Exercise is Medicine by ACSM

November 2024 // Archive

Date based archive
20 Nov

Mucus is part of life, and everyone has it. Especially during a cold or sinus infection, tissue after tissue can become filled with mucus. It can feel disgusting and sometimes embarrassing in front of others, but mucus serves a pertinent purpose. Some doctors even refer to mucus as the oil for the body’s engine. We find mucus in the lining of the nose, throat, sinuses, lungs, and mouth. It is a protective blanket to these areas to keep them from drying out. It is like a fly trap on our bodies that catches unwanted bacteria and dust before they can enter the body. Mucus is powerful because it contains antibodies that recognize which substances from the environment to filter out. The trapping nature of mucus is why it is sticky and gooey in texture.

Even when not sick, the body produces 1 to 1.5 liters of mucus daily. Most of it goes down the throat with saliva and is unnoticed. When a person becomes sick, that is when they notice the high amounts the body produces. It takes becoming sick or having bad allergies to trigger the mucus production into overdrive.

Mucus does change color from time to time. Looking down at a tissue of mucus doesn’t always produce the same picture. It can be yellowish, green, brown, or even red. When a person is sick, the immune system sends white blood cells to the protective areas with mucus which produces the green color. However, that doesn’t mean that every batch of mucus when sick is green. When the nose is dry or irritated it can produce brown or red mucus. The nostrils contain many red blood vessels, and a small amount of blood can show up in mucus.

A person can never fully get rid of mucus from the body, but it’s nice to be alleviated of such vast production when sick. There are over the counter antihistamines and decongestants that can help. Decongestants cause the blood vessels that line the nostril to narrow, which reduces blood flow. These dry up the mucus and make it thick. Antihistamines block or limit histamines which are triggered by allergic reactions and cause a running nose. Guaifenesin can also be used which thins out the mucus and makes it easier to get out of the body. A more natural route is using a neti-pot to remove mucus with a nasal irrigation. However, washing too much of the bad out can also wash some of the good out too.

Mucus is normal. We all have it. It serves a purpose. Yes, it can be irritating and disruptive, but its protective role in blocking bacteria is part of what our body needs. Just blow it out when there is too much. There are worse nuances we deal with.

14 Nov

Our heart is at work literally 24/7 for us and without it doing this constant job for us, well, we know the consequences. An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) can pose complications that increase the risk of having a stroke or even heart failure. It can be frightening for someone and can also impact their daily living. Atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is a type of arrythmia that causes a rapid heartbeat, and the person will notice their heart rate is abnormally high. It may come and go or be persistent. Either way, A-fib poses the threat of being chronic. The irregularity of the condition is what troubles many people and complicates treatment.

When atrial fibrillation is happening, the upper chambers (atria) of the heart and the lower chambers (ventricles) are beating out of sync. Some people experience no symptoms at all, while others may get short of breath, have fast heartbeat palpitations, have chest pain, feel lightheaded, not be able to exercise, and/or feel weak. Having A-fib and episodes associated with it are not life threatening, but treatment is needed to prevent strokes.

The heart has 4 chambers. The upper 2 are called the atria and the lower 2 are called the ventricles. The upper right atrium contains a group of cells called the sinus node. The normal heart rate range is between 60 and 100 bpm. The A-fib heart rate can range from 100 to 175 bpm. The sinus node is the heart’s pacemaker. Its job is to produce the signals that orchestrate each heartbeat to take place. Normal conduction takes place as follows:

  1. The sinus node signal travels to the 2 upper atria.
  2. The signal travels through a chamber that connects the atria and ventricles called the atrioventricular node (AV node).
  3. The signal tells the heart to contract which is a squeezing action that sends blood to the heart.

However, when A-fib takes places, the signals that begin in the upper chamber get chaotic. This makes the upper chamber shake. The AV node has mixed signals coming in as it’s trying to connect with the ventricles. This is what leads to the irregular heartbeat that is fast.

