College of DuPage Nursing Student Kaela Jean-Pierre shared that in modern times, health care providers focus most of their time and effort on preventative medicine. They invest their time into diagnosing and treating hypercholesterolemia as a preventive measure for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing 1 in 4 deaths. Hypercholesterolemia is defined as the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Understanding the importance of cholesterol and improving it is important for individuals of all ages to reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is made by the body naturally and found in the bloodstream and the cells. Cholesterol is essential in generating hormones, building cells, and substances that aid in food digestion.    Cholesterol is needed to maintain a healthy body but just like the saying, “too much of anything is bad”, meaning in this case, too much cholesterol can be detrimental for the heart. There are at least two types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” kind of cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, a kind of “bad” kind of cholesterol. HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein protects the heart from heart disease. It removes LDL (Low-Density- Lipoprotein) from the body and prevents it from buildup in the arteries. LDL cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease because it leads to plaque buildup on the inner wall of the arteries.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

When there’s an excess amount of cholesterol in the blood, it forms plaque in the walls of the coronary arteries leading to vasoconstriction of the blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the heart. This condition is also atherosclerosis. The most common causes of hypercholesterolemia are unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, age, and family history. Stress can also affect cholesterol levels, just like hypertension. Untreated high cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and heart failure. Read more

College of DuPage Nursing Student Andy Margate researched for Healthy Lombard that when thinking about healthy fruits, you would think of common fruits such as apples and oranges. However, one fruit that many people may have not heard about is a fruit called rambutan, a fruit that is related to lychee. It would be considered an “exotic” fruit in the United States but is quite widespread and quite popular in South-East Asian countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It might be considered weird for those who don’t often eat this type of fruit, due to its appearance of being “hairy”. While it might have an odd appearance, it is still a fruit that has a lot of health benefits to the body.

How is it healthy?

            Rambutan is a great source of vitamin C about 4.9 mg per 100g of rambutan, which is 8.17% of your daily nutrition needs. Vitamin C is an essential part of maintaining a healthy body as it plays an important role in tissue formation, improves the absorption of iron for enhanced blood circulation, and it also improves the body’s immune system to fight off infections and is an antioxidant that helps remove toxins from the body (Netmeds, 2021).

It is also a great way to improve heart health, as rambutan is a great source of potassium with about 84.1 mg per 100g. Potassium is an important mineral for maintaining heart health, especially for managing high blood pressure. High blood pressure can be dangerous, as it can overwork the heart and damage the blood vessels providing a lower output of blood to the body (Netmeds, 2021). Read more

Sharon William, the head of digital marketing at Koch Orthodontics in Loganville, GA., shared with Healthy Lombard that once you’ve spent months or years wearing braces. It’s finally time to take them off and see your pearly whites in a single, straight-line, minus the metal brackets, your teeth straightening journey doesn’t end here.

The after-braces journey is just getting started, and it’s just as important. This is where the retainers will step in and continue working on keeping your teeth straight.

What is a Retainer?

The teeth will continue to move after the braces are removed. They are at risk of going back to their original, crooked positions.

The main job of the retainers after braces is to ensure that your teeth don’t move back into crooked positions. As the name suggests, they ‘retain’ the straight positions of the teeth.

 

Why are Retainers Needed?

Besides your teeth, the elastic ligaments that hold your teeth to the socket in your jaw will also move during the orthodontic treatment. Once the braces’ treatment is over, the tissues and ligaments in the jaw will need some time to stabilize.

Without a retainer, the teeth will certainly migrate to their old positions as the elastic ligaments will start moving again. The braces treatment may essentially get reversed without the retainer.

An orthodontic retainer will help your teeth and their surrounding hard and soft tissues to stabilize and align in their new positions. The teeth may take from several months to a few years to become permanent in their new, straight positions. The orthodontists will recommend you wear the retainers until the teeth settle in their new positions.

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Natalie Altenburg shared with Healthy Lombard that due to the pandemic, many things have been postponed or canceled.  From concerts to film premieres to family gatherings, many of the events that we look forward to simply will not be happening when we want them to or how we want them to.  It is easy to feel disappointed because of all these changes.  While it is okay to feel however you feel, it is also important to have healthy ways to deal with these feelings.  Here are a few ways to help deal specifically with disappointment during the pandemic.   

• Look for things to be grateful for and take time to recognize them.  When there are so many things going wrong or making us feel negative emotions, it can be easy to get caught up with those emotions.  However, finding things that we are grateful for can help with lifting moods and focusing on more positive things.  One way to do this may be to write down what you are grateful for.  Another thing to do may be to identify people that you are grateful for and send them a nice note to let them know that you are grateful for them.  

• Find ways to add excitement and happiness throughout your daily routine or weekly schedule.  Maybe you plan to make yourself a really great latte midway through your day.  Maybe you and your friends schedule a weekly Zoom call.  Whatever it is, try to plan something that you can look forward to that you are also able to control.  This way, you are still having some fun, but because it is on your own terms, it will be much harder for something to get in the way to prevent it from happening.  
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