Weird symptoms, explained

 

Foot cramps? Shivers? They're usually just a nuisance, but here's what these strange symptoms may be trying to tell you (and how to get rid of them). By Stacey Colino
You Get Light-Headed When You Stand Up Quickly
The explanation: You could be mildly dehydrated. Or you might have orthostatic hypotension (a.k.a. postural hypotension), which occurs when blood rushes to your feet and away from your head as you stand up suddenly. (People with low blood pressure can be especially prone to this phenomenon.)
The fix: Drink plenty of fluids and be sure that when you stand up, you do it slowly, says Donnica Moore, a physician in Far Hills, New Jersey. If you see stars anyway, grab a table or a chair to stabilize yourself or sit back down.
When to see a doctor: If the light-headedness persists or if you actually faint.
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You Sometimes Get a Painful Swelling Under Your Arm
The explanation: It could be due to a plugged hair follicle or an ingrown hair in your armpit (from shaving, for example) or a swollen lymph node (from an infection).
The fix: Try putting a warm compress on it several times a day and see if it goes away within a week, says Teng.
When to see a doctor: If it lasts longer or if it worsens (and gets red or irritated). "It could be a sign of a breast infection, a cyst, or a tumor," says Teng.
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Your Hands Get Sweaty in Certain Situations
The explanation: Sweaty palms happen to everyone now and then, and they're a normal response to stress or a case of the jitters.
The fix: Taking a few minutes to try to relax—by breathing deeply, meditating, or visualizing a tranquil place—may help prevent or relieve the sweatiness, says Teng.
When to see a doctor: If your hands are constantly sweaty. You could have hyperhidrosis, a disorder involving excessive sweating of the hands, feet, or underarms. Applying an antiperspirant on the palms can treat the condition, says Roshini Raj, an assistant professor of medicine at New York University and the author of What the Yuck?! The Freaky & Fabulous Truth About Your Body ($20; amazon.com). So can a medication prescribed by your doctor. In very serious cases, surgery can remove the part of the nerve that's stimulating the sweat glands to become overactive.
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You Get Foot Cramps at Night
The explanation: A subtle electrolyte imbalance (involving potassium, magnesium, or calcium) or mild dehydration may be triggering these cramps, says Teng.
The fix: Get up and walk around, then massage the muscle to help it relax.
When to see a doctor: If you get them nightly or during the day when you walk. A condition such as a blood-clotting disorder or nerve damage could be to blame.
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Your Foot Goes Numb When You're on the Stair Master
The explanation: When you move your feet in a repetitive way during a workout, or if your shoes or laces are too tight, the "tiny nerves between your toes can get pinched as you put pressure on your foot," says Sabrina Strickland, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery, in New York City, and that can make it feel uncomfortably numb.
The fix: During your workout, wiggle your toes in your shoes a few times—and loosen your laces if they're too tight.
When to see a doctor: If numbness happens during other activities or you can't make it go away. You could have a nerve problem in your foot.

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Your Body Jerks as You Fall Asleep
The explanation: These hypnic jerks, or sleep starts, probably stem from nerves misfiring as your brain and body downshift into sleep mode. "An interruption in your brain's signal to your body to relax can cause the limbs and head to jerk," says Clete A. Kushida, M.D., the medical director of the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, in Redwood City, California.
The fix: There's nothing you can do to prevent these harmless jerks. Fortunately, they last only a few seconds.
When to see a doctor: If they happen frequently or disturb your sleep, as they might be a sign of sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder.

