Boost your mental health even while you’re on a vacation – How is it possible?

Despite you being someone who simply loves his job, still there are times when you may feel bogged down by your responsibilities. Between pressures from your work, traffic jam in between commutes and family responsibilities, don’t you find it tough to focus on your physical and mental well-being? Do you lately find yourself shying away from socializing with people and are you trying to figure out the reason behind this feeling?

Well, the most probable reason is that you might be in dire need of a vacation. There will arrive a time when taking just a few days off from work will boost up your mental and physical health in a way you recharge your phone batteries. While there are online resources like e-counseling.com from where you can get the required information on seeking help of the best counselors, yet you should know how traveling can help you.

 

  • Give yourself a break from your old routine

 

If you do the same things time and again, this will become monotonous and can have a negative impact on your mood. Everyday you wake up, go out for work, get back home and again wait for the same old routine for the next day. If you could break your routine, this could give you a new perspective for life. Apart from just giving you a new perspective, you can also reduce the unnecessary stress that is disturbing you.

 

  • Make the most out of your leisure time

 

When you go out, make sure you don’t overschedule things. Rather than rushing from one activity to another, invest enough time in just wandering around, taking a sip or two of your favorite drink and then let your mind wander. Make sure you prepare the to-do list way ahead of time as this can also boost your mental health.

 

  • Let the calm affect your personality

 

If you’re traveling to a foreign country, you may at times feel out of the comfort zone and hence you need to adapt to such differences. This is a sort of challenge which opens up new avenues of your personality. This kind of adaptation will certainly make you less reactive to daily changes, boost your emotional stability and also make you willing enough to meet new people. Hence, you will become more agreeable in nature.

So, for ultimate stress relief and to make sure you improve your mental health, you can plan a next trip, even if that means traveling to a not-so-far destination. Traveling to a place and breaking your everyday routine can have huge impact on your physical and mental health. You can come back with double energy.

Keep Your Sweat Under Control

Living With Excessive Sweating

Living with excessive sweating is not only inconvenient, but it can be embarrassing. It can be hard to live with someone who has excessive sweating because they avoid social functions or even going out in public for fear of being embarrassed. It can be hard to watch a family member suffer from excessive sweating and to see what they have to go through because of it. It may be so bad for them that they stay inside whenever possible and they may even get depressed. Excessive sweating is actually a medical condition known as hyperhidrosis. It can be hereditary, and it happens when the sweat glands are in overdrive. Certain health conditions can worsen symptoms, such as endocarditis, diabetic hypoglycemia, or leukemia. Menopause, obesity, and stress can also cause profuse sweating. Sweating can also be the side effect of certain medications such as antidepressants.

When to Get Immediate Help

In most cases, excessive sweating is not life-threatening, but you should get medical attention right away if you have chills, chest pain, nausea, a fever of over 104 F, or lightheadedness in addition to the sweating.

How to Treat Excessive Sweating

There are a number of ways to treat excessive sweating. If it is primarily caused by stress, you should try to reduce the amount of stress that you have in your life. Iontophoresis has been an effective treatment for hyperhidrosis for decades. Iontophoresis treatment is used to decrease plantar or palmer hyperhidrosis by passing an electrical current through water into the surface of the skin. The treatment is repeated a few times a week, and it has been shown in many cases to reduce the amount of sweat that the patient produces. 

In order for this type of treatment to be successful, it is important to get regular treatments. You can go to your doctor’s office to get the treatments done, or you can also invest in a machine so you can complete your treatments at home.

Antiperspirants are also very effective at keeping profuse sweating under control. Antiperspirants block perspiration, and they are available at most grocery and drugstores without needing to get a prescription. Most people think that they are just for the underarms, but you can use them anywhere in the body that produces an abundance of sweat. They are typically available in a stick form or a roller or even a spray. You should apply it when you get up in the morning as well as before you go to bed at night for the best results. You can use a deodorant to help mask any unpleasant odors.

You can also get Botulinum toxin injections to treat underarm perspiration as well as perspiration in the hands and feet. It helps to prevent your sweat glands from sweating. The results will last for nearly a year if you get multiple treatments.

