Stretches for Your Wrists and Arms
Wrist Stretch: Extend arm in front, palm up and grab fingers with other hand. Gently pull hand down to stretch the forearm. Repeat other side.
Wrist & Forearm: Press hands together in front of chest, elbows bent and parallel to the floor. Gently bend wrists to the right and left.
Back Twist: Sit upright in chair and place left arm behind left hip. Twist to the left and hold, repeating on other side.
Leg Extension, Hip Flexion and Inner Thigh
Leg Extension: Sit in chair, abs in. Extend left leg until level with hip. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat other side.
Hip Flexion: Sitting in chair, lift left foot off the floor a few inches, knee bent. Hold 2 seconds and repeat other side.
Inner Thigh: Place full water bottle between knees and, keeping abs in, squeeze bottle gently. Repeat.
Chair Squat and Tricep Dips
Chair Squat: Periodically while sitting, lift butt off the seat and hover over chair for 2-3 seconds. Stand up and repeat.
Dips: Make sure chair is stable and place hands next to hips. Move hips in front of chair and bend elbows, lowering body until elbows are at 90 degrees. Repeat.
Standing Leg Exercises
Standing Hip Flexion: Stand with abs in, spine straight. Lift leg up until level with hip. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat other side.
Leg Lift: In same starting position as above, lift left leg straight out to the side a few inches off the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat on the other side.
Front Raise, Overhead Press and Bicep Curl
Front Raise: Sit in chair, abs in and spine straight. Hold water bottle in right hand and raise arm up to shoulder level. Hold 2 seconds and repeat other side.
Overhead Press: Hold water bottle in right hand, elbow bent, and extend arm overhead. Repeat other side.
Bicep Curl: Hold water bottle in right hand and, with abs in and spine straight, curl bottle towards shoulder. Repeat other side.
Abs
Abs: Sit on the edge of chair, arms extending in front. Keeping back straight, contract the abs and slowly lower torso towards back of chair. Hold 2-3 seconds and repeat.
Curls: Cross arms over chest and sit up straight. Contract abs and curl shoulder towards hips, pulling abs in. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Right Running Shoe by Ian Smith
As a runner the most important piece of equipment you can have are your shoes. This is the reason that runners spend a great deal of time checking out shoes, until they find the best running shoes for their feet, not only for the fit, but also for the kind of running, and training they will be doing.
Whatever you do, you must not pick a shoe because it looks good in the shop, so what are you to do to make sure you pick the right shoe, because be reassured there could be several shoes that will be right for your feet and your running requirements.
How do you find the right shoe, and why is that so important?
The scope of this article is limited, so rather than try to make recommendations, which will probably be wrong, as I don’t know anything at all about your feet, or your requirements.
In other words, are you going to use them as track shoes or trail shoes. There is a huge difference between running on a flat track, and on a boulder strewn, wet, muddy trail!!
Add to this the fact that your feet will hit the ground hard over 1600 times every mile that you run. If your footwear is the wrong size or unsuited to your biomechanical needs, you are going to find it uncomfortable, probably annoying, and even worse it could lead to injury.
What is the right shoe for my feet?
A combination of a good fit and excellent biomechanics.
The fit is obvious, but what do I mean by biomechanics?
Put simply it is all about a word called pronation.
Pronation is the natural movement of your feet when they touch the ground. All feet roll inwards as the ball of the foot touches the ground. You can either check this out yourself by looking at the wear patterns on your old running shoes.
If you tend to wear out your shoes first on the outside, you probably tend to underpronate; if you wear out your shoes first significantly more to the inside, look for a shoe for over-pronators.
It isn’t complicated but you would do well to find someone with experience as a runner to watch you running from behind before you make a new purchase.
There are four categories based on the degree of pronation.
1. Neutral Pronation, require shoes with a good balance of stability and flexibility.
2. Under Pronation has not enough foot motion, and they require good cushioning and flexibility in their running shoes
3. Moderate Over Pronation require Stability Trainers
4. Severe Over Pronation requires Motion-control trainers.
You should by now have worked out your pronation factor, so your shoe selection must be governed by this.
