Category Archives: Health & Beauty

Spine health: Give your spine some love

Posted in Fitness, Health & Beauty by

By Emily McLaughlin

lululemon athletica's flickr.

lululemon athletica’s flickr.

The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease. -Thomas Edison

A balanced diet a great first step in towards living a healthy lifestyle. A healthy, nutritious diet paired with regular exercise will likely prevent society’s common diseases and keep our human organs functioning properly. Now, to address the last part of Edison’s health equation: The human frame. A healthy human frame is not only lean, but clear of any distortions. A common site for distortions is the ever so sacred spine.

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Healthy hearts: Exercise and nutrition are the best medicine

Posted in Health & Beauty by

By Emily McLaughlin

When it comes to disease prevention, living a healthy lifestyle is (by far!) the best medicine. February is American Heart Month, a month the American Heart Association dedicates to promoting healthy hearts. Of course the AHA does a lot more than encourage healthy hearts one month out of the year. The organization does it’s best to teach communities about the importance of nutrition and exercise in the prevention of heart disease.

What is heart disease?

Heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, is a term used to describe several problems related to plaque buildup in the walls of the arteries. As the plaque builds up, the arteries narrow, making it more difficult for blood to flow and creating a risk for heart attack or stroke.

 

Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the United States, but don’t let the numbers scare you. Heart-related diseases are some of the most preventable diseases.

What can you do? 

  • Eat healthy, wholesome, nutritious and natural foods. Limit your intake of fried and processed foods.
  • Be active. The AHA explains, the benefits of physical activity are solidly proven and well documented. Try to incorporate 30-minutes of cardio per day — enough to raise your heart rate.

    My Mount Ida Zumba class on Wednesday showed their support for healthy hearts by wearing pink/red!

    My Mount Ida Zumba class on Wednesday showed their support for healthy hearts by wearing pink/red!

  • Maintain a healthy weight with the help of the two tips above.
  • Manage your stress in a healthy way. Whether you’re facing crisis or simply managing the challenges of fast-paced living, find a way to keep stress at bay and blood pressure at a healthy level. Exercise, yoga and mediation are all great means.
  • Put down the cigarette. You know why.
  • Consume alcohol in moderation. That night out here and there and a glass of wine at dinner isn’t going to hurt.

Spread the word about healthy hearts by sharing this post with your friends and family!

Stay healthy, keep your heart happy. <3

Stay young: 5 Health and beauty tricks

Posted in Health & Beauty by

By Emily McLaughlin

Some of you might already be thinking, “You are young! Why the heck are you worrying about aging?” Well, if we don’t start thinking about these things now, we are going to regret it in our 40s.

In college, I didn’t really get into a solid ‘beauty’ routine. I was moving quite frequently, making weekend trips home, and working a lot, so a lot of those “good, healthy habits” fell by the wayside week-to-week. But, it’s not too late! There are a few things, that I am trying to get better about now since I know they will make a difference in the future… here’s my list:

1. Nutrition health: Take those vitamins

I might beat this topic to death, but taking at least a multivitamin every day will keep you healthy and your energy up. People seem to be a little turned off by vitamins (guilty) because we associate them with a big, gross smelling pill. But, science has solved that one for us — GUMMY VITAMINS! My roommates are used to me shoving gummy vitamins in their mouths quite often… and they love them! (I hope.)

Another downside of vitamins is the price. Buy them in bulk when they are on sale. Many stores do B1G1 vitamin sales a couple times during the year and there are ALWAYS coupons for them out there. Bite the bullet and spend the money, it’s for your health.

2. Skin health: Moisturize with SPF

Oh my gosh, just do it! Go to Target or Walmart and buy hand lotion for your purse/car, a large bottle for your bedside, another one to put in the bathroom, then a moisturizing face cream to use daily. Eventually, you will develop some kind of routine and you won’t be able to go a day without silkening that skin of yours.

Putting lotion and chapstick on my nightstand was probably one of the better ideas I had. When I get into bed, it’s right there to apply to my feet, hands and anything else feeling dry.

