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Your Ultimate Guide to Porcelain Crowns

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Porcelain Crowns: Your teeth play a vital role in your life and health. Not only do they allow you to chew food and speak to people, they also shape your face. Your teeth provide confidence and influence your social lives, relationships, and careers.

Unfortunately, your teeth incur damage as you grow due to tooth decay or injuries. This can alter your smile and put you at greater risk for more serious dental concerns. But dental crowns can be placed over your damaged teeth to help restore the functionality and look of your beautiful smile.

Dental crowns are essentially caps that are placed over pre-treated teeth. The crowns protect, cover, and bring back the shape of your teeth when fillings fail to solve the problem or are too large.

The dental crowns are usually metals, ceramics, or porcelain. While all of these have their own benefits, most patients are turning to porcelain crowns for their natural-appearance and strength.

Benefits of the Porcelain Crowns

If you have tried other dental treatment procedures and failed, it may be time you try porcelain crowns.

These crowns are preferable because:

  • They look natural
  • They improve your oral hygiene and smile
  • They can repair severely decaying teeth
  • They protect teeth after a root canal
  • The procedure is simple and relatively painless
  • They are affordable and can be paid in part or full with dental insurance
  • They can serve you for 15 to 30 years with proper care
  • The risk of fracture is low

The Porcelain Crown Treatment Procedure

  • The porcelain crown treatment usually takes two appointments.
  • The first visit is for preparing your teeth for the porcelain crown that will be fitted.
  • The process entails pinpointing and extracting any weak parts of the tooth and taking imitations to fit a temporary crown
  • Sometimes the process may call for an X-ray to determine if your tooth is damaged.
  • The dentist will place temporary crowns over your teeth to protect them until the final restorations come in.
  • The imitations are sent to the lab to prepare the permanent crowns. This step might take a few weeks.
  • At your second appointment, the temporary crowns are removed, and your new custom-made crowns are placed.

Recovery and What to Expect After Porcelain Crown Treatment

You will take a few days to recover after the porcelain crown treatment. You are likely to experience inflammation, sensitivity, and irritation that should disappear within one or two weeks.

Rinsing your mouth with warm salty water will help reduce swelling of the gums. Over-the-counter medications can help manage any discomfort you experience during recovery.

Going back to the dentist is wise if you still feel discomfort and trouble biting during the recovery period. Also, persisting soreness is a sign that the porcelain crowns need adjustments.

Exercising After Receiving Crowns

You do not want a blood clot or separation to lead to further complications and infection. Your caps or crowns need time to hold correctly.

Therefore, it is essential to relax and avoid physical activity for four to five days.

Candidacy for Porcelain Crowns

Tooth Decay

Porcelain crowns are ideal if teeth are severely damaged and cannot support a filling. These crowns are incredible for fractured and decayed teeth. Your dentist will remove the decaying portion and place porcelain crowns on your teeth to support them.

Root Canals

Your dentist may advise you to put porcelain crowns on your teeth after a root canal procedure. Porcelain crowns will strengthen your teeth after the process. However, the option is not mandatory, and your dentist will consult before taking this critical step.

Dental Implants

Dental implants refer to the titanium post placed in your jawbone — not the restoration. Your dentist will fix a porcelain crown(s) to the implants to act like a natural tooth.

Cosmetic Reasons

You can settle for a porcelain crown simply due to cosmetic reasons. Porcelain crowns are a dependable choice if your teeth are severely discolored and do not respond to whitening treatment. Also, if your teeth are misshapen, you can choose porcelain crowns.

Getting a Natural Look Using Crowns

One of the best features of porcelain crowns is that they look like natural teeth. They are colored to match your surrounding teeth and they allow light to bounce off of them just like your natural teeth.

Also, since the entire restoration is made of porcelain, there is no way to see any line of discoloration after placement. On top of all of that, they are metal-free, so individuals who are wary of having metal in their mouth have nothing to worry about.

How To Grow Your Chest: A Guide For Bigger Chest Muscles?

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What’s makes up the majority of your chest muscles?

Chest Muscles: The pectoral muscles!

Your pecs are a thick muscle that sits just under the breast. Responsible for moving your shoulder, even a small injury to the pecs can cause all sorts of problems. If you’re thinking about starting a chest-building workout routine, then you’ll need to learn how to grow your chest, without stressing out your body.

From knowing the right number of reps to eating right, this chest-building guide will cover everything you need to know to accomplish your goals. Are you ready to have the body you’ve always envisioned?

Read on to learn how to build your chest, the right way.

