Preventive Health

Setting Goals for the New Year

2007-12-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Setting Goals for Your New Years Resolutions
Blog Review 2 Body: In order for resolutions to actually fit into your life and
become completed, they first need to become goals. Here are
some basic goal-setting guidelines to help you with your
resolutions.

Begin by setting up short and long term goals. Then devise a
means of accomplishing both and evaluating your progress along
the way towards completion. Because once you chart your
progress, you will be able to see the different levels or
stages needed to accomplish each step towards completing your
resolution; i.e. you’ll know what exactly you need to do to
complete your goal.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

HEALTH, WEALTH and PROSPERITY !!

The Banana's Magic

2007-11-14T22:17:00.001-08:00

Healthy to eat bananas - behind any expectations.
Know your fruit - it will help you with your daily activities.

clipped from www.rockinghamremembered.com

Bananas - Who Knew?

It can also help
overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses

and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet

DEPRESSION:

PMS:

ANEMIA:

BLOOD PRESSURE:

BRAIN POWER:

CONSTIPATION:

HANGOVERS:

HEARTBURN:

MORNING SICKNESS:

MOSQUITO BITES

NERVES

OVERWEIGHT AND AT WORK

ULCERS

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER

SMOKING

STRESS

STROKES

When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the
protein, twice
the carbohydrates, three times the
phosphorus, five times the Vitamin A
and iron, and twice
the other vitamins and minerals. It is also
rich in
potassium and is one of the best value foods around

Research has proven that just two bananas provide
enough energy for a
strenuous 90-minute workout.

style="FONT-SIZE: 24px; LINE-HEIGHT: 34px">Bananas, containing three natural
sugars, sucrose,
fructose and glucose combined with fiber, give an
soft>instant, sustained and substantial boost of
energy.

The mushroom pleasure

2007-11-14T02:18:00.001-08:00

An example of how you can combine - exercise - walking to find the right healthy food. And prepare a delicious meal, good for your heart and nerves.

clipped from www.expatica.com

The mushroom hunters

The hunt is now on. But not for foxes or wild boar. Instead, mushroom hunters across Spain will be scouring the woods to find the best fungi. Graham Keeley gives a personal account of the popular Spanish obsession with mushrooms.

Collecting mushrooms in the woods in the north of Spain is a very autumnal thing.

Mushrooms are naturally good for us because they contain vitamin B1, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. These are all good for the nervous system. So remember this after a back-breaking morning scouring the woods – those elusive mushrooms will do your frazzled nerves some good.

They also have hardly any fat, so if you suffer from heart disease or are over-weight they are ideal.

Knowing how to cook them is another thing all together. In simple terms,
they are perfect for a good stew, a risotto or with scrambled eggs. Ideally, grill them with a drop of olive oil and garlic.

Weight Loss - step by step

2007-11-11T21:31:00.001-08:00

Very simple explanation of how to lose weight.

Step by step - set up a plan of so many steps each day and increase it every day by one step.

clipped from www.earlytorise.com

The Simplest Way to Start Weight Loss

By Craig Ballantyne

In a world where there is an overwhelming amount of fat-loss information available, it is still the little things that can mean a lot to a beginner.

Australian researchers confirmed what almost everyone has known all along: To lose weight, you must get moving (keeping in mind that "getting moving" doesn’t require you to run marathons). By monitoring a group of sedentary individuals, they found that when those folks simply added 2,000 steps to the number of steps they normally took each day (about 2,000), they could lose just over an inch from their waistlines.

At the rate of one to two steps per second, that extra 2,000 steps will take you only 17 to 34 minutes of walking per day. If you’re relatively inactive, that will make a big difference. But take it easy. If you try to do too much too fast or are very overweight, even walking can lead to overuse injuries.

Stay inform about your health

2007-11-08T22:24:00.001-08:00

We should always make an effort to understand better our body.

We will enjoy more and have fun, by staying healthy.

clipped from www.emilychang.com

FEATURE: Health 2.0

Written by Nick Senzee and posted in eHub Features

In case you hadn’t noticed, healthcare is one enormous economic sector. In the United States, spending on healthcare in 2005 was calculated at $2 trillion, which is 16% of GDP. Other countries aren’t off the hook either: across the globe, healthcare spending is exceeding the rate of economic growth. So, it stands to reason that web entrepreneurs and even large corporations are increasing their offerings to meet such a voracious demand.

Trends in Healthcare

Integrated health networks.

Changing definition of what “insured” means.

Healthcare Tools

Content-based sites

Disease management. As opposed to acute care, proper disease management would have patients be proactive and control their conditions--leading to better lifestyles and cheaper medical interventions.

Best Food to lower Cholesterol

2007-11-07T22:26:00.001-08:00

Good reading to remind us that we should understand the side effects of all kinds of food.

clipped from paradoxaffiliate.com

Best Food That is Part of the Diet to Lower Cholesterol

People have to eat in order to have energy to do certain things. Some are able to make three or four trips to the buffet table while others are satisfied after one round. In any case, the type of food brought to the plate could be healthy or harmful and the choice is really up to the person.

The high levels of cholesterol in the body are happening more often now than ever before. This is because of the variety of food offered now in the grocery and in restaurants. The person can still recover from this by eating foods that are not high in saturated fats.

Is there one food product that can be called the best to lower cholesterol? The answer is no because a well balanced diet must come from all the food groups.

Instead of drinking full cream milk or mixing this with cornflakes or whole grain, it is best to use non fat milk instead. The taste is almost the same is much healthier than the regular brand bought in the supermarket.

Acne and Exercise

2007-10-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

Moderate exercise is actually good for your skin. It helps you maintain a healthy body and manage your stress levels, too. If you find your acne is aggravated by regular exercise, then you may want to examine your routine. What do you wear? Where do you go? How hard do you work? Exercise-related acne is usually caused by something you put on your body rather something you do with it. Remove these outside factors, and you may put an end to your workout breakouts. Here are just a few things to watch for.

Acne & Exercise - Make-up. When exercising, wear as little make-up as possible. Even oil-free and non-comedogenic (non-pore-clogging) cosmetics can clog pores if worn during heavy exercise. When you’re done working out, wash as soon as possible.

Acne & Exercise - Sunscreen. If your regimen takes you outdoors, always wear sunscreen. While acne may improve slightly after brief periods in the sun, studies show that prolonged exposure actually promotes comedones (clogged pores) and, of course, sun damage. Some kinds of acne medication make skin more sensitive to the sun, so sunscreen is even more important. When choosing a sunscreen, look for products that are oil-free and have a protection factor of at least SPF 15 for both UVA and UVB rays. Like make-up, sunscreen can travel across the skin’s surface and lodge in the pores — so wash immediately after working out.

Acne & Exercise - Clothing. If you’re prone to body acne, avoid garments made exclusively with lycra or nylon. Why? Some synthetic fabrics can trap the heat and moisture against your skin, creating a fertile breeding ground for the bacteria that contribute to acne. For moderate exercise, your best bet is lightweight, loose-fitting cotton, or a lycra-cotton blend. Natural fabrics allow the skin to breathe, and loose garments are less likely to cause friction. If you’re exercising vigorously and working up a good sweat, however, you may want to try some of the new fabrics designed to wick moisture away from your skin.

Acne & Exercise - Equipment. Some people are more likely to get acne or have their lesions aggravated in the areas affected by sports equipment. The best defense against friction-related breakouts is a good fit — make sure your helmet doesn’t slide around on your forehead, or your wetsuit isn’t too tight under the arms. You can also curb equipment-triggered breakouts by lining your helmet with a layer of soft, washable cotton fabric; it's a great use for those old t-shirts, too. And no matter what the sport, it’s always a good idea to keep your equipment clean and dry when not in use.

Acne & Exercise - Moisture. Mom was right: You should get out of those wet clothes! No matter how you get your exercise — treadmill, trail, tennis court, or whatever — don’t sit around in your sweaty clothes or wet bathing suit when you’re done. If you can, shower off immediately and change into dry clothes before driving home. If this isn’t possible, change into dry clothes and wipe down as well as you can. When toweling sweat off your face, always use a clean towel, and blot gently rather than wipe. Vigorous wiping can irritate your skin, driving make-up and sunscreen deeper into the pores.

Acne & Exercise - Showering. Again, it’s best to shower immediately after working out. You may want to use a medicated exfoliant cleanser, but always be gentle with your skin. Scrubbing harder isn’t going to make you any cleaner, or make your acne go away — and it may actually irritate existing lesions or promote the development of new ones. If you can't shower right away, you can still curb breakouts by wiping down with medicated pads; keep a few in your gym bag just in case.

So keep up the good work! A healthy exercise program is an integral part of your overall health; and a healthy body is more likely to have healthy skin. Just keep an eye on the various factors that accompany your regimen, and try to remove the acne triggers — you’ll be on your way to breakout-free workouts.

Acnezine Tips for Day to Day Acne Care

2007-10-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Acnezine treatment for your acne should be accompanied by a healthy skin care routine.

Wash the affected area twice a day with mild soap. Use soap such as Dove, or one that contains benzoyl peroxide, such as Oxy-5. Wash as often necessary to keep the area clean. Do not scrub.

Shampoo the hair regularly.

Keep long hair off the face and shoulders and wash it daily.

Avoid shaving as much as possible; while shaving take care to avoid nicking the pimples.

Use a fresh shaving blade to minimize the chance of spreading the infection.

Avoid use of make-up or cosmetics in areas prone to acne. If you have to wear make-up, use only the hypoallergenic or fragrance free kind.

Don't pop, pick, scratch, or squeeze your pimples. This may cause infection and scarring.

You may use an over-the-counter treatment that contain substances such as benzoyl peroxide (gel or cream) or salicyclic acid. Start with the lowest strength and apply once a day about half an hour after washing. Never use more than 5 percent strength without consulting a physician.

Food and Nutrition Recommendations for Acne:Some doctors believe that acne is not a food related problem. Some alternate practitioners use diet as a basis for their treatment of acne. They recommend that acne patients should eat foods high in beta-carotene, such as carrots, pumpkin, cantaloupe and other yellow-orange fruits and vegetables. They should also avoid fatty foods. Acnezine controls the oil secretion in your body to protect your skin from getting acne prone.

Vitamin Therapy for Acne:Nutritionists generally suggest:Chromium supplements - Chromium helps boosts the body's ability to break down glucose.Vitamin A - reduces sebum and keratin production. (Caution: taking mega doses of Vitamin A can cause headaches, fatigue, muscle and joint pain and other side effects. Consult a qualified practitioner before taking mega supplements).Vitamin E - an antioxidant (200 to 400 IU a day).Vitamin B-6 50 mg per day. This vitamin aids in the metabolism of hormones and supports the function of Acnezine as well.

Note: People should not try to medicate themselves or others with any of the methods referred to here without the guidance of a qualified practitioner who is thoroughly familiar with both the remedies and the individual’s medical status. Acnezine is an antioxidant, natural product without any side effect that reduces acne.

