Weekly Health For November 4-10, 2024
Aries
Aries could see swings in energy this week. Your physical and mental health can benefit from including mild activity into your daily schedule, such yoga or fast walking. Consider your stress management since, if neglected, tension may affect your health. Maintaining a balanced energy level over the week will depend on eating healthy foods and drinking enough of water. Pay close attention to your body's demands and provide yourself with the rest you need.
Taurus
Taurus residents may discover they lack the drive to be active this week. You are free to slow things down if you are tired or bored with demanding workout. Your body will still benefit from light stretching or mild physical exercise without being overburdened. Give your diet first priority and steer clear of overindulgence. Little actions toward self-care will help you rebuild strength without taxing yourself too much.
Gemini
This week motivates one more for self-care and exercise. You could be excited to start a new exercise program or sign up for a group fitness session among friends. Meals high in protein will help you support your physical activity; scheduled exercise will increase your endurance. Your efforts should be persistent since now is the perfect moment to advance towards long-term health objectives. Your energy levels probably will stay high, thus use this week to lay a firm basis for your well-being.
Cancer
Now is the moment to bring equilibrium back in case you have been ignoring your diet or exercise. Along with adding some modest activity, increasing fresh fruit and vegetable intake will help you generally be healthier. Meditating among other mental relaxation techniques will help you to lessen any anxiety you might be experiencing. Little changes to your daily schedule will provide consistency and assist improved results in your health.
Leo
Leo natives are likely to be energised and at their best physically this week. Spend this time on exercises like a morning jog or a strength exercise that challenge body and mind. Your regular health practices pay off; hence, keep up your pattern to keep this vitality. If you find inspiration, try integrating a different workout into your program to keep things interesting and demanding. This week reminds us of how much benefits come from giving your health top priority.
Virgo
This week Virgo can feel tired or lacking in energy. This could follow from an erratic schedule or overworking. Restful breaks and attentive listening to your body are vital for rebuilding your strength. Emphasize drinking enough of water and consuming foods high in nutrients. By the end of the week, including modest exercise and enough sleep into your daily schedule can progressively restore equilibrium and make you feel rejuvenated.
Libra
Librans will find that their commitment to balanced living is paying off. You can be physically and psychologically energetic, which improves your contacts with people. Keep up your mindfulness and physical activities since they are helping your well-being rather successfully. If at all feasible, spend time outside; fresh air and surroundings will help your mental health even more. This week enjoy the results of your good decisions and keep expanding on them.
Scorpio
This week, Scorpio natives can feel both physically and emotionally strong. Use this time for light physical activity like a slow trek or a stroll in the park. Movement will raise your mood and rejuvenate your energy level. Being active makes you happy, hence these small deeds will help your health and mind. The week is perfect for renewing yourself by means of little, deliberate actions.
Sagittarius
This week gives your health stability and balance; there are no major obstacles foreseen. Cardiovascular health might be a goal, so take into account include heart-healthy foods and consistent physical activity including light jogging or brisk walking. This week offers a sense of peace and wellness; use this opportunity to strengthen good health practices. Maintaining this balance will depend on your keeping active and aware of your diet.
Capricorn
Particularly if they have been working very hard, Capricorn natives may have little stiffness in their shoulders and arms. Short physical activity breaks or stretching exercises can help reduce this soreness. Although time is limited, little changes to your daily schedule could affect your mood. Add light activity to keep your energy flowing; this will help you to avoid any stiffness and maintain your freshness.
Aquarius
Seeing everyday routines like walking or commuting as health-supportive activities would help Aquarius locals. Even if they are incidental movements, adding little steps to your daily schedule can have a cumulative good impact. Accept the small times of activity since they add to general wellness. This week consider regular chores as chances to enhance your mental and physical condition, so strengthening your link to your wellness objectives.
Pisces
Pisces might have a fresh confidence and self-assurance this week, which would help their health. Accept this increase in self-esteem since it improves your general quality of living. Keeping a good attitude and engaging in self-love will help your mental as well as your physical condition. This is a perfect moment to strengthen your mind and body, thereby promoting harmony and balance.
Dementia is not often a big issue for younger generations; it becomes a problem as we start to age. It is a cognitive degenerative condition that affects our memory, behavior as well as the way we think. However, many times the signs and symptoms of the same can show up earlier than usual as well. While dementia may not be a big concern for younger people, early onset dementia could still be an issue. The Alzheimer’s Society explains that young people who are at risk of early on-set dementia have a wide array of symptoms. Another way to identify it is this simple 30 second test.