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You Hear Ringing in Your Ears
The explanation: It's probably tinnitus, a perceived buzzing or whooshing sound commonly caused by partial hearing loss, says Cristina Cabrera-Muffly, an otolaryngologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Medications, including aspirin and some antibiotics; allergies; and earwax buildup can be to blame.
The fix: There's no cure for tinnitus caused by hearing loss, but "stress-reduction techniques, such as biofeedback, may be useful to decrease your brain's perception of the sound," says Cabrera-Muffly.
When to see a doctor: If the ringing is only in one ear or is accompanied by vertigo, balance problems, or facial weakness. These symptoms could indicate an acoustic-nerve tumor.
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Your Jaw Cracks
The explanation: The temporomandibular (jaw) joint that's in front of your ear is most likely to blame. "It cracks when the joint isn't moving correctly or fitting back into the socket properly," says Raj.
The fix: It should self-correct.
When to see a doctor: If it's accompanied by pain, headaches, or locking of the jaw. These symptoms could point to temporomandibular joint disorder, arthritis, or some other kind of joint damage that requires treatment (like wearing a mouth guard at night).
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You Have Floaters in Your Eyes
The explanation: Those little white specks that drift across your field of vision are probably just tiny pieces of tissue that stray into the vitreous, the jelly-filled chamber of each eye, says Ruth D. Williams, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
The fix: Your eye will probably reabsorb them (or you'll just stop noticing them).
When to see a doctor: If the floaters are black or are accompanied by flashing lights, which can signal a retinal tear.
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You Always Sneeze in Threes
The explanation: "Sneezing is a protective reflex," says Nathanael Horne, a physician in New York City. "There's something irritating in the nasal passages, and your nose wants to get rid of it." So you'll sneeze until the job gets done.
The fix: Sneeze! Once, twice, or four or more times—all are perfectly normal.
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Your Heart Races When You Wake Up Suddenly
The explanation: "When you're startled, adrenaline kicks in, and your body's fight-or-flight response is suddenly turned on," says Moore. And, says Teng, if you wake up abruptly from REM sleep, when vivid dreams occur, your heart rate may be naturally elevated.
The fix: In either case, your heart rate should return to normal within a few minutes.
When to see a doctor: If you also have chest pain or dizziness.
See More: A Guide to Headache Remedies
You Get Full-Body Shivers
The explanation: "It's probably a momentary glitch in the body's ability to regulate its temperature," says Raj, especially if it lasts mere seconds. (This happens more during the menopausal transition, since "hormonal changes can make body-temperature regulation go haywire," says Raj.)
The fix: A shiver should go away on its own in a minute or two.
When to see a doctor: If a shiver lingers for days, which could signal an infection. "Just like a fever occurs with some illnesses," says Raj, "you can get chills when your immune cells release chemicals to fight off bugs." Treating the underlying infection should stop the shivers.

Sneaky little slim-down tricks from top weight-control experts

 

Health magazineStart smart
Begin lunch and dinner with a veggie-rich salad or broth-based soup, says Pennsylvania State University satiety expert Barbara Rolls, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. “That lets you fill up first on a big volume of low-calorie food and ends up displacing some of the foods you’ll eat next—the choices that are usually higher in calories.”

Sneak a snack
“Ten minutes before each meal, eat some healthy fat (around 70 calories or fewer): a handful of nuts, a few slices of avocado, or a spoonful of peanut butter, for example. That helps activate ghrelin, a hormone that lets you know you’re full,” says Michael Roizin, MD, co-author with Mehmet Oz, MD, of You on a Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management.


Health.com: 5 snacks that won't ruin your supper

Try the 3-hour rule
“The secret to losing weight comes down to keeping your metabolism alive and active,” according to fitness guru Jorge Cruise, author of The 3-Hour Diet. How do you do that? By eating every 3 hours, give or take 10 to 20 minutes, he says, which translates to three moderate meals with three snacks (100 calories each) between meals. Though other experts say there’s nothing magic about 3-hour intervals, eating small, frequent, portion-controlled meals and snacks can keep your blood sugar level steady, your energy up, and keep you from overindulging.

