Recent Articles
Hospice care: Overview of a compassionate approach to end-of-life care
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Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
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Depression symptoms: Recognizing common and lesser-known symptoms
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Independent living with home care assistance: Balancing autonomy and support
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The BEEP program: Keep your balance
Balance Archive
Articles
Unraveling dizziness
Bouts of dizziness can be unsettling sensations that may last only a few seconds or linger for several minutes or even longer. Episodes may be isolated or recurrent. Many people have a difficult time articulating what they experience when they say they feel dizzy, because the term encompasses a range of sensations like lightheadedness, wooziness, unsteadiness, or spinning. To help identify the cause, people should first consider whether they are experiencing primarily lightheadedness or vertigo.
Fit balance exercises into a busy day
If it's hard to fit balance training into a busy schedule, it might be easier to just do a one-minute balance exercise at different points in the day. Those points might occur during TV watching, cooking, or toothbrushing. Ideas for simple balance exercises include standing on one leg, heel raises, or sit-to-stands—going from a sitting to a standing position, arms crossed, then returning to a sitting position and repeating the process. It's best to stand near a counter or chair for support.
POTS: Diagnosing and treating this dizzying syndrome
Most of us don't think twice about standing up, but for people affected by postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), standing can provoke lightheadedness and a racing heartbeat. While some people with POTS will require medications, most will improve with some specific dietary and behavioral changes.
Dizziness demystified
Vertigo is a symptom, not a condition. It can make people feel lightheaded, faint, unsteady, or like the room is spinning. Common conditions causing vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular migraines, vestibular neuritis, and M'nière's disease. People should see a doctor after a single vertigo episode to determine the cause. Depending on the cause, treatments might include medications, a canalith repositioning procedure, vestibular therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Staying active, not sedentary, between episodes can help people with vertigo feel better.
Protect yourself from falls outside the home
Many strategies can help people avoid falls in public places. For example, people can wear shoes with nonslip treads in stores and office buildings, use a rollator for stability in crowded areas such as airports or shopping malls, hold handrails on public staircases (or avoid them), avoid parking too close to vehicles in parking lots, or use the handicap stall in public bathrooms. Another important strategy is regularly strengthening leg and core muscles and practicing balance exercises (such as standing on one leg).
Try this: Balancing act
Balancing on one leg for 10 seconds or longer is a good way to improve balancing skills.
Band together for stronger legs
Using your own body weight for exercise is simple and straightforward, but sometimes you need to further challenge your muscles. Resistance bands are versatile, portable, and easy to use to strengthen legs. These four leg exercises with resistance bands will enhance your lower-body workouts.
Recent Articles
Hospice care: Overview of a compassionate approach to end-of-life care
Foot pain: A look at why your feet might hurt
Matcha: A look at possible health benefits
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
Forearm workouts: Strengthening grip for everyday function
Depression symptoms: Recognizing common and lesser-known symptoms
Medication side effects: What are your options?
Independent living with home care assistance: Balancing autonomy and support
Dialysis: What to expect from this life-changing — and lifesaving — treatment
The BEEP program: Keep your balance
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