Category Archives: FAQ

FAQ, Healthcare

Pain Relief For Tight Muscles

 

Many people feel discomfort from chronically tight muscles in their lower back and/or their neck and upper back. It is not normal for muscles to continuously be tight. This article will discuss why muscles undergo a state of tightness and how relief of this type of muscle pain can be achieved.

 

As a practicing chiropractor of over 35 years I’ve heard many patients describe neck, upper back or low back pain in terms of having constant tightness, tension, stiffness or spasm in their muscles. Let’s discuss muscular function in terms of what is normal and abnormal.

 

We all know that muscles attach to bones. When muscles contract, they move our bones through a certain range of motion. We also know that when we overuse our muscles, they can become sore and go into some degree of spasm. The spasm might be mild, or it could be severe.

Usually, this type of tightness of the muscles, eases over the course of several days as the body heals itself. I tell patients that if their muscles are sore and tight after overuse, it will probably diminish and resolve in 24-72 hours. This is normal healing of muscles.

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FAQ, Healthcare

How Your Health Is Affected During the Three Ages of Old Age

Overview

With the development of medical technology and the adoption of healthier lifestyles, the average life span of human beings is increasing, which means that the number of elderly people as a percentage of the total population is also increasing.

 

An aging society is a society in which more than 7% of the population is aged 65 or older.

An aged society is one in which more than 14% of the peoples are over 65, and

In a super-aging society more than 20% or the population are elderly.

Our world is aging quickly

It took approximately 110 years for the number of people over the age of 65 years in France to increase from 7% to 14% of the total population. The same process took approximately 80 years in Sweden, about 50 years in the United Kingdom, and 20 years or so in Brazil and Korea.

 

So what does this imply for those of us who are already over 65 years of age?

 

As aging progresses, the body and mind weakens and diseases accumulate. Chronic illnesses, muscular weakness, and deterioration of the mind are more common in older people.

 

Unsurprisingly, the elderly account for a greater portion of the total medical expenditure of whatever society they are living in.

 

In 2015, for example, the percentage of people aged 65 or older in South Korea was 13.2% but their medical expenses accounted for a disproportionate 36.5% of that country’s total expenditure on healthcare.

 

Thus you should pressurise your government to ensure that healthcare systems are tailored to the needs of the elderly.

 

Studies in Europe and North American suggest that elderly people suffer from four to five diseases on average, much more than the young who are usually fairly disease-free.

 

Older people suffer medical events, such as heart attacks, strokes and cancers, more often because their lungs, and cardiovascular and digestive systems degenerate along with their immune systems.

 

Poor diets also contribute to this loss of good health among the elderly. Thus, you should make sure you eat nutritious food to preserve your health as you get older.

 

The classification of old ages

 

Until recently, most studies of elderly people has classified people over 65 years into one group.

 

As people live longer, scientists discovered that diseases vary according to how long people survive after 65. As a result researchers now divide old age into three distinct periods:

 

65 to 74 years… youngest-old

75 to 84 years… middle-old

over 85 years… oldest-old

So what are the differences in terms of health and wellbeing between the three age groups?

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Osteoporosis

 

Osteoporosis is a disease in which your bones become brittle and weak. They tend to break if you have a fall or bad bump. The most common fractures due to osteoporosis are those of the hip, back and wrist.

 

Osteoporosis is more likely to develop as you age. This can be seen in the increased rate of hospital admissions for orthopaedic surgery among the elderly.

 

Tests carried out by researchers in Australia found age-related osteoporosis in 20% of patients aged in their 50s, 46% of those in their 60s, 59% of patients in their 70s, and 69% of patients aged over 80 years. If you are in the oldest-old group, you are very likely to have osteoporosis.

 

Thus, once you are over 65 years, you should be tested for osteoporosis regularly. There are plenty of treatments you can follow to prevent your osteoporosis getting worse.

 

Falling

 

Falling among the elderly is quite common. One of the main causes of falling is syncope, ie fainting or passing out due to a temporary drop in the amount of blood flowing to your brain.

 

You can experience syncope if you have an irregular heartbeat, reduced blood flow to the heart, abnormally low blood sugar levels, are using blood pressure medications or other underlying diseases.

 

Falls can also be caused by failing vision, drunkenness and sleeping pills, as well as paralysis caused by stroke or neuromuscular disease (which affects the muscles and the nerves that control them).

