Managing Your Health

With today's hectic lifestyles, most of us end up eating out at least once a week. That could mean grabbing a sandwich from the supermarket deli counter for lunch, ordering take-out for dinner, or splurging on a special meal at a favorite restaurants. Meals away from home make it harder to control ingredients, calories, and portions. This can be particularly challenging for people with type 2 diabetes (and for those of us trying to avoid getting this condition). The following tips can help you enjoy eating out without abandoning your efforts to eat well: Ask how the food is prepared: Before you order, ask about ingredients and how the menu selections are prepared. Try to choose dishes made with whole grains, healthy oils, vegetables, and lean proteins. Meat that has been broiled, poached, baked or grilled is a more health-conscious option than fried foods or dishes prepared with heavy sauces. Look for less. You eyes are the perfect instrument for sizing up portion sizes. Use yo...

My wife and I have this argument (she calls it a "discussion") several times a year. I discover some perfectly good food of uncertain age in the refrigerator. She wants to throw it away - better safe than sorry! I say if the color looks right, it smells like food, and tastes alright, we should eat it. And with that another perfectly good pasta dish (or was that chicken?) is tossed out. We have similar discussions about expired medications. I'd heard medications were often safe and effective well past their expiration date; she's ready to throw them out if they're even close to the date on the bottle. So who is right? The U.S. Air Force started a study in 1985 and later extended it to other military services in the early 1990s. The military had gathered a stockpile of medications worth more than a billion dollars that were close to or past their expiration dates. No one wanted to throw away expensive medications that might still be safe and effective. So the dr...

Some earwax is good for your ears, so often the best policy is to leave it alone. And a few drops of water may be all you need to get rid of a blockage. Earwax, a bodily emanation that many of us would rather do without, is actually pretty useful stuff -- in small amounts. It's a natural cleanser as it moves from inside the ear canal outward, gathering dead skin cells, hair, and dirt along the way. Tests have shown that it has been antibacterial and antifungal properties. If your ears don't have enough earwax, they're likely to feel itchy and uncomfortable. And if you don't have the right kind, you may be more likely to get ear infections. Researchers have found that the earwax of people with diabetes is less acidic than that of people without the disease, a difference that may help explain why some people with the disease are prone to ear infections. The side effects of excessive earwax But for many people, earwax is manifestly too much of a good thing. An ear canal...

Normal aging leads to gradual changes in many skills associated with thinking and memory. For example, you might find it harder to focus your attention and absorb information quickly. The slowdown in processing can lead to a bottleneck of information entering your short-term memory, reducing the amount of information entering your short-term memory, reducing the amount of information that can acquired and encoded into long-term memory. But the following 4 strageties can help enhance your focus and ability to attend to the information presented to you: 1. When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you missed something that was said, ask the person to repeat it or to speak more slowly. 2. Paraphrase what is said to make sure that you understand it and reinforce the information. For example, if someone says, "We can see the movie either at Loews Theater at 7:30 or at 7:50 at the Paramount?" 3. If you find that you tend to become distracted duri...

The way you live, what you eat and drink, and how you treat your body can affect your memory just as much as your physical health and well-being. Here are five things you can do every day to keep both your mind and body sharp. 1. Manage your stress. The constant drumbeat of daily stresses such as deadline pressures or petty arguments can certainly distract you and affect your ability to focus and recall. But the bigger problem is an ongoing sense of anxiety -- that can lead to memory impairment. If you don't have a strategy in place for managing your stress, protecting your memory is one reason to get one. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and a "mindful" approach to living can all help. 2. Get a good night's sleep. People who don't sleep well at night tend to be more forgetful than people who sleep soundly. A good night's sleep is essential for consolidating memories. The most common reason for poor sleep is insomnia -- difficulty falling asleep or staying ...

Many women have a bunion -- a deformity of the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint at the base of the big toe. A bunion develops when the first metatarsal bone of the foot turns outward and the big toe points inward (toward the other toes), causing the joint to jut out. The Latin name for the deformity is hallux valgus (hallux means big toe, and valgus means turned away from the midline of the body). Most shoes don't accommodate the resulting protrusion and so put pressure on the misaligned joint. Eventually, the bursa (a fluid-filled sac that surrounds and cushions the joint) becomes inflamed, and the entire joint becomes stiff and painful. A bunion is most likely to develop when susceptible feet are repeatedly squeezed into narrow, pointed-toe footwear. The big toe pushes against other toes, sometimes diving over or under them. As a result, the base of the big toe -- the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint - juts or angles out from the foot. To judge how severe a bunion is, clinician ta...