However, before we dig deeper, let us tell you that sometimes doing these exercises could lead to the possibility of muscle cramps, fatigue, damage, or soreness. So, you need to make sure you have something to address these issues, like a portable massage gun from Exogun DreamPro. This deep tissue massager will boost your muscle function and recovery after every workout by encouraging blood circulation and increasing the oxygen flow to targeted areas. Used by the pros, Exogun delivers the ultimate recovery.

Best Chest Exercises for Men and Women

Let’s start by looking at the best types of chest exercises based on different fitness goals. Here are a few common fitness goals when it comes to chest growth:

  • Increase chest mass overall
  • Better chest definition
  • Emphasize upper chest
  • Emphasize lower chest

In addition to the list above, you could also make it your goal to perfect your weight lifting form. Another great goal is learning how to exhaust each muscle group equally. The more specific you can be about your health goals, the easier it’ll be for you to customize your workout routine.

Increase Chest Mass Overall

When you’re training for mass, the key is to start your workout with multijoint movements. Next, target each muscle group from a variety of angles, while accomplishing a high volume of sets and reps. Since you’ll be doing a lot of reps, it’s best if you choose a weight that will help you reach muscle failure at the right time.

Better Muscle Definition

When you want a lean, well-defined chest, high reps aren’t your friend. Instead, you’ll need to focus on boosting the calories you burn during and after your workout. To become a calorie-burning machine, you’ll need to perform supersets, while reducing your rest periods. The shorter your rest periods are, the easier it’ll be for you to keep your heart rate up.

When your heart rates up, your weightlifting routine can double as a cardio exercise, which is great for shedding fat. It’s also important that you perform multijoint chest exercises at a high volume to get rid of man boobs.

Finally, as you begin your workout, you’ll want to use heavier weights. Heavyweights are great for boosting your metabolism by maintaining muscle tissue.

Upper Chest

Is your main goal to bulk up the upper part of your chest? If yes, then you’ll want to focus on exercises that use an incline bench. An incline bench will help your upper pectoral muscles get the attention they need. Lastly, if you have a spotter, complete 3-5 forced reps for the heaviest set of each exercise.

Lower Chest

If your goal’s to target your lower chest then you’ll need to use a decline bench instead of an incline one. During dips, you can target the lower chest by leaning forward and bringing your feet up behind you. Finally, let your elbows push out as you descend.

Building Chest Muscles as a Woman

All of the exercises we’ve discussed so far will work for men and women. However, since women have larger muscle fibers, it can be harder for them to achieve muscle fatigue.

If you’re a woman looking to tone her chest or increase the mass of your pectoral muscles, you’ll need to perform higher reps. The increased number of reps will help your muscles reach the necessary stage of fatigue for growth. The larger muscle fibers in women’s bodies also mean that they can handle more volume (longer workouts) than men.

Benefits of a Pre-Exhaust Workout

Are your triceps extra sore after a strenuous chest workout? There’s a good chance that you might be working out your triceps harder than your pectoral muscles. To solve this problem, you’ll need to minimize the amount your triceps move by completing a pre-exhaust workout.

For instance, you can start with a single joint exercise that isolates the pectoral muscles without engaging the triceps, like a cable crossover. After the isolation exercises, your chest will be fatigued.

Now, you can begin performing multijoint exercises, and your triceps won’t be exhausted. You’ll notice that you can complete your workout with the chest muscles fatiguing before the triceps start to give way.

Top Chest Training Mistakes

Don’t let the excitement of transforming your body cause you to fall prey to one of the top chest training mistakes. Here are some of the biggest mistakes you’ll want to avoid:

  • Overtraining
  • Too much shoulder rotation
  • Excessive bench pressing
  • Ignoring the upper chest

Another big mistake to watch out for is neglecting your diet.

How to Grow Your Chest With Nutrition?

Lastly, let’s look at how to grow your chest by following the right type of diet. To build mass, you’ll need to increase your daily caloric intake. However, not just any calories will do. Instead, you’ll need to learn how to properly divide your diet up into the right amount of fats, proteins, and carbs.

Eggs, peanut butter, lean chicken, and greek yogurt are all great protein sources. Whereas, whole-wheat pasta or bread can help satisfy your carb requirements. For healthy fats, you can turn to foods such as cheese, dark chocolate, and nuts.

Plan a Chest Workout

Now you know some of the best tips about how to grow your chest. However, knowledge without application isn’t worth anything in the fitness world. Take a moment right now to write down your fitness goals.

Once you have your goals outlined, create a customized workout plan. Finally, pick 1 day this week that you can dedicate to starting your new fitness regime! The more consistently your workout and diet, the better your results will be. For more ways to invest in your health, read another one of our articles.