Applying lotion is important all-year long, especially the winter when it is dry and in the summer when you are spending a lot of time outside. Buy something with SPF, no matter the time of year and get used to using it.

3. Exercise (obviously)

Let’s get into some specifics here. According to Prevention, adding weightlifting and yoga to your routine will keep you feeling young while prolonging the aging process.

“Taking your work angst out on the bike or treadmill might make you feel better for a little while, but incorporating yoga into your fitness routine regularly may help you look younger and prevent breakouts while whittling away stress.“

It makes sense, right? Aggressively exercising during times of stress might feel amazing and offer up some mental clarity, but it can’t be that great for your body. Confession: My favorite outlet when stressed is high-intensity cardio. Even better? Cardio kickboxing. However, I also must admit that yoga offers a stress relief like no other. Stress ages you… prevent it.

As for weight-lifting, building muscle tone will help prevent sagging skin. Compare it to collagen injections — building muscle will lift and firm in a more natural way.

4. Vitamin D: Drink milk

Something I don’t do, admittedly, is drink milk. I don’t like to drink it — I’ve never liked to drink it. There are times (maybe 3x a year) when I am craving a ice-cold glass of milk, accompanied by a cookie or twelve. Actually, now I don’t know if I’m craving the milk or if it’s the cookies.

Vitamin D, found in milk, is essential for building strong teeth and bones which will keep your body strong as you age… just like your momma told ya. Lucky for me, milk isn’t the only great source of vitamin D. There are a number of other foods to incorporate into your diet to ensure that you are getting enough. Try:

  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Egg
  • Some yogurts/ice creams (check the label)

5. Boost energy: Sleep, eat energizing foods and get your B-vitamins

Do your body some good by resting when you need it. In addition to getting enough sleep, eat energizing foods during the day to keep you going and giving you the fuel to do all the things above.

As for beverages, revitalize your body with H2O, tea and coconut water. Choose foods high in protein and things fortified with B vitamins, i.e. seafood, eggs and cereals or soy products fortified with B12.

—

There is your list of things-you-wish-you-did-but-are-too-busy-for. I’m trying the best to make these things impulsive and second-nature.

*Other tips to stay young and slow aging…

  • Quit smoking now while you’re young. It will not only be easier, but the damage will be less worse.
  • Save your liver and drink less… soon.
  • I heard a rumor that chewing gum gives you wrinkles around your mouth… I’m not about to stop, but if you prefer mints… good for you!

Stay healthy, stay happy, stay young.

A little vitamin advice from Sheldon Cooper

Posted in Food & Diet, Health & Beauty by

By Lauren Duffy

Take a second to watch this Big Bang Theory clip of Sheldon Cooper at his finest. Note what he says about Vitamins! (Start at 0:18.)

I absolutely love the Big Bang Theory. Love love love it. Partly because it’s a clever show with witty humor, but mostly because the lead science geek, Sheldon Cooper (the guy in this clip), is the spitting image of how my 14-year-old brother will be some day. They have the same brown hair, tall and skinny figure, small lisp, graphic tee shirts, brains, and tendency to interject little silly facts. They are identical… it’s kind of creepy… but hilarious nonetheless. 

So the other night as I was watching an episode and comparing my brother to Sheldon, I noticed what he said in this clip about vitamins and it got me thinking… is he right?

Vitamins are tricky: taking too many is bad and not taking enough is bad, so you have to take just the right amount to keep your vitamins and minerals well-balanced. But how to you know how to take the right amount? And, is buying too many vitamins really just investing in “very expensive urine?”

First and foremost, after doing some research I’ve found that the best way to keep yourself healthy and your body functioning well is to take a daily multivitamin. Taking vitamins can prevent illnesses, give you good nutrients, keep up cell efficiency and function, and avoid negative effects of vitamin deficiency.

The keyword here is multivitamin. Multivitamins have a bunch of different vitamins and minerals inside, as opposed to vitamins that just have an overload of one vitamin inside which are often referred to as “megadose vitamins”. You should try to find a multivitamin at your local pharmacy or food store that you like and stick with that on a daily basis. I highly recommend taking daily vitamins in “gummy” form; if you haven’t tried a gummy multivitamin yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re so freakin’ good! But the adult ones aren’t shaped like Flintstones or Dinosaurs… so that kind of sucks. However if you take a bunch of different megadose vitamins, that’s when you can run into trouble.