 

Sudden falls can have severe consequences, especially if you bang your head or fall on your wrist.

 

Once you are over 65, you should adjust your living spaces so that slips and falls are less likely and have less severe consequences should they do occur.

 

In addition, you should wear an emergency call button, especially if you live alone, linked to a monitoring service who can alert your key holder or the emergency services.

 

Lung function

 

With age, lung function decreases as the elasticity of the lungs and the tendency of the chest to return to its relaxed position decreases. This causes the respiratory muscles to stiffen.

 

This explains why respiratory diseases are more likely to occur in elderly patients. Indeed, hospital admissions for respiratory problems make up the largest proportion of admissions for internal diseases.

 

It’s obvious that elderly patients should be provided with respiratory equipment and training in lung exercises to increase lung capacity and improve breathing.

 

To strengthen your lung muscles, you should obtain a breathing device, as used by athletes and musicians, which resists your breathing and develops the four muscles of your lungs. Use it every day and after a few weeks you’ll discover that your breathing will be much improved.

 

You should also give up smoking.

Hospital admissions

 

There are absolute differences in hospital admissions between the three groups of elderly.

 

Together, all three groups account for the largest number of hospitalizations due to internal diseases, but about two-thirds of these are old-old patients.

 

This is because as you get older your immune system degenerates and you become more susceptible to infectious diseases, cancers, and autoimmune diseases.

 

Thus, hospitals and hospital admission systems need to be tailored to the needs of the elderly who are the most frequent users of these services.

 

Use of ambulances

 

Elderly patients use emergency ambulances more often than younger patients.

 

Studies indicate that in most developed countries more than one-third of elderly patients, and about half of patients older than 85 years, use ambulances to get to an emergency department (ED).

 

By contrast, emergency ambulances are only used for less than 30% of children going to EDs.

 

Thus, ambulances need to be equipped so that they fit the needs of elderly patients.

 

Length of stay (LOS) in EDs

 

0ne recent study found that elderly patients remain in the ED approximately 20% longer than younger patients with the same complaint.

 

Several other studies show that LOS in the ED increases with increased age. This may be because elderly patients in the ED are at high risk for associated diseases. They also may need more diagnostic testing and emergency treatments, as well as time-consuming consultations with various departments.

 

Other studies report that increased LOS among elderly patients is mostly due to wait times for admission to hospital.

 

Governments need to develop an effective policy for managing ED over-crowding and LOS.

 

Time in ICU

 

Another study reveals that there are no differences in the rate of admission to ICUs between the three groups of elderly, but there is a difference in the length of their stay in ICUs between the youngest-old and oldest-old.

 

This might be because youngest-old patients respond better to treatment than patients who are oldest-old.

 

Women

 

With increased age, the proportion of female patients increases. This is probably due to the fact that women live longer than men.

 

The rate of ED visits for female patients increases with age.

 

Several studies have shown that women in Europe represent 51% of patients aged 70 to 79 years and 61.68% of those over 80 years of age in EDs. In a study in South Korea, women accounted for 55.4% of all elderly patients, ie 51.5% of the youngest-old, 54.9% of the middle-old, and 69.1% of the oldest-old.

 

Therefore, both government health policies and hospital managers should consider expanding the number of female wards and specialized medical services for women.

 

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The takeaway

 

Eat nutritious food to preserve your health as you get older.

Get tested regularly for osteoporosis and, if you have it, follow whatever treatments your doctor prescribes to stop it getting worse

Adjust your living spaces so that slips and falls are less likely and have less severe consequences should they occur.

Wear an emergency “panic” button linked to a monitoring service that will alert your keyholders or the emergency services in case you fall or have an accident.

Exercise your lungs every day with a Powerlung or other similar device to preserve lung function.

Form a pressure group with you older neighbours to encourage your political representatives, TDs, MPs, Senators etc to ensure your government acts:

to tailor its healthcare systems to the needs of the elderly who use these services much more than other age groups.

to equip ambulances so that the fit the needs of elderly patients.

to develop an effective policy for managing overcrowding and lengths of stay in emergency departments.

to consider, along with hospital managers, expanding the number of female wards and specialized medical services for elderly women.

 

Remember… nothing will happen unless you shout loud and vote during elections

Paul Kennedy is a 74 year’s old retiree who still enjoys playing hard. He has started writing a blog with the tag line Retirement is for enjoyment. Check out [https://paul-kennedy.com/posts/]. The purpose of this blog and website is to be a credible and useful resource for retirees. You can contact Paul at paul@paul-kennedy.com where you can let him know what subjects you’d like him to tackle.

