Health and Wellness Facts


Archive for the ‘Wellness’

All Excercises Are Not Equal For Fat Loss

August 25, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

We have all heard the statement about losing weight, eat less and move more. Unfortunately, this blanket statement leaves too much to the imagination.

Eat less, should really be eat less junk food and more healthy options, including fruits and vegetables along with a balanced proportion of proteins and carbohydrates.

And move more is very true, most of us would do better by moving more. However, there is some fine print associated with this statement. So pull out your reading glasses and get ready to view the little stuff.

Just moving more will not always give the results that you might expect. If you are after a better bill of health next time you go to the doctor, getting off the couch and walking more will certainly help.

With that said, certain forms of exercise will have very different effects, and various forms of the same exercise will give you different results.

Take running for example; there are two basic styles of running. One is distance or endurance running and the other is speed work or interval training.

Endurance training is fabulous for you heart and will do wonders for your blood pressure and cholesterol; unfortunately distance running does not chisel away the fat like most people think it will.

Running for distance slowly burns calories, but it does not leave an ongoing effect after the completion of exercise as well as interval training does.

Interval running is when the focus is on speed or effort and recovery. An example would be run at a 7 out of 10 effort for a couple minutes, then run at a recovery pace for a minute, run at an 8 out of 10 effort for another couple minutes, then recover. And repeat for about 25 minutes with varying intensity.

The idea is to get your heart rate up, then recover, and then repeat the interval. This type of move more exercise is the fastest way to chisel away the fat and improve your figure. It will not have the same effect as endurance running on heart health and in fact adds more stress to your body while performing it.

The same difference between endurance and interval training holds true for most any cardiovascular based sport. Think cycling, swimming, and even walking. When you get to a certain point in life, it begins to seem as if the process of taking off and putting on or opening and closing those folding eyeglasses is similar to interval training. Interval training will help you work up a sweat faster and you will continue to sweat long after your post workout shower.

For living proof, look at the average body type of a marathon runner, lean and thin vs. that of a basketball player, cut and trim. Marathon runners go for the distance. Basketball players are constantly altering strength stopping and starting again. They are consistently adjusting pace from a slow jog to fast sprint, then back down to recovery again.

Both athletes are extremely healthy, however they get an extraordinarily different workout performing the same exercise.

Firmer Abs

August 19, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

There’s no secret that women all over use a variety of products to keep their beauty. Many of these secrets are hundreds if not thousands of years old and are being passed from mother to child in all cultures. It is a shame then that Western women have not adopted these more natural methods instead of those that rely on (usually) invasive medical procedures. Natural health and beauty secrets are all around us and have no risks attached, so why aren’t Western women using them?

Probably one of the most famous and natural of these beauty secrets is water. Water has no equal when it comes to hydrating the skin and cleansing it of impurities. Just living in today’s modern world allows a build up of unwanted wastes in our body, and water is an excellent way to cleanse our systems.

Fruit and vegetables are another great healthy source of vitamins and minerals to help keep us healthy. Some people find it difficult eating fruit but fruit juice can be equally good for you providing essential nutrients and increasing your energy. Carrot, orange, cucumber and apple juices are fantastic beauty secrets by being excellent rejuvenators of skin, hair and nails.

Another beauty secret is exercise, it’s inexpensive and the results can be astounding including an increased oxygen level in the blood. Your overall health can be very quickly improved not just by walking; running, cycling or swimming are also good, plus they improve skin tone at very little or no financial cost. There are other benefits too such as burning calories faster, removing toxins from your system, getting firm abs and digesting food for instance.

You will find that most people that take regular exercise are happy because it provides increased energy levels and puts you in a good mood. When you have firm abs you’re happy, you show this in your bearing and attitude and it has the effect of making you look younger. A natural beauty secret, keeping positive has been shown to lengthen the life span and boost the immune system.

Bathing and showering daily are beauty secrets that serve not only to cleanse the body, but to help refresh the mind. Depending on your day, you may want to shower in the morning as pleasant wake up stimulant or bathe before bed to relax you from the stresses of your day. The expression bright eyed and bushy tailed has a real meaning for those who get a good night’s sleep.