The other consideration is shoe fit, and the easiest judgement, is does it feel good, and is there room between the end of your longest toe and the front of the shoe. The shoe needs to feel snug at the heel, and comfortable.
At the end of the day, if you have used and liked a particular make of running shoe, then stick with that brand, but make sure you are buying the correct shoe model bearing in mind your pronation factor.
Whatever you do, you must not pick a shoe because it looks good in the shop, so what are you to do to make sure you pick the right shoe, because be reassured there could be several shoes that will be right for your feet and your running requirements.
How do you find the right shoe, and why is that so important?
The scope of this article is limited, so rather than try to make recommendations, which will probably be wrong, as I don’t know anything at all about your feet, or your requirements.
In other words, are you going to use them as track shoes or trail shoes. There is a huge difference between running on a flat track, and on a boulder strewn, wet, muddy trail!!
Add to this the fact that your feet will hit the ground hard over 1600 times every mile that you run. If your footwear is the wrong size or unsuited to your biomechanical needs, you are going to find it uncomfortable, probably annoying, and even worse it could lead to injury.
What is the right shoe for my feet?
A combination of a good fit and excellent biomechanics.
The fit is obvious, but what do I mean by biomechanics?
Put simply it is all about a word called pronation.
Pronation is the natural movement of your feet when they touch the ground. All feet roll inwards as the ball of the foot touches the ground. You can either check this out yourself by looking at the wear patterns on your old running shoes.
If you tend to wear out your shoes first on the outside, you probably tend to underpronate; if you wear out your shoes first significantly more to the inside, look for a shoe for over-pronators.
It isn’t complicated but you would do well to find someone with experience as a runner to watch you running from behind before you make a new purchase.
There are four categories based on the degree of pronation.
1. Neutral Pronation, require shoes with a good balance of stability and flexibility.
2. Under Pronation has not enough foot motion, and they require good cushioning and flexibility in their running shoes
3. Moderate Over Pronation require Stability Trainers
4. Severe Over Pronation requires Motion-control trainers.
You should by now have worked out your pronation factor, so your shoe selection must be governed by this.
The other consideration is shoe fit, and the easiest judgement, is does it feel good, and is there room between the end of your longest toe and the front of the shoe. The shoe needs to feel snug at the heel, and comfortable.
At the end of the day, if you have used and liked a particular make of running shoe, then stick with that brand, but make sure you are buying the correct shoe model bearing in mind your pronation factor.
Cold Weather Exercise Tip: How to Layer Clothing
From Elizabeth Quinn,
Your Guide to Sports Medicine.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Rich Fogoros, M.D.
Layering your clothing keeps you warm and dry during winter sports
What is Layering?
Layering simply means wearing a combination of clothes (in layers) to help regulate your temperature and keep you warm and dry. The layers you wear for a given activity are matched to the weather, your activity level and your personal preference There are essentially three layers to consider: base, mid, and outer. Each layer has a specific function. The base layer wicks moisture & perspiration away from your skin to keep you warm. The mid layer is for insulation and keeping you warm, The outer layer allows moisture to escape while blocking wind, and repel water..
The Base Layer is in contact with your skin. A tight fitting and wicking material is best to keep you warm and dry. Polypropylene, silk, polyester, Thermax, Thinsulate, wool are all good choices Avoid cotton because it traps moisture, so it stays wet and draws heat from you.
Your Guide to Sports Medicine.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Rich Fogoros, M.D.
Layering your clothing keeps you warm and dry during winter sports
What is Layering?
Layering simply means wearing a combination of clothes (in layers) to help regulate your temperature and keep you warm and dry. The layers you wear for a given activity are matched to the weather, your activity level and your personal preference There are essentially three layers to consider: base, mid, and outer. Each layer has a specific function. The base layer wicks moisture & perspiration away from your skin to keep you warm. The mid layer is for insulation and keeping you warm, The outer layer allows moisture to escape while blocking wind, and repel water..