Benefits of Strengthening the Pelvic Floor

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Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor are very important, especially in women. They are useful in fertile ages to promote pregnancy and childbirth, as well as menopause. The weakness of the pelvic floor can have a considerable impact on the quality of life. We will see what benefits it brings to strengthen the pelvic floor.

It said that the weakness of the pelvic floor could result in what is called prolapse or descent of the pelvic organs, which in turn associated with urinary and fecal incontinence. Sometimes surgery is necessary to compensate for this weakness.

Although this weakness of the pelvic floor can occur in both men and women, it will be women who will most often be affected by it. We will begin by explaining what the pelvic floor is about and what functions it performs in the body, what can cause weakness, and finally, talk about the benefits of strengthening the pelvic floor.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is a structure made up of muscles and connective tissue that lies below the organs of the pelvis. This mostly muscular structure will serve as a support for the pelvic organs and the abdominal organs as well. In other words, its primary function will be to keep the organs, each in its normal position.

The Pelvic Organs are in Women:

  • Bladder and urethra: the urinary system.
  • Uterus and vagina: the reproductive system.
  • Rectum and anus: digestive system.

In Man, the Pelvic Organs are:

  • Bladder and urethra of the urinary system.
  • Prostate and seminal vesicles of the reproductive system.
  • Rectum and anus of the digestive system.

As mentioned above, the pelvic floor supports the pelvic organs and keeps them in their correct position. But its function not limited only to contain but also participates in the operation and performance of that region. This is urinary and fecal continence.

What can Cause a Weak Pelvic Floor?

There are numerous reasons for pelvic floor weakness. The most frequent are:

  • Increased pressure at the abdominal level: obesity, chronic lung diseases, smoking, constipation.
  • Diabetes.
  • Pelvic tumors.
  • Prostate surgery.
  • Pregnancy with or without vaginal delivery.
  • Menopause: due to loss of tissue elasticity.

What are the Concerns of a Weak Pelvic Surface?

The main consequences of weakness in the pelvic floor are:

  • Prolapse or lowering of the pelvic organs
  • Heaviness or discomfort in the lower abdomen
  • Incontinence urinary and fecal
  • Low back pain
  • Difficulties during sexual intercourse

We already mentioned that it is more frequent in women than in men, and from what we saw, it can affect the quality of life in a significant way. Fortunately, in many cases, there is a weakness of the pelvic floor, and consequently, there is a prolapse, this does not bring any type of symptoms or discomfort.

It is always advisable to make a specialized consultation in the presence of any of the problems above.

How to Strengthen the Muscles of the Pelvic floor?

The way to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles is by doing Kegel exercises.

Kegel exercises are a series of techniques developed by Arnold Kegel, a gynecologist, to improve urinary incontinence in women after childbirth.

In some cases, they can do preventively or to improve the discomfort mentioned above. Now, beyond the purpose for which they performed, the truth is that they are easy exercises to perform. For this, only a few minutes a day required one to three times a day.

To show them, you must recognize the muscles that prevent the urination or elimination of gases from the pelvic floor. To do, when you are urinating, you must stopover the flow. Once the pelvic floor muscles identified, the exercises can do in any position.

What Benefits does Strengthening the Pelvic Floor Bring?

The benefits of performing Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor are remarkable. Sexual intercourse is improved, urinary incontinence prevented – improving it if it already exists – and prolapses restricted.

They are also techniques that help to aid in the recovery period from genital surgery. After childbirth, they favor the elasticity of the tissues to return to normal. In pregnant women, the risk of tearing in a vaginal delivery decreases.

Although the weakness of the pelvic floor may be inevitable, it is good to know that, in many cases, it improved quite merely.

The Best Digestive Supplements: Naturally Improve Gut Health

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An unhealthy gut doesn’t just lead to stomach pains and indigestion. Our gut’s health is essential for the rest of our body too!

We get most of the nutrients we need from the food we eat, and where does this food pass through before it gets distributed through our bloodstream? Why, our digestive system, of course! Proper digestion is often vital to adequate nourishment, without which we wouldn’t be able to get by.

Aside from that, the multitudes of bacteria (some good, some bad) that live in our gut, collectively called our microbiome, contribute to various aspects of our health, including our immunity, cardiovascular system, weight management, skin, and even mental health!

A balanced gut microbiome makes all the difference, so don’t take yours for granted! Here’s how to improve gut health naturally so you don’t suffer in the long run!

Improve Gut Health and Achieve Indigestion Relief

Common Digestive Disorders

When we think about gut problems, the first thing that we usually think about is indigestion. It’s one of the most common issues our stomach faces, sometimes on a near-daily basis. But other standard digestive orders could also stem from an unhealthy gut.

This is where timely and appropriate treatments, such as stomach flu treatment, play a crucial role. They can help manage the symptoms, restore gut health, and prevent potential complications arising from prolonged digestive disturbances.

