AGING EYES ANIMAL BITES BACKACHE BAD BREATH BEE-STINGS BLEMISHES BLOODSHOT EYES BODY ODOR BURNS CAVITIES CHAPPED LIPS CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME CONCEPTION PROBLEMS DANDRUFF DARK CIRCLES UNDER THE EYES DEPRESSION DIAPER RASH DRY-HAIR & SPLIT ENDS ENDOMETRIOSIS FATIGUE FEVER FLATULENCE FLU FOOD POISONING FOOT ODOR FORGETFULNESS HANGNAIL HANGOVER HEADACHE HEAT EXHAUSTION HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE HOT FLASHES IMPOTENCE INGROWN TOENAILS INHIBITED SEXUAL DESIRE INSECT BITES INSOMNIA JET LAG JOCK ITCH LOW BLOOD PRESSURE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS MIGRAINES MORNING SICKNESS MOTION SICKNESS NAUSEA NIGHTMARES & SLEEP TERRORS PAPER CUTS PLANTAR WARTS POISON PLANTS PREMATURE EJACULATION PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME SHYNESS SLEEP APNEA SLEEPWALKING SNAKE BITES SNORING SORE THROAT STRESS SUNBURN THINNING HAIR TOOTHACHE TOOTH GRINDING TV ADDICTIONS UNDERWEIGHT URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS VAGINAL DRYNESS VAGINITIS VOMITING WRINKLES
It happens to a lot of people around age 40. You begin to realize it takes
a Herculean effort to read the newspaper or the tiny type on a food pack- age or an aspirin bottle. As for threading a needle or removing a splinter- forget it! These simple tasks have become impossible feats. That's because anything closer than an arm's length from your eyes is now one big blur You're not alone. if your far-away vision is fine (with or without corrective eyewear) but your close-up vision is fuzzier than a teddy bear's coat, blame it on an inflexible lens. And it's a problem as common as crow's feet and silver hair. Around age 40, you may find it's more difficult to focus on near objects, particularly printed words when you're reading. Doctors call this presbyopia. But before you shell out the green stuff for special prescription glasses, these tips may help you fine-tune your focusing. Do the fine print sprint "Part of the problem of the aging eye is that the lens becomes less flexible," says Bruce Rosenthal, O.D., professor and chief of low vision services at the State University of New York College of Optometry in New York City. "If you exercise the muscles that control the shape of the lens, it may be possible to delay near-point fuzziness to some degree." One exercise involves cutting headlines of decreasing size out of the newspaper and affixing each one to a pencil. Then hold the la~est headline about a foot away from your face. Gradually bring it in toward your nose, trying to keep the print in focus. Move the headline back out again. Repeat with the next smaller headline, then the rest, until you have looked at all the headlines. "With practice, you may be able to read even the tiniest labels on medicine bottles with no difficulty," says Di: Rosenthal. Follow the bouncing thumb. To keep your eye muscles fully flexed, hold out your thumb at arm's length. Move it in circles, then in figure eights, closer and farther away. Follow it with your eyes. This helps keep the fine motor system of your eyes in working order says Dr. Rosenthal. Switch frequently from near to far If you keep your eyes fixed for long periods on a computer screen, for example, your eye muscles can temporarily become stuck. This slows focusing when you try to zoom from near to ~r and back again, says Dr Rosenthal. To keep your eye muscles loose, look up every ten minutes and focus on a poster located about eight feet away. Then look back at the words on the computer screen. Shift your focus back and forth repeatedly for 30 seconds. Invest In brighter bulbs. As your eyes age, you may begin to need more light for everyday activities. In ~ct, by age 60, you could need six times as much light as you did at age 20 to perform the same tasks, according to Dr. Rosenthal. "If you have better lighting, the pupils become smaller and the amount of blur you experience may be less," says James Sheedy, O.D., Ph .D., associate clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry You may find that high-wattage incandescent bulbs will help you see better than harsh fluorescent lights. Check out off-the-rack reading glasses. All you may need to read and see close up are simple magnifiers, says Richard P. Mills, M.D., professor of oph- thalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. "The drugstore demi-glasses that come in about ten different powers are medically acceptable," says Dr Mills. "Just make sure they have no optical distortion." To find out, hold the glasses at arm's length, then look through them as you move them in a circular motion. If there's some "swim," or distortion, get another pair. If you find that these reading glasses give you a headache or fired eyes, however you're better off with prescription glasses.