The Base Layer is in contact with your skin. A tight fitting and wicking material is best to keep you warm and dry. Polypropylene, silk, polyester, Thermax, Thinsulate, wool are all good choices Avoid cotton because it traps moisture, so it stays wet and draws heat from you.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Beat Holiday Stress
The holidays really are the best of times and the worst of times. Our tidings of comfort and joy can so easily be devoured by the insatiable stress to do it all, be it all, and buy it all.
And that stress is nothing to ho, ho, ho about, either. It increases your risk of illness and even death. One study, published in the Oct. 12, 1999, issue of the journal Circulation, suggested holiday stress and overindulgence help explain the soaring rate of fatal heart attacks in December and January.
Yet it is possible to survive the holiday frenzy without feeling frantic -- if you know how. Here are top tips from some of the nation's leading stress experts:
Stress Master: Psychologist Alice Domar, director of the Mind/Body Center for Women's Health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and author of the book "Self-Nurture."
Strategy: Cut yourself some slack!
* Tip 1. Shop so you don't drop. Domar's ritual is to take a personal day off work in the middle of the first week of December. "I hit the mall as soon as the doors open, carrying nothing but an empty backpack and my credit cards,'' she says. "The crowds haven't yet descended, the salespeople are still helpful, and there's plenty of stuff on the shelves. When I've bought too much to carry, I go back to the car, drop it off, and go back in again. It's amazing how much I can accomplish.'' If she finds something she really likes -- say a hurricane lamp at Crate and Barrel -- she'll buy an assortment in different colors and give one to each of several people on her list. "My sister-in-law, my friend, and my co-worker never talk to each other,'' she says. "They'll never know.'' And of course, catalogs and Internet retailers make it possible to shop without leaving the comforts of home.
* Tip 2. Treat yourself. All that hustling and bustling can drain you. Domar suggests that for every 10 presents you buy for others, you select a little indulgence for yourself. "I might go with a little Godiva truffle or a Dave Barry calendar -- nothing expensive, just a little pick-me-up.'' She also recommends regular exercise and making time for a movie date with your partner, a soak in a hot tub, or a solitary evening of soothing music.
* Tip 3. Skip the Nutcracker. Or if that is simply too much heresy, go ahead and take in the ballet but forgo the big menorah lighting, or the Santa parade, or the holiday ice show. The point is, don't drag yourself or your family from event to event. Think quality, not quantity. Domar recommends allowing each child to pick two events as must-dos. "The Nutcracker will be around next year, I promise,'' she says.
* Tip 4. Stretch the season. If December is a hotbed of socializing, the weeks that follow tend to be a wasteland. That's why Domar proposes people schedule their holiday bashes for mid-January (her own office party is set for Jan. 14.) By then, guests actually welcome the idea of a party, and you'll have the luxury of time to put it together. And just because the last Scotch pine needle has been vacuumed out of the carpet doesn't mean you can't incorporate a holiday theme. Domar suggests asking guests to bring a fruitcake and wear the tackiest present they received.
Stress Master: Nutritional biochemist Judith Wurtman, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of the book Managing Your Mind & Mood Through Food.'
Strategy: Eat to stave off tension as well as hunger.
* Tip 1. Carbo-charge your body. It's 4 p.m. on Dec. 23, and you're stuck in an interminable line at the post office. It's time for a snack, but not just any snack. Wurtman says the secret is choosing carbohydrates with low or no fat -- maybe a handful of pretzels or, if you crave something sweet, a few Tootsie Rolls or jellybeans. "At least 30 grams' worth -- look at package labels to get amounts,'' Wurtman advises. Her research over several years shows such carbohydrates boost the powerful brain chemical serotonin, which helps the body feel calmer. Curiously, one snack to avoid at such times is fruit: fructose is the only carbohydrate that appears not to stimulate serotonin.
