Mountainside Medical Blog

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Friday Favorites: Sunburn Relief

Posted on June 21 2019

Welcome to another summer edition of Friday Favorites! We know you've probably forgotten what the sun looks like, but technically today is the first day of summer and we wanted to discuss some sun safety. Last week we wrote about our favorite sunscreens, and we've examined heat safety recently as well, but what do you do if all else fails and you develop that dreaded sunburn? Today we're looking at your sunburn relief options.

1. Dynarex Instant Cold Pack

When you notice the early signs of a sunburn, your first reaction will be to get into the shade. But what comes next? It's recommended that you act fast to cool the burn with a cold compress, but if you're outdoors you probably don't have a ready source of ice or a freezer for a gel pack. That's where Dynarex Instant Cold Packs come in. These 5 x 9 cryotherapy packs require no special preparation -- just squeeze them to activate the cold-producing chemicals inside! Convenient and portable, these are the perfect options for your first aid kit. Don't brave the summer sun without them!

2. Solarcaine Burn Gel

Treating a sunburn isn't about healing the area -- your skin has to do that on its own -- but about easing the symptoms. And the symptoms of sunburn are some of the most uncomfortable such a seemingly minor condition can cause. Anyone who's had a bad sunburn knows what it's like to lie awake at night with painful, itchy, tingling, hot skin. Solarcaine Burn Gel with Extra Aloe Vera is designed to relieve the symptoms of sunburn, soothing pain while rehydrating dry, cracked skin. Its Cool Aloe formula will ensure you get the relief you need from from even the most uncomfortable sunburns.

Also Available: Solarcaine Burn Relief Spray

3. Aveeno Anti-Itch Hydrocortisone Cream

Sunburn pain may be uncomfortable, but the itching that sets in while you heal can be infuriating. Doctors recommend a 1% hydrocortisone cream to soothe itchiness, and Aveeno's variety combines superior anti-itch properties with an emollient-rich formula to moisturize the skin as it heals. Natural colloidal oatmeal, Vitamin E, and aloe protect and lubricate the skin, keeping moisture in as you heal. Useful for more than just sunburns, Aveeno's formula is a great choice for relief from other summer hazards like insect bites and poison oak, ivy, and sumac. No matter how you spend your summer outdoors, Aveeno Anti-Itch Cream should be in your medicine cabinet.

4. Emergency Drinking Water 10-Pack

One potential complication of severe sunburns is dehydration. Sun exposure could lead to heat exhaustion, fainting, or even heat stroke. This is an even more pressing concern if sunburn occurs in secluded outdoors spots far from medical attention, such as hiking trails and even some camps and beaches. Datrex Emergency Drinking Water is 125 mL of purified water in a covenient, portable pack. Able to be stored up to 4 years, it's the perfect addition to any first aid kit, disaster kit, camp supply, or vehicle.
Osteoporosis: Rebuilding Bones and Preventing Falls

Posted on June 20 2019

Osteoporosis, a medical condition in which the bones weaken over time, leading to mobility difficulties and even injury, is one of the most common health conditions facing older adults:
- 10 million Americans have osteoporosis.
- 44 million Americans age 50 or older have low bone density, increasing their risk of osteoporosis.
- 2 million broken bones are caused every year by osteoporosis.
- Half of all Americans age 50 or older are at risk of breaking a bone from low bone density or osteoporosis.
- Osteoporosis accounts for over $19 billion in medical costs every year.
A broken bone isn't always the temporary condition that a younger adult may view it as. Broken bones may not heal properly for older adults with osteoporosis, and these breaks often occur in crucial and intricate areas like the spine, hip, or wrist. The long-term effects of broken bones may include limited mobility, which can lead to less independence and a risk of depression, and complications from the broken bone or corrective surgery. These complications can even be fatal.

Causes and Risk Factors

Although bones seem fixed and unyielding to us, they're constantly being broken down and rebuilt. As we age, the rate at which new bone is produced decreases, and we start to lose more than we create. This process begins at a relatively young age -- many people reach their peak bone mass around age 30, and that peak mass affects your likelihood of developing osteoporosis.

