Valentine’s Day is a holiday that can derail our New Year’s resolutions. With all the candy, sweet treats, and LOVE of chocolate, staying your healthiest during this one holiday can be a real challenge. Here are some tips that will help:
Prep a healthy dinner in advance – Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you need to go out to eat and spend a fortune on a meal that may undo your diet. Make a meal ahead of time or make a meal plan and stick to it. Have a romantic meal at home by candlelight. You will feel better about it the next day, and so will your wallet and waistline.
Don’t skip meals – Saving those calories from breakfast or lunch for a big, fancy dinner won’t help you lose weight, but will make you more likely to overeat.
Plan fun family activities – Working on a family photo album, volunteering together at a local charity event, or creating other heartwarming traditions will help make your Valentine’s Day about more than just sweet treats and comfort food.
Send love notes – Kids aren’t the only ones who can send Valentines. Pick up a pack of Valentine’s Day cards at your local dollar store and send them to special people you haven’t talked to in a while, or better yet; pick a local assisted living or skilled nursing facility in your neighborhood and adopt them as your “sweeties.”
Take time to take care of yourself and your loved ones – Get expert care anytime, anywhere. If you or a loved one needs to see a health care professional immediately this winter season, get a fast, accurate diagnosis and treatment plan with a Bon Secours 24/7™ virtual visit. Only $49 or less with a participating insurance plan. We’re here for you all season! Visit Bon Secours 24/7™ at www.bonsecours247.org
Nonstop coughing. A pounding headache. Sinus pressure.
A bad cold can make you feel just as miserable as if you had the flu. After a week of feeling awful, many people wonder if they need an antibiotic to get better.
Before you start hunting through your medicine cabinet, consider this: antibiotics don’t work on viruses. In fact, they could make you feel much worse and put you at risk for life-threatening infections.
Taking antibiotics when they’re not needed increases your risk for antibiotic resistance – a critical public health concern nationwide. As a result, antibiotics are becoming less effective against infectious organisms, which have adapted over the years. More than 2 million people get sick every year from illnesses related to antibiotic resistance, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, roughly 23,000 people die.
“It’s extremely important to only take an antibiotic if your doctor prescribes one for you,” said Carol Carson, PharmD, BCPS, a clinical pharmacy specialist for Bon Secours. “In many cases, you won’t need an antibiotic.”
For certain, antibiotics are critical tools for treating infections such as pneumonia and life-threatening conditions including sepsis. They can also help people who have urinary tract infections, whooping cough, or strep throat.
Unfortunately, they won’t help you for bronchitis or a chest cold, a runny nose, sore throat, or fluid in the middle ear. Despite this, many people still demand them at the doctor’s office, hoping they or their sick kids will feel better, faster.
How antibiotic resistance occurs.
Anytime you take an antibiotic, drug resistance occurs. As the antibiotics kill bacteria, they also wipe out good bacteria that protect you from infection. As a result, the drug-resistant bacteria can grow and take over.
Taking the incorrect dose and not taking your full course of antibiotics make it easier for drug-resistant bugs to grow.
Antibiotics can cause major side effects.
While antibiotics have saved lives over the years, there are risks to taking any drug. Major side effects from taking antibiotics include allergic reactions. Antibiotics are responsible for almost one out of five emergency department visits for adverse drug events.
If you take antibiotics, you also face a higher risk for months of getting sick from Clostridium difficile. A potentially fatal infection, C. diff causes severe diarrhea and colon damage.
Prevent antibiotic resistance.
One way to help prevent antibiotic resistance is to only take these drugs when they’re truly needed. Taking antibiotics when it’s unnecessary increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists treatment.
If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, make sure to take them exactly as directed. Don’t miss or skip a dose. Finish all medication and never share it with another person.
Feel better, without antibiotics.
If you have an upper respiratory infection such as sore throat, ear infection, sinus infection, colds, and bronchitis, try these tips from the CDC:
Get plenty of rest.
Stay hydrated.
Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer to alleviate coughing and sore throat.
Take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen to relieve pain (including ear pain) or fever.
Drink warm beverages for a sore throat. Gargle with salt water. Use a sore throat spray; try popsicles or lozenges.
Apply a warm moist cloth over your ear to ease earache pain.
Use a decongestant or saline nasal spray for runny nose and sinus pressure.
Always seek advice from your health provider on what you should take or do to alleviate your cold symptoms. Over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants, and saline nasal sprays may help you feel better, but they won’t shorten the length of time you’re sick.