Much has been made of the recently published results of the DIETFITS (Diet Intervention Examining the Factors Interacting with Treatment Success) study. Most of the headlines emphasized the fact that the two diets involved - low-fat and low-carb - ended up having the same results across almost all end points studied, from weight loss to lowering blood sugar and cholesterol. What's more interesting, however, is how these two diets are similar. The authors wanted to compare low-fat vs. low-carb diets, but they also wanted to study genetic and physical makeups that purportedly (their word) could influence how effective each type of diet will be for people. Previous studies had suggested that a difference in a particular genetic sequence could mean that certain people will do better with a low-fat diet. Other studies had suggested that insulin sensitivity may mean that certain people will do better with a low-carb diet. What DIETFITS revealed about weight loss The study began...

An overactive bladder (also known as urge incontinence) causes a sudden urge to urinate, even when your bladder isn't full. For some people, it's simply a nuisance. For others, the urge can't be controlled, which leads not only to incontinence but also to a potentially severe negative impact on their quality of life. Bladder training can go a long way toward helping with urinary incontinence. This treatment strategy involves learning to urinate on a schedule (timed voiding) and doing pelvic music exercises. Here's a step-by-step bladder-training technique: 1. Keep a diary. For a day or two, keep track of the times you urinate or leak urine during the day. 2. Calculate. On average, how many hours do you wait between visits to the bathroom during the day? 3. Choose an interval. Based on your typical interval between needing to urinate, set your start interval for training so that it's 15 minutes longer. So, if you usually make it for one hour before you n...

Understanding risk and modifying your activities can cushion your joints from damage. Joints are a little bit like couch cushions. Over time, the padding between your bones, called cartilage, gets worn out and flattens down -- a condition known as osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, dealing with worn joints is not as simple as fixing or replacing a couch. And whether your joints wear out may be entirely in your control. "Unfortunately, a lot of your risk depends on your genes," says Dr. Scott Martin, an orthopedic surgeon and associate professor. "If you have a history of arthritis in your family, you may get arthritis in your lifetime. That's one factor you can't control." But while your DNA may foretell joint problems, that doesn't mean you are entirely powerless when it comes to your joint health. You can take steps to keep your joints working well for as long as possible. Below are some strategies you can use to protect them. Know your risk fa...

Any tasks that encourages you to sit in one position for long hours can wreak havoc on posture. Even enjoyable hours while away from an e-reader or a tablet may have that effect -- and worse. A study showed that holding a tablet too low or in your lap can force the muscles and bones in the neck into an unnatural posture, which may strain or aggravate other muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and spinal discs. Over time, poor posture chips away at the range of motion in your joints. The neck problems described in the study above - and repetitive stress injuries from tasks such as typing - may occur, too. Fortunately, good ergonomics and regular posture checks can help combat these problems. Ergonomics for computers, phones, and tablets If you use a laptop or desktop computer: Choose a chair with good lumbar support, or place a pillow against the small of your back. Position the top of your monitor so it's just below eye level. Sit up straight with your head level, no...

Your range of motion - how far you can move a joint in various directions - is determined by many things, starting with the inner workings of the joint and the structures surrounding it. Stretching exercises can help extend this range of motion. To understand how, it helps to be familiar with these structures and how they can help - or hinder - a joint's flexibility: Joints are the junctions that link bones together. The architecture of each joint - that is, whether its structure is a hinge, pivot, or ball-in-socket - determines how the bones can move. Muscles surround joints and provide the energy used to move them. The amount of tension in the muscles surrounding a joint is a key factor in how big of a range of motion that joint can achieve. Muscle tension can be affected both by passive factors, such as tissue scarring or your habitual posture, and by active factors, such as involuntary muscle spasms or purposeful muscle contractions. Tendons are flexible cords of stron...

Relaxation, meditation, positive thinking, and other mind-body techniques can help reduce your need for pain medication. Drugs are very good at getting rid of pain, but they often have unpleasant, and even serious, side effects when used for a long time. If you have backache, fibromyalgia, arthritis, or other chronic pain that interferes with your daily life, you may be looking for a way to relieve discomfort that doesn't involve drugs. Some age-old techniques - including meditation and yoga - as well as newer variations may help reduce your need for pain medication. Research suggests that because pain involves both the mind and body, mind-body therapies may have the capacity to alleviate pain by changing the way you perceive it. How you feel pain is influenced by your genetic makeup, emotions, personality, and lifestyle. It's also influenced by past experience. If you've been in pain for a while, your brain may have rewired itself to perceive pain signals even afte...

You might call them pain relievers. You might take them for back pain, headache, or arthritis. Your doctor calls them "NSAIDs," which stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Whatever you call them and for whatever reason you take them, NSAIDs are among the most popular medications worldwide. In fact, estimates suggest that about 15% of the US population takes an NSAI regularly (including those that are over the counter and prescription strength). Along with sporadic users, more than 30 billion doses are taken each year. Some of the most common NSAIDs include ibuprofen (as in Motrin), naproxen (as in Aleve) and celecoxib (as in Celebrex). Why are NSAIDs so popular? There are several reasons: For many conditions, they work quite well -- in addition to working as pain relievers, they can reduce fever and inflammation. They are relatively inexpensive, with generic versions available for most of them. They're available over the counter or, in higher dose...

