Sleeping Disorder

Sleep Disorder Affecting Shift Workers – This is a fairly common form of sleeping disorder among medical professionals, police officers, and fireman. This is attributed mostly to people who change their work schedules and sleeping times around frequently. You’ll find this often in college students when they’re changing semesters and quarters when they get new schedules and can sometimes throw sleep patterns off.

Meaning if you were used to getting up early one semester and then you get to sleep late on another it can throw your sleeping patterns off, which can make you feel disoriented and confused which is the main cause for why people get up and retire late, and are late for their jobs and classes because they’re not giving themselves enough time to adjust between schedule changes.

This is why when a job or school schedules changes it’s ideal to give yourself adequate time to make the adjustment so that it doesn’t throw you off physically, so you’re able to wake up and retire at a reasonable time so you can make it to work and school on time.

This is why it’s not always wise to constantly change your schedule whenever possible because if you do it too much you’re going to confuse yourself on whether you’re coming or going. There are some people who’s jobs switch their schedules around so much that it can throw someone completely out of synch because the hours start to get rather conflicted when they’re coming and going and not making time for other things like having a life or maintaining their priorities outside of their job and school.

This also can happen if you’re running between more than one job and school because if you’re going to a job during the day and then running to another job at night it can throw you off as well. People are advised to give themselves so much time between things in order to make the full transition into the new schedule or time frame so they’re not feeling overwhelmed and stressed out since stress can play a huge thing in work related insomnia. The stress comes from having to make so many drastic changes too fast and at one time.

This is why people get burned out quickly and dealing with the physical things like indigestion and other things because they’re pushing themselves too hard and sometimes forcing themselves to do things that isn’t even normal and is considered unhealthy.

College students who are like this tending to gain or lose weight because of the stress they’re under to switch from one thing to another and not giving themselves a chance to really adjust fully to a schedule or lifestyle change. Even people who work as nurses and doctors occasionally go through this. Because hours are rather strange, and that can throw off the pattern your body has become custom to when to rise and retire and if you interfere with that, it can make you feel weird which can also affect appetite and mental focus and concentration which most people deal with the disorientation of switching things around too fast.

Postural Problems

Postural problems have always been a problem; they are even worse in the modern workplace.  Too many times people have to reach for their computer mouse, putting them in unnatural positions. There is help for both kinds of postural problems in physiotherapy.

Posture is the way one stands, sits, or walks.  It can refer to any normal position that the body usually holds.  When the shoulders are hunched forward or the arm is extended in an awkward position, these are postural problems.  They can lead to muscle and joint pain, headaches, and other unpleasant symptoms.

Some postural problems are caused because a person has pain in one part of her body.  She might count on other muscles to do the work of the ones that hurt.  This could lead to an unbalanced or awkward posture.  It could cause more pain in the long run.

Postural problems can be treated with physiotherapy such as heat, massage, exercises, and chiropractic manipulation.  The first order of business is to reduce the pain.  Patients with postural problems usually go in to the doctor with painful symptoms.  Heat can be used to ease sore muscles that have been holding the body in unfamiliar poses.

Next, postural problems can be treated by an attempt to reverse the affect the awkward positions have had on the muscles.  This can be done by massage.  The muscles that are tightened because of poor carriage of the body can be worked until they are less tender.

Some muscles may have contracted, or shortened, due to postural problems.  Other muscles which oppose them might have lengthened and weakened.  It is necessary to stretch the shortened muscles before trying to strengthen, or tighten, the longer muscles.  Physiotherapy exercises have been invented for just this purpose.

Anyone who works with a mouse that is not close enough to their keyboard is prone to postural problems.  The first step is to make a better arrangement of the work space.  Then, exercises can correct the neck, shoulder, and wrist problems that have resulted from postural problems.

Surgeries, like the Carpal tunnel surgery, are the last resort, as physiotherapy can take care of most of these postural problems before such drastic measures are needed.  If one wants to avoid surgery, getting physiotherapy early on is a key.  Then, with adequate rearrangement of the workplace, the surgery should never be needed at all.

