Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Health Tips, Holistic Health, Integrative Medicine, Social Work
Guest post by Abigail Strubel, MA, LCSW
Meditation is a centuries-old practice that can significantly enhance one’s physical and emotional wellness, imparting an improved ability to cope with stress, frustration, anger, insomnia and chronic pain. Research has shown that regular meditation practice can increase brain capacity in areas related to learning and memory, and decrease the volume of areas that are related to anxiety and stress.
Don’t Be Intimidated
Meditation can seem like a mysterious and intimidating practice, but it doesn’t have to be. Guided meditation, also known as guided imagery, helps you concentrate and focus by giving you detailed instructions—essentially a script you can follow—for what to think about so you aren’t just sitting quietly and trying not to think about your worries and concerns.
A Mental Bubble Bath
Some guided imagery seeks to engage the five senses by vividly describing sights, sounds, aromas, and physical sensations, thus involving all aspects of your imagination. One guided imagery I like to lead with clients is imagining a day at the beach—the soft sand shaping itself to the contours of your body as you lie on your towel, the echoing cries of seagulls, the salty tang of the sea air, the cool water lapping at your feet, the warmth of the sun on your skin.
By engaging all your senses, the practice trains your abilities to concentrate and focus your mind. After 20 minutes of detailed imagining, you’ve created a mental refuge—an intensely detailed memory that you can return to in stressful times for momentary relief, almost like a mental bubble bath.
Meditation Resources on the Web
The Internet is a terrific resource for people seeking to learn more about how to practice meditation, including numerous free audio downloads of meditation practices.* Here are some good sources:
• Kaiser Permanente has links to audiocasts for physical and mental well-being on everything from allergies, insomnia and chronic pain to addressing anger, self-confidence and grief.
• Fragrant Heart offers meditations for relaxation and stress relief, weight loss support, social anxiety and healing.
• Tara Brach, a leading psychologist and practicing Buddhist, offers a number of free meditations on such topics as embracing life, being present in the moment and accepting life on life’s terms.
• Things to make you say “Om” offers an extensive list of links to free meditation resources.
• Dr. Emmett Miller, another leading psychologist and meditation specialist, offers free meditations on such topics as changing habits, addictions and behaviors.
• Belleruth Naparstek’s Health Journeys, from a pioneer in the guided meditation field, has a free 15-minute guided imagery download.
You can also find many free or inexpensive guided imagery meditation downloads on iTunes, such as:
• The Meditation for Health podcast
• Dr. Miller’s guided imagery
• Belleruth Naparstek’s guided imagery
For More Information:
How Meditation May Change the Brain (New York Times)
Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress (Mayo Clinic)
The Benefits of Meditation (MIT News)
Reduce Anxiety and Depression with Guided Imagery (Huffington Post)
* Beth Israel Medical Center is not responsible for, does not endorse, and cannot assure the accuracy of information on these outside web sites.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Cardiology, Diet and Nutrition, Exercise, Health Tips, Heart Disease
This guest post was written by Simone Walters, MS, RD.
February is American Heart Month, and this year marks the 10th anniversary of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, celebrated on February 1! So, why does heart disease need a whole month to itself? For starters, it is the number-one cause of death among men and women in the United States, affecting some 81 million people. Everyone should care about heart disease, because if you do not have it, someone you know probably does. (more…)
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Common Illness, Dermatology, Health Tips, Safety
For many of us pet owners, our animal friends provide comfort and companionship. It is often said that we begin to resemble our pets and share common features. This may or may not be true; however, one thing that is becoming evident is that pet owners and their pets can share diseases. Such shared diseases are called zoonoses.
Over the last 10 years, there has been an increase in skin problems in both pets and their owners attributed to what the media has hyped as the “flesh eating bacteria/super bug,” or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a form of bacteria that is resistant to traditional antibiotics. MRSA infection and colonization have been reported in horses, dogs, cats, birds and cows, just to name a few. Still, it is important to note that humans are more likely to acquire MRSA from other humans.
Are You at Risk?
While MRSA may be common and harmless in healthy people and their pets, there is a subset of the population that is more susceptible to these infections: the very young, who still have an immature immune system; the elderly, with declining immune function; and people who have open wounds or sores. Patients on various treatments like chemotherapy or antibiotic therapy also may have decreased immune activity.
The human hands are the most common area for exposure to MRSA because they are the most likely sites to be bitten by an animal. Cats typically pose more of a risk for bite infections because of their very sharp, pointed teeth, which could puncture the joints of the hands. Dogs tend to cause more traumatic destruction of tissue.