* Tip 2. Eat mini-meals. When you eat stress-reducing foods, the effects last only about two to three hours. If you're up against chronic holiday stress, try eating several small meals or snacks throughout the day instead of a couple of big ones. Just be careful to keep your total intake of calories about the same.
* Tip 3. Zero in on stress points and fix them. The holidays often generate a vicious cycle: Stress causes people to eat more and richer foods, which causes them to gain weight, which makes them feel even more stressed. "It's better to prevent or deflect the stress than deal with it,'' says Wurtman. For example, say you're a working mom who comes home at 6 p.m. to begin your second job, and you eat because you feel overwhelmed. Instead, plan ahead. Give your family written instructions on what to do to help you, and give yourself 10 guilt-free minutes of time-out to relax.
Stress Master: Robert Sapolsky, professor of biological sciences and neurology at Stanford University and author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Disease and Coping.
Strategy: Put whatever's stressing you in perspective. Chances are your stress level isn't high because you're running for your life from an attacking lion. So just imagine explaining your angst over failing to create a Martha Stewart table to a really empathetic giraffe. If your holiday woes would sound like utter nonsense to the giraffe, you're describing stressors of your own making and you can conquer them.
* Tip 1. Ratchet down stress by lowering expectations. Remember, those Norman Rockwell families are strictly two-dimensional -- don't expect them to bear much resemblance to your own family gatherings. "For people living at the other end of the country, this is often one of the few or only times of the year to see some people of great significance,'' Sapolsky observes. The result: "this stressful pressure to cram all this emotion and bonding and intimacy into a very hectic few days.'' Expect some irritations and imperfections, then relax and have a good time in spite of them.
* Tip 2. Don't go it alone. While the notion of holiday stress conjures up visions of jam-packed mall parking lots and tense dinners with the in-laws, many people suffer stress because they face the holidays by themselves. Sapolsky advises getting proactive by connecting with family, friends, even others who face similar isolation.
* Tip 3. Remember the reason for the season. Some people find the holiday season stressful because it seems robbed of its authentic meaning. Instead they are awash in a culture conspiring to crassly cash in on something that once had great personal significance. The antidote, says Sapolsky: "Take the time and effort to reaffirm what this season really means to you, whether it is about family, community, religion. Go help someone in need, to help yourself reaffirm what it is all about.''
Stress Master: Eric Brown, spokesman for the Center for a New American Dream, a Maryland-based, nonprofit organization urging Americans to shift their consumption to improve quality of life and the environment.
Strategy: Learn how to have more fun with less stuff! (A 1998 poll commissioned by the center and conducted by EDK Associates of New York found that 44% of Americans feel pressure to spend more than they can afford at holiday time, and only 28% report the holidays leave them feeling "joyful.")
* Tip 1. Give the gifts money can't buy. By getting creative, you can avoid the stresses of traffic, crowded department stores -- and that lingering dissatisfaction that you spend a small fortune on generic gifts. Four out of five people say they would prefer a photo album filled with childhood memories to a store-bought gift. "My 65-year-old mother has all the stuff she needs, so I gave a donation in her honor to the county food bank,'' says Brown. "People increasingly are finding new ways to think outside the box -- to give gifts that show the relationship between the giver and the recipient.'' Other ideas: adopt a koala bear in a child's name at the local zoo. Create an audio or video of a family elder reminiscing for their children and grandchildren. Illustrate and write a homemade story featuring your child as the main character. Make coupons redeemable for backrubs or homemade brownies. Or write to celebrities, asking for an autograph dedicated to the recipient.
* Tip 2. Lick overspending. It takes an average of four months for a credit card user to pay off stress-inducing holiday bills, according to a 1999 report by the American Bankers Association. Instead try this: Decide how much you can afford to spend for each person on your list, then put that amount in cash in an envelope with that person's name on it. When the envelope is empty, you're done - no exceptions. Or freeze your credit cards in a jug of water, or mail them to a friend until the holidays are history. "The more you can inject a sense of humor and make it a game, the easier it'll be to live within your means,'' Brown says.