For more information visit: click here

Acnezine, the natural medication for acne treatment

2007-10-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Scars caused by acne are much more common than doctors once believed; most people will have acne scars that are mild. However, some will have scars that look significant even to others. The best approach is prevention and to treat acne right away as sometimes even mild acne can cause scarring, this can minimize the risk of permanent acne scars. Acnezine is the best possible way to treat acne scars. Acne leaves behind different types of acne scars.

Acne scars result from two types of tissue response to the inflammation of acne: (1) increased tissue formation, and (2) loss of tissue.

Increased Tissue FormationThe scars caused by increased tissue formation are called keloids or hypertrophic scars. The word hypertrophy means "enlargement" or "overgrowth." Both hypertrophic and keloid scars are associated with excessive amounts of the cell substance collagen. Overproduction of collagen is a response of skin cells to injury. The excess collagen becomes piled up in fibrous masses, resulting in a characteristic firm, smooth, usually irregularly-shaped scar. Keloids tend to "run in the family"—that is, there is a genetic predisposition to form keloids after tissue injury. African-Americans often have a predisposition to keloid formation. Some families also tend to form hypertrophic acne scars or thickened acne scars.

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Acnezine, the natural medication for acne treatment serves a major role reducing such types of acne.

Acne Scars Resulting From Loss of TissuesAcne scars resulting from loss of tissue are more common than scars resulting from increased tissue formation. There are several types:Ice-pick acne scars get their name from their appearance. They may be superficial or deep, are usually small in diameter and have steep sides like an ice-pick wound. They may be hard or soft to the touch; the soft acne scars are usually more superficial and the hard scars deeper. The base of hard scars under the skin may be wider than the scar at the surface of the skin.Depressed fibrotic acne scars are usually large scars that have sharp margins and steep sides. They are similar in appearance to deep chicken pox scars.Superficial and deep soft acne scars are variable in size, and have sloping edges that merge with normal skin.

Follicular macular atrophy is more likely to occur on the chest or back of a person with acne. These are small, white, soft lesions, often barely raised above the surface of the skin—somewhat like whiteheads that didn’t fully develop. This condition is sometimes also called "perifollicular elastolysis." The lesions may persist for months to years.

There are many types of treatment to cure Acne. But Acnezine is a natural acne removal medication with no side effects!

For more information visit: click here

How the Power of Your Mind Can Help You Become Healthy and Fit

2007-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be great if we could attain the body of our dreams just by thinking about it? What if I told you that your mind actually plays the most important role in your success in getting fit? Sounds crazy, but it's true...

Our subconscious mind has one all-important job, and it succeeds every time. What is this job? To prove that your beliefs are true. Note the wording here: To prove that YOUR BELIEFS are true. Not to point out what is actually true. In fact, your mind can't distinguish between whether an event is really happening or not. Visualization is a powerful tool. There have been studies done with athletes. The athlete is told to visualize his/her event in their mind and talk themselves through the event. After the event has happened, their coach played a video tape of their actual event and in many cases, the actual event was identical to the athlete's prior description of the event before the event happened.

Your beliefs are the truth for your life. Whether or not these beliefs are in fact true doesn't matter. If you believe something to be true, then your subconscious mind will perceive the universe around you in such a way that makes this belief true.

So how does this relate to your fitness level?

If you have the belief that getting in shape is hard, that eating healthy is boring, or that weight loss is elusive then you will find getting in shape to be very difficult. If you think of yourself as a fat person, or an out-of-shape person, or just an average person then your subconscious mind will do everything in its power to keep you that way.

Take a minute to let that sink in.

The great thing about our subconscious mind is that we can train it to work for us instead of against us. All we have to do is change our belief.

I'm sure you have heard the term "Believe and Achieve" - many schools have this painted on their walls and it is even printed on T-shirts. Well, the concept is absolutely true and when applied can bring success to your door faster than you thought possible.

It won't help if you simply think that it 'isn't impossible' or that 'it could happen someday.' These aren't true beliefs.

In order to have your desired result you need to truly believe with every fiber of your being that you will achieve this goal. If you are overweight then close your eyes and picture yourself fit. If you have fifty pounds to lose then think of yourself as fifty pounds lighter.

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Machelle Lee owns and operates The Invisible Gym in Santa Cruz, CA. Her mission is to inspire people to become physically active and enjoy the benefits of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. For more information and questions you can visit her website. http://www.the-invisible-gym.com/

You got to take it higher…Benefits of increasing your metabolism

2007-08-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the key to a successful weight loss is by mellowing down your metabolism? Metabolism is the process of burning calories in your body which happens naturally even if you are not exerting any effort- yes including when you are sleeping.

Metabolism, if increased, would result in taking much fluid thus weight loss would happen gradually. The recommended weight loss of 1 – 2 pounds per week is really possible... By increasing the metabolism you are giving the body a need to have more amount of protein.

As we all know, exercise could increase metabolism but the point is that an individual must do an exercise that is suitable and effective for his or her body type. Increasing the metabolism must come before trimming down on calories.

A permanent weight loss may be achieved through increasing metabolism and this process provides different benefits.

This would give you more time to do whatever you want because you do not need too much exercise- this would allow you to enjoy other activities. Moreover, you do not have to force your self to do tough exercises.

Unlike other diets that hold promises of remedies when actually you just end up disappointed, increasing your metabolism will give you better long-term results and will not give you bigger possibilities of gaining weight again.

You do not have to ignore the favorite food and you need not spend so much time just preparing non-fat meals. Of course, you could stop spending too much just for this non-fat food and the like.

These benefits are very simple but these are very important especially for the well-being of an individual. When we exert effort and work hard on our objectives like losing weight, impossible will not even be a fact at all.

These benefits are just some of the many increasing your metabolism could offer- so what are you waiting for?

EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON THE BLOOD.

2007-07-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Dr. Richardson, in his lectures on alcohol, given both in England and America, speaking of the action of this substance on the blood after passing from the stomach, says:

"Suppose, then, a certain measure of alcohol be taken into the stomach, it will be absorbed there, but, previous to absorption, it will have to undergo a proper degree of dilution with water, for there is this peculiarity respecting alcohol when it is separated by an animal membrane from a watery fluid like the blood, that it will not pass through the membrane until it has become charged, to a given point of dilution, with water. It is itself, in fact, so greedy for water, it will pick it up from watery textures, and deprive them of it until, by its saturation, its power of reception is exhausted , after which it will diffuse into the current of circulating fluid."

It is this power of absorbing water from every texture with which alcoholic spirits comes in contact, that creates the burning thirst of those who freely indulge in its use. Its effect, when it reaches the circulation, is thus described by Dr. Richardson:

"As it passes through the circulation of the lungs it is exposed to the air, and some little of it, raised into vapor by the natural heat, is thrown off in expiration. If the quantity of it be large, this loss may be considerable, and the odor of the spirit may be detected in the expired breath. If the quantity be small, the loss will be comparatively little, as the spirit will be held in solution by the water in the blood. After it has passed through the lungs, and has been driven by the left heart over the arterial circuit, it passes into what is called the minute circulation, or the structural circulation of the organism. The arteries here extend into very small vessels, which are called arterioles, and from these infinitely small vessels spring the equally minute radicals or roots of the veins, which are ultimately to become the great rivers bearing the blood back to the heart. In its passage through this minute circulation the alcohol finds its way to every organ. To this brain, to these muscles, to these secreting or excreting organs, nay, even into this bony structure itself, it moves with the blood. In some of these parts which are not excreting, it remains for a time diffused, and in those parts where there is a large percentage of water, it remains longer than in other parts. From some organs which have an open tube for conveying fluids away, as the liver and kidneys, it is thrown out or eliminated, and in this way a portion of it is ultimately removed from the body. The rest passing round and round with the circulation, is probably decomposed and carried off in new forms of matter.

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"When we know the course which the alcohol takes in its passage through the body, from the period of its absorption to that of its elimination, we are the better able to judge what physical changes it induces in the different organs and structures with which it comes in contact. It first reaches the blood; but, as a rule, the quantity of it that enters is insufficient to produce any material effect on that fluid. If, however, the dose taken be poisonous or semi-poisonous, then even the blood, rich as it is in water and it contains seven hundred and ninety parts in a thousand is affected. The alcohol is diffused through this water, and there it comes in contact with the other constituent parts, with the fibrine, that plastic substance which, when blood is drawn, clots and coagulates, and which is present in the proportion of from two to three parts in a thousand; with the albumen which exists in the proportion of seventy parts; with the salts which yield about ten parts; with the fatty matters; and lastly, with those minute, round bodies which float in myriads in the blood (which were discovered by the Dutch philosopher, Leuwenhock, as one of the first results of microscopical observation, about the middle of the seventeenth century), and which are called the blood globules or corpuscles. These last-named bodies are, in fact, cells; their discs, when natural, have a smooth outline, they are depressed in the centre, and they are red in color; the color of the blood being derived from them. We have discovered that there exist other corpuscles or cells in the blood in much smaller quantity, which are called white cells, and these different cells float in the blood-stream within the vessels. The red take the centre of the stream; the white lie externally near the sides of the vessels, moving less quickly. Our business is mainly with the red corpuscles. They perform the most important functions in the economy; they absorb, in great part, the oxygen which we inhale in breathing, and carry it to the extreme tissues of the body; they absorb, in great part, the carbonic acid gas which is produced in the combustion of the body in the extreme tissues, and bring that gas back to the lungs to be exchanged for oxygen there; in short, they are the vital instruments of the circulation.

"With all these parts of the blood, with the water, fibrine, albumen, salts, fatty matter and corpuscles, the alcohol comes in contact when it enters the blood, and, if it be in sufficient quantity, it produces disturbing action. I have watched this disturbance very carefully on the blood corpuscles; for, in some animals we can see these floating along during life, and we can also observe them from men who are under the effects of alcohol, by removing a speck of blood, and examining it with the microscope. The action of the alcohol, when it is observable, is varied. It may cause the corpuscles to run too closely together, and to adhere in rolls; it may modify their outline, making the clear-defined, smooth, outer edge irregular or crenate, or even starlike; it may change the round corpuscle into the oval form, or, in very extreme cases, it may produce what I may call a truncated form of corpuscles, in which the change is so great that if we did not trace it through all its stages, we should be puzzled to know whether the object looked at were indeed a blood-cell. All these changes are due to the action of the spirit upon the water contained in the corpuscles; upon the capacity of the spirit to extract water from them. During every stage of modification of corpuscles thus described, their function to absorb and fix gases is impaired, and when the aggregation of the cells, in masses, is great, other difficulties arise, for the cells, united together, pass less easily than they should through the minute vessels of the lungs and of the general circulation, and impede the current, by which local injury is produced.