You can also take anticholinergic drugs which require a prescription. Your doctor may prescribe them for you if other treatments did not work for you, but this type of treatment has been known to cause some unwanted side effects such as urinary problems, blurred vision, and even heart palpitations.

Surgery is another option. If you have tried many different methods but haven’t gotten the results you were hoping for, your doctor may suggest surgery. Surgery will basically take out the sweat glands so that you don’t have excessive sweating anymore.

Some other ways that you can help control your sweating is by not wearing heavy clothing or clothing that traps heat. You want to stick to clothing that is light, and that lets body heat escape. Cotton and silk are good choices. If never hurts to bring along an extra shirt as well in case you sweat in the one you are wearing. You should use antibacterial soap and shower or bathe daily to help prevent body odor. Use products such as underarm liners and shoe inserts that will help to absorb some of the sweat that your body produces. You should also try to avoid hot food that will make you sweat such as spicy foods and hot beverages. Although you can’t avoid having overactive sweat glands, there are many different ways to deal with it and to keep it under control.

New Study: 19 out of 20 U.S. Children NOT Meeting Norms for Exercise, Sleep, and Screen Time Usage

Have Sippy Will Travel

There was a new study released that says 19 out of 20 children are NOT meeting guidelines for sleep, exercise, and screen time amounts that doctors recommend  just one in 20 U.S. children and teens gets the amount of sleep, exercise and screen time that doctors recommend for optimal health, a new study suggests.

Children and teens are supposed to get at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day and limit screen time to less than two hours. Kids ages 6 to 12 old also need 9 to 12 hours of sleep, while teens need 8 to 10 hours nightly.

Too little sleep or exercise, or too much screen time, can increase their risk of chronic health problems. These include obesity, mental health issues like anxiety and depression, poor academic achievement and unhealthy behaviors like smoking and drinking, the study team notes in JAMA Pediatrics.

Taken in isolation, these recommendations have been hard for many children and teens to achieve and doctors have long been aware of this problem, said lead study author Gregory Knell of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

“Our study, however, analyzed the prevalence of meeting ALL three of these recommendations simultaneously,” Knell said by email. “This is important because there is evidence that not spending the optimal time in all three behaviors has a stronger effect on health outcomes than not spending the optimal time in any one of the behaviors, independently.”

For the study, researchers examined data on 59,397 kids and teens who participated in nationwide surveys in 2011, 2013, 2015 or 2017.

Overall, just 3 percent of girls and 7 percent of boys spent the optimal time sleeping and being physically active while limiting screen time.

Compared to participants age 14 or younger, 16-year-olds were 23 percent less likely to get the right amounts of sleep, exercise and screen time, while 17-year-olds had 46 percent lower odds.

Non-white youth were also less likely than white counterparts to achieve all three goals: black children and teens had 69 percent lower odds; Asian young people had a 63 percent lower chance, and Hispanic youth had a 33 percent lower likelihood.

Obese youth were 43 percent less likely to meet all three targets than children at a healthy weight, while overweight kids were 20 percent less likely to manage this.

The study wasn’t designed to examine why young people fail to get enough sleep or exercise, or why they spend too much time staring at screens. And, it’s also not clear from the study whether the failure to meet all three targets was due to missing just one recommendation or all of them.

“Lack of physical activity, increased screen time and insufficient sleep increases the risk for weight gain and obesity,” said James Gangwisch, a researcher at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City who wasn’t involved in the study.

“Likewise, if someone is already overweight, then it could make it more difficult to exercise vigorously,” Gangwisch said by email. “Lack of adequate physical activity also makes it harder to get sufficient sleep.”

The study also was not designed to prove whether or how failing to meet all three targets might directly impact physical or mental health.

Still, the results suggest that many parents have more work to do to encourage kids to get enough rest and exercise and spend less time staring at screens, said Asheley Skinner, a researcher at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Schools may also be part of the problem, because they start too early to allow teens to get enough sleep, Skinner said by email.

“Sleep and physical activity are two pillars that should not be sacrificed in childhood,” said Jonathan Mitchell of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.

