Latest news with #internalMedicine
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Just one, no more: Can you safely drink right up to the legal limit?
I know my limit. Just one or two small drinks, then I can drive home. Guesstimates like this tend to end badly, since people who are accustomed to alcohol often underestimate their own blood alcohol level, says Dr Ivo Grebe. In an interview, the doctor specializing in internal medicine explained why this can be extremely dangerous and how alcohol affects different people in different ways. Some people would argue: one, maybe two beers – that should be fine. But is it even possible to keep drinking up to a legal limit, such as a blood alcohol level of 0.5 grams per litre? "You could buy a breathalyser and keep it in the glove compartment," says Grebe. "They are reasonably reliable. Without a measurement, it's impossible to estimate. Studies have also shown that people who do not drink alcohol regularly often overestimate the effects of alcohol and their blood alcohol level. Those who tend towards more harmful alcohol use react in the opposite way. They usually underestimate their blood alcohol level." The concentration of alcohol in the blood is one thing, but the perceived effect is another. "Yes, it varies greatly from person to person," Grebe says. "Habituation plays a role. Sometimes you read about drivers being caught with blood alcohol levels of 1.8 grams per litre or thereabouts. These are people with a long history of alcohol consumption, who are so accustomed to it that they can somehow still function. This is, of course, extremely dangerous because their perception and reaction abilities are severely impaired, but they do not perceive it that way themselves. "Someone who does not drink regularly would probably be lying in a corner with a blood alcohol level of 1.8 and would not even be able to get into a car." So, if anything, just one glass – and no more? "If someone – regardless of gender – drinks 0.3 litres of beer or 0.2 litres of wine and then stops for the evening, they are generally on the safe side," Grebe says. "Anything beyond that enters a grey area. This is because many factors influence how alcohol is processed and broken down in the body, including gender, genetic predisposition, the preparation of the alcohol and also what is eaten alongside it. "And then there is the fact that the effect varies greatly. Some people say: 'I take one sip and I'm already not myself anymore.' In such cases, of course, you should only drive if you've had no alcohol at all – which is generally advisable." Apart from that, and this must be clearly stated, alcohol is a toxin and always harmful to the body, Grebe says. Dr Ivo Grebe is a specialist in internal medicine and a board member of the Professional Association of German Internists (BDI).
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
3 Reasons You Wake Up Just Before Your Alarm Goes Off, According to a Sleep Expert
Has this ever happened to you? You set your alarm for, say, 7:30 a.m., drift off to sleep, and in the morning your eyes shoot open at 7:28. You may be resentful that your body has robbed you of an extra two minutes of precious sleep—or you may be wondering whether you have a supernatural ability to tell time while unconscious. We asked a sleep medicine physician what exactly is going on when we wake up right before our alarm goes off. She gave us three explanations, and surprisingly, one of them does involve something of a Matsumura, MD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep MedicineCongratulations—you may be waking up right before your alarm rings because you've got your sleep routine down pat. "If you go to bed around the same time every night, get at least seven hours of sleep, and wake up around the same time every morning feeling refreshed, then your body is in tune with its circadian rhythm," says Andrea Matsumura, MD, who specializes in internal medicine and sleep medicine. Our circadian rhythm, described as our 24-hour internal clock, tells our body when to sleep and when to wake up. It's partly controlled by a region of the brain that's sensitive to external cues, like light and dark. "When darkness falls, melatonin is released, which gets us drifting off to sleep. Light—like sunlight filtering in through your blinds—triggers your circadian wake cycle for the day," Matsumura explains. So keeping regular bedtime and wakeup hours, and especially properly cueing your body with dark and light, will help your circadian rhythm run like a professional orchestra—on time, every time. Related: Good Sleep Hygiene Promotes Better Physical and Mental Health—Here's How to Improve Yours You could be so nervous about sleeping through your alarm—you have a plane to catch or an early meeting, for example—that your body wakes you up prematurely. "When the body anticipates waking up earlier, it can release stress hormones like cortisol and ACTH in preparation for the