Should women rethink their footwear?
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If your holiday shopping tends to include a couple purchases for yourself, you might want to stop and think before you buy that new pair of high heels you have been eyeing.
High heels—which one in 10 women wear at least three days a week—are one of the biggest factors leading to foot problems in women, with up to a third suffering permanent problems as result of prolonged wear.
According to Natalie A. Nevins, DO, an osteopathic family physician from Hollywood, Calif., frequent wear of high heels can set women up for long-term health issues. “Extended wear of high heels and continually bending your toes into an unnatural position can cause a range of ailments, from ingrown toenails to irreversible damage to leg tendons. Additionally, cramming your toes into a narrow toe box can cause nerve damage and bunions,” says Dr. Nevins. “High heels have also been linked to overworked or injured leg muscles, osteoarthritis of the knee, plantar fasciitis and low back pain,” she adds.
Learn more about the real harm of high heels and get tips from Dr. Nevins to help avoid foot problems in the Health Conditions Library at www.osteopathic.org.
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Can You Drink Too Much Water?
Surprisingly, the answer is yes! MedPage Today reports that a research article published in the British Medical Journal found that too much water, rather than dehydration, may pose a greater health risk to athletes.
According to the research article, in most cases, athletes tend to collapse not from heat-induced dehydration but rather from exercise-associated postural hypotension, better known as a head rush. The remedy is to put your head down, not to drink more fluids, wrote Tim Noakes, MD, in the British Medical Journal article.
“Over the past 40 years humans have been misled … to believe that they need to drink to stay ‘ahead of thirst’ to be optimally hydrated,” says Dr. Noakes. “In fact, relatively small increases in total body water can be fatal.”
Just a 2% increase in total body water can impair physical and mental performance, notes Dr. Noakes. Even greater increases of total body water could lead to more serious issues, like confusion and seizures, he continued.
Dr. Noakes writes that healthy athletes are at little risk of dehydration when competing in an endurance event. He adds that serious health risks only occur when total body water decreases by at least 15% — the equivalent of spending 48 hours in the desert with no water.
Be sure to let your physician know if you feel ill when playing sports and ask how much water you need to drink when playing sports.
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Is your thyroid to blame for your weight?
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Have you been gaining weight even though you are exercising and watching what you eat? Are you sluggish and having muscle weakness? These could be signs of an underactive thyroid, which is known as hypothyroidism. Other symptoms to talk to your physician about include:
- Depression
- Dry or scaly skin
- Hair loss
- Poor memory or difficulty concentrating
Maybe you are finding yourself losing weight even though you have been eating more than usual. Coupled with other common symptoms, like a fast heartbeat and difficulty sleeping, this may point to an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism. Additional symptoms to look for include the following:
- Nervousness or irritability
- Increased perspiration
- Fatigue
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Muscle weakness
What is a thyroid?
According to Teresa A. Hubka, DO, an osteopathic obstetrician and gynecologist from Chicago, the thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located on the front of the neck that produces thyroid hormones which regulate the body’s metabolism. In the case of hypothyroidism, the thyroid hormones fall below normal in the bloodstream and slow down metabolism. Someone with hyperthyroidism produces excessive amounts of thyroid hormones, which then speeds up metabolism.
“Autoimmune thyroid diseases are more common in young and middle-aged women,” says Dr. Hubka. “And unfortunately, most times, these diseases go undiagnosed.” To diagnose a thyroid disease, Dr. Hubka will perform a physical examination, review a patient’s symptoms, and take blood tests to find out if the thyroid hormones in the blood stream are too high or too low.
Learn more about thyroid diseases in the Health Conditions Library at www.osteopathic.org.
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Health and Safety 101
Going away to college can be an exciting time to make new friends and to enjoy newfound independence. But it also can be stressful managing new responsibilities. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help to establish a regular and safe routine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers tips pertaining to college health and safety issues, including ways to:
- Get adequate sleep.
- Avoid substance abuse.
- Improve eating habits.
- Be active.
Another healthy habit is to continue getting regular checkups. Seeing a physician, even when you’re not sick, can help screen for conditions like high cholesterol or diabetes. The visit should be covered by insurance since the Affordable Care Act enables children can stay on their parent’s insurance plan up to age 26. Visit www.healthcare.gov to learn more. Need a physician? The American Osteopathic Association’s Find a DO database lets you search for osteopathic physicians by geographic area and specialty.
Check out the CDC’s full list to learn more about being healthy and safe during the college years.
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Marathon Training in the Summer Heat
As fall marathons approach, many runners are well into their training schedule, but when the temperatures outside are climbing it gets harder to keep the pace with training.
In a previous post, Antoinette M. Cheney, DO, a board-certified osteopathic family physician from Lone Tree, Colo., offered advice to new runners about training for their first marathon. Now she offers additional tips to keep in mind when training in the heat:
- Hydration is key. Don’t just drink water right before or during a run. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to be properly hydrated before your run.
- Avoid running during the hottest part of the day. Early morning and evening hours are the coolest and the best for outdoor exercising. As heat and humidity increase between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., your body’s temperature control system is at greater risk for developing a heat-related illness.
- Protect yourself from the sun. Limit your exposure to direct sunlight by not exercising during the hottest part of the day, which is typically when the sun is directly overhead. No matter what time of day or amount of cloud cover, use sunscreen to prevent sunburn and wear a cap or visor to shield your head, face and eyes from the sun’s rays.
If you are running in the heat and experience symptoms such as a headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting or sudden weakness or fatigue, you could be experiencing heat exhaustion. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, you should get out of the heat immediately and try to cool yourself down with fluids, wiping down with a cool towel or by taking a shower or bath.
Happy running!
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B.U.F.F. Dudes Want to Help You Battle Obesity
B.U.F.F. Dudes Brandon and Hudson are on a mission to help the masses Better Understand Food & Fitness, aka, get people B.U.F.F., as they explain on their new website BUFF-Dudes.com.
The site offers entertaining videos and blog posts, overtly targeted at males, providing information on diet and nutrition. Topics range from destroying your fear of the gym to healthy alternatives for normally fattening or sugary foods.
With a sense a humor and a contagious dose of motivation, the B.U.F.F. Dudes provide practical information and resources for those trying to improve their health.
Note: The AOA does not officially endorse BUFF-Dudes.com as a source of health information.