The more you understand about what is wrong with you, the better prepared you will be when things go wrong. Remember to keep informed; information about conditions can change over time as more is learnt about it.

Teach your friends and family about your illness:

Not everyone is willing to learn, but the more your friends and family understand about your illness, the more supportive they will be. If you’re unsure how to teach them, show them some easy to follow websites about your condition, and leave them some light reading material (e.g. a simple pamphlet) to peruse in their own time. Be prepared to answer any questions they may have afterwards, some of the questions may make you uncomfortable, if you feel this way it is within your rights to say you don’t want to talk about that.

Develop a supportive network:

This may not be your current friends and family, getting in contact with a support group can be very beneficial. You can join an online support group or find one in your local area. If you cannot find a support group, maybe start one up yourself, remember all support groups that currently exist had to be started by someone at some point in time.

Get your Doctor on your side:

Some people feel that their GP/specialist is not supportive, or perhaps not working hard enough to help them get better or manage their condition. If you feel this way it is time to either find a new doctor, or get your current one working harder for you.

Develop a sense of control:

For many people a chronic illness can make them feel as if they have no real control over their health or their life. Getting that control back or at least the sense of it can be very challenging, but it isn’t impossible. It is important to find some way to feel in control, even if it’s controlling what and how you eat, or perhaps designing your own exercise program. Another method is to keep records of everything that happens to you, writing down what happens to you, what’s scheduled for when, what your goals are, some plans of attack, can make you feel as if you are controlling your illness and not the other way around.

Create time for you:

This seems a simple idea, but it can be very hard to do. It is especially difficult when your illness impacts on all aspects of your life. Find a hobby or a pastime that has nothing to do with your illness, and find time for it regularly. This could be something creative, like scrapbooking, playing music, writing short stories, whatever makes you feel content.

Post from: The Recovery Room

Chronic Illness Survival Guide

Related articles:

1. Virus basics: Swine flu With the current pandemic of swine flu many people with...
2. Fatigue: finding the cause Why am I so tired? Fatigue can be a very...
3. Ulcers: A quick guide What is an ulcer?  “Erosion of the tissue lining, usually...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

About viruses

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘catch a cold’? Well this common phrase is a myth, a virus is transferred from person to person (or from another animal), while a virus can be airborne; they still need to originate from a living host.

There is however some element of truth to this in that in cold temperatures your immune system will be suppressed, it may not be suppressed by much but it can be enough to give the virus a chance to take hold.

About your immune system

The immune system is really quite amazing; many armies of past and present would be envious of the defence our immune systems can mount.

Your immune system has special ‘units’ that can learn and remember past viruses, what this means is if you have had a strain of a virus before your immune system will know exactly how to defend against it in the future. This is why you do not get back the same virus you have passed on to family and friends.

For immune compromised patients, your immune system may not be able to mount such effective defences. If your immune system is lowered there isn’t going to be enough ‘units’ to fight off the virus and you could end up very sick and hospitalised in some cases.

About swine flu

Swine flu is considered a threat because it is a strain of virus that many of us have not seen before, for anyone under 50 you will have had no exposure to this strain in the past, for people over 50 you may have some immunity as this virus has been seen in the past, but the current version is much different to the previous exposure.

The message has been (in Australia) to seek medical help if you have moderate to severe symptoms. This means symptoms such as difficulty breathing, and elevated temperatures. As most people have recovered on their own from swine flu, general flu symptoms should resolve on their own.

For immune compromised patients

If you have immune problems you are considered an at risk group, you should present to a doctor early if you develop symptoms to be tested.

It is also recommended that an immune compromised patient has the flu vaccine every winter, while this will not currently protect against swine flu, it will protect against a few other threatening strains.

Other at risk groups

People with underlying conditions are considered at a higher risk for complications if they develop swine flu, unfortunately this means many of The Recovery Room readers. The level of risk depends on the type and severity of condition/s you have, respiratory and immune conditions for example are an issue.

Protecting yourself

There really is no great way to protect your self from any virus over winter. Avoiding high risk situations such as visiting people you know are sick, or visiting high risk areas are basic precautions. Eating a healthy diet and getting adequate rest will give your system the best chance to mount a good defence.

If you do get sick, it may or may not be swine flu. There is no reason to panic unless serious symptoms develop, if you are an at risk patient present to the doctor as soon as possible. Otherwise treat it as you would the regular seasonal flu, lots of rest and plenty of fluids.

