Fall allergies or COVID-19?
The start of fall brings pumpkin spice lattes, fresh apples and allergies. The most common causes of the sneezing, sniffling, headachy, red-eyed misery are ragweed and other weeds, trees, and mold and mildew from wet, fallen leaves.
However, with the presence of COVID-19, you may find yourself worrying that your symptoms are virus-related instead of allergies. That’s understandable. Many symptoms, such as a sore throat, shortness of breath, fatigue and loss of taste and smell can seem similar. But there are important differences.
Coronavirus symptoms are often accompanied by fever — that’s not an allergy symptom. Gastrointestinal distress and achy muscles are also not signals of seasonal allergies. Itchy eyes, nose, throat and ears? Sneezing? They’re generally signs of an allergic reaction, especially if you get these symptoms annually.
But, if you’re nervous about how you’re feeling:
■ Make an appointment with an allergist. A scratch test will identify most allergens, if they’re what’s bothering you.
■ If you have allergies, avoid being outdoors during peak pollen hours (mid-morning to early afternoon).
■ When you do go out, say thanks to your pandemic mask … it can reduce pollen exposure while you decrease the chance of spreading COVID-19.
■ Use a neti pot — scrupulously cleaned — twice a day to clear your sinuses and reduce irritation. You may also use over-the-counter antihistamines and other medications. Ask your doctor what’s best.
■ Get a COVID test. If you don’t typically suffer from allergies and you have new symptoms, getting tested is the smart (and socially responsible) thing to do.
Don’t let pain get the better of you
Everyone loves a good disaster, apparently. The top 10 grossing disaster films (from No. 1 “Titanic,” which took in well over $2 billion, to No. 10 “Twister” with $494 million) have grossed a combined total somewhere north of $8 billion.
While scary fictional catastrophes can entertain and amuse, catastrophizing about your level of chronic pain (“I am never going to feel better!”) doesn’t produce an enjoyable outcome. It torpedoes your physical and mental health.
Researchers from Penn State looked at data provided by 143 older folks with knee osteoarthritis and found that on the days those folks reported that pain was causing them to have an exaggerated feeling of helplessness or hopelessness, they were also afraid of moving around and became sedentary. That, ironically, just worsens the pain and makes it harder to get the exercise that’s needed to feel better.
Studies have found 31 percent and 33 percent of folks with chronic pain catastrophize about it. So, if you’re stopped in your tracks by pain — or by fear that it will strike — it’s time to dial down your worrying and step up your stepping.
Talk therapy can lead to walk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps you change your thinking patterns, is the experts’ first choice for helping people who contend with catastrophizing pain. Once you overcome your fear of physical activity, walk therapy can ease osteoarthritis pain significantly. The Arthritis Foundation also recommends aerobics (low impact), strength building and range-of-motion/flexibility and aquatic exercises. Check out these physical activity programs approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people with arthritis: www.cdc.gov/arthritis/interventions/physical-activity.html.
Heart disease doesn’t have to bench you
When professional athletes come back from an injury, they may think they’re as good as new, but impatience can backfire. Take LeBron James. He was sidelined with a strained groin on Christmas Day 2018 as the Lakers played Golden State. Although he came back strong a month later, he was reinjured in a Christmas 2019 contest. Then in April of 2020, James sat out another game — again for a sore groin.
Fortunately, most injuries don’t sideline super-athletes or everyday folks permanently. You can even start or continue exercising if you have heart disease — it can reduce your risk of premature death. You just want to plan your routine with your doctor so the intensity is safe for your condition. (Are you listening, LeBron?)
To help you get back in the game, the European Society of Cardiology has issued new guidelines on exercise for people with heart disease and heart-threatening obesity and diabetes.
1. Generally, exercise so your heart and breathing rates increase, but you can talk comfortably. Aim for 150 minutes a week. Our tip: Increase intensity by no more than 10 percent weekly.
2. If you have obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes, add strength-building exercises three times a week to a regular routine of moderate/vigorous aerobics.
3. “The chance of exercise triggering a cardiac arrest or heart attack is extremely low,” says sports cardiologist Dr. Sanjay Sharma, chairman of the guidelines task force. But if exercise causes palpitations, unusual shortness of breath or chest discomfort, take it easy and see your doctor (ASAP). Now, that’s a game-winning strategy!
See how C helps keep your muscles strong
Jennifer Aniston, 51, is known for her commitment to fitness. One of her tricks, she says, is to make sure that she gets a dose of vitamin C three times a day, along with exercise and a healthy diet. Clearly, she’s onto something, according to a peer-reviewed observational study published in The Journal of Nutrition.
Researchers looked at data from over 13,000 people ages 42 to 82 in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Norfolk Study. They found that men and women who got the most vitamin C through their diet had more muscle mass than those who consumed the least. True, the max difference was 4 percent more muscle mass, but that turns out to be a lot of muscle!
Vitamin C helps preserve and build muscle because it defends cells and tissues from oxidized free radicals (the causes of inflammation) that can destroy muscle. In the U.S., around 14 percent of men and 8 percent of women are deficient in vitamin C (putting them at risk for rickets), and many more are insufficient, making them vulnerable to everything from infections to muscle loss.
To keep and build muscle as you age: Combine regular aerobic and strength-building exercise with two doses of vitamin C supplement daily. Take half a multivitamin containing 1,000 mg of vitamin C in the morning and again at night. And eat around seven servings of fresh fruits (citrus is loaded with C) and vegetables (cruciferous vegetables, green and red peppers and dark leafy greens deliver the most) daily. C how easy it is?
How ultraprocessed foods age you prematurely
“The Portrait of Dorian Gray” is a novel about a young man who manages to have his portrait age while he stays youthful, despite the terrible things he does to his body and to others. After decades pass, the tables turn and — in an instant — Dorian turns into an aged and grotesque corpse. Not a bad portrait of what happens to your body when you gobble down nutrition-stripped, ultraprocessed foods.
We’ve long known that UPFs contribute to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Now, a new study out of Pamplona, Spain (no bull in this one) published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looks at how UPFs age you prematurely.
The researchers found that eating these fake foods severely shortens your telomeres — the ends of chromosomes that protect them from deterioration and help repair errors in your cells. When you eat more than three servings of ultraprocessed foods daily, your telomeres are twice as likely to be shortened compared with a person who avoids UPFs. And the shorter your telomeres, the older your RealAge.
The study also found that folks who ate the most UPFs had telomeres reduced in length by 82 percent, and, according to other research, four servings of UPFs daily ups your risk for premature death by 62 percent.
Since more than half of Americans’ calories come from UPFs, you know what you need to do: Buy fresh, whole foods and ditch added sugars, refined grains, processed meats and packaged goods with a long list of ingredients that come from a lab.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
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