Our Mission is to save hearts by enabling life-saving care for some and promoting heart-healthy habits for all.
FDA Evaluates Expanded Statin Treatment
Statins are effective in lowering the production of lipids in the liver by inhibiting an enzyme involved in lipid synthesis. As with all drugs, statins also have numerous side effects, and Crestor (Rosuvastatin) blocks lipid production in other tissues causing severe pain.
Another side effect, with an unknown action mechanism, is lowering of inflammation. The large Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) experiment revealed that lowering serum lipids, “blood cholesterol,” was not as important in decreasing cardiovascular risk, as lowering inflammation. The study showed, however, that Crestor could inexplicably lower cardiovascular risk by lowering inflammation. An FDA panel recently voted to recommend that the FDA consider approving Crestor to reduce cardiovascular risk in individuals with normal blood cholesterol, but elevated chronic inflammation.
JUPITER Study Showed that Lowering Inflammation Was More Important than Lowering Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Cardiac Risk
Numerous recent studies have failed to demonstrate that lowering dietary saturated fats and increasing polyunsaturated fats was effective in lowering rates of cardiovascular disease. At the same time, there was a puzzling contradiction that for some patients, statins, which effectively lower serum cholesterol, were still effective in improving the risk of heart disease. The JUPITER study solved the puzzle by using only individuals who already had low blood cholesterol. This group was separated into groups based on their level of chronic inflammation, as judged by blood tests for CRP. Treatment with Crestor reduced chronic inflammation, lowered CRP levels and also reduced the incidence of cardiovascular events. Thus, the ability of Crestor to decrease inflammation as an incidental side effect reduced cardiovascular risk.
Many Lifestyle Changes Are Safer and More Effective than Statins for Inflammation Control
The JUPITER study showed that control of inflammation lowered cardiac risk, but inflammation has already been identified as a major risk factor. Anti-inflammatory diets and exercise, when conscientiously used, are very effective in reducing cardiac risk. The JUPITER study demonstrated that an expensive drug designed to inhibit lipid metabolism and with significant negative side effects, could also lower inflammation. The question is why statins would be used to control inflammation when diet and exercise are more effective.
Many Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Are Available
Many steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are available by prescription and over-the-counter. These anti-inflammatory drugs have been evaluated for efficacy in reducing cardiovascular risk and for safety. If the statins represent a new class of anti-inflammatory drug, then it would make sense to develop that activity and eliminate the activities on lipid metabolism that cause the dangerous side effects of the statins.
FDA Evaluation of Statins as Anti-inflammatory Drugs
The JUPITER study showed that the health benefit from Crestor use was at least partially due to an unexpected anti-inflammatory activity. It is not known if other statins, with different structures and different side effects, also have anti-inflammatory activity. It would seem to make sense that clinical trials comparing the efficacy and safety of Crestor and other statins, to other existing anti-inflammatory drugs with demonstrated effectiveness in reducing cardiovascular risk, would be assessed before the FDA considers recommending any statins for use in reducing the inflammation-based risk of otherwise healthy individuals who have normal blood cholesterol, but elevated CRP.
Staying Healthy Even When You are Busy
If you are busy, for sure, you find it difficult to prepare healthy meals. Instead of preparing meals at home, you choose to go with convenience foods and to eat out. However, it can turn out expensive and unhealthy if you have to always depend on someone else for your food.
If you are working full-time, it is a challenge to give time for meal preparation. Often, you have to leave early for work, and come home tired and lacking the energy to do anything else. Sometimes, you also do overtimes at work which further shorten out your “Me” time at home. And then, once in a while, there are also events that you must attend like birthdays and anniversaries. If these events fall on a weekday and you can’t say “No” to the person who invited you, then it’s going to be another long day for you.
For busy people like you, you usually have two options when it comes to meals: purchasing packaged foods and eating out. Eating convenience foods is not the healthiest option because they contain preservatives that help keep them on the shelf for longer. So, if you keep on exposing yourself to these foods, then you are not doing yourself a favor. Do not get surprised if you still feel lethargic, sluggish, and zapped of energy after eating convenience foods for your meals. Unless you go for the healthier delivery options, like this gluten free prepared meals for weight loss.