Chiropractic doctors practice physiotherapy techniques to put the body back into alignment after postural problems occur.  They can do manipulations to help the patient regain full range of motion.  They can also work on the muscles to ease tension there.

Postural problems are common for people of all ages.  They can all find help for these aches and pains.  A strict regimen of physiotherapy, along with a restructuring of the work and other environments, can be a positive influence on postural problems.  With the right physiotherapist, these patients will be able to sit and stand comfortably again.  They will not be defined by their postural problems.

Natural Remedies for Losing Weight - Leptoprin

The bottom line with natural remedies for losing weight is that if you stop taking them, the weight comes back.  You have not learned anything about how to properly lose weight and maintain your loss. You have tricked your body into perhaps losing some fat and likely some water – but have not addressed the underlying causes as to why you may be overweight in the first place.  If there actually were a diet pill that worked for the long term you can bet major drug companies would be selling them.  They aren’t!

Leptoprin (Anorex) has Calcium Phosphate, Commiphora mukul extract, Garcinia cambogia (HCA 125mg), L-Tyrosine, Acetylsalicyclic acid – 162.5mg, Dipotassium phosphate, Sodium phosphate, Disodium phosphate, Phosphatidyl choline, Scutellaria (root), Bupleurum (root), Epimedium (herb).  You might be asking, as you should, why a diet product would have aspirin in it (something people on Coumadin dare not take).

Leptoprin is something called a Stack.  The ECA (ephedra, caffeine and aspirin) stack is supposedly a thermogenic product – meaning it supposedly melts your fat away by boosting your metabolism.  And while it may boost your metabolism, it is more than likely to give you a bad case of the jitters with two stimulants tag teamed together.  It’s like taking speed, as there is only a minimal difference between methamphetamine and ephedrine/ephedra.

The side effects for a product like this are many – irregular or accelerated heart beat, insomnia, elevated blood pressure, seizures etc.  And yet these products are labeled all natural.  This is misleading as people then think they are also harmless.  Again, as with any natural remedies, read the labels, search for the names of the list ingredients on the Internet, check for drug interactions, talk to your Doctor and/or your Pharmacist. If you’re considering taking something like this, it is better to be well informed, and have your Doctor know what you are doing.  In the long run, you would best be served by a visit to your local Weight Watchers group and find out how they can help you with a truly natural weight loss program.

How eating well can help during pregnancy

There are a number of aches and pains that come with pregnancy. While back in the day many doctors just brushed them aside and said that is part of pregnancy, now a days more and more doctors are recommending a well balanced diet to help.  Here are just a few pregnancy aliments that a good diet can help.

A common complaint during pregnancy is tooth and gum problems.  To help keep your teeth healthy and your baby’s teeth healthy, make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin C.  Always keep some sugarless gum near you or chew on some nuts and cheese.

It is also not uncommon for many women to feel dizzy or lightheaded during pregnancy especially if they have gone to long without eating. This is why it is so important to eat through out the day and snack also.  Keep your snacks as healthy as you can and stay away from junk food whenever you can.  These foods will give you a quick rush of energy but ultimately leave you feeling worse than you did before you ate them.  Keep yourself hydrated also. Snacking and drinking will help boost your blood sugar and keep you hydrated which can help you fight dizziness.

Sometime during your second trimester, you may find yourself awakening in the middle of the night to leg cramps.   Leg cramps can come from not getting enough calcium.  Some say that the leg cramps implicate a shortage of magnesium while some say that dehydration can be the cause.  Either way makes sure you are getting enough calcium and magnesium.   If you suffer from leg cramps you might find it helpful to drink a glass of milk, or have a piece of cheese before you go to turn in to bed at night.  Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day to keep yourself hydrated also.

