Boost your ability to lift and carry heavy loads

It’s easier to lift and carry heavy items if one maintains the muscles that help do the job, such as the thigh, gluteal, abdominal, shoulder, and arm muscles. In addition, it helps to follow the rules of safe lifting and carrying. To lift: one should get close to the object and bend the knees slightly, wrap one’s arms around the object, push down with the legs, and stand up straight. To carry: one should hug the object close to the chest to boost stability.

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Treatments for a stiff, narrow aortic valve

There are a number of treatments for a stiff, narrow aortic valve. They include open heart surgery to replace the defective valve, a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to replace the valve, or medicine. Doctors say surgery or TAVR are equally good choices. TAVR is less invasive than surgery and appears to work as well as surgery in both the short and long term. Medicines alone, while an attractive option, may be the worst choice.

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Crucial ways you can support a healthy immune system

There’s no evidence that maintaining a healthy lifestyle will suddenly boost the immune system. However, it’s clear that healthy lifestyle habits contribute to overall health, supporting the body’s ability to fight infections instead of creating new problems. Healthy habits that help maintain a robust immune system include getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night, exercising, reducing stress, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, drinking alcohol only in moderation, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting underlying conditions under control.

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Can forest therapy enhance health and well-being?

When you were a child and your mother told you to go play outside, it wasn’t just because she needed some child-free time. Inspired by a Japanese practice, forest therapy is an immersion in nature that has been shown to have positive effects on health.

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Can celiac disease affect life expectancy?

Previously thought to affect mainly children, celiac disease is now understood to be a systemic disorder that can develop at any age. A recent study found a small but significant risk of increased mortality in those with CD, but managing the condition through proper diet and medical care can mitigate the risk.

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Collaborative care: Treating mental illnesses in primary care

Collaborative care is a team-based model of integrated psychiatric and primary care that can treat mental illnesses in the primary care setting. Providing this patient-centered care in the primary care setting improves access to mental health care and reduces stigma.

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If cannabis becomes a problem: How to manage withdrawal

There is disagreement over whether or not there is such a thing as a cannabis withdrawal syndrome, but it’s definitely real, and with increased availability of legal marijuana and other products, even those who use it medicinally need to be aware of the symptoms, and what to do if they think they have it.

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