When choosing what daily multivitamin you’re going to purchase, look for one that says on the label that it gives you the daily recommended dose of the vitamins. My research has shown me that these specific multivitamins won’t “overdose” you, while other vitamins can. If you “overdose” a certain vitamin through megadoses, you can face some negative side effects. For example, too much zinc or Vitamin C can cause an upset stomach and cramping.

Some megadoses do exactly what Sheldon Cooper says they do in this clip: they just make you have very expensive urine. When your body can’t absorb some of the nutrients because there’s an excess, it flushes out the waste through your urine. So buying these megadoses is not the best way to go. I mean.. why would you ever want to waste money on pee…? But sometimes your body cannot flush out the excess nutrients through urine, and like I said, that’s when the negative trouble begins.

Keep in mind that these are just my amateur guidelines to help keep you healthy and happy without wasting money, but some of you may fall under a different category. Sometimes our bodies can be deficient in certain vitamins, so our doctors will tell us to take certain megadoses to make up for that. Or, if you’re getting sick, doctors may tell you to load up on the Vitamin C. So megadoses aren’t necessarily “bad”, they’re just not  always the best way to get your daily vitamins. 

So if you’ve always been a believer in megadoses, you may want to reconsider for the sake of your bank account. (Multivitamins aren’t too expensive.) Or if you’ve never taken a multivitamin before– now is the time to start! They will keep your body healthy, and in turn make your body happy. :)

Scary Doctor Phone Calls… Should You Panic?!

Posted in Health & Beauty, Motivation & Happiness by

By Lauren Duffy

Around three weeks ago, I got a voicemail from a nurse from one of my doctor’s offices that told me to call the office back to discuss something urgent. Scared but calm, I called the office back immediately.

The nurse began the conversation by saying “I don’t want you to panic too much.. yet.. but…” that’s when I started panicking. She continued with a bunch of big words and medical stuff that I didn’t really understand, but what I did understand was “you have an early stage of cancer.”

I was shaking, but I kept my cool and stayed calm on the phone. But on the inside: “Um… what? Wait… WHAAAAT?!? Am I going to die?! I’m too young to die! How did this happen? What the heck is going on?!” My mind was racing and I was assuming the worst, and I think the nurse could tell. She kept saying that she knew it was scary and that she knew that I must be overwhelmed. (Uh.. yeah… DUH!) Her calm but somber tone was the most alarming part.. I felt like she was telling me that I had six months to live.

I set an appointment at the hospital for a procedure to be done almost two weeks after I got the phone call. The nurse warned me that “this will be incredibly painful and we cannot put you out or give you any kind of numbing.” (Oh.. grrrrreat!) If she thought she was being comforting by giving me the heads up, she could not have been more wrong.

So those two weeks leading up to the procedure were naturally the most stressful weeks I had experienced in a long time. My parents and friends kept reminding me that staying positive and refraining from panicking was key, but the word “cancer” was too scary to ignore. I tossed and turned each night, I distracted myself with schoolwork and random tasks, and I tried to remember a friend’s words: “early is good.” Nothing worked. Internally, I was freaking out. 

On the day of the procedure I was a complete mess. I was shaking and sweating like crazy, and all I could think of was the pain that was ahead of me. The procedure lasted about a half an hour and it was simply awful. It hurt more than I was prepared for and the doctor was incredibly rude. Not fun. But it was over.. it was all over. I just had to wait anxiously for the results. But when the pain was over, I could finally breathe again, and that felt good. Thank goodness.

Five days later I got the results. I’m not in the clear, but I only need to be checked on every six months– no treatment necessary, and no need to freak out. But the most important thing is… I do not have cancer! YAY! I feel awesome! No more procedures and no more nightmares! I was dancing around the room when I was on the phone with the nurse again, then she said the words “We were never really that concerned, so this is what we expected… We knew it wasn’t cancer”  and I almost dropped the phone.

