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Posts with tag ill

Will wearing wet hair outside make you sick?

Posted: Apr 17th 2008 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: General Health

Don't go outside with wet hair. You'll get sick if you do. Or will you?

Nope. Wet hair worn outside won't make you ill. Science proves it, say researchers at Baylor University. Here's how they know: They exposed 44 volunteers to the cold virus and had some stand in a chilly room and some in a toasty room. Those kept in the chilled space weren't any more likely to get the sniffles than anyone in the toasty room. That's because viruses cause colds, not wet hair or cold temps.

The best way to boost your immune system and keep healthy is to get enough sleep and exercise, according to SHAPE magazine. This way, your body can defend itself against any virus.

Our desks could be making us sick

Posted: Mar 18th 2008 4:00PM by Adams Briscoe
Filed under: General Health, Health in the Media

If someone told you that desks (like the one you're probably using right now) have more germs and bugs than bathrooms... would you believe it? I wouldn't have fallen for it before reading this article. Researchers say our desks could accommodate as much 400 times the amount of germs than a restroom.

It's no wonder we work ourselves into sick symptoms -- it could actually be our desk causing the problem! Even though our world is filled with all kinds of microscopic organisms, the place at which you sit and work for hours of the day harbors germs that can make you ill.

Millions of bacteria cover the surface of your desktop. While it's not grounds for hosing it down or living in a bubble, if you engage in other activities like eating or putting on makeup, then it's more likely to trap and spread sick-causing germs. In fact, experts recommend wiping the desk down once at the end of every day with disinfectant wipes. After all, it could make the difference against a small weekend head cold. But who is more at risk for dirtier desks: men or women?

Daily Fit Tip: How to keep your pet from making you sick

Posted: Mar 7th 2008 6:00AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: General Health, Daily Fit Tip, Healthy Events

The majority of Americans have, or have had, a pet as part of their family. Studies have shown that having pets can be really good for your health (lowering heart rate and reducing blood pressure and cholesterol) but pets, like all animals, can also carry disease. If you don't take the right precautions you and your family could end up getting really sick. The very old, the very young, pregnant women, and anybody with a compromised immune system are at the most risk, but anybody could catch any number of nasty things. Here are a few pointers for avoiding pet-related illnesses:

Gallery: How to keep your pet from making you sick

Keep your pet up to date on vaccinationsNever feed raw or undercooked meat to petsDon't let your cat catch miceDon't take in sick strays or wild animals

Discovering bipolar disorder via blood tests

Posted: Feb 26th 2008 6:30PM by Adams Briscoe
Filed under: Emotional Health, General Health, Health in the Media

Mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder are very hard for psychiatrists to diagnose sometimes. It's a subjective procedure requiring the patient to tell the professional about his or her symptoms. After that, the doctor must give a judgment which ultimately diagnoses the patient.

But what if medical professionals were able to test the blood and detect whether or not a person had bipolar disorder or depression? This could, theoretically, eliminate the need for subjective judgments on people's mental state. However, some folks believe this is too accurate.

The ethical concerns stem from the fact that ten genes have been shown to reveal a person's mental status. Personality characteristics are controversial in medicine, and a test that can allegedly tell a person if they're unstable could cause a bigger rift. However, if used properly, this seems like a more effective way to treat patients of psychiatry. We'll have to keep an eye on this for future developments!

Experts say if you are ill, don't fly

Posted: Feb 26th 2008 6:00PM by Adams Briscoe
Filed under: General Health, Health in the Media

At any given moment, there are 2 million passengers on board commercial flights high above the earth. That's what this article claims, but the amazing thing is that one company is responsible for taking calls from flight attendants if a passenger feels ill. While it gives me a little comfort to know medical events can be called in to professionals, the CNN articles reveals that you should think twice before going airborne if you aren't in tip-top shape to begin with.

The reason being is because flight attendants are not medically trained. If you get sick or ill, the pilot (not a doctor) must weight various factors before deciding if he can divert the plane off-course. This can leave a person feeling very icky thousands of feet in the air.