Excessive amounts of sun on your skin can be dangerous but it is also an excellent and necessary source of vitamins, an energy boost and has a superb feel good factor associated with it. For long term skin care, a top beauty secret is wearing sunscreen if you are exposed to it for any length of time. Surgery is usually the only option left once the skin has been damaged by the suns UV rays, beyond its capacity to repair itself.

A strange but true beauty secret is that of friendship and good relationships. There may be times when all of us want to be on our own but long term isolation is very unhealthy. It is always nice to have your loved ones around yu especially when things aren’t great. Your friends know you for who you are and although may judge you, accept and support you no matter what, now that is a powerful beauty secret.

Defining Types Of Eyeglasses For Presbyopia

August 19, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

First let’s talk about that big word presbyopia. Yes, it comes with that “Big 4 - 0″. That’s right, by the time most of us reach the young age of forty, we are feeling the effects of presbyopia.

Presbyopia is defined as the loss of accommodative ability. This means that the inside of your eye has lost some elasticity that it uses to adjust focus from near to far. The process is an ongoing event, the fact is that we only start to notice it right around the age of 40. The condition called presbyopia will get to us all, so don’t let it get you down.

The one thing that will be different is the type of eyeglasses or contact lenses you will need to wear. If you have never worn any vision correction prior to becoming presbyopic, or if you wear contact lenses to correct for distance vision, the easiest thing to do is get a pair of reading eyeglasses. Available in many styles and powers, you can easily find them online.

Reading glasses are designed specifically for up close vision. Do not attempt to drive while wearing them, the distance will be blurry. If you find you can see better in the distance with reading glasses, chances are you are slightly farsighted and may reduce headaches and eye strain if you get prescription eyewear.

For those that currently wear glasses, you have options between bifocals, trifocals, and progressive lenses. The names are fairly self explanatory.

A bifocal has to powers in the lens. The top portion is for distance, or in the case of some reading sunglasses, the top portion has not power. And the lower portion of the lens has a power that allows you to read clearly. So wearing a pair of bifocal lenses will give you good vision in both distance and near. When you look straight ahead, you can see in the distance clearly and as you glance down, you can see clearly up close.

A trifocal uses the same concept except it has three overall lens powers. One for distance at the top. One power for intermediate or computer vision in the middle, and the very bottom has a reading power for up close work.

And then there is the progressive lens. These lenses take the effect of the trifocal, and blend all the powers together. What you have is a top portion of the lens that provides clear distance and as your eye gradually scans down the lens more reading power is added. The progressive lens is very popular today among presbyopes who wear glasses.

To be fit with most any of these lens styles, you will want to visit a qualified optician. They will measure your eyes, analyze your eyeglass prescription, help you pick a frame that will work and look good. And then put all the pieces together to give you a pair of glasses that will satisfy all your reading needs.

So don’t worry about presbyopia, it happens to everyone. Start with a simple pair of low power reading glasses. If you find you need something a little more custom, visit the optician. You have more choices in eyewear than you could ever imagine.

How Memory Foam Products Can Lower The Risk Of Back Pain

August 15, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Visco elastic foam is a material that was designed back in the 60’s for NASA. Visco elastic foam now has found many market places especially popular in the home care and pressure care markets, where pressure can cause back and neck problems memory foam now provides protection in the form of memory foam pillows, and items like a mattress pad,..

A poor memory foam mattress or inappropriate pillow can cause you pain, or encourage bad posture, the mattress must be soft enough to protect parts of the body from pressure but firm enough also to stop you from bottoming out.

On average we spend around 1/3 of out life in bed and it is very important to ensure we have appropriate a mattress support. Often uncomfortable nights sleep can be directly related to unrest full or disturbed sleep this is a sign that the body was attempting to change from a painful sleeping position, leaving you feeling tired and exhausted in the morning.

Reducing pressure on the spine is important, a good visco elastic or memory foam mattress or pillow certainly helps by conforming and supporting areas that are usually under high load, these areas often are behind a bony part of the body i.e. hips/trochanter or ishials or coccyx shoulders etc…. these areas are seen to be most at risk of pressure and if these sections are not supported then the spin will be out of neutral position and under tension.