Swelling is another pain in pregnancy. While severe swelling could be a sign of preeclampsia, there is a certain amount of swelling that is normal and healthy during pregnancy.  In fact more than seventy five percent of all pregnant women experience some sort of swelling. The most common cause is too much water retention.  Staying away from salty foods and drinking extra water will help you keep the swelling to a bare minimum.

Pregnancy is also a time where you skin might taken on the appearance of a teenager getting ready to hit puberty.    Some women suffer from dry skin, which can be cured by making sure you drink plenty of fluids to increase moisture.  If you have flakey skin, eat more omega-3 rich foods or seeds and nuts.  There are some people who suffer from some skin discoloration and too much blotchiness could be a folic-acid deficiency.  This is another reason why it is so important to make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamin.

Lastly, we have all heard about the great head of hair some women are blessed with during pregnancy since hormones prevent hair from falling out at its normal rate.  There are some women though who find that their hair is less than stellar during pregnancy. This could be due to the lack of vitamins that you might be getting.  Through out pregnancy it is important that you get enough vitamin A, B and C. Vitamin A will keep your hair and scalp healthy.  Vitamin B will help with your hair growth and vitamin C is needed for strength.  Make sure you are getting enough of this in your diet.

Eating healthy throughout pregnancy does not only ensure your chances of a healthy pregnancy but it will also help you avoid some of the more uncomfortable aspects of pregnancy too.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy, a relatively rare sleep disorder, causes people to fall asleep when they do not want to. This is caused by a neurological disorder. The brain sends signals to the body that are sleep inducing; however, they are sent at inappropriate and unpredictable times. Often it happens when a person is involved in a quiet activity, such as watching a movie or during a meeting. Sometimes a person with this sleep disorder falls asleep while driving, which is obviously extremely dangerous. Others fall asleep while they are eating or talking. The overwhelming need to sleep can come at any hour of the day during any activity.

People suffering with narcolepsy often do not realize how sleepy they are, nor how often they fall asleep. It is often a family member, friend or coworker that convinces them that they need to seek medical help for their sleep disorder.

Narcolepsy has five main symptoms. These are excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia and  fragmented sleep, sleep paralysis, cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations. Some people with this sleep disorder experience only one symptom but others can experience all five.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is generally the first symptom to appear. Everyone with narcolepsy has this symptom. The feeling of needing to sleep is so strong that sufferers are unable to fend it off, regardless of how hard they try. These sleep attacks, as they are usually called, can happen several times and last for five to ten minutes.

Insomnia and fragmented sleep are a very common symptom of this sleep disorder. People with narcolepsey often have a very difficult time falling asleep at night, even though they fall asleep easily  throughout the day. When they do fall asleep at night they wake up often and do not follow a typical REM / non REM sleep pattern.

Sleep paralysis occurs in about half of the people that suffer from this sleep disorder. For several minutes before falling to sleep or waking up, the person with this symptom cannot talk or move.

The loss of muscle function while awake is cataplexy. These episodes are usually very short in length.  Over half of the people with narcolepsy experience this symptom of this sleep disorder. They are caused by a part of REM not functioning correctly. Often, episodes are brought on by anger, laughter or any other strong emotion. Sometimes knees buckle, necks and jaws become weak or the person may fall to the ground. Even though the person looks like they are asleep and cannot talk, they are fully awake and aware of what is happening.

A hypnagogic hallucination is experiencing very vivid and often frightening sounds, images or physical sensations. These occur from dreams just before the person is falling asleep or waking up. It is very difficult for a person with this sleep disorder to distinguish between the dream and reality. These hallucinations often have very dangerous themes and are extremely frightening. Often they are accompanied by sleep paralysis.

There are also several lesser symptoms of narcolepsy. These include blurred vision, migraine headaches, memory or concentration problems and automatic behavior. An apostate of automatic behavior can last for several minutes. During that time a person with this sleep disorder will perform a routine task. The task is often done incorrectly, such as placing a turkey in the dishwasher or writing past the end of a page.

Narcolepsy can be diagnosed and treated with various drugs. If left untreated this sleep disorder can ruin a person’s life.

