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When you’re busy, scheduling an annual wellness exam with your provider is probably the last thing on your mind. However, the benefits of these exams far outweigh any inconvenience. Preventive visits play a key role in keeping you healthy. Annual wellness visits typically range from 20 to 30 minutes. During these short appointments, your doctor will review your health history and any medications you take, assess your height and weight, and may offer advice about how to improve your health, such as stopp...
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At times, everyone feels angry, irritated, nervous or sad, but when do these feelings require professional treatment? Any of these feelings could be normal responses to events in your life, but they could also be signs of diagnosable, treatable mental illnesses such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Having these feelings shouldn’t be cause for concern, but why you feel them and how they affect you could be. For example, stress is a natural response to external f...
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Imagine this — you’re going about your day, working, exercising or spending time with your family, when all of a sudden you feel a sharp, stabbing pain in your abdomen. You’ve been a little nauseous all day, and you haven’t felt hungry, so you chalk it up to eating too much at your last meal. Right? Wrong. These are all signs that you have appendicitis, the inflammation of the appendix — a small tube attached to the large intestine. Appendicitis may occur when there is a blockage in the appendix caused ...
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Your water needs depend on body size, activity level, sweat rate, current medications, physical condition and even location. Water plays an important role in in almost everything your body does. If you don’t get enough, it can impact cell health, digestion, kidney function, body temperature, energy levels, muscle function, skin health, blood pressure and cognition — and eventually lead to death. That’s why our bodies are so good at telling us they need water. Even a slight change in the body’s water bal...
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Combat the emotional, mental and physical consequences of stress by transforming your bath space into an at-home spa. The pressures of daily life can take a true toll on your health if they overwhelm you, creating “burnout.” Causing depression, exhaustion and frustration, burnout can negatively impact your health and life. By pampering yourself for a few minutes every day, you can alleviate the symptoms associated with burnout. Take a bubble bath. Soak in a tub filled with your favorite fragrances and e...
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If you’re looking for natural alternatives to common beauty products, cooking oils can be your best friend. Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil works great as a makeup remover — simply use olive oil on a cotton ball to wipe away stubborn waterproof makeup. To gently clean makeup brushes, mix one part olive oil with two parts antibacterial soap, then swirl your brushes in the mixture. Rinse with warm water and let dry. Coconut oil: Use a dab of it on dry hair for frizz control, or coat your hair in coconut...
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Whether you’re an evening or morning person often depends on your body’s internal clock. Your genes help regulate your internal clock, but your habits are just as important. Try these tips to prepare for early morning wake-up calls: Make time for a workout. People who start the day with exercise maximize their mid-morning energy peak and may burn more fat than those who exercise at other times of the day. Let the early morning light shine. Exposure to light boosts alertness. Position your bed near a win...
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What do Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia, Italy and Loma Linda, California have in common? They’re some of the world’s “blue zones” — regions where people routinely live to be 100. Researchers have studied these centenarian communities to better understand the factors that influence wellness and longevity. These are the lessons we can learn from their way of life. Well Eating Stop before you’re stuffed. On average, “blue zoners” eat until their stomachs are 80 percent full. Give yourself time to feel full by st...
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Your body shape – along with your weight – could set the stage for your overall health and factor into your risk of developing chronic health conditions. Most bodies fall into two categories based on their waist-to-hip ratio: apple and pear shapes. Apple-shaped people tend to carry more weight around their waists. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that people who carried extra weight in the abdominal area had high blood pressure and lower kidney function...
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It can be frustrating to misplace your car keys or forget the name of an old college friend. But it’s not just memory loss we contend with as we age. Our brains tend to slow down in our later years, making it harder to concentrate and retain new information. Here are three things around your house that you can use to boost your brain health: 1. A pair of walking shoes. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that people who walked at least 72 blocks — or about six miles — per week had more gra...
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