Category: Health & Wellness

being an empowered patient

How To Be an Empowered Patient

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Have you ever left one of your health appointments disappointed with your visit? Maybe you had just spoken to a health care professional, but instead of feeling like all of your concerns were addressed, you found yourself with even more questions?

In this article, I will present some practical ways in which you can prepare for any encounter you might have with the health care system—whether it is a routine doctor’s visit or an unexpected trip to the ER—so you can make the most out of your interactions with your health care professionals. In short, these tips will show you how to be an empowered patient. 

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tips to help manage chronic pain

9 Tips To Help You Manage Chronic Pain

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Dealing with and managing chronic pain can be one of life’s most devastating and life-altering experiences. In three or more months—the official duration that defines chronic pain—your new life can seem so far removed from what you would have considered normal, even just half a year ago. Now living with chronic pain, it would seem like your entire life only revolves around hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and medicines. Dreams, hobbies, joys, and for some, even their work, can seem like such a distant memory, one from a healthy lifetime ago. Whether it’s from a severe spinal cord injury, genetic arthritis, or unknown cause, chronic pain can throw even the most resilient people for a loop.

How then, do you deal with the pain and get your life back? Here are nine tips that can help you manage chronic pain.

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Causes of Fatigue: 6 Conditions You Need to Know

Causes of Fatigue: 6 Conditions You Need To Know

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Do you always feel tired? Do you often have difficulty getting through the day because of lack of energy? Sometimes, being tired is expected and normal (such as after an all-nighter, a bout of the flu, or a busy non-stop week). However, if you find yourself always feeling fatigued and worn out despite adequate rest, to the point your tiredness negatively affects your quality of life, it’s time to do something about it.

In this article, I will discuss six causes of fatigue and daytime sleepiness that—while common and treatable—often goes undiagnosed. In another article, I discuss practical ways in which you can fight fatigue and improve your energy level. 

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obstructive sleep apnea risk snoring

Snoring & Tired? You Might Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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Do you often feel sleepy during the day? Do you feel exhausted in the mornings, despite the amount of sleep you get? Have you been told that you snore?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may be at risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obstructive sleep apnea is a dangerous condition that can ruin your health and quality of life when unaddressed. But fortunately, it is easily diagnosed and treatable.

In this article, I will discuss exactly what obstructive sleep apnea is, how you can know whether you are at risk, and what you can do about it.

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relaxation technique you need to try

5-Minute Relaxation Technique You Need to Try

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Do you ever feel tense during the day or have trouble sleeping at night? If so, you are not alone. For many, relaxation may consist of scrolling endlessly on your phone through social media. But this does little to reduce the damaging health effects of chronic stress and can actually harm the quality of your sleep. On the other hand, relaxation exercises are designed to help your body let go of tension, clear your mind, and cause you to fall asleep faster while experiencing deeper and better quality sleep. This article will provide an overview of one of the most effective relaxation techniques: Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

Don’t really feel like reading? Then simply sit back and play this 10-minute video, in which Dr. Chi gives a brief overview of the physiologic stress response before guiding you through a soothing session of relaxation.

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exercises for lower back pain relief

Simple Exercises for Lower Back Pain

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Low back pain. If you’ve ever experienced it, you know how debilitating it can be. In this article, I will present several simple exercises for lower back pain relief that will strengthen your core muscles and help you prevent future injury. For a more in-depth discussion on back pain, please refer to “Lower Back Pain: An Essential Guide.”

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managing stress

Effects of Stress on Your Body & Health: What to Know

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Do you often feel stressed out? Do you have things in your life that frequently cause you stress? Has the COVID-19 pandemic caused you to just feel burned out? If you do, you are truly not alone. In this article, I will discuss the effects of stress on your body and your health—both the immediate effects and the long term damage—and then introduce the most fundamental aspect of stress management: identifying causes of stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms.

In separate articles, I discuss stress management techniques that have been proven to work in both lowering stress and decreasing the harmful effects of it on your health.

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