Other than indigestion, common digestive problems could run the gamut from those most heard about, like constipation, diarrhoea, and bloating, to less common ailments, such as IBS, IBD, GERD, gastroenteritis, and other severe digestive issues. These are usually triggered by our body’s inability to digest the food we eat correctly or from harmful bacteria and viruses. Thankfully, most of these issues can be treated — and better yet, prevented!

How to Relieve Indigestion

Let’s start with the basics: what’s indigestion, how do we get it, how can we prevent it, and what can we do to get rid of it?

Indigestion usually happens when our digestive system fails to digest the food we eat properly. This might cause by several factors, including eating too much or too quickly, having too much greasy or spicy food, and drinking too much caffeine or alcohol. Indigestion can even be a symptom of other serious digestive issues or a sign of too much stress. Whatever the case, indigestion can often be avoided simply by watching your diet and ensuring you’re not having too much of a good thing.

Even so, indigestion can strike at the most inconvenient times, so here’s how to relieve indigestion quickly and easily.

Medication: A quick break should be in order if your diet causes your stomach woes. The over-the-counter medication made specifically for relieving symptoms of indigestion, like Enzymedica Digest Gold Digestive Enzymes, is one of the best and fastest ways to soothe aches and discomfort.

Natural remedies: Other natural remedies for indigestion relief, like peppermint, ginger, fennel or chamomile, are great for those who prefer a relaxing cup of tea after a meal.

Apple cider vinegar: Sometimes, indigestion can be caused by the stomach lacking enough acid to break down the food we consume, making it unable to digest properly. A popular home remedy for this is apple cider vinegar, which is naturally acidic. It provides more acid, but apple cider vinegar may also stimulate our stomach to produce more acid, which leads to improved digestion!

Digestive enzymes: Still having trouble breaking down food in your stomach? A lack of digestive enzymes could be the problem. So, what are digestive enzymes? These naturally occurring proteins in our body assist digestion by stimulating the chemical reactions that help break down food in our gut. The more digestive enzymes you have, the smoother the process!

Anti-inflammatories: Gut inflammation can be another cause of indigestion. This can be a symptom of something more serious, like IBD, especially if it’s chronic. Supplements like Terry Naturally CuraMed 750mg are made with herbs for intestinal inflammation and are designed to soothe our digestive tract’s chronic inflammation. Incorporating natural anti-inflammatory foods into your diet could help immensely relieve and prevent further inflammation. Fruits rich in antioxidants, like blueberries, grapes, cherries, and citrus fruits, are a mainstay for managing inflammation. Spices like turmeric, fenugreek and cinnamon are also good options to have.

What If It Gets Worse?

If your indigestion continues, you could have something more severe on your hands. Indigestion is sometimes a symptom of a much larger problem, especially when coupled with other common symptoms like constipation, diarrhoea, and bloating. When push comes to shove, always consult a healthcare professional.

If you cannot seek immediate help, you can still try to relieve some symptoms, especially indigestion, using any of the above methods.

Detox: But if a long-term solution to improve gut health is what you’re after, it might be time for a full detox and reset! A diet full of antioxidants and healthy greens is, as always, the best way to flush out any harmful toxins and clean our bodies inside and out.

Diet and exercise: Along with reducing our intake of fatty, salty, and sugary food, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep, a full detox is easily achievable! One of the simple ways to start is simply by drinking more water if you don’t already have enough daily.

Elemental diet: If you have trouble getting enough nutrients in your daily diet, you can try an essential diet! What is a basic diet? It’s a liquid meal replacement method that contains a complete nutritional profile from the most critical food groups broken down into their most “elemental” or basic form. It’s also a fantastic way to incorporate healthier food into your diet, especially ones you don’t get every day or often. Plus, when it comes in a handy powder form, like Integrative Therapeutics Elemental Diet Powder, you get the convenience of having it anytime, anywhere, whatever way you like it.

The Bottom Line

You may have noticed a trend here by now, but if you haven’t caught on to it yet, here’s a heads up — our diet plays an essential role in maintaining our digestive health and reducing the risk of health issues. So eating healthy, taking digestive supplements, and ensuring you get all the proper nutrients are key factors!

But as always, the best cure is often prevention. One way we can stop indigestion and other symptoms of digestive issues are by maintaining a delicate balance of gut bacteria.

How to Increase Good Bacteria in the Gut Naturally

Believe it or not, our gut needs bacteria! But, like most things, we need to strike a good balance. The precise balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria, also called our gut microbiome or microflora, is essential for our gut health and digestion. But now the question is: how can we restore gut flora?

