Health/Wellness RSS

Exposure to cancer-causative agents in firefighting likely occurs on the fireground as well as in the aftermath of firefighting activity, particularly if clothing is not cleaned. Firefighters often complain that following a working structural fire, their work uniforms, underclothing, hair and even their skin can continue to smell like smoke, sometimes even after repeated showers. The fact is that fire smoke, which consists of particles, easily penetrates into the clothing ensemble. The problem is the unburned carbon that makes up the bulk of those particles, since the irregularly shaped, highly porous carbon particles adsorb and can continue to carry toxic...

A long video but worth the watch. You may not be going through it right now, and I hope you never do have to deal with it.... but statistically you may and there is a high probability that someone close to you is going through it, will go through it, or has gone through it. Try to walk a mile in their shoes and listen ... be there for them. Lend and ear. Be compassionate (it's in our DNA). Help them or help yourself. Get some help. You (we) are not alone.  

June 19, 2017 Written by Elias Markou As a naturopathic doctor, I have been helping firefighters detox their bodies for 15 years. At my practice, I have introduced the use of far infrared sauna therapy to the detoxification program. In the last few months, I have been called upon by a number of fire departments to report on the medical evidence that supports the use of far infrared sauna therapy. Far infrared saunas differ from traditional steam saunas. The traditional sauna is a small, often confining room, with a heat source that raises the immediate air temperature. The skin is...

   Here are the exercises that appear in the video above:   1. Triple squat jump2. Rotational spider jump3. Seesaw elevated lunge4. Lateral lunge to lateral slide5. Miniband skater jump6. Dumbbell pause front squat with Miniband (4 second hold at bottom)7. Shoulders-elevated single-leg hip thrusts with miniband8. Plyo single-leg hip thrust9. Plyo Bulgarian split squat10. Overhead Bulgarian split squat11. Eccentric Bulgarian hip hinge (4 to 5 second descent)12. Mega blast-off pushup13. Fast bear crawl with slow return14. Extreme dumbbell pushup walkout: walkout to T-pushup to pushup row to pushup15. Fat-grip triple crush complex16. Miniband seal jack17. Band pull-apart jack18. Band-resisted...

Did you sleep well last night? If not, you may be at risk for more than just a bad mood. Like good nutrition and exercise, sleep is essential to mental and physical well-being. Chronic lack of sleep impairs performance, contributes to serious health problems, and may even shorten life- span. In an age of increased emphasis on firefighter health and safety, the importance of sleep should not be minimized. Respondents to the National Sleep Foundation's 2002 Sleep in America poll expressed concerns about work schedules for people entrusted with public health and safety. Eighty-two percent agreed that employees should not...