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Promoting mental health: 10 tips for a healthier mind

healthy-mindThough it is harder to observe, mental health can be just as important as physical health to achieving overall wellness and quality of life.

Chris Frasz, who teaches mindfulness training and seminars in Petoskey, noted that it’s important to be proactive with mental health if striving for overall well-being.

“If we want to be in good physical shape we engage in various physical activities. Similarly, if we want strong mental health, we need to be proactive about it,” he said.

Because stress can make the brain more susceptible to mental illness and issues, Frasz suggests meditation techniques at his workshops as a means of coping with stress.

Here are some other suggestions from top health sources that can help support a healthy mind.

1. Physical exercise

According to The Washington Post, a 2014 review in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that physical activity reduced symptoms of depression in people with mental illness and even reduced symptoms of schizophrenia.

2. Use social media wisely

This one may come as a surprise, but time spent on social networking has been linked to depressive symptoms in some studies. According to The Washington Post, research suggests that reading other people’s “chipper status updates” can actually make people feel worse.

3. Get more sleep

According to Harvard Health Publications, sleep problems may increase the risk for developing mental illnesses. Studies also show that treating sleep disorders may help alleviate symptoms of mental health issues such as anxiety.

4. Consider nutrition

Eat what nourishes the whole body, including your brain. According to Psychology Today, healthy carbohydrates increase serotonin which has a calming effect on mood. Protein increases dopamine and tyrosine which can help combat stress. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for cognitive function.

5. Supplement if needed

Most doctors will agree that it is difficult to get all nutrients from food. Experts suggest adding supplementation, especially Vitamin D. An article from Harvard Medical School notes that Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to depression.

6. Be grateful
Gratitude has been linked to improved well-being as well as happiness. According to Psychology Today, research now shows that keeping a gratitude journal or making a daily list can be effective in developing a healthier perspective.

7. Take a break

Though routines get us through the week and keep us efficient, doing something out of the ordinary can do wonders for shifting mindset and battling stress. Researchers at the University of Michigan suggest that this can include taking a vacation or even just walking in a new park or trying a new restaurant.

8. Laugh

University of Michigan studies show that laughter can boost immune function, ease pain, relax the body and reduce stress. Laughing also lowers cortisol (stress hormone) and increases endorphins, which elevate mood.

9. Quiet your mind

Meditation — or the practice of harnessing one’s thoughts — can be effective in dealing with the root of problems such as anxiety and stress. Try mindfulness training (as suggested by Frasz) or explore other techniques such as those taught in yoga, or Tai Chi.

10. Seek professional help

According to the University of Michigan Health Services, seeking help is a sign of strength not weakness. A professional counselor or psychologist may be able to suggest an effective treatment plan in combating mental health issues.

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The warning signs of deep vein thrombosis

14 JUNE, 2016 09:52 AM | BY ELISABETH LORIE

deep-vein-thrombosisKey learning points:

  • Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis can be minimal but a patient will typically complain of unilateral leg pain and swelling
  • Hospitalisation increases the risk and extended thromboprophylaxis is given to high-risk patients on discharge
  • Once a deep vein thrombosis is suspected, an ultrasound scan should be performed within four hours

A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a thrombus (blood clot) that has developed in the venous system, most commonly in the deep veins of the leg, and can partially or completely obstruct the flow of blood. If not treated, a DVT can break off and travel through the veins and heart to the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. This is known as a pulmonary embolism (PE) and can be fatal.

The term venous thromboembolism (VTE) is used to describe a blood clot that can either be a DVT or a PE. Standard treatment for VTE is with anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin.

What is a Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Test?

The carotid intima-media thickness test (CIMT) is a measure used to diagnose the extent of carotid atherosclerotic vascular disease. The test measures the thickness of the inner two layers of the carotid artery – the intima and media – and alerts physicians to any thickening when patients are still asymptomatic. Early detection may indicate the need for a more aggressive approach to managing the risk factors associated with heart disease and stroke.

blood_vessels_ultrasound

Aging is a contributing factor to increased carotid intima-media thickness. Other risk factors include high lipoprotein levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

Too Many People Still Take Unneeded Antibiotics

By Dennis Thompson

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one-third of the antibiotics prescribed in the United States aren’t appropriate for the conditions being treated, a new federal government study shows.

antibiotic-study

“We were able to conclude that at least 30 percent of the antibiotics that are given in doctors’ offices, emergency departments and hospital-based clinics are unnecessary, meaning that no antibiotics were needed at all,” said lead researcher Dr. Katherine Fleming-Dutra.

Such misuse has helped fuel the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which infect 2 million Americans and kill 23,000 every year, said Fleming-Dutra, a pediatrician and epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Antibiotics are most misused in the treatment of short-term respiratory conditions, such as colds, bronchitis, sore throats, and sinus and ear infections, the researchers reported.

“About half of antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory conditions were unnecessary,” Fleming-Dutra said.

PulmCrit Wee: Ultrasound-guided blakemore tube placement

May 4, 2016 | Josh Farkas

Introduction

The most widely feared complication of placing a Blakemore tube is complete inflation of the gastric balloon while it is not in the stomach.  If the gastric balloon is fully inflated anywhere outside the stomach (i.e. esophagus, trachea, bronchus, duodenum), this may cause visceral perforation.

Two cases of ultrasound-guided Blakemore placement

Case #1

A patient required Blakemore tube placement due to refractory variceal hemorrhage.  With continuous monitoring via transgastric ultrasonography, the Blakemore tube was advanced.  The tube could be visualized entering the stomach.  When the tube was advanced to a depth of 50 cm, the gastric balloon was inflated with 50ml of air.  The balloon was well visualized by ultrasonography to be inflating within the stomach.

Since ultrasonography is not a validated tool to confirm placement in the stomach, an abdominal X-ray was also ordered and waiting at the bedside.  A portable X-ray was obtained, which confirmed that the balloon was inflated below the diaphragm.

Abdominal ultrasonography was resumed following the X-ray, but at that point the Blakemore tube could no longer be seen within the stomach.  Further evaluation revealed that the tube had been inadvertently withdrawn while positioning the patient after the X-ray.  The tube was re-advanced to 50cm, at which point the balloon could again be visualized within the stomach.  At this point, the balloon was fully inflated under direct ultrasonographic guidance.

Why Your Heart Disease Risk May Not Be as High as You Think

@aliceparkny | 

Doctors may be overestimating risk for heart problems, which means some people may be prescribed drugs they don’t need

Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, so predicting who is at highest risk of heart attack or stroke is a top priority. After decades of relying on a checklist of risk factors identified in the 1950s, which included factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, excessive weight gain and family history of heart trouble, heart experts decided to update the formula for calculating risk in 2013.

The new formula focused less on specific cholesterol targets and instead created an algorithm of the most significant risk factors, each weighted for how much they might contribute to heart issues. The problem, as many doctors quickly pointed out, was that the new formula seemed to loosen the criteria for putting people on medications, especially ones that lower cholesterol. Simply being older, for example, could push a person into higher risk territory that would warrant a statin prescription, even if this person ate a healthy diet, got plenty of exercise and wasn’t overweight or hypertensive. So this raised serious questions about whether everyone who qualified for treatment under the new guidelines actually needed it.

In a new report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that the new recommendations, created by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), overestimates the risk of heart trouble up to five to six times. That means that five to six times as many people may be prescribed drugs like cholesterol-lowering statins who won’t necessarily benefit from them.

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