Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Monthly Archives: November 2016

The Best Way to Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and VegetablesSit up straight and eat your vegetables!  How many times did Mom nag you with this line when you were growing up?  Well, now you’re all grown up, and, if you want to slump down at the kitchen table, or rest your head on your hand while downing your cornflakes… so be it.  But, when it comes to eating your veggies, take Mom’s advice to heart.

Produce packs a punch – it’s so easy to get the doctor-recommended two to seven servings of fruits and veggies daily, but to do so, what works best for you?  How do you get the most nutrients out of the produce you choose for your drinks, snacks and meals?

Cosmetic Dentistry for Teens whitening

Health Benefits of Smiling

Perhaps Louis Armstrong sang it best in the song “When You’re Smiling”

When you’re smilin’, when you’re smilin’,

The whole world smiles with you.

When you’re laughin’, when you’re laughin,’

The sun comes shinin’ through.

It’s hard not to smile back when a friend, or even a total stranger, flashes you a smile on the street.

That’s because smiling is infectious.

And today’s daily health tip is that smiling is good for your health!  Well fancy that.

healthy breakfast ideas

You Are What You Eat

There’s an old saying that “you are what you eat”, if that is true, you want to put the most healthful foods into your body to ensure that you stay in optimum health.  Your diet plan should be diverse, with a wide variety of nutrients and healthful substances, and, of course, you want your meals and snacks to be tasty as well.  That’s a tall order isn’t it?  But, if you follow the Government guidelines and select your meals from each of the major food groups, your reward will be good health the rest of your life.

How to Prevent Dry Skin

Prevent Dry SkinThere are many ways to prevent dry skin besides being smart about sun protection, like applying sunscreen, wearing clothing that blocks the sun’s harmful UV rays or donning a floppy hat.  Below are some helpful hints.  That way you can stop blaming ol’ Sol, or your parents, for your dry skin woes.  If you have dry skin and are looking for the best treatment options or if you want to keep your skin healthy as you age visit a top dermatologist in NJ today.  A New Jersey dermatologist can help treat existing skin conditions and will work with you to prevent outbreaks in the future and keep your skin looking young for a long time.

Natural Ways to Reduce Depression

The world is a scary place, with domestic and international terrorism events, mass shootings, unrest and volatility.  Many people have decided to stay close to home – no more venturing out for the activities they once enjoyed in such public venues like sports stadiums, or even fireworks shows.  Others have stopped crossing exotic locales off their bucket list, as they fear traveling to foreign countries.

While many of us can accept that this is the world in which we live now, still others have their own personal demons, so today’s current events only exacerbate an underlying condition like depression.  While some people strive to keep a disorder like depression to themselves, others elect to see a doctor for psychotherapy, and/or take medication to help them keep their life in balance.  Unfortunately, medication is not always the answer for one who has symptoms of depression, and, it is important that the medication be tailored specifically to them, and the medicine-taking regimen be strictly adhered to.  For example, going off the medication on a whim or under-dosing of the prescribed meds might cause emotional problems; on the other hand, overdosing is equally problematic.  We are all too aware of the statistics on drug-induced accidents, violence, or even suicide, as a result of prescription drug-taking gone horribly wrong.

Best Exercises to Reduce Back Pain

The news media is bursting at the seams with stories of the incidence of people addicted to pain medications.  Every year prescription painkillers cause more than 16,000 deaths and 475,000 emergency room visits.  Now admittedly, some of those people just take the meds for the “high”, but, the majority of folks began taking prescription painkillers to help alleviate chronic pain, and now cannot live without that medication.  While Grandpa might have rubbed liniment on his joints to help the pain subside a little, people today feel the need to be as pain-free as possible, even if it means popping pills on a regular basis.

The Difference Between Organic and Natural

Organic Vs. NaturalPreparing food nowadays is so much more complicated than ever before.  If you want to eat healthy, it is advisable to check labels closely to fully understand the components of what you will be ingesting.  If you simply run into the grocery store and toss a few items in your cart without a care in the world, instead of perusing the product carefully, the old adage of “what you see is what you get” may just apply to you.

In recent years, the words “organic” and “natural” have become more prevalent in our vocabulary.  You might have seen the ads or articles that promote eating healthy and that you should opt for better choices by choosing “organic” or “natural” foods.  But what does this mean exactly?

Health Benefits of Walking

One of the best choices for getting your daily exercise is walking.  When Michelle Obama promoted a campaign to walk 10,000 steps daily (the equivalent of five miles), many people began to take notice that walking was easy and fun.  As a nation, we also began to understand what doctors have been preaching for years – you need to get up and move, especially if you have a job where you spend the majority of your day sitting.

You can combat a sedentary lifestyle in several ways.  Carry those loafers or pretty pumps in a tote bag and lace up your walking shoes before you leave the house.  Park as far away as possible and take the stairs if you are able to do so.  Once at the workplace, get up out of the chair to stretch several times a day or take a stroll down the hall.  If you are not one to hit the gym at the end of the work day, why not erase those dinner calories by grabbing your partner, or your pooch, or both, and walking in the neighborhood?