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On Your Health

Check back to the INTEGRIS On Your Health blog for the latest health and wellness news for all Oklahomans.

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Examining the Impact of Digital Misinformation on Your Sleep Quality

There's a growing trend on YouTube of misinformation about sleep medicine, including tips and advice on improving sleep disorders. In this blog we visit with Viral Doshi, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist with INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, to examine how watching these videos for information can harm your sleep health.

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National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance in August to highlight the importance of vaccines for people of all ages and how they help to prevent and protect us from serious, sometimes deadly, diseases and illness.

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Why the Brain Seeks Out Sadness in Music

Sadness is a common but unpleasant emotion – it’s one of the six basic emotions alongside fear, happiness, anger, surprise and disgust. Sadness is also inherently viewed as negative, but as science has indicated, it’s not always a bad thing. Take music, for example – the brain is actually capable of receiving pleasure from sounds and lyrics that focus on sadness.

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What Is Swimmer's Shoulder?

Paul Allegra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Orthopedics Central, warns that “shoulder pain can be secondary to a multitude of factors, including multidirectional instability, rotator cuff tendinitis, subacromial impingement or rotator cuff tears.” He says if symptoms persist, you should seek treatment from a medical professional.

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What Your Face Can Tell You About Your Health

You can glean valuable information simply by looking at someone’s face. Whether it’s facial expressions to indicate happiness or sadness or changes in skin color and texture to indicate illness, the face can offer insights into how you’re feeling.

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Reducing Pain Through Physical Therapy

There isn’t a cure for chronic pain, so many times, patients will turn to medications for chronic pain relief, such as over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opioids. But more conservative treatments such as physical therapy can help without being tied to as many side effects as medications – long-term NSAID use can cause gastrointestinal problems and prescription painkillers have addictive properties.

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When is it Time to Consider Knee Replacement Surgery?

The decision on when to get knee replacement surgery is a topic many Americans struggle with. In 2020, Northwestern Medicine published a study that found 90 percent of people waited too long to fix their knee with joint replacement surgery, and 25 percent of people who had it done did so prematurely.

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Why is My Fitbit Giving Me a Rash?

Smartwatches have become increasingly popular for their health-tracking features. But they can also cause skin irritations and rashes for some people. These skin issues, known as contact dermatitis, are a common issue associated with wearing smartwatches. Learn more about contact dermatitis and how to alleviate irritated skin.

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What are the Six Stages of Concussion Recovery?

We spoke with Paul Allegra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with INTEGRIS Health in Edmond, about how to recognize a concussion and what next steps to take.

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Who Should Get the RSV Vaccine?

RSV is a common viral infection that affects the respiratory system, including the nose, throat, lungs and breathing passages. RSV comes from the Paramyxoviridae family, a group that also includes the mumps and measles. The virus can replicate anywhere in the respiratory tract, mainly the breathing tubes and lungs. This replication then causes swelling and inflammation that makes you sneeze, cough or have trouble breathing.

Lainey Townsend

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Why Do You Need a Primary Care Provider?

You’ll visit your primary care doctor for most medical needs, including wellness visits and routine preventive screenings, non-emergency illnesses like colds and sore throats. This is the person to whom you can comfortably ask questions about your health or voice concerns. We speak with Nathaniel Yokell, M.D., a physician at INTEGRIS Health Medical Group Yukon, about the importance of maintaining a relationship with a primary care provider.

Lainey Townsend

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The Role of Nutrition in Skin Health

Skin is the body's largest organ, and serves as a protective barrier. While various factors influence skin health, nutrition plays a pivotal role in maintaining its vitality, resilience and overall well-being.

Lainey Townsend

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Breakfast: Is It the Most Important Meal?

Breakfast: it’s the most important meal of the day! Right? This popular platitude has been echoed time and time again, but what kind of scientific support is there to back it up? Breakfast helps many people kick start their day with energy, but some morning meals can do more harm than good.

Lainey Townsend

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Should You Try an Affirmation Workout?

An affirmation workout takes two healthy practices – exercise and positive self-talk - and brings them into one powerful package: the affirmation workout. You can use affirmations before, during and after a workout – or all three. Choose one or two affirmations that speak to you – don’t try to remember more than a few.

Lainey Townsend

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What is Volume Eating?

This eating philosophy is also sometimes referred to as the energy density approach. It’s all about evaluating foods based on nutrition, calorie density and fiber content. Foods with a lower calorie density contain fewer calories per gram than high-calorie-density foods. Fiber content is something to pay attention to because fiber keeps you feeling full.