Hold up wait one second stop in the name of love shut the front door ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! They knew it wasn’t cancer? They knew everything was fine? They made me feel like I was dying! I was literally sick over it all from a loss of sleep and my stomach pains from stress!!! I tortured myself for two weeks and they KNEW it was fine?! Well. This, I have a problem with.

Why in the world was that necessary? What was the point of making me freak out for two weeks? Doctors believe that the more they make something sound urgent, the more serious patients will take it. And honestly, that’s very true. No one is going to ignore something that the doctor makes sound horrible, but is it really worth the stress?

Doctors also feel the need to make things sound exponentially worse because if it is bad, then they are covered because they gave you fair warning and you’re not surprised by the results. They’re protecting themselves from getting sued by angry patients with serious illnesses. It makes sense for liability reasons, but the stress it causes is out of control!

Being stressed about a procedure and its results (or any kind of stress) can cause you to have stomach issues, anxiety, sleep loss, and ultimately sickness. So you can get sick from a doctor telling you that you may be sick, but then you find out from results that you’re not sick, but you got sick anyway over the idea that you may be sick. Think about it…

It’s incredibly annoying, but the doctors have to do it. Ultimately, I’m glad I underwent this nonsense so that I could know the extent of what was going on, but I just wish they did not have to cause me so much anxiety. They did what they had to do, and I have to accept that. But on a positive note, I think I learned how to deal with this kind of situation…

If you ever face this kind of scare, the only advice that I can give you is… don’t panic. I know, I’m totally contradicting myself because clearly I could not stay calm, but seriously, don’t panic. Here’s why:

    • More often than not, a doctor will not tell you any serious news over the phone. They’d much rather sit down with you and explain things. So if they call you and tell you everything over the phone, don’t panic.
    • Any medical expert will tell you that the earlier something is caught, the easier it is to treat. Like my friend said, “early is good.” So if the doctor uses the word “early”, don’t panic.
    • If a doctor calls you and says that they want to schedule an appointment to investigate something further because it’s a serious matter that they are very concerned about, they will schedule you for an appointment immediately. If they give you a week or more before they schedule anything, don’t panic.
    • Doctors nowadays need to investigate everything just in case. They may overdo it sometimes, but it’s for your own health and safety. Today there are more precautionary tests done than serious diagnoses. So keep this in mind, and don’t panic.

If you’re anything like me and you think you’ll panic anyway, just ask your doctor “how concerned about this should I be?” and they should tell you like it is. Or, if a nurse calls you, it’s completely acceptable to ask the office to have your doctor call you so they can explain it a little more. Finally, if you’re going to Google whatever your doctor told you you may or may not be diagnosed with, please use reliable sources. Some websites will make you think you’re going to die a slow and painful death. Obviously, this is far from helpful.

Again, if your doctor calls, it’s okay to be scared, but please don’t panic. Panicking was the worst thing I could have done. I was sick to my stomach and shaken beyond belief. I wish I could have realized this before I stressed myself out so much. In order to maintain your happy and healthy lifestyle, the best thing you can do for yourself in this kind of a stressful situation is remain calm and don’t let it get to you too much. This goes for anything in life: the more relaxed you are, the easier something will be.

Stay healthy, stay happy, stay calm.

Fight off that cold with a little R&R

Posted in Health & Beauty by

By Emily McLaughlin

As you see from my sporadic posting of what the journalism world would call the fluffiest of fluff, I’ve been busy — busy moving, busy working and busy being sick. Let’s look at my first excuse… I MOVED! I am all settled into my new apartment anxiously awaiting the arrival of my two beautiful roommates. Moving has brought my stress levels down to all new lows as work is only 15-20 minutes away (I can even bike or take public transportation if I pleased), I have a kitchen to prepare yummy meals in and a comfortable work space for blogging and working-from-home.

My lovely new work space.

Work has been a little crazy as well. This is a particularly busy time of year for TechTarget as we wrap up this year and plan for the next. I’ve had projects to work on daily (which I love!) and have been spending some time after work doing a little extra research for said projects.