“A cold will last 14 days if you don’t take anything,” Carson said. “It will last two weeks if you take something.”
Your nose is running, your head hurts, and yet you hate to skip your workout. Will exercise make you feel better or worse?
Of course, the answer depends on many factors including how sick you are and your overall health.
Before you decide to get off the couch and find your cross trainers, consider whether you might be better off staying home and resting than heading into the gym. Not only could you inadvertently spread whatever virus ails you, you could also make yourself sicker from overexertion. If you’re really uncertain about whether you should work out while you’re ill, consult your primary health provider.
Here are four recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine to consider when you’re feeling sick.
If your symptoms are confined to your head – sore throat, runny nose — you can exercise moderately. Hold off on intense exercise until it’s been a few days after your cold symptoms go away.
Stay hydrated. “Sweating out” a virus is a myth. (Staying hydrated also helps your immune system.)
Stay home and skip your workout if you have a fever, body aches, or a respiratory infection. Listen to your body.
Give your body time to recover from a bad cold or the flu. When you resume your workouts, take it easy, and gradually increase your workout intensity.
The good news is that consistent, moderate exercise can lower your risk for respiratory infections if you put in about 30 minutes on most days of the week, according to ACSM Fellow David C. Nieman.
Getting a flu shot also helps prevent illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend everyone over the age of six months get an annual flu shot. If you haven’t received your flu shot, there’s still time. Flu season often peaks in early spring.
Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center has been designated as a Center of Excellence in Hernia SurgeryTM (COEHS) by Surgical Review Corporation. Memorial Regional Medical Center was among the first in the country to achieve COEHS accreditation.
Hernias are tears or weaknesses in the abdominal wall; if left untreated, they can cause increasing pain and intestinal complications. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, approximately five million Americans have hernias.
Amit Gogia, MD, FACS, is the medical director of the hernia program at MRMC. He specializes in robotic, minimally invasive repairs of complex hernias, which can mean smaller incisions, less pain, fewer complications, and faster recoveries for patients.
“The ability to perform minimally invasive hernia procedures is another way to assure the patient overall success. Certain hernias will require a traditional repair, depending on the size and where it occurs in the body; however, a robotic repair may help the patient experience less pain with a few small cuts rather than one big one,” said Dr. Gogia. “In my practice, the majority of hernia patients benefit from the minimally invasive approach. Patients heal better, hurt less, and look better. They can get back to their normal activities, like golf or running, more quickly.”
The designation was granted following a complex process involving the hospital and the medical team. To earn the COEHS designation, Memorial Regional Medical Center provided information on all aspects of its hernia surgery program and processes, including data on its surgical outcomes. The COEHS program’s objective requirements and evaluation processes were developed in conjunction with leading hernia surgeons. A commitment to patient care and success necessitates that the requirements be comprehensive, research-based, and verified through a rigorous site inspection.
“Earning this designation signifies our ability to consistently deliver safe, high-quality health care to hernia surgery patients in our immediate region and beyond,” said Mark Gordon, CEO, MRMC. “This expertise in minimally invasive hernia repair is right here at Memorial Regional Medical Center. We are committed to giving patients the opportunity of a quality care experience close to home.”
To be a center of excellence requires a medical education component for surgeons, a full complement of consultative services, standard operating procedures, and a coordinated care team, all focused on a qualified series of outcomes.
Click here for recent news coverage on the Memorial Regional Medical Center’s hernia program.
Just because it isn’t spring, doesn’t mean we stop eating veggies. Even in winter there are plenty of ways to enjoy a fresh salad. In the winter our bodies tend to steer us towards warmer, more comforting foods. This can lead to lower intake of fruits and vegetables compared to the warmer months, and sometimes packing on a few pounds. It is important to aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables each day year round. They provide us with immunity building antioxidants, colon cleansing fiber, and many essential vitamins. Start with hardy greens like arugula, kale, or shaved Brussels sprouts. Add some roasted vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and parsnips. Sprinkle on some pre-cooked whole grains like barley or quinoa. Top with sliced baked chicken and drizzle with warm tomato basil vinaigrette. Looking to get even more into the winter spirit? Try roasted cauliflower or cabbage “steaks.” Simply cut the heads vertically in about one-half to one inch thick “steaks.” Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings like salt and pepper, and bake in the oven for 400 for 25-35 minutes (turn halfway through) until golden brown. Be creative, follow your gut, and enjoy a winter wonderland of salads.
By Abby Forman, Registered Dietitian with Bon Secours Physical Therapy & Sports Performance
