The transition from work-from-home to working in the office will be rather difficult. Working from home offers one the flexibility to do their tasks wherever and however is the most comfortable for them. Whether it’s working on the couch, in bed or in any position that’s comfortable, the options are endless in the comforts of one’s abode. Since such flexibility is sure to be stripped away once work returns back to the office, it’s important to prepare for the transition. Get to know 3 ways that you can do to prepare starting today.

Dedicate Time For Exercise Once More

Exercise plays a significant role in maintaining the wellness of your physical health. Staying at home for months is sure to make anyone significantly less active, which can result in a slight weakening of muscles. Pair that with non-ergonomic working conditions, and one is sure to notice a slew of orthopaedic issues sooner rather than later, which may require a consultation with an online doctor in Singapore. 

Therefore, dedicating time for exercise back into your schedule is necessary to prepare your body for the strains that accompany the return to the office. Even if you may not have the right equipment, you can always opt for calisthenics exercise to get your body moving.

Rectify Your Posture

As stated earlier, remote work allows employees to work wherever is most comfortable for them if they desire it. However, comfort doesn’t directly translate to maintaining proper posture most of the time. The lack of ergonomic furniture is simply not conducive to good posture, and may lead to the compression of the discs in one’s spine.

To prepare for the nearing transition back to office work, it’s best to start fixing your posture from now on. Placing your screen at eye level, resting your feet flat on the floor, and adjusting your chair to the optimal height is only a few of the many ways that you can rectify your posture.

Start Working at a Desk Setup Similar To The One In Your Office

There’s no better way to accustom yourself back into office life than emulating it well ahead of time while still working at home. In order to make this method effective, it’d be optimal to recreate your previous desk setup from the office as closely as possible and start working there up until management officially calls you back in.

For the people that have rarely worked on a typical desk since starting remote work, this may be a difficult thing to dive right into. As such, one way to do this is by steadily easing it into your workday one step at a time. Spend a couple of hours working on the desk on the first day, increase it by half an hour or an hour on the next, and continue the process until you’re used to it for a full workday.

Conclusion

Going back to an office setting is sure to bring in much-needed benefits, such as an increase in productivity, but it can also give rise to orthopaedic issues if you don’t prepare for the change. If you’ve noticed that you’ve been having orthopaedic problems recently, see a doctor online via the MyCLNQ app today. As the leading app for telehealth in Singapore, you can receive all your medical needs and have your queries answered all in one place. From booking a private ambulance to consulting a virtual doctor, you can get professional medical assistance anytime and anywhere.

The post 3 Ways To Ease Back Into The Office After Months Of WFH appeared first on Livingstone Health.

Coupled with our work from home measures, a sedentary lifestyle is more pronounced now that countries and businesses are taking precautionary measures to better safeguard one’s health from the novel coronavirus. Not only is there a lack of need to travel to and from the workplace, but studies have also shown that the pandemic workday has blurred the work-life balance. Remote workers are putting in more hours, which translates to more time spent deskbound and less time actually moving. This may sound harmless since, after all, how can inactivity be bad for you?

In comes the body aches and pain, and you’ve realised that perhaps, such a sedentary lifestyle may not be as harmless as you thought it was.

What is a sedentary lifestyle?

A 2018 study done by the World Health Organisation shows that 1 in 3 Singaporeans are not reaching the minimum amount of exercise required to lead a healthy life. It stated that men have surpassed women in engaging in physical exercise, but even then, both genders are still far behind the global average. Bearing in mind that physical inactivity is the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality, this statistic is highly concerning.

Juggling everyday responsibilities and commitments is already overwhelming enough, including exercise into your busy schedule can easily be a challenge. Whilst it’s no doubt easier to embrace a sedentary lifestyle, the ones that will pay for your decision will ultimately be your body and health.

Its effects on health

Ironically, merely lounging and not moving have the propensity to bring you harm. Prolonged sitting promotes deconditioning, a form of exercise intolerance that impairs one’s ability to perform physical tasks beyond normal expectations. This will naturally affect one’s ability to meet the demands of increasingly physical workloads.

• Muscle atrophy

Muscle atrophy refers to muscles that have shrivelled and stiffen after a short time of inactivity. This wasting (thinning) or loss of muscle tissue leads to decreased muscle mass, and utilising these muscles for everyday tasks becomes challenging due to the resulting muscle weakness. In fact, studies have shown that paraspinal muscles (muscles that support the back) atrophy and increase in fat contact are associated with low back pain from the result of physical activity.

• Early muscle fatigue

Once one does participate in physical activities, however, cardiovascular issues may start to develop. Adopting a sedentary lifestyle means that the heart is not used to pumping any faster than the rate that it typically does. Apart from a reduced efficacy of the heart, this also means that your muscles cannot receive enough oxygenation to support the said physical activity. This will result in an oxygen deficit, lactic acid accumulation, and nutrimental depletion, leading to early muscle fatigue. Fatigued muscles are more likely to suffer strains and microtraumas with overuse. Muscle fatigue may also lead to tendon and ligament injuries.