That’s easy! A substantial dose of prebiotics and probiotics should do the trick to improve gut health and have you on the way to a better digestive process!

Prebiotics vs Probiotics

Now you might wonder, what’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics? Probiotics contain actual live microorganisms that increase “good” bacteria, decrease “bad” bacteria, restore gut flora, or help maintain healthy gut microflora levels. Prebiotics, meanwhile, feed our microflora, giving them the proper nutrients to thrive.

Both are equally great to have. The only difference is prebiotics are more effective for nourishing already existing microflora in our gut, while probiotics improve deficient microflora levels.

Where To Get Prebiotics And Probiotics Naturally

Thankfully, prebiotics and probiotics are easy to improve gut health and aren’t that hard to come by.

Prebiotics are naturally found in many foods, but mostly in greens, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Foods like chicory, garlic, onions, bananas, and dandelion greens contain significantly more prebiotics than others, but eating a variety of fruits and vegetables should still be enough to get a sufficient amount of prebiotics from your diet alone.

Probiotics, meanwhile, can mostly be found in fermented food, the most common being yogurt. Other examples of food where you can naturally find probiotics include kimchi, kombucha, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, miso, and sourdough bread.

However, that’s okay if you’re not into yogurt or other fermented foods. You can quickly get both prebiotics and probiotics from natural supplements. Try to find probiotic supplements that contain at least 10 to 20 million CFU of live bacteria. CFU stands for colony-forming units, which means bacteria that can divide and create new cultures, multiplying the amount of microflora in our gut. The more CFU, the better! Always check the label of your favourite yogurt or probiotic supplement for the right amount of CFU.

Renew Life Probiotics Ultimate Flora 200 Billion is a fantastic option that contains up to 200 billion CFU. If you’re wondering how to replenish good bacteria after antibiotics, this probiotic supplement is for you! Prebiotic supplements like Renew Life Prebiotic Fiber Powder are a fantastic source of prebiotics for a powerful boost in gut microflora.

Conclusion

Improving our gut health is more than just eliminating indigestion and other problems. Our digestion is linked to many different aspects of our health, and just like a well-oiled machine, we need every part to keep working correctly to stay in our best health. Like we said earlier, proper digestion is frequently the key to nourishing, so never take your gut health for granted. Now that you know how to develop gut health naturally, you can move on to bigger and better health goals!

If you’re unsure about the state of your gut microflora or which supplements are best for your particular needs, start by consulting a trusted healthcare professional or your local health supplement store.

10 Tips to Help Stick To Your Fitness Goals

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Sticking to a fitness goal is hard, and that’s okay. The following are 10 tips that may make it easier to stick to your body goals.

1. Be Realistic

One important thing to do is make sure your goals are attainable. If you’ve never exercised before, you shouldn’t expect to exercise every day. Shoot for once or twice a week and see how it goes. Try to take your schedule into account so that your goal is realistic. If you set yourself up to fail, then you’ll lose motivation, and that’s a big problem.

2. Supplements

If you are going to be exercising a lot, you need to make sure you take your supplements. The body needs nutrients to keep up with energy demands and to recover. There are a lot of supplements to consider; for example, according to Legion Athletics, supplements like casein protein could help your body recover after a big exercise day. On top of that, it’ll help you build muscle.

 

3. Smart Diet

It’s important to eat healthy while you’re trying to reach your fitness goals. A good diet will help ensure you have all the nutrients you need to keep going with your fitness plans. Granted, you can’t get everything from your food, which is why supplements are vital, but a good diet could do wonders for you. For example, a keto meal plan will help you lose weight without hurting your nutrient intake, which can be important depending on your goal.

4. Small Steps

Try to remember that reaching your fitness goals doesn’t happen without fighting. Remember that each day you succeed with your diet or exercise is an accomplishment. You should try to set daily goals; these are small goals that you can accomplish.

5. Add On To It

The next thing you want to do is add to the intensity of your workouts. After a while, you’re going to feel like your workout goals aren’t so difficult. This is because your body has built some resistance to that workout, and it needs more. Don’t disappoint and add a little more because it’ll help at the end.

6. Diversity

Be sure to try various workouts. There’s so much you can do, from biking to dance or kettlebells. The more you try, the more you’ll be working out. Reaching your fitness goals will most likely require that you exercise your whole body, not just one part.

7. Find the Fun

Yes, sticking to your fitness goal is going to be hard; there’s no way around that, but you don’t have to make it worse. The problem is some people make it worse by not having fun while getting fit. When you try those workouts, stick to the ones you find the most fun. The more fun you have, the more motivated you’ll be to continue working out.

