Milk is the best drink to reduce burn from chili peppers, and it does not matter if it is whole or skim, suggests a new study that compared purified water, cola, cherry-flavored Kool-Aid, seltzer water, non-alcoholic beer, skim milk and whole milk, after drinking a spicy drink containing capsaicin.

submitted by /u/mvea [link] [comments]

Heart risk raised by sitting in front of the TV, not by sitting at work, finds a new study (n=3,592 African Americans), which found TV-viewing of 4 or more hours a day had 50% greater risk of cardiovascular events and death compared to less than 2 hours a day, but not with more time sitting at work.

submitted by /u/mvea [link] [comments]

Practice Doesn’t Have to Make Perfect: Emotional Regulation Is a Lifelong Journey

“Don’t worry, he’ll grow out of it,” says the stranger at the supermarket as your 3-year-old writhes on the floor screaming.

Even if these words are less-than-reassuring in the moment, trust that the stranger is right. Your kid will eventually move on from those eardrum-rattling tantrums that seem like they’ll never end. What they won’t completely grow out of, though, is experiencing BIG emotions and not always knowing how to control them. And that’s okay.

Too often, we treat our children—and ourselves—like robots that will be able to solve all of life’s problems as soon as they download the right software. This chase for perfection is futile and counterproductive. When it comes to emotional regulation, the most we can ask for from our children is that they take each challenging experience as an opportunity to practice. While they will “fail” a good amount of the time, adopting this growth mindset creates room for lifelong learning and improvement.

In the mental health field, which I’ve been working in for more than 20 years, we don’t talk enough about the concept of “automaticity,” which refers to behavioral responses that occur without deliberate thought. This idea is important in the context of self-regulation because automaticity can come with practice, and we tend to respond without thinking when we’re emotionally overwhelmed. When kids can practice self-regulation in a low-stakes environment (e.g., while playing board or video games or learning a new skill such as riding a bike), they have an easier time developing the skills they need to stay cool in situations where it really matters. The challenge for parents is to create an environment that allows their kids to make mistakes and grow.

We put kids in an impossible situation when they’re in the midst of a meltdown and we ask them to “calm down.” Remember that the right side of the brain is the emotional side. Even if a child is aware of calming strategies such as deep breathing, using those strategies requires activating the left brain. When deep breathing is an automatic response to frustration or agitation, kids don’t have to perform the herculean cognitive task of consciously switching from their emotional right brain to their rational left brain.

How do we help our kids develop automaticity, then? The first thing you have to do is remind yourself that you don’t have to be the perfect parent. The way we respond to our kids’ emotional outbursts often has less to do with their behavior than our own stuff—harsh criticism we received as children, trauma we’re sorting through, unreachable standards we set for ourselves. This kind of baggage can lead to wanting to be the perfect parent and projecting similar expectations onto our children. So, when your child throws a tantrum on the playground, you subconsciously worry that their behavior reflects poorly on you and you start to lose your temper. When your kid is overwhelmed and you get overwhelmed, too, what are the odds they’re going to reach into their cognitive toolkit and remember how to self-soothe?

So, try to let go of the idea that progress with emotional regulation is a straight, frictionless line. I’m not saying it’s easy. You may have to do some practicing yourself. When you find yourself getting annoyed in traffic or have a sudden urge to smash the office printer, take a deep breath and picture your favorite vacation destination. Or imagine you’re cuddling with your dog. Then, go home and teach your kid the same trick. Encourage them to try it the next time a classmate does something to upset them or they get scared at the doctor’s office. What you’re doing is helping them build new neural pathways that will promote healthier responses to difficult emotions. When they get a self-regulation “win,” celebrate! When their emotions get the best of them, tell them that it’s okay. After all, it’s just practice.

Thunderclap headache: The “worst headache of my life”

http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Not all headache disorders are the same. An excruciating, sudden-onset headache known as thunderclap headache (TCH) is a medical emergency, very different from more common headache disorders such as migraine and tension headache. If you develop TCH, you should call 911 or immediately go to the closest hospital.

TCH is associated with a variety of causes, ranging from benign to potentially fatal. Urgent evaluation in an emergency setting is needed to quickly identify and treat any underlying condition.

