Stay Healthy for the Holidays!
T
he holiday season is always a busy time of year for the travel industry, and 2025 figures to be no exception. A November report from CNN indicated that the aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that passenger booking on major airlines for Thanksgiving were up by 2.22 percent from a year earlier, when holiday travel reached a record high. Traveling is indeed a key component of the holiday season for millions of people, and long lines at airports, crowded train stations and trains, and even heavily trafficked roadways are among the challenges such individuals must navigate as they aim to spend time with loved ones between late November and the first week of January. Finding ways to stay healthy while traveling is another challenge such individuals face. While that can be difficult, travelers can look to various strategies to stay healthy when taking to the rails, roads or friendly skies this holiday season.
• Take some creature comforts to ensure a good night’s rest. The Clayton Sleep Institute reports that as much as 80 percent of travelers report sleeping worse while traveling than they do at home. Jet lag, general weariness and unique sleeping environments can compromise travelers’ ability to get sufficient and quality rest while away from home. When possible, taking some creature comforts along, such as the pillow you sleep on at home, can facilitate better rest on the road. That can promote a healthier holiday season, as the Mayo Clinic notes people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick after exposure to a virus, including the common cold.
• Do some homework on nutrition. Healthy food and the holiday season are not exactly synonymous, and it’s easy to overindulge in unhealthy fare like baked goods when visiting loved ones between Thanksgiving
and New Year’s Day. It’s also more difficult to eat healthy when traveling, regardless of the time of year. Some pre-travel homework can help travelers find restaurants that offer healthy fare on the road to their destination and locate restaurants with nutritious foods once they arrive. Travelers also can pack healthy snacks to enjoy during their travels.
• Stay somewhere you can exercise. Many hotels now feature on-site fitness facilities and/or swimming pools so guests can exercise during their stay. Travelers can book stays in these facilities rather than staying in hotels with no such offerings or in loved ones’ apartments. Some hotels may include access to a local fitness facility with each booking in lieu of an on-site exercise room. Travelers who want to stay healthy while on the road can take advantage of these offerings during their stay.
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Did you know?
Family history tends to be a risk factor for various diseases, but cervical cancer does not seem to be one of them. A recent report in Medical News Today noted that a person is not more likely to develop cervical cancer if a parent or close relative has had the disease. Data from the World Health Organization indicates that roughly 70 percent of cervical cancer cases can be traced to the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is often transmitted through sexual intercourse. The Cleveland Clinic notes there are more than 100 types of HPV, and some strains of the virus can lead to cervical cancer. People concerned about cervical cancer are urged to speak with their physicians about what can be done to reduce their risk, a discussion that may include suggestions on lowering the chances of contracting HPV.
CBD and THC: Understanding the cannabis alphabet soup
Recent years have witnessed a growing acceptance of the use of cannabis products to address various health needs and conditions. Consumers may come across CBD or THC on the labels of many different items and wonder if these edibles, lotions or tinctures are one and the same. In fact, CBD (cannabidiol) is not the same as THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), and it’s important to recognize distinctions between the two.
CBD and THC are both produced by the cannabis sativa species of plant, says the National Institutes of Health. But they differ dramatically in their mechanisms of action and effects on the brain. Both compounds interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system, but they have very different effects. Cannabis plants actually produce more than 100 cannabinoids, but THC and CBD are the main ones.
CBD
CBD and THC both come from the same plant. However, CBD is not psychoactive, so it will not make a person feel “high.” CBD typically is extracted from hemp, which is considered cannabis with 0.3 percent or less of THC. Marijuana is cannabis with a higher amount of THC. CBD comes from the resin on the leaves and buds of female cannabis plants, as well as the flowering heads of the hemp plant.
THC
THC is similar to CBD, but it is a psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant, which makes a person feel “high” when consumed. In the United States, THC
products and marijuana are considered Schedule I controlled substances. However, marijuana is legal in some cities and states (and approved in others for medical purposes), but laws are continually evolving. According to the Department of Justice Canada, cannabis is legal in Canada and is regulated by The Cannabis Act. Health benefits
Both CBD and THC offer many of the same medicinal benefits. However, Healthline indicates that factors like dose, frequency and product quality may affect how individuals respond.
CBD may be used for treating symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and schizophrenia. It also may offer mild pain relief. THC largely is used to help with issues like nausea, appetite, pain, and insomnia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved prescription medications that include either CBD or THC. For example, Epidiolex is a CBD medication used to treat rare, difficult-tocontrol forms of epilepsy. Commercially available products containing CBD and THC also are available in certain areas.
Healthline advises that CBD is typically well tolerated, even in large doses. THC may cause a higher number of temporary side effects and the potential for long-term negative psychiatric effects.
CBD and THC are similar substances but produce very different effects. Use of CBD and THC should be discussed with a medical professional, and careful considerations must be made to ensure legality where one lives.
