So in the next week or two I’ll be making an appointment with my doctor to get a physical and have some tests done. As a 23 year old with no history of health problems, a doctor’s visit is foreign to me. Of course I’ve been to the doctor before, but not enough to learn the language. Writing for LemakHealth has helped though.

The doctor will have a checklist: he’ll ask me questions about my family’s health history, take my pulse, check my temperature, weight and height. He’ll probably ask me some embarrassing questions, but, no matter how embarrassed I might get, I promise to be completely honest.

In addition to the doc’s checklist, I’m taking my own.

This is what I’m going to ask:

I think I’m being thorough, but I’ll take recommendations for other questions to ask. Later, I’ll post a follow-up.

Z

We expect certain things every New Year: the Ball Drop in Time Square, the Rose Bowl, a countdown to midnight, and resolutions. For 24 hours we will itemize flaws and bad habits, dreams and ambitions. Lists will include starting new careers, being more involved in our communities, getting better grades and (of course) improving our health.

Evaluating all that happened in 2009 is exhausting. Then consider that 50% of people believe they will accomplish resolutions, but only 12% actually see it through. That’s why, as your doctor and resource for information about recovery and health, we’ve decided that we should help you plan for a healthier 2010.

Here are 10 resolutions for your consideration.

10. Devote more time to active hobbies. Health is about balance. A healthy life is equal parts work and play. That’s why our #10 resolution for a healthier 2010 is devoting time to an active hobby. Rediscover old hobbies or seek new interests, it doesn’t matter. Just make sure to devote time to activities that are fulfilling for you.

“Put good in, get good out.”

9. Stop smoking. Smoking leads to cancer, heart disease, and other health problems according to the CDC. Smoking also impairs endurance, making it harder to lead an active life.

8. Define fitness goals. The best way to make a fitness goal is to be specific. Vague goals are easily ignored. Decide early on what fitness success is, how often you will exercise, what your goals are, and the steps to achieve the goals. Side effects of improved fitness include more energy and better moods. Always keep in mind that fitness isn’t one-size-fits-all; get a physical before you start any workout routines.

7. Face a fear. Fear can have a serious impact on quality of life. The most effective way to overcome fear is to face it. Open up to a friend, family member, therapist, or doctor about the thing that scares you. If you’ve suffered an injury, fear (the fear of re-injury for example) can cause problems during recovery. Tell your doctor or physical therapist about anxieties or concerns.

6. Reduce stress. Hobbies, fitness, and fearlessness are part of a bigger picture. Each resolution is meant to remove the causes of stress. Hobbies give you downtime, fitness improves energy and outlook, and facing fears removes obstacles. A big contributor to an unhealthy life is stress. Resolve to discover the real causes and get to the root of the problem.

5. Eat healthier. I can sum this up with: put good in, get good out.

4. Help someone else. Ever heard “it’s the little things that matter?” It’s definitely true. A major obstacle to volunteering is the belief that you can’t have an impact. But doing little things for someone that needs help can improve your self-image. Things get busy, life gets complicated. Helping others gives you a special kind of satisfaction.

3. Spend more time with family and friends. Make time to spend with family or friends. Have at least one family dinner once a week and involve every family member in the food preparation or let someone pick the menu each month. Two times a month, have a game night with friends alternating who chooses the game. If you’ve started an active hobby (see resolution #10), see if anyone else is interested in the same activity.

1 & 2. Make an appointment with your doctor, and encourage your friends to do the same. This resolution is so important it gets two places for emphasis. The number of appointments you make depends on factors like age, gender, and health history. Ask your doctor what kind of check-ups he or she can provide. Your doctor should be able to make referrals if you can’t get the kind of check-up you need. Here’s a check list of things to ask about:

• Blood pressure check-up
• Blood cholesterol level exam
• A physical exam
• Mammogram (once a year for women over 40)
• Prostate exam (once a year for men over 50)

5 Steps to Acceptance

Injuries can change your life dramatically — sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently. Accepting a part of your life has changed can be a challenge, just like any other traumatic experience. Some people in beginning recovery will go through five stages of acceptance similar to the steps of acceptance for a death.

1. Denial about the injury’s severity or that the injury even happened is first. This could be from shock or fear.
2. Giving up some control over life during recovery can be frustrating and leads to anger. Anger maybe directed at yourself or at friends and family.
3. When the anger subsides you may begin to bargain with yourself. You promise you won’t train as hard or you will train harder than before.
4. Feelings of depression about the future are next. Will your body be the same? What will you have to give up? How much will my life be different?
5. Acceptance is the final step. This last step is also the only proactive step where real recovery can begin.