8. Schedule it

You want to schedule your workouts. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you write it down, it’s going to feel like an obligation. This little trick will be even more powerful if you’re working out with a personal trainer. You’re not going to like the feeling of blowing off this trainer when you know you’re supposed to be there.

9. Get a Buddy

Accountability is an important thing when you’re trying to stick to a particular workout regime. A good way to feel like there’s accountability is by scheduling your workouts, as just mentioned, and finding a buddy. Get someone who has similar fitness goals to you and wants someone to hold them accountable. Try to talk to folks at your gym or in your workout classes.

You can also find someone on mustmotivate.com who is willing to be your workout buddy and share regular tips with you.

10. Announce It

Again, accountability is key here, and another way to make yourself feel pressured to workout is to announce your fitness goals. Tell your friends, loved ones, and everyone you know on social media about your fitness goals. You don’t want to seem like the kind of person who gives up on their goals, which will put some pressure on you. You should post some pictures of yourself working on your fitness goals to show people you’re being serious.

These are some things you can do to stick to your fitness goals. If you want some additional tips, it may be a good idea to talk to your fitness trainer.

“If you want to have more information to stick to fitness, you can try to use Instagram, and when you have more people to share healthy info, you will be better. So getting more free Instagram followers to share your life, you can try to use GetInsta, the best tool to get free Instagram followers & likes.”

Pain Management Tips by Dr. Brandon Claflin

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Pain Management Journey: Everyone has a different pain management journey, so medical professionals and patients must work together to find what works best for each situation. Chances are dramatic results will not occur overnight but can happen over time. Trying out different tips, such as the ones below, can help limit the stress in a pain management journey while increasing the chances of positive results.

Create a Diary

Creating a diary of your pain management journey can benefit you and any medical professionals you see. Use a notebook that is small enough to keep in your purse or bag, so if there is ever a medical emergency where you cannot provide details of your medical history, it is still easily accessible by medical professionals.

Break down your diary by day. Leave space at the top of each day for a TL; DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) section. Consider this a bullet point passage summarizing the day’s main aspects, an easily scannable option for medical professionals.

Know Your Limits And Stick To Them 

At some point, we have all known our limits and pushed past them anyway, such as if we tried to carry in too many heavy bags at once or intentionally stayed up hours past bedtime when our bodies were screaming for sleep.

Part of the pain management journey is paying attention to indicators our bodies are giving us and not blowing them off. Stick to your limits; if you want to push them, speak with your doctor about safe and effective ways to (slowly) do so instead of going about it alone.

Ask for Help 

Many of us want to do things ourselves, and it can often be challenging to ask for help. However, that is one of the quickest ways to exasperate pain.

Feel free to request help, including assistance from loved ones and neighbors, from your community, and even while you are out and about.

For instance, if you are staying at a hotel and have a heavy bag to carry to your room, ask if someone can bring it up. At the grocery store, ask an employee if they can help you get something from a higher shelf you cannot easily reach. There is nothing wrong with asking for aid when needed, whether in that moment or the future.

Eliminate And/Or Decrease Certain Substances

It can be helpful to eliminate and/or decrease certain substances that may worsen your pain, including but not limited to – cigarettes, vaping, cigars, sodium, alcohol, and caffeine. Your doctor can help you make a plan for how to cut back and/or how to eliminate them.

Start a Medical History Binder 

Creating a medical history binder is different from starting the previously mentioned diary. However, this can be strictly for your medical history instead of how you feel and what you do throughout your day. For instance, include receipts of your prescriptions, business cards of all your doctors, a detailed list of medical appointments, and any other relevant information. Keep this along with the diary. It makes it easy to show medical professionals when they ask about your medical background.

Meet With a Dietician

Dieticians can play a significant role in helping you with your pain management journey. For example, they can suggest when to add or eliminate certain foods or beverages from your diet that could impact your daily wellness. Ask your primary care doctor for a recommendation from someone they trust.

Get a Pet

There are many benefits to getting a pet, one of which is that it may help with your pain management. For example, a dog can get you into your backyard or for a walk. Pets can also help you relax, whether you are petting them or playing together. Choose a pet that complements your lifestyle and that you can easily manage.

Build up Your Social Circle 

Friendships could help with everything from reducing stress to assisting when needed. However, when you are dealing with pain, it is easy to want to cancel plans or avoid making them in the first place.

Do what you can to try and build up your social circle. For instance, you can join a local support group, see if your community has any clubs you would be interested in joining, and reach out to friends you spoke to a while ago. Make an effort to stay connected to people who are genuinely kind to you and who make an effort to be part of your life.

Improve Your Sleep

Sleep can often be hard to come by when you are in pain. However, trying to get the high-quality sleep you desperately need is essential. Get a bed and bedding that provides the ideal amount of comfort, turn off distracting lights, use blackout shades, and set your thermostat to the right temperature. If you are not getting the right amount of sleep, no matter what you try, speak to your doctor, who can make personalized suggestions.

