While many of these medications save lives, they also come with a host of less desirable consequences: sky-high price tags, risk of addiction, and uncomfortable side effects. In hopes of protecting their patients from the negative side of prescriptions, an increasing number of American doctors are turning to the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, for inspiration. The result is a new kind of prescription, a literal walk in the park…on doctor’s orders.

Shinrin-yoku, the practice of mindfully spending time in the forest, started gaining ground in mainstream Japanese culture in the 1980’s.

But it’s roots stretch back far earlier than that. The idea that the human body is closely connected to the natural world—and can benefit simply by existing in it—can be found in the medical traditions of cultures around the globe. Both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda incorporate a version of earth-body connection in their teachings, and many other cultures encourage sun-baths, moon-baths, or river cleanses to heal a variety of ailments.

When the Japanese government saw levels of stress-related illnesses like anxiety and high blood pressure creeping up along with the rise of modern technology, they made shinrin-yoku a part of their national health program.

The move was ahead of its time: the World Health Organization reports that depression and other serious mental health disorders are on the rise in 2018, and that one in four people will be affected by a mental illness in their lifetime.

Scientific research provides solid support for the benefits of forest bathing. A forest walk is known to cause a greater drop in stress hormones and blood pressure compared to a similar stroll in the city. And much like aromatherapy, the scents of the forest can have a therapeutic effect on mood, blood pressure, and muscle tension. Other areas being explored by researchers include a link between forest bathing as a treatment for lung ailments, and the healing audio of birdsong. [Link to: TA article on birdsong]

Simplicity is a large part of forest bathing’s appeal.

Unlike other treatments that require expensive medications, trips to the doctor’s office, and risk unwanted side effects, forest requires, well…nothing. The whole point of forest bathing is to unplug and unwind, and simply be in nature. However for some, accessing nature isn’t as easy. For low income families living in urban centers, travelling to a forest might be an arduous or impossible task. For others with disabilities, physical access to outdoor areas may be a barrier to participation in forest bathing. These facts highlight that while forest bathing may be more accessible than a $3,000/month medication, it still is not the “magic pill” for everyone.

Another great thing about forest bathing is that you don’t need a prescription to try it out.

Simply walk into a park, forest, or other natural landscape, turn off your devices, and open your senses to the beauty of nature that is unfolding before you.

Yes, long before a tweet was a cringe-worthy echo from our nation’s capital, it was simply a sound that a bird made, a note in its song. And while most of us spend our time listening to the new, electronic tweets, we’re missing out on the therapeutic qualities of the old-fashioned tweet: birdsong.

A growing body of research suggests that birdsong and other natural soundscapes offer a variety of health benefits ranging from anxiety reduction to enhanced focus and performance at work.

In one experiment, a hospital in Liverpool, England played birdsong throughout pediatric wards where children were receiving treatments spanning from vaccinations to surgery. Researchers found that the soothing sounds of nature helped to calm the children’s nerves as they prepared for treatment, and distracted patients from pain and lingering side effects. The results, they said, not only provided immediate relief, but likely sped up recovery by reducing pain that would otherwise inhibit the process.

In another study, researchers played birdsong throughout an elementary school to combat the infamous “afternoon slump,” the period following a meal when digestion sends blood sugar and energy levels plummeting. With the presence of birdsong, researchers found students to be more focused and present, nixing the need for an afternoon nap.

Adults have been found to benefit from birdsong too: airports, banks, and other businesses around the world have turned to piping in birdsong to their establishments, after it was discovered that the calming sounds can significantly boost customer satisfaction rates.

In one particular instance, BP gas stations played birdsong in their restrooms to invoke the freshness of nature. According to BBC, it was an incredible success—causing customer satisfaction to skyrocket by a full 50%. I mean, if birdsong can make people actually enjoy a gas station bathroom…what can’t it do?

The many benefits of birdsong can be traced back through years of co-evolution between humans and birds.

Though we haven’t yet learned to speak a bird’s language, we’ve come to understand that when the birds sing, it means that we are free from certain dangers. Take the expression, “the quiet before the storm.” This famous line draws inspiration in part from the fact that flocks of birds will go silent before severe weather, either because they have hunkered down or have migrated elsewhere. This is thought to be because of birds’ sensitivity to sound and changes in air pressure—they can sense storms before the humans can see them.