Animal bites should not be taken lightly. Many pets-dogs and cats in
particular-have bacteria in their saliva that can cause infection, and deep bites can mangle tissues. For these reasons alone, a bite that punctures the skin, even if it's a bite from your household pet, should be seen by the doctor. But for those injuries where the bite is only slightly worse than the bark, here's what to do. Thoroughly wash the wound. Once you control bleeding-by pressing firmly against the wound with your hand-cleanse the wound thoroughly with soap and water to remove saliva and any other contamination as soon as possible, advises George Shambaugh,Jr, M.D., professor emeritus of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. Continue washing for five full minutes. Cover it. A loosely applied bandage protects the wound from infection, so cover it with a sterile gauze pad or bandage, adds Dr. Shambaugh. Take a pain reliever. Even bites that don't break the skin can be painful, so take aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to reduce pain, says Peg Pany, a certi- find emergency room nurse at the Lehigh Valley Hospital Poison Control Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Don't wait for swelling. Elevate the area, if possible, and apply ice or a cold pack wrapped in a towel. Remember: Don't give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.
Raise your fitness level "If you have a back injury that does not require surgery;
studies indicate your aerobic capacity level is the single most impor- tant predictor of getting better" Dr Lovejoy says. In other words, if you're physically fit, you're much more likely to recover. That's why daily aerobic exercise is the "treatment of choice" in the view of Dr Lovejoy and many other doctors. "For the construction workers I treat, I recommend brisk walking with hand weights and strength training with free weights," Dr Lovejoy says. Adds Dr Haldeman: "Do anything and everything that you can do comfortably and continuously." Cushion your dogs. The pounding stress that running, and even just walk- in, normally produces is transmitted right up your back. And for a weak back, that can mean pain. "Shoes designed specifically to absorb shock, such as running shoes, or special shock-absorbing inserts available at sporting goods stores may reduce back pain," says researcher Arkady Voloshin, Ph.D., professor of engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In one study, Dr. Voloshin found that 80 percent of back pain sufferer reported rapid and significant relief when they switched from basic street shoes to lightweight, flexible-soled shoes with simple shock-absorbing cushions. Get horizontal-then get going. Rest, not exercise, is what most doctors recommend initially for acute back pain. "But we tell people that in order to get their circulation going, they need to be up and walking around for 45 minutes of every three hours," Dr Lovejoy says. "Otherwise, they stiffen up like a board, and everything they do hurts." Don't overdo a rest stop. More than two days' bed rest may not be helpful, according to Richard A. Deyo, M.D., D.P.R., professor in the Departments of Medicine and Health Services at the University of Washington in Seattle. Re found that back pain sufferers who were advised to stay in bed just two days missed 45 percent fewer days of work during the following three months than patients advised to rest for a full week. Muscles may weaken quickly with bed rest, and weak muscles can perpetuate an aching back. Turn to aspirin, Advil or Tylenol. Any over-the-counter painkiller that con- tains aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) could ease your back pain, according to Dr Haldeman. But don't use painkillers before the act. "If you know you are going to have back pain if you do something such as running, it's better not to do the activity than to mask your pain with drugs," says Dr Haldeman. And do not give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reye's syndrome. Get a postpartum check. Neither a fence post nor a spaghetti noodle be. An erect but relaxed stance, both standing and sitting, puts the least stress on back muscles, experts say Find your most restful position. Is your lower back acting up? Try this relaxation tactic: Lie on the floor with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle; and your calves resting on the seat of a chair "This position reduces pressure in your back more than anything else," Dr Haldeman says. "Most people find it very comfortable." Warm up your muscles before you hit high gear. Like old rubber bands, stiff muscles can flay when they're stretched by sudden movement. So warm up first with a few minutes of relaxed walking. Swing your hips and arms as you walk, then try a few slow side-to-side twists. If you're planning a specific activity, such as a golf swing, go through the motion several times, slowly, before you add speed and force. Try some aqua- and yoga-laxation. Water exercises, especially an arthritis range-of-motion program, are a safe and effective way to knock the rust off back muscles that haven't been stretched for a while, says Dr Haldeman. Check with your doctor; hospital or health center to find out where these programs are offered. Many people with back problems benefit from yoga, too, according to Dr. Haldeman-provided they begin slowly and advance according to their tolerance and ability~ Roll on a tennis ball. It's possible to relieve pain with "acupressure" or "trigger point" treatment using a tennis ball, says Robert King, co-director of the Chicago School of Massage Therapy and a nationally certified massage therapist. (He also recommends some of the wooden "pain relievers" designed for people who have aches and pains-such as a Backnobber:) For the tennis ball treatment: Lie on a hard surface and position the tennis ball under you so that it is pressing against a tender spot Roll onto the ball gradually utilizing your body weight until the pain and tenderness subside. To decrease back pain, don't smoke. Experimental work has shown that smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that travels, via osmosis, to spinal disks at night while you sleep. "If you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, you'll pro- bably double the amount of back pain you would have if you didn't smoke," Dr: Lovejoy says. Ice it Up. To get ready for a gentle icing, first freeze some water in a small paper cup. When you're ready to use it, Dr Haldeman says, peel back the side of the cup to expose about inch or so of ice. Lie on your stomach with a towel on your back, and have a friend or spouse massage your aching spots with the ice. (The ice should not be applied directly to the skin.) You can also lie down on your back with your knees bent and slide a bag of crushed ice (wrapped in a wet towel) under the sore spot' Dr Lovejoy says. Warm up the ache. A heating pad or hot water bottle can help. Or simply curl up in front of a hot wood stove to ease your aches. How do you decide whether your aching back needs heat or cold? "You pick one or the other try it for a while and see if it helps," Dr. Haldeman says.
