Health Briefs TV Explores Mental Health

Mental health is making the news this week as the UK’s popular Duchess and the US’ First Lady publish online articles to raise awareness of the topic. Health Briefs TV explores some of the issues concerning mental health.

Even talking about mental health in a casual setting can invoke a negative stigma. No one wants to bring the topic up. Yet, millions of people manage every day live with depression, anxiety, nervousness, PTSD, and other afflictions of the brain and mind.  But no one is really talking about it.  Until now.

One in five Americans live with a diagnosable mental health illness today.

Many mental health problems can be treated with medication or therapy. Meditation and yoga are well-known to help calm an anxious mind, and come without the side effects of often prescribed drugs.  People from every background and age group live with depression and anxiety. Young and old, poor or wealthy, Veteran or civilian, executive or staff worker – anyone can battle through the symptoms silently, afraid of others finding out and thinking less of them.  The stigma can be almost as debilitating as the mental illness.

Health Briefs TV asks readers to learn and recognize the five signs of someone struggling through a mental health problem. If any of these signs are familiar, talk to the person privately about them. Learn more about it from changedirection.com.

1. Personality change
2. Agitation
3. Withdrawn from others
4. Change in personal care
5. Feeling hopeless

Every person in our lives matters. It’s easy to see when someone is feeling physically unwell. It is much more difficult to see when someone is feeling mentally not well.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone and ask them. It could save their life.

Health Briefs TV Relay the Best Remedies for the Common Cold

There is no cure for the common cold but there are some remedies that make it more tolerable than others, which Health Briefs TV relays.

When we feel like we’re catching a cold, we want whatever we can to shorten it and make it less miserable. Fortunately, there are some good remedies for that.

Honey is not only affordable, but comes in different varieties and tastes. Organic, locally produced honey is best, but a little more expensive than the average store bought variety. There are clover based honeys, orange flower based honeys and several others. Honey soothes sore throats when drizzled in hot tea or warm lemon water. It alleviates a cough too. Try the darker colored honeys for best taste.

Zinc is also been proven to make colds better. Taken in small dozes (such as a lozenge) throughout the first few days of a cold, is can shorten the illness. Zinc taken over the course over five months has shown to prevent some people from catching a cold. We remind readers that zinc taken in high doses is toxic.

Hot drinks such as hot tea, warm salted water and warm lemon water are also good for a cold. The heat provides relief from runny noses, coughs, sore throats, chilliness and tiredness. The Health Briefs TV show also recommends hot chicken soup to warm chilled bodies and nourish bodies depleted of nutrients.

What doesn’t seem to work: researchers found no real benefits from taking elevated Vitamin C products, using the herb echinacea, or eating a chili pepper in any way shape or form.

What do you do when a cold is coming on?

 

Add some honey to tea to soothe sore or scratchy throats

Health Briefs TV Examines the Low FODMAP Diet for People with IBS

Print and use as a grocery list

People who are affected by irritable bowel syndrome may find some relief from the Low FODMAP diet. But what is it? Health Briefs TV examines how this diet can spell relief for people with IBS.

FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharide and polyols. These are types of carbs which are difficult to digest and become fermented by bacteria which can cause bloating and discomfort. Nutritionists and doctors can guide someone with IBS on this diet.  Most of the people who are put on this plan report that it works better than a gluten-free diet.

Carbohydrates can be present in different forms in foods. They differ from being a long-chain carb, such as a starch, to simple sugars. These are usually well-digested. Fiber and resistant starch are long-chain carbs which are resistant to digestion. They are also important for stool formation.  An Australian group found through their research that short-chain carbs, or FODMAPs, can spell gastrointestinal trouble for some people who live with irritable bowel syndrome. When the FODMAPs are reduced in the diet, there are less IBS symptoms. The Health Briefs TV show also notes that this type of dietary change can be tailored to an individual’s lifestyle and eating habits. Those diagnosed with Celiac disease might want to discuss this plan with their doctor.

Health Briefs TV with Lyme Disease Information

Lyme disease is a growing health concern in the United States. It can cost the country up to $1.3 billion dollars a year to treat.  Health Briefs TV explains some common facts about Lyme disease.

Someone can get Lyme disease from a tick bite. Ticks can come from pets that haven’t been treated for them. Ticks bites can also come from being outdoors.

To protect yourself from ticks, swear latex gloves when treating pets and use tweezers instead of fingernails to remove from pets and human skin.

If the signature target shaped rash appears, please visit a physician as soon as possible. There are treatments for it and there are certain doctors who know more about it than others. Lyme disease symptoms can reoccur. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome of PTLDS. Patients can feel fatigued, have nerve pain. Join pain, memory and thinking problems. And they are more than 5 times as likely to be diagnosed with extreme fatigue.  The Health Briefs TV show learns that there are an estimated 240,000 to 440,000 new cases of Lyme disease diagnosed every year.

