Health Affixed

Health Is Limitless

Food v. Medicine

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Food is medicine. In the wake of the opioid crisis, it makes you wonder whether medicine and the dosage prescribed may cause more long term harm than good.

Some people believe that a certain diet is all you need to achieve and maintain vital health. Others believe that a good diet in conjunction with other items will help to achieve and maintain vital health. The other items can include over the counter medicine, prescribed medicine, and supplements.

According to WebMD, medication can cause many common side effects. These common side effects include the development of allergies; severe medicinal interactions due to other medications or herbal supplements; and serious symptoms caused by medicine-food interactions.

According to Consumer Reports, supplement manufacturers are often permitted to sell their products before demonstrating that the products are safe and effective. In addition, suppliers of herbs, vitamins, and other “raw ingredients” are generally excluded from FDA rules that ensure manufacturing quality. In fact, some supplements should be used with high caution because they tend to contain steroids or prescription drugs. The supplements for weight loss, sexual enhancement, and bodybuilding generally fall into the high caution category.

According to Addiction Center, over the counter drugs or pain relievers may lead to addiction or the use of more complex drugs later. The most commonly abused over the counter medicine include cough medicine, cold medicines, motion sickness pills, and pain relievers. These over the counter drugs are generally safe when used as stated on the label. However, abusing over the counter drugs can cause health issues such as memory loss, kidney failure, heart problems, and sometimes death.

One should be careful with supplements, over the counter medicines, and prescription drugs. Severe side effects and possible abuse are concerns that should not be ignored.

Lawyers’ Health

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Most professionals are inundated with various tasks, and they struggle to keep a good work life balance. A while ago, the Florida Bar published an article about lawyers’ well-being. In that article, it stated that lawyers’ suicide rate is double that of the general population, 18% of lawyers are alcoholics which is double the national average, 33% of lawyers are diagnosed with a mental disorder, lawyers are 3.6 times more likely to suffer severe depression, and 7 of 10 lawyers would change careers.

All professionals may not have the same statistics above, but most share the same issues that impact their livelihood and career. Help is available to those in need. For more information, go to ABA for more information.

Sun Benefits

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We all know that too much sun exposure may increase the risk of skin cancer. In fact, according Green Science, the ultraviolet radiation energy from the sun is so dangerous to our health that the World Health Organization declared it a carcinogen.

However, there is some benefit to sun exposure. That benefit is Vitamin D. To gain this benefit from the sun, individuals should spend time in the sun without sunblock. According to Green Science, most sources state that light-skinned individuals should try to get 10-15 minutes of sun at least three times per week. While darker-skinned individuals could need an hour or more to gain the same amount of Vitamin D due to the presence of melanin which protects against the UV radiation.

Feelings: Food Satisfaction Level

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Oh the joys of eating! On too many occasions to remember, I have gone way beyond my satisfaction threshold and sometimes even to the point of pain. I’d like to tell myself that the food was just that good, but, in hindsight, I may have just been greedy . . . and the food was just that good! If you are a person with impulses who has been fortunate to experience the joy that is Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, then you may be able to empathize with me. More importantly, you may understand the “THA Levels of Fullness” below.

THA Levels of Fullness:

Ok/Good: you’re not hungry or full; you may have eaten something light - a snack or food item that satisfied a craving; you could do vigorous exercises and be fine.

Satisfied: you were hungry and you ate just enough to leave you completely satisfied; all signs of hunger are gone and there is no pain or discomfort in your stomach; you are 100% comfortable and able to complete sedentary tasks, but if you attempted to do vigorous exercising, your body would remind you that you recently ate.

Stuffed: you reached the point of satisfaction, but you didn’t care and you continued to eat. You ate until your stomach felt like a balloon. You definitely feel the fullness. While vigorous activity is out of the question, you could still go for a light walk and be ok.

Beyond Stuffed: you felt like a balloon, so you took a break from the food. It was a short break - just long enough to get a burp out and make more room. Once the burp was out, you picked up right where you left off until you felt the fullness again, but this time you feel some discomfort and just thinking of going for a walk down the street frightens you.

Immobility: you messed up and drank liquid or forced another two bites after the “Beyond Stuffed” threshold. It is a wrap. Your stomach hurts with every movement even the slight ones. Sitting up is definitely not an option. The only suitable position is lying on your back and praying that some of the food digests so that you can at least stand up without feeling pain. At this point, you are cursing yourself and saying that you will NEVER allow this to happen again.

In a perfect world, when hungry, the goal is to never go beyond Satisfied. In the real world, you may get to Immobility a few or more times in your lifetime. The journey to health is not straightforward; instead it is often filled with unexpected twists and turns. Enjoy the journey and try to learn from the mishaps.

Color Power

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Color has an effect on our subconscious. According to Color Psychology, red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination, passion, desire, and love. The use of red enhances human metabolism, increases heart rate, and raises blood pressure. On the other hand, white is associated with light, goodness, innocence, and purity. The use of white signifies safety, purity, and cleanliness.

All colors seem to have some effect on our subconscious and that effect should be considered when selecting a color scheme for a room or outfit. Did you know that red attracts the most attention, orange is associated with joy, babies cry more in yellow rooms, green has great healing power, purple conveys wealth, white can represent a successful beginning, and black is considered a prestigious color?

The right color choice can change your mood and the mood of the people around you. So, choose your colors wisely; go ahead and upgrade your closet with some powerful colors or upgrade the paint in that dull room!