Consider this: if you just got a cast for a broken bone, there's a chance your arm could slightly swell due to altitude changes which could cause discomfort. The bottom line is simple. If you're not feeling well, don't fly. These are not airborne hospitals with trained professionals, and planes don't always divert for sick passengers. It's easy to understand why this is a hot-button issue, but experts agree that staying grounded is the best choice for unwell fliers.

Workplace Fitness: Staying healthy on vacation

Posted: Feb 20th 2008 6:00AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Workplace Fitness

An important part of being successful in your working life is to take advantage of vacation time benefits to refresh and revive your mind, body, and spirit. But obviously getting sick on vacation and spending the majority of the time not relaxing but recovering and suffering instead does nothing for you but waste your money and your time and send you back to work feeling more exhausted than when you left.

Taking some simple steps towards staying healthy can be the difference between coming back from vacation feeling relaxed and refreshed and ready to hit the ground running or coming back tired, drained, and barely able to get motivated. Whether you're going on a cruise through the Caribbean or on a drive across the country Forbes has compiled some tips to help you stay healthy and make the most of your time away from your desk, your career, and all the other stresses of your everyday life.

Gallery: Staying healthy on vacation

Preventative measures: See a doctor BEFORE you goDrinking the water: Don't!Hydrate hydrate hydrate!Mosquitos and bugs: Protect yourself

Continue reading Workplace Fitness: Staying healthy on vacation

Daily Fit Tip: When the flu needs a doctor

Posted: Dec 21st 2007 6:00AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: General Health, Daily Fit Tip

Ugh, the flu season is fast approaching and the first lucky ducks are already starting to come down with it. For the most part dealing with the flu is really just a "get as comfortable as you can and wait it out" kinda game, but in some cases it can get so severe that it's necessary to see a doctor. So how can you tell when a simple winter cold turns into a serious flu that needs medical attention? Call your doctor whenever you're unsure, but especially if you're experiencing these symptoms:
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Extreme tiredness/fatigue
  • Cough/sore throat
  • Runny or stuff nose
  • Muscle aches
  • Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea
Also call if you've been sick for a few days already and then your symptoms suddenly start to get worse, or anytime you're unsure or have concerns. Better safe than sorry, especially when it comes to the very young and the elderly.

What do you know about the flu? The top 12 myths

Posted: Dec 13th 2007 6:29AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: General Health

The flu has been around since the beginning of time, and in all those years and centuries more than a few misconceptions and myths have come to be believed as truth. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that for all our technology we still can't cure it, or that it can manifest itself in so many ways, or simply because there's just too much room for people's imagination to run wild with the symptoms. Even many people who should know better, like health care workers, often believe incorrect facts about the flu. Do you think you're in the know? Or are you a victim of myth and old-wives tales? Find out the 12 most common flu myths and share your thoughts in the comments!

Gallery: The top 12 myths about the flu

Myth #1: The flu is annoying, but harmlessMyth #2: You can catch the flu from getting the vaccineMyth #3: There is no treatment for the fluMyth #4: Antibiotics can help fight the flu

Is it strep throat, or something else?

Posted: Nov 29th 2007 5:23PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: General Health

When the temperatures drop dramatically and the world is covered in a blanket of chilling snow, I often find myself waking up with a scratchy, sore throat. You too? Many people are quick to label a sore throat as strep throat or tonsillitis, but having had both when I was growing up, I know better. Strep throat is pretty severe -- here are the signs:
  • It's difficult to swallow -- to the point where you avoid food because it hurts too much
  • It's often accompanied by a headache
  • It comes with a fever -- often a high one
  • Your tonsils look red and raw, and have a white puss on them.
  • Your lymph nodes are swollen.
  • You don't have a cough, stuffy nose or other respiratory symptoms.
To find our more about strep throat, click here.

