- and to take advantage of the bicycle racks that are at ...

Health Care and Fitness 2013

The biggest craze in employee health care over the past two years especially has been the concept of wellness. Most employers, including small companies and organizations, are typically very concerned about the general overall health of their employees. The cost to maintain a healthy human capital increases year by year, and one major way to help reduce the expense of a sick population at work is to manage them through wellness initiatives. Keeping workers from getting sick is a challenge for any business owner, human resource director, or department manager. You rely on your staff to be there when you need them, which is pretty much most of every day. One way to help with keeping your employees well is to start a fitness program at your company. According to Stephanie Christensen writing for Intuit Small Business Blog , regardless of whether or not you offer health insurance to your employees, you can support wellness in the workplace by offering fitness-oriented programs and activiti...

Health Care and NSAIDs

When you suffer from headache pain or body aches, but you aren’t desperately ill, what is one of the first sources of relief you look for, whether in a pharmacy or in your home? Do you reach for aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, or some variation of one of these over the counter pain relievers? If you take a name brand or a store brand, they each have the same formula as required by law for their respective drug type. Typically, the generic version is going to be cheaper, and most of the time work just as well for most people. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or AAOS, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs (pronounced en-saids), are the most prescribed medications for treating conditions such as arthritis. Most people are familiar with over-the-counter, nonprescription NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. NSAIDs are more than just pain relievers. They also help reduce inflammation and lower fevers. They prevent blood from clotting, which is good in some case...