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"A further action upon the blood, instituted by alcohol in excess, is upon the fibrine or the plastic colloidal matter. On this the spirit may act in two different ways, according to the degree in which it affects the water that holds the fibrine in solution. It may fix the water with the fibrine, and thus destroy the power of coagulation; or it may extract the water so determinately as to produce coagulation."

The Importance of the 12 B vitamin

2007-07-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

The 12 b vitamin is one of the b vitamins that are essential to maintain a healthy body. Otherwise known as Cobalamin, the 12b vitamin is needed for the processes to convert the carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. 12 b also, more importantly, helps keep the red blood cells healthy and therefore prevent heart disease as well as keeping the immune system functioning at its maximum level. In addition, 12 b is used to create the protective covering of all nerve cells in the body.

The most important function of 12 b is to form healthy red blood cells. However, all cells need 12 b to keep them healthy. It is the white blood cells, amongst others, that need 12 b to help ensure that the immune system functioning properly. All of the nerve cells in the body also need 12 b to form their protective fatty layer. This is essential for all of the nerves but is especially so for those in the brain. If there is not sufficient 12 b to create this protective layer then the brain will not be functioning properly.

Interestingly, the amount of 12 b that the body needs is relatively small but is needed on a regular basis. However, 12 b on its own is not enough as the body cannot absorb it easily. To help the body absorb 12 b the stomach produces intrinsic factor which enables more of the 12 b to be absorbed. 12 b is only found in animal foods such as liver, eggs, fish and meat but most people consume far more than their recommended daily amount of 12 b. This is not a problem as the body can only absorb about half of the 12 b that is consumed. It is also worth noting that the body can recycle the 12 b which cuts down on the impact of a 12 b deficiency. However, strict vegetarians or vegans are likely to require 12 b supplements if they do not eat any animal products that contain 12 b.

If the body does not have enough 12 b then anaemia is the most obvious symptom. Obviously, this is due to the fact that there is not enough 12 b to make healthy red blood cells. Anaemia can also be caused by the body not creating enough intrinsic factor to help absorb the 12 b that is available in the food consumed. The body tends to makes less intrinsic factor once a person reaches 50 and this will lead to less 12 b being absorbed and supplements of 12 b may be required. Kids are also at risk from anaemia because they may not eat the food that contain 12 b. Pregnant women need more 12 b because the baby is absorbing 12 b during the pregnancy to grow properly.

Want a Free Cure for Snoring? Try Snoring Remedy

2007-06-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

Want a Free Cure for Snoring? Try Snoring Remedy

Snoring stresses. It can be the source of your embarrassment while you sleep in somebody else’s house, even if it is your own friend or family. It may both create a disturbance to your companion in sleeping, and it can make you the center of their amusement - too shameful.

Although snoring is not an ailment, it is only a disproportion on the human body system. So, it is not impossible for you to cure snoring. If snoring can be completely eliminated, then societal peace can be achieved, especially inside the bedroom.

Nowadays, there are already medicines and devices available in the market to cure snoring. However, this requires a bit of amount of money, and creating further stress.

Nevertheless, if these kind of cure is not included in your budget, there is still another option that will not be heavy in your purse—home remedies.

First, try to change your position in sleeping. Elevate the head of your bed by a few inches, or try to add some more pillows. This will lessen the jamming of the air passage in your throat muscle. Avoid sleeping on your back too; the tendency if you do this is to give more chances on the occurrence of snoring, the reason for this is the draw back of soft palate and tongue, thus, constricting the air passage.

Next, you can try to modify your lifestyle. Your present lifestyle may contribute in aggravating your snoring, for instance, excessive eating, excessive drinking of alcohol, and too much intake of cigarette.

Modifying lifestyle is what the doctors’ called “conservative therapy.” Truth is the doctors stated that this is the advisable primary step in curing snoring before attempting to use other harsh treatments.

Try to motivate yourself to conduct a regular physical exercise to lessen your weight. Avoid excessive intake of alcohol and cigarettes, the effect of not preventing both of these will add to the obstruction to the airway. Likewise, avoid excessive intake of sleeping pills and tranquilizers, these medicines also worsen snoring.

If you will also notice, some of the medicines that are being offered in the drugstore can be classified as home remedies. Examples of these are the nasal strips, nose sprays, and anti-snoring pills. The ingredients contained by these medicines are basically herbs, and plant enzymes, these can manage the swelling of nose and throat tissues. Additionally, these offset snoring by evening the airflow.

Generally, a home remedy is almost alike to the drug free medication. The procedures of such prescriptions are founded in the inventions’ experience.

There is the drug free snoring “mandibular advancement splint” for instance; the function of this is to maintain your jaw in a pressed onward position. This helps to widen the air passage, and according to the report this helps in more than 80 percent in impeding snoring cases.

If you are really determined and will exert further efforts to the suggested home remedies above, it is not impossible to cure your snoring all by yourself.

The process for these is simple. Distinguish first the problem, ponder. Then, work on it everyday. Following this will award you a good outcome. And the days of disgraceful nights will come to an end. This may possibly happen earlier than you anticipated.

So good luck on your self-medication!

Exercise And Harm

2007-05-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

Exercise And Harm

Anytime you exercise, your brain releases chemicals
known as endorphins that produce a feeling of euphoria,
which is known as "runners high", which is also very
easy to become chemically addicted to.

Without this rush, you'll feel irritable and out of
it until you exercise again. Therefore, you'll go
on exercising and not listen to what your body is
actually telling you - which is to stop.

The main reason addicts will continue to push themselves
lies in what will happen when they don't work out.
Normally when they are unable to exercise, they will
display signs of depression, anxiety, confusion,
and be less happy with themselves.

Aches and pains
Over exercising doesn't only affect the mind, but the
body as well. Exercise will initially do what it
is intended to do, give you a fit body but once you
cross the line however, it can drastic. Muscle
damage, osteoarthritis, and heart problems will all
be waiting in the wings if you continue to overdo
it. The body has limits and if you push beyond
that limit, you'll do nothing but harm yourself.

Obsessive exercise tends to happen among those who
are new to exercise. Therefore, if you are keen
to reap the benefits of getting fit, you'll tend
to overstep the limits.

The initial signs of over exercise are exhaustion,
which can lead to a build up of fatigue. Keep in
mind, it isn't only the muscles that are at risk,
but the bones as well. Many people who exercise
push themselves to the point of injuries such as
shin splints or even stress fractures, then refuse
to rest, which causes greater and sometimes even
permanent damage.

Even a brisk walk in the morning doesn't come
without risk, as walking too much can lead to
osteoarthritis. When you walk, you are working
against gravity. Even though you are exercising
your muscles, you are also harming your knee joints
as well.

Many people who walk up to an hour or more everyday
end up with complaints of aches in the knees. The
fact is, jogging also harms the knees, and too
many sit ups can hurt as well. As with any type
of exercise, moderation is the key.

You should always start off gradually, and combine
several different types of workouts, which is one
thing that obsessive exercisers forget to do. One
of the biggest complication factors of people who
get addicted to exercise is that they will tend
to perform the same workout each and every day,
which further increases the risk of permanent damage.

Think right
You should never work out to the point where you
feel completely exhausted once you have finished.
Your limit with exercise should be 45 minutes to an
hour, four or five days a week. When you are
finished, your workout should leave you feeling
fresh and energetic. Every week should make it a
point to take a day's break - as your body will
need to relax and rejuvenate.

The key to achieving this completely lies in your
attitude, as exercising is the way to a healthy
life. If you do it only to please yourself, you'll
defeat the entire purpose when you stand there on
the weighing machine.

If you take things one day at a time and don't
over do it, you'll be well on your way to a healthy
body. Exercising can be a lot of fun and a way
to relax, if you don't rush it. Start off slow
and gradually work your way up. Before you know it,
you'll know how to prevent injuries before they
happen and you'll know exactly what you need to
do to remain healthy.

A rejuvenating 5-day body detox plan to keep you going

2007-05-21T21:39:00.001-07:00

A rejuvenating 5-day body detox plan to keep you going

In the present condition, you can no longer survive a single day without encountering pollution. At work, you may not at all be so sure of the cleanliness of the water you drink or of the food you eat. When dealing with people, you can hardly get away from air pollution, be it from smokers, all sorts of sprays or from the exhaust of vehicles. This greatly affects the health in one way or another. Don’t be so sure that when your body does not visibly react, it’s alright.

For these reasons, detoxification is necessary in order to keep a healthy body which also results to healthy mind and healthy relationship with people.

Our body has its own means of healing and detoxifying. However, when pollutants that enter our body had been accumulated more than the capacity of self cleansing, we are giving our inside mechanisms a hard time. Then the tissues are stressed and therefore lead to malfunction. And because they are weakened, the cleansing process is also affected.

We definitely want a clean body. But we also need to help our system in regulating the body processes. However, you should not wait for your body organs to be stressed out and overworked before doing something. In times when the body lacks the command to keep the systems working, the person must supplement. The 5-day detox plan will do a great help in keeping the body systems at work. The 5-day detox plan will rejuvenate the body as well as the spirit, keeping it clean and toned.

Detoxification diet is a part of the 5-day detox plan. During the period of detoxification, certain foods are avoided. Your meals consist mostly of fresh fruits and green, leafy vegetables. Fats, oil, preservatives and food additives are a big no when undergoing the process of detoxification. Also, meat should be kept off because they are hard to digest. For a day or two, eating meat in any form is dropped off from the diet.

Ideal foods that can be part of your diet are as follow: garlic, broccoli, beets, and beans or nuts. Only fresh fruit extracts can be taken as beverages except for grapefruit. And since water is a universal solvent, six to eight glasses of this should be recommended daily. Water is also a major factor in the detoxification process. It flushes out the toxins in the forms of perspiration, urine, or stool.

Although you seem to eat less when detoxifying, you are assured that you will not starve, and ironically, you will even boost your stamina. It is because your intake is limited only to foods which are healthy and are good to the digestive system.

Detoxification plan should be done at least quarterly. To ensure that you get an efficient one, it will be best to consult a nutritionist or a professional. You should also seek for a doctor’s advice to ensure that what you will do is a detoxification and not addition of toxins to your body.

Through the process of detoxification, the toxins are flushed out in your body and a new set of energy is supplied to the body providing you both physical and mental alertness.

Cleanliness should be maintained not only in the outside, but more so in the inside.

REST AND SLEEP

2007-04-30T23:17:00.000-07:00

All the parts of the human body work together, although each one has its especial part to do. The stomach must have a time to rest between meals. The other parts of the body require rest, too. This they usually get while we are asleep. We must not be neglectful and fail to give them enough rest, or they will soon get worn out and give us trouble.

