Phillips Health Care Newsletter

April is IBS Awareness Month

by Phillips Clinic on 04/01/24

IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation.

Even though signs and symptoms are uncomfortable, IBS — unlike ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, which are forms of inflammatory bowel disease — doesn't cause changes in bowel tissue or increase your risk of colorectal cancer.

Only a small number of people with irritable bowel syndrome have severe signs and symptoms. Some people can control their symptoms by managing diet, lifestyle and stress. Others may need

medication.

SYMPTOMS

The signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome can vary widely from person to person and often resemble those of other diseases. Among the most common are:

Abdominal pain or cramping

A bloated feeling

Gas

Diarrhea or constipation — sometimes alternating Mucus in the stool

For most people, IBS is a chronic condition, although there will likely be times when the signs and symptoms are worse and times when they improve or even disappear completely.

Although as many as 1 in 5 American adults has signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, fewer than 1 in 5 who have symptoms seek medical help. Yet it's important to see your doctor if you have a persistent change in bowel habits or if you have any other signs or symptoms of IBS because these may indicate a more serious condition, such as colon cancer.

Symptoms that may indicate a more serious condition include:

Rectal bleeding

Abdominal pain that progresses or

occurs at night

Weight loss

It's not known exactly what causes irritable bowel syndrome, but a variety of factors play a role. The walls of the intestines are lined with layers of muscle that contract and relax in a coordinated rhythm as they move food from your stomach through your intestinal tract to your rectum.

If you have irritable bowel syndrome, the contractions may be stronger and last longer than normal, causing gas, bloating and diarrhea. Or the opposite may occur, with weak intestinal contractions slowing food passage and leading to hard, dry stools. Abnormalities in your gastrointestinal nervous system also may play a role

causing you to experience greater than normal discomfort when your abdomen stretches from gas or stool.

TRIGGERS vary from person to person

Common triggers include:

Foods. The role of food allergy or intolerance in irritable bowel syndrome is not yet clearly understood, but many people have more severe symptoms when they eat certain things. A wide range of foods has been implicated — chocolate, spices, fats, fruits, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, milk, carbonated beverages and alcohol.

Stress. Most people with IBS find that their signs and symptoms are worse or more frequent during periods of increased stress.

Hormones. Because women are twice as likely to have IBS, researchers believe that hormonal changes play a role in this condition. Many women find that signs and symptoms are worse during or around their menstrual periods.

Other illnesses. Sometimes another illness, such as an acute episode of infectious diarrhea (gastroenteritis) or too many bacteria in the intestines (bacterial overgrowth), can trigger IBS.

March 2024-Allergies!

by Phillips Clinic on 02/28/24

What Is An Allergy

Nearly 20% of Americans have allergies. Allergies are an abnormal response of your immune system. Your body's defenses react to a usually harmless substance, such as pollen, animal dander, or food. Almost anything can trigger an allergic reaction, which can range from mild and annoying to sudden and life-threatening.

Some of the most common triggers include:

Pollen

Pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds can trigger hay fever or seasonal allergies. You might have symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, and itchy, watery eyes.

Animal Dander

Proteins secreted by oil glands in an animal's skin and present in their saliva can cause allergic reactions for some people. The allergy can take two or more years to develop and symptoms may not go away until months after being away from the animal. If your pet is causing allergies, make your bedroom a pet-free zone, avoid carpets, and wash him regularly. A HEPA filter and frequent vacuuming may also help

Dust Mites

Dust mites are microscopic organisms that live in

house dust. Help prevent dust mite allergies by

covering mattresses, pillows, and box springs,

sing hypoallergenic pillows, washing sheets weekly in hot water, and keeping the house free of dust collecting-items.

Bug Bites & Insect Stings

Symptoms include extensive swelling and redness from the sting or bite that may last a week or more, nausea, fatigue, and low-grade fever. In rare cases when insect bites cause a severe reaction (anaphylaxis), symptoms may include difficulty breathing, swelling around the face, throat, or mouth, racing pulse, an itchy rash or hives, dizziness, or a sharp drop in blood pressure.

Molds

Molds make allergens, irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances. Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in some people.

There are many types of mold. They all need moisture to grow.

They can be found in damp areas such as basements or bathrooms, as well as in grass or mulch.

Avoid activities that trigger symptoms, such as raking leaves. Ventilate moist areas in your home

Food

Milk, shellfish, eggs, and nuts are among the most common foods that cause allergies. An allergic reaction usually happens within minutes of eating he offending food. Symptoms, which can include breathing problems, hives, vomiting, diarrhea, and swelling around the mouth, can be severe. Avoid all foods that you are allergic to.

Relieving Your Allergy Symptoms

Your Phillips Clinic Family Practice Provider Can Perform a simple Allergy Skin Test.

Symptoms which usually prompt an allergy test include:

Respiratory: itchy eyes, nose or throat; nasal congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, chest congestion, cough or wheezing

Skin: itchiness or eczema

Abdominal: vomiting or cramping and diarrhea consistently after eating certain foods

Severe reactions to stinging insect stings

Skin tests can be performed in the office to determine what’s cause your symptoms. A very small amount of certain allergens is put into your skin by making a small indentation or “prick” on the surface of your skin. Your skin will react to the substances that trigger your allergies.

A personalized serum is then made up for you. You take this serum home, use a few drops under your tongue every day. You return every 12 weeks for a refill and follow-up. Within months, you should notice a significant reduction in your symptoms and the need for allergy medications. And in time, your allergies will disappear.

