FitSugar

What Causes Hiccups?

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:30:00 PDT

Everyone and their mother seems to have a unique cure for a bad case of the hiccups, but what I want to know is, what causes them in the first place?

A hiccup is an unintentional contraction of your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen. It plays an important role in breathing, and when it contracts, it makes your vocal cords close briefly and that's what causes the sound of a hiccup.

Hiccups are actually triggered by many things:

Eating spicy foods - It can cause irritation to the nerves that control normal contractions of your diaphragm.
Eating a large meal, eating too fast (swallowing air), or drinking carbonated beverages - These can cause your stomach to expand, which pushes up your diaphragm, making hiccups more likely.
Drinking alcohol - Alcohol can relax your diaphragm and vocal cords, making it easier for other factors to trigger hiccups.
Tobacco use - Tobacco use may irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm.

Want to know what else can cause hiccups? Then

Sudden temperature changes - Whether the change occurs inside your body (like drinking hot tea), or outside your body (when you go outside in the snow), it can cause hiccups.
Excitement or emotional stress - It's not clear why this can cause hiccups, but it may have to do with one of the nerves involved in the hiccup reflex being startled.

As annoying as hiccups can be, even if you don't sip water through a straw while pinching your nose, or hold your breath while saying the word "hippopotamus" in your head 5 times, hiccups will eventually go away on their own. Very rarely do hiccups last for more than 20-30 minutes. If they do, like this poor girl who had them for 3 weeks straight, there could be an underlying medical problem such as nerve damage. If this is the case, someone should definitely seek medical attention pronto.

Source

Ask Savvy: How to Deal With an Annoying Co-Worker

Savvy Community — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:05:13 PST

This reader posted in our Ask Savvy group - she wants to know how to handle a co-worker that's getting on her nerves.

I sit next to a co worker all day on a switchboard, it's been me and her for the past two years, and we actually get along great. We are close friends and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding.

The thing that's driving me insane is that she is really loud while we're working next to each other, and I don't know how to address it without offending her, because she doesn't even notice it herself or mean to cause a disruption.

She breathes SO LOUD when she's eating at the desk, and it drives me insane, I've come so close to just telling her to blow her nose, because it sounds like the reason she's breathing loud is cause she needs to clear her nose. This is every day.

She's also always banging so loud on the key board when she types, slams phones down, slams cupboard doors, and is constantly chewing at her finger nails making noise

She also chews her food really loud.

It wouldn't normally bother me but it's been every day for the last 2 years, outside of work it's never a problem, just so annoying throughout the work day. What should I say without offending her to tell her that her heavy breathing and banging around is highly irritating.

Or should I just suck it up and realize people have their quirks.

Ask anything budget-, etiquette-, or planning-related - well, almost anything - by posting your questions in the Ask Savvy group, and I'll find the right expert to help you out.

Mistakes Runners Make on Race Day

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:38:43 PDT

Whether you're signed up for your town's Turkey Trot 5K or a much longer distance (like this weekend's NYC Marathon!), you don't want to do anything on the big day that might cause discomfort while running - or worse, an injury. To ensure your best race, here are mistakes to avoid on race day.

Wearing Something New
Train in your race-day outfit during the weeks leading up to the race. I'm talking everything from your undies to your sports bra and your wicking socks to your hat. You want to make sure that what you're wearing is comfortable, breathable, and won't cause any irritation. Be sure to practice longer training runs in this outfit; sneakers that feel great after three miles might cause painful blisters by mile 12.

Eating Too Much or Not Enough
Your nerves might have your stomach in knots, but don't skip out on your prerace fuel. A few hours before the race, eat a meal of familiar foods that are easily digestible. Avoid a meal that is laden in fat and sugar - it won't give you sustained energy and may also cause stomach cramps. Like your outfit, food is something you can play around with during training. Find a meal that works for you by testing it out before going on a big training run. Hydration is key too. Drink 14 to 20 ounces of fluid two to three hours before you run rather than chugging an entire Nalgene 10 minutes before. Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the race, too.

Continue reading for more tips on what not to do on race day.

The Facts on Eco-Friendly Fitness Fabrics

Leta Shy — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:14:10 PDT

It's almost Earth Day, so chances are you've been hearing the word "eco" so much that it almost loses its meaning. But when you shop consciously, it's about more than just reading a label. Knowing how your fitness wear is made and where it comes from can be just as important as sourcing your meal at a restaurant.

The good news is that finding an eco-friendly fabric can also enhance your workout; it will be irritant-free, naturally breathable, and hypoallergenic, which can be just as important as knowing it's helping save the environment as well. Don't know the facts on popular sustainable fabrics? Here are a few exercise-friendly fabrics to look out for.

Bamboo
Eco-Friendly: Not only is bamboo a renewable resource, but it contains a substance that makes it antimicrobial - perfect for sweaty fitness clothes! Growing it can be less impactful on the environment, since fertilizers and pesticides aren't needed to help it grow exponentially or replenish itself once harvested.
Eco-Enemy? There's the growing problem of irresponsible, forest-clearing bamboo farming, but a larger issue lies in bamboo's conversion into that soft, moisture-wicking material that we love to wear. Depending on the manufacturer, making bamboo fabric may involve a chemical cooking process known as hydrolysis-alkalization using lye and carbon disulfide; these chemicals can lead to headache, fatigue, and nerve damage in those who are overexposed to them. Also, bamboo must be bleached several times throughout the manufacturing process.
What You Can Do. Make sure you know where the brand sources its fabric and if the manufacturer uses chemical processing to make the fabric (REI, for example, makes sure to not label chemically processed bamboo products as eco-friendly). Keep in mind that the more earth-friendly mechanical processing (extracting fibers manually from crushed bamboo treated with biological enzymes) is also more expensive, but worth it.

