Health & Fitness

Protecting and caring for your skin are the best anti-aging treatments for a younger looking complexion.

Are you tired of waging a war against wrinkles? Scott Gerrish, MD, of Gerrish and Associates, PC, a non-surgical skin care specialist with offices in Virginia and Maryland states, “Don’t give up yet. There are steps you can take to lessen and even reverse one of the biggest signs of aging: wrinkles.”
13 Simple and Smart Skin Care Steps to Reduce Wrinkles

1. Avoid sun exposure. Try to wear white or light colors, and wear a hat when you’re outdoors. Also, don’t use tanning booths, which can be worse than the sun.
2. Wear sunscreen. For the best anti-aging protection, Dr. Gerrish strongly recommends, “Apply sunscreen with at least an SPF 15 (sun protection factor) thirty minutes before sun exposure to protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Look for one with zinc or titanium oxide in the ingredient list.”
3. Avoid environmental pollutants. Ozone, smoke, and gasoline fumes are just a few of the pollutants that can age skin and cause premature wrinkles.
4. Start an anti-aging skin care program. June Breiner, MD, an internist in Maryland suggests, “Consult with a non-surgical skin care doctor. There are many products available that thicken your skin and reduce wrinkles.”
5. Avoid smoking and second-hand smoke. Smoking takes away oxygen and nutrients, and it also increases the number of free radicals in your body’s cells, a main cause of skin aging. “The amount of cigarette consumption and the number of years you have smoked are correlated with an increase in premature wrinkles,” states Dr. Breiner.
6. Wear sunglasses. Other than staying indoors and away from windows, sunglasses are the best way to protect the thin, sensitive skin around your eyes from UV radiation.
7. Sleep on your back, if possible. Sleeping with your face pressed against the pillow can cause sleep lines, which can turn into wrinkles. Satin pillow cases can also help in the anti-wrinkle fight.
8. Use moisturizer. A good moisturizer will keep skin hydrated and soften wrinkles.
9. Exercise regularly. “It gets your cardiovascular system going, which is great for getting needed nutrients and oxygen to your skin,” Breiner explains. “You should get cardiovascular exercise for your heart and skin health, and weight strengthening exercises for muscle underlying your skin.”
10.   Eat a nutritious, anti-aging diet. Drink plenty of water and teas, and get eight to ten servings daily of fruits and vegetables. Eat fresh caught Atlantic salmon three times a week or another fish high in omega 3 fatty acids, such as herring, mackerel, trout, or tuna. Foods have a tremendous ability to fight the aging process as they are chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs to combat wrinkles, says Breiner.
11.   Avoid processed and refined foods and sugars. They contain chemicals that can cause your skin to age prematurely
12.   Try Retin-A or Renova. Gerrish recommends, “See your doctor for a prescription of Retin-A Retin-A, a cream that has been proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and thicken thinning skin, which is part of the aging process.” If your skin is very dry, ask about Renova , a gentler formulation of the anti wrinkle cream.
13.   Avoid stress. When you’re stressed out, your body releases a powerful aging hormone, cortisol, into your blood stream. “If you have chronic stress, take yoga, write in a journal daily, sing, take a walk, meditate. Do whatever works for you to reduce stress,” suggests Gerrish.

 

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Once known as two separate conditions (emphysema and chronic bronchitis), COPD is a serious, disabling lung disease that makes breathing difficult.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States and a significant cause of disability.
Most people are more familiar with the terms emphysema or chronic bronchitis, but COPD is the term doctors are using more today. "COPD is a term that the scientific and medical community is trying to get the public to recognize. It encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The reason we combined them is because they come from the same thing, mostly smoking, and they usually coexist," explains Norman Edelman, MD, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association in Washington, D.C.
COPD is a progressive disease, which means that it gets worse as time goes by if nothing is done to slow the course of the disease. While doctors cannot cure COPD or undo the damage to your lungs, changing your lifestyle (giving up smoking, staying physically active) and taking certain medications may help you remain active and healthy longer.
COPD: What Happens in Your Lungs
Changes in your airways and the air sacs in your lungs characterize COPD. These changes, which all reduce your ability to breathe easily, include:

• Less elasticity of the airways, so there is less expansion to make room for the air you breathe in
• Destruction of tissue walls between the air sacs (or alveoli) which means there is less ability to take in oxygen from air
• Swelling of your airways due to irritation of the lining
• Production of a greater amount of mucus, which then makes it harder to breathe

Emphysema is largely characterized by the destruction of the lung and air sac wall tissues, while chronic bronchitis results from inflamed or clogged airways. If you have a cough and a lot of mucus on most days for three months a year (at least) for two years in a row, you have chronic bronchitis. However, since both of these conditions occur together in the same person much of the time, they are now considered to be part of COPD.


The Timeline of COPD
For most people, COPD takes many years to become disabling. Unfortunately, says Dr. Edelman, many people do not talk to their doctor when they first become aware of the earliest signs and symptoms, such as shortness of breath. Many mistakenly believe this is a natural part of aging or slowing down, or they may think it doesn't matter because they are only feeling breathless during or after exercise. This is why many people don’t get diagnosed until COPD has progressed.
"We think anybody who is at risk for COPD — that is anybody who ever smoked — and anybody who is short of breath for any reason, even if they haven't smoked, should tell their doctor and ask for a test we call spirometry. It's a simple test that measures how well you breathe," he says. Depending on the results of that test, you might need further testing to find out if you have COPD or another lung disorder.
Initially you may only have COPD symptoms such as coughing or occasional shortness of breath. Periods when symptoms become worse are called acute COPD or exacerbations. As COPD progresses you may be told you have chronic COPD, which means that without medication to improve lung function you could have symptoms all the time. Even when you have chronic COPD that is under control, there may be times when you have acute COPD symptoms because of infections or something in the air that irritates your lungs and airways.
Understanding COPD can help you make choices that will prolong your active, healthy life.

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