“Too often sleep is sacrificed to accommodate other activities,” Mitchell, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “Parents and teens need to think more carefully about daily routines that allow for sufficient physical activity and nighttime sleep – cutting out screen time and setting bedtimes can help.”

SOURCE: bit.ly/2GngD5w JAMA Pediatrics, online February 4, 2019.

5 Things You May Not Know About American Ginseng

Before moving towards the facts about the American Ginseng, let’s first put some light on what is Ginseng and what’s all the hype about?

 

We all have heard and seen different herbs that are used to cure different diseases and medical conditions. Now, ginseng is also a herb but what makes it so special is the fact that it’s a cure to all diseases. Yes, you read it right, ginseng also known as “Panax” is a cure for almost all the medical conditions in the world. Whether it’s Alzheimer’s or premature ejaculation or any other disease, ginseng will fix it all for you. It’s just that you need to make sure that you are buying ginseng from the right place like this company.

 

For those who don’t know about it, there are two types of ginseng present in the world. One is the American ginseng (the one we will talk about), and the other type is known as the Korean Ginseng. Both these types belong to the same family but when it comes to nature and properties, well, they are quite different from one another. The Korean ginseng helps fight diabetes and it helps prevent inflammation etc. In other words, you can say that the Korean ginseng comes with invigorating effects, but on the other hand, the American ginseng is used as a relaxing agent.

 

Things You Need To Know About The American Ginseng

 

1- 6 Million Americans Use The American Ginseng

There was a time when the American ginseng was more popular in the Asian countries but now things are changing, and it’s becoming more and more popular in America and in Europe too. A study shows that right now almost 6 million American people are using ginseng for their health.

 

2- The Roots Of This Ginseng Grow On Virgin Soil

Virgin soil means that the soil used to grow the American ginseng can only be used once for the growth. Other crops can be grown on that land like potatoes and corns etc but you cannot grow the American ginseng again on the same land.

 

3- The American Ginseng takes 3 Years To Grow

Snowstorms and pests aren’t good for the growth of American ginseng, and this is the reason why it takes 3 to 5 years to grow this plant. You cannot even grow this ginseng for more than a specific period of time otherwise the rest of the crops get damaged. This is the main reason why American ginseng is also considered a valuable gift in a lot of areas of the world.

 

4- The American Ginseng is mostly not grown in the US

Most of the American ginseng is grown in Canada and China but if you want the genuine and the best American ginseng then know that it’s grown in Wisconsin. But again there is only 15% of the actual American ginseng that’s grown in Wisconsin so you might be hard for you to find it around you.

 

5- American Ginseng is used as a relaxing agent

American ginseng is cooler in nature and that makes it a perfect relaxing agent. A lot of people in the world use this ginseng to fight the stress in their daily life. Also, American ginseng is great for healing wounds too.

 

Conclusion

These are some of the act that you may not know about the American ginseng. So, if you really do find it useful then don’t wait for any further and start using ginseng every day. You can take it in the form of a capsule, you can use the roots directly, and you can even make a tea out of the American ginseng root.

 

5 Daily Good Mood Rituals For Your Health and Happiness

nature walk

As many might be falling off the New Year’s resolution band wagon, life coach and author Dannie De Novo has a few tips to help people succeed year-round with daily rituals. Dannie, author of Get in a Good Mood & Stay There, says “Your good mood New Year’s resolution success will live and die by the habits you put into place to secure your desired goals. So, it stands to reason that the better the habit, the better the results you will see.”

But the idea of instilling new habits doesn’t usually sound like a fun thing to do. “That’s why I advocate for the adoption of rituals, which are nothing more than patterned behaviors but with a slightly more positive vibe,” Dannie continues. “When you adopt rituals, you train your brain to go through certain programing automatically. At that point, the behavior you desire is no longer ‘work’—you just do it.”

 

Ritual #1 Meditation

The more frequently you practice meditation, the more the effects sustain themselves throughout your day and throughout your life. Daily meditation practice equals daily sustained good mood.