5 natural enemies of the cold and flu

Posted: Nov 26th 2007 7:37AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, General Health

With the stress of the holiday season getting close to full swing it's as important as every to take care of yourself and stock up your arsenal of weapons against the cold and flu. And that arsenal, besides a healthy lifestyle and perhaps a flu shot, should probably include the following:
  • Vitamin C
  • Zinc
  • Echinacea
  • Elderberry
  • Licorice Root
The first three were things I already had on the top of my mind, but the last two I may not have considered before now. You can get more info on each of these here, but as always be just as careful with home remedies as you are with prescription ones.

Why does the flu always spread more in the winter?

Posted: Nov 1st 2007 1:57PM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: General Health

We're coming into flu season the same way we do every year -- the colder it gets the more of us seem to get sick. So why is that? Why is it that the flu seems to spread so fast in the fall and winter months? It's really very simple: the flu virus likes cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

So knowing that, there are a couple things you can do to help slow the spread and minimize your chances of getting sick:
  • Keep room thermostats set at 68º F or higher.
  • Try to keep room humidity at 50% or greater.
Plus, of course, take care of yourself!

Workplace Fitness: All the ways your office makes you sick

Posted: Oct 24th 2007 6:00AM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Workplace Fitness

Cold and flu viruses love big offices! A whole bunch of stressed out, sleep deprived, and generally run-down people clumped together in close quarters just waiting for a flu or cold virus to come along and take them out for a few days. Finding ways to minimize your risk and stay healthy isn't easy with so many obstacles, and although leading a generally healthy lifestyle (i.e. not being terribly stressed out or sleep deprived) is a big Numero Uno on the list of what to do there are definitely other smaller parts to the puzzle that you can do every day. Just how is your office making you sick? Well, do any of these sound familiar?

*Desks and workstations acting as breeding grounds for bacteria
*Coworkers coming to work sick (presenteeism)
*Sedentary job functions
*Hot and cold temperature extremes
*Low humidity levels
*Invisible toxins in the air (mold spores, formaldehyde from furniture, fumes from equipment)
*Non-ergonomic workstations and physically repetitive tasks
*Stress as part of the daily routine
That's a lot to deal with! Some tips and ideas on what to do:


Continue reading Workplace Fitness: All the ways your office makes you sick

10 ways to never get sick again

Posted: Oct 10th 2007 3:51PM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: General Health

That time of year is creeping around again...cold and flu season! The key to staying as healthy as possible is in what you do now to prepare and prevent illness. Making healthy choices is about living a healthy lifestyle everyday, and although I don't agree personally with absolutely everything on this list, here's one take on 10 things you can do to never get sick again:
  • See a chiropractor
  • Laugh hard
  • Mix up your workout routine
  • Get enough sleep
  • See an acupuncturist
  • Meditate
  • Do cardio at least 4 days a week
  • Stretch
  • Eat organic
  • Be cautious of medications
Anything you would add? I think drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet (deep-fried onion rings won't do a thing for you even if they are organic!) are important too.

Surefire signs it's the flu

Posted: Oct 5th 2007 8:48PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: General Health

"It's the flu," is something we've all said when we're not feeling our best, whether it's the truth or not. The flu is a term that's been assigned to almost any sickness under the sun, but how do we know if we really have it or not? Here are some signs of the flu, courtesy of Everyday Health:
  • Fever, often high
  • Headache
  • Extreme tiredness/fatigue
  • Dry cough
  • Sore throat
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Muscle aches
  • Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
So next time you feel a bit achey from a rough day, don't be too quick to assume it's the flu -- if it was, your symptoms would probably be more severe.

Baby carrots recalled due to Shigella contamination

Posted: Aug 24th 2007 12:28PM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

Los Angeles Salad Company, out of California, is recalling all of its packages of baby carrots labeled "Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots" with a 'sell by' date up to (and including) August 16th due to the possibility that they are contaminated with Shigella bacteria. The packages were sold in Colorado, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida with the "Los Angeles Salad Company" brand name, and in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington under the brand "Trader Joe's."

4 people have become ill in Canada and investigators are still trying to determine the source. Shigella bacteria infections can cause bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting -- if you find any of these carrots in your home don't eat them (obviously) and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

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