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Showing posts with label Health Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health Care. Show all posts

3/22/11

6 Benefits of Water For Metabolism



Prompts for at least two liters of drinking water or about eight glasses per day is always associated with human health. As nutrients, water has an important task for the human body. Here are the function of water to the body as is abstracted from the book Water For Health.

1. Forming cells and body fluids
The main components of the cell, except the fat cells, is water, which is 70-85 percent.Water plays an important role in the formation of various body fluids, like blood, gastric fluids, hormones, enzymes and so forth. In addition, water is also present in muscle and it is useful to maintain muscle tone so that muscles are able to contract.

2. Regulating body temperature
Produce hot water, absorb and deliver heat to the entire body so as to maintain the body temperature remains stable. Through the production of sweat which mostly consists of water and salt, the water helped to cool the body temperature.

3. Solvent
Water dissolves more nutrients and to aid in food digestion. Because water is an inorganic substance, water is not ingested. The water quickly through the small intestine and most of the absorbed and then helped to function as one component of mucus for the rest of the food substance to come out as feces.

4. Lubricant and bearing
Water also serves as a lubricant or lubricant in the form of joint fluid, which allows joints to move properly and reduce friction between the joints. Water also serves as a vibration-resistant pads (shock absorbing cushion fluid) in body tissue, such as the brain, eyes, spinal cord, and pockets amniom in the womb.

5. Media transport
Water consisting of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, so that it easily moves from one cell compartment to cell komparatemen another, from one body system to another system. Water is an effective transport medium. In the respiratory system, helps transport water oksgien throughout the body.

6. Detoxification
The body produces a variety of metabolic waste that is not needed, including toxins.Various metabolic waste is excreted through the urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, and skin, which requires the media, namely water.

2/7/11

Super Bowl May Trigger Heart Attacks


By Matt McMillen

MONDAY, January 31 (Health.com) — This Sunday’s Super Bowl could prove to be a real heartbreaker for some fans of the losing team. A new study suggests that the emotional stress fans feel after a loss may trigger fatal heart attacks, especially in people who already have heart disease.

Stress generates the so-called fight-or-flight response, which causes sharp upticks in heart rate and blood pressure that can strain the heart. For people with heart disease—or for those who are at risk due to factors such as obesity, smoking, and diabetes—such strain can prove harmful, if not fatal.

In the study, which was published today in the journal Clinical Cardiology, researchers analyzed death records in Los Angeles County for the two weeks following the 1980 and 1984 Super Bowls, both of which featured teams from Los Angeles. (The game days were included.) Then, as a control, the researchers looked at the same data from the corresponding days in the intervening years.

In 1980, when the Pittsburgh Steelers staged a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the underdog L.A. Rams, heart-related deaths shot up 15% among men and 27% among women in the subsequent two weeks, compared to the same period in 1981 through 1983. There was also a significant increase in deaths among people ages 65 and older, the study found.

The 1984 Super Bowl was a different story. The L.A. Raiders handily beat the Washington Redskins, and unlike four years earlier, the cardiac death rate didn’t increase after the game. In fact, the death rate for women and older people dropped slightly.

“Fans develop an emotional connection to their team…and when their team loses, that’s an emotional stress,” says the lead author of the study, Robert A. Kloner, MD, a professor of cardiology at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, in Los Angeles. “There’s a brain-heart connection, and it is important for people to be aware of that.”

The apparent link between the Super Bowl loss and heart-related deaths is plausible but largely speculative. Dr. Kloner and his colleagues looked only at death-certificate data, not individuals, and they can’t be sure that the people who succumbed to heart attacks following the 1980 game were Rams fans, or even watched the game.

David Frid, MD, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic who was not involved in the study, agrees that “emotional triggers” can set off heart attacks and other cardiac events. But he’s not convinced that grief caused by the hometown loss was responsible for the spike in deaths.