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Paul_D_Kennedy/226416

 

 

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10432969

 

 

 

 

Business Development, FAQ

Assessing the Dignity of Work

A lofty phrase that has been around for awhile, but has gained newly found prominence in recent years is the term “dignity of work”. It is uttered across the political spectrum, because it is widely thought to have universal respect and acceptance.

Who could possibly argue with a concept which conveys cherishment of commitment, skill development, and above all personal responsibility to provide for oneself and their family?

Dignity of work harkens not only to a pride of traditional labor honestly performed, but can also inspire and motivate all working-aged adults to do their part for the economy and community.

 

Dignity of work is seen as a sublime end in itself. We were raised to accept a lifetime of work. Work is contributing. Work is doing your duty. Work is good and more selfless work is better.

Achievement of a profound sense of satisfaction that comes from a doing job well is the ultimate reward for our labors we are told.

The grateful pat on the back from a coworker, the smile and nod from the boss, the eloquent testimonial from a delighted customer represent just some of the energizing commendations that make work invaluable.

 

So why then is work not felt so favorable or worthwhile for so many? We don’t have to look far to see people unhappy with their work.

Dignity of work is elusive for more workers than it should be. An HBR survey in 2019 of 500+ workers found the vast majority (90%) expected to find joy in their work, but given time on the job only 37% actually experienced joy.

A few years ago Gallup reported only 30% of workers engaged with their jobs. Forbes cited a survey of 411 workers, 19% of whom were satisfied with their jobs. I could go on.

 

Dignity is not inherent in work. Labor cannot be dignified unless some basic conditions are met. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops advocates for fundamental worker rights as a prerequisite for work dignity such as availability of productive work, fair and sufficient compensation, and a permission structure allowing for organizing and unionization among other rights.

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio calls for enhancements of wages and benefits, healthcare costs, and retirement programs as a way of assuring dignity.

Ezra Klein in the New York Times points to elimination of harmful and oppressive workplaces and for management to encourage workers to remain healthy and have leisure and family time.

 

I would add removal of tyrannical management, toxic coworkers, and workplace cultures that devalue portions of the workforce. However, beyond stating what is not wanted to engender dignity in work, let us focus on practices likely to lead to dignity.

Workers by and large want the chance to be self-motivated. There are three key situations which encourage this. As pointed out by Daniel Pink in his book Drive, fostering an environment where workers are urged to develop mastery of their profession, exercise autonomy in decision making, and define personal and professional purpose in what they do matter greatly.

 

Workers want to be respected and given the freedom to grow. They want to be able to sustain reasonable financial needs by working only one 40-hour per week job. They want an executive management who understand the principal capital in their firms are their employees, who need to know they are valued.

They want the support of customers who intentionally direct their dollars toward businesses who treat their employees with dignity. (It begs the question, is a business model that requires employees working for only $7.25 per hour worthy of staying in business in this day and age?)

 

Dignity of work should continue to be a universal value, but let’s not cling to some notion it arises spontaneously, especially under adverse conditions. It does not. Dignity may be felt individually, but it takes a community to see it is broadly shared.

 

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Bill_Ryan/317681

 

 

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10424984

FAQ, Healthcare

Hepatitis B and Everything You Need to Know About This Vaccine-Preventable Disease

Introduction

 

Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HPV). There are two other types of hepatitis viruses: hepatitis A and hepatitis C. Hepatitis can cause liver inflammation. Hepatitis B is a curable disease that can be prevented with a vaccine. It can affect a person either for a few weeks, causing less damage or chronic infection, lifelong sickness.

The seriousness of the contagion is defined by the spread of the virus in the liver. If the infection is widespread in the liver, it then causes chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. WHO estimated that the African region is the highest infected area of hepatitis, with 6.2% of the population infected.

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FAQ, Healthcare

Tips For A Safe And Successful Healthcare Strength Training Program

Strength or resistance training challenges your muscles with a stronger-than-usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell, or pulling on a resistance band.

Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger especially if the purpose is about healthcare training.

This kind of exercise for healthcare trainers and students increases muscle mass, tones muscles, and strengthens bones. It also helps you maintain the strength you need for everyday activities – lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, or rushing for the bus.

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