Travel planning can be especially stressful for people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or other health conditions that require oxygen therapy. The following steps can be helpful with the process: Call your local oxygen supplier one to two weeks in advance to arrange for your oxygen supply while you are traveling. Your needs will vary according to your mode of transportation and length of stay at your destination. If traveling by air, book far in advance because airlines allow only a limited number of people traveling with oxygen per flight. Take antiseptic hand-washing packets or gel to help avoid picking up bacterial or viral infections. Also wash hands with soap and water frequently. If you are traveling to an area of high altitude, plan ahead for an oxygen supply at your destination. 

Ask the doctor Q: I'm an 87-year-old man. Over the past year I've lost considerable weight, and I didn't have that much to lose. My doctor can't find any reason for my weight loss and is advising me to eat ice cream. But isn't that risky for my heart? A. I smiled when I read your letter, because I occasionally said that if I were to develop a terminal condition, the silver lining on that cloud would be that I could finally eat all of the hot fudge sundaes I wanted. Assuming that you've lost a significant amount (like 10% of your original weight) over the course of six to 12 months, your doctor was right to test you for various diseases that can cause weight loss. When weight loss is caused by a disease (such as cancer or a chronic infection) it's usually because the disease has reduced the person's appetite. One exception is an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism): that condition increases both appetite and weight loss. Fortunately, your doct...

Everyone has the occasional "senior moment." Maybe you've gone into the kitchen and can't remember why, or can't recall a familiar name during a conversation. Memory lapses can occur at any age, but aging alone is generally not a cause of cognitive decline. When significant memory loss occurs among older people, it is generally not due to aging but to organic disorders, brain injury, or neurological illness. Studies have shown that you can help prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia with some basic good health habits: staying physically active getting enough sleep not smoking having good social connections limiting alcohol to one drink a day eating a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fat Certain health conditions that can impair cognitive skills include diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, and hypothyroidism. If you have any of these health issues, you can help protect your memory by following your do...

Strengthening your core muscles doesn't have to be overwhelming. You can do these simple exercises anywhere and adapt them as you gain fitness. The office workout The following routine is a great way to ease into core work. You can do these four exercises at work, without your colleagues being any the wiser. You can do these exercises at home, too, thanks to simple variations. The front plank, for example, can be done while either leaning on your desk or using the kitchen counter to support your weight. Equipment needed: Desk (a table or countertop is also fine), exercise mat, and sturdy chair. Chair Stand Front Plank on Desk Bridge Abdominal Contraction

Time can pass awfully slow when you're hoping to see results after embarking on a new exercise regimen. But if you do gentle core work consistently, you can start to see progress in as little as two to four weeks. Once you do, you might wonder when and how to progress from there or how to just maintain the gains you've made. Either way, our tips below will help. When to progress Repeatedly challenging muscles makes them stronger. As you get stronger, exercises in your routine will become easier to do. You're ready to progress if you can manage all four of these tasks throughout each exercise: maintain good form stick to the specified tempo use a full, or comfortable, range of motion complete the suggest number of reps or hold the position for the suggest number of seconds. How to progress You can continue to challenge your muscles by making one of these choices: adding sets (up to two, if specified in the instructions) trying the higher level vari...

Repetitive motion and poor posture can lead to aches and pains. You've mastered the art of texting, emailing, and web surfing on your smartphone and computer. But along with that digital prowess, you've picked up an unexpected side effect. "We get a number of patients who develop injuries from these activities," says Dr. Tamara Rozental, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hand, wrist, and elbow disorders. Hand pain The repetitive motions of texting and typing can lead to general hand pain from underlying osteoarthritis (the wearing away of cartilage in the joints). "Using these gadgets doesn't cause osteoarthritis, but if you're prone to it, it can increase your symptoms," Dr. Rozental says. Using your thumbs too much to text can cause strain or overuse injuries of the tendons that run from the wrist to the thumb (a condition called De Quervain's tenosynovitis). Symptoms include pain over the thumb side of the wrist, which can a...

When faced with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or other symptoms of the mind and brain, it can be difficult to know where to find the best care. In part, the challenge of finding the right professional for you stems from the highly variable manner in which mental health concerns can emerge. One person's depression, for example, may be very different than someone else's, and the same can be said for anxiety, post-traumatic stress, obsessionality, attentional issues, substance use disorders, and evey psychosis. There are also lots of different kinds of mental health providers out there doing all kinds of distinct clinical work. It can be intimidating to even know where to stand searching for help, but often telling your primary care doctor about your symptoms, and if necessary asking for a referral to a specialist, is a good place to begin. If your doctor determines that specialized care is needed, you may be referred to a psychiatrist who can do a g...