Eat an orange. Citric fruits stimulate saliva and suppress some odor causing enzymes. Be a picker. Use an oral irrigation device such as a Water Pik to "irrigate your teeth.
Try the Baking soda solution. Either in your Water Pik or on your toothbrush.
Brush your tongue. Odor arises from the surface of the tongue.
Give your tongue a wipe. No toothbrush? Take a hanky or a piece of gauze and give your
tongue a good wipe.
Clean your sinuses. Washing out the area inside your nose where the sinuses drain with a
saline solution.
Use the right mouthwash. Choose a mouthwash with zinc.
Eat Breakfast. Food will un-taint your morning breath.
Complete your dining with water. A water chaser is a good idea. Especially after coffee,
tea, soft drinks or alcohol.
Settle your stomach. Indigestion or stomach problems can cause you to burp expelling
odor.
Don't even handle garlic. The aromatic substance in garlic enters the pores and arrive in
the blood stream and get release in the lungs before being exhaled.
Chew your greens. They release pleasant aromatic substances into the lungs.
Know your medication. They may contribute to bad breath by their drying effect in the
mouth.
Scrape out the stinger. Rub an aspirin on the sting. Get relief with meat tenderizer. Make a
paste with meat tenderizer. Try baking soda and water directly over sting. Kill the sting
with "Sting-Kill" Sold in pharmacies. Wipe out the pain with ammonia. Swallow a pain
reliever. Take an antihistamine(benedryl) to ease swelling. Dress plain, not flashy as bees
are attracted to brightly colored clothing. Don't smell so sweet as this too attracts bees. Up
your zinc intake(possible altering body odor).
Don't scrub. The friction of hard scrubbing will stir up new blemishes and aggravate
existing ones. Use an over the counter medication with benzoyl peroxide. When you feel a
blemish flourishing and your out of Benzoyl Peroxide, try Calamine lotion which absorbs in
the skin nipping the blotch in the bud. Relaxing...Chilling Out...helps avoid blemishes.
Place an ice-cube on the blemish for 60 seconds. Avoid the squeeze of popping
blemishes..this will cause more to develop. Get in the shade as sun may cause skin reactions
ti some acne medications. Watch your diet...Don't put too much hope in special soap..they
tend to trigger blemishes. Read the label on your cosmetics. Oil-based trigger blemishes.
Apply a cold compress. For tired eyes-use a warm compress. Put a lid on "red-out"
products....use only occasionally since its habit forming it may reverse the effect. Avoid
known allergens.
Consume more zinc. Roll on some baking soda...some people find that it works just as
good as deodorant. Clean yourself the way doctors do....Using antibacterial soap to kill
bacteria. Shave excess hair under your arms....however you should not use antiperspirant
on newly shaved skin. Hold the spices...extracts of proteins and oils from certain foods and
spices remain in your body's excretions and secretion for hours after you eat them.
Milk is an excellent compress for minor burns when soaked for 15 minutes .(whole milk).
A clean burn is a faster-healing burn..after 24 hours wash the area gently with soap and
water or a mild Betadine Solution daily. Keep the burn dry and clean and covered with a
bandage such as a thick gauze pad between washes. Preparation H can slice up to 3 days off the usual 7 to 15 days it takes for most burns to
heal. Using ice water can make the burn even worse, because extreme cold can kill just as many
skin cells as extreme heat..Cool not cold , water will stop the burning from spreading
through your tissues and will act as a temporary painkiller. Elevate the burn above your heart. Two or three days after the burn apply aloe. Consume more vitamin C..A...E...Zink(makes healthier skin. Get some over-the-counter antibiotic ointments to help heal burns and prevent infections. Don't use butter on your burns...it will retain heat in the tissue and can make the burn
worse.
