Category Archives: Life

3 Health Conditions You Can Treat with a Home Device

Millions of people suffer from chronic health conditions that require treatment. In many cases, this treatment can be done at home using devices or treatments that are available to the general public.

We can feel fitter both physically and mentally when we have a home way that will help, despite some medical conditions. For instance, have you heard of a vagus nerve stimulation device?

Below, we shall examine three medical conditions and how their symptoms might be able to be relieved at home.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a common health condition that can be treated with a home device. A vagus nerve stimulation device, for example, is a home device that is effective in treating chronic pain. Vagus nerve stimulation works by sending electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, which is responsible for transmitting signals from the brain to the body.

Chronic pain is debilitating and affects many aspects of a person’s life, so anything that will help should be considered before being outwardly dismissed as helpful. There does seem to be a growing trend in the use of stimulation devices, so there must be something in it. They are also used in hospital environments as well as home settings for an effective form of treatment.

So, what do we mean by chronic pain exactly? Well, chronic pain is any pain that lasts for more than 12 weeks and cannot be easily explained. Some common causes of chronic pain include injuries, arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a widespread health condition that can be helped at home using a vagus nerve stimulation device.

This is a disorder caused by extreme tiredness, and it can be difficult to do everyday activities. There is no cure for chronic fatigue syndrome, but there are treatments that can help lessen the symptoms. Some of these treatments include lifestyle changes, medications, and vagus nerve stimulation.

Numerous studies have shown that vagus nerve stimulation is an effective treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome. In one study, it was found to be more effective than a placebo. In another, it was seen to be more beneficial than standard treatment.

Check with a doctor or online, to see how such a device could benefit your health and wellbeing, and those of your friends and relatives. If we know someone who is suffering, it would be good to be able to come up with a solution for them that might help.

Depression

Depression is a common mental health condition that can be treated at home using a vagus nerve stimulator, also known as a tVNS (Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation) stimulator.

Some studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the device when treating depression, but it is ultimately for the users and their relatives to decide on how it eases pain or suffering.

There are a variety of vagus nerve stimulation devices available on the market, and they can be used to treat depression in diverse ways. Some vagus nerve stimulation devices are worn around the neck, and others are implanted under the skin.

These devices are considered safe and comfortable to wear. This will likely be for 15 minutes per day. The stimulation received can also be considered to provide a rebalance to the nervous system, with some reporting a slowing down of the effects of aging.

Always look for a device that can easily be recharged, such as one that has a USB recharging cable.

These are just a few of the many conditions that can be treated with home devices. If you suffer from any of the above, that are known to be helped by vagus nerve stimulation, talk to your doctor about whether home treatment is right for you. It would certainly be more convenient to receive it that way.

Why You Should Re-Write Your Will When You Re-Marry

couple hugging outside, marriage, relationship, will, wedding

Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash

Creating a will is something that everyone should do. It ensures that your wishes are followed after you’ve died, rather than your family trying to sort things out, which could cause problems. 

If you have a family, this is even more important. But if you divorce or remarry, you should change your will too, as not doing so could cause a lot of problems. 

Here’s why you should stop putting it off and update your will today to protect your family. 

Your new partner may be left out

In many cases, a non-married partner is not automatically entitled to inherit your estate if you die, even if you’ve been together for decades and have lived as any married couple would. They would also not be entitled to other payouts such as a personal pension or other benefits. Your family law attorney will be able to advise you on the rights of your partner under current regulations. 

If you have a life insurance policy, then check it to make sure that it pays out a named person on the policy, rather than just next of kin. 

Also, if you’re separated or estranged from your previous spouse, but have not officially divorced, then they will be counted as your next of kin, and any wealth and assets may pass to them, rather than where you want them to be. 

Your children may be disinherited 

If your previous marriage has produced children and you then remarry without making provision in your will, your new spouse would inherit your estate and your children may not receive anything. Then, if anything happens to your new spouse, the money and assets would then pass on to their next of kin and bypass your children altogether. 

