Rising to the blaring of the clock early in the morning, some of us like to follow those annoying wake-up calls with a dose of natural breeze by walking a mile or until sunrise. Walking offers great health benefits to all age groups. However, there is walking, and then there is walking with the right form. This is especially important for those walking on a daily basis. You could be doing it wrong without ever realizing it. This blog should help make you a better walker with our pointers on fixing your common walking mistakes.

1. Map Your Steps – Become An Explorer!

Walking outdoors is interesting; however, taking a different route every day could stave off the boredom and keep you interested in your daily step count. Get your map out – mark the spots that you would like to cover this week. Your curiosity to explore new places

Have trouble sleeping? Do you snore?

If so, your doctor may suggest undergoing a sleep study to help diagnose whether you have a sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, parasomnias or insomnia.

How does a sleep study work?

These are tests that record specific body functions during sleep, according to John Sand, DO, an OSF HealthCare sleep specialist.

It takes place overnight in a sleep lab, although there are situations where a home test can be conducted. As you sleep, instruments measure things like heart rate, breathing rate and airflow, brain wave activity, eye movement, blood oxygen level and muscle movement.

“They wire you up like an astronaut – there are things on your fingers to measure your pulse and blood oxygen level, electrodes on your head – you think right off the bat that you’re not going to be able to sleep, but you do,” Dr.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, OSF Innovation and OSF OnCall Digital Health rapidly set up a virtual program to treat sick people at home while also reducing stress on hospital capacity and medical providers. The idea grew out of a Trailblazer Challenge, a competition that helps Mission Partners bring their ideas to life.

In just three months, OSF HealthCare was among a few health systems in the country successfully leveraging technology to care for more than 100 patients at their own homes across Illinois. As a result, OSF became one of three health care systems in the state granted a waiver to provide hospital-level, inpatient care at peoples’ homes. The next step was to determine what this concept would look like for the Ministry.

“We needed to pause what we were doing and really think about how to design and build a program that ensures patients are offered

With all life’s stress, the hustle-bustle, and melancholy, we often forget to honor and shower love and affection on our skin. Skin, the largest organ of our body, does need some TLC from time to time. November marks national skin health month, and you could begin your skincare journey if you still have not. How could you do so? Curious? Keep reading…

1. Do Not Wrinkle; Make SPF Your BFF!

If you are one of those who ditch their sunscreens once the summer is over, then you are up for some serious gamble. For happy skin, you must be loyal to your sunscreen. Even if you huddle up like a sushi roll under multiple layers during the winter, the sun still touches your skin all year long, so it is crucial to remain vigilant year-round. Long-term excessive sun exposure can hasten your skin’s aging process and make you susceptible to

There are many similar symptoms of COVID-19, flu, RSV, the common cold and allergies.

Sometimes, it may be difficult to determine what ailment you or a family member may be experiencing. So how can you know what you’re dealing with?

The biggest difference is the shortness of breath associated with COVID-19. RSV also has quick onset of rapid breathing or wheezing. The flu, cold and allergies do not cause shortness of breath unless it progresses to pneumonia.

COVID-19 symptoms and prevention

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Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Fever or chills
• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

How to protect yourself from COVID-19

• Get vaccinated or if you’re already vaccinated, get your booster.
• Wear a face mask when you go out in public as required by CDC guidelines

That time of the year is rolling around again for those celebrating the festival, which gives you an excuse to not buy gifts. Instead, all you are required to do is be thankful. And also gorge on turkey. It is interesting how all considerations of personal beliefs and ancestry are lost when a simple celebration of Thanksgiving becomes a tie that binds, which is to say that food and gratefulness bring people together. But if you are looking for tips on how to build your own special Thanksgiving memory, this is where you come for pointers.

1. Long, Long Ago

And so the story goes… Because you do not start a whole research project without the background info. History is the whole reason why Thanksgiving is even a thing, so learn we shall. It all harks back to when the Pilgrims (the survivors who traveled to America on the Mayflower)

In all the lands, wash your hands. The best maxim to live by is to put safety first. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, washing your hands the right way multiple times a day has become sort of a lifestyle. Also, it is important to have a handwashing ritual as we officially enter the cold and flu season.

Research on hand care has shown that the mortality rates due to respiratory and gastric diseases can be reduced just by soaping your hands at regular intervals. It is surprising to learn that there are still people who do not wash their hands on a daily basis, even before eating or prepping meals. This transpires the need for Global Handwashing Day – encouraging good hygiene practices for better health.

1. When in Doubt, Wash It Out

Squeaky clean hands are just seven steps away. Learn the seven hand-washing steps endorsed by the Centers for

As the COVID pandemic continues to surge, a new but fairly known villain is on the streets. Yes, you heard it right; RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) cases show an unusual summer uptick across the United States.

RSV is a common infection that usually sets in from late December to mid-February every year. This year, however, an early surge in cases has resulted in significantly higher numbers of infections and hospitalizations. The saddest part is that the rising RSV rates coincide with the anticipated wintertime surge in COVID-19 and an early flu season, which has made the experts suspect “tripledemic”. More data follows…

1. RSV: What Is It?

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common winter guest that is usually mild but occasionally dangerous. It causes cold-like symptoms like fever, runny nose, chest congestion, and cough. However, RSV symptoms are more severe and last longer than most cold viruses in

Need a reason not to throw a party? For the introvert in you, we have the best excuse. All you have to do is tell people you cannot, in all good conscience, set out the charcuterie board. Those Listeria outbreaks got too serious too soon. So cold-cut deli meats and cheeses are a bad idea, and you can refuse to host a party without a charcuterie board. Even if they roll their eyes at your snobbery, no one can fault your anti-infection mentality (you win points for caring). And the best part – No social interaction that you do not explicitly ask for. You are welcome. And now, if you want to get to know your inadvertent savior better, stick with us.

1. Who the Man?

Listeria, obviously. But we understand we need to spill all the tea, so on to the facts. Listeria monocytogenes is the name. Food contamination