So, if you are tired of eating processed and convenience foods, and eating out a lot, how can you stay healthy even when you are busy? Here are tips to help you get started:
- Plan your meals for the week so you can do the shopping in one go.
- Prep your ingredients ahead for the recipes that you’ve included in the meal plan.
- Prep healthy snacks that you can quickly take with you, such as trail mixes and sliced fruits.
- If you are overweight, have a nutritionist assess your diet so he/she can recommend a meal plan for you.
- Sign up for a meal kit delivery service if you have never tried cooking before, and you want to gain confidence in the kitchen. These meal kit delivery services do all the ingredient preparation for you, and all you have to do is to follow the recipe and cook at home.
- Schedule your meals and eat at almost the same time every day. A useful guide would be breakfast at 7 AM, lunch at 12 NN, and dinner at 6 PM. Depending on your activity, you can also have snacks in between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner.
- Give time for exercise, because exercise motivates you to eat healthier.
Being busy should never be an excuse not to stay healthy. If you want to change your lifestyle, have the dedication to make it happen. Plan your meals and manage your time so you can squeeze in exercise in your daily routine.
Prevent Heart Disease – Early Signs of a Heart Attack
Heart disease is the number one killer of people in the United States affecting over 81 million people, according to the American Heart Association. The most usual class of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD) which can lead to a heart attack. High blood pressure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, and heart failure claimed over 800,000 lives in 2006.
The risks for coronary artery disease can be greatly reduced through lifestyle change and even medication in some cases. In the U.S., heart disease will cost about $316 billion annually in health care services, medications, and lost productivity. This year, it’s estimated that 1.26 million Americans will have a new or recurring heart attack.
What to do Before a Heart Attack Strikes
Of course, there is no way anyone can predict a heart attack, but there are some things that can be done before. The American Heart Association does indeed recommend ASPIRIN® for use in patients who’ve had a myocardial infarction, unstable angina, ischemic stroke, or transient ischemic attacks, if not contraindicated.
According to the American Heart Association website, ASPIRIN helps to prevent recurrent heart attacks in people with a high risk for a heart attack. However, ASPIRIN therapy should not be started without first consulting with a doctor. Do not rely on ASPIRIN to help relieve the pain of a heart attack before calling 911. ASPIRIN alone will not treat or cure the heart attack. The best recommendation for preventing a heart attack is to take care of risk factors like obesity, diet, stress, giving up tobacco, and getting adequate exercise.
Know These Heart Attack Symptoms
Knowing the typical major symptoms of a heart attack can save valuable time in getting to a hospital, getting immediate care from emergency medical professionals, or communicating the condition to people in proximity. Death or long-term and permanent disability can be caused by a heart attack, so identifying symptoms and getting help quickly is essential.
Most heart attacks will cause pain or discomfort in the middle of the chest that lasts for more than just a few minutes. This chest pain may also go away and come back. This chest discomfort has been described as an uncomfortable pressure or squeezing sensation. Pain or discomfort in the back, neck, jaw, stomach, or one or both arms can also be a symptom along with shortness of breath, light-headedness, nausea, sudden weakness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.
Act Fast in the Event of Heart Attack
The first hour of a heart attack is called the “golden hour.” Getting medical help within this first critical hour will greatly increase the chances of recovery. Do not be afraid of being embarrassed when going to the emergency room because they might find nothing wrong. Go to the emergency room anyway. Better to be embarrassed and alive than the alternative.
Take immediate action. Waiting is dangerous and can cause even more damage to the heart, even resulting in death. If chest pain or discomfort is felt, especially with one or more of the other symptoms listed above, it is vital that a person seek immediate medical care by dialing 911 before doing anything else. Try and sit or lie down and remain as calm as possible. If not allergic to ASPIRIN, chew an aspirin as soon as possible.
Heart attacks typically occur between 4:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. because there tends to be more adrenaline in the bloodstream during those times. That increased adrenaline may cause accumulated plaque to rupture and cause the formation of a blood clot which eventually leads to the heart attack. In spite of what some people believe, the incidence of heart attacks does not usually occur during exercise or physical exertion.