Post from: The Recovery Room

Virus basics: Swine flu

Related articles:

1. Infections Chronic illness can leave people with suppressed immune systems, putting...
2. Surviving travel Love travel? Not sure how you will cope? Below are...
3. Vitamin D Vitamin D is not strictly speaking a vitamin; it is...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Is alcohol bad?

Alcohol is a toxin, and your body treats it as such making it a priority to remove it from your system as quickly as possible. However, a variety of studies have shown benefits of regular low level consumption. This doesn’t mean you can accumulate that 1 drink a day and consume it all at once on Friday night, but if you have one standard drink a day it may be beneficial in reducing heart disease risk.

Does this mean if you don’t drink now you should start?

NO! If you do not currently drink, do not start for ‘health benefits’, alcohol is still a toxin and the risks outweigh potential benefits.

How much is considered ‘moderate’?

In Australia the recommendation by the NHMRC is for no more than 4 standard drinks per day for men, and 2 standard drinks for women. This is actually a fairly high recommendation and should be considered the maximum for any given day and not a guide of how much to drink.

What about hangovers? Is there a cure?

No, there is no outright cure, you cannot take something and make it go away. Your body needs to remove the alcohol and can only do so at a set maximum rate. The liver can process approx 15g of alcohol every hour on average (varies from person to person, this is approx 1.5 standard drinks).

The best treatment is simply to rehydrate the body. Dehydration is the biggest culprit behind hangover symptoms, so drink lots of water or any suitable fluid (coffee and tea are not ideal as they are both diuretics). Sports drinks can be beneficial but not essential. If you feel nauseated, sugary drinks may be easier to drink, use whatever fluid you will find easiest to consume.

Should I take supplements?

This MAY help, as alcohol consumption does deplete nutrients such as B vitamins. However, B vitamins are stored in the liver and your liver will be unlikely to take them up well until all the alcohol is removed. It’s better just to eat a healthy meal and replace those nutrients naturally.

How do I prevent hangovers?

The best way is to pace yourself: sip your drinks, alternate every alcoholic drink with water or juice, and set yourself a limit to stick below (everyone has different tolerance levels; don’t let others set the pace).

It is a good idea to eat before you begin drinking, this does slow down alcohol absorption while there is food in the stomach. Also, if you are drinking for a number of hours remember to eat regularly.

So if alcohol is a toxin should I drink at all?

This is something each individual has to decide. Healthy people can tolerate moderate consumption without problems; however those with chronic illnesses may want to consider this more carefully. Consider how much alcohol impacts on your condition, does it exacerbate symptoms? Could it be potentially harmful long term? People taking certain medications also may need to be careful, as some medications if detoxified by the liver could reach toxic levels during alcohol consumption (if alcohol is prioritised for removal, your medication will accumulate to higher than normal levels).

It can be difficult in social situations not to consume alcohol at all, if alcohol is making your condition worse but you still wish to drink, as best as possible drink at a safe level to minimise the impact on your health.

Post from: The Recovery Room

Alcohol and hangovers

Related articles:

1. The Caffeine Myth You may have heard in the past that caffeinated drinks...
2. 10 Healthy habits of healthy people There are some simple habits that everyone can benefit from,...
3. Crohn’s disease and a semi-vegetarian diet A small clinical trial has been conducted which found a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Some suggestions for family and friends:

1.      Bring over a prepared meal – Bringing over a plate of food that the person can just sit down and eat can be extremely helpful, and can allow them some much needed rest.

2.      Keep visits short – Visits are nice, but can be exhausting when your sick, keep any visit to someone unwell to no more than an hour, unless they say otherwise.

3.      Make the coffee – Visiting someone usually means they have to play host, bringing over the snacks and making the coffee can relieve them of this duty.

4.      Have no expectations – Getting to functions can be a real challenge for the chronically ill; always make the person feel its ok to miss events and its ok to leave early.

5.      Any help is a big help – Whatever a person is able to do, no matter how big or small is a help, bringing over milk and bread to delay having to shop, or washing the dishes at the end of a visit may seem small to you but it’s big to them.

6.      Be there – Chronic illness is isolating, if they need someone to talk to its important they feel that someone is out there available and willing when they need it.

7.      Take an interest – Taking the time to understand a little of what’s wrong with them can go a long way, it not only shows you care but will help you better understand what’s happening to the person.

8.      Ask how the person is, and mean it – Unfortunately the answer is not always going to be positive, be prepared that the answer might be negative, showing that you wish you didn’t ask in any way will make the person feel isolated.