Sometimes, when people are not well or are all tired out, they find they cannot sleep well at night. There are a number of little things that can be done to induce sleep. A warm bath before retiring, followed by a gentle massage, especially along the spine, often will, by relaxing the nerves and muscles, produce very good results. A hot foot bath, which draws the blood away from the brain, frequently will be found beneficial. A glass of hot milk or cocoa, taken just before retiring, often will have the same effect. If the sleeplessness is a result of indigestion, a plain diet will relieve. Sleeping upon a hard bed without any pillow sometimes produces the desired effect. Always have plenty of fresh air in the room. Keep the mind free from the cares of the day. If they will intrude, crowd them out by repeating something else some soothing sentence or bit of poetry. One good plan is to close the left nostril by pressing on it with the finger, then take four deep breaths through the right nostril. Then close the right nostril and take four deep breaths through the left one. Repeat this about four times. Then breathe slowly through both nostrils, but count your breaths. You seldom will count very many. Never take any sleeping powders or tablets except upon the advice of a physician, for they usually contain drugs that will injure the heart.

You will find that you will meet a number of men who are nervous, which means they have not control of their nerves, but let them run away with them. Sometimes this is shown in palpitation of the heart, headache, backache, and many other disorders. There may be a tendency to cry at trivial things, or a feeling of having "the blues." The cause usually can be found in uncongenial surroundings or occupation, loss of friends, or real or fancied troubles. Whatever the cause, it should be removed, if possible, and measures taken to restore the worn out nerves that are crying for rest or food. Tonics help, so does nourishing food, such as eggs and milk; also a change of scene and occupation, if possible. A man who is nervous frequently does not realize what is the cause of his condition, and considers only the symptoms. So when he has a headache, resorts to medicine. In taking these she only is deadening the pain and not removing the cause, so the pain is liable to return.

Buying An All In One System

2007-04-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

These days, more and more people are turning away
from memberships to gyms and instead choosing to
invest money in a home gym. You can put a home
gym in a spare corner of your home, or even in the
basement if you wish. Along with helping you save
money by combining several different types of
equipment into one machine, these types of equipment
can easily fit in small spaces and type up a lot
less weight than their individual counterparts.

When you are considering to buy an all in one piece
of exercise equipment, you should first think
about your goals. You should consider what you
hope to achieve from exercising and just how well
this piece of equipment will benefit you.

There are several types of all in one equipment for
exercise on the market and almost all of them are
advertised well on television, in magazines, and
on the internet. The most popular types on the
market are those types that are geared towards
individuals who are interested in lifting weights.

Right now, the two most popular types of all in
one exercise systems are the Bowflex and Total Gym
brands. The Bowflex system uses resistant bows
that bend instead of the traditional weights that
simply lift. Bowflex is designed to fit a wide
variety of budgets and needs, it's widely
adaptable and extremely popular as well.

To make things even better, you can store the
basic Bowflex system in small and tight places,
even under a bed if you choose. The larger and
more expensive Blowflex system competes with
the types of professional equipment that you can
find in gyms, which allow you a quality workout
on quality equipment.

The Total Gym system is great as well, as it
is advertised by martial arts legend Chuck Norris
and supermodel Christie Brinkley. It is less
expensive than the Bowflex and uses gravity
and resistance instead of traditional weights.
By using this system, you have the ability to
adapt the machine to a wide variety of exercises
that will work many different areas of your body.

When you make that decision about buying an all
in one exercise system, you must also decide
on price, features, brand, and just who will use
the machine. If your family plans to use it as
well, then you'll need to get a system that
everyone will agree on. You obviously wouldn't
want a machine that is too complicated for
others in your home.

Even though Bowflex and Total Gym are the 2 most
popular types of all in one equipment, there are
several others out there as will, from brands
such as Weider and many others. Before you
make your choice, you should look at several
to see which one offers you more for your money.

Staying Fit During Your Pregnancy

2007-03-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

Keeping fit during your pregnancy is great for you, not only will it help you keep your body toned but it also can help when it comes time to push that baby out. Every pregnant woman wants to be able to go back to her pre-pregnancy weight after the baby is born, but the only way to do that is to make sure you can. By excising or working out every day you are making sure you don’t add fat to your body. During labor it’ll be much easier to push the baby if you’ve been strengthening your leg and stomach muscles. Who knows, it may even make labor a little bit shorter. Isn’t that what we all want?

Plus when you are tired and just feeling a little blue, just by exercising you actually increase your energy.

Here are a few quick things you can do to stay fit during pregnancy, without really having to break out a sweat. I’m sure by now you’ve heard of yoga, this is a very good thing for you to practice, especially if you haven’t always been in the best of shape. Not to worry, there are beginning levels here, you don’t have to jump into the human pretzel right away. Try purchasing a set of small weights that you can use throughout the house, like hand weights or wrist weights that can use while walking. Instead of just laying on the couch while you rest you can be lifting small weights.

Get a chair and try doing a couple crunches, 5 to 10 in the beginning to make sure you don’t pull anything. Don’t worry you can always add to it as the weeks go on.

Try running, walking or jogging outside. Not only will this boost up your energy but it’ll also help get your spirits up, especially if you’ve been inside all day. Remember, if you are going for a walk to always bring a drink with you. You don’t want to dehydrate out there. Always make sure that you are wearing comfortable shoes, before you leave the house. If you didn’t always run, ask your doctor if you can. Sometimes a doctor may suggest you walk around the block at first and increase it from there, if you didn’t always do it before you were pregnant.

If you can you may want to try going for a swim or try bicycling. However, if you find that you are accident prone you may want to stay away from the bike. A bike accident is something that can easily happen, even when you’ve always road a bike. Swimming can help you relax and stay cool. Take a dip in the pool near you, they may even have a swim class for pregnant women in your area. This would be a great way to meet other moms.

Whenever you are doing exercises, make sure you aren’t overdoing it. If you believe you could be stop immediately and take a break. You never want to do anything that’ll harm the pregnancy.

Eating Right During Your Pregnancy

2007-03-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

You already know it is important to eat a well-balanced diet, but it is even more important when you are pregnant. Keep in mind now you are eating for two. Whatever you eat, the baby eats as well. In fact the baby actually takes your nourishments so you must eat enough for both of you. The healthier you eat the better it is for the pregnancy and you.

Never miss a meal while you are pregnant, especially breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and your baby has probably been waiting since he/she woke up in the middle of the night. You may learn that if you wait so long before eating you start to feel sick, this is your body telling you to eat. Do it!

Make sure you are getting enough of the food you need daily. It takes 4-6 servings of dairy a day for a healthy pregnancy, this can include some cheeses, milk, yogurt. This provides the baby with calcium which it’ll need to develop healthy growing bones. Adding extra calcium to your diet wouldn’t hurt you either, especially your teeth and bones.

Don’t forget about your fruit and vegetable servings. Lots of green is always a good choice, so are sweet potatoes. Not only will you be giving your body what it needs but you’ll start to have more energy. Try laying off the sweets for a week and replace them with healthier items and see how alive you feel.

Foods to Avoid
Not all foods are safe during your pregnancy, there are a few things you should avoid eating:

- unpasteurized products- brie

- Certain fish- exotic, shark, swordfish, anything high in mercury
- Raw eggs

- Undercooked meats- lunch meats. If you are buying a deli sandwich you can ask for them to eat the meat up a little.

- Caffeine- soda, chocolate. If you find this difficult you can wean yourself off, but the less caffeine in your system the better it is for the baby.

If you are ever unsure of the foods you can eat you can ask your doctor for a list of items to avoid during pregnancy. They’ll be more than happy to share this with you.

You may also learn that your stomach won’t handle certain foods that it would before. Some of those foods may include foods that contain grease, fast foods, meat, and certain foods that have a strong odor.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to cut out all the fun in your life, you can still treat yourself from time to time. Go out and get a frozen yogurt or a smoothie.

While you are making sure you get enough to eat throughout the day, that doesn’t mean neglect your fluid intake. You’ll need lots of water and juices from here on out. The baby will thank you later. Who knows, you may discover that you really enjoy eating healthier and continue it even after the pregnancy.

REST AND SLEEP.

2007-03-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Bodily Changes and Healthy Aging

2007-02-27T01:27:00.000-08:00

From the beginning of our birth, our body endures many changes. As we reach young adolescence, however the body experiences a series of senescence, or bodily changes abnormal, which the bodily functions start to decline. The body makes these changes, which most people will notice, the difference.

The musculoskeletal system is the first area that most diseases and illnesses start. For this reason once, a person turns 35 years of age regardless of their activities, athletic nature, etc. Still, one can reduce such disease by avoiding injuries to the muscles and joints. You can do this by avoiding accidents when possible, abuse, excessive alcohol, drugs, tobacco and so on. You can increase your health by exercising, eating healthy, socializing with positive people, and avoiding environmental toxins.

Visiting your doctor is essential to prevent disease as well. When you visit your doctor, he takes the time to study your physical status based on the family history you gave to him. The doctor will consider family history, including hereditary diseases. Your doctor will take family history into consideration as he studies diagnostics, cures, prevention, and treatment to help you avoid disease. As noted earlier, our body starts to refuse by age 35, which our sensory organs will also start to take a rain check. At this time, the eyes are affected since they cannot remain focused on objects up close. In medical terms, this condition is known as presbyopia. This is why you see many people in the world over the age 40 wearing glasses, contact lens, bifocals and so on. Still, you see the younger generation with these same needs, which is a clear sign that aging progression is starting earlier for some. This is a note signaling hereditary makeup, or lifestyle based on environment, etc.

Many people as they grow older lose a degree of hearing. In some instances, people go deaf after 40. This condition is called presbycusis, which is a sign of aging. Since this condition is common for those aging, it is natural to dislike things you once liked. For instance, if you enjoyed concerts when you were younger, and now find that you do not enjoy concerts at all, it is because your hearing has changed, which means that the high-pitch of hearing is affected, which slowly wore down the lower hearing tone. When hearing is impaired, it often seems like those talking are inarticulate. Since the hearing is tarnished, the person will hear speech differently. For instance, the use of K may sound distorted, which affects comprehension. In other words, a person older may here the CH in a word, such as Chute Up, and think that someone is telling them to shut-up. The CH is distorted. You can help those with hearing difficulties by learning sign and body languages to help them relate to you. These people can also benefit from hearing aids, or Assistive Listening Devices. The devices act as hearing aids, since it allows a person to block out noise in the background while focusing on the speaker.

We see natural healthy aging in this picture, yet in some instances aging signs are unnatural. For instance, if you incur lung cancer based on your history of smoking, or being around second-hand smoke, then the cause is unnatural.

As a person grows older his or her, weight changes as well and more so for those with family history of obesity. The body fat starts to change up to 30% by the time a person reaches 40. The changes affect the body tremendously, since this is the start of wrinkles and other natural aging signs.

Activities Promoting Healthy Aging

2007-02-23T00:02:00.000-08:00

Lack of activities can prevent you from living healthy. When you do not enjoy activities, you may feel fatigue or find it difficult to sleep at night. When you awake in the morning, you may feel tired until you finally fall asleep. As we, age our body change and we have to make changes to accommodate our lives.