How to Eat Healthy at All Times?
It is often said that the food you consume can either be the fastest and strongest medicine you take or it can be the slowest form of poison. Therefore paying close and personal attention to what is served on the platter is crucial to living a healthy and active life.
However, given the fast-paced lifestyle and always running-out-of-time routines leave a little room for acknowledging the fact that how slowly but steadily the health is being conveniently ignored. It is not the knowledge that people in general lack about the food they eat, but the effort and time they are not ready to put into making it wholesome and healthy.
Eating Healthy at Home
After a long and tiring day at work, the last thing on your wishlist would be to “sweat in the kitchen”. Apart from the days when you use cooking as therapy, spending most of your time in that part of the house is not what most fancy. But what everyone fancies is a nice healthy wholesome meal. It feels amazing to know that there will be some healthy meal at home waiting for you. Isn’t it?
Well, to fancy this, it is best to get down to the habit of meal prepping. Planning your meals in advance not only ensures that you end up eating healthy at all times but also makes you a more of an organized person.
How to Meal Prep?
1. Plan and Strategize
The first and foremost step is obviously to plan and chalk out what you want to eat throughout the week. Sit with a pen and paper and write down the menu for the entire week. In doing so ensure to incorporate all the healthy and vital nutrients rich food items to the meal plan.
Planning beforehand that one has a variety available throughout the week and does not have to eat the same food on the loop available in your kitchen on in the pantry. And this brings us to the next point.
2. Pantry Checking and Listing
Once the menu is decided, explore the pantry to check if you have all the ingredients to make the particular dish. The absence of any important ingredient will force you to break the meal plan routine.
Check and make a list of all the items you need. This exercise helps in maintaining the budget as well since you don’t end up buying things you won’t be needing or the items you already had in store.
What is even better is to plan the meals in accordance with the items and ingredients already in the pantry. Clear the available stock first and then jump to buying new ones.
3. Prepping
Once you have shopped for everything you will need for the weeks’ meal plan, the next thing to do is to sort and organize the grocery and other fruits and vegetables. Wash, dry, cut and store the vegetables in zip lock pouches or airtight containers. Make packets of the fruits or vegetable salads that will go as snacks or sides in the lunch box.
By pre-packing, you will only need to pick up the packet on the go in the morning and take it to work or school for lunch. If time permits, one can also make some soups and curries that can be used later when preparing the meal.
All this can be done over the weekend, and at the weeknights, and this way you won’t have many tasks to do in the kitchen. Having this routine as a part of lifestyle safeguards that one eats healthy and does not end up binging on unhealthy stuff due to lack of time and energy.
4. Ordering Healthy
Well, all this task of planning, meal prepping and cooking at overall may seem cumbersome and tedious to many. There are a bunch of these people who either due to lack of time do not enter the kitchen or simply because they despise to do so.
Ordering food is there favorite thing to do. If you are used to eating ordered food, put in some extra dollars and order healthy customized meals for yourself. This may be a little costly than usual, but lately, there are various food service businesses are offering this service.
Getting meals tailor-made to meet your requirements relieves one of the guilt of not consuming home cooked food.
Here is How You Can Order Healthy
Healthy restaurants
While ordering, look up for the restaurants and food joints that can make a meal personalized to your taste bud. There are many eating joints offering meals that are gluten-free, vegan, keto friendly or made with ingredients that one is not allergic to. This customization helps in eating healthy and in balanced calories even when ordering.
Private Chefs
Private chefs are a rage these days. Some innumerable private chefs are ready to prepare meals exclusively as per the customer’s instructions. Hand them the list of dos and don’ts for your dish and they will come up with something exotic and ravishing. They feel it as their duty to make the food most appealing to the eye as well as for your gut.
Eating healthily is no more boring. If you are in NYC get yourself your first customized meal prepared by a personal chef as per convenience.’
Eating Healthy when Traveling
When on vacation one does not wish to come back home feeling fat and unhealthy. It does become difficult to find the healthiest things to eat while traveling. Hence when traveling, it is better to pack some snacks and food items that are healthy and will obviously last longer and stay fresh throughout the trip.
