How to spend your flexible spending account before it expires Dec. 31

The end of the year means you may be budgeting for holiday gifts and party provisions. But many people have another kind of spending they need to do before December 31st: flexible spending account (FSA) spending. Why the urgency? Flexible spending accounts contain pre-tax money set aside by employers to help with medical expenses during the year. But the money expires on December 31st, and if you’ve had a healthy year without many co-pays, time is of the essence to spend it.

Working out with sand: What is all the hype about SandBells?

SandBells were first introduced in 2008, but are now changing the way personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts design their exercise programs. These spongy, sand-filled bags are constructed with a heavy-duty neoprene outside and leak-resistant stitching. This technology allows the user to drop, lift, swing, throw, toss, slam, glide with and even stomp on the SandBells without damaging them, yourself or other equipment.

What is homeopathy?

Proactive Health Labs doctors sometimes get asked if they are homeopathic doctors. Homeopathy and allopathic or “Western” medicine are actually quite different, and the doctors at pH fall under the allopathic umbrella. Homeopathy, which was invented by a German physician in the 1800s, suggests that if you give someone a tiny amount of a plant that causes symptoms similar to the illness they have, their body will be able to rid itself of the illness. The plants are taken in small doses, diluted in 99 percent water.

Be proactive for long flights

Excited for your upcoming vacation? While you may have thought about when you’re going, what you’re doing and who you’re seeing, have you thought about your health? Traveling can take its toll on your body – especially those longer flights. Middle-aged and older adults need to be more careful, as they may be more at risk for some of these problems. But with a little proactive planning, you can avoid some of the most common flying-induced, vacation-ruining health troubles.

Ditch the scale

You are unique. That’s why one-size-fits-all doesn’t really work when it comes to your health. So why are you still using a scale? Two people may weigh exactly 150 lbs. but have drastically different body shapes, builds and sizes, with very different ratios of muscle and fat. Their fitness goals and the way those goals are reached are going to be totally unique.

Black raspberry: A tasty little cancer fighter

Did you know that black raspberries are having a moment in medical research? Multiple studies have shown that black raspberries have unique aspects that make them good little cancer-fighters. Here’s some of what we’re finding in the research.

Hangover help is here!

The day after your 21st birthday may have been your worst hangover ever, but even as an older (and somewhat wiser) adult, you can still get them. A little too much to drink over the holidays, and you may wake up the next morning with a headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, sensitivity to light, muscle aches, a rapid heart rate and/or mood issues (depression, anxiety, irritability).

Benefits of strength training for women

Strength training, also called resistance training or weight training, is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass and/or endurance. Even though researchers have demonstrated the benefits of weight training for women for years, the number of women who are following this recommendation is still quite low. Research shows that only about 20 percent of women practice strength training weekly, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Understanding lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance comes from a deficiency in an enzyme needed for digesting lactose, called lactase. Lactase is an intestinal enzyme that breaks down lactose to glucose and galactose, which are simple sugars. Lactase concentration is high at birth but declines steadily in most people of non-European ancestry after weaning. This normal decline occurs to a greater extent in some people than in others.

Why your doctor said no to the antibiotic

You’ve got a cold and some body aches. You believe you may need an antibiotic, but your doctor doesn’t want to write the prescription. When doctors say not to take an antibiotic, they aren’t necessarily “denying” their patients. Rather, it’s a sign that they did a good physical exam and medical history, and determined that a virus is the cause of illness. Generally, the term “antibiotic “refers to medicine that is designed to kill bacteria.

Be proactive! Do your research before using male herbal supplements

You may have heard about the recent case of a famous athlete who was found unconscious after taking excessive amounts of sex-enhancing herbal supplements. Even though we may never know the whole story, we know there are inherent risks with excess use of stimulants, even if they are “herbal.” There are also risks of possible drug interactions, supplements being laced with undeclared sexual enhancers like Viagra- and Cialis-like substances, and possible contamination with unhealthy ingredients.

Let’s talk about mental health: Bipolar disorder

October recently brought us World Mental Health Day. So let's look at a commonly misunderstood mental disorder -- bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterized by prolonged "highs" and "lows" in mood. During "highs," or manic states, people with bipolar disorder might be talking a mile a minute and have many ideas. They may seem to be tripping over their own words, sleep very little and spend large amounts of money. They may have high confidence and experience interpersonal problems.

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