• Bone strength and disc

As the structure that sets the foundation of your body, bone health is extremely important. However, due to inactivity, your bone health can be severely affected. Optimal bone health requires stimuli to encourage continued remodelling and increased reabsorption from osteoclast, a bone cell that breaks down bone tissue. The lack of such stimuli will result in weak and less dense bones, leading to strain and deformation. When the bones are brittle, it increases the risk of fractures and breakage, and by extension, further limits movement and mobility.

Reversing effects of sedentary lifestyles

The only way out of all the aches and pain is to simply do the antithesis of what you’ve been doing all this while: be physically active. Muscles will reverse the deconditioning effects by using the underutilised muscles. Exercising helps to build and strengthen these muscles, which can protect the bones from injury. Moreover, exercise also improves blood supply to these muscles and increases their capacity to use oxygen, reducing early muscle fatigue.

You don’t need to run a marathon or start on a bootcamping regimen to reverse these effects either! If you wish to start slow, perhaps begin with a short walk or pedalling on a stationary bike. Once you get the hang of it and feel comfortable with your current intensity level, you can challenge yourself with longer or more intense sessions.

If you find yourself still debilitated by the ache and pain, perhaps it’s time to consult with a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment. To ease your entire process, our telehealth app is here to help you see a doctor online. Receive a diagnosis and medical advice from a virtual doctor by downloading the MyCLNQ app! Available on both Google Play and App Store, you can now meet your healthcare needs with just a click of a button!

The post Aches and Pains: A Result of An Increasing Sedentary Lifestyle? appeared first on Livingstone Health.

Whilst seemingly harmless, many have claimed the act of joint cracking will lead to arthritis and other joint problems in the near future. To find out if this is indeed the case, let’s take a deeper dive into joint cracking.

What Is Joint Popping?

Also referred to as crepitus, joint cracking is the manipulation of one’s joints to produce a distinct cracking or popping sound. While there is no conclusive evidence or study to pinpoint the reason behind the process, several theories explain the cause of its distinct sound.

The most popular theory suggests that the noise is caused by the bursting of nitrogen bubbles within the synovial fluid. Synovial fluid acts as lubrication fluid that helps to reduce friction between our joints as well as preserve the cartilage. Once burst, these bubbles will take another 20 minutes to reform in your joints before you can crack them again.

However, this theory has been debunked by a recent 2015 study where researchers had used MRI technology to prove that instead of the release of air bubbles as many have theorised, joint popping and cracking are resulted from the creation of small space between the bones. This is called tribonucleation.

Unfortunately, further research into the exact process behind joint cracking has yet to be done. As such, the exact reasons and causes of joint cracking are still under debate.

Is Joint Popping A Cause For Concern?

To date, there has been no evidence to suggest that cracking and popping one’s joints adverse effects. Apart from a slight increase in range of motion, some claim that the act itself brings them relief from the pressure and tension build-up.

To determine whether joint popping is a concern, it’s important to differentiate between regular physical popping and condition-related popping. Unlike the former, condition-related popping occurs more frequently and can be rather painful. If you experience pain, swelling or limited range of motion after cracking a joint or two, you may want to consult with your doctor.

More Than A Simple Crack: Condition-Related Popping

Whilst almost always harmless, there are certain instances whereby joint cracking can cause pain and swelling of the joint, tendon or ligament. Such cases are often a side effect of a more serious injury or health condition. Here are some of a few:

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by the wear and tear of the cartilage that sits between the bones. As the cartilage disintegrates, the cushion that prevents your bones from rubbing against each other will get thinner and more ragged. This thinning will cause pain when your bones rub against each other, and in some cases, also popping of joints. As the disease progresses, the more frequent it will occur.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

As an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, rheumatoid arthritis is a disease wherein your body’s defences (immune system) attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, mostly at your joint linings. The affected areas become inflamed and thicken, causing a fluid build-up that will eventually erode and degrade your joints. Over time, your joints will start to deform and shift out of place, resulting in crepitus.

Inflammation Around Tendons

The inflammation of the tendon or the areas around the tendon is a symptom characteristic of certain ailments, such as tendinitis, bursitis and tenosynovitis. The inflammation of the tendon or the surrounding area causes the joint to move in awkward ways, producing the distinct popping sound.

Can I Prevent Joint Popping?

If you wish to stop your joints from popping, there’s only one viable solution: to move. As the saying goes, “motion is lotion.” Minimise sedentary activities and always stretch and move around as this will help prevent muscle tightness and will keep your joints lubricated.

Conclusion

In and of itself, joint popping doesn’t pose any harm to your joints – whether from day-to-day motions or compulsive habits that have been practised over the years. If you don’t experience discomfort or pain whilst cracking, you’re free to indulge yourself to an occasional popping and cracking.

