Charlotte Area Pharmacists Offer Healthy Living Tips To Help You Relax

Charlotte, Lancaster, and Rock Hill Pharmacists Offer Healthy Living Tips To Help You Relax

There’s no doubt that living a stress-free life can be challenging. Everyone is trying to make time between work, family, and our personal lives. Obviously, leading a stressful life can adversely affect your health, both physically and mentally. 

Beyond feeling tired and grumpy most of the time, you may feel irritated and mostly unhappy just because you aren’t relaxing well enough. In this article, you will learn about simple ways that can help you relax no matter how busy you are. These tips will help you create time for yourself and also relax. 

Without further ado, here are the healthy living tips that can help you relax.

Manage Stress

Stress is part of everyone’s daily life experience. In fact, it serves the important purpose of warning us against potential threats, so we can avoid danger. However, too much stress and the way we respond to it can impact our health negatively. 

Sometimes, too much stress may lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. Under certain circumstances, too much stress can even result in physical health problems like heart diseases and gut stress. 

Although no one can totally avoid stress, it can be managed by proper relaxation and responding to it appropriately. To manage stress, you can begin by setting reasonable deadlines, so you don’t get overwhelmed. Additionally, be deliberate about creating time to relax through good sleep.

Engage in Moderate Physical Activity

Although this may sound counterintuitive, engaging yourself in moderate physical activity or exercise may be beneficial for stress management so you can get to relax. Evidence indicates that a sedentary lifestyle may lead to increased stress, mood swings, and sleep abnormalities. 

However, when you engage in physical activity, your muscles become relaxed, and this enables you to release physical tension. Try aerobic exercises such as swimming, brisk walking, cycling, and gardening. When you do this consistently, you will be able to reduce stress levels and also relax.

Eat Healthily

What you eat can be your biggest ally or foe when it comes to relaxation. That’s why you need to pay attention to what you’re eating when you’re feeling stressed. Experts have demonstrated that certain types of nutrients in some foods can affect your emotion, motivation, and mood. 

For instance, whole grain foods can help you boost your mood and reduce stress by raising your serotonin levels (a hormone that boosts your mood and helps to reduce stress). Also, avocados offer stress-reducing omega-3-fatty acids that help to reduce stress and fight anxiety, so you can be in a greater mood to relax. 

Lastly, warm milk can help you get a great night’s sleep if you’ve had a really stressful day.

Observe Relaxation Exercise Routines

There are nights when it can be very challenging to fall and stay asleep. While we may blame stress and anxiety for these moments, however, you may be having issues with falling and staying asleep due to progressive inactivation of your body’s relaxation response.

To overcome this, you need to try relaxation exercises to help you relax. Some relaxation exercises you can try include:

  • Breathing Exercises: This involves taking slow deep breaths to create a sense of calm. If you find yourself lying awake in bed for too long, then you should try taking ten slow deep breaths. This may help you relax and then fall asleep.
  • Visualization Exercises: This technique involves creating calming and serene mental images that will help you expand your ability to rest and relax. You can do this by initially closing your eyes, then focusing your mind on one calming mental image. This may help you to remove any tension you may be feeling throughout your body. 

Monitor Your Daily Activities

Do you spend most of your time working, sitting down behind a computer, or doing the same thing in the same way throughout the week? Then you may need to add some flexibility to your daily activities. Doing the same repetitive thing can prevent you from getting enough rest when you need it. 

Sometimes, you may not even realize that you haven’t been creating enough time for rest or exercise. Monitor your daily activities and be deliberate about creating more time to rest. Some quick ways to relax include creating time to take a quick walk, trying to get organized, doing some yoga, meditation, or just laughing.

Get a Hot Bath

Getting a hot bath is one of the unique ways of relaxing your body, and many of us can attest to this. A hot bath helps you ease off the day’s stress by enhancing your skin’s ability to release endorphins. Additionally, a hot bath improves your lung capacity and oxygen intake, which are beneficial for the efficient regulation of your blood pressure.