Use a straw. Cola, fruit juice and other sugared or acidic drinks can decay
teeth, causing cavities. But you can minimize their damage by "bypassing" teeth and drinking these beverages with a straw says Dr. Halpern. "Decay is formed when teeth are literally bathed in these drinks, but when you use a straw the drinks go directly to the back of your throat and have much less chance of affecting your teeth." eating, swish some water around your mouth," adds Dr. Halpern. "This helps flush food and debris away from teeth and dilutes some of the bacteria from your mouth that cause cavities." If you can disrupt this bacteria activity, you can nip cavity-forming decay in the bud. Don't milk that bottle. Kids who fall asleep with milk in their mouths are risking "baby bottle syndrome"-severe decay that affects children's primary\ teeth. 'just as the baby is falling asleep, replace the milk with a bottle of water to avoid this," says Dr Halpern. years, which does practically nothing to help prevent cavities. "When the bristles get frayed and wear out, the toothbrush doesn't do an efficient job of cleaning," says Wistar Paist, D.M.D., a dentist in Allentown, Pennsylvania. "Once the bristles start curving or leaning over it's time to toss it and get a new one. Certainly don't keep the same brush more than three months." according to the American Dental Association (ADA), which puts the label "professionally recognized" on about 45 toothbrushes. Studies show that curved-bristles brushes (called Collis-Curve toothbrushes) improve plaque removal 63 percent compared with traditional straight-bristles brushes. (They're available at some health food stores.) And brushes with soft, round-ended, polished bristles are less likely to cause gum damage than those with ordinary bristles. Also, a brush with a curved head may be more effective than a straight-handled toothbrush: "I think that's because most people find curved brushes are easier to use," says Di: Paist. So look for these characteristics-and the ADA label-next time you go brush shopping. it in relation to brushing and flossing your teeth. "The decaying process starts the moment sugar enters your mouth and lasts for about 20 minutes afterward," says Barry Dale, D.M.D., an Englewood, New Jersey, cosmetic dentist who is also assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, Adds Dr: Hal Per: "Believe it or not, if you ate a pound of chocolate and immediately brushed and flossed, you'd have less of a problem than if you had just one chocolate kiss and then went to bed without brushing." Say "cheese" for a healthy smile. Studies by Ralph Burgess, D.D.S., head of preventive dentistry at the University of Toronto Dental School, revealed that topping off a meal with a piece of aged cheese also helps take the bite out of tooth decay "The chewiness and taste stimulate saliva tremendously, which washes away the sugars from food," says Dr: Burgess. "And the high levels of calcium and phosphate in the cheese form a kind of protective barrier in the plaque. (The acids that cause tooth decay also reduce the calcium and phosphate in your teeth; eating cheese helps prevent this loss.) Cheddar works best, but a few bites of any kind of hard aged cheese will do." (Other aged cheeses include Gouda, provolone, Edam and Graye re-not processed or American.) Chew some sugarless gum. Chew a stick of sugarless gum for about 20 minutes
immediately after eating and you'll actually help prevent cavities. That's because sugarless gum is made with xylitol, a natural sweetener (also found in fruits and vegetables) that helps knock out microorganisms that form plaque and encourage cavities. "The gum mixes up bacteria before they have a chance to organize; once the bacteria get organized in one place, they can do a lot of damage," says Dr Halpern. "The gum also stimulates saliva flow, which helps flush away food debris." But note that he specifies sugarless gum, which doesn't add sugar-a main ingredient in the bad-guy bacteria. Clean your teeth with toothpicks. A blunt-tipped toothpick, used carefully, is an excellent way to dislodge food before it can form into harmful, decaying bacteria, says Dr. Halpem. stomach problems such as gastritis need to take Turns or another antacid to counter the acidic environment in their stomachs," says Dr. Halpern. "That's because these acids can erode the enamel of their teeth-usually the backs of their front teeth-making them more susceptible to decay and increasing tooth sensitivity"
little cough syrup. "Before we had high-tech measures, a lot of doctors
Don't lubricate with commercial products. When intercourse needs a helping
But egg white may help. If you need a lubricant during intercourse, try
Take morn vitamin C. Studies by researchers at the University of Texas Medi-
Stub out cigarettes. Smokers' alert: Women who smoke have more difficult
Practice clean living. Smoking isn't the only vice that hurts your chance
Wear boxer shorts~ For some men, fashionable underwear styles may
Go missionary. Although sexual position usually has no bearing on concep-
Keep a calendar. Most fertility specialists say that you and your partner
Get help from a kit. "There are several ovulation kits that you can buy over
Go for the gold the second time around. Probably the biggest mistake cou-