This is only one of the risk factors, however. Some are attributed to lifestyle choice, and some are uncontrollable or the result of medical conditions or treatments. These latter risk factors include:
- Being older than 50.
- Being female.
- Menopause: lowered sex hormones increase osteoporosis risk.
- Race: those of Caucasian or Asian descent have an increased likelihood.
- Family history of osteoporosis.
- Body frame size: small body frames increase risk.
- Height loss.
- Hormone issues: overactive thyroid or adrenal glands.
- Broken bones.
- Medical conditions: including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, lupus, multiple myeloma, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney or liver disease.
- Certain medications: long-term corticosteroid use.
- Gastrointestinal surgery.
- Eating disorders.
Some risk factors for osteoporosis are more controllable:
- Low calcium intake.
- Low vitamin D intake.
- Poor diet: lack of fruits and vegetables.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Excessive alcohol consumption.
Treating and Preventing Osteoporosis

The best advice about preventing osteoporosis comes down to what you'd probably expect: a healthy lifestyle. A good diet and regular exercise may not guarantee immunity, but strengthening your bone tissue is still the best defense against osteoporosis.

Exercise helps strengthen your bones -- much like muscle, bone rebuilds and becomes stronger after exercise. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises are the best forms for this, but strength training is also valuable:
- Aerobics.
- Body weight exercises such as pushups and squats.
- Climbing stairs.
- Dancing.
- Jogging, running, and walking.
- Lifting weights.
- Racket sports such as tennis.
- Resistance bands.
- Swimming and water aerobics.
- Tai Chi.
- Yoga.
A healthy diet to strengthen your bones is largely built around calcium and vitamin D. The mineral calcium is essential to bone health as well as other bodily processes, and without it bones will break down to provide calcium to the rest of your body. Sources include:
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
- Leafy, dark green vegetables: kale and broccoli.
- Some fish: sardines and salmon.
- Calcium-fortified foods: cereal, soy milk, and tofu.
- Calcium supplements.
Vitamin D is also necessary, as it helps the body absorb calcium. It's not found in many foods, but your skin produces it when exposed to sunlight (be cautious of sun damage - you don't need to be outside long enough to burn in order to get your daily dose of Vitamin D). This is the easiest way to get Vitamin D, but there are other sources:
- Fatty fish: salmon, mackerel, and tuna.
- Beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks.
- Fortified foods: milk, cereal, and orange juice.
- Vitamin D supplements.
Aside from a healthy diet and exercise, here are some steps you can take to prevent osteoporosis:
- Don't smoke.
- Consume alcohol in moderation.
- Keep a healthy weight: being underweight could result in decreased bone mass, while being overweight can result in increased stress on bones.
Treating Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis has no cure, but those with it may be prescribed a number of drugs or treatments to help strengthen bones, including:
- Bisphosphonates: medications that slow or prevent bone loss.
- Monoclonal antibody medications: drugs that prevent bone-asborbing osteoclast cells from forming.
- Bone-building medications.
- Hormone-related therapy.
Fall prevention is one of the most important facets of osteoporosis treatment. Broken bones from falls are a major cause of complications and even death from osteoporosis. Preventing falls is an article all its own (and conveniently you can find it right here!), but here are some basic tips:
- Keep rooms and hallways brightly lit and clear of trip hazards.
- Utilize assistive devices or install fall prevention aids like bars or rails if necessary.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Take your time!
National Safety Month

Posted on June 19 2019

June is National Safety Month!

The National Safety Counsel has a mission to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes, in communities, and on the road. They do this through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing the leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road, and in our homes and communities. Each week, a different topic is highlighted and shared for everyone to learn about. This year, the topics include: Hazard Recognition Slips, Trips and Falls, Fatigue and Impairment.
- Week 1: Hazard Recognition
- Week 2: Slips, Trips and Falls
- Week 3: Fatigue
- Week 4: Impairment
Did you know? Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is there are many things people can do to stay safe and prevent injuries.

Make a difference - spread the word about ways to reduce the risk of injuries. Encourage communities, workplaces, families, and individuals to identify and report safety hazards.

How Can National Safety Month Make a Difference?

We can all use this time to raise awareness about important safety issues, such as:
- How to prevent poisonings
- Driving, biking, and working safely
- Preventing slips, trips, and falls
Everyone can get involved in reducing the risk of injuries. Together, we can share information about steps people can take to protect themselves and others.