* Tip 3. Follow your holiday bliss. "My wife and daughter and I actually prefer to just go away,'' Brown says. "We rent a cabin for Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after. It forces us leave all the distractions behind and just enjoy being together. We get in touch with what the holidays are all about.''
Reviewed October 2001 by Gary D. Vogin, MD.
And that stress is nothing to ho, ho, ho about, either. It increases your risk of illness and even death. One study, published in the Oct. 12, 1999, issue of the journal Circulation, suggested holiday stress and overindulgence help explain the soaring rate of fatal heart attacks in December and January.
Yet it is possible to survive the holiday frenzy without feeling frantic -- if you know how. Here are top tips from some of the nation's leading stress experts:
Stress Master: Psychologist Alice Domar, director of the Mind/Body Center for Women's Health at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and author of the book "Self-Nurture."
Strategy: Cut yourself some slack!
* Tip 1. Shop so you don't drop. Domar's ritual is to take a personal day off work in the middle of the first week of December. "I hit the mall as soon as the doors open, carrying nothing but an empty backpack and my credit cards,'' she says. "The crowds haven't yet descended, the salespeople are still helpful, and there's plenty of stuff on the shelves. When I've bought too much to carry, I go back to the car, drop it off, and go back in again. It's amazing how much I can accomplish.'' If she finds something she really likes -- say a hurricane lamp at Crate and Barrel -- she'll buy an assortment in different colors and give one to each of several people on her list. "My sister-in-law, my friend, and my co-worker never talk to each other,'' she says. "They'll never know.'' And of course, catalogs and Internet retailers make it possible to shop without leaving the comforts of home.
* Tip 2. Treat yourself. All that hustling and bustling can drain you. Domar suggests that for every 10 presents you buy for others, you select a little indulgence for yourself. "I might go with a little Godiva truffle or a Dave Barry calendar -- nothing expensive, just a little pick-me-up.'' She also recommends regular exercise and making time for a movie date with your partner, a soak in a hot tub, or a solitary evening of soothing music.
* Tip 3. Skip the Nutcracker. Or if that is simply too much heresy, go ahead and take in the ballet but forgo the big menorah lighting, or the Santa parade, or the holiday ice show. The point is, don't drag yourself or your family from event to event. Think quality, not quantity. Domar recommends allowing each child to pick two events as must-dos. "The Nutcracker will be around next year, I promise,'' she says.
* Tip 4. Stretch the season. If December is a hotbed of socializing, the weeks that follow tend to be a wasteland. That's why Domar proposes people schedule their holiday bashes for mid-January (her own office party is set for Jan. 14.) By then, guests actually welcome the idea of a party, and you'll have the luxury of time to put it together. And just because the last Scotch pine needle has been vacuumed out of the carpet doesn't mean you can't incorporate a holiday theme. Domar suggests asking guests to bring a fruitcake and wear the tackiest present they received.
Stress Master: Nutritional biochemist Judith Wurtman, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of the book Managing Your Mind & Mood Through Food.'
Strategy: Eat to stave off tension as well as hunger.
* Tip 1. Carbo-charge your body. It's 4 p.m. on Dec. 23, and you're stuck in an interminable line at the post office. It's time for a snack, but not just any snack. Wurtman says the secret is choosing carbohydrates with low or no fat -- maybe a handful of pretzels or, if you crave something sweet, a few Tootsie Rolls or jellybeans. "At least 30 grams' worth -- look at package labels to get amounts,'' Wurtman advises. Her research over several years shows such carbohydrates boost the powerful brain chemical serotonin, which helps the body feel calmer. Curiously, one snack to avoid at such times is fruit: fructose is the only carbohydrate that appears not to stimulate serotonin.
