Can you pass the Stair Test?

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

stair testSkip the elevator and head for the stairs

Last month the European Society of Cardiology published the results of an interesting research study involving almost 13,000 adults.

What did the findings show?

That adults who were in the best shape (determined by treadmill and echocardiogram) were less likely to die prematurely of heart disease or cancer than those with poor “functional capacity.”

The authors of the study equated their testing … read on

Tanning beds and melanoma

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

tanning beds and melanomaTanning beds are dangerous to your health

It’s mid-winter, and that’s when tanning beds are most popular.

Either people want a little artificial sunshine to help them cope with the weather, or they’re heading off on a tropical holiday and want a bit of color before they go.

But be warned: Tanning beds not only increase your risk of melanoma, they also increase the likelihood of a recurrence.

For years … read on

Save money at the drugstore

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

save money at the drugstoreOver-the-counter medicines can be costly (and unnecessary)

There are two ways to save money at the drugstore:

  1. Know what you need and find the cheapest price.
  2. Know what you don’t need and avoid buying anything at all.

I’ve written a lot of posts on this topic because I think it’s one of the easiest ways to save money on health care, and certainly the one we have the most control … read on

Home remedies for pink eye (conjunctivitis)

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

home remedies for pink eyeRed, itchy, crusty

Those are common words used to describe pink eye, aka conjunctivitis.

Conjunctivitis is the inflammation or infection of the membrane, the conjunctiva, over our eyeballs. Allergic conjunctivitis is inflammation caused by an allergy. Pink eye usually refers to a viral or bacterial infection.

Related post: Home remedies for allergy eyes

In adults, most cases of pink eye are viral. That means antibiotic eye drops won’t help. Like … read on

Healthy eating tips for the New Year

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

Healthy eating tip #1: Be label smart

Healthy eating must be one of the top New Year’s resolutions, but it can be difficult. How do you define “healthy”?

That vague word makes it easy for marketers to sell their products, whether they are truly healthy or not.

Lucky for us, the consumer website Peel Back the Label wants to inform consumers about these marketing tricks.

… read on

Being thankful for modern medicine

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

being thankful for modern medicineLife before vaccines and antibiotics

I know I complain a lot about our current healthcare system and the overuse of medical care.

BUT, I am also very thankful for the advances medicine has made in the last 100 years or so.

The reminder to be more appreciative comes from the hours I spent over the holidays reading old family journals, letters and postcards, most of them dated between 1900 and … read on

How likely are you to get cancer?

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

how likely are you to get cancerFear sells healthcare

In our predominately for-profit healthcare system, fear sells products.

Every day I read an article or listen to a news story about cancer. Breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, liver cancer, mouth cancer, ovarian cancer…I often feel like a ticking time bomb!

It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the grim statistics being tossed around by marketers. Then we live in fear, become anxious and … read on

LASIK – Know the risks

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

lasikLASIK isn’t a cure all

LASIK has tempted me.

I’ve been nearsighted almost my entire life, and began wearing glasses when I was 5.

I would love to wake up in the morning and not have to fumble for my glasses, or worry about my lenses getting wet in the rain or fogging up when I come in from the cold.

I would love to say goodbye to irritating contact … read on

Home remedies for cold sores

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

home remedies for cold soresPainful and ugly…

…are the best words to describe cold sores.

They typically show up on the lips, too, which makes them so difficult to hide.

Cold sores are caused by a virus, the herpes simplex 1 virus or HSV-1. (Herpes simplex 2 or HSV-2 is what’s known as genital herpes.)

If you’ve ever had a herpes cold sore, don’t feel embarrassed. HSV-1 is extremely common; more than 70% of … read on

Keep kids safe – Toy safety tips

Frugal Nurse Posted on by

keep kids safe toy safetyDecember is Safe Toys and Gifts Month

Every year, more than 250,000 kids under the age of 14 are injured by toys.

So if you’re shopping for young children this holiday season, here are some tips and resources to help keep kids safe.

Prevent Blindness, the sponsors of Safe Toys and Gifts Month, offers this pretty comprehensive do and don’t list:

  • Avoid toys that shoot or include parts
… read on