Lainey Townsend

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Simple Lifestyle Changes for Better Gut Health

Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for overall well-being. The health of our gastrointestinal system, often referred to as the gut, plays a vital role in digestion, nutrient absorption and immune function. If you're looking to improve your gut health, there are simple lifestyle changes you can incorporate into your daily routine.

Lainey Townsend

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Clean Beauty: What Does it Mean and Why Does it Matter?

When you hear the term 'clean beauty,' you might wonder what it's all about. Is it just another fancy phrase in the world of skincare and cosmetics? We dive into this topic to understand what clean beauty means and why it's important for you and the planet.

Lainey Townsend

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How to Shop for Higher-Protein Foods

There are changes to make when shopping to make adding more protein into your diet easier. Whether it’s revamped products that feature more protein or existing products that are healthier alternatives, consider these swaps the next time you’re at the store.

Lainey Townsend

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Should You Add Collagen Powder to Your Routine?

Collagen is a health supplement that can help you have healthier hair, glowing skin and fewer wrinkles. It is associated with all of the above and has very few known risks. We share some ways collagen can help enhance your life.

Lainey Townsend

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How to Ease Desk Job Pain

The most common desk job injuries include back pain, carpal tunnel and arm pain, headaches, shoulder and neck pain, hip and leg pain. We detail several different ways that you can help prevent desk pain in the future.

Lainey Townsend

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How Joy Affects the Body

Did you know that managing stress and anxiety is a big factor when it comes to keeping the body in good health? When we live stressful lives or are constantly feeling the effects of anxiety, we may start to neglect our health without realizing it. People with optimistic outlooks on life have been shown to have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, so tending to your mental health could be just as beneficial as watching your cholesterol levels!

Lainey Townsend

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What are the Benefits of a Cold Plunge?

Have you ever heard of a cold plunge? The idea of willingly jumping into chilly waters might seem strange, but there's much more to it than meets the eye. We explore the science behind these icy adventures and discover the amazing ways they can boost your well-being.

Lainey Townsend

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Foods to Help Fight Fatigue

In some cases, fatigue can be an indicator of an underlying medical problem, but most of the time, fatigue can be correlated with habits we either need to break or adopt. Too much exercise or physical exertion can lead to fatigue, as can boredom, poor sleep, emotional stress and poor eating habits. We share different foods to eat and avoid to help fight fatigue.

Lainey Townsend

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A Dozen Proven Health Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Olive oil is delicious. You can drizzle it on bread, cook with it, make marinades and dressings, add it to any recipe calling for oil or butter, cook eggs in it…we even found a recipe for an olive oil martini. According to the American Heart Association, extra virgin olive oil is the top choice for health benefits, but regular olive oil is a good second choice. We share a dozen reasons to choose this oil for cooking and eating.

Lainey Townsend

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Ways You May Not Have Realized Stress Affects Your Body

The same stress you deal with when completing daily tasks can also affect your body in ways you never realized. We’ll highlight some common areas that stress can directly or indirectly impact, as well as how stress can affect your immune system.

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Improving Your Health With Laughter

Boost your health with laughter! It's a free, fun, and easy way to cope with challenges, enhance relationships, and promote physical and emotional well-being.

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Ways Our Pets Help with Stress and Mental Health

We all love our fur babies for their companionship and cuteness, but did you know that they may be beneficial for your health as well? Studies show that keeping a pet can work wonders on keeping your stress levels under control and can have a positive impact on your physical health as well.

Lainey Townsend

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Loaded Teas: Are They Safe to Drink?

We explore what loaded teas are and if they're safe to drink.

Lainey Townsend

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Dehydration Symptoms, Causes and Tips for Avoiding It: We’ll Drink to That

Summer in Oklahoma is hot and it’s all too easy to become dehydrated. It’s simple enough to reverse mild, or even moderate dehydration by increasing fluid intake and making sure to drink enough liquids and eat enough hydrating foods daily. We share symptoms of dehydration and tips to stay hydrated in hot weather.

Lainey Townsend

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5 Natural Sleep Aids to Help You Get a Better Night’s Sleep

In today's fast-paced world, getting a restful night's sleep can sometimes feel like an elusive dream. Tossing and turning, staring at the ceiling and feeling exhausted the next day are all too common for many individuals. In this blog, we explore five natural sleep aids that can help you achieve a better quality of sleep.

Lainey Townsend

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