Try Getting a Massage

A massage can be a powerful tool for relaxation. A good massage after a stressful day can help you reduce pain, muscle soreness, and tension. Additionally, it can improve your energy, circulation, and alertness. Beyond that, a massage can be helpful for anxiety, nerve pain, and headaches, ultimately helping you relax.

Contact Carolina Pharmacy in Charlotte, Rock Hill & Lancaster for Health Tips

Contact Us for Health Tips In Charlotte, Rock Hill & Lancaster

You can take charge and control your stress levels by learning how to relax. Even when you don’t feel stressed, practicing these relaxation tips will help you keep stress away and improve the quality of your life. Feel free to speak with a pharmacist for health tips in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Lancaster.

Charlotte Pharmacists Explain the Consequences of Stress

Consequences of stress in Charlotte, Rock Hill & Lancaster

Stress affects us all in many ways – the demands of each day, such as work, family, personal issues, and more. Stress is everywhere. It is meant to be a beneficial psychological response for you. However, when not managed properly, it results in negative outcomes that can wear you down both physically and mentally

In this guide, we will explain the health consequences of chronic stress and how you can relax and relieve yourself of stress so you can live a productive and healthy lifestyle. 

What Is Stress?

Stress is a normal psychological response to demanding situations. This response to situations may either be real or just perceived. This response is part of the body’s control system, often called the ‘fight or flight response,’ which is built into our system to defend us against injury. 

Physiologically, the stress response is triggered by certain hormone signals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which result in body responses such as an increase in heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. Hence, when you encounter a real or perceived threat, these hormones are triggered to cause these physiological responses. 

However, these responses to stress can go wild. In other words, there are instances where the perceived threat has passed, and yet the response to stress continues. This disrupts your body’s natural processes leading to constant feelings of being under attack and ultimately negative health consequences. 

Symptoms of Stress

The stress response comes with several feelings, such as anxiety, fear, anger, and aggression. You may feel irritated, frustrated, and depressed even when the stressors aren’t there just because your stress response doesn’t stop firing. These symptoms are not without certain body reactions. Common symptoms of stress include headaches, indigestion, nausea, pains, heart palpitations, digestion problems, and more.

That’s not all, these symptoms can influence your behavior in many ways.  For instance, you may feel withdrawn from people, which can often cause you to snap at them. You may also feel depressed. This can affect your cognition and decision-making, so you may be inflexible or even indecisive

Health Consequences of Long-Term Stress

Prolonged activation of the stress response can disrupt the normal body processes, putting you at risk of many health problems. For instance, prolonged stress can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems. 

During a typical stress response, you will find yourself breathing faster than the normal rate. If you have respiratory disorders such as asthma, then stress can make it even harder to breathe. Similarly, chronic stress raises your heart rate and pressure and increases your chances of getting hypertension, stroke, or even a heart attack.

Stress also affects the digestive system. The stress response makes your liver produce extra glucose to boost your energy levels. However, your body may not be able to keep up with processing the glucose rush under chronic stress, which can lead to a risk of the development of type 2 diabetes

Furthermore, the effects of chronic stress affect the muscular system. Your muscles begin to get tense and tighter, making them difficult to relax. This can lead to persistent muscle pain, headaches, and more. 

How to Relax and Relieve Yourself of Stress

Dealing with stress begins by first understanding the nature of stress and the stressors. These stressors may be physical events or emotional reactions to pressures you’re faced with. These stressors usually manifest as mild physical warnings of headache, fatigue, and tense muscles. Don’t ignore these early warning signs of stress. 

Now begin to look for practical solutions to deal with the stressor by thinking about where you can make changes. For instance, you may start by prioritizing the most important things in your life and slowly getting rid of the things that are stressing you out. 

You may also try to delegate some of your daily activities so you can have more time to relax and build supportive relationships with friends and family.

