Symptoms online
Do you have a cough, hip pain or myriad other symptoms for some unknown medical problem? Now you can reliably research your symptoms and narrow the list of possible causes online at Healthline Networks’ Symptom Search. The symptom exploration tool can be found at the Web site healthline.com.
The site allows information seekers to research their condition through authoritative articles from leading medical information publishers. They can determine whether they may have a potential emergency condition or simply distinguish between influenza and viral gastroenteritis.
It’s easy to begin using the system with a general term such as “cough.” You then will be offered a choice of 20 more specific conditions such as “painful cough,” “hacking cough” and “night cough.” When you’ve determined the description that fits, you’ll learn about possible causes, home care and when to call a health-care provider.
Symptom Search covers more than 3,500 symptoms and 900 diseases. “Symptom Search offers a much more interactive, useful way for individuals to research health concerns, helping prepare them for conversations with their physicians,” said Paul Auerbach, clinical professor of emergency medicine at Stanford University and chair of Healthline’s medical advisory board.
Healthy numbers
Don’t be smug just because you know your numbers when it comes to weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. Five more numbers are equally important to a woman’s health, says Elizabeth Bower, assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University.
In the March issue of Women’s Health, she lists the following numbers to which you should pay attention:
5 — This is the minimum number of years you should maintain a consistent weight for a strong immune system.
32 — If your waistline is any bigger than 32 inches, your risk for heart disease rises.
48 — Wait any longer than 48 hours between workouts and the calories you take in will be stored as fat.
50 — This is the minimum amount of pounds of pressure you should be able to squeeze with one hand. (Measure it with a hand dynamometer.) Any weaker and you are likelier to develop osteoporosis.
60-80 — This should be the range of your resting heart rate. Numbers under 60 could point to a thyroid disorder. Numbers over 100 show poor fitness.
Tune up together
Grab your buddies and start belting out some tunes. Research from Germany shows that group singing greatly improves your mood, stress level and even your immune system, according to a report in the March Harvard Health Letter. This is probably because singing requires deep, controlled breathing.
Choir time also could improve your involvement in volunteer work or political activism, says Robert Putnam, a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. On his Web site better together.org, he lists singing in a choir as a way to build social networks and trust between individuals, making people happier and — likely — healthier.
Diabetic tacos
Diabetics don’t have to give up Hispanic foods because they fear the high fat and carbohydrate content. A new Web site launched by the University of Illinois Extension at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers recipes for a wide variety of Hispanic foods that reduce the high amount of fat found in traditional recipes. It also shows easy ways to balance carbohydrates.
The site, called Fiesta of Flavors, is at www.urbanext. uiuc.edu/diabetesrecipes(underscore)sp.