People with food allergies usually fall for the wrong dish and end up falling sick. And falling sick is the last thing you would want when travelling. Having some healthy snacks in the backpack prevents one from indulging in unhealthy local meals.
Staying healthy is not that tough if one starts to eat mindfully. A little planning and prepping go on a long way in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Because eating healthy should not be a short-term goal but a lifelong change to be incorporated.
How Folks Over Fifty Can Stay Healthy
Staying healthy after 50 means establishing the right healthy habits, getting the right tests and screenings and developing an active lifestyle. A healthy body starts with a healthy mind, and making healthy choices each day is a good place to begin.
Healthy Habits
Maintain a healthy body weight. Studies show that people who are significantly overweight can often decrease their risk for type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and gallbladder disease by losing 5 to 15 percent of body weight. For a person weighing in at 200 pounds, that’s only 10 to 30 pounds to lose in order to reduce serious health risks. Moderate and reasonable goals are the key, rather than trying to get back to what’s considered absolutely normal.
Stop smoking! Cigarette smoking kills more than 400,000 Americans each year, plays a role in cancer, heart disease and lung disease, and accounts for $50 billion of health-care expenses annually. Studies show that no matter what a person’s age, quitting smoking offers improvement to overall health. When a person stops smoking at the age of 50, they increase their risk of survival by 5o percent, compared to those who continue to smoke.
Drink alcohol in moderation, and if you’re a teetotaler, stay that way! If you do drink, USDA guidelines recommends limiting daily alcohol intake to one drink in women and two in men.
Recommended Medical Tests
Take time for a blood pressure check. Most experts suggest that all healthy adults get their blood pressure checked every two years, but blood pressure is normally a part of any routine office visit or check-up. Many hospitals and medical centers offer free blood pressure screening, and pharmacies have self-service electronic blood pressure testing, so keeping up with your blood pressure numbers is quick and easy. Controlling blood pressure significantly reduces the risk for stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
Test your blood glucose level. To promote the early detection of diabetes, and reduce the risk of its complications, the American Diabetes Association recommends that individuals age 45 and over have a blood glucose test every three years.
Have your cholesterol checked. To identify people at risk for Heart Disease, the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends a fasting lipid profile for adults over 20 at least every five years, and more frequently for older adults who have abnormal results or other risk factors.
Some other important tests include thyroid testing, screening for glaucoma, a hearing test and vaccinations. The American Thyroid Association recommends a test for thyroid disease for all adults every five years beginning at age 35. While glaucoma cannot be prevented, early detection by measuring intraocular pressure, examining the optic disc, and testing visual fields allows treatment that may prevent damage to the optic nerve. The PSTF (U.S. Preventative Services Task Force) recommends that primary care physicians screen for hearing impairment by interviewing patients during regular check-ups, counseling them about availability of hearing aid devices, and referring them to hearing specialists when abnormalities are detected. Yearly flu vaccines, a pneumonia vaccine before age 65 with a booster every 5 to 10 years, as well as a tetanus booster every ten years are recommended for adults. Vaccines against childhood diseases such as chicken pox, mumps, measles and rubella if those over 50 have never had the disease are also a good idea. Certain adults should also consider the Hepatitis B vaccine.
Health Screening for Disease
Because prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among North American Men, the American Cancer Society and the American Urological Association advocate a PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen), along with a digital rectal examination beginning at age 50, or earlier for men who are at elevated risk. These groups include: African America men, men with a family history of prostate cancer and veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
Screening for colon cancer should begin at age 50 with an annual fecal occult blood test, which involves placing a small amount of stool on a card that, under laboratory analysis, can reveal traces of blood that may be a sign of cancer.
The American Cancer Society recommends that everyone over age 40 have an annual total skin examination performed by a dermatologist or other physician trained to recognize skin cancer.
