Insight Life Care - Blog #relay for life

Insight Monthly: August 2021 Newsletter

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:13:02 +0000

Happy August! We hope you all are doing well and having an enjoyable summer.

On August 13th, we are participating in the Sun City Center Relay For Life event at Freedom Plaza. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest peer-to-peer fundraising event dedicated to saving lives from cancer. Funds raised directly support breakthrough research, 24/7 support for cancer patients, access to lifesaving screenings, and much more. If you are interested in donating to or participating with our Insight Life Care team, please contact Hannah at (813) 777-3764 or hannah@insightlifecare.com. We would love for some of you to join us on August 13th for the event!

Covid: The Delta variant is ripping through Florida right now, affecting mostly unvaccinated individuals but also some who are vaccinated. Please be mindful of the rapid increase in cases. We know that vaccines remain effective and highly protective against hospitalization and death, even among those infected with the extremely contagious Delta variant. Please consider getting vaccinated if you haven’t already. Call us if you have any questions.

Drink Your Water!

We all know the importance of staying hydrated and drinking water to do so. But how much water should we be drinking? Well, the answer is different based on the individual and the circumstances, but the general recommendation is to drink 4-6 cups of water every day.

Water keeps every system in the body functioning properly, from aiding digestion to protecting your organs and tissues. You have to give your body enough fluids each day to carry out tasks such as normalizing blood pressure, stabilizing the heartbeat, cushioning joints, regulating body temperature, preventing constipation, flushing bacteria from your bladder, carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells, and maintaining electrolyte balance.

If your body isn’t getting enough water, you may experience warning signs of dehydration which include weakness, low blood pressure, dizziness, confusion, or urine that’s dark in color. To avoid dehydration, drink water gradually throughout the day. Try these tips to encourage you to drink more water:

Put a glass of water next your bed before you go to sleep and then drink it as soon as you wake up in the morning.
Carry a reusable water bottle with you everywhere you go so that you always have access to water.
Drink a full glass of water with each of your meals.
Add fruit slices to your water to add extra flavor.

Using Technology Mindfully

In a world that seems to have turned fully digital, especially in the last 18 months with the pandemic, it’s important that we take a step back once in awhile and observe how we are using our devices. Do you pick up your phone any time you have a free moment? Do you ever find yourself mindlessly scrolling on social media? Or getting lost in your email when you went to check one message? Never-ending news feeds and always-open email inboxes can not only waste a significant amount of time but can also be stress inducing. But of course, that doesn’t mean we need to ditch our devices entirely; instead, our goal should be to become more aware of how we are using technology and to use it in beneficial ways rather to pass time or avoid “boredom.”

This is where the concept of mindful technology use comes into play. Mindfulness encourages us to be presently conscious and mindful technology use follows the same principle. It means paying attention to when and why we are using our devices. It means being aware of the amount of time we are spending scrolling through social media feeds. It means using technology in ways that are uplifting and informing, rather than as a distraction habit.

With technology use, most of our patterns rely on triggers and habits. For example, when we see a notification on our phone, we are likely to check it. Or when we are bored or our mind wanders, we automatically pick up our phone. Try the following tips to change your usage habits:

Turn off all non-human notifications, i.e., all of your notifications except phone calls, and possibly text messages.
Leave your phone in a different room while you are working or during set hours where you want to focus on more productive use of your time.
Put your phone away at least an hour before you go to bed.
Set usage timers for the apps that tend to take up a majority of your time. Set goals for minimizing the amount of time you spend scrolling on social media or playing games.

Doc's corner:

So, it seems we must take a step backward and socially distance from folks with unknown vaccination status, delay gatherings, and keep fighting this virus. It’s a great time to relax at home, backyard bbq, or read something out of the ordinary. Try “Alone” by Gerard d’Aboville. He decided in his forties to row singlehandedly across The Pacific. An interesting look at true isolation! Stay safe, Doc

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Insight Monthly: July 2021 Newsletter

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 19:55:00 +0000

Happy July! We hope you all are doing well and staying semi dry.