Sciatica, herniated disc (slipped disc), degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and facet joint problems are all or can be contributed by poor posture or poor pillow / mattress provision. Memory foam products allow the neck spine to be controlled and supported by using some of the latest memory foams developed in the uk market. The products can assist and help conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, osteo arthritis and fibromyalgia. Back support products like a neck support pillow are a good way to ensure a good posture.

To have a good sleep means your body must be supported by a maximum surface area thereby reducing any pin point or high pressure points this can be achieved by using the right levels and depths of visco elastic memory foam. Careful selection of foams ensures a comfortable mattress which will deform but yet be supportive.

The layers of different foams in a mattress can add softness or protection; a good supportive base layer of durable protective PU polurethane foam will stop the user from bottoming out and also assist in dispersing pressure. The top layers of foam are usually memory foams these are now available in many different grades from 40Kg to over 100Kg the softer foams are usually used on the top surface which denser foams used to support higher loads. The foam can be cut in many fashioned or egg boxed to reduce the density and also increase ventilation modular foams a kriss cross cnc machine cut offer independent support and air channels to reduce the heat retention properties of the foam.

Top Tips To Prepare For A Healthy Detox

August 14, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Preparation

Prepare for your detox by gradually eliminating all the foods to avoid up to one week before. This will help your body to adjust more readily to the restricted diet regime and also help to curtail withdrawal symptoms from cutting out addictive food and drinks, like chocolate and coffee.

Spring clean the bathroom, to give yourself a relaxing and calming environment where you can retreat for some un-interruptedtime to pamper yourself undisturbed.

Empty your kitchen cupboard any food stuffs that you need to stay away from during your healthy detox.

Let your partner know about your body detox so they can help outsupport you with jobs around the house or perhaps looking after your children. They can also provide you with motivation and support.

Just before you start your detox diet, give your system a boost with some healthy fruit juices and smoothies.

Detox Tips

hold off smoking to ensure you’re not adding any extra toxins to your system. If you feel you need to eat late at night, try soaking in your favorite aromatherapy bath before retiring, then go to bed early with a good book or perhaps listen to a story on the radio.

Foods That Detox The Body - Are They Real?

August 13, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Ideas About Foods That Detox The Body

A detox diet is a cleansing regimen to rid the body of toxins (detoxification). Detox is the short form for detoxification.

Here is just a sampling of food that detox the body:

Aapples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, raisins, pineapple, mango, kiwi fruit, raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, melon, sultanas, nectarines and peaches.

Cabbage is so popular due to the famous Cabbage soup diet, that is proven to help one to lose weight efficiently. Many people who receive results from the Cabbage soup diet do not realize that they are actually receiving some detox effects too.

You’ll find you have more energy, less colds and your digestive system will run much smoother. When you do this type of Detox diet you’re cleaning out the toxins from your entire body

Really, virtually all fruits and vegetables are great body detox foods.

To get your body clean eat fibrous fruit and vegetables such as bananas. Health News

When you detox your body, you can garner great health benefits, reversing the damage that living with toxins can cause. Detoxification is a normal body process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin. Your body stores foreign substances in its fatty deposits a significant reason to keep your diet and body fat low.

Foods That Detox The Body

Detoxing your body doesn’t always mean that you will need to go on an intensive detoxification diet, you can also implement foods that detox the body in your daily diet so that you can live healthily even through your daily meal.

For more great information and article on foods that detox the body, and the positive outcome it may have on your body, visit one of the 2 links above above.

Problem Drinking Leads to Health Risks and Possible Alcoholism Signs

August 13, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Alcoholism is a progressive debilitating disease with four main components:

· Loss of control – the inability to stop drinking once the person has started drinking
· Craving - a strong need or compulsion to drink
· Tolerance - the need to drink increasingly more amounts of alcohol in order to get a “buzz” or to get “high”
· Physical dependence – experiencing withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, the shakes, excessive sweating, or nausea after stopping drinking

alcohol dependence symptoms

Alcohol is a problem if it causes problems in any part of your life. This includes your finances, employment, relationships, health, or your life at home. You probably have a problem with alcohol if you keep trying to quit on your own but cannot, if you think about drinking throughout the day, or if you often drink more than you plan to.