If you are in or near Tulsa, Oklahoma, and struggling with pain, Dr. Brandon Claflin and the Oklahoma Interventional Spine & Pain team can help. Schedule an appointment today for personalized tips to help you better navigate your pain management journey.

How To Deal With Digestive Problems?

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Digestive problems are a common issue with many people and can be caused by many different things. Certain foods, medicines, or even lifestyle choices can all cause digestive issues for some people. It is essential to know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to dealing with digestive problems, and you have to find solutions that work best for your body.

What might work well for one person may not work for another; it takes time and patience to find the right way to manage these issues. In this article, we will be talking about how to deal with digestive problems, some tips for curing them, and what other things you should know.

Understand the difference between a stomach bug and an upset stomach –

 

These terms can often get mixed up in people’s heads, but they are very different issues. A stomach bug may last only 24 hours and usually has symptoms like nausea or vomiting as well as diarrhea, while an upset stomach might not have any of those specific symptoms present.

It can be challenging to find if your problem is caused explicitly by something you ate, such as certain foods containing lactose that would cause bloating or gas, so try maintaining a food diary and tracking every food you eat during one week. Doing this may help you identify what foods are causing the issue.

Trying different diets can have a very positive effect on how your digestive Support system functions. For example, there is an elimination diet where all dairy products and eggs are taken out of one’s diet for 30 days to see if this helps with any uncomfortable symptoms. If it does, then they know that these types of food must be avoided for their body in order to feel better.

It will require some time and patience to get the right way of managing these issues, but it will create a huge difference once you do!

What are Digestive problems?

 

Digestive problems are a common issue with many people and can be cause by many different things. Certain foods, medicines, or even lifestyle choices can all cause digestive issues for some people.

Here are some of the digestive problems that people face:

  • Bloating
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Gas

What are some tips to cure digestive issues?

 

  • Stay Hydrated: It is essential to stay hydrated with water or any other type of drink that you find tasty and refreshing. It is also essential to consume enough fluids for the amount of physical activity that you are doing. Drinking water or other liquids can help make you feel better, and it will reduce your chances of becoming dehydrated from dehydration.

 

  • Avoid Certain Foods: There may be certain foods that trigger digestive issues, such as dairy, gluten, spicy food, etc. It is always a good solution to take out these types of foods in order to see how they affect your digestion system and if this helps with any problems associated with them!
  • Eat Healthily: A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low amounts of processed foods can help improve digestive health by replenishing our gut bacteria. You can add probiotics to your diet by taking a supplement, eating yogurt and kefir, or drinking kombucha.
  • Stay Active: Exercise helps when it comes to managing stress levels which, as we know, can be a cause for many different types of symptoms, including those involving the stomach/digestive system.
  • Take Probiotics: Taking probiotics either through supplements or naturally found in fermented foods such as yogurt supports your body’s natural balance within the microbiome. Consuming this will help digestion from normally occurring without issue.
  • Add fiber to your dietary routine: Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that cannot broke down by our bodies. You can find fiber in fruits, whole grains, and vegetables as well, which will all provide many health benefits for your body, including aiding with digestion.

 

  • Chew more: When you chew food thoroughly, it helps the stomach signal to tell the brain when we are full faster. This reduces overeating or over-eating at one time because there was too much gas in the stomach or intestines resulting from not eating slowly enough paced meals/snacks throughout the day.
  • Manage Your Stress Effectively: Stress is a huge factor in digestive problems. This could be because the body does not have an efficient way to deal with stress hormones or that there are other health issues from chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes, which can trigger digestion-related symptoms.
  • Avoid Sugar: Sugar overloads your pancreas by releasing insulin into your bloodstream at higher levels than usual, which may lead to stomach discomfort (bloating) and diarrhea/constipation.
  • Ditch bad habits: Smoking cigarettes can lead to stomach ulcers and heartburn. Drinking alcohol may cause diarrhea or constipation, while coffee could worsen bloating, gas, cramping, and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  • Avoid Acidic Foods: Both high acid foods/drinks like tomatoes that cooked down for a long time and acidic fruits such as grapefruit might make things worse by irritating your stomach lining, which leads to pain and discomfort.
  • Follow healthy hygiene: Make sure you stay on top of your hygiene by washing your hands often and make a conscious effort not to share foods with others, as this can lead to stomach infections. If you have no option other than eating outside food, then make sure the place you are ordering from follows good hygiene.

