How to Take Blood Pressure with an Automated Machine
The automated blood pressure machine is so much easier to use than the device that requires you to use a pump.
An automated blood pressure device can indeed be accurate, but there are several things you need to know before you rely on its reading. (more…)
Feeling of Bruised Area on Leg but No Bruise: Should You Worry?
It feels like there’s a bruise on your leg, but when you look there, you see nothing unusual. Is this a cause for concern?
“That depends,” says Susan L. Besser, MD, with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, and Diplomate American Board of Obesity Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
Dr. Besser explains, “If you remember injuring your leg recently, even if there is no visible bruise — it’s nothing to worry about.
“If the sore area has been there for several weeks, without improvement and you don’t remember an injury — you should check it out with your doctor.”
Not remembering an injury doesn’t mean there wasn’t one.
It’s quite easy to forget that you had bumped your leg into something recently.
Perhaps you hit your leg against a bedpost in the middle of the night on the way to the toilet.
Perhaps the sore bruised area is from something you did at the gym.
For example, gliding a barbell up and down the lower legs during the deadlift can cause visible bruising – even if your legs are covered.
If you feel bruised spots along your shins but don’t see anything unusual – and you’re an avid deadlifter – this very well could be caused by the barbell.
Do not keep pressing on the area to see if the sore feeling is still there.
Frequent pressing will make any area sore and will make it difficult to tell if the situation is improving.
Other Considerations
A bruised feeling in the leg without visible discoloration can result from muscle strain, tendon irritation or delayed onset muscle soreness (the infamous “DOMS”) after a hard workout.
Nerve compression, poor circulation or varicose veins may also produce tenderness.
Again, if this situation persists for two or three weeks, make an appointment with your doctor.
Dr. Besser provides comprehensive family care, treating common and acute primary conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Her ongoing approach allows her the opportunity to provide accurate and critical diagnoses of more complex conditions and disorders.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Boyloso
Cause of Eyelid Twitch After Putting in Eye Drops & Prevention
Does putting eye drops make your eyelid twitch? And does the twitching persist for quite a while after that?
What Kind of Cancer Causes Morning Diarrhea?
Can the sudden onset of diarrhea in the morning—especially ONLY in the morning—mean a certain kind of cancer?
Colon cancer, as well as ovarian cancer, are definitely known to cause diarrhea. (more…)
What Is Provent?
For some people with obstructive sleep apnea who can’t tolerate CPAP machines, Provent may be a godsend.
Just how does Provent work?
Provent is an FDA approved treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.
This nasal device has a valve design that attaches over the user’s nostrils.
It’s secured in place via a hypoallergenic adhesive.
As you breathe, the valve opens and closes. This redirects air through little holes, creating resistance when you exhale. This helps keep the airway open.
Each Provent device is single use and disposable, and must be prescribed by a doctor.
If a sleep study shows that the device lowers your apnea-hypopnea index to (on average) less than five per hour, then the device works.
However, people who faithfully use CPAP may also find that Provent is a convenient alternative treatment while they are camping or traveling somewhere where use of a CPAP would be cumbersome or not possible.
Symptoms of Untreated Sleep Apnea
• Excessive daytime drowsiness or sleepiness.
• The grogginess is not mitigated by napping; person fails to feel refreshed after a nap.
• Easily falling asleep while doing passive activities such as reading, working on a crossword puzzle, using a computer or watching TV.
• Dozing off in a vehicle while stopped at red lights.
• Waking with headaches in the morning that go away, without painkillers, within 30 minutes of being up and about.
• Difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks; irritability.
• Someone telling you that while you sleep or nap, you stop breathing.
• Snoring or gasping in one’s sleep.
• Frequent trips to the bathroom overnight to urinate — not just the urge, but a good amount of urine coming out with each trip — despite abstaining from fluid intake in the hours before bedtime.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Source:proventtherapy.com/provent-faq.php
Is There Really a Best Time to Drink Water ?
Other than when you’re thirsty or have signs of dehydration, does it really matter when you drink water? Or is the scheduling of water intake a bit too obsessive? (more…)
Natural Ways to Unclog Coronary Artery Soft Plaque
Soft plaque is unstable and can rupture, causing a heart attack; there are natural ways to unclog coronary arteries or kick back the soft plaque. (more…)
Do Pushups REALLY Work Your Abs?
You’re not imagining it: Pushups really do work your abs.
Think about what actually happens when you do pushups:
Your abdominal region is the link between stabilizing your upper body and your lower body as you perform this multi-joint exercise. (more…)
How Bad Is the Sitting Disease for the Brain?
Since the sitting disease is so bad for the heart and blood vessels, it’s no surprise that it’s also bad for the brain.
There is just no escaping the harmful effects of sitting on your can many hours day after day.
It has now been discovered that sitting too much is associated with shrinkage of the part of the brain that involves recent memory formation. (more…)
Can Staying up Late and Sleeping in Make You Die Sooner?