Additional tips to relieve stress include:

  • Adopting simple lifestyle changes
  • Getting a massage
  • Going for a walk
  • Trying alternative therapies such as yoga or aromatherapy
  • Finding a hobby

Get Help for Stress in Charlotte, Rock Hill, & Lancaster

Although it may be challenging, relieving yourself of stress is one of the easiest ways to live a healthy lifestyle. Do you feel stressed? Are you experiencing headaches, tiredness, and mood swings that you can’t explain? Then feel free to contact us for stress management in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Lancaster

 

7 Vital Questions To Ask Your Charlotte Area Pharmacist

Vital Questions To Ask Your Pharmacist in The Charlotte Area

Getting the best out of your visit to the pharmacy requires asking the right questions. Your conversation with your pharmacist is a two-way street; pharmacists are always ready to listen to your question as much as you’re ready to listen to their medical advice. 

Have you been asking your pharmacists questions about your medications? Do you share information about your medical history and allergies with your pharmacist? It’s time you started asking your pharmacist more questions. Here are some of the common questions to ask your Charlotte area pharmacist.

What Types of Food Does My Medication Interact with?

The scope of pharmaceutical care goes beyond just medications. Our Charlotte area pharmacists can advise on how what you eat or drink interacts with medications since reactions may occur with certain foods. 

In some cases, interactions with foods may be harmful. Always ask your pharmacist if your medicine will interact with any food or alcohol before taking the medication. Moreover, also ask about the best time to take your medications, before or after meals.

Does My Medication Have Any Major Side Effects?

No drug is without one or more side effects. However, the extent and severity of adverse effects differ for every drug. Your pharmacist is a specialized health professional that can inform you of potential side effects you may experience while taking your medication and how you can manage them.

How Do I Store My Medication?

Different medications have different storage conditions. If not stored correctly, they start losing their potency. This affects the effectiveness of prescribed medications. A simple rule of thumb is to store medications in a cool, dry place. Also, keep medications away from humidity, the direct impact of sunlight, and drastic temperature changes

However, different medications require specific storage requirements. For instance, some medications, such as glaucoma medications or insulin for managing diabetes, require refrigeration. 

Another pro tip, avoid leaving your medication in your car. If you’re traveling by air, it is advisable to carry your medication in your carry-on luggage to avoid the effect of extreme temperature drops typical of a plane’s luggage hull. Be sure to discuss storage requirements with your pharmacist to be able to maximize the potency of prescribed medications.

What Should I Do if I Miss a Dose?

Sometimes life happens, and you could miss a dose of your medication. That’s understandable. But that’s not a reason for you to double it up the next time you’re to take the medication. That could result in drug toxicity which could wind you up in the emergency room. 

If you missed a dose of your medication, feel free to contact your pharmacist about what to do. However, keep in mind that it is better to comply diligently with your medication regimen for the medication to work effectively leaving little to no room for error.

How Long Should I Continue to Use the Medication?

The right time to stop taking your medication varies depending on the drug and the nature of the condition. For certain drugs, you may feel better after two or three days of commencement of the medication, but you may still have to take them for seven to 14 days for maximum efficiency. Antibiotics fall within this category. 

Some medications require routine monitoring and achievement of a certain set of therapeutic goals before you can decide whether to stop them or not. At times, a change to another medication may be required to effectively treat the condition. 

Regardless of the type of medication you’ve been prescribed, be sure to talk to your pharmacist about the right time you can stop the medication for optimal pharmacy care.

What Other Medications Can My Medicine Interact with?

Just like drugs interact with food, they also interact with other medications. Certain non-prescription drugs are known to interact with prescription medications. Some of these interactions may decrease the effectiveness of the drugs, while others may lead to unwanted adverse effects. 

Do not take any medication with other medications without asking your pharmacist how they interact. Also communicate with your pharmacist if you currently take any herbal medications or alternative therapies.

Find a Knowledgeable Pharmacist Near You in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Lancaster

Since pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals, getting the right medication advice is easier than you think. At Carolina Pharmacy, we provide personalized pharmacy services. Our goal is to ensure that you get the best quality medicines for your health at an affordable price. Feel free to contact us for your pharmaceutical advice in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Lancaster.

 

Charlotte Area Pharmacists Offer Food Tips for Overall Health

Best & Worst Types of Food For Your Overall Health in Charlotte

It is needless to say that your happiness depends on your being in the best health possible. This is not just about your body health; your mental health is also very important. Fortunately, putting healthy foods as part of your routine can dramatically transform your health positively.

