Hyperhidorsis. What is it?

If you experience excessive sweating this is called  hyperhidrosis.  In individuals with hyperhidrosis, the autonomic stimulation of sweat glands are hyperactive. Perspiration is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and it is a normal bodily function. The autonomic nervous system is located in the brain that controls the involuntary movement of the body. Movements we have no conscious control over.

We have sweat glands widely dispersed throughout the body. But a great deal more under the breasts, hands, groin, armpits, genital area and feet. Which explains why we sweat more in those areas. Facial blushing is also a symptom of hyperhidrosis. Perspiring is a normal physiologic response of the body when the core body temperature rises. Perspiring is the body's way of cooling down it's core temperature. Stressful situations will stimulate the autonomic nervous system which increases sweat production by the glands in highly concentrated areas, such as in the hands.

For most people, perspiring is not a problem. However, in individuals with hyperhidrosis the autonomic nervous system in response to stress is hyperactive. For these individuals, shaking someone's hand can be embarrassing. The physiologic response of the autonomic nervous system to exercise or high temperature is normal. It is estimated 1% of adults suffer from hyperhidrosis. Excessive sweating begins in childhood and increases in severity into adulthood. Both men and women are affected equally.

Usually symptoms are mild and not disabling. Sweaty palms is the most common manifestation and the most socially disturbing. This can psychologically impact the person's ability to interact effectively in social situations. Hyperhidrosis can also have embarrassing effects with your partner in intimate situations.

If are experiencing excessive sweating even under normal circumstances, you can seed help from a Dermatologist. There are creams, antiperspirants, etc to help treat the symptoms.

Good health,

Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinagent.com

The increasing size of waistlines

Article taken directly from MSN.com

 

LONDON (AP) — Almost a third of the world is now fat, and no country has been able to curb obesity rates in the last three decades, according to a new global analysis.

 

Researchers found more than 2 billion people worldwide are now overweight or obese. The highest rates were in the Middle East and North Africa, where nearly 60 percent of men and 65 percent of women are heavy. The U.S. has about 13 percent of the world's fat population, a greater percentage than any other country. China and India combined have about 15 percent.

"It's pretty grim," said Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who led the study. He and colleagues reviewed more than 1,700 studies covering 188 countries from 1980 to 2013. "When we realized that not a single country has had a significant decline in obesity, that tells you how hard a challenge this is."

AP Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, FILE

In this file photo dated Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007, an overweight person eats in London, 

 

Murray said there was a strong link between income and obesity; as people get richer, their waistlines also tend to start bulging. He said scientists have noticed accompanying spikes in diabetes and that rates of cancers linked to weight, like pancreatic cancer, are also rising.
The new report was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and published online Thursday in the journal, Lancet.

Last week, the World Health Organization established a high-level commission tasked with ending childhood obesity.

"Our children are getting fatter," Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general, said bluntly during a speech at the agency's annual meeting in Geneva. "Parts of the world are quite literally eating themselves to death." Earlier this year, WHO said that no more than 5 percent of your daily calories should come from sugar.

"Modernization has not been good for health," said Syed Shah, an obesity expert at United Arab Emirates University, who found obesity rates have jumped five times in the last 20 years even in a handful of remote Himalayan villages in Pakistan. His research was presented this week at a conference in Bulgaria. "Years ago, people had to walk for hours if they wanted to make a phone call," he said. "Now everyone has a cellphone."

Overweight total tops 2.1bn globally

 

 

Shah also said the villagers no longer have to rely on their own farms for food.
"There are roads for (companies) to bring in their processed foods and the people don't have to slaughter their own animals for meat and oil," he said. "No one knew about Coke and Pepsi 20 years ago. Now it's everywhere."

In Britain, the independent health watchdog issued new advice on Wednesday recommending heavy people be sent to free weight-loss classes to drop about 3 percent of their weight, reasoning that losing just a few pounds improves health and is more realistic. About two in three adults in the U.K. are overweight, making it the fattest country in Western Europe.

"This is not something where you can just wake up one morning and say, 'I am going to lose 10 pounds,'" said Mike Kelly, the agency's public health director, in a statement. "It takes resolve and it takes encouragement." End of article.

While in the midst of consuming mass quantities of food during the day every day for months and years at a time, consider those individuals who have not eaten. Consider the less fortunate adults who are unable to provide the daily caloric necessities for their children and therefore wonder if they have enough money to pay for the food their undernourished bodies desperately need.