day, even before the alarm goes off," Matsumura says. In this case, you might be waking up briefly throughout the night, not just in the minutes before your alarm, though you may not remember doing so. If this happens to you regularly and you're always waking up anxious and foggy-headed, your circadian rhythm could be out of whack. "When somebody is a night owl and goes to bed after midnight, say, but they have to wake up for work at 6 a.m., they'll develop this kind of hypervigilance in their sleep and feel like they're sleeping with one eye open," Matsumura says. Luckily, you can take steps to realign your circadian rhythm. Related: 8 Common Signs of Sleep Deprivation You Shouldn't Ignore This is a weird one: Some people may be able to will themselves to wake up at a certain time, Matsumura says. "There is neuroscientific research behind manifestation and the power of persuasion," she says. "We see it all the time with athletes. They've trained their brain to visualize an outcome on the field, for example, and have it become reality. So it's possible that people can develop the ability to wake up at a certain time without using an alarm clock." How exactly can we train ourselves to wake up when we choose? "I have no idea," Matsumura says. "That hasn't been studied. But we can extrapolate that the power of manifestation can help us adjust our sleep timing, as long as it's in line with our circadian rhythm." Try setting an intention tonight and see what happens! (But keep that alarm clock on just in case.) Read the original article on Real Simple
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Avoid 'Overusing' These 4 Common Supplements
Sometimes, people get so excited about the health benefits of supplements that they tend to overlook the potential dangers that can creep up when they take too many of them. However, it can also be challenging to find enough information on how much or how little of a vitamin or mineral you should be taking. Luckily, there are some health experts out there spreading the word on which supplements are safe to take and which ones have a bit of a risk. Dr. Tania Elliot, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, and TikTok content creator, recently made a video about four common supplements that you should be wary about taking too much of. 'Using these supplements can be dangerous,' says Dr. Elliot at the start of her video. Read more about them below. Commonly known as the 'sunshine vitamin,' vitamin D is a super popular supplement, as many people have been suggested to take more of it to support their brain health and improve the development of their bones and muscles. However, if you haven't been told to use it by a trusted doctor, you may want to keep track of just how much you take. "Too much vitamin D can harm your kidneys, cause mood changes, and muscle pain," says Dr. Elliot. Similar to vitamin D, calcium is notorious for improving bone health, and it's often taken by older people to prevent or aid osteoporosis. Calcium occurs naturally in many nutritious foods. Therefore, you may not need to take as much of it through a supplement as you may think. Dr. Elliot says that when you take in more than "100 milligrams" of calcium a day, you could "harden your arteries" from a build-up of the mineral and increase your "risk of heart disease." Vitamin E became a lot more buzzworthy on the internet after people began boasting about all of the ways it can benefit your skin and hair. It's an antioxidant that can protect cells from free radicals and is often taken in supplement form or found in skin products. However, too much of it in your system can cause some issues. "Vitamin E can increase your risk of bleeding and hemorrhage," notes Dr. Elliot. If you take anti-coagulant medication or have a family history of blood clots, you'll want to ensure you aren't taking high doses of vitamin E to prevent your risk of excess bleeding. If you haven't heard of vitamin B6, you should know that it's often found in B-Complex supplements and is sometimes taken solo for brain health, boosted immunity, and to lessen symptoms brought on by premenstrual syndrome (PMS). However, like the other vitamins and supplements listed above, if you want to dabble in B6, just be careful not to take more than the daily recommended amount. "[B6] can lead to neuropathy, which is tingling in your hands and feet, increased sensitivity to the sun, and heartburn," says Dr. Elliot. Before you start thinking you can or should never touch these supplements, Dr. Elliot has a little disclaimer. "Now there's a difference between taking the right amount to treat a deficiency versus an appropriate nutritional value," she explains. "If you don't have a deficiency, you don't need to take high dosages, and it could harm your health." Therefore, it's always a good idea to speak to your doctor about what supplements you should be taking, if any, before buying a bottle and starting to take them routinely.