THE MANY WAYS DONATED BLOOD AND PLASMA IS UTILIZED
T here’s no shortage of ways for people to give back to their communities.
Volunteering, coaching kids’ sports teams and participating in charitable fundraisers and food drives are just some of the many ways to strengthen a community. Donating blood is another way to give back and save lives.
The National Institutes of Health notes that blood and plasma donations are crucial for a wide range of reasons. In fact, recognition of the many ways blood and plasma donations are used might compel more people to make this simple and selfless act a bigger part of their efforts to give back to their communities.
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• Blood donations are utilized during surgery. The American Red Cross notes donated blood is often used during surgery, including heart surgeries, organ transplants and operations performed after emergencies. Red cells carry oxygen throughout the body, and the Red Cross notes these are frequently given to trauma and surgery patients.
• Blood donations help cancer patients. The Red Cross notes
that platelets are tiny cells in the blood that help to form clots and stop bleeding. Certain types of cancer and cancer treatments prevent patients from forming their own platelets, making platelet donation vital for such individuals’ survival. Platelet donation differs from more routine blood donation, and the Red Cross estimates the process typically takes roughly three hours from start to finish. However, some platelet donations yield enough platelets for two to three patients, making this well worth the investment of time.
• • Blood donations help people with sickle cell disease. The Red Cross notes that patients with sickle cell disease may require multiple blood transfusions every year, and the blood used during such procedures needs to be very closely matched to the recipient’s blood type to avoid complications. Sickle cell disproportionately affects people who are Black or African American, and the most
compatible matches tend to be people of the same ethnicity, making blood donated by members of the Black community particularly useful and necessary to help individuals with sickle cell disease.
• • Plasma donations are pivotal for burn victims. Burn victims typically lose considerable amounts of blood, and the plasma donation experts at Plasmasource.org note that severe burns commonly cause fluid to leak from blood vessels into other tissues. When diminished fluid volume within blood vessels is not addressed, a host of negative outcomes, including shock and potential organ failure, can occur. Such patients typically require plasma donations to replenish fluid volume and avoid further complications from severe burns.
Blood and plasma donation is a simple and selfless act that annually helps to save millions of lives.
More information about the donation process can be found at redcrossblood. org.
Did you know?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has prioritized finding possible causes of autism, including launching the Autism Data Science Initiative. Research is ongoing regarding which behaviors are safe, including examinations of medications taken during pregnancy. What is known right now is that autism rates are rising. As of the latest data, one in 31 children in the United States has autism, according to the organization Autism Speaks. This is up from the previous rate of one in 36. Around the world, one in 100 children are diagnosed with autism. Boys are nearly four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls, and those who are American Indian or members of Alaska Native racial or ethnic groups have a higher prevalence of autism than others.
Hope Your Holiday Is
EMBARK ON A PATH TO SELFIMPROVEMENT THIS YEAR
T here is always room to develop, grow and become a better person. With a new year on the horizon, setting selfimprovement goals now can help anyone navigate a path to a better version of themselves.
Here are some New Year’s resolutions that can help a person grow and nurture their well-being.
• Focus on improving time management. Feeling rushed and that you don’t have a handle on how you spend your time can exacerbate stress. According to Indeed, making better use of time can enhance productivity, make it easier to meet
deadlines and reduce stress. Time management isn’t just about work performance. It’s also an important tool for getting things done at home. Key aspects of time management involve delegating tasks, focusing on one thing at a time (as opposed to multi-tasking) and setting priorities. Become a better listener. You must be able to communicate effectively in all aspects of life to make sure your message is understood. But it’s equally important to be able to receive and adapt to the messages of others. Take advantages of opportunities to slow down and
Dr. Mike Lupinski Speech Language Pathologist & Massage Therapist
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Myofascial Release Therapy • Music Together Classes offered
WHAT IS MYOFASCIAL RELEASE?
Myofascial release gently frees tight, stressed connec tive tissue to help your body move, feel, and func tion better. I t restores flexibilit y, reduces tension, and suppor ts natural balance from head to toe
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receive visitors. Seek input when planning, and ask colleagues how they feel something can be completed effectively.
• Pamper your mind often. According to Vaughn College, feeling calm and in control often means nurturing yourself from the inside-out. Keeping a mind-body balance is essential. Reading excerpts from motivational books or passages, turning off notifications on the phone, taking a break from social media, carving out time for spiritual enrichment or meditation, or working on a puzzle can help fuel the mind.
• Learn to stop procrastinating. Procrastination can lead to increased stress and unhealthy means to managing stress, according to research published in Frontiers in Psychology. Procrastinators are more likely to exhibit avoidant behaviors as deadlines draw closer. To overcome procrastination, breaking down tasks into smallers steps or making short-term goals can help tall tasks feel more achievable. Focusing on self-improvement at the beginning of a new year can help set the course for productive months ahead.