Diagnosing and treating secondary thunderclap headache

When you arrive at the hospital, the medical team will want to confirm or rule out a potentially serious, secondary cause of the TCH. The initial history and examination will focus on red flags that suggest specific secondary causes.

A secondary TCH has an underlying cause, other than the headache itself. For example, neck stiffness or sleepiness may suggest a ruptured brain aneurysm or infection; a drooping eyelid may indicate a tear in the carotid artery (the main artery supplying the brain); seizures or sudden limb weakness may suggest clots in a blood vessel, or bleeding in the brain (hemorrhage). Absence of these signs and symptoms does not definitively rule out these causes, which is why you will likely undergo imaging of the brain and its blood vessels with either computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). If imaging does not reveal a clear secondary cause, a lumbar puncture, or spinal tap, may be needed.

If a secondary cause is identified, the underlying problem will be treated. For example, if your TCH was caused by a blood clot in an artery, it would be treated with clot-busting medications or the clot would be removed via a catheter-based procedure.

Primary thunderclap headache and RCVS

If no obvious cause is found, TCH is considered “primary,” or “idiopathic.” Primary TCH typically affects young adults. It is commonly associated with physical triggers such as cough, exercise, and sexual activity.

Rarely, people can develop multiple, recurrent TCHs within a span of a few days. In such cases, imaging invariably shows alternating areas of narrowing and dilation (the appearance is described as “a sausage on a string”) of multiple brain arteries. This condition is called reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, or RCVS. RCVS can also develop in patients with a single TCH.

Approximately 30% to 50% of patients with RCVS go on to develop brain hemorrhage, strokes, and brain swelling. Thus, if you are diagnosed with RCVS, you will likely be admitted to the hospital for a few days of observation. Despite these possible complications, people with RCVS generally do well; the flurry of TCHs usually subsides within days, and the arterial narrowing resolves on its own within a few weeks.

Treating primary thunderclap headache and RCVS

There is no known preventive medication for primary TCH or RCVS. Bed rest is recommended, since exercise, anxiety, and sexual activity can precipitate more TCHs. Laxatives and stool softeners are also recommended, since straining or bearing down can trigger TCH.

The extreme head pain usually settles in a few minutes, but moderate to severe headache can persist for several hours. Common pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) may help. Treatment with more potent drugs, such as morphine and other opioids, may be prescribed for prolonged or very severe head pain.

Certain medications should not be used to treat TCH. These include glucocorticoids, triptans, and other anti-migraine medications, which induce narrowing of brain arteries and can worsen the situation. People with RCVS should also avoid certain drugs for several weeks. These include serotonin-enhancing antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs), ecstasy, cannabis, and sympathomimetic and amphetamine derivatives such as pseudoephedrine (a common ingredient in many cough-and-cold remedies, exercise stimulants, and diet pills).

Primary TCH can recur intermittently for several years. Recurrence of an episode of RCVS is extremely rare. Most people can resume routine physical activities and gradually increase the intensity of exercise two to four weeks after the sudden-onset headaches subside.

The extreme head pain of primary TCH and RCVS can understandably evoke significant anxiety. But the long-term outcome is nearly always benign.

The post Thunderclap headache: The “worst headache of my life” appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

Using lip balm-beauty tips from healthcaretips blog

Using lip balm

Using lip balm - Keep in mind that maintaining the condition of your lips can also enhance your beauty. To do that, it is always best to carry a lip balm wherever you may go. Lip balm can prevent your lips from drying out. Because of that, it is one of the best ways to prevent or cure lip chapping. With the right kind of lip balm, it can also soften your lips.

Keep your cosmetics straightforward and light every day

Keep your cosmetics straightforward and light every day

It is in every case best to indicate individuals your normal magnificence. You can accomplish this by keeping your cosmetics as basic and light every day. When you do that, you would likewise counteract skin harm, which is one of the impacts of utilizing substantial cosmetics all the time

Have a facial once per month-beauty tips from healthcare tips blog

Have a facial once per month 

Going through facial every month can furnish you with loads of advantages. Some of which would incorporate collagen and elastin recuperation, enhance the course of your veins, level out your skin shading, enhance hydration, and enhance skin tone. It can likewise make your skin delicate and brilliant