You don’t have to devote more than a few minutes each day to meditation and you don’t have to be perfect in your practice. Keep it simple. Focus on your breath. Focus on a mantra or affirmation. Focus on the quiet. What your practice should be is meaningful for you. With meaning and connectedness, comes happiness.

Ritual #2 Gratitude

Gratitude is feeling or showing appreciation toward someone or something. A gratitude practice is a daily commitment to focusing your energy and thoughts on what you appreciate. There are few things you can do to build and maintain your happiness as important as exercising daily gratitude.

Gratitude shifts our thinking to the present moment. Gratitude allows us to celebrate what we have now and what we have accomplished. It also allows us to refocus our energy on our dreams and goals.

Ritual #3 Remind yourself of your why

If you don’t remind yourself each and every day why you made the decision to seek and hold on to your good mood, you won’t keep going after that goal.

Remind yourself often of why you made your decision. Take a piece of paper, write out your resolution in big letters at the top, and under your resolution list all the reasons why you are going to accomplish it. Make these statements positive. Place this paper in a visible area and make yourself read it and really reflect on the reasons why you started on this journey and why it is so important for you to continue.

Ritual #4 Be a dreamer

Your imagination is the gateway to your good mood and, ultimately, to your ideal life. You have the amazing ability to form the picture of any life you want and, by so imagining it, then living the life you desire. When your mood is dark and small, so is your world.

Carry with you the attitude of a dreamer. Never stop dreaming—even when things aren’t going your way. See yourself living life in a good mood and hold that picture in the forefront of your mind. You deserve to be happy.

Ritual #5 Something that makes you feel good

I love nature. When I am in and around it, I feel good mental, physically and spiritually. So, I make being outside for each day one of my rituals. I also think movement is important for my good mood. Daily exercise or some kind of movement helps keep everything in balance.

You should be incorporating rituals that make you feel complete and like a better version of yourself. Whether those rituals include journaling, reading, doing affirmations, spending time with pets, spending time with loved ones, or laughing, the idea is the same. Make these good mood activities daily practices that help contribute to an overall good mood.

 

About Dannie De Novo: Dannie is an author, attorney, coach, entrepreneur and podcast host who loves horses, traveling and learning. Her book Get in a Good Mood & Stay There launched in 2018. She spends her days finding ways to help those who aren’t experiencing the most fulfilling version of their lives. Her greatest job and joy is serving as mom to an amazing beacon of light and hope, her daughter, Carson. To learn move visit: www.DannieDeNovo.com

POLAR BEAR PLUNGES ARE SUCH A SHORE THING! #PolarBearPlunge

Plunging into frigid ocean waters with nothing more than a bathing suit on is not necessarily something that a person would do willingly.  Unless of course, you are one of thousands of participants taking part in the five plunges that are planned in Cape May County, New Jersey in the next four months. Whatever your reason is to willfully run into a freezing ocean during the winter months, there are some benefits, both entertaining and charitable, to taking the plunge.

How about getting together with your friends?  Plan to make it a weekend stay in Sea Isle City for the Polar Bear Plunge set for Feb. 15-17.  Revelers have been taking the bitter cold dip in the ocean waters of Sea Isle for more than 25 years.  It is not all about the plunge on this third weekend in February. There is plenty to do so plan to be busy from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon.

The official plunge will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 on the beach between 38th and 40th Sts. beginningwith a costume contest at 12 p.m. at LaCosta Complex at JFK Boulevard and Landis Avenue followed by the Plunge at 2 p.m. www.lacosta-seaisle.com  www.seaislechamber.com or www.lacosta-seaisle.com

 Sea Isle’s plunge weekend ends on a charitable note on Sunday, Feb. 17 with Mike’s Seafood 5K Run and 1.5-Mile Fun Walk for Autism at 12 p.m. on the city’s promenade. Registration will take place at 9 a.m. at LaCosta.  You can also pre-register by visiting www.polarbearrunwalkforautism.com

For some participants, plunging for a charitable cause makes the dip into the freezing temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean a little more doable.  One such event is the Fallen Heroes Plunge which helps to raise funds for families of police officers lost in the line of duty.