The following represents some of the symptoms of alcoholism:

· Feeling a need or compulsion to drink
· Ordering doubles, gulping drinks, or becoming intoxicated intentionally to feel “normal” or to feel good.
· Irritability when your usual drinking time nears, especially if alcohol isn’t available
· Losing interest in activities that used to be fun or interesting
· Drinking alone or in secret

The following list includes additional “signs” that alcohol is an issue in your life:

· Depression
· Being unusually suspicious
· Not taking care of yourself, especially your personal appearance and your hygiene
· Anxiety or becoming easily irritated
· Accidents at work, at home, or in your vehicle
· Poor work performance

It should be pointed out that alcohol dependency is not necessarily caused by an unhappy childhood, stress, relationship difficulties, or financial problems.

Alcoholism is a treatable brain disorder in which people lose their ability to control their use of alcohol. Fortunately, there have been notableadvancements in alcohol rehab in recent years.

health risks

For alcoholics, all the willpower and self resolve in the world typically does not help the person abstain from drinking. Stated differently, alcoholics are for the most part powerless to manage their drinking without assistance.

Many people seeking to end their alcohol dependence, and their family members, find that participating in support groups is a key part of coping with the disease, avoiding or dealing with relapses, and staying sober.

Do you need a drink the first thing in the morning? Do you need an increasing amount of alcohol before you start feeling its effects? If you feel that you have a drinking problem and if you feel guilty about your drinking and can’t seem to control how much you drink, make an appointment with your doctor so that he or she can evaluate your drinking circumstance.

irresponsible drinking

Based on your healthcare provider’s evaluation of the severity of your problem, you may require alcohol therapy. Your alcohol treatment will commonly consist of several stages. If you have become alcohol addicted, rehab may include detoxification, taking doctor-prescribed medications to control your alcohol withdrawal symptoms, medications to help avoidan alcohol relapse, individual and/or group counseling, support, and outpatient follow-up treatment.

Alcoholism treatment is typically available in rehab hospitals, alcohol rehab centers or clinics, or in residential treatment facilities. Some of the more successful alcohol dependency programs also provide outpatient follow-up rehab that can last up to a year or longer.

Alcoholism is a disease that can be treated, but there is no current cure. Alcoholism is a serious problem that affects millions of American families. If you or someone you love has an alcohol problem, get professional rehab now.

How Memory Foam Productscan Help Acute Lower Back Pain

August 13, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Visco elastic mattresses and Visco elastic toppers are designed to mould to the contour of the body and can be effective in reducing back and neck pain.

Back pain can be exacerbated by poor posture or old a mattress which is too hard or too soft. A good posture is very important as on average, people spend approximately seven hours a night in bed, although if we are uncomfortable we may not be sleep and may wake in the morning feeling back or neck pain!

It is important that your memory foam mattress or memory foam overlay provides support and stability to the spine, to prevent excessive tension or pressure on spine, joints and discs, and underlying soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Ensuring good muscular-skeletal health is of vital importance as those who suffer back, neck, hip and shoulder pain will confirm and if you have suffered back ache, sciatica or muscle spasm you will know the importance of a good nights sleep.

Therapeutic treatments/interventions from health professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors can be hindered by poor sleep- postures needed to promote a restorative response.
A high percentage of people will suffer back problems in their life time such as; low back pain, Sciatica, herniated disc (slipped disc), degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and facet joint problems, it is therefore very important to provide good back support to relieve painful pressure on the joints and support the spine when sleeping.

Mattresses and mattress pads can also providing relief for such painful conditions as rheumatoid arthritis, osteo arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Visco elastic mattresses and Visco elastic toppers support the spine in a neutral position, which promotes stability and reduces stress, tension and painful medical/muscular skeletal conditions helping to achieve a good nights rest and reduce postural stiffness in the morning.

Visco elastic mattresses are usually made up from a combination of foams, a good supportive base foam stops the user from bottoming out while the top layers are usually memory foam. There are now various densities and qualities of memory foam which are used lower densities usually on the top surface as these densities are lighter and usually softer.