Most birds also chirp heavily during the early morning in what scientists call the “dawn chorus.” It’s thought that humans, after hearing the dawn chorus for thousands of years, have developed an association between birdsong and starting anew. So not only can birdsong bring feelings of security to a listener, but also of hope and fresh energy to tackle challenges. Both phenomena can contribute to an overall enhanced mood, sparking curious psychologists to ask the question, what else can birdsong can do?

So, the next time you feel yourself slipping in to an anxiety-inducing Twitter scroll, try tuning in to mother earth’s tweet, birdsong, for some instant relief. While we can’t promise that it will make the other kinds of tweets get any better, it might help you cope in the meantime.

If you dig back far, far into your brain—a la elementary school and the awkward joys of middle school—you might remember the first time you learned that everything is made of something called matter.

And within this matter are tiny, swirling, electrically-charged particles called electrons (-), protons (+),  and neutrons (neutral).Ok, I get it—you didn’t come here to relive your middle school days. And especially not your middle school chemistry class days. So, I’ll cut to the chase: it’s this same elementary-level chemistry that’s behind “earthing,” a fast-growing eco-therapy being picked up by everyone from celebs to soccer moms. And its list of benefits? Almost too good to be true…

The healing power of earthing rests in an exchange of electrons, or electrical energy, between your body and the earth.

As we go through life, our bodies accumulate “free radicals,” positively-charged compounds that we pick up through contact with pollution, pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxic substances. While positive energy is usually a good thing, an excess of this kind of positive charge can actually be really destructive, causing inflammation that increases the risk of premature aging, chronic pain, heart disease and type-2 diabetes among other conditions.

Like many things in nature, Mother Earth developed a clever trick to fix this dangerous imbalance: Earth’s surface has a negative charge that instantly neutralizes the positive charge of the body, bringing it back to a grounded state and drastically reducing inflammation.

It sounds like the perfect system…except for the fact that many of our modern conveniences disrupt this natural flow of energy between the body and the earth.

Our shoes, homes, and personal electronics can block us from receiving the balancing energy that we need, or worse, introduce even more destructive currents into the mix. As a result, the positive charge in our bodies builds up, inflammation increases, and illnesses snowball.

Enter earthing, the process of deliberately connecting to the earth’s bounty of healing, grounding electrons. In its simplest form, the only things you need to do earthing correctly are bare feet and a patch of earth—even concrete will do, as long as it isn’t treated. And just fifteen to thirty minutes of “grounded time” each day can produce results.

But for those with an already packed schedule or who live in densely-populated areas, it can be hard to find the time and the place for even a short session of earthing.

Luckily, many companies have developed earthing mats, blankets, and other devices that plug into electrical sockets to deliver that balancing flow of electrons wherever you are.

Stuck at the office but need relief from the static energy? Try a discrete earthing mat, which fits underneath your desk and can ground you through even the most hectic of days. If you’re moving around for most of the day, you might want to check out grounded sleep pads. Placed on top of the mattress, these pads deliver all of the benefits of earthing without you lifting a finger—or losing a wink of sleep.

For the low to moderate level of effort that earthing requires, it delivers an incredible list of health benefits.

Not only does the grounding effect of earthing decrease inflammation and inflammation-related diseases in the body, but it can improve sleep, reduce anxiety, and promote an overall sense of wellbeing. It can even affect the viscosity of your blood—yes, the actual thickness of your blood—with a natural blood-thinning affect. This reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and improves circulation, contributing to a youthful, rosy glow. Plus, many professional athletes are known to sleep grounded or use grounded post-workout wraps to speed up their recovery times.

If someone who makes a living out of being incredibly fit trusts earthing to keep them going, then imagine what it can do for the average person.

If you weren’t a star student in middle school chemistry class, and don’t want to start understanding now, don’t sweat it. The great part of earthing is that it’s pretty simple to get started—and works whether or not you understand the science behind it. Just sit back, relax, get grounded, and feel the magic.

And many foods contain more than one top bone health nutrient. Whole foods that are unprocessed and organic are best, since pesticides inhibit the growth of nutrients within a plant. It’s also recommended that we regularly alter our menu choices to derive bone health nutrients from a wide variety of foods.

Following are the seven top nutrients for bone health and the foods that are highest in each.