* Tip 2. Eat mini-meals. When you eat stress-reducing foods, the effects last only about two to three hours. If you're up against chronic holiday stress, try eating several small meals or snacks throughout the day instead of a couple of big ones. Just be careful to keep your total intake of calories about the same.
* Tip 3. Zero in on stress points and fix them. The holidays often generate a vicious cycle: Stress causes people to eat more and richer foods, which causes them to gain weight, which makes them feel even more stressed. "It's better to prevent or deflect the stress than deal with it,'' says Wurtman. For example, say you're a working mom who comes home at 6 p.m. to begin your second job, and you eat because you feel overwhelmed. Instead, plan ahead. Give your family written instructions on what to do to help you, and give yourself 10 guilt-free minutes of time-out to relax.
Stress Master: Robert Sapolsky, professor of biological sciences and neurology at Stanford University and author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Disease and Coping.
Strategy: Put whatever's stressing you in perspective. Chances are your stress level isn't high because you're running for your life from an attacking lion. So just imagine explaining your angst over failing to create a Martha Stewart table to a really empathetic giraffe. If your holiday woes would sound like utter nonsense to the giraffe, you're describing stressors of your own making and you can conquer them.
* Tip 1. Ratchet down stress by lowering expectations. Remember, those Norman Rockwell families are strictly two-dimensional -- don't expect them to bear much resemblance to your own family gatherings. "For people living at the other end of the country, this is often one of the few or only times of the year to see some people of great significance,'' Sapolsky observes. The result: "this stressful pressure to cram all this emotion and bonding and intimacy into a very hectic few days.'' Expect some irritations and imperfections, then relax and have a good time in spite of them.
* Tip 2. Don't go it alone. While the notion of holiday stress conjures up visions of jam-packed mall parking lots and tense dinners with the in-laws, many people suffer stress because they face the holidays by themselves. Sapolsky advises getting proactive by connecting with family, friends, even others who face similar isolation.
* Tip 3. Remember the reason for the season. Some people find the holiday season stressful because it seems robbed of its authentic meaning. Instead they are awash in a culture conspiring to crassly cash in on something that once had great personal significance. The antidote, says Sapolsky: "Take the time and effort to reaffirm what this season really means to you, whether it is about family, community, religion. Go help someone in need, to help yourself reaffirm what it is all about.''
Stress Master: Eric Brown, spokesman for the Center for a New American Dream, a Maryland-based, nonprofit organization urging Americans to shift their consumption to improve quality of life and the environment.
Strategy: Learn how to have more fun with less stuff! (A 1998 poll commissioned by the center and conducted by EDK Associates of New York found that 44% of Americans feel pressure to spend more than they can afford at holiday time, and only 28% report the holidays leave them feeling "joyful.")
* Tip 1. Give the gifts money can't buy. By getting creative, you can avoid the stresses of traffic, crowded department stores -- and that lingering dissatisfaction that you spend a small fortune on generic gifts. Four out of five people say they would prefer a photo album filled with childhood memories to a store-bought gift. "My 65-year-old mother has all the stuff she needs, so I gave a donation in her honor to the county food bank,'' says Brown. "People increasingly are finding new ways to think outside the box -- to give gifts that show the relationship between the giver and the recipient.'' Other ideas: adopt a koala bear in a child's name at the local zoo. Create an audio or video of a family elder reminiscing for their children and grandchildren. Illustrate and write a homemade story featuring your child as the main character. Make coupons redeemable for backrubs or homemade brownies. Or write to celebrities, asking for an autograph dedicated to the recipient.
* Tip 2. Lick overspending. It takes an average of four months for a credit card user to pay off stress-inducing holiday bills, according to a 1999 report by the American Bankers Association. Instead try this: Decide how much you can afford to spend for each person on your list, then put that amount in cash in an envelope with that person's name on it. When the envelope is empty, you're done - no exceptions. Or freeze your credit cards in a jug of water, or mail them to a friend until the holidays are history. "The more you can inject a sense of humor and make it a game, the easier it'll be to live within your means,'' Brown says.