But… The real topic for discussion in this post is fighting off that awful common cold that has been going around. Catering to my health has been my priority the past week or so.  Approximately 12 days ago, I felt symptoms of tiredness and congestion, which I attributed to my lack of sleep on my visit to Amherst (Amherst apple picking post to come). Come Monday, I was still feeling kind of  ’meh’ but I decided to go on my scheduled 3-mile run. After running, I felt great! Well… that was temporary. The rest of the week my condition worsened and I was overcome by rotating symptoms of stuffiness, tiredness, feeling feverish, etc. Awesome, right?

The whole week I did my best to drink lots of water and tea. When Friday rolled around, I was still feeling pretty awful, so my mom took me to the CVS Minute Clinic for a quick diagnosis and possible strep test. Turns out, I was over the cold and experiencing symptoms of post-nasal drip which was leading to my sore throat and congestion. Gross.

The only advice the doctor had was to drink lots of fluids, continue to rest and avoid all exercise. There was no option to sweat this one out.

My advice to you cold-fighters out there? REST, GOSH DARNIT. If you aren’t feeling so hot, do your body some good and lounge around. Drink more water than you ever have before and start exploring all of those tea flavors you have in your cupboard. There is nothing else you can do. When it comes to fighting off the common cold, you may feel like exercise is the only thing that will make you feel better, but it will only prolong your illness. I know you can only watch so many repeat episodes of the Kardashians before you rip your eyes out, but tough it out for a few days.

If you aren’t sick, please avoid getting sick by practicing good hygiene and eating your daily dose of fruits and veggies. Prevent that cold by boosting your body’s natural immunities.

Stay HEALTHY, stay happy. <3

American Cancer Society: Cancer prevention study

Posted in Health & Beauty by

By Eliza Shirazi

Cancer. Ew. No one likes it and everyone shutters at the thought of it.

Working with the American Cancer Society this summer has shown me the ugly and the beauty of this nasty disease. The ugly - watching this monster ruin peoples’ lives. The beauty - watching patients recover and letting their inner hope shine through.

I have been so moved through out my journey with ACS. This organization is 100% here for cancer patients/caregivers and will go out of their way to make sure patients have all the tools they need to FIGHT BACK. It is my job to give patients full support and ensure a smile on their faces before I take my ACS badge off…which has a hideous picture of me on it, may I add.

But, underneath these hopeful smiles is one nasty disease that brought them to the chemo treatment center in the first place. It is likely that everyone has been affected by cancer and that alone should make you get up and get involved… prevention is the first step.

ACS is calling out to people nation wide to participate in the Cancer Prevention Study 3. By joining you are helping researchers find environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors that cause/prevent cancer. There are THREE dates coming up in the Worcester area where YOU can join and very little is involved. If you cannot make these dates, then please check the website for other dates. You must be between the ages of 30-65 and never diagnosed with cancer. Or if you know of businesses, churches, synagogues, gyms, etc. that would be interested in an ACS representative coming to speak very briefly on this study then please contact me at eshirazi@student.umass.edu or call 1.888.604.5888.

 

Read more health articles from SHSH:

Cancer.

Cancer: What you eat and drink

Cancer: What you do

R-I-C-E (Relief for the Incredibly Clumsy Exercisers)