Have liquid assets
“If you’re going to drink anything with calories (i.e., fruit juice, soda, sweetened coffee and tea, or alcohol), you need to consciously adjust your diet to accommodate those extra calories,” says Purdue University nutrition researcher Richard Mattes, PhD. His research shows that people typically make adjustments to eat fewer calories over the course of a day after eating a solid food like jelly beans, but not after drinking the same amount of calories in a glass of soda. And if you want to replace sweetened drinks with their calorie-free counterparts, rethink it. Some research suggests that people who drink no- or low-calorie drinks might actually end up eating more, Mattes says. The best thirst quencher—and a dieter’s best friend—is still plain old H2O.

Health.com: Trying to lose weight? Drink more water

Choose your pals wisely
Studies show that most of us base how much we eat on what others around us eat, says University of Toronto psychologist Peter Herman, PhD. So steer clear of the big eaters in your social circle, at least when food is around. Sashay over and make small talk at parties with the folks who aren’t hovering near the food table. “Marching to your own caloric drummer requires some independent thought and calculation,” Herman says.

Pare portions
Everything from beverages to bagels is two to five times bigger today than in the 1970s, says New York University nutrition professor Lisa Young, PhD, author of Portion Teller, who has studied the servings dished up in restaurants and by food companies. “So if you grab a bagel or eat out, chances are you’ll be served double what you need,” she says. Her advice: Start leaving just a little bit on your plate or, if you can, cut the amount you eat in half. She also suggests that you “use your hand as a portion guide—3 ounces of meat fits into your palm, 1 cup of potatoes looks like a fist.”

Health.com: 8 tips for controlling portion sizes

Be an early bird
Eat the most food earlier in the day, says Elisabetta Politi, nutrition manager at Duke Diet and Fitness Center, Duke University’s successful weight-management center. “Many dieters try to trim calories from their breakfast and lunch and then get hungry,” she says. “Research shows the calories you eat earlier in the day help you eat less at night” —a good idea since you probably won’t be active after an evening meal.

Step it up
“Get a pedometer and start walking,” says University of Colorado obesity expert James Hill, author of The Step Diet. To keep the weight off forever, the goal is to take 10,000 steps a day. “You don’t need to do it all at once,” Hill explains. Start with 2,000 steps a day, or about 15 minutes of walking. Add another 5 minutes (500 steps) each week. You can find supercheap pedometers at drugstores and big-box retailers to help you keep count. There are lots of other sneaky little ways to add more steps to your day, too: Use a cordless phone and walk while you talk, or get up and walk during TV commercials.

Health.com: 9 ways to sneak in more exercise

Think thin
“Seeing is believing,” says Janice Taylor, weight-loss coach and author of Our Lady of Weight Loss. “You have to picture yourself thin if you want to become thin.” Visualize what you’re wearing, where you are, who you are with, and how you feel. “The more vivid the picture, the more real it will feel to you,” Taylor says, “and the more likely it will take form.”

Shula Lazarus, PhD, a psychotherapist at the North Carolina–based weight-management program Structure House, agrees, though the method isn’t clinically proven. “We use it to help dieters visualize a healthy eating pattern and the right portions on their plate. It can’t hurt, and it might help.”

Fill up on fiber
Crowd out calorie-dense foods by ratcheting up on fruits and veggies. “Start by eating one more serving of fruit and one more vegetable a day,” says Donald Hensrud, MD, a Mayo Clinic nutrition specialist. Hitting that mid-afternoon slump? Reach for carrots—the carbs will give you a lift. Not only does munching on nature’s bounty become a good habit, but it’ll also help you tap into dozens of disease-fighting phytochemicals and vitamins. The biggest fiber bulker-upper: beans. Just a cup of black beans nets you nearly 15 grams of filling fiber.

Health.com: Fill up on fiber

Brush your teeth
Sometimes the best advice comes from your best friend or, in this case, a fellow Health reader. Barbara Haug of Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, says she brushes her teeth right after dinner instead of at bedtime. “I can be a compulsive snacker in the evening,” she says, “but I don’t like messing up freshly brushed teeth.”