Share the Safety Message in June

Use a little bit of creativity to engage workers, families, and communities in safety this June.
- Create newsletters or blog posts
- Hold a safety trivia contest with weekly prizes
- Make an activity out of identifying hazards where you work and live
- Throw a safety fair, lunch, or celebratory luncheon
- Encourage others to take the Safe at Work pledge
- Provide safety training
- Distribute posters, tip sheets, articles, family activities, social graphics and more
The National Safety Council remains focused on saving lives and preventing injuries, including raising public awareness of the opioid epidemic, helping to reduce motor vehicle crashes and improving safety practices in workplaces all across the country. With increased awareness, we can help make safety a priority in our communities, on the road and at work.
PTSD Awareness Month: CBD's Potential in Treating Stress Disorders

Posted on June 18 2019

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by a distressing or terrifying event, in which the uncontrollable recollection of the event intrudes on your life and interferes with daily functioning. This can take many forms, from flashbacks and nightmares to changes in mood or behavior. It's often associated with combat experience, but can occur to anyone who has experienced trauma.

A note of caution: this article discusses situations or events that people with PTSD, as well as other trauma or stress disorders, may find triggering. It makes reference not just to the symptoms of PTSD, but specific types of traumatic events that often serve as causes for the condition. Survivors of trauma, please be advised that this material may prove upsetting.

The Symptoms of PTSD

Identifying PTSD symptoms and triggers for trauma is a complex task. Symptoms are categorized into four basic types:
- Intrusive memories: distressing, intrusive recollections of an event that may include flashbacks and nightmares.
- Avoidance: avoiding people, places, things, or situations that remind you of the event.
- Negative mood changes: emotional numbness, social and personal withdrawal, increased negativity about oneself or others.
- Hyper-arousal: heightened anxiety, restlessness, sleeplessness, concentration difficulties, quickness to irritation or anger.
These aspects of PTSD can appear in many different ways. Increased arousal, for instance, can manifest with sleep disorders, hypervigilance, reckless or self-destructive behavior, aggressiveness, or multiple traits in this realm. Negative mood changes can include social withdrawal, memory loss, detached or estranged feelings, persistent negative feelings, distorted blame towards oneself or others about the traumatic event, or many other instances of negativity or guilt.

The Facts of PTSD

We associate PTSD with warfare, and though many veterans experience trauma and its aftereffects, many other people live their lives with it:
- 7-8 percent of people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives.
- 8 million adults have PTSD in a given year.
- 4 out of every 100 men develop PTSD.
- 10 out of every 100 women develop PTSD.
The discrepancy between the amount of men and women who experience PTSD initially seems surprising, as about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women have a traumatic event occur in their lives. Men are more likely to experience this as a physical assault, combat experience, disaster or accident, as well as a witness to one of these. Women are more likely to experience sexual assault or child sexual abuse.

Military veterans experience PTSD at a higher rate than civilians, with between 11 and 20 percent having PTSD during a given year among those who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. In addition, military sexual assault also plays a part in these PTSD statistics, as 23 percent of women who use VA health care reported a sexual assault in the military. 55 percent of women and 38 percent of men using VA health care reported experiencing sexual harassment while serving.

CBD and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Marijuana use among veterans has risen for over a decade, at least among veterans who utilize VA health care. Daily use among the entire U.S. population has risen 60% over that same period, and the patterns mirror each other: many veterans use marijuana to treat PTSD, while many civilians use it for anxiety disorders. Although some states have authorized medical marijuana use to treat PTSD, there have not been sufficient studies to determine if cannabis is consistently effective for it. In addition, research suggests that marijuana dependence and addition rates increase for users with PTSD.

Although CBD's value in treating PTSD and other anxiety or stress disorders is still under review, evidence for its efficacy has been strong. In addition, cannabidiol (CBD) contains little to no THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, and in testing has continually shown itself to be well-tolerated by users.

Much of the research regarding CBD has been about anxiety disorders, where CBD exerts several actions in the brain that explain why it could be effective in treating anxiety. Anxiety and depression can sometimes be treated with SSRI medications such as Prozac and Zoloft that block reabsorption of serotonin in the brain, which increases availability of this important neurotransmitter. This helps brain cells transmit more serotonin signals, which can reduce anxiety and boost mood. Similar to these medications, CBD may boost signaling through serotonin receptors.