“Was it due to the fact that the Rams lost?” Dr. Frid asks. “Or was it the emotional roller coaster of the game itself? Does it have to do with the excitement of the event?” health.com

11/17/10

Where is the Most Sources of Sugar Consumption?



Excessive sugar consumption experienced by almost everyone, whereas excessive sugar consumption can cause an awful diabetes disease. What food and beverage sources that contain the most sugar?

Excess sugar in the body will increase the release of calcium through the urine, causing dental caries and some diseases and severe complications such as diabetes and heart disease.

High sugar levels in the body will stimulate the release of the hormone insulin. Frequently consume sugar makes people become frequent urination and consequently minerals that enter the body can go wasted.

According to the study published in 2009, as quoted from MensHealth.com Circulation, the maximum safe sugar consumption does not exceed 150 calories per day.
The Journal of the American Medical Association found that high sugar intake will reduce levels of good cholesterol and increase triglycerides (fats in the blood). Whereas the number levels of triglycerides should be below 200 mg / dl.

Many foods that contain high sugar levels can also reduce the immune system. If someone is eating sugar as much as 100 grams, it can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill the bad bacteria or viruses in the body by 40 percent. The immune system will begin to decrease 30 minutes after food is consumed and will continue to be reduced by over 5 hours.

When white blood cells exposed to high levels of sugar in the bloodstream, then the ability of these cells to destroy bacteria decreases and weakens the defence system against all infectious.

What food and beverage sources that contain the most sugar?

1. Soft drinks and other sweet drinks, sugar contributes to the body 45.7%
2. Sugar and candy, 13.6% contribution
3. Cakes, cookies, pies, contributing 11.6%
4. Fruit juices, contribute 8%
5. Desserts made of milk and milk products, contributing 7.4%
6. Grains and cereals, contributed 8.5%
7. Another source, contributing 5.2%

Eat sugar normally so that the immune system can work with up to protect the body.

11/8/10

Fish Oil Ingredient Doesn’t Slow Alzheimer’s

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TUESDAY, November 2 (Health.com) — An essential nutrient found in fish oil does not appear to slow the mental decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study is merely the latest to cast doubt on the mental benefits of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which until recently was considered a promising way to minimize the risk and damage of dementia. (The other main ingredient found in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, is not believed to play a significant role in brain health.)

DHA or fish-oil supplements aren’t likely to cause any harm to Alzheimer’s patients, but they aren’t likely to do any good either, says Steven H. Ferris, PhD, the director of the Aging and Dementia Research Center at New York University.
Fish oil “seems to be healthy in general, and maybe for other things it’s helpful, but it doesn’t benefit cognitive function in a person with Alzheimer’s,” says Ferris, who was not involved in the study.

Research on DHA has been inconclusive and sometimes conflicting. Several studies that followed large groups of people as they aged have suggested that a diet rich in fish is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and mental decline, but most randomized controlled trials comparing DHA supplements with placebo have found no benefit.

“It’s not the first time something in large epidemiological datasets just didn’t work out clinically,” Ferris says, noting that statin medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, and estrogen therapy have all failed to live up to their initial promise in preventing or treating Alzheimer’s. “Unfortunately, that seems to be the situation here.”

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and was led by Joseph F. Quinn, MD, a neurologist at the Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland.
Dr. Quinn and his colleagues randomly assigned about 400 women and men in their mid-70s with likely Alzheimer’s disease—the disease is very difficult to accurately diagnose—to take 2 grams of DHA or placebo capsules per day. After 18 months, the average mental decline in the DHA and placebo groups was nearly identical, as measured on two separate tests and rating scales.