By Maureen Callahan, MS, RD for

Related: weight loss, dieting

5 Diet Rules It's OK to Break

5 Diet Rules It's OK to Break

By Lisa Collier Cool
Jun 20, 2011

Health Experts Main

Day in Health

by Lisa Collier Cool

If you find it hard to stick to a strict diet, here’s some good news: Breaking the rules could actually help you slim down—and keep the pounds off over the long term. A study published in International Journal of Obesity found that dieters with a flexible strategy that allowed for sweets and other indulgences were significantly more successful at maintaining weight loss during the three-year study than those who strived for rigid control of their eating habits.
That’s because the rigid control group typically had an “all or nothing” mindset. As a result, they yo-yoed between shunning all goodies—including their favorite foods—and falling off the diet wagon completely. Flexible dieters, on the other hand, deemed it good enough to “more or less” follow their weight loss plan, without letting slip-ups escalate into eating binges. But which rules are okay to break without sabotaging your diet? NSCA-certified conditioning coach Holly Mosier, author of Stress Less, Weigh Less (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2011), offers these myth-busting insights:
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#1: Don’t eat after 7 PM.
Why it’s OK to break this rule: There’s nothing magical about avoiding eating at night. The key to weight loss success isn’t when you eat; it’s taking a close look at what you eat and staying within your daily calorie allotment, says Mosier. “It’s very helpful to keep a food diary and look at your eating patterns.” A study by Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research found that people who maintained a daily food diary had double the weight loss of those who didn’t keep any records. Writing down what you eat helps curb the urge to overindulge, by making you mindful of your dietary patterns and caloric intake, regardless of what time of day the food is consumed.
#2: Eat five to six small meals during the day.
Why it’s OK to break this rule: Although the theory behind this rule is that frequent eating keeps your metabolism stoked, the reality is that having more opportunities to eat often results in overeating, resulting in weight gain instead of weight loss. What’s more, new research from Purdue University founds that eating three regular-sized meals that include lean protein, such as chicken or tofu, made people feel more full than eating smaller, more frequent meals. The researchers also reported that eating three high protein meals also decreases late night eating and food cravings.
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#3: Stick to fat-free or low-fat foods.
Why it's OK to break this rule: The American Heart Association recently reported that low-fat and fat-free foods can contribute to obesity, because these foods often contain as many or more calories than the full-fat versions, yet trick people into thinking that these are good choices for weight loss. Always check the nutrition facts on the label and avoid low-fat products that are loaded with sugar. Everyone, regardless of size, needs some fat in their diet to transport fat-soluble vitamins, such as A and E, around the body. Good fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, also play a role in heart health and may aid immune system function. The AHA advises limiting fat intake to less than 25 to 35 percent of total calories, with less than 7 percent of calories coming from saturated fat. Choose unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts, or oily fish.
#4: Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking.

Why it's OK to break this rule: It’s true that studies consistently show that people who eat breakfast tend to weigh less and are more successful at maintaining weight loss. In fact, having breakfast daily is one of the habits that 78 percent of the “successful losers” who have enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry share. All of them have sustained a weight loss of 30 pounds or more for at least one year and some for up to 66 years. But that doesn’t mean you have to force yourself to eat first thing in the morning if you’re not hungry. Consuming breakfast later in the morning, perhaps after a workout to rev up your appetite, is equally effective. One study found that eating a big breakfast that’s high in protein and low in carbs helped overweight women lose an average of nearly 23 pounds 

#5: Cut out certain food groups.

Why it's OK to break this rule: This “rule” recycles every few years. Some years we’re told to cut out red meat. Other years we’re told to avoid dairy or fruits. And we are always told to shun sugar. However, even with the willpower of iron, it’s hard to stick to a diet that leaves you feeling chronically deprived, which can set the stage for bingeing, Mosier points out. Instead, eat your favorite foods in moderation, and tweak recipes to cut down on calories. Understanding nutrition and taking a flexible, balanced approach to weight loss helps you make the smart food choices, without saddling yourself with the stress and frustration of a rigid diet that’s impossible to sustain over the long term.