Healthy Connections Articles
Being Mindful Throughout the Day
A lot has been written about stress-reduction techniques like exercise, yoga, meditation and mindfulness. While all offer methods for strengthening our bodies and our minds, each technique may not be practical at work, at school, or while shopping or driving in traffic. Yet there’s no question that the ability to calm ourselves and improve focus reduces tension, improves our mood, is good for heart health (February is National Heart health Awareness Month), and increases productivity, morale and … [Read More...]
Woowhee, It’s Cold Out There
We’ve already seen sub-zero temperatures in Connecticut, and winter is barely half over (Groundhog’s Day was February 2nd). If you work or recreate outdoors, you have to take extra precautions. If you dress for the cold, wearing multiple layers and properly covering your head, hands and feet, it’s uncomfortable but tolerable. However, for five percent of Americans suffering from Raynaud’s Disease, dressing warmly still may not be enough to avoid extra discomfort, chaffing and pain from exposure … [Read More...]
Hashtags, Smiley Faces, and Love
Remember when we were kids and we gave each other simple cut-out valentine cards and those little heart-shaped, multi-colored tasteless candies with pithy expressions such as “Be mine,” and “love u 4ever” on them? Then, as we grew older, there were the ubiquitous chocolates and roses, perfumes and colognes, dinner at jammed restaurants and, for the truly lucky, sexy lingerie or boxers with hearts to be viewed and enjoyed. But it all became pretty straightforward, ritualistic . . . and … [Read More...]
Putting Disease Management Programs to Work
People with chronic health conditions can benefit from specialized healthcare outreach and self-management programs in place at CBIA’s health benefits partners, ConnectiCare and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. These programs help patients manage their conditions more effectively, with the goal of enhancing patient knowledge about specific diseases, encouraging compliance, preventing painful or dangerous complications as much as possible, and mitigating flareups when they occur. ConnectiCare’s … [Read More...]
Protecting Ourselves from the Cold
On the surface, talking about how to shovel and dress properly for cold-weather work, chores and play seems unnecessary – after all, we’re grownups and it’s not our first winter rodeo. However, it’s amazing how many millions of Americans end up in emergency rooms across the country every year suffering from show-shoveling-related back and shoulder injuries, frost bite or hypothermia. While winter drives many people indoors to weather the deep freeze and shorter days, the season also abounds … [Read More...]
Here’s A “D” You’ll Want on Your Report Card
Vitamin D is a critical building block for ensuring strong bones and helping prevent or mitigate a variety of diseases that affect us as we age. Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium, one of the main building blocks of bone. Vitamin D also plays a role in keeping our nervous, muscle, and immune systems healthy. We can get vitamin D in three ways: through our skin, from our diet, and from supplements. Our body forms vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight. But too much sun … [Read More...]
Thyroid Problems Can Be a Pain in the Neck
It is amazing how many common maladies may, in fact, be the consequence of irregularities in a small gland that plays a big role in our health. The gland is our thyroid, a diminutive, butterfly-shaped gland located in our lower neck. While comparatively tiny, it has enormous responsibility for the body’s metabolic processes and can wreak havoc with everything from exhaustion to constipation, depression, cholesterol levels, joint stiffness and even dry skin. The thyroid releases two primary … [Read More...]
Simple Preventative Steps Lead to Large Returns
When employers promote preventative care, they help create a culture of wellness that dramatically improves the chances that employees and their immediate family members will be more aware of potential health problems, get diagnosed earlier and avoid more serious health conditions down the road. Healthy employees are productive employees, and the goodwill generated when employees see their employer vested in their wellness is invaluable for improving teamwork, morale and service. Employers … [Read More...]
Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail
As we race to the end of another calendar year, it’s time to take stock of the health and wellness goals we set for ourselves in early 2018. Whether our intention was to lose weight, get to the gym regularly, run our first 5k, bicycle or hike, stop smoking or do something about stress, the remaining days of this year are short, but there’s hope: after December 21st, each day is getting longer and we have a clean slate for implementing our healthcare plans for 2019! Start with a … [Read More...]
Giving to Others Is Giving to Ourselves
It’s hard to get through the holiday season without stumbling into some version or reference to A Christmas Carol, the popular and famous tale by Charles Dickens that speaks to the value of giving, charity and kindness. In the Dickens tome, the curmudgeonly old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, is shown the consequences of his nefarious behavior, and given a chance to repent. Through, ultimately, his charitable turnaround, good things befall all the characters, especially Scrooge himself. Today, the … [Read More...]
