anxiety Archives | Best In Corporate Health

Cyberchondria……Is Dr. Google infiltrating our heads?

Cyberchondria – Uh Huh……the fears we get from reading too much from Dr. Google. It is not empowering with knowledge, but debilitating with anxiety. And worse of all – people are self diagnosing.

I remember when I was studying in high school and college, um, before the internet and the resident Dr. Google, I was a health sciences student – I majored in psychology & chemistry. The worse was abnormal psych. I was actually fearful and diagnosed myself with every illness.

Well now its far easier to self diagnose ourselves with every physiological & psychological illness, driving us to cyberchondria.

Avoiding Cyberchondria:

Remember how it was said “get a second opinion”? Googling our symptoms and concerns can lead to far more than “second opinions”. Check out carefully the credentials of the author, institution…anyone can call themselves an expert. As I always say, my chihuahua could post something on the internet. OK, she happens to be a very smart chihuahua, but no, she is not an accredited healthcare professional.
Send those junk emails to spam. Those emails that promise you …the “unpromiseable”. You know, the cures, achieving the unthinkable, discount drugs and supplements, ignore them all – and please do not click on any links. Scaremongering is a tactic to play with the head. A reputable source will not be sending out spam.
Do not take anything, supplement or otherwise, unless consulted with a healthcare professional. The truth is you could be creating an issue, or, have an interaction with medication.
Researchers have proven that the constant checking – attempts to self diagnose – that we go through online actually increase, rather than decrease, anxiety about physical ailments. We are not helping ourselves.
Be an active partner with your healthcare professionals. Keep a personal health record. Record any symptoms & go for regular checkups. Discuss with your healthcare professionals any symptoms or issues you might be having – but leave out the judgment and diagnosis. Leave that to the professionals.
Sure get educated. There are a number of great, reliable health sites from reputable organizations. Get on the email list and learn. Feel confident you are learning from reliable resources. Any of these reliable resources, will tell you to never self diagnose, and their information is to never replace seeking help from healthcare professionals.
Live a healthy lifestyle. Eat a healthy diet, get exercise & physical activity, breathe, have fun. It is overwhelming how living a healthy, balanced lifestyle can help you analyze more logically.
You take control, don’t let the internet control you. Be a savvy researcher. A researcher knows what goes into forming a conclusion, it is far beyond cyber surfing. Use reliable sites to learn, not to diagnose. Ask your medical doctor, naturopaths…whatever healthcare professionals you have entrusted with your health which sites they recommend. Use the information to ask informed questions, not to judge and panic. Health literacy is to be commended.
The same goes for apps. Just because someone has an app does NOT make them a health expert.
If you are blessed to have access to Tele-health or Tele-medicine, contact them with your concerns. Check out employee health programs, community health programs that have validated the authenticity of the providers. Get engaged. Become a health ambassador in your company and community.

Remember: Psychologists tell us, the experience of being left alone with our own thoughts can potentially turn out to be anything but relaxing. In fact, it can be downright anxiety producing. Ever woken up in a cold sweat? Our minds can have a tendency to race, running away with our concerns. Thoughts can spiral out of control, building a web of anxiety and confusion that is not easy to claw through the panic and back to reality. Decipher the cyberchondria from reality. Taking deep breaths, counting to five while inhaling and five as exhaling, can help alleviate fears. Go for a walk and deep breathe, tickle your senses with joy.

URAC approved health technology…..No more Dr. Google…affordable employee health

health hub, personal health record, digital health coaching, white labelled, Health Risk Assessment, Extensive reporting, wearable technology, virtual adventures, engagement……the most robust health technology platform at an unbeatable price…..Everyone deserves affordable healthcare – ask me for a demo.

Interactive corporate health programs…what a wonderful way to affordably make the world a happier, healthier place. Ask us about our digital health platform and our wearable technology program – where wellness programs are included!

Informative ➪ Informalive

Shira@BestInCorporateHealth.com

“Abbey Normal” Brain, Young Frankenstein……Enjoy!

Shira Litwack, Corporate Program Designer — Shira Litwack – The Corporate Happy Place medical fitness professional, Corporate Wellness Specialist, Cancer Exercise Specialist , Medical Exercise Specialist, Holistic Nutritionist, Addiction Recovery

Chief Health Enthusiast – Best In Corporate Health

Shira is regularly consulted by Naturopaths, oncologists, health coaches on cancer exercise and exercise adherence.
Has assembled over 20 health and fitness professionals with varying specialties to bring to corporate wellness programs
Platforms include: Speaking, One-one/group health coaching, Retreats, Course development for in house delivery, Metrics to measure success available, Partners always included
Now offering live interactive webinars, just as if each participant has a personal health coach – making corporate wellness programs affordable to all.
Shira has been interviewed & published in hundreds of resources over the last 15 years:

Articles featured in: European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Medical Fitness Network, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), Willow (Breast & Hereditary Cancer Support),Myeloma Canada, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer, Sirius XM Doctor Radio

Employee Engagement – The Role of Oxidative Stress ?