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: VITAMIN D

Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, Mackerel, Wild Sockeye Salmon, Canned sardines, Tuna, Eggs

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: MAGNESIUM

Bean sprouts, Collard greens, Organic corn, Kale, Oats, Wild Rice

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: CALCIUM

Collard Greens, Kale, Spinach, Dandelion Greens, Seaweed (like Hijiki) and Sea Vegetables, Black beans, Nuts and Seeds (Almonds, Brazil Buts, and Black Sesame Seeds, among others), Yogurt

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: MANGANESE

Artichokes, Asparagus, Beet Greens (tops), Rye, Avocados, Blackberries and Blueberries

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: BORON

Avocados, Broccoli, Celery, Dried Parsley

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: ZINC

Alfalfa sprouts, Brussels Sprouts (cooked), Black and Pinto Beans

TOP BONE HEALTH NUTRIENT: VITAMIN K

Cabbage (all colors), Beef (grass-fed only), Natto (Japanese fermented soy)

Skin treatment research, while still in early stages, indicates that cholesterol added as an ingredient in moisturizers could actually help protect skin from UV damage. According to research published in the Journal of Dermatological Science, other lipid—or fatty—ingredients do not confer the same type of protection, making this a potentially very important discovery.

CHOLESTEROL IS NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING

When most people hear “cholesterol” they think “bad.” The reality, however, is far more fascinating and complex. Yes — high cholesterol can be dangerous, but cholesterol itself, however, is a vital substance for every living creature, and is essential to almost every bodily process, from insulating nerve cells in the brain to aiding digestion to providing structure for cell membranes.

WHAT FUELS YOUR SEX DRIVE? CHOLESTEROL…

Yes. It’s true — every sex hormone in our body is made from cholesterol. It is a critical component of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, to name a few. Cholesterol is one of the essential building blocks of the body, in fact, without it we would not be able to have children. Studies have shown that having low levels of cholesterol can actually cause infertility. According to Dr. Jorge Chavarro, of the Harvard School of Public Health: “Women wanting to conceive should examine their diet. They should consider changing low-fat dairy foods for high-fat dairy foods, for instance by swapping skimmed milk for whole milk and eating cream, not low-fat yogurt.”

YOUR BODY HAS A BUILT-IN CHOLESTEROL FACTORY. IT’S CALLED YOUR LIVER.

To function properly, the human body requires, yes, you guessed it… cholesterol. Your liver can make all the cholesterol you need, even if you don’t consume any dietary cholesterol. Fascinating, right? Problems begin, however, when you consume too much saturated fat, which in turn spurs your body to product too much LDL – aka “bad” cholesterol – which can then turn into plaque that can line, and eventually clog, your arteries.

PREGNANT WOMEN NATURALLY HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.

A woman’s total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol reach high levels during pregnancy. This is an important part of growing a baby; therefore it’s not a concern… unless cholesterol remains high after giving birth. In a comparative study, published in the Journal of Brain Development, of imaging tests done on babies carried to full term and on those born prematurely, the “good” form of cholesterol — HDL or high-density lipoprotein — appears to play a key role in helping babies form healthy brains.

BREAST IS BEST WHEN IT COMES TO HEART HEALTH.

Research shows that breast milk, which is naturally rich in cholesterol, may offer heart health security later in life. Studies have found that breastfed babies may have lower cholesterol levels as adults, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

INFANT FORMULA HAS ADDED CHOLESTEROL.

To better mimic breast milk, baby formula includes a variety of vitamins, minerals, and, importantly, fats, some of which contain cholesterol. However, there are currently no government guidelines for how much should be added, but it’s clear that cholesterol is critical for vital bodily processes.

HAVING VERY LOW TOTAL CHOLESTEROL CAN ACTUALLY INCREASE SOME HEALTH RISKS.

High cholesterol can carry artery-clogging risks, but having very low cholesterol can also pose some significant health risks. While research is ongoing, studies have shown that cholesterol levels below 160mg/dL may increase your risk for depression, anxiety, and certain types of cancer—and in pregnancy, can lead to low birth weight and preterm labor. Because cholesterol is involved in the production of sex hormones, low levels can actually lead to infertility. If you tend to have low cholesterol, be sure to talk to your health care provider about what you should do.

DAILY MINIMUM FOR DIETARY CHOLESTEROL?

Ok, here’s the scoop – you don’t need to consume any cholesterol through the food you eat to maintain your health. Why? Your liver makes enough cholesterol to meet all your body’s needs. Vegans, who eat no animal products — and hence, no cholesterol – do just fine. So how much cholesterol should you aim to consume daily? Aim to keep it under 300 mg if you have normal cholesterol levels, and under 200 mg if you have heart disease or have been diagnosed with high LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol.