Posted in Fitness, Health & Beauty, Motivation & Happiness by
By Lauren Duffy
I’m beginning to consider living the rest of my life in a bubble… my klutziness is getting out of control. Last night I hobbled into my Zumba class to attempt to teach with a messed up knee when one of my regular class participants laughed and said “Wow… you really get injured a lot, don’t you?” Yep. I, Lauren Duffy, am as klutzy as they come.
When you work in the world of exercise and fitness, injuries are somewhat expected. I have coworkers who have shin splints, stress fractures and pulled muscles from pushing their bodies so much. But I somehow manage to get injured three times as often as they do. While I wish I could blame my injuries on my active lifestyle, they’re all simply a result of my clumsiness. Over the course of the past two years I have busted my hand, arm, face, and now knee by simply walking and falling. #klutzstatus
But through my years of walking into walls, falling up the stairs, and tripping over absolutely nothing, I’ve learned how to self-heal injuries pretty well. These very basic healing methods I have learned can be used by the clumsy people, the active people, and the doomed (the clumsy and active) people with injuries, so I figured I would share some of the simple stuff.
Let me start off by saying: if you are injured, see a doctor! If it’s excruciating pain, go immediately; if not, wait it out a couple of days and see how you feel. When I was younger I walked around with an injured arm for two weeks waiting for it to naturally get better before I finally decided to go to a doctor. It was broken. Oops! So please see a doctor if pain lasts and these methods are not very helpful.
Whether you have an injury from exercising, playing a sport, or doing something clumsy, the best way to treat an injury like a sprain, a pulled muscle, or a shin splint is to use the R-I-C-E method:
R – Rest!
While skipping a workout is not ideal, resting can prevent further injury so you won’t have to miss any more workouts. Also, giving your body a chance to rest can reduce pain and swelling.
I – Ice!
For the first two days after your injury, be sure to ice it! You want to ice for 15 to 20 minutes, then wait two hours and do it again. Be sure to avoid skin damage by wrapping the ice in a thin towel, and stop icing when the skin is numb (even if it hasn’t been the full 15-20 minutes). This will prevent swelling and bruising and can relieve the pain a bit. Some believe that putting heat on a small injury is helpful, but that is a common misconception. Heat should only be used on chronic injuries while ice should be used for minor ones.
C – Compression!
Using compression along with ice on an injury is very helpful if you want to avoid too much swelling. You can either use a bandage wrap or purchase a brace from a pharmacy that is designed to compress the area of the body that you’ve hurt. You just want to make sure that you’re not cutting off your circulation. I’ve found that compression also reminds me that I have an injury so that I don’t forget about it and do something klutzy to hurt it even more.
E – Elevation!
Kick back and relax while you let your body heal! In doing so, try to elevate your injury (above the heart if you can) to reduce swelling and help drain the injury’s fluid.
Using the R-I-C-E methods can help heal your injury, prevent further injury, and help you feel better in general. Remember that Ibuprofen and Aspirin or another similar medicines can help reduce swelling and pain. Be sure not to push yourself too hard so that you can resume normal activity as soon as possible! Good luck and, if applicable, get well soon!

5 tips for those with hypoglycemia

Posted in Food & Diet, Health & Beauty by

By Cassie Brown (Hard Body with Cassie B.)

Cassie Brown

A gift and a curse, hypoglycemia is a condition that is not well understood by those who do not suffer from it–which is why it more often seems like a curse than a gift. Let me tell you though, in a nation where obesity rates are skyrocketing, I’ve learned to view my condition as a blessing.

Why? Hypoglycemia forces you to evaluate your diet, (and no, I don’t say “diet” assuming that you’re on a diet, I say “diet” meaning: your regular eating habits). It forces you to analyze what and how much you eat at one time and how it makes your body feel in the following hours. Controlling the fatigue, weakness, and mood swings you experience with hypoglycemia cannot be done with medications. Ultimately, you have to find the diet that works best for you and feels best for you. You learn as you go along and as your body changes, but to save you some time, here are a few ideas that work for me that I think you should try too:

  1. NEVER skip breakfast. EVER. When you sleep through the night, you are fasting, causing your blood sugar to drop. As soon as you wake up, you need to “break the fast” (see how creative the English language was with that one?!). I always break the fast with a bowl of whole grain cereal because cereal is a perfect source of carbohydrate, which, once it’s ingested, is broken down to glucose (sugar) and then used replenish your blood sugar level. With hypoglycemia, sugar is like your caffeine; you can’t start your day without it.
  2. Eat often. To be honest, a bowl of cereal will never hold me over until lunch, (unless it’s the weekend when I get a later start to my day). 2-3 hours after my bowl of cereal, it’s time for breakfast #2! Personally, I’ve found that eating a “Mini Meal” every 3 hours keeps me most alert, energetic, and most importantly, happy.
  3. Portion control. This is super important for the sake of following suggestion #2. If you eat too much, to the point of feeling full, you’re not going to want to eat within the next 2-4 hours. Because your body works like this: even though your stomach stays full and your body is digesting your last big meal, your blood sugar will already peak and begin to fall. As you eat your “Mini Meals”, others will give you a hard time about not eating enough, but people who don’t have the condition don’t understand that you shouldn’t feel stuffed after you eat because you need to feel hungry within the next few hours to manage your blood sugar level.
  4. Keep snacks on hand. Always have something to nibble on everywhere you go. The one thing I’ve learned about this condition is that your blood sugar will always drop at the most inconvenient times. Why? Because when we’re busy or out of our regular routine we tend to neglect our regular diet. Your body notices when you’re doing things differently and then it responds, forcing you to bring your attention back to it. I always have a tin of nuts in my car and fruit, yogurt, or granola bars in my purse to back me up when I’m in a pinch.