A quick and easy test, sometimes called the "clock test," is getting attention. It might help spot early signs of dementia. You just need a pen, paper, and a timer, and it takes less than a minute. Dr. Eric Berg DC showed how to do it in a video: you just have to draw a clock showing 10 minutes past 11 o'clock within 30 seconds.
After you draw the clock, you can check it yourself using six simple questions:
Dr. Berg says this simple test is "one of the most sensitive ways to spot early thinking problems." Some brain doctors even think it's "more accurate than memory tests."
Early-onset dementia means someone gets dementia symptoms before they turn 65. Even though dementia is usually seen in older people, it can, though rarely, affect younger people too.
Dr. Berg also talked about other things that might lead to dementia as we get older. He said that eating too much sugar could make the brain shrink, especially the part important for memory. Also, being stressed a lot might increase the chance of having thinking problems like dementia.
The Alzheimer's Society says that at the beginning, the symptoms of early-onset dementia are often mild and not easy to notice. It's also important that younger people with dementia might not lose their memory first, unlike older people. Instead, they might mostly have trouble with:
Early-onset dementia is also more likely to be passed down in families. For more information, you can visit the Alzheimer's Society website.
For younger people, a wider range of different diseases can lead to dementia, making the causes more varied than in older individuals.
Younger individuals are much more likely to develop rarer types of dementia, such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is less common in older patients.
Unlike older people, younger individuals with dementia often don't experience memory loss as their first symptom, but rather problems with language, vision, or behavior.
Additionally, younger people with dementia might first notice difficulties with movement, balance, and coordination, which can be an early indicator of the condition.
About one in ten younger people diagnosed with dementia have a form that is inherited, meaning it's passed down through their genes.
Many younger individuals who receive a dementia diagnosis typically don't have other serious or chronic long-term health conditions at that time.
A younger diagnosis brings specific worries about its impact on family, relationships, finances, and daily life, affecting their ongoing responsibilities and future plans.
They may also be concerned that their children or siblings could have a higher risk of developing dementia due to the inherited nature of their condition.
Credits: Canva
Venting when angry may feel cathartic, but a meta-analysis suggests it might do more harm than good. According to a 2024 study published in Clinical Psychology Review, researchers at Ohio State University analyzed data from 154 studies involving over 10,000 participants and found that venting rarely helps and may, in fact, intensify anger.
“I think it’s really important to bust the myth that if you’re angry you should blow off steam – get it off your chest,” said senior author Brad Bushman, a communication scientist, in a statement. “Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but there’s not a shred of scientific evidence to support catharsis theory.”
To dig deeper, we spoke to Dr Sumalatha Vasudeva, psychologist at Gleneagles BGS Hospital, Kengeri in
Bengaluru, India. She explains, "There’s a strong belief that venting—shouting, hitting objects, or going to a rage room—helps release anger. This idea, often referred to as catharsis, is deeply rooted in early psychological theory and pop culture."
However, she further adds, "While it feels intuitive, aggressive venting can sometimes amplify anger by increasing physiological arousal and reinforcing aggressive neural patterns. You're addressing the response, not the root cause, which makes the behavior more likely to repeat."
The popular “pressure cooker” analogy, which compares venting to releasing steam to prevent emotional explosion, may be outdated. According to the study, activities that increase physical arousal—such as yelling, punching pillows, or even exercising—can heighten physiological responses, which may worsen anger rather than reduce it.
"Not all expressions lead to healing. Aggressive venting provides temporary relief but not true emotional release. Real healing involves working with the root cause of the anger—not just letting off steam," explains Dr Vasudeva. She also notes that true healing often comes from somatic awareness, breathwork, mindfulness, or energetic practices like Reiki. These help us soothe, witness, and integrate anger instead of acting it out.
“To reduce anger, it is better to engage in activities that decrease arousal levels,” Bushman explained. “Despite what popular wisdom may suggest, even going for a run is not an effective strategy because it increases arousal levels and ends up being counterproductive.”
While expressing emotions is important, the line between healthy reflection and toxic rumination is thin. The study found that what often passes as "venting" becomes repetitive mental replaying of upsetting events, which only deepens the emotional distress. However, it is true that we do feel better after we went, why is that? To this, Dr Vasudeva has an answer, "People often feel better after venting because they believe their emotional needs have been met. But this sense of control is temporary—a surface-level discharge, not a deep emotional resolution."