CHOLESTEROL-FREE FOODS CAN ACTUALLY RAISE YOUR CHOLESTEROL

Sounds crazy, right? But doctors cite this as one of the biggest misconceptions they deal with when talking to their patients about cholesterol. So what’s the deal? Many commercially baked goods, along with many fried foods, contain cholesterol-raising trans fats, most often in the form of hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fats, along with saturated fats, are the biggest culprits of high cholesterol from food – but are not listed as cholesterol on nutritional labels or food packaging. You have to be a bit of a detective, read ingredient lists and look at nutrition labels closely, before deeming a food purchase a healthy choice.

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This was following the death of rapper Kanye West’s mother. It was later determined that her heart attack was spawned by a combination of numerous postoperative complications and pre-existing coronary artery disease.  Today, many womencovet a perfect pout, perky derriere and firm breasts seen on Instagram models. Just because you may want cosmetic surgery does not mean you are physically or mentally fit for it now. As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I take steps to  ensure the health and safety of my patients during surgery and post- operatively.

Here are some indicators I look for in assessing patients for surgery.

First, it’s essential for a surgeon to take a good medical history and exam of the patient.  Current and past illnesses, especially cardiac or pulmonary problems, surgeries, and medications should all be discussed.  Lab tests may be required depending on patient history and planned procedures.

Urinalysis

When it comes to preparation for a plastic or cosmetic surgery procedure, a urinalysis can inform the doctor if a patient has certain types of infections, like a urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder, or kidney infection. Urine tests are also effective in detecting high blood pressure and diabetes.

Blood Count Test

Also known as a complete blood count (CBC), this blood test literally counts your blood. It takes note of the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This tells physicians if you’re anemic (i.e. have a red blood cell deficiency) or have a blood clotting disorder like hemophilia. CBC tests also detect infectious bloodborne diseases like HIV or hepatitis.

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

Essentially, the ECG is a medical test that tells if your heart is in good condition through detecting any heart abnormalities by measuring the electrical activity of the heart when it contracts. Cosmetic surgery causes tremendous stress on the body, with the heart being one of the most important organs when it comes to stress response. That is why it is crucial for the doctor to assess whether your heart can endure the trauma during the operation.

Chest X-Ray

The Chest X-Ray is also one of the tests that may be required for your procedure. This is usually carried out to check the condition of your lungs and see whether you have breathing difficulties when you are put in anesthesia. This test is especially requested if you are a smoker or have a history of smoking. Signs of pneumonia or any breathing disorder may result in the postponement or cancellation of your surgery.

Mixing nicotine use with surgery can cause problems:

• Loss of cheek skin, nipples or tummy skin after a facelift, breast lift, breast reduction, or tummy tuck surgery
• Infections
• Death of fat cells (fat necrosis), causing hard lumps
• Delayed wound healing
• Thick, wide scars
• Blood clots, which can be fatal
• Increased pain
• Permanent small vessel damage; a risk even if you have quit
• Loss of Breast Implants
• Life-threatening complications like stroke, heart attack, blood clots, and pneumonia.

Mammogram

The mammogram is typically required for women who want to get breast augmentation or breast lift done. This is to help detect signs of breast cancer.

Psychological Screening

Although there is no formal psych test to assess a patient’s readiness and motives for cosmetic surgery, I take time with my patients to learn their reasons for desiring cosmetic change. Immediate red flags include having surgery to try to keep a wayward spouse; an exaggerated concern over a minor problem; someone who seems addicted to cosmetic surgery; or someone with body dysmorphic disorder. This syndrome is most appropriately treated by psychological treatment, not surgical intervention.

Alcohol Habits

It is important not to drink alcohol before undergoing plastic surgery – or any type of surgery for that matter – as it can cause unforeseen complications and seriously impact final results and the way you heal. Alcohol, especially when excessively consumed, can dry out your skin, which can then result in cracks appearing. If you’re having a plastic surgery procedure where skin is stretched (facelift, breast augmentation or abdominoplasty, for example) then dry, cracked skin will make it harder for the surgeon to staple or stich the skin together, resulting in a less-than-optimum result and possibly a scar.