Because Mammography is the best tool currently available for detecting early tumors, the American Cancer Society suggests regular screening every one to two years for all women over 40. In addition, most experts recommend an annual clinical breast exam and a monthly breast self-exam. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that all women 65 or older, postmenopausal women who have one or more risk factors and all postmenopausal women who have had a recent fracture be screened for osteoporosis. It is also recommended that every woman take a 1200-1500 milligram calcium supplement daily, along with a multivitamin that has 400 units of Vitamin D. Vitamin D which help in the absorption of calcium.
Healthy Active Lifestyle
One of the best things people over 50 can do to improve their overall health is to stay active. Moderate exercise like walking, yoga, bicycling and water aerobics several times each week offer tremendous health benefits. Improved cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone, strength, and coordination, plus increased energy can all result from regular exercise. Establishing healthy habits by age 50 and keeping them increases the chances of maintaining them for a lifetime.
Natural Ways to Prevent Blood Clots
Some think that the commercials are over the top. They use scare tactics that shouldn’t be seen in a prescription commercial. They try to frighten people into thinking it’s a serious issue. The fact of the matter is, blood clots are a serious issue.
For many, blood clots come on suddenly, without any warning at all. Some of us are at a higher risk than others. These risks are factored in through some different means. For some it’s biological, for others, it’s through medication. For instance, every oral contraceptive comes with a warning about the increased risk of blood clots. But no matter what the risk factors, there are many natural things that we can do to help prevent these sneaky menaces.
- Including an increased amount of vitamin E in your diet has been known to help decrease the risk of blood clots, specifically in women. Vitamin E helps keep the blood at a normal consistency and helps defend against abnormal clotting.
- EGCG, commonly found in green tea, help to thin the blood, making it difficult for a clot to develop.
- Including garlic in your diet on a regular basis also helps prevent blood clots. The sulfur-rich components of the bulb help inhibit enzymes responsible for starting blood clots. For those who can’t stand garlic, ginger has very similar properties.
- Cod liver oil, or fish oil, is another natural remedy used to help keep in innards of the human body running in proper fashion, along with battling blood clots.
Many people can help their bodies prevent blood clots by simply exercising and eating right. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, along with removing unnecessary fats, helps loads in fighting off the risk of blood clots. Combine this with the improved circulation due to exercise, and your body is already working on its own again t the clots.
However, before you try any means of prevention, it is essential to check with your doctor. As dangerous as a blood clot can be, there may be something more serious behind the cause of a clot. Also, taking anything to thin your blood can lead to other complications, such as hemorrhagic stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding, or tinnitus.
Risk Factors of Gout
Gout, what Hippocrates called the rich man’s disease is an old disease that renews itself when one overindulges in alcohol-especially beer, and high purine foods-mainly meats and shellfish. It is a type of inflammatory arthritis and can affect any joint but has an affinity for joints of the feet, hands, elbows, and knees.
Often it lies hidden for years and then suddenly at night it attacks, awakening an unsuspecting victim with excruciating big toe pain. The circulatory system, having no other place to dump its overload of uric acid crystals, find the connective tissue of the big toe an ideal landfill. The victim is most often a middle-aged male; the ratio of 10 men to one woman in this age group, although as both men and women age, this changes.
Gout develops gradually. The kidneys being unable to clean the blood of its overload of uric acid dumps the excess elsewhere in the body. (Often these uric acid crystals can cause kidney stones) Uric acid is a by-product of the body’s healthy metabolism. Gout happens only when the normal process has become abnormal.
This first attack lasts from about three to ten days, with or without treatment, and maybe a one-time event. Its prognosis is having to do with how its victim manages his lifestyle. Low purine foods are preferable, and these are: lots of water, coffee, cereals, chocolate, fruits, grains, pasta, cheese, eggs, milk products, sugar, olives, tomatoes, and some types of green vegetables;
Foods to avoid: high purine meats, mainly beef, pork, lamb, and organ foods. Eat less seafood, especially anchovies, sardines, roe, herrings, mussels, codfish, scallops, haddock, and trout. Omit alcohol or at least reduced the intake, and limit the intake of oatmeal, dried beans, peas, lentils, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, and mushrooms.