Once reality sets in you can begin talking with your physician or physical therapist about the recovery process. You should do the following together:

• Talk about developing a support network. This can be friends, family and others going through similar recovery. It’s important to keep in mind that injury and recovery affect everyone differently so never compare your progress. Also, your network should be ready to listen, offer support and never push you.
• Determine, with your medical professional, a list of milestones. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Make sure to listen when your physical therapist offers his opinion or gives orders. A good PT will be honest even when it hurts.
• Find the things in life that motivate you. Motivation makes the recovery process easier.
• Explore other hobbies or interests. Ask your PT what activities are acceptable during recovery, and then listen. Hobbies and interests keep your mind sharp and keep your thoughts away from your injury.
• Think happy thoughts.

Your physician or PT may have other suggestions, but if he or she doesn’t bring up your emotions then you should. Communicate and be open. Depression makes recovery difficult and it could lead to a re-injury if you’re not honest with yourself.

Share your recovery stories in the comments. Did you feel depression or other emotions during recovery?

Here’s how:

• If you’re a runner, replace your shoes regularly.
• Watch your step when outdoors. Holes are ankles worst enemy.
• Warm-up before any running and sports.
• Ask your physician if you should wear an ankle brace.
• If you’re active, cross train to avoid overuse injury.

Sprains, strains, Achilles Tendonitis, and blisters are ankle-related problems. Some ankle injuries can be treated at home with ice packs or by elevating your feet. The more severe problems require a trip to your doctor.

Certain injuries to the ankle respond well to arthroscopy, a surgical technique in which the physician inserts a needle-shaped fiber optic telescope, or arthroscope, in the joint through an incision approximately 1/8 inch long.

Normally done as an outpatient procedure, arthroscopy causes less trauma to the tissues than traditional, more invasive surgeries. You may want to discuss the arthroscopic procedure with your physician to see if it is the right solution for your particular ailment. Your doctor can guide you and explain expectations, including your timetable for recovery.
I’ve been lucky and have never severely hurt my ankles. Have you?// <![CDATA[//

This is what will power looks like.

We know several things are true in fitness. It is hard to begin. Keeping momentum is more difficult. There are hurdles to overcome (sometimes real hurdles). And fitness is not one-size-fits-all; that’s something we’ve said before on this blog, but it’s worth repeating.

Setting foundations is important when trying to achieve fitness goals.

The Basics – a dash of preparation and a lot of will power

Motivation comes and goes, but will power lasts a lifetime. Or something like that. Truth is motivation alone isn’t enough to build a foundation. Why? Motivation is hard to come by and easy to take for granted. Some days, you pop a B-12 and you’re ready to take on the World. Most days probably aren’t like that and it requires an equal amount of prep and will power to get through a workout.

Prepare yourself by planning your routine. If you belong to a gym, check out their class schedule. Stay consistent each week while working out different parts of your body each day.

Once you’ve developed the will power to get active, feel free to mix-it up. Gym people: see what new classes are being offered. If your routine is out-of-home, download a video podcast for something different.

Going stag is better than not going at all

A partnership or group should not be part of your foundation. The moment you have to go stag, your foundation will crumble. That’s not to say partnering with a friend for a workout is a bad idea. But almost anything you can do by yourself, you can do with a group.

You have to be strong alone before you can be strong with a group.

Ring, Ring – it’s your body calling

Probably the most important thing anyone can do when creating a foundation for fitness is learning to listen to his or her body. If you’re pushing yourself, you’re just hurting yourself.

Having an ache or sore muscle isn’t the same as pain. Learning to tell the difference between what you should be feeling and what you are feeling can be difficult. Before you start any activity get a physical. A physical will help you know the limits of your body. And if you start to feel uncomfortable about any ache, check with your physician ASAP.

What are your foundations?

Exercise isn’t one-size-fits-all. Think of it as the physical before you begin a new sport season.

So as you plan for the any New Year’s Resolutions (there I am thinking way ahead), plan to make a stop at your doctor’s office.

There are any number of tools that can help someone manage diabetes. Lancets, digital blood-test kits and needles are a few of the tools. However, taking control can be as simple as making sure you’re eating the right kinds of food. Recommended foods include foods that are high protein and limited in fat. Add high-fiber carbohydrates and you’ve got a winning diet.

Below is a list of foods that diabetics, or anyone, should consider adding to improve their diet.

High Protein

Every cell in the human body uses protein and needs large amounts of it. Body builders drink it in shakes and low-carb, high protein diets were a craze for a while. Balance is key.

