General Health Articles

Healthy Skin 101: Food to Give Up for Clear Skin

Everyone wants to find the Fountain of Youth and keep their skin looking fresh, healthy, and clear of blemishes. 

Since there is no magical fountain, the best way to keep your skin looking clearer health experts suggest  is by   watching what you eat. What we eat effects our skin more than we realize, so here are a few foods to avoid and/or give up entirely for that youthful glow. 

• French Fries
• Fried Chicken
• Processed pastries
• White Bread
• Packaged sweets
• Pasta

Cold and Flu 101: Ways to Feel Better Soon

We are well into the cold and flu season and unfortunately everyone knows someone that has been down and out with cold and flu symptoms this year. Or even worse, COVID.

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to help you stay healthy throughout the winter. Here are five simple ways to stay cold and flu-free:

1. Load up on garlic. It contains allicin, which has antiviral properties.
2. Sweat it out in the sauna. Sweating helps to release toxins in the body.
3. Get the proper amount of sleep. Sleeping helps you to be feel more energized and helps your immune system fight off germs.
4. Eat your chicken noodle soup. It contains anti-inflammatory deliciousness that strengthens disease-fighting cells.
5. Have your yogurt. The probiotics help strengthen your immune system by increasing the number of white blood cells in your body.

Healthy Living: Choosing the Best Hand Sanitizer

Since the beginning of the global pandemic, there is one product that has literally become “man’s best friend”… hand sanitizer.

Everyone knows that washing your hands with soap and water is the most effective way to fight germs and harmful bacteria on our hands, but if you can’t get to soap and water, hand sanitizer is a good stand in. But with so many out on the market nowadays, it is hard to decipher which hand sanitizer is best.

Experts suggest the following when choosing the best hand sanitizer that cleans and moisturizes:

Check the alcohol type and concentration. Experts say that you should always look for ethyl alcohol which is more effective than isopropyl alcohol killing microorganisms. Sanitizers with an alcohol concentration of 60 to 95 percent are more effective at killing germs than those with a lower concentration, but very high concentrations are more drying to your skin.

The CDC says that all you really need is 60 percent ethyl alcohol. Also, you want to label read and avoid potentially hidden methanol content in some sanitizers.

If you have sensitive skin, you might want to choose an alcohol-free sanitizer. Benzalkonium chloride is one option. It doesn’t kill as many infectious microorganisms as alcohol-based sanitizers, but it is known to deactivate COVID-19.

When choosing a sanitizer that also moisturizes, then you need to look for these ingredients - squalene, glycerin, and coconut oil - all of which help attract water and maintain moisture.

Lastly, when choosing the best sanitizer, especially if you have dry skin, you should avoid fragrances in your sanitizer. Fragrances can be irritants and can also exacerbate other skin conditions, like eczema.

In the News: Deciphering Dementia

One of the dreaded words that many elderly people fear hearing is dementia. And unfortunately, it is increasingly more common as the years go by. Although dementia is a progressive disease, there are currently no cures for dementia.

As with many diseases, early detection is key to giving doctors the chance to slow the progression and extend the quality of life.

According to experts, “Dementia is the term for many disorders that cause changes to memory, thinking, and personality. These interfere with a person’s ability to function. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia; at least 5 million Americans are affected. About 50 million people are living with dementia worldwide. That number is expected to triple by 2050, as the population ages and people live longer.”

But how do you know if you or a loved one are suffering from dementia? Memory problems are the first sign of dementia. And the most common memory problem… someone with dementia may forget where they left certain objects.

Sure, all of us lose objects from time to time, but for people suffering from dementia, they lose the ability to retrace their steps to find the item that they misplaced.

Other signs of dementia include language difficulties, such as trouble finding the right words or communicating generally; visual/spatial problems, such as getting lost while driving; trouble solving problems and completing mental tasks; difficulty organizing and planning; problems with coordination or walking; general confusion, including poor orientation to time or place.

Health 101: The Importance of Knowing Your Family Health History

As we begin a new year, this is the perfect time to gather with your family and work on or update your family health history. A family health history is a record of the medical conditions that have affected your family – from siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents – over several generations. But why should you work on a family health history? Here are 4 great reasons why you should:

It can determine your risk for certain diseases.

You can start early treatment for diseases that run in your family.

It can determine whether you should get certain genetic tests or not.

It can let you know if you are at risk of passing a disease onto your children.