Gout is of two varieties, primary and secondary. Primary is a predisposition to the disease from birth. The victim is born with a malformation in the system that changes nucleic acid into uric acid, rendering the body unable to excrete uric acid from the blood, even though the amount of purine taken is in the normal range.
Secondary gout is caused by an abuse of the standard system of metabolism. That is the gorging of fatty foods and alcohol that renders the body incapable of normalizing itself. Or another illness in the body interferes with the body’s ability to cope. Some medicines are causative factors, not allowing the kidneys to keep the blood clean.
Does Google’s Algorithm Update Matter?
Google made recent updates, and lots of websites are affected. Lots of us have thought that we know how SEO works but because of the changes, we’re not so sure anymore. Let’s get a closer look in understanding what Google Algorithm is, what are the changes, and why it matters.
Google Algorithm
In general, algorithms are sets of rules that are meant to solve problems through a finite number of steps. But when it comes to how algorithms work in computers, it’s a way of performing a particular task. Now, let’s bring it with what Google Algorithm is and what it does. Just like the basics, Google’s algorithm is what provides you with the best results when you search for something. When you type and enter “adorable puppies” in the search bar, what comes in right after is not just random. The algorithm is what decides which result comes first, second, third, and so forth.
Importance
Simply put, Google Algorithm makes things easier for you. Google wants the best for their users, and surely, they would appreciate it if they don’t have to scroll all the way down just to find what they’re looking for. On a different perspective, it greatly affects individuals and businesses who have built their websites and blogs. If they’re trying to gain viewers and customers, familiarity with how SEO works and how algorithm plays a significant role in it. Break The Web thinks that the algorithm decides where your website is placed and how often will your targets view it.
Updates
Lots of us have noticed the most recent update, but Google has been doing changes way often than we know. Some of these updates are unconfirmed, but the first one came along 17 years ago when they launched the Google toolbar. Then the first update that was officially named was Boston update, followed by Cassandra, Dominic, Esmeralda, Fritz, and Florida; all of which were launched in 2003. It was initially planned to be a monthly update but at times, throughout the years, it can either be too often or less than the usual.
For those who are not exactly in-depth with details or information, it’s entirely possible to be left behind. If you’re not exactly particular with the number of views that you can gain or not that concerned with how you place in the search results, then I guess getting updated with every change that Google launches is something that you can skip on. Usually, however, websites are built not just for hobbies but also for business matters. Going digital regarding marketing strategy is becoming popular for a good reason. The internet is something that doesn’t come as a luxury but as a need in today’s age. It is readily available for anyone and everyone which helps businesses to open doors and windows of opportunities.
With all these things in consideration, each of Google’s Algorithm matters a lot. If ever you doubted that, this is the time to think about it solidly. It’s true that some businesses may not exist to be entirely virtual but getting your ranks up may just give your company the boost that you have been looking for. If you find it hard to give much focus and priority into SEO, you don’t have to. It takes understanding and doing that may take some time. You don’t have to push yourself too much to try and learn it because in time, and with the right training or lessons, it won’t be hard to figure out anymore. When that happens, you will uncover lots of possibilities for your business’ optimization.
What to Do When Someone Has a Seizure
If nobody in your family has had a seizure, consider yourself among the lucky few. Seizures are, in fact, very common.
If you care for an elderly, what will you do to provide immediate support? If you cannot do it properly, you should consider the experts from a home care agency.
Before we go to the first aid tips, let us first go through on what the symptoms are pre-seizure, so you are one step ahead when it happens.
Symptoms of an impending seizure
Seizures can strike suddenly, but people who often have them may recognize certain feelings that warn them of an impending seizure. The challenge with the elderly is that often, they are beset with age-related communication problems, and so they struggle to express what they feel.
The pre-seizure “aura” refers to the vague feeling that a person will just “know” a seizure will happen. Some symptoms include a person feeling agitated but unable to pinpoint why, like something has happened before, suddenly pleased at something, and scared of something. The person may also suddenly have blurred vision, nausea, tingling, a recurring smell, taste, or sound that others cannot experience, and a dizzy spell. These are some of the most common symptoms that people feel before having a seizure.