Seek support if there’s no improvement:

 

If you are still experiencing stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation despite trying these tips – make an appointment with your doctor. Your goal is to find what works best for your body because there’s no one size fits all solution to managing digestive issues. You can consider heading over to Digbi Digestive Care as the team masters at analyzing your digestive problems and offer proper solutions.

Conclusion:

Digestive problems are a normal part of life and caused by many different things. So remember to follow these tips mentioned above to find a solution that works for your body.

How to Stay in Shape While Working From Home

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Obesity is on the rise, with an estimated 40% of the American population living with obesity; this is undoubtedly an alarming statistic. The number one reason for this obesity pandemic in America is of course diet, but exercise also plays a key role in weight loss and management.

The number one reason people say they don’t work out is that they don’t have time. Finding the time and energy to actually stick to a solid workout plan can be challenging. Still, it is crucial if you want to avoid the obesity scare.

If you work from home and are trying to find a way to stay in shape, consider these five tips and tricks to help you reach your fitness goals from the comfort of your own home.

Find Ways to Include Movement in Your Daily Life & Activities

One idea to stay in shape while working from home is to find ways to naturally include more movement in your daily life while performing day-to-day activities. For example, do squats while waiting for an email to come through or do some wall pushups in between meetings.

You can also include your regular household chores to get in more exercise during the day. Laundry is already a daunting task, so why not challenge yourself to stay in a squat position while loading the washer or dryer or do jumping lunges in between each load?

Another great idea would be to include your kids. Let’s face it; kids have boundless energy, so use that energy as motivation for yourself and get outside and play some tag or kickball with your kids. This is not only a great way to add more exercise into your daily life, However, it also helps build a stronger relationship with your children, so it’s really a win-win.

Online Video Workouts

Another best way to stay in shape while working from home is to incorporate video workouts into your daily routine. If you have trouble sticking to an actual workout regimen, try short 20-30 minute workout videos instead. However, a study done by the University of Copenhagen showed that even just 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise a day made a huge difference in weight loss in women.

Find a video workout you like and enjoy doing, and then stick with it for a few weeks. Some great examples of video workouts that you can complete at home include:

  1. Pilates
  2. HIIT workouts
  3. Yoga
  4. Meditation/stretching
  5. Zumba
  6. Kickboxing
  7. Hip hop dancing routines

Video workouts are great because you can complete them at your own pace and on your own time. They can also be a fun way to include your family in your exercise routine, as they can easily join in and work out alongside you!

Purchase At-Home Fitness Equipment

If you don’t have time to go to the gym but prefer weight-bearing exercises, consider purchasing at-home fitness equipment instead. Home fitness equipment is helpful in that you don’t need to find time actually to go out to the gym, but you can still reap all of the benefits that weight training exercises provide.

Adding weight training to your exercise routine helps boost your metabolism by approximately 9%, which ultimately will help boost weight loss. For this reason, it’s also recommended for women to add strength training into their daily life. It isn’t just for men, as some may think.

Dumbbells are easy to purchase and don’t take up a lot of space; you can buy a few different weights and use them to add more resistance to your home workouts. Other at-home fitness equipment that would be beneficial include resistance bands, swiss exercise balls, kettlebells, or weighted ankle bands.

Create a Home Gym With At-Home Fitness Equipment

Small weights and portable at-home fitness equipment are great for small spaces, but what if you took it a step further and created your own home gym? A home gym is perfect for busy parents that work from home and don’t have time to go to the gym. It’s also a great motivator because setting up your own home gym the way you want it is a fun and engaging experience. Since it’s right in the comfort of your own home, you’re far more likely to use it!

You can purchase home gym equipment that fits your needs and helps you to accomplish your fitness goals, whatever they may be. For example, a treadmill is a perfect machine to purchase if you want to get your cardio in or a pilates machine to work on core strength.

Another great piece of at-home fitness equipment you can purchase would be a power rack with a pulley system. This Synergee power rack with a pulley system is a great addition to any home gym because it’s versatile and can use for various exercises. In addition, it has up to a 750-pound weight capacity and fits relatively well in small spaces.

Create a Plan and Stick With It

The most important thing you can do when trying to stay in shape while working from home is to create a plan and remain consistent. Consistency is key in weight loss, so staying organized and creating a plan will help you accomplish goals and stay on task.

If you have trouble staying consistent and holding yourself accountable, consider hiring a health coach or personal trainer. Virtual training is huge right now and can help you stay on track with your fitness goals rather than going at it alone.

If a remote trainer isn’t in the budget, you could also try utilizing a fitness journal or planner and keep track of your progress that way. Fitbit and Apple watches are another popular way to track your fitness level and calories for the day if that’s something that might work for you too. Whatever you choose to use, just be sure it works for you and will help keep you motivated to reach your goals

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