    Hypoglycemia can hit at inconvenient times.

  5. Listen to your body. As you become accustomed to living with hypoglycemia and figure out what and how to eat, you’ll become more in touch with how your body responds to different situations. Pay attention to how your body feels when you’re sick. Vomiting and diarrhea can really throw off your blood sugar, so try to replenish your body immediately. Something else I’ve discovered about my body is that I cannot eat sugary junk foods early in the day, like a doughnut at breakfast, because when my body comes down from that sugar high in the afternoon, I crash hard. So when I want to indulge, I save the sweets for later, and then when I crash, it’s bedtime. You’ll discover these nuances with your body too – it’s all trial and error.

When you’re first diagnosed, you’ll feel like this condition is a real pain in your backside–and that feeling will come back in other moments in your life. In the end though, giving your body the attention and nourishment it deserves – some “TLC”, if you will – every day of your life makes for a healthier body and mind. In a society where carrying around excess fat on your body doesn’t seem to be consequence enough, I hope that you choose happiness and a focused mind over a sub par diet. I leave you now with all the wisdom I have to offer about living with hypoglycemia and wish you all the best in discovering your ideal diet. Good luck!

Get in control… live freely!

Hypoglycemia: A daily struggle

Posted in Food & Diet, Health & Beauty by

By Emily McLaughlin

Hi, I’m Emily and I have hypoglycemia.

The past several months have been a whirlwind of crazy, for me… but things are finally starting to get a little more normal. If you have been around, you probably know exactly what I am talking about. But, for those of you that are just stumbling upon this blog post… let me start at the beginning.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve run into problems with feeling weak, light-headed and sluggish. These feelings would mostly emerge if I hadn’t eaten in a while, or maybe if I ate too much. I also noticed that my fainting spells were associated with my level of activity on a given day.

In the past six months, three dramatic fainting spells led doctors to look into what might be wrong with me. While the tests aren’t over, I have finally received a preliminary diagnosis… hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too low. In a normal, healthy person, glucose levels are regulated by the body throughout the day–regardless of eating habits. For me, and many others, this is not the case.

I had fainted in the past, a few times in my childhood and maybe once or twice in high school, but each incident was far less dramatic than my last three. First, I was in class on a December morning. I had my usual oatmeal breakfast that morning, but was still dealing a little meh after. In class, the room was hot and I was feeling dizzy and… well… I lost consciousness mid-lecture. An ambulance ride and few tests later… no diagnosis. Instead, the doctors just assumed that I had some kind of eating disorder or drank too much the night before–neither were the case. My next fainting spell was while on vacation in Florida, and the next was at my new, grown-up job. #embarrassing

But… I get by with a little help from my friends (sorry, Lauren).

Hypoglycemia is usually caused by something else, and because I am not diabetic… the tests continue. Hypoglycemia in people without diabetes is much less common–but some of the possible causes are:

Mostly of these seem unlikely for me, so for now… I have emergency glucose tablets just in case I start to feel symptoms of hypoglycemia.  Also, I started working more sugars and carbs into my diet. I limit my alcohol and caffeine consumption, especially if I haven’t eaten in a while because those two things make me feel off. Lastly, I try to eat a meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours since that is when my sugars typically start to dip.

Questions? Advice? I’d love to hear it all. Also, check out Cassie’s 5 tips for those with hypoglycemia!

Stay healthy, stay happy, keep smiling, keep exploring.