Despite the disappointing results, the study doesn’t entirely rule out the possibility that DHA may have some benefit if taken earlier in life. A growing body of research suggests that dementia begins decades before any noticeable symptoms surface, and it’s possible that DHA helps prevent or slow those harmful changes.
Treatments such as DHA may be too little too late for people who are already showing signs of Alzheimer’s, according to Kristine Yaffe, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

“Effective treatment strategies to prevent progression of [Alzheimer's disease] will likely need to be initiated earlier,” Dr. Yaffe writes in an editorial accompanying the study. (www.health.com)

10/14/10

5 Ways to Excuse-Proof Your Workout

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By Tina Haupert

It happens every year: Once the summer ends, I struggle to follow a consistent workout plan. The weather gets colder, the days get shorter, and the last thing I want to do is leave my warm, cozy bed to bundle up for an early-morning 3-mile run or a group exercise class at the gym. Most of the time I realize that I just need a little extra motivation, so I try to “excuse-proof” my workout with these ideas.

Excuse: I can’t get motivated in the morning
Morning workouts are not always fun, especially in the dead of winter. Still, they are a necessary evil when it comes to keeping myself on track. Exercising first thing in the morning guarantees that I get my workout in before my day gets carried away and excuses pop up. When I’m lying in bed debating whether to exercise or not, I count to three in my head and just get up. At first, I commit to doing just 15 minutes of exercise. Once I’m out the door, however, I get into my groove and almost always end up finishing my whole workout.

Excuse: I’m too tired to exercise after work
There’s a difference between being mentally tired and physically tired. Doing something physical actually helps me combat mental fatigue. After a late-day workout, I find that I can focus better! If reminding myself of this post-exercise bonus still doesn’t work, I boost my energy with a snack that’s rich in complex carbs and protein. Sometimes, having a cup of coffee about an hour before my workout helps too. Fueling my body gives me the energy to complete my workout when my motivation wanes in the afternoon.

Excuse: Exercising at home is my only option
Boring! Exercising at home can get repetitive. Still, when I just can’t make it out of the house, a plan of attack always helps get me off of the couch and in the right frame of mind to break a sweat. I create a workout schedule that details each of my workouts. One day I’ll utilize a dance DVD for cardio and on another day a magazine workout for strength training. If I plan it out ahead of time, I’m more likely to stick to it.

Excuse: The thought of 30 minutes on the cardio machine is slow torture

Sometimes, just thinking of going to the gym puts me in a bad mood. However, I’m lucky enough to be able to schedule my cardio sessions at the gym around my favorite TV shows, which gives me something to look forward to. Typically, I make sure to start my session about 10 to 15 minutes before the show starts, so I’m inspired to push my workout through the final minutes. I’m so engrossed in my show by that time that I don’t even notice the extra minutes and the time whizzes by.

Excuse: I don’t have time to exercise
Even scheduling a workout into my day doesn’t help on days when my to-do list gets overwhelming. Instead, I think “outside of the box” and figure out other ways to incorporate exercise into my day. My favorite strategy is to park my car near a shopping plaza or in a neighborhood where I can walk to do all of my errands. I kill two birds with one stone: I complete my errands and get a walking workout in for the day, leaving me feeling stress-free when I get home! (www.weightloss.health.com/photo: collegecandy.com)

9/28/10

Breastfeeding 'prevents baby infections,' research suggests

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Exclusive breastfeeding for six months wards off baby infections, further evidence suggests.

Regardless of other factors, such as good healthcare and vaccination programmes, breastfeeding still gives babies a boost, say Greek researchers.

They say it is the composition of breast milk that helps babies fight infections.

The findings, from a study of 1,000 vaccinated infants, are published in Archives of Diseases in Childhood.

Researchers say the benefit only comes with exclusive breastfeeding - mixing breast and bottle will not achieve the same.

World experts already recommend that infants are exclusively breastfed for at least the first six months of life.

Natural boost

For the study, the researchers tracked the health of 926 infants for a period of 12 months, recording any common infections these babies had during their first year of life.

All the newborns were routinely vaccinated and had access to a high standard of healthcare.

Almost two-thirds of mothers were breastfeeding at one month, but this figure dropped to just under a fifth at six months.