However, should you experience any form of discomfort, you’ll want to discuss with your doctor to further explore if the pain alludes to a severe health condition.

To help you out, our MyCLNQ mobile app is the one-stop telemedicine solution for all your healthcare needs. You can receive a consultation with a virtual doctor, all in the comfort of your home. For an elevated telehealth experience, let us help you get to the bottom of your joint pain.

The post Popping, Cracking & Clicking Of Joints: A Cause For Concern? appeared first on Livingstone Health.

All of which sounds too good to be true. Before you place your doubts, we uncover all you need to know about intermittent fasting.

How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

To put it simply, one who does intermittent fasting will alternate between short periods of fasting and periods of regular food intake. This schedule differs from person to person. One can go without food for 16 hours straight before eating during the remaining 8, whilst another can opt to eat normally for 5 days and eat little to nothing on 2 nonconsecutive days per week.

Effects On Metabolism

One of the many alleged benefits of intermittent fasting often asserted is one of weight loss. As a periodic energy restriction method, this works wonders to help one drop a few pounds. Due to the reduced meal intake, the body is naturally forced to tap into fat stores and burn a significant percentage of fat mass for energy. As such, many claimed that this thermodynamic process would effectively bump one’s metabolic rate, further easing one’s weight loss pursuits. However, it is not clear whether these results are due to a reduced food intake or attributed to changes in eating pattern, although science seems to hint that it’s both.

When one engages in intermittent fasting, one enjoys an elevated human growth hormone (HGH) levels, a hormone that works to stimulate metabolic processes in cells. Naturally, the higher the HGH levels, the higher your metabolism. Moreover, higher HGH levels signal the liver and other tissues to secrete Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGD-1), a hormone that stimulates muscle growth and lean body mass. And as the body preserves more lean body mass, it will impede the slowing down of the body’s calorie-burning process.

Effects On Body Composition

Apart from changes to the metabolic process, intermittent fasting offers other benefits, particularly on one’s body composition. Research has shown that during intermittent fasting, your insulin sensitivity increases across the board. This helps prevent any storage of excess glucose as fat, and will instead be directed to your liver for storage. As a response to lower insulin resistance, the liver will also produce less triglycerides, leading to a reduced risk in coronary disease.

As previously mentioned, those who did intermittent fasting will experience increased levels of HGH levels. Apart from changes to one’s metabolism, HGH also stimulates the upregulation of autophagy – a process in which unused or damaged cell components are collected and recycled; thus, promoting better health and survival of body cells.

Other effects include improvements in blood pressure, blood lipids and heart rate.

Neuroprotective Benefits

One of the many highlighted benefits of intermittent fasting includes the prevention of ageing symptoms of the brain and nervous system. On top of the upregulation of autophagy, intermittent fasting helps to keep down inflammation too. These two processes help to drastically reduce any damage to the brain.

Moreover, since fat burning is chosen over protein use due to an increase in HGH levels, the latter is used for cell repair and the contribution of new brain cells and connections. Such processes are highly beneficial to the brain’s health and longevity.

The Slippery Slope

Apart from requiring absolute self-discipline and willpower, it’s easy to head down the slippery slope and stick to the number of meals that should be eaten rather than the mealtime window you’ve already decided on. Intermittent fasting is less about restricting your meal frequency, but resetting your physiology with a set schedule.

Unfortunately, modern lifestyles favour longer periods of daily energy intake and shorter fasting period. After all, eating is not just about sustenance, but it’s also physical, emotional, mental and social. You’re bound to be eating more than you fast – and at irregular timings at that.

If you wish to engage in intermittent fasting, it is worth noting that reducing your meal frequency will be all for naught if you have an erratic eating pattern. In fact, a haphazard meal frequency (whether you engage in fasting or otherwise) is found to have negative impacts on thermogenesis, insulin sensitivity and blood lipids. So be sure to keep in mind your meal schedule and stick to it!

Final Thoughts

If you’re not quite sure whether intermittent fasting is truly right for you or how best to approach it, you can always ask your MyCLNQ doctor/nutritionist. With MyCLNQ, access to telehealth and telemedicine is right at your fingertips! You’ll be able to set an online medical consultation and consult with a virtual doctor/nutritionist without having to leave the comforts of your own home.

The post Intermittent Fasting: The Science Of Going Without Food appeared first on Livingstone Health.

The good news, however, is that this condition usually goes away after you give birth. But screening for diabetes should still be done after delivery as up to 40% may go on to develop pre- diabetes within 5 years after delivery.

It’s important to keep your blood sugar levels under control during your pregnancy to keep your baby healthy and prevent a difficult delivery. If left untreated, gestational diabetes can cause serious complications, including miscarriages, preterm labor, birth injury to baby, and hypertension in the mommy.

Read the full article here: https://livingstonendocrine.blogspot.com/

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