Having a good night sleep makes the mind think more clearly. A good night sleep also boosts your energy while controlling your weight. You can also make decisions with less stress. Sleeping well at night makes our immune system stronger to keep us healthier. Researchers have proved that a good nights sleep is necessary for our health. Researchers have found that lack of sleep reduces the growth hormones in our bodies, since it changes muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most important, yet it stands behind activities. To improve your health, try walking each day.

Walking will help to loosen our muscles, reduces stress and depression along with anxiety. By reliving these things, it will help us to sleep for a longer and deeper period. So, when we wake up in the morning we feel happier and more rested.

When you exercise, you get a good night sleep, which promotes metabolism. Without the right amount of sleep, our bodies crave energy. Our body will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which slows down metabolism. This action causes the body to gain weight, rather than control weight.

When a person feels exhausted, they will feel weak and repressed from enjoying activities. This leads to additional problems. Sleeping right balances out our bodies giving us, more energy leading to more activities that will satisfy our sleep needs.

What to avoid:
To rest proper and feel active you must reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, harmful chemicals, such as over-the-counter meds that keep you awake, alcohol and so on. The chemicals and substances will keep you awake. Try to avoid drinking anything after 8 p.m. in the evening. Nicotine should be avoid if possible, yet if you must smoke try to avoid smoking after 8 p.m.

Start a walking program in the morning to help wake you up, while boosting your energy. You will feel better since the joints will feel flexible enough to move freely. In addition, walking will help you burn fat and calories. You’ll notice a big change in how you feel the rest of the day. Start out walking at a slow steady pace for as far as your comfortable. Each day pick up the pace a bit and walk further. Just remember when walking that you want to work up to a steady brisk walk to make you sweat but not out of breath. Take a short walk before and after meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories too, it will give you energy, relieve that stress from the long day and help you sleep.

If you start a walking program for yourself, it is a lot more fun if you have someone to go with you. Talk to that neighbor you don’t know and maybe they’ll walk with you. Just think about it; you’ll be acquainted with someone new, talk about new things will relieve stress and get in you exercise as well. This might help that neighbor too who maybe hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in a couple of days and than they can sleep better at night.

After walking that brisk walk your doing be sure to cool down. When walking at a vigorous pace your heart rate will go up and it needs to be back to normal. Just walk a bit slow and relaxing until you’ve cooled down.

If you can’t go to sleep at night instead of getting up and turning on the TV try pacing around the house. Do some stretching and shake your arms and legs. Even walking around the house can relax you especially when everyone else is in bed and you can relax more.

Facts About Nutrition Labels

2007-02-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

The nutrition label located on each and every food item,
will tell you all the information about that food. For
some however, this information isn't exactly that reader
friendly. Fear not, as it's actually easier than you
think.

Serving Size
This size is based on the amount people eat. Similar
food items will have similar serving sizes, thus making
it easier to compare 2 foods of the same category.

% Daily Value
This indicates how food will fit in a 2,000 calorie
diet. This will help you to understand if the food
has a lot, or just a little of the important nutrients.

The middle section
The nutrients you'll find listed in the middle section
are the ones that are most important to your health.
This information can help you to calculate your daily
limit of fat, fiber, sodium, and other nutrients.

Vitamins & minerals
The percent daily value found here is the exact same
as the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamins
and minerals.

Now that you know what the nutrition label actually
means, it'll be a lot easy to eat healthy. Eating
healthy is a great thing - especially when you use the
nutrition label to assist you with your food choices.

2007-02-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

Relevant pics from Flickr

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7 Diet Secrets of the Stars

2007-02-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Celebrities always look fabulous. Whether appearing in television or films or strutting down the red carpet during movie premiers and awards, they never cease to fascinate us with their larger than life presence. The truth is, it takes a lot of effort to look the way they do, and being the public figures that they are, they cannot afford to slack off when it comes to taking care of their physical appearances. Their livelihood largely depends on how they look. Aside from the clothes, the hair and the makeup, celebrities have to take good care of their bodies.

So it is no surprise that these stars have their own secrets when it comes to staying fit and gorgeous. Their health agenda can range from extreme workouts to well-planned meals. Who doesn't want to know their secrets in staying absolutely sexy? Here are some of the diet secrets of seven women celebrities.

1. Jennifer Aniston
The star of the phenomenal television show Friends not only mesmerized audiences with her adorable comic sense and her famous hairstyle, she was also known for having one of the sexiest bodies in Hollywood, as she appeared in countless magazine covers. To stay trim, Jennifer follows the 40:30:30 diet method. The diet consists of:

40% Low glycemic carbohydrates
-Foods such as beans, fruits and vegetables, legumes

30% lean proteins
-Tofu, fish, chicken, turkey, beef and low fat dairy products

30% essential fats
-nuts and seeds, fish and olive oils

It is essential that every meal should contain macronutrients to attain the balance of hormones and maximum weight loss.

2. Kate Hudson
The gorgeous daughter of actress Goldie Hawn gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy, which she needed to shed quickly before commencing on her next film. From her previous eating plan, she switched to a higher protein diet. She consumed high protein meals in smaller portions, and she combined this diet with an exercise program that includes weight training and cardiovascular workouts. After getting a lot of flak because of her post-pregnancy figure, Kate removed all that baby weight in only four months and has gained abdominal muscles that gained the envy of many in Hollywood.

3. Oprah Winfrey
As one of the most successful talk-show hosts in the world, there is no question that Oprah needs to maintain her physical appearance for her millions of audiences. Known as one of those celebrities who are constantly battling weight gain, she has recently toned up her figure and has never looked figure in age 50 by combining a regular exercise regime and diet plan. Oprah works out five days a week, spending 30 minutes on the threadmill and doing free weights. Her eating plan consists of legumes, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, chicken and dairy products that are lowfat. She limits her consumption of white sugar and flour. Oprah also credits her trim figure to her habit of not eating anything after seven in the evening.

4. Gwyneth Paltrow
A lot of people may find it hard to believe that the perpetually slim Academy award-winning actress actually needs to diet. Gwyneth actually follows a healthy eating plan that resembles Oprah's, avoiding sugar and white flour. She usually follows a macrobiotic diet, eating foods like vegetables, brown rice, and lean meat. She also eliminated dairy from her diet, and does yoga everyday.

5. Madonna
The pop star known as the Material Girl has always flaunted a body that is to die for, and has become a true fitness paragon over the years. She keeps herself in tip-top shape by having Ashtanga Yoga, and follows a strict diet that mostly shuns junk foods. She adopted a macrobiotic eating plan that includes organic foods rich in lean protein.

6. Claudia Schiffer
The bodacious German supermodel eats salad and steamed vegetables for dinner and eats only fruits before the afternoon. While on locations, she prefers to eat black grapes and drinks tomato juice and herbal tea.

7. Christie Brinkley
Long-time supermodel maintains her all-American good looks by being a vegetarian. She does not keep junk foods of any kind inside her home to make sure that she does not eat them when cravings occur. She snacks on sweet potatoes in place of candy bars, and she adopts a liquid juice diet when she needs to slim down fast.

Celebrities are just like ordinary people. They need to maintain their figures just like anyone else, and there is more pressure on their part since they are constantly in the public eye. Ordinary folks can have celebrity-like bodies, too, and by following these diet and fitness plans, they can also look like red-carpet worthy.

Cardio Exercise

2007-02-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Everyone has wondered at some point in time which
cardio exercise is better. To put it in simple
terms, both low and high intensity exercises will
help you to burn off body fat. The question here
is which is the most effective to burn off more
body fat.

When scientists first discovered that during
intensive exercises, your body burns glycogen, which
is a form of stored carbohydrates that are stored
in your liver and muscles for energy. During low
intensity exercises, your body will burn a lot of
fat.

If your wondering whether or not it works, the
answer is no because there are so many obese people
still around. Even though they are working out
with low intensity routines, it still makes you
wonder how it can be.

The scientists were right when they said the human
body burns more body fat during low intensity
exercises like walking or swimming. During a
high intensity exercise such as running, the body
will burn a lot more calories. Even if some of
the calories burnt are from glycogen, there are
still many fat calories burned as well.

To put the icing on the cake, when your store of
glycogen gets low, the carbohydrates from your
food you eat will later get converted into
glycogen to fill up the store and won't be
converted to body fat when they are left unused
for energy.

High intensity cardio exercise will juice up your
metabolism even after you have completed your
workout. What this means, is that your body will
continue to burn body fat hours after you have
left the gym. This effect is nearly non existent
in low intensity cardio or aerobic workout.

Accumulatively, your body will burn up more and
more calories during and after you have finished a
high intensity cardio exercise that it will with
low intensity.

You can inject high intensity exercises into your
cardio workout by introducing some interval
training. You can walk for 5 minutes or so, then
break into some jogging for another 5 minutes or
so. Then, walk briskly again until you have
caught your breath and then sprint for a minute
before you walk again. From this point, simply
alternate your running and walking for the
next 15 minutes until you are finished.

One of the best things about cardio is the more
you do it, the more energy you'll have. Cardio
will help you to burn calories, although its more
useful for keeping your energy levels high.

If you've never tried cardio before, you should
give it a shot. If you like to exercise, you'll
find cardio the best way to boost your energy and
keep in top shape. If you are just starting out,
you'll want to go slow and keep your cardio
exercise in track - as it is very easy to over
exert yourself.

How to Improve Your Personal Life with Exercise and More

2007-02-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Life can be difficult and full of worries, and when you’re not taking good care of yourself, things can become quite demanding. Without a proper diet and exercise, along with proper sleep, you could find yourself run down extremely fast. This caused unwanted stress and anxieties in our everyday living. A major part of improving your personal life revolves around elements that can keep you from going off the deep end.

Get exercise with a proper diet

Getting the right exercise for your body does not consist of trying out for a marathon. Nevertheless, if you want to stay in shape and maybe lose a few pounds, here’s the perfect way to start.

Walk for 30 minutes twice a day with a backpack containing up to five books.
Instead of having an extra alcoholic beverage, eliminate it, replacing it with water.
Substitute daily one serving of starchy carbohydrate with two servings of green vegetables. Rather than skipping breakfast and lunch and overeating on snacks, try snacking consisting of five small meals daily. Make sure you incorporate that with fruits and vegetables.

The key is to watch what you eat and drink. You are guaranteed to feeling better; giving yourself more energy that will allow you to tackle other tasks. Stress will be coped with much easier. Another way for stress is massage therapy.

