Caregiving Archive

Keeping the gut microbiome diverse is good for health and may even be tied to healthier aging. To maintain such diversity, it helps to eat a healthy diet that includes lots of fiber, which gut microbes eat. Also, exercise may be helpful to the gut microbiome, since exercise may change the rate at which material moves through the intestines. Other ways to promote a healthy gut microbiome including getting a dog, which exposes us to more microbes; quitting smoking, which relieves stress on gut microbes; and maybe eating more probiotic-rich foods, which may boost beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Some types of cheese, including Swiss and Gouda, are a good source of probiotics, but eat cheese in moderation.

Trauma can register within our bodies on a cellular level. What that means — and how best to heal from serious traumas — is the focus of somatic therapy, a newer form of mental health counseling that highlights how deeply painful experiences affect us and can be addressed through mind-body approaches.

While the COVID pandemic changed how many people approached their health, the experience offers a teachable moment about how people can maintain new and improved healthy habits. Four areas that were most affected by COVID and enabled people to create positive changes are exercise, diet, medical check-ups, and social connections.

Adults who stay well hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions (such as heart and lung disease), and live longer than those who take in less fluid. Still, many older adults have trouble drinking enough water during the day. Adopting strategies like keeping water bottles close by, drinking with every meal, and eating more water-rich foods can help them meet their daily recommended amounts.

Despite social media claims, mouth taping while sleeping can prove risky, leading to hampered breathing, disrupted sleep, or skin irritation. People who can't breathe through their nose when sleeping should see their doctor to evaluate the problem.

A 2023 study suggests regular exercise improves symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress more effectively than sedentary behavior.

There's no time to lose when someone suffers a burn. For a minor burn on a small area of skin, run cool water over it for 20 minutes to help limit damage, and then apply petroleum jelly or antibiotic cream and cover the burn with a bandage. If a blister develops, dab antibacterial cream on it, cover it with a bandage, and get to a doctor as soon as possible. Second-degree burns that are large or involve the face, hands, feet, or genitals, and all third-degree burns, warrant a call to 911.