Category: blog

I’m sure you have been told that having high blood pressure is unhealthy but many don’t understand the dangers behind it. You may be a victim of high blood pressure and without realizing. Years before symptoms develop high blood pressure can silently damage your body. If symptoms are ignored you may wind up with a disability, poor quality of life or even the worst case scenario, a fatal heart attack.

High blood pressure damages many organs inside your body. The effect is like dominos falling on each other, causing an unfortunate chain link of events. High blood pressure is damaging to your arteries, the lining of your artery becomes narrowed. The cause of hardened arteries is from high blood pressure. Fats that enter your body, which blocks the flow of blood is what causes the artery to narrow. These events could lead to an aneurysm that could rupture possibly causing life threatening internal bleeding.

But wait; there are more negative events to be caused. It directly affects to your heart and may cause coronary artery disease, an enlarged left heart and even heart failure. Coronary artery disease is caused by the lack of blood flow in your heart. An enlarged left heart is caused by the heart overcompensating itself to pump blood to the rest of your body. It also damages your brain and your kidneys.

The good news is that you are the captain of your own ship. You can help reduce your own high blood pressure without the use of medication. The more weight you lose the lower your blood pressure. You can reduce your blood pressure by losing 10 pounds. At least 30 to 60 minutes of regular physical activity can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Increasing your exercise level can reduce your blood pressure within a few weeks. Low-fat dairy products and skimping on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables should be incorporated in your diet. Your blood pressure can be reduced by 2 to 8 (mm Hg) by a small reduction of sodium in your diet. Alcohol can raise your blood pressure by several points if you don’t consume in moderation.

Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis? Don’t suffer any more than you have to! Physical therapy can become not only your best option for managing your aches and pains, but your best friend. When you are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, your condition is forever changing- some days are good days, others not so much. Physical therapy is there for you to help you learn how to cope with your body and the changes it goes through. It can help you maintain and develop strength and stamina, as well as help you cope with your mobility after a disease flair.

Multiple Sclerosis symptoms are different for every person, and consequentially your treatment program will be unique to you as well. Your physical therapist will create a program that fits your specific needs. Common ailments and physical therapy treatments include:

-Spasticity: If you experience this, your program will most likely include slow stretching controlled position changes, and the use of cold packs.

-Fatigue: If you experience this, your program will most likely focus on managing your energy, and skills to avoid over exertion.

Other common physical therapy programs may include maintaining spastic muscles through exercises, muscle strengthening exercises, range of motion exercises, as well as being taught how to use aids for mobility such as crutches, canes, scooters, and wheelchairs.

If you are suffering from multiple sclerosis, seek physical therapy treatment, you may be surprised at how well it can help you manage your aches and pains!

Home Advantage Rehabilitation is here to help with all of your homecare needs. Feel free to call with any questions that you may have about physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy 516-459-9439.

Do you have an illness or disability that hinders you from performing everyday activities? Then occupational therapy may be for you! Occupational therapy is for people of all ages, and of all different ability levels.

So how does this differ from regular physical therapy you may be asking? Physical therapy deals with pain, strength, endurance and gross motor functioning skills. Occupational therapy on the other hand deals with fine motor skills, visual perceptual skills, cognitive skills, and sensory processing deficits.

When you first meet with your occupational therapist what can you expect? Your occupational therapist will judge and evaluate you in the area that you are seeking therapy for; such examples are academic or work performance, and daily activities and compare it to others’ in your age group, to determine where you are lacking. You will receive an individual evaluation from your occupational therapist, they will create a plan for you based on your needs, and then they will provide an evaluation of the exam.

What are some examples of stuff people seek occupational therapists to help them improve?

-Helping improve social skills, including focus improvement, and behavioral issues

-Coordination skills such as how to type faster on a computer, as well as hand eye coordination for everyday activities like brushing one’s teeth and getting dressed.

-Improving fine motor skills for tasks like developing better handwriting skills

Home Advantage Rehabilitation is here to help with all of your homecare needs. Feel free to call with any questions that you may have about physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy 516-459-9439.

Rising temperatures are arriving and everyone is looking for ways to stay cool. Beach days, water activities and barbecues with family and friends are some of the best parts of summer. Don’t let preventable things like heat exhaustion or sunburn cancel out all the fun. Here are ways to stay cool while you lay by the pool.

Stay hydrated! fluids, fluids and more fluid.

Wear loose comfortable clothes.

Remove excess clothing in extremely hot and humid weather.

Avoid outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day.

Avoid alcoholic beverages. It is not your friend when staying hydrated.

Expose yourself to high heat temperatures as briefly as you can.

If heat exhaustion does occur, make sure the person is in a cool room and excess clothing is removed. Laying down on their back with their feet elevated, compress a cold sponge or washcloth on their forehead. Drinking water and juices and staying relaxed will cause their temperature to go down. If these treatments do not cause improvement, seek medical aid immediately after an hour has gone by.

Elderly Advice for Staying Cool

Excessive heat is a tough battle for the elderly due to their weakened cardiovascular system. As you get older, the heart becomes less efficient, heart rate is decreased and less blood is pumped through the heart during each beat. Arteries lose their elasticity which is known as arteriosclerosis. Musculoskeletal flexibility also occurs as the body ages which diminishes the lungs ability to expand and take-in oxygen. These setbacks in elderly adults cause shortness of breath and poor endurance during times of extreme heat.

Sweat is no longer a way to cool off for the elderly because the subcutaneous tissue and the oil-producing glands decrease in size, therefore producing much less sweat in order to cool the body off. This also causes heat loss in the elderly when exposed to colder temperatures, as well.

Aging is unavoidable but along with more wisdom and appreciation for life, there are ways to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system as well. Living an active lifestyle in our younger years will make a huge difference in our ability to protect ourselves from the heat. Daily exercise will create cardiovascular fitness and expanded lung capacity, carrying over to our older bodies. Take care of yourself now and your older, wiser self will be very thankful you did.

Make staying cool a priority and the summer will be yours to enjoy. Drinks plenty of fluids, exercise, stay in the shade, wear sunscreen and make sure you get grandma a nice sun hat. We can can beat the heat together.