Overall, 91 of the infants were exclusively breastfed for a full six months.

Subsequently, these infants had significantly fewer common infections during their first year of life than their peers who were either partially breastfed or not breastfed at all.

These included respiratory and ear infections, as well as thrush.

And the infections they did pick up were less severe, even after adjusting for other factors that might influence infection risk, such as number of siblings and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Professor Emmanouil Galanakis and his team say it is the composition of breast milk that explains their findings.

Breast milk contains antibodies passed from the mother, as well as other immunological and nutritional factors that help the baby fight off infections.

"Mothers should be advised by health professionals that, in addition to all the other benefits, exclusive breastfeeding helps prevent infections in babies and lessens the frequency and severity of infectious episodes," the researchers say.

Janet Fyle of the Royal College of Midwives said: "This research is very welcome and adds to the growing weight of evidence about the many benefits of breastfeeding.

"We know that breastfeeding is the default method of infant feeding for babies; good for mothers and good for the health of the nation. That is why we need to continue our efforts to ensure that we maintain a high rate of breastfeeding in the UK.

"The UK needs to see breastfeeding as a normal process, and to move away from some of the outdated and negative stigma that is depressingly still attached to it, specifically breastfeeding in public."

Photo: www.mumschool.com
Source: www.bbc.co.uk

7/31/10

The benefits of Classic Olive


The olive benefits known since thousands years ago because they contain oleic acid (and polyphenol antioxidants that good for skin and hair . Woman's complaint, like a wrinkled, scaly skin until the hair branching should try olive oil. Here are some of the olives benefits for hair care to skin softness.

Hair
Use fresh olive fruit in the form of oil to keep your hair shining. Apply to all sections of hair from base to the tip. The olive oil also can be blended with other ingredients such as avocado or walnut so that your hair will look more black and thick.

Face
Removing the line delay of premature aging and wrinkling on the face by spread it to all parts of the face to overcome the lines and dry skin. While given a massage, let stand for 15 minutes then rinse with warm water.

Skin
After someone past the age of 18, skin elasticity will decrease rapidly because of the damage caused by free radicals such as pollution,collagen reduced and elastic fibers. As a result, fine wrinkles emerge. Therefore, apply the olive while showering or before performing activities, to all parts of the body. Olives can give a sense of humid and content of oleic acid which can be skin rubbery.

7/29/10

Happy Sex Life?

Did not have much energy to run every day or lack of money to go to the gym, but want to stay healthy? It is possible, as long as you want to encourage yourself to walk. What are walking advantages on foot?

1. Reduce the risk of diabetes
A new study says, walking slowly can reduce the risk of 2 diabetes type. Insulin resistance is the cause of this disease, although someone has a normal level of glucose though. In a study in England, found that people who have diabetes offspring but keeping the body by walking slowly on regular basis affect insulin sensitivity.

2. Creating a better sex life
Sex and sports go hand in hand. In a study that includes women between 45-55 years, regular exercise, including walking exercise was reported not only have a higher sex drive, but also enhance sexual gratification. It happens because the blood flows more smoothly.

3. Gym cost-effective
It never hurts to be frugal. This, too, including a stint cost to the health club. However, no matter where you live, you'll find areas to be able to walk. Strolling around 150 minutes a week with a moderate pace can help reduce stress and prevent heart disease. Strolling, it means maintain speed approximately 100 steps per minute. Researchers at San Diego State University, suggested using pedometers and target a thousand steps per 10 minutes, and moved to 3000 steps per 30 minutes. Plus, by walking around the house every morning or evening, will be cheaper than paying the cost of health club memberships.

6/10/10

11 Easy Ways to Manage Anger


The first step in being able to learn effective anger management techniques is to recognize the situations that make you angry and your body's warning signs of anger.