Here at Insight Life Care, we are enjoying seeing more and more patients in the office again. It’s so great to see all of you in person after many months of mostly virtual visits. If we haven’t seen you yet, please know that we are seeing all patients in office regardless of your vaccination status. But if you prefer telemedicine visits, that’s okay too! We will continue to offer unlimited telemedicine moving forward. We strongly advocate for vaccination against Covid-19 as well as all other vaccinations recommended by the CDC and American College of Physicians. Please call us at the office if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment: (813) 689-2961.

On August 13^th, we are participating in the Sun City Center Relay For Life event at Freedom Plaza. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement is the world’s largest peer-to-peer fundraising event dedicated to saving lives from cancer. Funds raised directly support breakthrough research, 24/7 support for cancer patients, access to lifesaving screenings, and much more. If you are interested in donating to or participating with our Insight Life Care team, please contact Hannah at (813) 777-3764 or hannah@insightlifecare.com. We would love for some of you to join us on August 13^th for the event!

The importance of stretching

Stretching keeps your muscles flexible, strong, and healthy and increases the range of motion in your joints. Without routine stretching, your muscles shorten and become tight which puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage. Regular stretching becomes more and more important as you age and your muscles lose strength and tone, and ligaments and tendons become tighter. Your shoulders, hips, spine, and knees tend to be the areas that lose the most flexibility as you age. This makes everyday movements, such as reaching overhead, bending over, squatting, and twisting, more difficult. Tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments can also lead to chronic low back pain, neck pain, and poor posture.

Try dedicating 10 minutes a couple days a week to do some stretches. When stretching, make sure to warm up before hand and stretch only until you feel resistance, not pain. Watch this video to learn some beneficial stretches that are easy to try at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9fNh7cYo64

What to know and do if you are experiencing headaches

Nearly everyone has experienced a headache at least once or twice, but some people experience them more often and more severely than others. Minor headaches can be ignored or eliminated by over-the-counter pain relievers, food or coffee, or rest. Whereas more severe headaches, including migraines, may not be as easy to get rid of.

Although doctors don’t fully understand what causes most headaches, they do know that the brain tissue and skull are never responsible because they don’t contain any nerves that register pain. However, the blood vessels in the head and neck, the tissues that surround the brain, major nerves that originate in the brain, the scalp, sinuses, muscles and joints of the neck, and teeth can all trigger or signal pain.

There are a number of different types of headaches including migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, sinus headaches, medication headaches, and many more conditions associated with headaches.

Tension headaches are the most common of all headaches and occur in about three of every four adults. Usually, they are mild to moderate and occur infrequently, but some people do get severe tension headaches many times a week. There are many potential triggers of tension headaches, including stress, diet, alcohol intake, environment, hormones, caffeine withdrawal, and lack of sleep. If you frequently experience headaches, try taking note of your circumstances when a headache starts. Track the day, time, symptoms, and circumstances surrounding the pain (what have you eaten? Are you dealing with a difficult situation or stress?). If you can associate your headache with particular triggers, try to avoid them. If you notice that you tend to have worse headaches when you are stressed, try different types of body and mind relaxation techniques, including yoga and meditation.

Migraines occur much less often that tension headaches but tend to be significantly more severe. They are 2-3x more common in women than men. Neurologists believe that migraines are caused by changes in the brain’s blood flow and nerve cell activity. Approximately 70% of people who experience migraines have at least one close relative that does as well, suggesting genetics play a role in migraines. Migraines can occur out of the blue but are usually set off by a trigger such as changing weather, sleep patterns, emotional stress, fatigue, diet, or sensory triggers. Anyone that experiences migraines understands the severity and difficulty managing them. Everyone’s bodies are different, and a variety of prevention and treatment methods can be prescribed.

If you are experiencing headaches that are difficult to manage or seem to appear out of nowhere, please schedule an appointment so we can help you determine a strategy to ease your headaches.

Doc's corner:

Stepping out with a bit more freedom and frequency? Local coffee shops offer a multitude of styles and atmospheres while serving up the beverage felt to have a myriad of health benefits. Check out Buddy Brew on Kennedy in Tampa, Foundation in Riverview, Starbucks everywhere, or drop by our office for a timeout and a recharge!

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