Body Weight

Sometimes patients will enter a plastic surgeon’s office excited about a decision to finally move forward with breast or body contouring surgery, but then afterwards emerge having found out they are not currently a candidate because of excess body fat. This scenario is not only disappointing, but it can be an emotionally deflating and potentially embarrassing experience for patients. I sympathize with the emotional pain that such patients feel, and I want to help them realize their goals. However, there are several specific reasons that your plastic surgeon might recommend weight loss prior to undergoing a procedure.  In addition, the results that you can achieve are likely to be much better if your weight is in a better range. Consider an overweight woman who wants breast reduction surgery.  Even when the breasts become smaller and more uplifted, it is extremely difficult for us to deal with the fullness lateral to the breasts (the “bra roll”), which significantly compromises the aesthetic result. In addition, it is much harder to get a beautiful transition between the breast and the abdomen due to the excess weight. On the other hand, let’s consider the patient who is overweight and wants a tummy tuck or liposuction. In this instance, the surgeon will not be able to remove all the excess fat in these areas, as it is technically challenging and can look odd because it is out of proportion to the surrounding fatty deposits. Even large volume liposuction cannot fully solve this problem. Body contouring surgery is great for shaping your body, but it is not a method or substitute for weight loss or weight control.  At my clinic there is a full-time wellness/weight loss coordinator who helps patients achieve a healthy body composition ( body fat percentage and lean muscle mass balance) before undergoing body contour procedures.

What is an option for those who need to lose weight to be a better candidate for cosmetic surgery?

There is an FDA approved “Gastric Balloon” procedure that I perform. It is appropriate for patients who have not had previous weight loss surgery and who have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 to 40. Patients diagnosed with bulimia, binge eating, compulsive overeating, high liquid calorie intake habits or similar eating-related psychological disorders are not good candidates. I’ve now treated numerous patients who have successfully lost up to 20% of their body weight with the balloon procedures and have gone on to aesthetic body contouring with much improved results.

How does the balloon method work?

This non-surgical outpatient procedure begins with a diagnostic endoscopy to ensure that it is safe to perform. Once the patient is mildly sedated and comfortable, the procedure can begin. The deflated gastric balloon is inserted through the esophagus and into the stomach. A syringe is then used to fill the balloon with a sterile saline solution. Once the weight loss balloon has been filled with saline, it expands to approximately the size of a grapefruit. The entire procedure takes about 20 minutes. Patients can usually return home within 30 minutes. Over the last 20 years this procedure has helped over 277,000 people. The gastric balloon encourages portion control while patients make healthy changes to diet and lifestyle.

How long does the balloon stay in place?

The balloon remains in the stomach for the first six months after the procedure. With the stomach balloon and Dr. Poulos’ support team, patients usually see the most drastic results in the first six months. It is very important to use this time to develop healthy habits that will continue for the rest of one’s life.

What to expect after the balloon placement.

Over the first 14 days after placement, patients may experience nausea or vomiting. I recommend a liquid diet for his patients during the first week to help manage these symptoms.  Also prescribed are effective anti-nausea drugs to help the patient through the initial stage.

How is the balloon removed?

Once the stomach balloon has been in place for six months the balloon is removed. The simple and non-surgical procedure is very similar to the placement process. Once the gastric balloon has been removed, it is very important to continue working closely with my team and coaches to follow the personal diet and exercise plan provided. This will help to keep patients in a positive and healthy mindset while achieving your weight loss goals.

About Dr. Stanley Poulos

Dr. Poulos specializes in cosmetic breast surgery and body contouring procedures. He helped pioneer the quick lift facial rejuvenation surgery in California and is recognized as one of the leading plastic surgeons in Marin County and the entire San Francisco Bay area.  Dr. Poulos and Plastic Surgery Specialists have extensive experience in body contour procedures. A graduate of the University of Texas Medical School, Dr. Poulos completed his internship and residency at UC San Francisco. He completed a plastic surgery fellowship at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco and is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. For more information, click here.

The findings appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

“Less than 20 percent of the recommendations were fully implemented across all the organizations,” said Dean Sittig, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a professor at UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics.

Developed by Sittig and Hardeep Singh, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience or SAFER guides entail 140 unique recommendations separated into nine separate guides.

To see if health care organizations willingly implemented the recommendations in the guides, Sittig, Singh and their colleagues asked eight health care organizations in the United States and Australia to conduct a self-assessment. The results were presented anonymously.

Broadly divided into three domains, the recommendations in the “safe health IT (information technology)” domain had the highest adherence rate followed by the “using health IT safely” domain and the “monitoring health IT” domain.

