Ask the Nurse

Here are some popular questions we have received:

 

Question: When should you have a tick bite examined by a doctor.

Answer: If the tick was embedded longer than 24 hours, if a red bullseye appears, or if you start developing any symptoms such as fever, chills, body aches, etc.

​

Question: What are the symptoms of heat-related illness?

Answer: Dizziness, nausea, headache, rapid pulse, excessive sweating, fatigue, confusion, fainting, dry/hot skin

​

Question: Can I get a sunburn if it is not sunny out?

Answer: YES! UV rays are still strong on cloudy and hazy days.

​

​Question: At what age should I get serious about my health?

Answer: Right now! If you haven’t had a checkup in the past year, start there. Get your blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol numbers checked, and make sure that keeping them under control is a top priority. 

​

Question: Should I be concerned about high cholesterol?

Answer: High cholesterol, particularly LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, is still a marker for a higher risk for heart disease.

​

Question: What is the best diet plan?

Answer: Healthy-food rule number one: no fad diets, no weird plans, just common sense. In most cases, you can eat anything you want. You just can’t eat as much as you want. And you have to include the fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains and fish you need to lower inflammation and keep your calories in check.

​

Question: Should I eat breakfast?

Answer: Yes! Breakfast is important for a number of reasons, and one of the big ones is fiber intake. A 2021 Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine study found that breakfast eaters who ate more than 25 grams of fiber a day had a 21 percent lower risk of all-causes death than breakfast skippers did. And a meta-analysis of studies showed that for every day of the week you skip breakfast, your risk of diabetes grows.

​

Question: How can I eat a healthy diet when I’m on a budget?

Answer: Go frozen! Frozen fish and vegetables are generally less expensive than fresh, come in convenient serving sizes (no more tossing half-full containers of spoiled spinach) and keep for weeks.

​

Question: What can I do to be healthier?

Answer: Go for a walk. Being sedentary, with low overall fitness, raises your mortality risk as much as, or more than, smoking, high blood pressure and heart disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week. Just over 20 minutes of brisk walking each day gets you there. “Doing the same activity every day over time has benefits, but changing it up could have more benefits,” notes Jordan Metzl, M.D., a sports medicine specialist at New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery. “Doing a variety of activities, particularly as you get older, will challenge your body, lead to greater fitness and health benefits and help you avoid injuries.” He recommends swapping in weight training, swimming or biking, and yoga.

​

Question: I'm exercising, so why am I not losing weight?

Answer: Weight loss comes primarily from eating healthier food and fewer junk calories. What exercise does is dramatically lower your risk of age-related health issues, from bone loss to heart disease to back pain.

​

Question: What can I do about the stress in my life?

Answer: Aggressively rethink how you react to daily dramas. A 2020 study showed that people experiencing “unbearable” stress lost nearly three years from their life expectancy. Always remember that stress isn’t a demanding boss, a struggling child or lousy daily news headlines; it’s your reaction to them. You have two choices: Remove the stressor, or learn how to react to it in a healthier way. 

​

Question: What’s the first sign of heart disease? 

Answer: It’s plural: unusual fatigue, sleep problems, shortness of breath, indigestion and chest pain, says Suzanne Steinbaum, an osteopathic preventive cardiologist. Take special note if the latter three happen when you’re active and go away when you’re at rest. 

​

For more questions and answers, visit https://www.aarp.org/health/top-health-questions/ or ask our nurse by filling out the form above.