Health And Fitness Articles

April 14, 2008

A Healthy Breakfast for People on the Go

Filed under: Uncategorized — ohiolessthan @ 6:43 pm

Are you the type of person who gets up with no time to spare, and goes straight for the coffee? You ve heard it before, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. This is probably more true then ever before, as we live fast paced lives rushing from the moment we get out of bed. Although one cup of coffee isn t bad for you, if it replaces your breakfast you won t have the needed sustenance for your busy day. Over time this habit will have negative affects on your health and emotional state.
An easy solution is to start your day with a smoothie. If you don t have one already, buy yourself a (quiet) blender. It will probably be the most important appliance you ve ever owned. Next, buy a large carton of milk or soy, some stevia (natural sweetener) and some of your favorite fruits. You may also want to add some supplementary products such as a multivitamin and/or green food products such as chlorophyll or kelp (which are great for their nutritional value and detoxifying ability). If you want to go one step faster, you can buy yourself a big bag of mixed frozen fruit, so you can save the time of cutting up fresh fruit. With in a matter of minutes you can provide your body and mind with the nutrition it needs to get through the morning and still have time for coffee on your way to work. The great thing is that you can mix up your morning smoothies, so each day you can make a different one. Here are some popular smoothie ideas.
Start your day of right and feel energized and healthy, instead of drained and irritated. We all now the coffee pick me up, is followed shortly by the coffee crash. Smoothies are excellent breakfast solution for the wake up and go lifestyle. Enjoy. Chester is the owner of AstroNutrition, the premier website catering to fitness enthusiasts looking at bulking up, slimming down, or staying fit.

April 12, 2008

Are you Stressed or Depressed – Take the test

Filed under: Uncategorized — ohiolessthan @ 3:43 pm

Everyone seems to have a view on stress, it has become so popular. Are you stressed or does it not effect you at all? Do you believe that managing stress is important, or do you think that it is a buzz word, used as a convenient excuse? Are you living outside your comfort zone? What is stress any way? Basically stress is caused by our need to adapt to change. The change can be positive or negative. If we feel uncomfortable about any new situation, or challenge, then we begin to experience stress. It is not the circumstances themselves, but our attitude to them, which causes the symptoms. As soon as we are in a situation that we feel is potentially threatening then our fight or flight response switches on. Our breathing rate and heart rate increases, muscles tense up, blood pressure rises and adrenaline and cortisol are released into the blood stream.
In other words we are on full alert. This is a natural reaction that has been with us since primitive times to get us out of danger. The difference is that after the danger was over, primitive man would go back to his hut, sit in front of his fire and switch off again. Then all his bodily systems would return to normal. These days we tend to be switched on, tense and rushed, all the time. Because of the pace and intensity of the lives we lead, we suffer from increasing pressure of work and never seem to be able to take time to really relax and let our bodies re-balance. We are often told how stress is bad for us, and it is true that excessive stress has many negative effects, but if we
experienced a complete absence of stress we may not put in the extra effort needed to attain our personal goals and desires.
In fact we may not even feel motivated enough to get out of bed in the morning! We can accept that some stress is inevitable and it can also be used to a beneficial effect.
We experience many different types and levels of stress in our lives, eu-stress, often described as good stress, the type of stress you may experience if you won the lottery for example (you may not think that coming into alot of money would cause stress, but people who have been in that position report significant stress while dealing with major changes). Dis-stress is when we lose something, or someone, important to us. We feel as if our world is coming to an end. If we constantly experience
levels of stress that are too high for us to cope with, then physical, mental, emotional and energetic symptoms will become increasingly apparent.
So what is the cure? First take an honest look at your life with the help of our stress analysis pages. Then decide which areas of your life need attention. Begin to take steps right now to help yourself to a happier, more fulfilling and healthier life. Decide on your short and long term goals. Improve your physical health with sports or exercise, this releases stress and improves self esteem. Manage your time effectively, get properly organised! Eat a balanced diet; perhaps include a supplement of B vitamins. Avoid or cut down on stimulants like caffeine and nicotine. Learn to be assertive, not aggressive. Don t take everything so personally. Remember – everything you do does not need to be perfect, you are only human. Communicate more clearly with others and yourself.
Life isn t an emergency. Keep a sense of humour and enjoy the little everyday things that make you smile and provide a sense of comfort and ease.
Most important: learn meditation or deep relaxation techniques, often using relaxing music will help you to achieve this. You may need to listen to a CD or DVD which has been developed to help you to relax, or attend meditation or relaxation classes to learn the basics of the techniques and then make time to practise every day and within a few weeks you should begin to see the results. Read out Diet plan. Also check out for online diagnosis and quick weight loss