Fallen Heroes Plunge weekend is Feb. 22-23 in North Wildwood. The official plunge takes place on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. at 16th St. and the beach. Weekend activities also include a pizza party on Friday, Feb. 22 and a post plunge party at Keenan’s Irish Pub located at 113 Olde New Jersey Ave. at Noon on Saturday, Feb. 23. Participants can preregister at www.fallenheroplunge2019  or on the day of the plunge at the 15th St. Lifeguard Station beginning at 8:45 a.m.  www.FallenHeroPlunge.com

 Stone Harbor’s Shiver Weekend set for Mar. 15-16 invites plungers to take a frigid dip in the ocean to benefit Family Promise of Cape May County, a charity that supports, counsels and works to place homeless parents and children in permanent homes. 

The Stone Harbor Chamber of Commerce has planned a weekend of events beginning Friday night at the Pre-Shiver Party at The Reeds at Shelter Haven located at 96th St. and Third Ave. For a $20 entry fee, enjoy a delicious buffet, a cash bar and a gift auction. 

Fred’s Tavern will host a “Kegs & Eggs” breakfast on Saturday, Mar. 16 before the race.  Plungers will receive a Shiver swag bag that includes a Shiver tee or hoodie and are encouraged to wear costumes and/or create a float to commemorate the Shiver. A Deejay will even play a theme song at your request; activities will begin at 12 p.m. at the parking lot at 96th St. and the beach.  The official plunge begins at 1:15 p.m.  After the plunge, it is back to Fred’s Tavern at 314 96th St. for a post-Shiver party.  Visit www.stoneharborbeach.com to register for the Shiver and find a list of activities for the weekend.

In Ocean City, event organizers put a twist on the traditional ocean plunge.  The Business Persons Plunge, as it is called, requires that participants wear business attire and carry a brief case.  Rather than jumping in, participants march into the ocean from the shoreline at the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend to celebrate the opening of the ocean.  The Business Persons Plunge takes place on Friday, May 24 at Noon at Moorlyn Terrace St. and the beach  www.oceancityvacation.com

While the idea of plunging into the ocean in frigid temperatures may seem completely insane to you, the list of plunge events and happenings shows that organizers have come up with creative ways to bring visitors to the Jersey Cape in the winter months.

St. Jude’s global childhood cancer initiative aims to cure 60 percent of the world’s children by 2030

Over the past year, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has announced it’s expanding its international reach with St.Jude Global, a more than $100 million investment toward accelerating efforts to improve childhood cancer survival rates worldwide. In addition, as part of this renewed effort to prioritize the global approach to childhood cancer, St. Jude and World Health Organization announced a five-year collaboration – a multi-faceted, coordinated effort to cure 60 percent of children with six of the most common types of cancer by 2030.

 

In the United States, pediatric cancer survival rates top 80 percent, and most children have access to quality care, regardless of where they live. Around the world, however, the statistics are bleak. More than 80 percent of children with cancer live in low- and middle-income countries, and the overwhelming majority will die from their diseases.

 

Video – Global Disparities in Childhood Cancer

 

“During this year’s World Cancer Day, we continue to make great strides in achieving St. Jude founder Danny Thomas’ dream of a world where ‘no child should die in the dawn of life,’” said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer. “Global childhood cancer rates are on the rise as more children worldwide survive infancy. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of those new cases are happening in places where they lack access to adequate diagnosis and treatment.”

 

Young Syrian refugees living in Lebanese camps is one place where St. Jude Global has already made a difference that will be featured during the upcoming American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Annual Meeting – the world’s largest gathering of multi-disciplinary sciences – on Sunday, Feb. 17 in Washington, D.C.

 

A collaboration between St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon at the American University of Beirut Medical Center has led to almost 600 non-Lebanese children receiving cancer-related evaluations, treatment, consultations and referrals. By sharing resources, best practices, insights and infrastructure, more refugees were treated who would have otherwise died because they happened to have cancer at a time when their family was displaced by war.