Visco elastic foam is heat and pressure sensitive, this means it uses the body heat to allow the material to soften when pressure is applied the material deforms to the load.

This is applied in many sectors pressure protection in hospitals, special orthopeadic pillows etc. Visco elastic foam can be used to make many therapeutic items like a mattress pad, neck support pillow, and memory foam pillows.

Sedation Dentistry

July 28, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Sedation - Located in Orangevale California Area

The wait is over. Your Sedation Dentist is now located in Orangevale California.

There are several reason 50% of the population put dental care at the bottom of the healthcare list. Some people are downright <spin>fearful | Scared</spin> while others have suffered <spin>bad | horrible</spin> experiences in the past. Or some need extensive care and simply can’t find enough <spin>time | hours</spin> in the day.

It’s time to rest easy. Sedation is now offered at the Charles Dental Group in the Orangevale California area.

After your initial visit with us where all your questions and concerns will be answered, we’ll schedule your Sedation appointment.

You’ll find your treatment is performed more comfortably than you might ever have thought possible. You’ll be <spin>relaxed | comfortable</spin, and unaware of the time passing by.

Our professionally trained team will monitor you continually throughout the appointment.

The big plus? We can accomplish extensive amounts of dentistry at one time, and you’ll have little or no memory of the experience.

For anxious patients, this new Sedation treatment is a miracle. Your dental health is important and need not be neglected because you are nervous,anxious or fearful.

Sedation dentistry is as easy as taking a pill.

Carmichael

Wake up to a new, beautiful smile! The Charles Dental Group is conveniently located in the Orangevale California area.

This invitation is open to you, your friends and family. Pick up the phone and call us today, 916-721-3368, and get your Sedation questions answered and begin your relaxing, comfortable dental treatment.

Do You Suffer With Ovarian Cysts?

July 27, 2008 By: Health and Wellness Category: Wellness No Comments →

Having a number of ovarian cyst symptoms does not in and of itself prove that a cyst exists, but some symptoms are a much clearer indicator than others. A single symptom is generally not anything to worry about, but two or more of them together are a definite wake up call to see a doctor.
Types of Ovarian Cysts

An unusual menstrual cycle can point to the possibility of having cysts, particularly if up until this time the menstrual period has always been predictable. Therefore, anything out of the ordinary during a cycle can be an indicator: symptoms of ovarian cysts might include excessive bleeding, irregular menstruation, or spotting in between periods. In addition, there might also be unexplained weight gain.
Cysts in The Ovary,
Ovarian cyst symptoms can show up as a sort of dull ache in the lower back and pelvic area. Sometimes this pain will flair up either right before or after a period, but it can also be brought on during intercourse or even heavy exercise. When an ovarian cyst bursts or twists, it can cause a number of problems depending on the size of the cyst. There might be pain in the abdomen and the pelvic area, tissue irritation, and perhaps more seriously, blood will not be able to travel freely to the ovaries.

Women should not be alarmed by the relatively common problem of functional ovarian cysts. These cysts do not predict or develop into cancer. Most of them will not cause any noticeable symptoms or require treatment, although some will cause enough pain to warrant treatment of some kind.

When ovulation does not happen, or when a mature follicle breaks down, a simple form of ovarian cyst may form, called a follicular cyst. This cyst can become as large as 2 or more inches in diameter, but will usually disappear by itself after only a few months, and will usually show no symptoms.

When the ovarian gland makes progesterone as a part of ovulation and the release of an egg during the menstrual cycle, a corpus luteum cyst can result. The corpus luteum is a round gland which in its healthy state is about an inch in diameter and fluid-filled. Most corpus luteum cysts are asymptomatic and disappear without treatment. They are most likely to develop at the end of the menstrual cycle or during the early months of a pregnancy . Because they do not cause noticeable symptoms, they may form and heal without being noticed.

A cyst that contains blood is called a hemorrhagic cyst. Usually, these cysts do not burst, but if they do, leakage of blood can cause a burning sensation in the pelvic area. These cysts do not normally require treatment and they are common. They can be surgically removed if there is a risk that endometriosis may be present.
Types of Ovarian Cysts