In order to stop this from happening, you can choose to write a will that gives your children money or assets when you die. You could also place your assets in a trust to benefit both your new partner and children from your first or subsequent marriages. 

A lot of people feel awkward doing this as they want to believe that their new spouse will include their children, but this isn’t always the case as relationships change. 

Make any omissions clear

Not all family relationships are smooth. For many reasons, you might choose not to leave any money to a particular relation, spouse, or child. If they are someone who can reasonably or legally be entitled to it, then you will need to detail in your will why you have purposefully left them out. They could still contest this in a legal way but at least you would have had a chance to make your position clear. 

Don’t assume

Regulations around marriage, inheritance, and the rights of non-married partners are changing all the time. There are many loopholes that catch people out. Don’t just assume that something will happen when you die. Make a detailed will and ensure that any insurance policies and other benefits paid after your death are going to the people you want them to.  It’s one less thing to worry about.

Seasonal Depression: What Is It And How Can You Help

Seasonal depression, or seasonal affective disorder, is often referred to as “winter depression” because a lot of the symptoms people experience worsen over the winter months. Many people report that the change in weather and the darkness of the sky can have serious effects on their mental health and can leave them feeling depressed and unmotivated. Often, people who experience seasonal depression also experience depression throughout the year too, it’s just that their symptoms become much more severe during wintertime. The change of seasons from the bright sunny days to dreary grey mornings can leave people feeling very low and it can affect their whole life. A lot of people tend to dismiss seasonal depression as they feel as if it isn’t a real disorder, but there is a lot of scientific evidence to back the effects seasonal change can have on our minds.

So, now that we have established what seasonal depression is, it is time to have a discussion about what methods you can use to help ease some of the feelings. Of course, depression is a very serious illness, and it is unlikely that any of the tips will cure depression, but they may be helpful even in just the smallest way. When you are feeling depressed, it is important to appreciate the little things and if even something small brings you joy, then focus on that and keep on doing it. This article will discuss a few things you can do help cope with your seasonal depression. As mentioned above, not all of them will be effective for everyone, but perhaps give them a try and see if they work for you.

Talk To Your Doctor

If you know that you suffer from seasonal depression every year or even if you have only just started to notice the effects, then it is always best to talk to your doctor. It is very reasonable to have stress during the holidays as there is an enormous amount of pressure to go to events or just to feel happy. The holiday season is synonymous with parties, presents, and happiness, which is why if you do not feel happy, you can suddenly take a sharp turn and start feeling as if you are missing out or ruining other people’s experiences. Feeling like this is a fairly common experience, so it is important to know that you are not alone in this and there are other people who feel the same way. Talking to your doctor will give you a good outlet as you can explain your feelings and they can give you ways to help. It could be that they recommend you see a therapist, or they may offer medication as another potential treatment.

Make Plans With Friends

One big part of seasonal depression can leave people feeling very isolated and removed from their loved ones. During the summer months, it is a lot easier to hand out and see people as the weather is so nice, so you just want to spend it at home. If you know that during the winter you start to feel isolated, then it could be a good idea to start making plans now. Get together with your friends and start organizing the different trips you can all do together in the winter. It doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant plans. It could just be something as simple as having a movie night together or watching your favorite shows. It is likely that during the winter, you won’t want to explore outside the house too much anyway, so planning some cozy nights in could be the way to go. You could even host the movie nights at a different person’s house each week, to make it a bit more interesting.

Light Therapy

Another good tip that could help with seasonal depression is light therapy. One of the big causes of seasonal depression is that there is a distinct lack of natural sunlight as the days are now much shorter. Sunlight is very important for people as it gives us Vitamin D and can help release serotonin. So, if you are starting to feel depressed during the summer months, then it would be a good idea to first try and get as much natural sunlight as you can. If you have a lunch break at work, then take that time to go out and just sit in natural light for half an hour or so. Another alternative to this is light therapy as this is a good way to get the effects of sunlight when there isn’t any in the sky. Light therapy involved sitting by a special lamp that is designed to mimic the effects of sunlight. Most people do light therapy for around 30 minutes every morning, to start their day off right.