“This is not surprising because the domains were conceived as sequential building blocks,” said Sittig, who is on the faculty of the UTHealth Memorial Hermann Center for Healthcare Quality and Safety. “The safe health IT domain contains many recommendations required for e-health record system certification.”

Examples of the recommendations in the “safe health IT” domain include “Data and application configurations are backed up and hardware systems are redundant” and “EHR downtime and reactivation policies and procedures are complete, available and reviewed regularly.”

While the researchers did not evaluate why the adherence rates varied among the health care organizations in this survey, they speculated that the differences could be related to budgets, personnel skill mix and organizational priorities.

Sittig said the results could be used by other organizations to benchmark their progress toward achieving a safe and reliable e-health record.

As part of a study by investigators at San Francisco State University, 125 college students were tested to see how well they could perform simple math — subtracting 7 from 843 sequentially for 15 seconds — while either slumped over or sitting up straight with shoulders back and relaxed. Fifty-six percent of the students reported finding it easier to perform the math in the upright position.

“For people who are anxious about math, posture makes a giant difference,” said Professor of Health Education Erik Peper. “The slumped-over position shuts them down and their brains do not work as well. They cannot think as clearly.” Before the study began, students filled out an anonymous questionnaire asking them to rate their anxiety levels while taking exams and performing math; they also described any physical symptoms of stress they experienced during test taking.

Study co-author Associate Professor of Health Education Richard Harvey said that slumping over is a defensive posture that can trigger old negative memories in the body and brain. While the students without math anxiety did not report as great a benefit from better posture, they did find that doing math while slumped over was somewhat more difficult.

According to a news release from SF State, Peper and Harvey say these findings about body position can help people prepare for many different types of performance under stress, not just math tests. Athletes, musicians and public speakers can all benefit from better posture prior to and during their performance. “You have a choice,” said Peper. “It’s about using an empowered position to optimize your focus.”

That empowerment could be particularly helpful to students facing the challenge called “stereotype threat,” said Lauren Mason, one of the paper’s authors and a recent SF State graduate. A first-generation college student, Mason can identify with such students, who experience fear and insecurity because of a belief by others — which can become internalized — that they won’t do as well at math. Mason said she has benefited personally from using a more empowered posture before taking difficult tests, including math. She believes that adopting a more confident posture could help other first-generation students as well as women entering science and math, who often battle stereotype threat, too.

“I always felt insecure about my math abilities even though I excelled at other subjects,” said Mason, who helped design the experiment in the study. “You build a relationship with [math] so early — as early as elementary school. You can carry that negative self-talk throughout your life, impacting your perception of yourself.”

Mason said the study results demonstrate a simple way to improve many aspects of life, especially when stress is involved: “The way we carry ourselves and interact in space influences not only how others perceive us but also how we perceive ourselves.”

“The most important thing to do is to gently wash the cut to prevent an infection,” said board-certified dermatologist Laura K. Ferris, MD, PhD, FAAD, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Beyond that, most minor cuts and scrapes stop bleeding and heal quickly with a few simple steps.”

To treat a minor cut, Ferris recommends the following tips:

Wash your hands with soap and water.

Wash the cut to prevent infection. Use cool or lukewarm water and a mild soap or cleanser to gently remove dirt or debris.

Stop the bleeding. Apply pressure to the cut using a clean washcloth or gauze. Maintain pressure for one to two minutes or until the bleeding stops.

Apply petroleum jelly. This will help keep the wound moist for faster healing. Make sure you apply it continuously until the cut heals. To help prevent the spread of dirt and bacteria, consider using petroleum jelly from a tube instead of a jar. Do not apply topical antibiotics.

Cover the cut with a sterile bandage. This will help protect the cut and prevent it from reopening. Change the bandage daily, and keep the cut covered until it heals.

Consider taking over-the-counter pain medication. Acetaminophen can help relieve painful cuts.

Make sure your tetanus vaccination is up to date if your cut is from a dirty or rusty object. If you aren’t sure, contact your primary care doctor.

“Most minor cuts heal in one week or less; however, if your cut is longer than three-fourths of an inch, more than a quarter inch deep, or won’t stop bleeding, seek immediate medical attention,” said Ferris. “As your cut heals, if you notice any signs of an infection, such as pus or increased redness, swelling or pain, call your primary care doctor or a board-certified dermatologist.”

About the AAD

Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 19,000 physicians worldwide, the AAD is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the AAD at (888) 462-DERM (3376) or www.aad.org.