After you have overindulged, remember those children here in the United States and world-wide who go about their day feeling hungry and weak because their bodies lack nourishment. Remember the same children who then go to bed on an empty stomach and get a poor night sleep because the hunger pangs are keeping from a quality sleep. And the scenario repeats daily.

Personal accountability is needed in addition to "it takes resolve and encouragement" in weight loss.

Being stick thin is not a requirement to living a healthy lifestyle. A fair amount of daily exercise and healthy food choices is all that is needed.

Consult with your doctor in making lifestyle changes for a healthy you.

Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

Ice or heat? When to use which

Most people know that it is wise to apply one or the other. But which is best for the situation at hand? Ice or heat? And, for how long?

A common soft tissue injury is an ankle sprain. The best choice for this type of injury would be ice. A slush bucket would be ideal. A mixture of water and slush with a temperature reading between 33 and 45 degrees.  The affected ankle would be submerged in the slush bucket for approximately 15 minutes no longer than 20 minutes.

Keeping soft tissue at low temperature longer than 20 minutes will cause tissue death.  For an acute injury, such as an ankle sprain, it is best to treat the area for the first 72 hours with slush or ice 15-20 minutes every hour. The standard treatment for ankle sprain is rest, ice, compression and elevation to keep pain and swelling at a minimal.

Cold therapy in essence leads to decreased blood flow, decreased swelling and decreased pain.  The swelling of tissue causes increase pressure on the nerves which in turns causes pain.

When to use heat therapy.  Heat is the best  choice when treating stiff, tight muscles.  Heat is the preferred choice for back pain. Same time application applies to the use of heat. It is best not to use heat therapy while you sleep as the risk of burn is great.  If possible, place a protective layer between the skin and heat. Where applies, do the same for ice.  If you are a diabetic, care should be taken with areas of decreased sensation because it will be difficult to tell if a negative reaction occurs.

As always, please seek medical attention.

Good health,

 

Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN

www.nurseinsagent.com

Life Insurance is a valuable asset to own

Final expense insurance is life insurance with a specific need. Final expenses largely make up funeral expenses. Your funeral is the very last expense you will incur. Having the money readily available to your family is part of estate planning. Final expense programs are estate planning.

Today you are in the best of health you will be. Purchasing now will qualify you for the best rate available at your current age. Life insurance is the least expensive insurance and offers the most value added benefit. If you are on a fixed income, chances are your beneficiary is too. Life insurance is protecting the beneficiary from financial catastrophe.

 

Life insurance is different than pre-need plans offered by funeral homes. Case scenario:  you purchase a life insurance policy with a face value of $10,000.  After only 1 premium payment, you become a victim of a fatal car accident or suffer a fatal cardiac arrest. The full value of $10,000 is available immediately to your beneficiary. The policy you took out in your estate planning is ready to be put to work. You have protected your beneficiary from facing a financial crisis.

 

Now, lets look at a pre-need plan. During your meeting with your funeral director he sells you a $10,000 pre-need plan with a monthly premium of for example, $54.00. After only 1 premium payment you become a victim in a fatal car accident or suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. Your beneficiary is now responsible for paying $9,946.00 plus any and all accrued interest. Funeral homes are in the business to make money. They provide a service for a fee paid by you, the consumer. They will demand payment or provide a less desirable and cheapest funeral with whatever funds you can spare. If your family is cash strapped, where will that money come from? If you have outstanding bills that need to be paid, where will your beneficiary get that money? You have created a full financial crisis for your loved ones that they may never financially recover from. 

Procrastinating just adds to higher premium payments and not being prepared. Death does not wait. It is going to happen.  Funeral expenses are at an all time high and are expected to increase. Say you have enough money in the bank to cover a $10,000 funeral bill. In the interim, you suffer from a debilitating car accident or a mild heart attack. Your major medical insurance will pay the doctor and hospital, but you will have co-pays, prescription, fuel and household bills to pay. If you are on a limited income, you will burn through that $10,000 bank account. Leaving you with not enough money to pay funeral expenses when the time comes. By proscratinating, you have gained nothing. 

Estate planning is simple and easy to do. Just take the time and do it.

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

Heart Healthy Diet

The American Heart Association recommends to help lower cholesterol by implementing 3 very easy steps!