Institute for Employment Studies report quantified employee engagement: Organizations increasing engagement investment by just 10% can increase profits by approximately US $2,100 per employee, per year.

With all of the possible best efforts by an organization to create a culture of employee engagement, health and wellness, it can easily be sabotaged by the effects of …….oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is rarely addressed, and if it is usually only once again by addressing the outer being. Truth is, this can sometimes create more oxidative stress on the body.

Chronic inflammation is a wildfire raging in the body. The blood vessels and internal organs and systems are affected. This inflammatory process leads to free radical damage and oxidative stress and is a culprit in aging, mental focus, depression & all of our chronic diseases. Our focus must be on addressing the cellular level of health.

There are hundreds of oxidative stressors attacking the body each day. What we need to do is to implement a plan to reduce exposure to the stressors, and strengthen the body to protect itself from bombardment.

Oxidative stressors weaken both physiological and psychological function in a number of ways, and are accepted as the root of chronic disease and ultimately longevity.

A thorough health & wellness program is one that helps employees over time with realistic

Corporate wellness programs from the cell with Best In Corporate Health — Employee wellness programs usually focus on the outer 2 layers. Inflammation and oxidative stress attacks the Cell-Being

implementation and integration of healthier lifestyle strategies. In a fast placed workplace environment combined with the challenges of balancing family, stress, anxiety and mood disturbances are the norm. Facts are not enough – in fact feeding a list of facts, “shoulds” and “should-nots” is irritating. Unfortunately, people frequently turn to the immediate “fixes” such as alcohol, poor food choices, sedentary activities which increase the oxidative load on the body… leading to more stress….more fixes…….the path of addiction. The insidious part, people rarely see this cycle, until they the body has been weakened by an illness.

Some of the more common oxidative stressors, that we can control include:

Alcohol
Smoking
UV
Certain medications
certain food choices
lack of exercise/the wrong exercise/
chemical exposure
pollutants

This is a very general list. Oxidative stress is not simple and straight forward, and of course will affect different people based on their own body’s ability to neutralize.

Consider alcohol: According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism & National Survey on Drug Use and Health 52.7% of the population fall in the range of moderate drinking+.

A recently released study (Society for the study of Addiction) Finally has labelled alcohol as a “cause” of cancer, not just a “link”. The myth of drinking “a glass of wine a day for health” has been proven to be incorrect. Alcohol and cancer is finally accepted as fact. The meta analysis was carried out in New Zealand and published in the Journal of Addiction. Alcohol-induced oxidative stress, happens with a single drink, and sobriety is no indicator of damage.

However, we are not helpless, there are a number of ways we can lower our overall, cumulative oxidative stress load.

Health & wellness programs need to reach far beyond the preaching of eating healthy and exercising. Helping each individual person identify oxidative stressors in their life is the missing link, even in those who have the very best intentions following the healthiest of lifestyles….

Creating a positive, motivating workplace environment is of course a part of employee engagement. However, the ability of an employee to “engage” is within that individual person.

Employee engagement = Corporate Culture + Employee culture (aka cell health)

Shira Litwack calls herself the “CHE – Chief Health Enthusiast” of Best in Corporate Health. Shira has assembled over 30 health and fitness professionals to bring you unique corporate wellness programs designed around your employees. No more one size fits none corporate health programs, no long guilt lists of shoulds and should nots – fun, engaging programs where “installation” is an integral part of all programs. The health coaches cover a wide range of specialties from nutrition, exercise, balancing lifestyle, family harmony, addiction recovery, disease prevention and recovery…..contact us to plan your corporate wellness solutions

Webinars Speaking Retreats Health Coaching

Remember, BICH processes include partners at no extra charge and are measurable!

Shira has been interviewed on: City TV, CTV, National Public Radio, Sirius XM Dr. Rehab Dr. Jonathan Whiteson & The Sports Medicine Show, Living Cancer Free, Web Talk Radio, Voice America, Obesity Control Center, Investment Executive.

Articles Featured In: FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) Willow, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Medical Fitness Network, European Registry of Exercise Professionals, The National Post, Investment Executive Magazine, Directory of Greater Toronto, Canadian Leukemia & Lymphoma Association, Prostate Cancer Canada, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Anytime Fitness, Today’s Black Woman, Today’s Seniors, Cancer Exercise Training Institute, Urban Poling for Breast Cancer, ROW – Recovery on Water for Breast Cancer

Best In Corporate Health

Employee Wellness Employee Engagement with Health

Tag Archives: anxiety

Cyberchondria..Depending on Dr. Google

Cyberchondria……Is Dr. Google infiltrating our heads?

Avoiding Cyberchondria:

Employee Engagement-Effects of Alcohol

Employee Engagement – The Role of Oxidative Stress ?