The Benefits of Massage Therapy

Massage therapy offers many benefits. It helps to start your day relaxed, which is essential for balance. A simple practice would be starting at your head and scalp. What people fail to realize is that until they have massage they do no know how much stress they are carrying. Once you have an awareness of where stress is lodged in your body, you’ll know exactly which pressure points to work. This is what massage therapy can do for you:

Relief of muscle tension and stiffness
Greater joint flexibility and range in motion
Healthier and nourished skin
Improved posture
Faster healing from pulled muscles

Getting enough sleep

It is a proven fact that when you do not get enough sleep, this can make you ill. There are even studies that says healing is done while we are sleeping, meaning deep sleep produces the bodies highest form of hormones. A constant sleep pattern is necessary for the immune system to function at its peak. Have a regularly scheduled bedtime. Avoid exercising within three hours before bedtime. If you have problems winding down, do something relaxing like watching television, taking a bath, or listening to soft music.

It doesn’t take money to improve our lives or even watching or favorite talk shows. All it takes is a little discipline and action, and we’ll be well on our way to better our personal well-being as we age.

Proper rest, exercise and training your mind to think positive are a great way to improve your life. The best thing you can do is getting started now. Prolonging good health only sends you back to the same patterns. If you want to improve your personal life, you must take action and maintain that action for the course of your life.

Something to keep in mind is that exercise alone has proven to relieve people suffering with asthma, diabetes, heart disease, etc. In fact, studies have shown that people who exercise live a longer, improved and happier life. In fact, exercise has proven to relieve and even heal symptoms emerging from arthritis. If you have back pain, you will benefit from exercise since it will relieve your pain as well. To learn more, check out books at your library or visit the Internet.

Eating Healthy On The Run

2007-02-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

Whether your traveling on the go or around the home, you don't need to give up healthy eating simply because you are on the run. The fact is, healthy eating is even more important when your trying to keep up with a busy schedule.

Having a good diet will help your body to handle stress better. As you hustle about, a healthy meal is probably the last thing you think about. The following tips can help you eat when your on the go.

Restaurants
With tempting menus, large portions, and a festive atmosphere, it's easy to skip healthy eating. It's okay to splurge every now and then, although you'll pack on a lot of weight if you make it a habit. When you eat out at restaurants, always be smart about it.

Airports
An airport can be a very stressful place, although you shouldn't scrap your diet because of it. Eat because you are hungry, not because of stress, boredom, or to kill time.

In your car
Keep some healthy snacks in your car at all times, so that when you get hungry - you have them.

At home
Evenings and mornings are busy times in most homes.Making the time to eat can be hard, although you shouldn't run out the door without eating breakfast first. Cereal with milk, a banana, muffin, or even a bagel is a great way to start the day.

Anytime you are on the go, always make sure that you make the right food decisions. You can take healthy food with you if you need to, so that you have it when you need it. Eating healthy on the go is easy to do, once you know how. Never sacrifice healthy food for junk, as your body will regret it later.

Eating For A Healthy Heart

2007-02-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Bad cholesterol or a bad diet is something we all experience at some point in time. It's impossible to eat healthy our whole lives, even though we may try hard to do it. Eating healthy for your heart is something everyone should try to do, especially when it comes to restoring health and reducing heart attacks.

Your heart and food

We know these things for sure - a diet high in saturated fats will help raise your cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease. People that are obese are more prone to heart disease. Adiet high in sodium may elevate your blood pressure, leading to inflammation and even heart disease.

To help prevent heart disease and improve your health,put the tips below to good use.

Eat plenty of fish
Herring, sardines, and salmon are all excellent sources of Omega 3 essential fatty acids. Other fish are great to, although Omega 3 may help to get your cholesterol down to a healthier level.

Choosing healthy fats and oils
Saturated fat will increase the risk of heart disease.It's found in meat, butter, and even coconut oil. You should avoid them until your cholesterol levels are down and you are at a healthy weight. Even those that love red meats can enjoy seafood and nuts for their main sources of protein. Mono unsaturated fats such as olive oils will help you to protect your heart. Olive oil is an ideal choice for cooking, dressing, or even as a dipping sauce.

Plenty of fiber
Fiber can help you control your cholesterol. You can find fiber in whole grain products to help control sugar absorption as well, which will help you keep your digestive system healthy.

Choosing carbohydrates
Eating for your heart involves staying away from sugary foods such as candy, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Eating a lot of sugar isn't good for your heart disease at all. Healthy carbohydrates involve whole grain breads, whole grain pasta, brownrice, and a lot of vegetables. You should make fruits and vegetables the main aspect of your diet.

Healthy cooking methods
Stir frying and sauteing with olive oil or canola oil are both great methods, as you shouldn't dip your food in batter and fry it anymore. If you cook chicken, remove the skin and bake it in the oven in foil.

Instead of frying your fish you should always bake it. Steaming your vegetables can help maintain the most nutrients. You should use cream sauces or lots of butter any more either. When you eat vegetables, try squeezing lemon juice on them or using your favorite seasonings.

As you make the proper changes to your diet, keep in mind that it takes time for them to become habits. Eating healthy is always great for your body and your lifestyle, especially when it comes to your heart and the prevention of heart disease.

Superfoods for Healthy Hair

2007-01-31T01:04:00.000-08:00

We’ve all learned through the years that a well-balanced diet is healthy for our body and critical for optimal health and performance. Our hair is no different A mixture of protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and iron are all required for healthy, strong hair.

Good hair nutrition begins with getting enough protein, which is the building block of your hair. Then you need complex carbohydrates to help assemble the proteins for hair growth. Other important vitamins and minerals include B complex, which is associated with energy production and building good hair and skin issues, folic acid, B12, and zinc.

Hair follicles can have low energy levels just like we do. Therefore, it’s very important that you eat a high protein mean at the start of each day. Consider the following food choices for breakfast and the other daily meals in order to give you hair the healthiest opportunity to grow and thrive.

If you don't have high cholesterol, try eating red meat twice per week. It has the protein your hair needs, but also is full of B vitamins, iron and zinc, which are all important for healthy hair. Bacon is another great choice as it’s also full of B vitamins, zinc and protein, but since it’s also high calorie, it’s not the best choice if you’re also trying to lose weight. Eggs and egg whites are another great protein option, especially for vegetarians or those who cannot eat red meat or bacon due to dietary restrictions. Salmon is another great protein choice, and works great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You’ll find it’s also full of B vitamins, including B12, and other vitamins and minerals.

Just be sure to keep in mind that you should also have complex carbohydrates, which feed you energy over a longer period of time than refined carbohydrates, with your protein source at meals. Brown short-grain rice is an ideal form. It's also a good source of B vitamins and some fiber. Whole grain choices complement your protein consumption by helping organize the proteins for the hair to utilize for optimal growth and health.

NAILS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE.

2007-01-29T00:25:00.000-08:00

Introduction:

The nails are present at the end of each finger tip on the dorsal surface.The main function of nail is protection and it also helps for a firm grip for holding articles.It consists of a strong relatively flexible keratinous nail plate originating from the nail matrix. Under the nail plate there is a soft tissue called nail bed.Between the skin and nail plate there is a nail fold or cuticle.Normal healthy nail is slight pink in colour and the surface is convex from side to side.Finger nails grow 1 cm in three months and toe nails take 24 months for the same.

Importance of nails in disease diagnosis:

The colour ,appearance,shape and nature of the nails give some information about the general health and hygiene of a person . Nails are examined as a routine by all doctors to get some clues about underlying diseases.Just looking at nails we can makeout the hygiene of a person.The abnormal nail may be congenital or due to some diseases.The cause for changes in the nail extend from simple reasons to life threatening diseases.Hence the examination by a doctor is essential for diagnosis .Some abnormal findings with probable causes are discussed here for general awareness.

1) Hygiene:-

We can make out an unhygienic nail very easily .Deposition of dirt under the distal end of nail plate can make a chance for ingestion of pathogens while eating.If nail cutting is not done properly it can result in worm troubles in children.When the worms crawl in the anal orifice children will scratch which lodges the ova of worms under the nails and will be taken in while eating.Prominent nail can also complicate a skin disease by habitual scratching.Sharp nails in small kids cause small wounds when they do feet kicking or hand waving.

2) Colour of the nails:-

a) Nails become pale in anaemia.
b) Opaque white discolouration(leuconychia) is seen in chronic renal failure and nephrotic syndrome.
c) Whitening is also seen in hypoalbuminaemia as in cirrhosis and kidney disorders.
d) Drugs like sulpha group,anti malarial and antibiotics ect can produce discolouration in the nails.
e) Fungal infection causes black discolouration.
f) In pseudomonas infection nails become black or green.
g) Nail bed infarction occures in vasculitis especially in SLE and polyarteritis.
h) Red dots are seen in nails due to splinter haemorrhages in subacute bacterial endo carditis, rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, collagen vascular diseases.
i) Blunt injury produces haemorrhage and causes blue/black discolouration. j) Nails become brown in kidney diseases and in decreased adrenal activity.
k) In wilsons disease blue colour in semicircle appears in the nail.
l) When the blood supply decreases nail become yellow .In jaundice and psoriasis also nail become yellowish.
m) In yellow nail syndrome all nails become yellowish with pleural effusion.

3) Shape of nails:-

a) Clubbing: Here tissues at the base of nails are thickened and the angle between the nail base and the skin is obliterated. The nail becomes more convex and the finger tip becomes bulbous and looks like an end of a drumstick. When the condition becomes worse the nail looks like a parrot beak.
Causes of clubbing:-
Congenital Injuries
Severe chronic cyanosis
Lung diseases like empyema,bronchiactesis,carcinoma of bronchus and pulmonary tuberculosis. Abdominal diseases like crohn's disease,polyposis of colon,ulcerative colitis,liver cirrhosis ect...
Heart diseases like fallot's tetralogy,subacute bacterial endocarditis and ect.. b) Koilonychia:-
Here the nails become concave like a spoon.This condition is seen in iron deficiency anaemia.In this condition the nails become thin,soft and brittle.The normal convexity will be replaced by concavity.
c) Longitudinal ridging is seen in raynaud's disease.
d) Cuticle becomes ragged in dermatomyositis.
e) Nail fold telangiectasia is a sign in dermatomyositis ,systemic sclerosis and SLE.

4) Structure and consistancy:-

a) Fungal infection of nail causes discolouration,deformity,hypertrophy and abnormal brittleness.
b) Thimble pitting of nail is charecteristic of psoriasis ,acute eczema and alopecia aereata. c) The inflamation of cuticle or nail fold is called paronychia.
d) Onycholysis is the seperation of nail bed seen in psoriasis,infection and after taking tetracyclines.
e) Destruction of nail is seen in lichen planus,epidermolysis bullosa.
f) Missing nail is seen in nail patella syndrome.It is a hereditary disease.
g) Nails become brittle in raynauds disease and gangrene.
h) Falling of nail is seen in fungal infection,psoriasis and thyroid diseases.

5) Growth:-

Reduction in blood supply affects the growth of nails. Nail growth is also affected in severe ilness. when the disease disappears the growth starts again resulting in formation of transverse ridges.These lines are called Beau's lines and are healpful to date the onset of illness.

