Walk 10,000 steps a day to reduce your risk of a stroke.
Ischemic strokes — caused by an obstruction in blood vessels supplying the brain — are increasingly affecting people at younger ages. A recent Rutgers University study found that in the U.S., people ages 42-51 have a 43 percent higher rate of stroke than those ages 62-71. Furthermore, stroke rates have more than doubled in people 35 to 39 and doubled in those 40 to 44, but declined in folks 55 and older!
It’s hard to know exactly what accounts for the trends, but it’s clear that adopting lifestyle habits that keep the cardiovascular system healthy is necessary. So kiss trans and most saturated fats and added sugars or syrups goodbye. Eat only 100 percent whole grains. Avoid tobacco, marijuana and hookah parlors like the plague! Know your blood pressure, and keep it below 120/80 — with or without meds. Also:
• Make sure you walk 10,000 steps daily or get the equivalent physical activity and sleep 7-8 hours nightly.
• Achieve a healthy weight and stay there! Obesity can spike already-elevated blood pressure, and that’s a major trigger of stroke.
Find treatment for psoriasis
Some $112 billion is spent annually to deal with the itchy skin condition psoriasis and its associated health problems, such as arthritis, depression and cardiovascular disease.
Fortunately, these days the chronic inflammatory skin disorder can be controlled. But fully 50 percent of patients say they’re dissatisfied with the treatment they receive!
Well, that’s made the National Psoriasis Foundation itch to improve sufferers’ lives. So they’ve defined, for the first time, targeted treatments for plaque psoriasis that specify what improvement you should expect to see from proper treatment.
• At minimum, an acceptable response to three months of treatment should see skin lesions reduced to 3 percent or less of the body’s surface area, or an overall improvement of 75 percent from baseline.
• The optimal goal of three months’ treatment should have skin eruptions confined to 1 percent or less of the body’s surface; and an evaluation every six months should reveal that this level is maintained.
If you have psoriatic plaques, don’t gamble with your health and happiness. Make an appointment with a dermatologist and discuss your treatment options, including topical corticosteroids, retinoids, salicylic acid and vitamin D analogues; anthralin (it normalizes DNA activity in skin cells); phototherapy (there are many versions); and oral or injected immune modulators and biologics, such as methotrexate and etanercept.
And keep exploring what works for you until you hit those treatment targets! You can do it!
A: When hormones surge in teens, all kinds of weird behaviors appear, and they sometimes call for parental patience and guidance. But — and we cannot say this strongly enough — that doesn’t mean you should shrug off bad behavior. The fact that your daughter has confided in you indicates that she feels something is a bit off with this boy’s behavior.
And tell her she’s not alone. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 14 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys in 6th to 9th grade say someone has pursued them in order to start or continue an unwanted relationship, usually through messages online, voicemail and by being followed.
So, here is what the experts recommend you do:
• If there have been no threats or violence, help your daughter rehearse standing up to the stalker. Firmly and calmly, she must inform him that his behavior won’t be tolerated. “You must stop calling, texting and following me. Stop bothering me, starting now. If you persist, I will report you to the school authorities and the police.” Then walk away. No scenes, no drama. Just the clear, cold facts.
• If there have been threats, or if after delivering the ultimatum an incident happens, inform the school and police, and request they talk with the child and his parents. Hopefully, you won’t need a restraining order, but don’t hesitate if you feel you do! Your daughter’s safety is priority No. 1. Getting the young man help is an important, but for you a very distant No. 2.
My daughter’s stalker
Q: My 13-year-old daughter says a boy in her class won’t leave her alone — he’s always texting and turning up where she is. I can’t figure out if it’s just awkward youthful affection or something menacing. Any suggestions on how she and/ or I should handle it?
Francine H., Port Arthur, Texas