February is HEART HEALTH Month!

by Phillips Clinic on 01/31/24

February is Healthy Heart Month. To help keep your heart in shape, here are some ways the CDC recommends to help keep a healthy heart and prevent heart disease.

By living a healthy lifestyle, you can help keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar normal and lower your risk for heart disease and heart attack. A healthy lifestyle includes the following:

HEART healthy diet.

Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods.

Eating foods low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high cholesterol.

Limiting salt (sodium) in your diet also can lower your blood pressure. Limiting sugar in your diet can lower you blood sugar level to prevent or help control diabetes.

Eating two or more servings a week of certain fish, such as salmon and tuna, may decrease your risk of heart disease.

At moderate levels, ALCOHOL may have a protective effect on your heart. For healthy adults, no more

drinks a day for men. (12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine & 1 1/2 ounces of liquor) Too much alcohol can be a health hazard.

BE SMOKE FREE

Smoking or using tobacco is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries, causing plaque buildup (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can ultimately lead to a heart attack.

Smoking decreases oxygen in the blood, and makes the heart work harder, contributing to high blood pressure. The good news is, the risk of heart disease reduces as soon as you quit. So, no matter how long you’ve smoked, quit!

Regular, daily exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease. When you combine physical activity with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight, the payoff is even greater.

Physical activity can help you control your weight and reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

According to the Mayo Clinic :

“In general, you should do moderate exercise, such as walking at a brisk pace, for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. That can help you reach the Department of Health and Human Services recommendations of 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

For even more health benefits, aim for 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week. In addition, aim to do strength training exercises two or more days a week..”

FISH OIL

Fish contain unsaturated fatty acids, may lower cholesterol. But the main beneficial nutrient appears to be omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that may reduce inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation in the body can damage your blood vessels and lead to heart disease and strokes

Resolve to Lose Weights

by Phillips Clinic on 01/07/24

January;

The Beginning of a New Year and the Time for Resolutions. Weight Loss is one of the mostcommon resolutions. Maintaining a healthy weight is key to overall wellness.

#1: Before you even begin to attack a weight-loss plan, it pays to remember this: You are not fat. You have fat. Losing weight isn't about blame or shame; it's simply another achievement to accomplish.

#2: It's Not a Diet. It's a Lifestyle

Thinking of a diet as something you're on and suffering through only for the short term doesn't work. To shed weight and keep it off, you need to make permanent changes to the way you eat. It's OK to indulge occasionally, of course, but if you cut calories temporarily and then revert to your old way of eating, you'll gain back the weight quicker than you can say yo-yo.

#3: Use it to lose it. Research shows that one of the best predictors of long-term weight loss is how many pounds you drop in the first month. It makes sense: Immediate results are motivating.

For that reason, nutritionists often suggest being stricter for the first two weeks of your new eating strategy to build momentum. Cut out added sugar and alcohol and avoid unrefined carbs.

After that, ease small amounts of those foods back into your diet for a plan you can live with for the long term.

#4: There's a Right Way to Exercise. Working out burns calories and fat and boosts your metabolism by building muscle. But those trying to lose weight are notorious for overestimating the number of calories they burn and underestimating the amount they take in. Unfortunately, your system is biologically programmed to hold on to extra pounds. That means when you start exercising, your body senses the deficit and ramps up its hunger signals, according to a review of weight-loss studies. If you're not diligent, you'll eat everything you burn and then some.

Cardio gets all the exercise glory, but strength and interval training are the real heroes. They help you build lean muscle, which in turn increases your metabolism and calorie-burning ability. Current weight loss advice: Every week, strength-train two to three days. For the best losing weight because of hunger anxiety. To them, being hungry is bad—something to be avoided at all costs—so they carry snacks with them and eat when they don't need to.

Others eat because they're stressed out or bored. While you never want to get to the point of being ravenous (that's when bingeing is likely to happen), a hunger pang, a craving, or the fact that it's 3:00 p.m. should not send you racing for the vending machine or obsessing about the energy bar in your purse. Ideally, you should put off eating until your stomach is growling.

When you feel the urge to eat, ask yourself: Am I angry or anxious, lonely or bored, or tired?

If If you're still not certain, try the apple test. If you're truly hungry, an apple should seem delicious; if it doesn't, something else is going on," says Robin Frutchey, a behavioral therapist at Johns Hopkins University Weight Management Center. In that case, give yourself a pep talk instead of a snack.

If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the solution.

December is Hand Washing Awareness Month

by Phillips Clinic on 12/03/23

YOUR HANDS!

Keeping hands clean is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness.

Handwashing is easy to do and it's one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness in all settings—from your home and workplace to child care facilities and hospitals. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community.

When should you wash your hands?

· Before, during, and after preparing food

· Before eating food

· Before and after caring for someone who is sick

· Before and after treating a cut or wound

· After using the toilet

· After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet

· After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

· After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste

the right way

to wash your hands

· Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.

· Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

· Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.

· Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

· Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Why wash your hands

People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.

Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and make people sick.

Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.

Removing germs through handwashing helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory infections.

Teaching people about Handwashing helps everyone stay healthy.

According to the CDC, washing hands prevents illnesses and substantially reduces the spread of infections to others.

· Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 31% .

· Reduces diarrhea illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%.

· Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21% .

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them . If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is a good substitute. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number germs on hands, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

Main | Older Entries »