CBD's effectiveness in treating PTSD still merits further research, as many of the studies done so far have focused on social anxiety disorder or chronic depression. If you find these results encouraging, you can read more about the potential benefits of CBD at the official website for Emperor's Best, our new line of CBD products.

CBD has a number of uses and comes in many forms, including: liquid oil, salves, lotions, skin patches, bath bombs, soaps, and edible forms such as gummies.

*Please consult with your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before consuming or using these products, and do NOT stop any current medication without consulting a qualified medical professional.*
Hernia Awareness Month: Products for Hernia Support

Posted on June 17 2019

A hernia is a common medical condition, with over 200,000 cases reported annually in the United States, but it's one that receives little discussion. Chances are you'll sooner hear it mentioned as a stock medical punchline than a serious topic. It's estimated that more than 5 million people have some form of hernia, but only 750,000 people yearly receive treatment for one. Many people may not be aware of the signs of hernia and have mistaken their ongoing pain for something else.

The Facts About Hernias

A hernia occurs when the muscle wall weakens and other tissue protrudes through it, especially intestines, fat, or other organs. They most commonly appear as inguinal hernias, or ones in the groin area, which account for 70% of hernias. Others include vental hernias, which involve the abdominal wall, or hiatal hernias, where the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity. These latter forms are often associated with gastral issues including acid reflux.

Risk Factors and Causes

A combination of muscle weakness and strain, especially over an excessive period of time, causes a hernia. Risk factors for developing a hernia may include:
- Heavy lifting.
- Weight gain and obesity.
- Constipation or straining during bowel movements.
- Colostomy or ileostomy.
- Previous surgery in the area, such as an appendectomy.
- Peritoneal dialysis.
- Collagen Vascular Disease.
- Pregnancy.
- Persistent coughing or sneezing.
- Smoking.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Some hernias disproportionately affect men, especially inguinal hernias, which have a 27% lifetime risk for men and 3% for women. Hernias do not heal on their own and most require surgery. Untreated, they can cause complications like bowel obstruction or strangulation.

Hernia Symptoms

The location of a hernia will often affect any related symptoms, but the most common sign is a lump or bulge at the site, especially one that's easier to feel when you're standing up, bending down, or coughing.

Inguinal hernias also may cause:
- Pain or discomfort in the area, especially when bending over, coughing, or lifting.
- Weakness, pressure, or a heavy feeling in the abdomen.
- Burning or aching sensations at the bulge.
Hiatal hernias also may cause:
- Acid reflux.
- Chest pain.
- Difficulty swallowing.
Some hernias have no symptoms, and you may not be aware of one until it's spotted during a routine examination.

Hernia Products

1. Core Products Hernia Aid Support Belt

Recommended for the temporary control of inguinal hernias, the Core Products Hernia Aid Support features comfortable, effective support whether you've got a left or right side, or even double, hernia. The lightweight, comfortable support belt securely positions soft, contoured pads designed to provide stability and effective containment. It's designed to be inconspicuous underneath clothing, so you can wear it discreetly in public, getting the support you need while avoiding self-consciousness.

2. Post-Hernia Surgery Recovery Kit

This Post-Hernia Surgery Recovery Kit, for those recovering from inguinal hernia surgery, has been assembled with the needs of recovering hernia patients in mind. It includes a suspensory to provide support and stability for your groin, a male urinal to help limit uncomfortable trips to the bathroom, a reusable gel cold pack to alleviate swelling and discomfort, and a bottle of Ibuprofen in 200mg tablets to reduce pain and inflammation. If you're about to be in the uncomfortable position of recovering from hernial surgery, start your return to health with this kit.

3. Zantac 150 Maximum Strength Acid Reducer

Hiatal hernias are a special class of uncomfortable, as they can cause painful acid reflux and heartburn. You'll need an H2 blocker to reduce stomach acid. You'll need Zantac 150. This antacid acts quickly and powerfully to prevent and stop heartburn within 30 minutes, providing relief that lasts up to 12 hours. These refreshing Cool Mint antacids are the #1 doctor recommended H2 brand, formulated with twice as much ranitidine as Zantac 75.