Causation for having A-fib could possibly be from having high blood pressure, having had a heart attack, prior heart surgery, a heart defect, family history, obesity, sleep apnea, thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism), heart valve problems, alcohol, stimulants, and/or viral infections. Some of these risks are controllable lifestyle factors, while others are not.

Treatment could involve medications, surgery, and/or cardioversion which resets the heart rhythm. Medication includes beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, blood thinners, digoxin which can help control heart rate mainly at rest but not during activity, and/or anti-arithmetic medications. Cardioversion can be done electrically or via drugs. Electrical cardioversion shocks the heart to reset rhythm. Drugs can be administered through IV or by mouth. Surgery could involve a cardiac ablation which uses extreme heat or cold to create scars in the heart that will block the abnormal signals. A doctor might also insert a catheter to do this which has hot and cold sensors on it. There are two types of ablations that can take place. AV node ablation involves destroying the electrical signal connection all together. A pacemaker will then be needed for life. Sometimes A-fib can come back after an ablation so it will have to be repeated, or another form of treatment will need to take place. The other surgery is a maze procedure which is when the heat or cold is used to create a scar tissue pattern (maze) in the upper chambers which will interfere with the heart signals that cause A-fib to occur. This is open-heart surgery.

The heart is at constant work and when it has any complications, we know not to ignore them, or we may not be here to see tomorrow. Heart health is vital, and we need to do what we can to be advocated for our health and we need to live in a way the supports rather than jeopardize our wellness. Diet and exercise are pertinent and eliminating habits that compromise your health needs to happen. Temporary satisfaction is not worth a lifetime of poor-quality living as a result. Don’t beat your heart up or it won’t beat for you.

06 Nov

Sometimes in life we decide to take a break from activities, people, places, and things. This is taking a pause which means not being involved with something/someone for a period. A break means you will return to the activity, person, place, or thing that you took the break from. This is opposed to stopping and not returning which would be a “break up”. A break can be a dangerous decision when there is not a definite return date. Having a vague or approximate return date leaves room for procrastination, distraction, and taking part in alternatives choices (good or bad). There are several reasons a person might choose to take a break from something or someone.

Feeling a sense of burnout can influence the decision to take a break. You could feel like all your time, energy, and focus is on this one thing or person. The all-consuming pressure to uphold what is currently happening is difficult to imagine sustaining for the projected future. The thing or person has caused missing out on other parts of life that you desire to include. There isn’t a balance anymore. You want to test what it would feel like without the presence of the thing or person in your life. You have not decided to fully subtract or end this part of your life, but the readiness or attachment isn’t one hundred percent clear to you. Finances can be part of this. Maybe the cost is impactful, so you want to try to save the expense for a time.

Being able to do something on your own without the thing or person can be a factor. For example, you want to see if you would be okay single for a time. You want to see if you can exercise by yourself for a time. You want to see if you like something/someone better. The comparison can take place during a break. Pros and cons can be measured. Alternatives can be investigated.

A break is trying something without that thing or person/people for an allotted time. This might be 30 days of no alcohol. This could be 5 months of leave from work. Breaks can be set for a time. When there is not a set time, a break can be for however long and sometimes that break leads to a non-return. The term break can also ease the blow or termination. For example, rather than end a relationship, you take a break.

Sometimes taking a break can be self-destructive. You take a break from working out, maybe for a vacation. Then you must motivate yourself as you tell yourself when you are going to start again and actually follow through. You can leave something or someone up in the air about your return, so the break can be selfish because of your indecision. On the other hand, you could have no intention of returning and out of fear or ease, you just don’t want to tell that place/person you aren’t coming back.

The bottom line is that a break can be both good and bad. It can be eye-opening or self-sabotage. It can be shorter or longer than you thought. It can be forever. It can be an excuse or lie or out of avoidance. If you have ever been on the receiving end of a relationship when someone says they want a break, you are well aware of the uncertainty in the air. The “stay tuned” or “to be continued” makes a break unclear. Sometimes waiting to see what happens puts life in a place where confidence in truth is tested. “Be careful or it will break”, may be the sign of caution we need when it comes to taking breaks.