Pets usually acquire a MRSA infection from someone who has brought the bacteria home. Once a pet is infected, it could easily transfer the bacteria to additional human beings, such as an individual returning from the hospital or child with a chronic medical problem.
An Ounce of Prevention
The best way to prevent this kind of transmission to and from your pet is hand washing. It is also important to cover all wounds with bandages. If you develop a wound about the size of a quarter or bigger, prompt medical attention is important, especially if you also have a fever.
A few other things to keep in mind:
• Cat bites typically cause deep tissue wounds that should be washed immediately, covered in antibiotic ointment, bandaged and watched for infection.
• With a dog bite, medical attention may be necessary to evaluate the risk of rabies.
• With pet bites, if the patient is a carrier of Staph. aureus, his or her own bacteria may be lodged deeper, causing an infection. Similarly, a staph infection from one’s own bacteria could occur if it is introduced into a vulnerable location due to a bite or scratch wound, even if the pet is not infected.
• In households where people suffer from serial MRSA infections, pets should be swabbed (tested) and treated when necessary by their vets. Pets may shed the bacteria on their own, but can be treated with a simple nasal antibacterial cream.
So, next time, think twice before kissing your pet!
To find an excellent dermatologist who is right for you, please call our Physician Referral Service at 866.804.1007.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Geriatrics, Health Tips, Neurology, Physical Therapy, Rehab Medicine
Phineas Gage was an American railroad construction foreman in the 1800s who is remembered for his survival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain’s frontal lobe. After that, his personality and behavior were so profoundly affected that friends saw him as “no longer Gage.”
Types of Brain Injury
Gage had suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI—the same type of injury experienced lately by several well-known individuals, including Sen. Gabby Gifford and Junior Seau. While there are two types of brain injury—TBI and acquired brain injury—what we hear about in the media mostly involves TBI, an often-puzzling condition. The Brain Injury Association of America defines it as an alteration in brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the causes of brain injury are falls (35.2%), motor vehicle crashes (17.3%), struck by/against events (16.5%), assault (10%) and unknown (21%).
There are many different types of TBI: diffuse axonal injury, concussion, contusion, coup-contracoup and penetrating injury, to name a few. Depending on the type of injury and its location on the brain, the outcome—including the behavior of the injured individual—varies. Brain injury can affect people of any age or gender.
Rehabilitation Takes a Team
Individuals who suffer brain injuries will begin acute rehabilitation as early as possible. In acute rehabilitation, a team of health professionals with experience and training in brain injury work with the patient to regain as many activities of daily living as possible. The team includes a physiatrist (doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation), rehabilitation nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, social worker and nutritionist. Activities of daily living include dressing, eating, toileting, walking, speaking and more.
Prevention Tips
Preventing TBI has become a public health priority. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons offers the following guidelines:
* Buy and use helmets or protective head gear for such sports as baseball, cycling, skiing and more;
* Wear a seatbelt when you drive or ride in a car;
* Do not drink alcohol and drive;
* Do not dive in water less than 12 feet deep or in an above-ground pool;
* Remove hazards at home that can contribute to falls, like scatter rugs, electrical cords, etc.; and
* Maintain safety in the bathroom for the elderly.
Finally, if you or your loved one suffers a TBI, community support is available through your local hospital, Brain Injury Association of America and even in online communities.
References
Brain Injury Association of America (2012).
American Association of Neurological Surgeons (2012).
To find a great doctor who is right for you, please call the Physician Referral Service at 1 (866) 804-1007 Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Exercise, Health Tips, Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine, The Center for Health & Healing
Guest post by H. Marie Williams
We have arrived at the most exciting time of the football season: Bowl games, playoffs and, ultimately, the Super Bowl. With all the attention these games draw, fans and fitness enthusiasts alike marvel at how well-conditioned and skilled the players are. Getting to that level of performance requires dedication, hard work, skill and excellent programming. (more…)
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Health Tips, Your Health
As an oncologist, I am often confronted with patients with advanced gynecologic malignancies with limited successful options to cure them. The success of treating and curing patients with cancer depends not only on the skills and technologies, it is very much dependent on the patients and the stage of their diseases. Too often, we are not able to detect these malignancies early because we do not know what causes the disease and there are no early detection tests so that by the time a patient is in my office, the disease is at an advanced stage. Cervical cancer, however, is one of the few gynecologic malignancies that we know is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that can be detected by a simple pap smear. Furthermore, cervical cancer can be prevented with an HPV vaccination.
(more…)