Tips for Controlling Blood Pressure

Do you have high blood pressure or at risk to develop high blood pressure? If so do not be discouraged, there are ways of controlling and lowering your blood pressure without medication. Simple lifestyle habits are the most common causes for high blood pressure and easily helped.

Keep in mind that sometimes everything you try may not work. You might have to have the help of medication along with your healthier lifestyle. Talk with your doctor first. They will be able to assist you with the best option for your lifestyle.

The first thing you can do is achieve a healthy weight if you aren’t already. Being overweight is a great risk for developing high blood pressure. You can avoid this by watching your diet and reaching your healthy weight.

If you are unsure of what your healthy weight should be, you should talk to your doctor. You can even find a site online that lets you calculate your BMI (body mass index) and this will tell you what your healthy weight is.

Exercising should be a normal part of your lifestyle. Not everyone enjoys exercising and even if you are one of those people, you can still add it to your every day routine. Only thirty minutes a day of exercise will greatly decrease your risk of high blood pressure.

If you cannot set aside thirty minutes at one time, do ten minutes at a time. This is just as effective and you can get thirty minutes in your day quicker and easier than you thought. You can walk or run or whatever you like.

Your diet plays a major role in your blood pressure levels as well. A high intake of salt and sodium can greatly increase your risks. Try to limit yourself on salt and sodium intake and have your doctor advise you on the recommended amount according to your blood pressure levels.

Using herbs and spices in place of salt is a great way to reduce your salt intake. When you go out to eat somewhere, suggest ‘no salt’ or ask if they add salt so you know if you should or not. Many people consume tons more salt than they really should and do not even know it.

Stress plays a big role in high blood pressure and unfortunately many people suffer from stress. The best way to help your own is by finding a relaxation technique that works best for you. Try meditating, or something that has always relaxed you before. Let the stress of the day leave you and enjoy your stress free time. Take as long as you want to do this.

While trying to change your lifestyle habits, try to keep a record as well. Grab a notebook or journal and write down what you did and check your blood pressure often. Note if it is making a difference or staying the same.

If lifestyle changes do not help as much as you would like, you might consider talking with your doctor about taking medication. Sometimes lifestyle changes alone aren’t as effective unless used with medication. Talk with your doctor about any concerns you might have and they can help decide what is best for you.

Physiotherapy Credentials

When you have physiotherapy done, you are putting your body in the hands of someone you believe to be a trained professional.  Pain and disfigurement could result if the procedures are done wrong.  That is why it is a good idea to check a therapist’s physiotherapy credentials.

Physical therapy aides may play a role in physiotherapy.  One is not out of line to ask about what kind of physiotherapy credentials such a person has.  The standard may simply be a two-year course of study at a Jr. College or a specialty school.  Yet, it is important that the clinic is not just hiring anyone who walks in off the street.

While physical therapy aides can help with certain treatment tasks, it is the physiotherapist that assesses the condition of the patient.  This person also plans the course of treatment and specific treatments like special exercises.

This physiotherapist is the person to whom the patient will return for progress reports and who will oversee the work of the physical therapy aide.  It is very important to ask for the physiotherapy credentials of this professional.

College coursework beyond the bachelor’s degree is required for good physiotherapy credentials.  If a physiotherapy candidate meets all the requirements, a master’s degree with advanced training will prepare her for work in the field.

Physiotherapy credentials to look for are: Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT), International Education Consultants (IEC), International Consultants of Delaware, Inc. (ICD), International Education Research Foundation (IERF), and International Credentialing Associates, Inc. (ICA).  Regardless of whether any of these credentials are required, the CAPTE (Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education) is the first credential needed.

There are different requirements for physiotherapy credentials in all 50 states.  Different physiotherapy credentialing agencies are relied upon in different states.  Some require a score of 600 or more on the licensing exam.  Some require on-the-job training or professional references from physiotherapists who observe them in training.