The idea for the review was also sparked by the growing popularity of rage rooms—commercial spaces where people pay to smash objects as a form of release.
First author Sophie Kjærvik, a communication scientist at Virginia Commonwealth University, said, “I wanted to debunk the whole theory of expressing anger as a way of coping with it. We wanted to show that reducing arousal, and actually the physiological aspect of it, is really important.”
The research draws from the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory, which explains emotions as a mix of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is often used to address the thinking side of anger, this study emphasized the importance of physical calm as well.
The most effective anger-reducing strategies included:
“It was really interesting to see that progressive muscle relaxation and just relaxation in general might be as effective as approaches such as mindfulness and meditation,” said Kjærvik.
Even yoga, which can be moderately arousing, proved useful due to its focus on breath control and bodily awareness. Fun-based physical activity like ball sports, which involve play rather than intense exertion, also helped by lowering physiological arousal.
Dr Vasudeva also seconds this and says, "Mindfulness and breathwork activate the parasympathetic nervous system—the 'rest and digest' state—which promotes emotional balance, clarity, and the ability to respond constructively."
So why do people feel better after venting? According to Bushman, it’s likely due to a false sense of emotional relief. “Any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression,” he said. The short-term high may trick people into believing venting works, even as their anger worsens beneath the surface.
The researchers emphasized that effective anger management doesn't require therapy sessions or expensive tools. “You don’t need to necessarily book an appointment with a cognitive behavioral therapist to deal with anger,” Kjærvik said. “You can download an app for free on your phone, or you can find a YouTube video if you need guidance.”
(Credit-Canva)
Heart health or cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality in the world. In 2019, 17.9 million people died due to cardiovascular diseases with 85% of these deaths attributed to heart attacks and strokes. There are many types of cardiovascular diseases, many of which are chronic diseases. While the numbers of death due to heart attacks may seem high, new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association shows these numbers have actually decreased. However, while these numbers went down, chronic diseases have seen a rise.
To understand how heart disease deaths have changed, researchers looked at national data from 1970 to 2022, focusing on adults aged 25 and older. Heart disease covers many different heart problems. Even though heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. (responsible for 24% of all deaths in 2022), the total number of deaths from heart disease actually went down by 66%.
Deaths from ischemic heart disease (the most common type, caused by blocked arteries) dropped significantly, from 91% to 53% of all heart disease deaths. Deaths from heart attacks (often the first sign of ischemic heart disease) fell by a huge 89%, making up less than a third of all heart disease deaths in 2022. But the study also found a big increase in other heart conditions, which now account for nearly half of all heart disease deaths. The three conditions that rose the most were:
Deaths from this condition, caused by long-term high blood pressure, went up by 106%. It now makes up 13% of all heart-related deaths.
Deaths from this condition, where the heart can't pump enough blood over time, rose by 146%. It now accounts for 12% of all heart-related deaths.
Deaths from arrhythmias, where the heart beats too fast, too slow, or unevenly, soared by 450%. They now make up 4% of all heart-related deaths.
One of the study's authors mentioned that while these trends are "quite clear," some changes in how deaths were categorized might have caused small inaccuracies. Also, the study didn't fully consider how other health problems or things like race might have affected the results. For example, some heart problems might have been underestimated if they stemmed from ischemic heart disease.
Despite these minor points, experts agree the study provides "valuable insights" and is a "well-designed, large-scale study" using over 50 years of data.
Experts believe the drop in some heart disease deaths is due to better ways to diagnose problems and improved care. This includes new medicines and procedures that help restore blood flow to the heart.
However, many people who survive a heart attack go on to develop other heart conditions like heart failure or arrhythmias. When you combine this with a growing older population and rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, it creates "the perfect storm for chronic cardiac disease." This new "wave of chronic heart disease deaths" mainly affects older adults and those with several health issues.
To keep your heart healthy, focus on a few key areas: know your numbers by tracking your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight, as early detection of issues is vital. Stay active with at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly; even walking can significantly improve heart function. Eat a nutritious diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, following heart-healthy guidelines. Avoid smoking or seek help to quit, as it's a primary cause of heart disease. Finally, manage stress and get enough sleep, as these often-overlooked factors are crucial for reducing your heart risk.
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