Weight Loss Should You Give It a Thought or Not?

Filed under: Uncategorized — ohiolessthan @ 3:42 pm

Do you know that those extra pounds are bad for your health? Aren t you risking your health to future cardiovascular diseases and heart problems? Isn t it time to look after your health? Are you finding it difficult to socialise as you are becoming an object of mockery at every party because you are obese?
If you say yes to any of the above questions then it is time to get rid of your obesity. Obesity is considered a disease by the medical community. It has serious health risks like heart problems, diabetes, stroke, paralysis, prostrate cancer plus a dozen of other kind of diseases. Though the definite cause of obesity is far from clear there are certain theories on it. Prominent amongst them are excess food intake, heredity, laziness and lack of physical activities.
The natural method of losing weight is physical exercises and a limited diet regimen. But the natural process takes time to get a considerable weight reduction. Other method like surgery and liposuction are good as a short term solutions, but are costly and requires re-operation. But the best available method to lose weight is a combination of exercises, diet program and diet pills.
But choosing a right diet pill is a difficult task considering the different types of diet pills one has in the market today. Importantly, one should stay away from pills which say of burning fats as the lost fats return when one discontinues it. The other diet pills require an individual to maintain a controlled diet and do physical exercises. These are the kind of diet pills one should opt for.
The diet pills suppress appetite by acting on central nervous. But there are certain side effects like nausea, stomach upset, irritability, diarrhea and oily spotting etc. These diet pills require one to maintain a restricted diet regimen and do exercises, without which the effects are not noticeable.
Pills like Phentermine, Adipex, Bontril, Didrex, Diethylpropion, Ionamin, Meridia, Phendimetrazine, Tenuate and Xenical are some of the popular weight loss diet pills prescribed by the doctors. The latest diet pill of late is Acomplia which is approved for sale in the UK and EU but is awaiting approval from FDA for sale in the US.
Obesity is such a menace that it could kill all of us with a disease or the other. It can be termed as the root cause of all future diseases. So, it would be better for us to get rid of it in whatever possible way so that we lead a disease less healthy life.