Precautions to be taken while combing hair

2007-01-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

Hair combing is a routine activity of almost all people.Some people keep a particular hair style throughout their life and some especially younger generation adopt new styles according to new trends and fashion.Hair styles has got close relation with the personality of a person.

The hair of an unhygeinic person is usually tangled and dirty because of lack of washing and combing.To have a healthy scalp hair proper nutrition is needed.General health has got direct relation with the quality and quantity of hair.Regular washing,use of hair oil,proper combing ect are also needed to make the hair beautiful.General hints for combing is discussed here.

1) Different varieties of combs are available in the market.The best comb is selected by considering the nature of hair(hard or soft,long or short) ,style and convenience.

2) Combing should be done with utmost care and concentration.Some people especially gents think about some other matters and comb without any care which may be harmful to the hairs.

3) Combing should be gentle .A vigorous combing can increase hairfalling.

4) Do not comb if the hair is wet. First dry it with a towel and then put some oil and gently massage it.Now the combing will be easy and harmless.

5) Should not be combed in the opposite direction of hairs.This can increase hair falling.

6) Vigorous combing in backward direction can produce traction baldness.

7) Frequent combing can damage the scalp and the hair follicles.Those who carry pocket comb use it frequently and make it a habit.Combing two or three times in a day is sufficient.

8) The tooth of the comb should not be sharp and it should not be pressed too tightly on the scalp.

9) Always clean the comb before and after use because hair and dirt deposited in the gap will make combing diffucult and painful.

10) Others comb should not be used.This helps to prevent fungal and bacterial infections.Head lice can also spread from one person to other by sharing the combs.

11) Combing the tangled hair is difficult and painful.Hence use some shampoo for cleaning and after drying put oil and make the hairs free for an easy combing.

THE GROWTH AND POWER OF APPETITE.

2007-01-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

One fact attendant on habitual drinking stands out so prominently that none can call it in question. It is that of the steady growth of appetite. There are exceptions, as in the action of nearly every rule; but the almost invariable result of the habit we have mentioned, is, as we have said, a steady growth of appetite for the stimulant imbibed. That this is in consequence of certain morbid changes in the physical condition produced by the alcohol itself, will hardly be questioned by any one who has made himself acquainted with the various functional and organic derangements which invariably follow the continued introduction of this substance into the body.

But it is to the fact itself, not to its cause, that we now wish to direct your attention. The man who is satisfied at first with a single glass of wine at dinner, finds, after awhile, that appetite asks for a little more; and, in time, a second glass is conceded. The increase of desire may be very slow, but it goes on surely until, in the end, a whole bottle will scarcely suffice, with far too many, to meet its imperious demands. It is the same in regard to the use of every other form of alcoholic drink.

Now, there are men so constituted that they are able, for a long series of years, or even for a whole lifetime, to hold this appetite within a certain limit of indulgence. To say "So far, and no farther." They suffer ultimately from physical ailments, which surely follow the prolonged contact of alcoholic poison with the delicate structures of the body, many of a painful character, and shorten the term of their natural lives; but still they are able to drink without an increase of appetite so great as to reach an overmastering degree. They do not become abandoned drunkards.

No man safe who drinks. ----------------------

But no man who begins the use of alcohol in any form can tell what, in the end, is going to be its effect on his body or mind. Thousands and tens of thousands, once wholly unconscious of danger from this source, go down yearly into drunkards' graves. There is no standard by which any one can measure the latent evil forces in his inherited nature. He may have from ancestors, near or remote, an unhealthy moral tendency, or physical diathesis, to which the peculiarly disturbing influence of alcohol will give the morbid condition in which it will find its disastrous life. That such results follow the use of alcohol in a large number of cases, is now a well-known fact in the history of inebriation. The subject of alcoholism, with the mental and moral causes leading thereto, have attracted a great deal of earnest attention. Physicians, superintendents of inebriate and lunatic asylums, prison-keepers, legislators and philanthropists have been observing and studying its many sad and terrible phases, and recording results and opinions. While differences are held on some points, as, for instance, whether drunkenness is a disease for which, after it has been established, the individual ceases to be responsible, and should be subject to restraint and treatment, as for lunacy or fever; a crime to be punished; or a sin to be repented of and healed by the Physician of souls, all agree that there is an inherited or acquired mental and nervous condition with many, which renders any use of alcohol exceedingly dangerous.

The point we wish to make with you is, that no man can possibly know, until he has used alcoholic drinks for a certain period of time, whether he has or has not this hereditary or acquired physical or mental condition; and that, if it should exist, a discovery of the fact may come too late.

Dr. D.G. Dodge, late Superintendent of the New York State Inebriate Asylum, speaking of the causes leading to intemperance, after stating his belief that it is a transmissible disease, like "scrofula, gout or consumption," says:

"There are men who have an organization, which may be termed an alcoholic idiosyncrasy; with them the latent desire for stimulants, if indulged, soon leads to habits of intemperance, and eventually to a morbid appetite, which has all the characteristics of a diseased condition of the system, which the patient, unassisted, is powerless to relieve since the weakness of the will that led to the disease obstructs its removal.

"Again, we find in another class of persons, those who have had healthy parents, and have been educated and accustomed to good social influences, moral and social, but whose temperament and physical constitution are such, that, when they once indulge in the use of stimulants, which they find pleasurable, they continue to habitually indulge till they cease to be moderate, and become excessive drinkers. A depraved appetite is established, that leads them on slowly, but surely, to destruction."

Becoming A Healthy Eater

2007-01-20T23:19:00.000-08:00

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both educated and smart about what healthy eating actually is. Being food smart isn't about learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it about studying labels and counting calories.

Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate eating, consisting of healthy meals at least three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many different types of foods, not limiting themselves to one specific food type or food group.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway. You might eat too much or not enough, consume foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious. However, you should always fuel your body and your brain regularly with enough food to keep both your mind and body strong and alert.
A healthy eater is a good problem solver. Healthy eaters have learned to take care of themselves and their eating with sound judgement and making wise decisions. Healthy eaters are always aware of what they eat, and know the effect that it will have on their bodies.
When someone is unable to take control of their eating, they are also likely to get out of control with other aspects of life as well. They could end up spending too much, talking too much, evengoing to bed later and later.

You should always remember that restricting foodin any way is always a bad thing. Healthy eating is a way of life, something that you can do to enhance your body or your lifestyle. If you've thought about making your life better, healthy eating is just the place to start. You'll make life easier for yourself, those around you, and even your family.

Eating And Exercise

2007-01-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

Anytime you exercise, you do so in order to try andmaintain good health. You also know that you have toeat as well, so your body will have the energy itneeds to exercise and maintain for the everyday tasksof life. For making the best of your exercise, whatyou eat before and after you workout is very important.

No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should alwaysmake it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein andcarbohydrates. What makes that determining percentageof carbs and protein you consume is whether or notyou are doing cardio or resistance exercise and theintensity level that you plan to work at.

The ideal time for you to eat your pre workout mealis an hour before you start. If you plan to workat a low intensity level, you should keep your preworkout meal down to 200 calories or so. If youplan to exercise at a high level of intensity, youwill probably need your meal to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.

Those of you who are doing a cardio session willneed to consume a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein.Doing so will give you longer sustained energy fromthe extra carbs with enough protein to keep yourmuscle from breaking down while you exercise.

For resistance exercise, you'll need to eat a mixof 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will helpyou get plenty of energy from the carbs to performeach set you do and the extra protein will helpkeep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you exercise.

Eating after you exercise is just as important asyour pre workout meal. Anytime you exercise,whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energyin the form of glycogen. The brain and centralnervous system rely on glycogen as their main source of fuel, so if you don't replace it afteryou exercise, your body will begin to break downmuscle tissue into amino acids, and then convertthem into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.

Keep in mind that mostly during resistanceexercise, you'll break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. What this means, is thatafter a workout, your muscles will instantly gointo repair mode. Protein is the key here formuscle repair, as you don't want muscle breakingdown even further to create fuel instead oflost glycogen.

Once you have finished a cardio session, you'llneed to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferablythose with high fiber. Rice, oatmeal, whole wheatpasta, and northern fruits are excellent sources.Also, try to consume 30 - 50 grams of theretypes of carbs after you exercise. After yourcardio workout, it is fine to eat within 5 - 10minutes.

Once you've finished a resistance workout, youwill need to consume a combination of carbs andprotein. Unlike cardio workouts, resistanceworkouts will break down muscle tissue by creatingmicro tears.

You'll need protein as this happens to build upand repair these tears so that the muscle canincrease in size and strength. The carbs willnot only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but will also help the protein get into muscle cellsso it can synthesize into structural protein, orthe muscle itself.

After your resistance exercise, you should waitup to 30 minutes before you eat, so that you won'ttake blood away from your muscles too fast. Theblood in your muscles will help the repair processby removing the metabolic waste products.

What is the Raw Food Diet?

2007-01-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

Have you started hearing about the Raw Food Diet? It’s gaining popularity and buzz, not just as a diet to lose weight, but a diet for a long and healthy life. We eat so much in the way of processed food that we don’t even stop to think about what we’re putting into our bodies, and how far we’ve come nutritionally from our ancestral, agrarian roots.

A raw food diet means consuming food in its natural, unprocessed form. There are several common-sense rationales for why this is a good idea. Processing and cooking food can take so much of the basic nutritional value away. Think of some of the conventional wisdom you’ve heard about for years, such as: If you cook pasta just to the al dente (or medium) stage, it will have more calories, yes, but it will have more the nutritional value in it than if you cooked it to a well-done stage. Or you probably remember hearing not to peel carrots or potatoes too deeply, because most of the nutrients and values are just under the surface.

The raw food diet means eating unprocessed, uncooked, organic, whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruits, seaweeds, etc. It means a diet that is at least 75% uncooked! Cooking takes out flavor and nutrition from vegetables and fruits. A raw food diet means eating more the way our ancient ancestors did. Our healthier, more fit ancestors. They cooked very little, and certainly didn’t cook or process fruits and vegetables. They ate them RAW. Their water wasn’t from a tap; it was natural, spring water. Maybe they drank some coconut milk on occasion.

Doesn’t it just make sense that this is how our bodies were meant to eat? It’s a way of eating that’s in harmony with the planet and in harmony with our own metabolisms. Our bodies were meant to work, and need to work to be efficient. That means exercise, certainly, but it also means eating natural, raw foods that require more energy to digest them.

Allergies

2007-01-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Allergies are the inflammations that result from the sensitivity to certain objects, called allergens. The inflammations occur when the immune system reacts to that particular object. People all over the world suffer from allergies. There are many types of allergies. The most common are seasonal allergies that are the result of certain trees, plants, or pollens in the air at certain times of the year. Other people experience allergies to particular foods or animals.