Check out the pros and cons of more eco-friendly fabrics after the break.

Give Teeth-Whitening Pain a Kick in the, Uh, Teeth

Jaime Richards — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:04:05 PDT

There are many advantages to teeth whitening, the obvious being a brighter smile. But one of the biggest disadvantages to this bleaching procedure is the pain often associated with it. "The sensitivity usually happens if you leave the gel on for too long, so it can become an irritant," explains Dr. Arthur Glosman, a Beverly Hills general and cosmetic dentist.

But the main reason many people experience discomfort from teeth whitening has to do with the fact that hydrogen peroxide, the agent that helps remove stains and discolorations from teeth, has a low pH, which can cause discomfort.

At the dentist's office, a fluoride layer is used to help bring the acidity level up and therefore neutralize the H202. But for you at-homers, Dr. Glosman recommends staving off the pain by brushing with a desensitizing toothpaste prebleaching, repeating the step postbleaching as well.

And rest assured, if you're worried that whitening your choppers is damaging, Dr. Glosman clarifies, "There is no information as of right now, over the past 20 years, that it permanently damages enamel or dentin or the nerve."

DrSugar on Fibromyalgia

DrSugar — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 09:30:12 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! Today she's explaining the confusing condition fibromyalgia.

I am taking a break from answering your questions to discuss a medical condition that has garnered a lot of attention in recent years, both in the medical field and the public arena: fibromyalgia, a well-publicized but often misunderstood medical condition that affects two to four percent of the population. To learn more about fibromyalgia, keep reading!

Achoo! 5 Things You May Not Know About Sneezing

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:00:45 PST

Everybody sneezes, but some people sneeze daily while other folks just don't. The sneeze is your body's way of expelling foreign element from your nose from irritants like dust and pollen, to bacteria and viruses. This blustery act is more complicated than all that. Check out these five surprising facts about this ordinary phenomenon.

Exercise makes people sneeze. When working hard and breathing heavy, your mouth and nose dry up. Your schnoz reacts by dripping, which makes you sneeze.
Sneezes break the speed limit. Traveling at 100 miles per hour, a single sneeze blows air and mucus out of your mouth and nose, sending out 100,000 germs into the air. That's good news for you, but bad news for those around you. Remember to sneeze into your elbow!
Your sneeze reflex sleeps with you. Yep, you don't have to worry about sneezing in your sleep, because your sneezing nerves take a snooze when you do.

Learn why both the sun and sex can bring on a sneeze when you

Sneezes and the sun have something in common. One out of three people will sneeze when exposed to bright sunlight. Actually, light sensitivity is genetic, so chances are if you're a sun sneezer, someone in your family is too.
Sex is another sneeze trigger. "Stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system fires off signals in some people to not only enjoy the act of sex, but to sneeze when it's over."

Beyond Moderation: The Hangover

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:00:25 PST

I have heard it said that the best cure for a hangover is to drink in moderation, but there are times when we all go a bit overboard . . . like New Year's Eve. If you had a few drinks too many, let me explain what is going on with your body and offer a few suggestions to help your get over your hangover.

Symptom: Dehydration
Your throat and mouth are dry due to dehydration, which is caused by the diuretic properties of alcohol. The dehydration also affects your muscles, making them feel weak.
Cure: Drink plenty of water, all day long! I have found Nuun tablets help too.

To see why your stomach feels off and what you can do about it,

.
Symptom: Sour Stomach
The excessive alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach, causing nausea and sour stomach. The inflammation delays digestion, which in turn contributes to the feelings of nausea.
Cure: Take some Alka Seltzer or eat mild foods like bananas (which also help with dehydration).

Symptom: Irritability
Your liver gets backed up trying to metabolize all the alcohol, so you might be experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia (that's a fancy term for low blood sugar), meaning you are highly irritable and moody.
Cure: Eat some food and drink some juice. Foods high in fructose are thought to speed up the body's ability to remove the alcohol from your system.

Symptom: Jangled Nerves
Your central nervous system becomes chemically overexcited, causing sensitivity to light, sound, and touch.
Cure: Rest with an eye pillow and soothing music.

Symptom: Headache
Blood vessels in the brain dilate, and that is what is causing that throbbing headache, which is only exacerbated by your dehydration mentioned above.
Cure: Take some OTC (over the counter) pain medication, but avoid ones containing acetaminophen, like Tylenol, because it may cause liver damage. If you take some form of ibprofen, make sure to not take it on an empty stomach, since it can upset your tummy and harm the lining of your stomach.

Symptom: Sleepiness and Sleeplessness
Your pituitary gland becomes confused and releases the wrong amounts of the hormones that regulate sleep. So while you may want to sleep it off, your sleep pattern is severely disrupted.
Cure: Try some Sleepytime Extra Tea fortified with Valerian root to help you sleep.

The only real cure for a hangover is time. Physical activity can help, too. Take a walk or jog and sweat a bit to help get the alcohol out of your blood. Fear not, the aftereffects of your partying should only linger for about 24 hours. Tomorrow is another day.