 

“During this year’s World Cancer Day, our work in Lebanon is a reminder that it is possible to save the lives of children who would have otherwise died simply because they happen to have cancer when their families were displaced,” said Sima Jeha, M.D., director of St. Jude Global’s East and Mediterranean Region.“Our experience in this region shows that effective pediatric cancer treatment is possible even in crisis situations.”

 

Jeha will lead a presentation, “Treating Pediatric Cancer in Crisis: Lessons for Delivering Care,” outlining lessons learned from this collaboration across borders and institutions and offering a blueprint to address the needs of children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries, even under the worst of circumstances. During the presentation, a panel of global medical experts will discuss lessons learned from the experience in Lebanon and how institutions and countries can work together to improve outcomes for non-communicable diseases in peace and in crisis.

 

Additional detail about St. Jude Global’s work to effectively treat young Syrian refugees can be found in St. Jude’s Promise Magazinehere.

What to do When Injured on Vacation

Not that the holidays are over, and the Super Bowl is right around the corner it can only mean one thing – the dark days of winter are. For many people, this means planning a holiday in the sun, maybe to an amazing beach or just to some place where you don’t need to wear an extra 10 pounds of clothing just to go outside.

 

However, one thing that should be on every travelers’ mind is what to do when injured on vacation. While everyone would think of this, the reality is that even experienced travelers often fail to get the appropriate insurance when heading away from home. This can lead to further complications, both financial and emotional, and with that in mind here are some tips on how to handle such a situation.

 

Before we get started, you should always consider getting a travel insurance policy. Most are inexpensive, and the additional coverage will help to fill the gaps in your current insurance. In addition, many health insurance policies don’t travel across state lines, so having the extra protection could help you and your family in the long run.

 

Emergency Contacts

 

Again, this is something that everyone should have in order before they travel but most people don’t.  The good news is that this is an easy fix as all you need to do is put together a list of emergency contacts and then keep it on your phone – by the way, having a laminated list of the contacts in your wallet isn’t a bad idea either.

 

Along with having a list of emergency contacts, you should also think about sharing your itinerary with your contact. This way they know where you are supposed to be and when you are supposed to be there.

 

Another thing you might want to do is have a master list of secondary contacts. This will include your insurance company, doctor, and maybe even a lawyer – especially one who specializes in personal injury law.  

 

According to Tony Seaton from the Law Offices of Seaton & Bates, PLLC, “most people just really want to get back to the life they had before their injuries and getting there is a process that requires access to proper medical care and financial resources that can help support you on that path”  As such, having the contact details of a lawyer you trust nearby will help to ensure if there is an emergency that you are getting the support you need.

 

Contingency Planning

 

Granted, there is only so much you can do but when it comes to an extended holiday, you should have a plan in place for what to do if something untoward happens.  This could be anything as mundane as losing your walletit happens – to having extra medicine with you in case you come down with a stomach bug or something along those lines.

 

In addition, you might want to bring along extra medicine if there is something critical that you need to manage.  This is especially true when traveling overseas as you might not have a good idea where to get refills, etc.

 

Beyond this, you may want to consider what medical facilities are available where you are traveling and even how you would get treatment if you were in a remote area.  While it might seem that this sort of preplanning is unnecessary, but you do need to consider that you are traveling to a location where you don’t know the doctors or other available services. As such it is better to know how to get the healthcare you need than to wait until the last minute.

 

Getting Home

 

We might take this for granted but in some cases getting home after being injured on vacation can be a massive logistical exercise.  This could be due to several factors, including your ability to travel and what medical support you need during your journey.

 

Unfortunately, this is often overlooked when people are trying to deal with an injury away from home. While this makes sense, at some point you will want to map out how you can get back to your friends and family.  

 

Depending on the nature of your injury, it might also mean that you won’t be in a condition to make the plans yourself. As such, a best practice is that you assign one of your contacts as the responsible party in case you are incapacitated.  Doing so will probably mean setting up a limited power of attorney and making sure your living will is in order.

 

It doesn’t matter if you are traveling for work or for pleasure, you will want to follow these best practices to make sure that you will be in looked after when faced with a medical emergency on vacation.