Symptoms of allergies vary by person. They are classified by degree of severity, including mild, moderate, and severe allergic reactions. While there is no cure for allergies, they can be treated. Most people experience only mild symptoms. They may include watery eyes, itchy skin, a runny nose, coughing, and hives. This type of allergy can be controlled by using an antihistamine. There are several over the counter available, as well as those you can only get with a prescription. You can help reduce the affects by remaining indoors during that time of year. You may also want to consider getting an allergy shot.

For others, the allergic reaction is moderate. Often, the reaction has spread to other parts of the body. They may find it difficult to breath. A severe allergic reaction can be life threatening. This may be the reaction to various molds. Antihistemines, steroids, and immunotherapy can all held remedy the effects.

While very rare, they are a serious matter. Generally these are the result of food allergies. Peanuts, milk, and eggs are the most common. Symptoms include swelling of the face, abdominal pain, cramps, hives, and angioedema which are hives inside the throat. It is important to seek immediate medical attention for symptoms of a severe allergic reaction. Often a shot can help offset the reaction. The hives and rashes take longer to go away. They can be reduced by using a cortisone cream.

Pet allergies are very difficult to control. It may take up to 2 years exposure to an animal to develop and allergic reaction. In addition, it can take months after you have stopped being around that animal or their dander for the symptoms to stop. This makes it hard to pinpoint the animal as they allergen because you can be fine for years, then it develops. Most people think as soon as you are away from the animal it should stop. When it doesn’t they believe it must be something else causing the allergy, so they go back to their routine of interacting with that animal.

An interesting allergy is to latex. The material is often used in gloves many people use to clean their homes. The skin often turns red and itchy. For people with asthma, a latex allergy can be life threatening because it can block the airways.

Some people have a severe allergy to insects, especially those with stingers. They may require medical attention to receive a shot of epinephrine.

Vitamins to Improve your Personal Life

2007-01-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

Most people do not like to take any kind of medicines on a daily basis. They do not care that the medications will help them or not. They just do not like to take even an aspirin for a headache. So why would these people want to take vitamins. Well taking vitamins well help you in the long run. You get some of the vitamins you need in the foods you eat yet some people need more then others. That is why you can buy one vitamin and it covers all the vitamins you need in one pill. Therefore, you do not have to take a hand full of pills.

How will vitamins help me?
Taking vitamins will help you with many things like your vision, blood pressure, your moods swings, if you have diabetes vitamins can help, your nervous system, etc. If you think you might feel better is it not worth taking a vitamin. Vitamins will also help to strengthen your heart, immune system and boost your metabolism. The metabolite vitamins are available if you feel energy-less.

How do I know if I need a vitamin?
Your body gives you clear indications when something is wrong. If your body is telling you that something is wrong, you should visit your doctor. In fact, before you take a vitamin you should talk to your doctor first. Your doctor will know what nutrients you are missing. Our body has a natural mechanism that alerts us when something is wrong. Learn to pay attention to your body and mind. Unfortunately, this world desensitizes us to the point we fail to listen to our body.

About Vitamins:
Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin. The vitamin works to control sweat, urine, and solid waste. The vitamin affects the nervous system as well as your mental attitude. It can keep your heart work properly and helps with your nervous system. If you feel fatigue, experience muscle tenderness, or have difficulty sleeping, B1 is for you. You can get this vitamin from foods also, such as oatmeal, corn breads, beans, pork chops, etc.

Vitamins will help boost your energy also. If you lack sufficient vitamins, you will start to have problems. The problems may include dry skin. Your skin may feel rough, or you may see thick corneal about the eyes. You may experience joint pain also. Vitamin deficiency can cause many complications.

Vitamins are a great source of nutrients and energy, yet you want the FDA approved supplements. You can also choose foods, such as crab meats, watermelon, fish oils, and so forth to get the vitamins you need. Veggies and fruits provide us a great source of natural vitamins. If you have skin and scalp problems, you may want to consider Biotin. Biotin is great for restoring hair, treating scalp conditions, or enhancing skin. The vitamin is said to slow balding or thinning of hair.

Why do I need to see a doctor before taking a vitamin?
Before you, start taking any kind of a daily vitamin you should talk to your doctor first. Some of the things that you are seeing you may think that they are from not having the right vitamin in your diet but it could also mean something else are wrong with you. Your condition may need attention from a doctor.

So just to make sure it is ok, you should take a trip to your family doctor and have a talk with him or her. You can buy your vitamins at the local stores in your town once your doctor gives you approval.

HOMOEOPATHY - Introduction

2007-01-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

Homoeopathy is a system of medicine introduced by a german physician Dr Samuel Hahnemann.He was basically an allopathic doctor who has left the practise because of side effects and temporary relief of symptoms of allopathy.For his bread and butter he started translating the medical books to different languages.While he was translating cullen's materia medica he came across a herbal medicine called cinchona.It was written that cinchona can cure malaria and it can also produce symptoms similar to malaria on healthy individuals.This point clicked hahnemann's brain and he prepared an extract of cinchona bark and taken himself.To his surprise he developed some symptoms of malaria like chills and achings.He started doing the same experiment on different individuals and the result was the same.

By this experiment hahnemann came to know that any drug which can produce a set of symptoms on a healthy humanbeing can be used to cure the similar symptoms in a diseased person.He gave cinchona to various malaria patients and the result was wonderful and a system called homoeopathy originated.The word homoeo means similar,pathy means suffering.The basic principle of homoeopathy is 'similia similibus curantur' means like cures cure.Hahnemann prepared some other drugs using alcohol as a vehicle and started experimenting on different age groups and noted down the symptoms produced in them.He proved nearly 30 drugs and the symptoms produced were noted down systematically.The symptoms collected by drug proving were categorised in the order in a book form named materia medica pura.

Hahnemann noticed that by diluting the crude drug substences in spirit a dynamic power is developed and is responsible for producing the symptoms on healthy people.Hahnemann started giving treatement to somany diseased persons with the medicines prepared by him on applying the principle similia similibus curantur and got wonderful cures and homoeopathy started spreading all over the world.

He gave medicines to some patients and noticed that symptoms are coming back again.So he understood that the cause for the disease should be treated .After doing experiments and observations he came to know that diseases are actually caused by some dynamic forces and he named them as miasms.[psora ,syphilis,sycosis] He noticed that to cure a person completely these miasms should be eradicated using a similar dynamic force.This idea lead to antimiasmatic drugs which are drugs having disease producing power similar to miasms.He developed anti miasmatic drugs and experimented on diseased persons and got wonderful cures.

Developement of homoeopathy

The principles of homoeopathy was written in book form and he named it organon of medicine.Lateron he started publishing these works and six editions of organon were published.Right from the beginning of homoeopathy somany doctors of other system started working against homoeopathy.But those who were against homoeopathy lateron came to know the truth behind homoeopathy and started practising the same.Physicians like Dr J T Kent,Dr Hering,Dr Boenonghausen ect followed Dr hahnemann's mission and developed the system.They all started preparing somany other drugs on the basis of guidlines given by Hahnemann.Physicians came to know that by diluting the drug substance in spirit in a systematic way the medicinal power is increasing eventhough the quantity of drug decreases.Since diseases are due to dynamic causes the medicine also should be dynamic.By a process called potentisation same drug in different levels of potencies were made.They found that by increasing the potency the penetrating power of medicine is increased so that it act on a higher level than the usual material form of drugs used in other systems.This unique nature of homoeopathic medicine is the reason for the wonderful cures of even the mental diseases.

General principles

Homoeopathy treats the diseased individual as a whole rather than treating diseased parts or organs.The physical,mental,emotional,social spheres of a person is considered for a permanent cure.This system believes that the diseases are caused due to the derangement of vital force which is an invisible power in every individual.In a healthy state the vital force maintains the equilibrium of mind body and soul .During this man will have normal sensations and functions.When the vital force gets affected there will be external manifestations in the form of signs and symptoms.The imbalance in the body functions makes a shelter for forign organisms(bacteria,viruses,fungi,protozoa ect) and allow them to proliferate &produce so called diseases.Homoeopathy believes thet the real desease comes before the bacteria & viruses,hence the root cause of the disease has to be treated for a permenent cure.The antibacterial and antiviral agents only remove the secondary causes mentioned above.

Diseases are produced by noxious morbific agents called Miasms which are dynamic influences which affect the vital force.There are mainly three miasms PSORA ,SYPHILIS&SYCOSIS. These three causes are accepted by other schools of medicine but called by different names. Psora causes functional disturbances, syphilis causes structural changes in the form of destructions and sycosis causes changes in the form of overgrowth.These three miasms can act individually or in combined form to produce different disease conditions.

Preparation of medicine in homoeopathy

In homoeopathy medicines are prepared from different sources like minerals, plants, animals, toxins, diseased parts ect. Medicines are prepared from these substances by a special process called potentisation.Here the soluble substances are potentised by diluting(mixing with spirit with a downward stroke) with spirit and insoluble substances by grinding(trituration) with sugar of milk.The crude drug substance is first mixed with a calculated quantity of spirit and water and kept for few days .From this mixture extract is taken and is called mother tincture(denoted as Q).From this mother tincture dilutions are prepared by potentisation.Potentisation is a mathematical process by which the quantity of original drug substance reduces but medicinal power increases. Depending upon the ratio of quantity of drug substance and vehicle(spirit or sugar of milk)there are different scales for this process.Each scale has got different potencies which indicate power of medicine.Example in decimal scale the drug substance vehicle ratio is1/10 and the availables potencies are 3x,6x.12x ect.In centismal scale the ratio is 1/100 and the available potencies are 30c,200c ect,in LM potency the ratio is 1/50000 and the available potencies are 0/1,0/2,0/3 ect.Potency is written after the name of every medicine

Same medicine is available in different potencies. Suitable potency is selected according to so many facters like severity,depth of disease,condition of the patient ,nature of disease ,type of symptoms,age of patient and ect.

Subjects studied in homoeopathy:-

History of medicine

History & developement of homoeopathy

Pioneers of homoeopathy

Organon of medicine

Homoeopathic philosophy

Materia medica

Homoeopathic pharmacy & pharmacognosy

Homoeopathic repertory

Homoeopathic case taking

Homoeopathic therapeutics

General medical subjects:

( Anatomy,physiology,pathology,microbiology,parasitology,toxicology,forensic medicine,social & preventive medicine,surgery ,ENT ,gynaecology & obstetrics, opthalmology, dentistry, orthopedics, surgery,general medicine,pediatrics,dermatology ,psychiatry and ect)

Homoeopathic case taking and prescription.

Cure by a homoeopathic medicine is rapid ,gentle and permenent if correct remedy in suitable dose is given. . Just giving one drug for one disease (specific drugs)may not give good result.To come to a correct remedial diagnosis we should have the symptomatology of the person .It is the total symptoms of a person which includes mental generals,physical generals,particular symptoms ect.

All signs and symptoms (mental&physical)of the person is taken in detail.Knowledge about past illness,family history of diseases,food & bowel habits,notable causes,relation to climatic changes and constitution ect are noted down in a systematic order.