Most states also require some ongoing education to keep physiotherapy credentials current.  Find out how often the license needs to be renewed in your state.  Then, you will know an outdated license when you see one.  If you go into a physiotherapist’s office and see an old license, ask if that is the newest one.  If your physiotherapist is not able to produce a current license, look elsewhere for your physiotherapy.

To check on these physiotherapy credentials, it is possible to contact the state licensing board of physical therapists.  One can find the contact information of any state’s physiotherapy licensing board online.  If all else fails, ask the physiotherapist to provide proof of her own training and licensing.  It is to her advantage to encourage trust by being open about her physiotherapy credentials.

There is no need to be suspicious or unfriendly about asking for physiotherapy credentials. Chances are your physiotherapist is perfectly qualified to meet all your needs for physical rehabilitation or help with physical problems.  It is important to find out about the physiotherapy credentials, but it is just as important not to make an enemy of your physiotherapist.

Herbal Diuretics

Hundreds upon hundreds of people have at one time or another struggled to lose weight.  It’s a really important issue for many since society places such value on being thin.  Do you realize that over 300,000 people a month search the Internet using the term weight loss?

Billions of dollars have been spent on weight loss and the weight loss industry is making money hand over fist.  Oddly enough, even though there are all these natural remedies for losing weight on the market, obesity is on the rise.  People and children are fatter than ever.   The natural weight loss remedies gear themselves to people just like this – praying on their dreams to be thinner, their frustration at not being able to lose and their confusion over what will or will not work for them.

If you have ever read any of the labels for natural weight loss products, you’ll likely realize more than half the ingredients have names you likely do not recognize.  And most definitely you will not know how they interact with one another, and with any drugs you may be taking.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is you can lose weight, but you need to do it the old fashioned way – change your diet and get exercise.  There is simply no way around that.

Back to reading labels , and trying to figure out what is in the product you are looking at.  Many of the over-the-counter weight loss products have a variety of herbal diuretics in them, and most of them are derived from caffeine (which is a stimulant).  Some of them have juniper seeds (can cause renal failure), equistine (a neurotoxin – can cause brain damage), horse tail or shave grass (convulsions/hyperactivity). There is also dandelion, hawthorn and green tea.

By themselves, herbal diuretics don’t provide enough water shedding to give you an effective water weight loss.And while not considered to be toxic (on their own) when mixed with a variety of other compounds they can have serious interactions with drugs you may be taking already to achieve weight loss (like Lasix).  In addition if you are on lithium or digoxin herbal diuretics have a history of interacting with these medications.

Herbal diuretics trick you into thinking you are getting thinner.  You’re not.  You are merely losing water weight.  If you take these kinds of products too long, the loss of water will leach sodium and potassium from your body.  The best method to achieve the same effect is drink lots of purified water. You’ll lose excess water weight, hydrate your skin, and get other health benefits.

Muscle pain and sleeplessness

Fibromyalgia is a painful condition that affects the muscles and joints and is seen in only 3-6% of the general population in the world. It’s generally seen more in females than males with a ratio percentage of 9.1 according to the College of Rhumatology and is commonly diagnosed in females between the ages of 20-50 though it’s been noted that the onset happens in childhood. This is not a life-threatening disease though the degree of pain in the condition can vary day to day with periods of flare ups and remission. The disease is being argued and viewed as non-progressive, but that’s a point that remains in limbo.

This is a problematic issue that can be a reason to keep someone up at night because the pain can be unbearable with the tingling and achiness in the muscles. This drives many who deal with this to endless and chronic deprivation of sleep. Those who suffer fibromyalgia also note issues with memory and other neurological issues, but the most frequent is the issues with sleeping that individuals go through when they deal with painful, annoying flare-ups.

Other issues that surround this problem, which can make sleeping very difficult, are irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, which affects mostly women and few men. Skin disorders like dermatological disorders, headaches, myofacial twitching, and symptomatic hypoglycemia. Stress, excessive physical exertion, lack of sleep, changes in temperature and baromic pressure. This condition can worsen when individuals don’t sleep or getting the proper rest and not overdoing on things in their daily lives.

