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Some say "no pain, no gain." I say: if it hurts, you're probably not doing it right. If you're exercising and it hurts, that can mean serious trouble. If you're experiencing emotional pain in you're life, that can also mean serious trouble. You may know some of these common effects of stress building up in your body and in your life:
These are good to know. They are some of the more apparent results of a stressed out life. But here are some you may not associate with stress:
Now, am I saying that just about everything is caused by stress? Nope. But living a high stress life with little outlet and ability to positively deal with stressful situations sets us up for failure. Our health is compromised, our relationships are strained and our general outlook on life is worse. Many of the above symptoms can be caused by a variety of factors, whether or not stress is present, so be sure to get a full check up and discuss any lab work that would be helpful for you and your doctor to best understand your health issues. A lot can be learned from simple blood tests and saliva tests (yep, pretty much just spitting in a test tube)- it's important to not overlook any potentially serious medical condition when working on balancing your physical and emotional health. I am here to answer any questions you have about this topic- you can comment on this article or email me directly. To your good health,  More articles on stress and you:
Stress: what is it good for? From overwhelmed to overjoyed Stress vs. Well-Being: how do you measure up?
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Ninety percent (90%!) of cancers have preventable causes. Here's a quick "What are my chances of getting cancer" quiz. Count up your points for these health factors. Do you: Exercise? Yes= 0 Sometimes=1 Never=2 Smoke? No=0 Used to=1 Yes=2 Drink alcohol? No=0 More than 2 a day=2 Get checked for STIs? Yes I have=0 No or "What is that?" =1 Eat fast food? No=0 Occasionally=1 Daily=2 Have exposure to any of these known carcinogens (means cancer-causers). One point for each: radiation exposure (occupational or many, many X-rays), polluted water, chemical or industrial toxin exposure (such as from your occupation or living nearby a chemical plant) and a history of bad (blistering) sunburns. Now, if you didn't notice the pattern above, this is not the SATs. More points is not better- it's worse off for your cancer risk. And since 95-98% of all cancers are not genetic (inherited and perhaps inevitable), then that means there's ample time and resources for cancer prevention. Take a look at this engaging infographic from Rock Your Cause and see your nearest preventive medicine doc and cultivate your health for now and decades to come. Contact me for more, or feel free to email me day or night at [email protected]. Be healthy, well and happy. And remember, "prevention is the best cure."   A 15-year old high school student's science fair project got the ball rolling. Alexa Dantzler wondered what chemicals remained in clothing after dry cleaning. She called around and got a willing chemistry department from Georgetown on board. They tested cotton, wool, polyester and silk from one to six cleanings. Their results were published in Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, and can be found here. So what did they find? As can be expected, there were elevated levels of known dry cleaning solvents left on the fabric tested. One of the more concerning is perchloroethylene, also known as PCE or perc. This chemical is associated with cancer and neurological damage, though no toxicity has been proven by (or for) the FDA, so it is not highly regulated (OSHA regulates amounts found in the air of related businesses such as dry cleaners, but no regulations for consumers). Where was the PCE found in highest concentrations? In the wool fabrics, increasing after each subsequent dry cleaning. Other fabrics such as cotton and polyester leveled off in terms of their PCE after a few washes. And silk did not appear to take any PCE home with it. How about "Green Cleaners?" Well, some use hydrocarbons instead of PCE. Hydrocarbons are petroleum based, like a relative to kerosene and gasoline. For this research two "green cleaners" were tested, both negative for PCE, one with and one without hydrocarbons. What was the last one using, if not PCE and not hydrocarbons? This industry really isn't regulated near enough for a consumer to understand all the chemicals being used and their potential health implications.
Some conclusions and suggestions implied from this research is that wool adheres the most chemicals and silk the least, amounts of washing has a cumulative effect on chemical exposure and that green cleaners may be better options but this is unknown. As an aside to their research, dry cleaned wool left in a car was found to release a lot of its chemicals into the air- so avoid leaving dry cleaned garments in a closed air space for long. Any additional information you may have on this topic is greatly appreciated. I personally rarely make use of dry cleaning services, and am inherently skeptical of how "green" the "green ones" are- so let me know if you are knowledgeable on this subject. Thank you for reading. Cell phones: do they cause, hasten or otherwise affect one's development of cancer or not? This question seems to have been batted back and forth for a few years now. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently analyzed current research on the topic, and has declared their own opinion on the matter (CNN article here). Their stance is that cell phones should be defined as a carcinogen- a substance that promotes the development of cancer, but not a direct cause of cancer. The WHO compares cell phone use's damage on par with health effects from "lead, engine exhaust and chloroform." While not making the direct link between cell phone use and incidence of cancer, the types of cancer which have been shown to increase with use are two types of brain cancer: glioma and acoustic neuroma. Comparing the radiation given off by cell phones to a "very low powered microwave," the research author neurologist Dr. Keith Black makes this statement pertaining to how this may affect children: "Children's skulls and scalps are thinner. So the radiation can penetrate deeper into the brain of children and young adults. Their cells are at a dividing faster rate, so the impact of radiation can be much larger." So, cell phones aren't going anywhere as they're now an inextricable part of society. What's a person to do? Well, cell phone manufacturers suggest holding the phone away from the body while it's transmitting (such as during calls, texting, using the internet, etc.), and with Oregon law requiring drivers to use head sets and other away-from-the-head technology I think I'll start following their recommendations and hopefully reduce my chance of brain cancer at the same time!
Thanks for reading, responses are always welcome! -Angela |
I'm Dr. Eloise Cortal, and I want to help you and your joints feel their very best.
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