High-protein foods include:

1. Peanut butter
2. Eggs
3. Low-fat cheese
4. Foods with soy
5. Fish (extra plus: fish like salmon are a great source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids)

Limited Fat

Like all things in life, moderation is important. The body needs some fat everyday, but for diabetics, food that has limited fat is better.

Limited-fat foods include:

1. Olives
2. Nuts
3. Avocados

High-Fiber Carbs

Fruit and vegetables are great sources of fiber and energy. But diabetics need to avoid too much sugar from fruits.

1. Beans (black-eyed and kidney!)
2. Potatoes and yams
3. Oatmeal
4. Pasta
5. Barley
6. Flax
7. High-fiber cereal
8. Broccoli

What kind of foods do you eat to manage your diabetes? Have we left anything off?

There are two types of diabetes: Type I and Type II. Symptoms of Type I may develop rapidly within weeks or months of being diagnosed. Type II, however, can be much slower or there may be no symptoms at all.

Type I is caused by a genetic predisposition and research for preventing this type is limited. Existing research indicates that breastfeeding and giving children Vitamin D leading up to the first birthday may reduce the risk of developing diabetes later in life. Type II is more likely to be caused by environmental influences like diet, exercise, and weight. Maintaining healthy cholesterol, weight and living actively can reduce the risk of developing Type II.

Screening

Screening for diabetes should begin at age 45 and screening should become routine. Screening includes a blood test. People with certain risk factors should begin screening earlier than 45.

Risk factors include:

1. Overweight or obesity
2. High cholesterol
3. A family history of diabetes
4. High blood pressure
5. A family history of heart disease

Diet

Diet is an important factor in the prevention of Type II diabetes. Studies have shown that a poor diet, with a sedentary lifestyle, among young people has lead to an increase in juvenile diabetes. Foods that are high protein and fiber and low in fat may lead to decreased chances of developing diabetes. Check out tomorrow’s post for more details about proper diet and diabetes.

Exercise

Exercise is crucial in prevention of diabetes. Experts say that most people should have at least two and a half hours of activity per week to reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Check out some of our other blogs exercise tips and information.

1. Mom knows better. You can start by asking your family if they know a good orthopedist. Ask how long they have been seeing their doctor, if the doctor has taken the time to learn about their individual needs or if they treat them like a case number.
2. Interview them for the job. Interview more than one doctor for the job of being your orthopedist. Because he might be busy, ask for a few minutes on the phone. If you’re already getting a check-up, ask them questions while you’re in the office. Some may charge for an initial consultation, but that’s not a rule. Check credentials!
3. Location is everything. Look for an office that is close to your home or office. You may even consider looking for a practice that has more than one location.
4. One time only. Some practices rotate staff. Check if you will be seeing the same doctor every time you visit.
5. Emergency! Sometimes you might have an emergency. Make sure there is an emergency services.

Elbow Anatomy

Ever bumped your funny bone? Hitting the funny bone is the most common, minor elbow injury. The sensation isn’t very funny, but it passes quickly.

Other common elbow injuries include elbow dislocation, elbow fracture, tendinitis and tennis elbow.

Causes

Injuries occur from a variety of reasons, but some of the most common are:

• Pushing your limits or repetitive action during sports
• Work-related injuries
• Falling
• and while working on home projects

Treatment

Injuries to the elbow are often results from overuse or repetitive use. There’s no certain way to treat elbow injuries like tennis elbow, but using platelet rich plasma and physical therapy is an option. Also, arthroscopy has a good response rate.

Arthroscopy is a surgical technique in which the physician inserts a needle-shaped fiber optic telescope, or arthroscope, in the joint through an incision approximately 1/8 inch long. Utilizing instruments as small as 1/10 inch, corrective surgery is performed. Normally done as an outpatient procedure, arthroscopy causes less trauma to the tissues than traditional, more invasive surgeries.

Preparing for a doctors appointment

You should prepare for your doctors visit. The more your doctor knows, the better help he or she will be able to give.

• What are your main symptoms and how long have you had them?
• How did the injury occur? And when?
• How was it treated? Did you try at-home treatments and did it help?
• Have you ever injured your elbow before? Has it caused problems before?
• Does any specific activity make the injury hurt more?
• What prescription and nonprescription medicines have you tried?
• Do you have any health risks or preexisting problems?
• Does anyone in your family have preexisting joint problems?

If you’ve injured your elbow, make sure you see your doctor before it gets worse. Not addressing the problem could make the injury worsen.