It can be a scary experience to witness a seizure, especially if you haven’t seen one before. It is even scarier if you are the only go-to person when that happens.
First aid tips
Here then are first aid tips that can help you when you have to respond to someone experiencing a seizure:
1. Do not restrain the person because you might inadvertently hurt the person, or get hurt yourself.
2. Do not put anything in the individual’s mouth, assuming this will prevent having the person bite or swallow the tongue. The latter is impossible, and the former may happen, but it is not as severe as the person’s jaw getting locked.
3. Do not do Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). People usually get back to normal breathing once seizure is over.
4. Help the person lie down gently on the floor.
5. Put soft padding under the individual’s head.
6. Turn the person on the side to prevent choking in case vomiting occurs.
7. Remove eyeglasses, neckties, pens, and other hard and sharp objects that may injure the person.
8. If a seizure lasts longer than five minutes, call for emergency help immediately.
Conclusion
A seizure is a complex medical phenomenon, but seizure first aid can be learned by everyone. The main thing that first aiders need to focus on is to keep the patients from injuring themselves. Bring them to a safe and clean place, put away all objects that might hurt them, and be with them until the seizure is over and they have fully regained consciousness.
Seniors are harder to manage for seizures because they are often beset by dementia in which they become disoriented and confused. It can be hard to have them cooperate, and even more difficult to manage them post-seizure. But if you keep your focus and stay calm, you can let the seizure episode pass. Once over, seek medical assistance immediately.
Challenges Nurses Face Today
Nurses are vital figures in the healthcare industry, and while it is a well-compensated profession in Western countries, there are many problems that nurses face.
Doctors may think they are “superior,” but without nurses, hospitals cannot thrive. And gone are the days of generalist nursing. Nurses are now required to specialize. Standard specializations are in dialysis, heart surgeries, and neurosurgery, among others. You can also get help and focus on being a school nurse, if that’s your preference.
Nurses face many challenges work and relationship-wise, and listed below are some of these:
1. Nurses have to go through a lot of pressure and stress
Nurses get a lot of pressure from doctors, fellow nurses, administrators, patients, and patients’ families. They have to endure this type of pressure every single day, and it can be difficult to be in a profession where you have to be extremely patient and understanding all the time.
Nurses are also expected to do overtime often, due to unexpected patient cases that they have to resolve before leaving. Doing overtime often can hurt nurses’ time for themselves and their families.
Nursing is one of the most stressful professions, and although the turnover is not that high due to excellent compensation, many nurses are ridden with many lifestyle-related illnesses such as diabetes, chronic insomnia, and heart disease.
2. Nurses have to take additional schooling
With now more nurses entering the profession, nursing now has many specializations of its own. Specializing requires further education, with expenses that have to be shouldered by the nurse. Nurses already have debts to pay from university, and now they have other debts to pay from graduate school. And the more you stay as a generalist nurse, the fewer opportunities you gain to advance in the profession.
3. Nurses have to do an immense amount of multi-tasking
Hospitals, especially public hospitals, are staggeringly understaffed. And because of this reality, nurses have to juggle several completely different tasks every day. It can be very stressful for nurses, and it can also hurt patients in the process. Giving the wrong medications and providing jumbled up instructions are common in hospitals because of the gravity of multitasking nurses must do.
Constant multitasking also increases nurses’ dissatisfaction with their work; thus, many public hospital nurses may choose to move to private institutions, or shift into teaching.
4. Nurses have to endure hospital risks
Nurses are exposed to different health hazards every day, and if they have weak immune systems, they may not endure. It is not only the risks of contaminants that they have to face. They must also be patient with verbal and physical abuses from stressed out patients and their families. Although nurses can report incidents like these, the fact that they have to endure these situations is both distressing and disturbing.
Nursing is a noble profession. But if these challenges are not adequately addressed by hospitals and the state, nurses may run into leaning towards other professions leaving behind a slew of patients needing assistance. Hospitals and the state should start looking into improving the state of nursing work and not just rely on doing financial compensations. Giving nurses the mental, physical and emotional support that they need is worth more than any other economic return that can be provided for them.