List things that can trigger your anger

Make a list of the things that often set off your anger (for example, running late for work and getting stuck in a traffic jam, your teenager leaving not helping out around the house or a co-worker blaming you for something you didn't do). If you know ahead of time what makes you angry, you may be able to avoid these things or do something different when they happen.

Pay attention to the warning signs of anger in your body
Notice the things that happen to your body that tell you when you are getting angry (for example, a pounding heart, flushed face, sweating, tense jaw, tightness in your chest or gritting your teeth).The earlier you can recognize these warning signs of anger, the more successful you will probably be at calming yourself down before your anger gets out of control.


Find anger management techniques that work for you

There are a number of different ways of managing anger and some strategies will suit you better than others. Here's some simple ways to put an end to the vicious cycle of stress that anger can bring:

Control your thinking
When you're angry, your thinking can get exaggerated and irrational. Try replacing these kinds of thoughts with more useful, rational ones and you should find that this has an affect on the way you feel. For example, instead of telling yourself "I can't stand it, it's awful and everything's ruined," tell yourself "It's frustrating, and it's understandable that I'm upset about it, but it's not the end of the world and getting angry is not going to fix it." Psychologists call this type of thinking "self talk."
Develop a list of things to say to yourself before, during and after situations in which you may get angry. It is more helpful if these things focus on how you are managing the situation rather than what other people should be doing.
Before:
"I'll be able to handle this. It could be rough, but I have a plan."
"If I feel myself getting angry, I'll know what to do."
During:
"Stay calm, relax, and breathe easy."
"Stay calm, I'm okay, s/he's not attacking me personally."
"I can look and act calm."
After:
"I managed that well. I can do this. I'm getting better at this."
"I felt angry, but I didn't lose my cool."

Take time out

If you feel your anger getting out of control, take time out from a situation or an argument. Try stepping outside the room, or going for a walk. Before you go, remember to make a time to talk about the situation later when everyone involved has calmed down. During time out, plan how you are going to stay calm when your conversation resumes.

Use distraction

A familiar strategy for managing anger is to distract your mind from the situation that is making you angry. Try counting to ten, playing soothing music, talking to a good friend, or focusing on a simple task like polishing the car, doing the dishes, folding laundry or walking the dog.

Use relaxation techniques
Relaxation strategies can reduce the feelings of tension and stress in your body. Practice strategies such as taking long deep breaths and focusing on your breathing, or progressively working around your body and relaxing your muscles as you go.

Learn assertiveness skills
Assertiveness skills can be learnt through self-help books or by attending courses. These skills ensure that anger is channelled and expressed in clear and respectful ways. Being assertive means being clear with others about what your needs and wants are, feeling okay about asking for them, but respecting the other person's needs and concerns as well and being prepared to negotiate.
Avoid using words like "never" or "always" (for example, "You're always late!"), as these statements are usually inaccurate, make you feel as though your anger is justified, and don't leave much possibility for the problem to be solved.

Try to acknowledge what is making you angry
Acknowledge that a particular issue has made you angry by admitting it to yourself and others. Telling someone that you felt angry when they did or said something is more helpful than just acting out the anger.
Make sure you think about who you express your anger to, and take care that you aren't just dumping your anger on the people closest to you, or on people who are less powerful than you. For example, don't yell at your partner, children, or dog when you are really angry with your boss.
Sometimes it can help to write things down. What is happening in your life? How do you feel about the things that are happening? Writing about these topics can sometimes help give you some distance and perspective and help you understand your feelings. Work out some options for changing your situation.

Rehearsing anger management techniques
Use your imagination to practice anger management strategies. Imagine yourself in a situation that usually sets off your anger. Imagine how you could behave in that situation without getting angry. Think about a situation where you did get angry. Replay the situation in your mind and imagine resolving the situation without anger.
Try rehearsing some anger management strategies with a friend. Ask them to help you act out a situation where you get angry, so that you can practice other ways to think and behave. Practice saying things in an assertive way.

Article by Michael_Atma