Similarly, avoiding some types of food will prevent the occurrence of commonly encountered diseases that are diet-related. In this guide, we will be going through the best and worst types of food so you can make healthy dietary choices for your health.

Healthy Foods for Your Heart and Body 

Best types of food for your health in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Lancaster

Vegetables

Eating enough vegetables may be one of the simplest and cheapest ways to dramatically improve your health. Vegetables have exceptional health benefits because they’re full of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are important for health

For instance, the dietary fiber in vegetables is important for digestive health. Dietary fiber works by helping to enhance vitamin and mineral absorption in the body. 

They also contribute to heart health and combat cardiovascular diseases by helping to prevent calcium from building up in your blood vessels through their potassium component. Hence, adding vegetables to your diet is a great dietary choice that should be an important part of your daily recipe.

Avocados

It’s no wonder they’re very popular in health and wellness in Charlotte. Beyond being nutritious, they’re versatile and delicious and have several health benefits

Avocados are rich in vitamin C, E, K, B6, folate, lutein, omega-3-fatty acids, potassium, and more. Hence, they’re great for vision and heart health and help to improve digestion. The folate nutrient in avocados has been linked to helping prevent depression and improve cognitive function.

Apples

Apples have outstanding health benefits beyond their delicious taste. They’re rich in soluble fiber and flavonoids, so they help to prevent heart attack or stroke and other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as high cholesterol levels. 

They’ve also been linked to improving diabetes control due to their high levels of antioxidant polyphenols, quercetin, and phloridzin. They also help improve dental health and cognitive function. 

Legumes

Legumes are another affordable, nutritious plant-based protein loaded with health benefits. 

Legumes have powerful health benefits because they deliver antioxidants to cells which help to prevent cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and cancers. They also provide a plant-based protein that can help reduce the risk of heart disease and obesity.

Salmon

One of the most nutritious types of fish with outstanding health benefits. It is well known for its good fats (omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) and wonderful nutrients with excellent health benefits.  

These fatty acids contribute to heart health by helping to control cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation within the artery when combined with potassium. Additionally, salmon is rich in dietary protein, which is the building block of muscles and cartilage. 

Surprisingly, they also boost brain health due to their high levels of DHA, so they can help prevent psychological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive disorders.

Tuna

If you’ve been looking out for one of the best sources of vitamin D, then you have tuna. Beyond improving heart health and helping to reduce blood pressure, tuna improves eye health because it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It contains high levels of protein, so it aids growth and development and may also help combat metabolic deficiency. 

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Foods That May Harm Your Health

Sugar Drinks

You’ve probably heard that consuming too many sugary drinks is bad for your health. That’s a fact. Too much sugar has been linked to diabetes, cavities, non-alcoholic liver diseases, and weight gain. Sugary beverages have also been linked to heart diseases by causing inflammation within the blood vessels and increasing the risk of heart disease.

Potato Chips

Potato chips are one of the most popular salted snacks in the United States. Potato chips are high in sodium which makes them dangerous to the heart by contributing to high blood pressure

They’re also high in fat because most potato chips are typically fried in oil as part of their cooking method. Additionally, their processing can lead to dangerous by-products, such as acrylamide which can cause cancers and neurological damage.

Alcohol

Heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to inflammation of the liver, which leads to cirrhosis and is a serious health problem. Excessive alcohol consumption also has a negative impact on your brain, body weight, heart health, and dental health and could potentiate type-2 diabetes. 

Flavored Yogurt & Ice Cream

Flavored yogurt and ice cream give a satisfying feeling in the mouth, no doubt. Both contain sugar and may have negative health impacts that are typical of sugars.

 Professional health tips in Charlotte, Rock Hill, and Lancaster

Get Health Tips from Your Pharmacists in Charlotte, Lancaster, and Rock Hill

At Carolina Pharmacy, we help you stay on top of your health by providing you with tips and guides that will improve your quality of life. Contact us for more information on how to maintain your body health in Charlotte, Lancaster, and Rock Hill.

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