April 8, 2008

Hormonal Acne in Women: Can Contraceptives help

Filed under: Uncategorized — ohiolessthan @ 2:20 pm

Spironolactone is generally prescribed as an off label acne treatment for women. This drug, though intended to help people with heart problems not zit problems, reduces the production of the hormone androgen. Androgen promotes excess facial oil secretion.
Less oil secretion limits the possibility of having clogged pores and acne flare-ups. Spironolactone works as an androgen receptor blocker. This drug decreases androgen production in the ovaries and adrenal glands.
Side effects from spironolactone can include breast tenderness and menstrual irregularity. For this reason, doctors usually add oral contraceptives like Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Estrostephave to compliment acne treatments and ease potential spironolactone side effects. Ironically though, spironolactone is recommended for women who are not candidates for oral contraceptives.
So should a woman over 35 with acne go with spironolactone? According to the American College of Physicians, the answer is No .
In the 2004 May/June edition of the American College of Physicians (ACP) published a medical review of studies that tested the effectiveness of spironolactone for controlling hirsutism, acne, or both in fertile or postmenopausal women. The ACP review found insufficient evidence to recommend spironolactone as an acne treatment.
Nevertheless, Dr. Diane Thiboutot of Pennsylvania State University, Hershey uses spironolactone for female patients with acne accompanied by a suspected endocrine disorder.
For example, when a woman experiences a sudden onset of severe acne or acne that is linked with excessive facial hair growth, irregular menstrual periods, increased libido, dark patches of skin, deepening of the voice, insulin resistance and hair loss, spironolactone may be helpful. Dr. Thiboutot noted that spironolactone seems to control quite well those cystic-type nodules that they [women] get on their lower face and chin.
Yet Dr. Julie C Harper Dr. Harper of the department of dermatology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham doesn t recommend spironolactone so easily.
Only if neither topical retinoids nor antibiotics have not worked for a woman s case of acne would Dr. Harper then suggest using spironolactone for women over 35.
Author of Acne Messages , Naweko San-Joyz, says A woman s response to androgens is so varied that limiting herself to an androgen blockers like spironolactone certainly does not guarantee a cure, or even a quick treatment.
San-Joyz adds that overproduction of androgens is just one step in a series of potential events that could lead to acne. Instead of hormonal manipulation with drugs, San-Joyz suggests women with acne regulate this conditional using food, stress control and greater awareness of potential acne triggers like environmental estrogens.
Women with acne have numerous treatments options. If a woman does decide to go with spironolactone, it s best to get her prescription filled with her gynecologist rather that her general practitioner.
It s most likely that the gynecologist will be more aware of how a patient may respond to hormonal treatments like spironolactone and oral contraceptives, thus making recovery faster.
About the author
Naweko San-Joyz is an author and health researcher. Topics she covers include: acne control for adults with severe cases, acne control for adults with severe cases, and weight loss tips for women. For more DIY Beauty tips visit Noixia.com

April 4, 2008

Travel Tips For People With Crohn s Disease

Filed under: Uncategorized — ohiolessthan @ 5:01 pm

Though Crohn& 39;s disease is a difficult disorder, we should not keep up to live the best life possible, because you suffer from this disorder. You should continue in your life as you would without Crohn& 39;s, although a few more precautions may be necessary. When traveling, it will ensure a smooth and pleasant trip.
The first thing you should do, if you are travelling abroad or close to home, you find a doctor in the area will be visiting. There are several organizations available for use in research or you can simply ask your doctor for referrals.
If is taking prescription medication, be sure to make enough for the duration of the trip. You should also keep it with you when you travel on the aircraft to prevent it from being lost in heaps of luggage. Always keep your medicine in its original packaging and a statement from your doctor typed on what is taking medications and what are a. You will also need to obtain copies of all their income, including foreign names, in case you have to replenish them abroad. However, you should avoid that by carrying enough medication with you, as filling prescriptions in other municipalities may sometimes be wrong difficult.
A common among travelers to less developed countries is known as the traveller " " diarrhea. This can be especially dangerous for sufferers of Crohn& 39;s disease and special care must be taken to prevent it from occurring. Basically, traveler & 39; s diarrhea occur from the ingestion of water or food that is not as rigorous as processed in the United States. Measures that should be taken include being very careful with what you eat or drink, do not drink water unless you boil it, avoid drinks made of tap water, such as tea or juice that may have been mixed from concentrate; use bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth with A; avoid ice, ice cream and uncooked fruits, vegetables, and meat; avoid diary products as they can not be pasteurized and not eat any food questionable. If you become affected with diarrhea of the traveler, take a medication to stop and make sure abundant intake of liquids to avoid dehydration.
Also watch for signs of a medical emergency, such as high fever and chills, which can be a sign of infection; profuse rectal bleeding, extreme abdominal pain, dizziness, or dehydration. If any of these occur, seek medical attention immediately.
Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical issues, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Cohn & 39; s Disease. For more of his articles, go to http://www.imedicalvillage.com now.

« Newer Posts

Blog at WordPress.com.