The American Medical Association had officially recognized fibromyalgia as a medical condition back in 1987 when the disorder was around since the 1800s. It’s been said that flare ups are not identical to the ones that are found in people with rheumatoid arthritis, but ibuprofen like Advil, Acenomenofen (Tylenol), and Neproxine (Aleve) which are anti-inflammatory and can bring some comfort to those with fibromyalgia flare ups. Massage has also been ideal in helping those who deal with fibromyalgia to find comfort when they have flare ups. Massage helps to transfer fluids from the muscles and joints and increases circulation to the affected areas to bring some temporary relief for inflammation and flare ups.

Which can actually help improve sleep for someone in pain, but it’s best to get a massage when you’re not on any medication due to the high risk of side effects that can be triggered from massaging tissue and muscles.

Fibromyalgia is a manageable problem if you follow your doctor’s instructions and take your medication as directed and getting the right amount of sleep and getting plenty of exercise and eating a nutritious diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking plenty of water and limiting things in the diet that can also aggravate flare ups. When you take care of yourself properly you can actually improve the quality of sleep as well as decreasing the debilitating pain.

That can keep someone up all night long instead of allowing them to sleep and getting in a decent amount of time for rest and feeling stress free and more relaxed, so that they can face the day with no painful flare ups and discomfort that can be annoying.

Healthy weight gain for pregnancy

Most doctors will tell you that you should gain anywhere between 25-30 pounds through out your pregnancy.  You should aim to gain about 3.5 pounds during your first trimester, although more often than not most women find that they lose weight their first trimester.  The culprit to this is morning sickness.  Some women suffer from such a severe case of morning sickness they can not keep anything down.  Chances are your doctor will not be too concerned if you lose a few pounds that first trimester as long as you gain steady throughout the next two trimesters.

Your second trimester is where you will probably put on most of your weight.  Most women put on about a pound a week, so roughly four or five pounds a month which brings their second trimester weight gain to about 12-15 pounds.  Some women put on more while others put on less.  Do not be surprised if you put on a lot of weight one month and not so much your next.

For the 7th and 8th month you will should probably continue about a pound each week or so.  Look to gain between 8 and 10 pounds those months.  Most women find that their weight gain slows down in the 9th month.  You might find your weight gain coming to a end as your due date draws nearer.  This can be a sign that labor is on the horizon.  Or, you may find that your weight gain continues especially if you are retaining a lot of water.

So where does all this weight go? It doesn’t really make sense that you should gain between 25-30 pounds if your baby is only going to weigh between 7 and 8 pounds.  Let’s break down where the extra weight goes.

First, you have your baby.  A average baby weights about 7 1/2 pounds.  Some can weigh more and some weigh less.  That amniotic fluid that your baby has been swimming in for the past nine months weighs about 2 pounds.  Figure in about 2 pounds for your breast enlargement and 1 1/2 pounds for your placenta.  Your uterus, which started off about the size of a golf ball has grown to weigh about 2 pounds.  Your body should be producing about 4 pounds of extra blood by the end of your pregnancy and about 7 extra pounds of fat.  Let’s not forget the extra fluid of about 4 pounds that your body might be holding on to.  All this equals to the grand total of about 30 pounds.

Now keep in mind this is just a estimate and not a guarantee of how your weight will fall.  There are women who wind up having a 10 pound baby and others who have a 5 pound baby.  The key is to maintain a healthy weight gain throughout your pregnancy. Your body needs extra calories and it is best for you and your baby if those extra calories come from food that has a lot of nutritional value such as fruits, vegetables or protein.  Staying away from junk for will help you curb your weight gain.

When it comes to taking the weight off, do not be surprise if your body hangs on to it especially those first days after delivery.  Once you are home keep this in mind that it took nine months to gain that weight so gives yourself at least a good nine months to take it off.