* Tip 3. Follow your holiday bliss. "My wife and daughter and I actually prefer to just go away,'' Brown says. "We rent a cabin for Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after. It forces us leave all the distractions behind and just enjoy being together. We get in touch with what the holidays are all about.''
Reviewed October 2001 by Gary D. Vogin, MD.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Are you taking CoQ 10 yet? What are you waiting for?
Published research has suggested that Coenzyme Q–10 (Co–Q10) is beneficial for certain types of heart disease. What is less widely known is it's role in the support of the immune system, and it's impact on neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's and Parkinson's.
Immune system cells divide more rapidly than most cells, and they are in constant need of repair and maintenance. All of this work requires energy reserves, and Co–Q10 is a critical co–factor in our energy–production pathways. In both animal and human studies, Co–Q10 has compensated for immune deficiencies caused by aging or disease.
Co–Q10 is also a very powerful antioxidant. It is made in our bodies, within a cell organelle called the "mitochondria", and is most concentrated in the energy–demanding heart, brain and muscle systems. Unfortunately, Co–Q10 levels decrease with age (starting at 35 years). Reduced Co–Q10 levels, due either to aging or certain disease conditions, may be overcome by supplementation. Older animals receiving Co–Q10 show increased levels in their blood and brain, and Co–Q10 supplements may help humans in the same way.
Certain "heart–care" drugs inhibit our bodies ability to synthesize or utilize CoQ10. Patients who are taking Cholesterol–lowering Drugs or Beta blockers may be at increased risk of disorders as varied as congestive heart failure, muscle wasting, high blood pressure, and low energy.
Co–Q10 is present in the foods we eat. Rich dietary sources include almonds, ocean salmon, sardines, spinach and certain meats. Research has shown that "soft gel" (or oil–suspension) versions of CoQ10 supplements are much more bioavailable than dry powdered versions.
Please use the following link for more articles on Co enzyme Q: http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/Q10.shtml
Immune system cells divide more rapidly than most cells, and they are in constant need of repair and maintenance. All of this work requires energy reserves, and Co–Q10 is a critical co–factor in our energy–production pathways. In both animal and human studies, Co–Q10 has compensated for immune deficiencies caused by aging or disease.
Co–Q10 is also a very powerful antioxidant. It is made in our bodies, within a cell organelle called the "mitochondria", and is most concentrated in the energy–demanding heart, brain and muscle systems. Unfortunately, Co–Q10 levels decrease with age (starting at 35 years). Reduced Co–Q10 levels, due either to aging or certain disease conditions, may be overcome by supplementation. Older animals receiving Co–Q10 show increased levels in their blood and brain, and Co–Q10 supplements may help humans in the same way.
Certain "heart–care" drugs inhibit our bodies ability to synthesize or utilize CoQ10. Patients who are taking Cholesterol–lowering Drugs or Beta blockers may be at increased risk of disorders as varied as congestive heart failure, muscle wasting, high blood pressure, and low energy.
Co–Q10 is present in the foods we eat. Rich dietary sources include almonds, ocean salmon, sardines, spinach and certain meats. Research has shown that "soft gel" (or oil–suspension) versions of CoQ10 supplements are much more bioavailable than dry powdered versions.
Please use the following link for more articles on Co enzyme Q: http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/Q10.shtml
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Carpal Tunnerl Stretch Website
With all the leaf raking going on in the Northeat this time of year, there are a lot of tight wrists and forearms. I am listing a link of stretches to prevent carpal tunnel like symptoms from surfacing.
Good luck and have a warm tranistion into winter.
http://www.will-harris.com/yoga/rsi1.html
Good luck and have a warm tranistion into winter.
http://www.will-harris.com/yoga/rsi1.html
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Another Reason For Breast Feeding Over Formula
Background The sources and the impact of maternal bacteria on the initial inoculum of the intestinal microflora of newborn infants remain elusive.
Objective To assess the association between maternal breast-milk and fecal bifidobacteria and infants' fecal bifidobacteria.