9.      Don’t treat them differently – Sometimes having someone be extremely sympathetic all the time can be a bad thing. Even the sick need to feel normal and accepted, don’t treat them as if they will break easily and need protecting, mostly they need friends.

10.  Don’t judge or assume – Its easy to compare someone else’s experience with your own, suggestions of what makes you feel better when your tired will only aggravate the person, it isn’t helpful. You cannot know what someone else’s experience is, do not assume they should be able to do more.

11.  Take them to appointments – If you are able to, driving someone to a doctor’s appointment can save them having to drive themselves. Appointments are often exhausting; it can reduce the drain to not have to drive.

12.  Help them socialise – If it’s difficult for the person to get out socially, taking them out occasionally is nice, even if it’s just a short outing its nice to leave the house.

13.  Don’t push the help – As important as help is a sense of independence is also very important. Make the offer’s of help, but do not push the point, sometimes feeling independent is more important to the person than feeling well; they have the right to refuse and it is not unreasonable for them to do so.

14.  Take restrictions seriously – If the person says they cannot do something, or they cannot eat something they mean it. Be supportive and cater to these restrictions as much as possible.

Post from: The Recovery Room

How to care: Advice for family and friends

Related articles:

1. Fun ways to spend a good day Be creative – Spend some time on a creative endeavour;...
2. Chronic Illness Survival Guide Learn about your condition: The more you understand about what...
3. Virus basics: Swine flu With the current pandemic of swine flu many people with...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

1.      Drink plenty of fluid – The largest component of the human body is water; every part of our bodies require water to function efficiently. Consumption of 2-3L of fluid daily is considered optimal, this can be gained not only by drinking water and various beverages but also in the food we eat.

2.      Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables – You are what you eat, and some nutrients are best obtained through fresh produce, processing destroys important nutrients such as folate and vitamin C so it’s important to have fruit and vegetables as part of every day.

3.      Choose wholegrain breads and cereals – Wholegrain products have a higher nutrient value and higher fiber content than their refined counterparts. Refined flours lack the fiber that not only keeps you regular, but also naturally control the release of sugars within the body (this means blood sugar spikes, not ideal for diabetics, those with glucose intolerance, and anyone trying to manage a hormonal condition). People with fatigue should also be aware of this; blood sugar spikes mean blood sugar crashes which can exacerbate feelings of fatigue.

4.      Regular exercise – Sounds obvious but many of us are not moving enough. Regular exercise helps manage stress, prevent weight gain, and reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

5.      Consume a rich source of iron daily – Women especially need to be aware of this, statistics show many women consume under the recommendation for iron daily. The most important job for iron in the body is as part of haemoglobin, this is how oxygen is carried around in our bodies.  There are many good sources of iron both animal and plant derived.

6.      Consume rich sources of calcium daily – We all know the importance of calcium in bone health, it is also used in many other processes in the body. This one becomes especially difficult for those on restricted diets; cutting out dairy is one of the methods used in natural healing to manage certain chronic illnesses. Fortunately there are other sources of calcium apart from dairy.

7.      Minimize caffeine consumption – I’m definitely not suggesting giving up caffeine altogether, as caffeine addict myself I understand how difficult this one is to give up, but it can be cut back using decafs and low caffeine drinks. The consumption of 3 cups of coffee daily or its caffeine equivalent is safe for most people; however people with certain conditions may want to consider cutting back further if possible.

8.      Cutting back or abstaining from alcohol consumption – While healthy people can handle a moderate amount of alcohol, sick people will find it more difficult to detoxify the alcohol from their systems. If you’re trying to recover from an illness, keep consumption as infrequent and minimal as possible, remember while your body is removing the alcohol it isn’t working on healing you.

9.      Safe sun exposure – While it’s good to be careful in the sun not to get burnt, a short period in the sun regularly not only feels good, is relaxing, but is also a major source of vitamin D. Vitamin D is a hot topic right now with studies showing it reduces the incidence of certain cancers, it’s also essential for bone health.

10.  Find time for you – Remember you’re the most important person in the world. Make some special time for yourself regularly, even if it’s a long hot bath once a week any time to indulge your own wants is special and important for health and happiness.

Post from: The Recovery Room

10 Healthy habits of healthy people

Related articles:

1. Alcohol and hangovers While we all know that alcohol isn’t good for us...
2. Iron: A quick guide There are two ways that iron can be increased, by...
3. Crohn’s disease and a semi-vegetarian diet A small clinical trial has been conducted which found a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.