Lyme disease can make a normal, active and lively person feel lethargic, despondent and hopeless. But there are treatments for it. Finding the best doctor to help you or someone you know with Lyme disease is imperative. Research local doctors online or through health care plans with experience in working with people diagnosed with Lyme disease.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV on How to Prevent Getting Colds and the Flu

Offices are not the best places to work during cold and flu season. Open work environments and even those with cubicles are the perfect places for cold and flu germs to spread. Health Briefs TV offers some suggestions about how to prevent getting colds and the flu this season.

Wash your hands. The lesson we learned in early childhood still holds true today: wash your hands after using the bathroom and before touching any part of the face. Use warm water, if available, and soap and vigorously rub hands together for 15 seconds. Use a paper towels to dry them.

Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. Cubicle walls do not stop the germs flying through the air. Ask co-workers to do the same. Keep tissues on your desk also. 

Get a flu shot. It takes two weeks after the injection for immunity to build so now is the best time to visit the pharmacy.  The strain of the flu which is circulating now is particularly dangerous to seniors.

Reduce chronic stress, reduce the amount of sugar consumed, reduce salt intake and quit smoking. All of these will further boost the body’s immune system which fights of the viruses that attack it.

Health Briefs TV also recommends eating a diet that is rich in vitamins, minerals, whole grains, lean meat and fish. Get off the sofa at home and walk around the neighborhood. Clean outdoor air is good for us. Finally, lead a meaningful life. It doesn’t have to be grand. Find something that is important to you and embrace it. All of these also help build stronger bodies which can fight off colds and the flu every year.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV Reviews Who Can Get Blood Clots

Most people know that blood clots can occur when we sit in one position for too long and when we lie still for too long. Health Briefs TV reviews the other ways we can be affected by a life threatening blood clot.

 Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) develops when a blood clot occurs deep in your body, usually in a leg, and travels to the lungs. This can happen after surgery or sitting for a very long flight. Results of blood clots are called venous thromboembolism and can cause fatal blockages of blood flow in the lungs. It is imperative that we know what the other risk factors are so a blood clot can be prevented.

Premature birth is a risk factor for infants, children and young adults to developing VTE which can affect DVT and other types of blood clots.

The genetic background of a person is also a risk factor when there is a history of factor V Leiden and deficiencies of proteins C and S.

Cancer, traumatic brain injury, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy and childbirth, and vitamin D deficiency are other risk factors which can cause a fatal blood clot. Health Briefs TV suggests talking to a family physician if any of these risk factors affect you.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs TV Reviews Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Factors

People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS are exceptionally tired no matter how much sleep they get and for more than six months. It is often not diagnosed and sometimes dismissed by healthcare workers. Health Briefs TV wishes to review the factors of this debilitating medical concern.

When a patient visiting a family doctor complains of being exhausted all the time and for a prolonged period of time, the physician may not know what to do. There is no blood test for CFS nor is there brain scan which can identify the condition. A recent study conducted on 15 patients with CFS and 15 without it – all the same age and gender – found less white matter in the brains of those with CFS. The white matter contains the brain’s communication material which allows parts of the brain to communicate with each other. Other tests conducted in the research included looking at the right hemisphere of the brain of each participant group. Researchers noticed that the patients with chronic fatigue syndrome had thicker connection points than those of the healthy patients. The study was small but shows us that if the doctor is willing to prescribe the brain scan and the patient is willing to pay for it, it may be helpful in determining what’s wrong with someone who is constantly overly tired. Health Briefs TV learns this may be a useful tool for patients whose complaints are often met with accusations of being a hypochondriac or just ignored.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on Google+
Watch Heath Briefs videos on Youtube
View Heath Briefs Blogs

Health Briefs and Understanding Lyme Disease

More than 300,000 people across the country were diagnosed with Lyme disease last year, according to the CDC. Health Briefs offers some help in trying to understand it.

Lyme disease can suck the energy from someone who has it.  It does not kill people, but it can harm joints, the heart and nervous system if not found and treated quickly. But it can be hard to find since most people don’t realize they have it.

Some of the initials symptoms include: a bull’s eye rash, fever, headache, fatigue, and nausea. Lyme disease is caused by bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi and people get it from the bites of infected deer ticks. It is in the same spirochete group of bacteria as syphilis. But it is treatable with antibiotics if found early on.

People with Lyme disease will feel overly tired and complain of symptoms which sound much like the flu. Encourage them to visit their doctor and be tested to Lyme. Keep in mind that some of those who are undergoing treatment for this disease may still feel lousy. Understanding and patience is appreciated.

To prevent tick bites, Health Briefs TV recommends wearing lightweight long pants tucked into socks when in wooded areas, wear a lightweight long sleeved shirt and use an insect repellent with DEET. Check all clothing, gear and the vehicle for ticks also. Take a shower when home. Check everyone for any unusual rashes or marks on their skin. Seek medical attention if the tell-tale rash is found.

***********************************************

Visit Health Briefs on About.me
View pins on Heath Briefs on Pinterest
Visit Heath Briefs on Myspace