1. Change high-risk habits. High risk habits are just that. Habits that put you at an increased risk of suffering a cardiovascular event.
* Stop smoking. There are many, many resources available to aid in the cessation of smoking. It is highly likely for those people who have smoked for decades to quit. The first step to successfully help in quitting is you must want to quit. Discuss a stop smoking plan with your doctor.
* Limit alcohol consumption to just 1 per day. Avoid binge drinking. Not only does this stress your heart but also causes liver toxicity.

2. Daily exercise. Brisk walk on flat ground or trail walking will help strengthen the cardiovascular system.

3. Eat a heart healthy diet. This includes: choosing healthy fats such as, fish, lean meats and poultry without the skin. Grill, broil or poach meats. Cook with olive oil instead of butter. Avoid trans fats found in junk food. Junk food is called junk food because its junk. There are no health benefits in junk food.

4. Adding fiber to your diet will help regulate sugar levels, keep you fuller longer, and regulate colon health. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, fruits and vegetables.

5. Foods rich in vitamins B, C, and E. Vitamins B and C are water soluble. Which means your body uses what it needs for the day and the remainder is voided in urine. Vitamin  is fat soluble. This means it is stored in fat cells. Your body will use as needed. Dark leafy green vegetables, almonds, all fruits, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes.

Limit salt intake. Choose naturally occurring low-sodium foods and refrain adding salt to your meals. There are salt alternatives available at your locol grocery store. Salt causes increased blood pressure and water retention. Blood pressure is a measure of how much pressure your blood vessels are under. The ideal time to measure for an accurate pressure is when your sitting and relaxed. Maintain a normo-tensive blood pressure around 120/80. Your doctor will consult with you what is the best systolic and diastolic pressure range for you.

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

Final Expense Insurance

Burial insurance, also known as final expense insurance is life insurance with a specific need: to cover funeral expenses. Policy face amounts typically start at $6,000.00 and can be written up to $25,000.00. Face amounts are customized to your needs. At the time of application, you can decide what is best for you and the face amount may be adjusted accordingly. Your policy will cover the extra incidental expenses associated with funerals. Typically, those incidental expenses are not considered until it is too late.

Final expense insurance is not just-in-case insurance as with health insurance, auto insurance, flood insurance, etc. Death is the final chapter in life. We don't know when death will call upon us. The likelihood of death happening is 100%. Preplanning alleviates loved ones of having to make difficult decisions or to face financial concerns during a very emotional time.

If you just don't want to think about death and have not come to terms about your own mortality, here is something to consider. Throughout your life you earn a modest wage to provide food, clothing, shelter and medicine for yourself and family. The cost of living has increased, you want to cut corners and consider not buying any more insurance. You might think it is burdensome. You might think it is worthless to you. When the day your life ceases to exist, your policy will come alive and get to work. Through your policy, your final expenses will be paid. Your policy will take away financial concerns. Your pre-planned policy will give you peace of mind and avoid any financial burden for those left behind.

Respectfully,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
http://www.nurseinsagent.com/

Abdominal injuries can be life-threatening

Abdominal trauma is one of the most common causes of preventable trauma-related deaths.

The majority of abdominal injury is caused by blunt trauma. Blunt abdominal injury typically occurs when the abdomen is directly compressed by, or against, a fixed object. In many blunt trauma instances, the trauma may cause tears in the viscera of the solid organs, namely the spleen and liver. Other injuries may occur as the result of deceleration forces, which can cause tears in the fixed areas of the organs and the blood vessels, namely the liver and renal arteries. Blunt trauma may also cause ruptures in the hollow organs.

A person who sustained blunt trauma within the abdominal region, he or she may not show pronounced signs of the injury. In some instances, the individual may have little to no pain and will not show signs of the injury externally.

Seatbelts, car accidents, sports, hernias, direct abdominal muscle impact are all cause of abdominal trauma.
In many patients, organ damage, especially hemorrhage, may not become apparent for days or weeks. After this time, the patient may experience systematic dysfunction or organ failure. It is crucial those individuals who sustain extreme, direct impact to the abdominal region be examined thoroughly.

Abdominal trauma is complex in nature. The abdominal region is comprised of a number of organs,  solid and hollow, major arteries, vessels, and tissue. An injury can have an impact on a number of areas within the abdominal region, which poses a significant risk to the individual. It is imperative to seek medical treatment right away.

Be safe,

Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com