Methods Sixty-one mother–infant pairs were included, special emphasis being placed on the maternal allergic status. Bifidobacteria were analysed by a direct PCR method in fecal samples from mothers at 30–35 weeks of gestation and from infants at 1 month of age and from breast-milk samples 1 month post-partum.
Conclusions Breast-milk contains significant numbers of bifidobacteria and the maternal allergic status further deranges the counts of bifidobacteria in breast-milk. Maternal fecal and breast-milk bifidobacterial counts impacted on the infants' fecal Bifidobacterium levels. Breast-milk bacteria should thus be considered an important source of bacteria in the establishment of infantile intestinal microbiota.
What does this mean?
New mothers have one of the greatest challenges known; to care for a helpless human being. As difficult as it is, one of the greatest gifts toward a childs future and thriving life is to breast feed your infant. Good luck and congratulations. I will post a couple support sites for nirsing shortly.
Objective To assess the association between maternal breast-milk and fecal bifidobacteria and infants' fecal bifidobacteria.
Methods Sixty-one mother–infant pairs were included, special emphasis being placed on the maternal allergic status. Bifidobacteria were analysed by a direct PCR method in fecal samples from mothers at 30–35 weeks of gestation and from infants at 1 month of age and from breast-milk samples 1 month post-partum.
Conclusions Breast-milk contains significant numbers of bifidobacteria and the maternal allergic status further deranges the counts of bifidobacteria in breast-milk. Maternal fecal and breast-milk bifidobacterial counts impacted on the infants' fecal Bifidobacterium levels. Breast-milk bacteria should thus be considered an important source of bacteria in the establishment of infantile intestinal microbiota.
What does this mean?
New mothers have one of the greatest challenges known; to care for a helpless human being. As difficult as it is, one of the greatest gifts toward a childs future and thriving life is to breast feed your infant. Good luck and congratulations. I will post a couple support sites for nirsing shortly.
Lumbar Supports to Prevent Recurrent Low Back Pain among Home Care Workers
A Randomized Trial
right arrow Pepijn D.D.M. Roelofs, MSc; Sita M.A. Bierma-Zeinstra, PhD; Mireille N.M. van Poppel, PhD; Petra Jellema, PhD; Sten P. Willemsen, MSc; Maurits W. van Tulder, PhD;Willem van Mechelen, MD, PhD; and Bart W. Koes, PhD
20 November 2007 | Volume 147 Issue 10 | Pages 685-692
Background: People use lumbar supports to prevent low back pain. Secondary analyses from primary preventive studies suggest benefit among workers with previous low back pain, but definitive studies on the effectiveness of supports for the secondary prevention of low back pain are lacking.
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of lumbar supports in the secondary prevention of low back pain.
Design: Randomized, controlled trial.
Setting: Home care organization in the Netherlands.
Patients: 360 home care workers with self-reported history of low back pain.
Intervention: Short course on healthy working methods, with or without patient-directed use of 1 of 4 types of lumbar support.
Measurements: Primary outcomes were the number of days of low back pain and sick leave over 12 months. Secondary outcomes were the average severity of low back pain and function (Quebec Back Pain Disability scale) in the previous week.
Results: Over 12 months, participants in the lumbar support group reported an average of –52.7 days (CI, –59.6 to –45.1 days) fewer days with low back pain than participants who received only the short course. However, the total sick days in the lumbar support group did not decrease (–5 days [CI, –21.1 to 6.8 days]). Small but statistically significant differences in pain intensity and function favored lumbar support.
Limitations: Study participants were unblinded, and a substantial amount of missing data required imputation. Objective data on sick days due to low back pain were not available.
Conclusion: Adding patient-directed use of lumbar supports to a short course on healthy working methods may reduce the number of days when low back pain occurs, but not overall work absenteeism, among home care workers with previous low back pain. Further study of lumbar supports is warranted.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Cold weather can trigger asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects children's breathing by causing bronchospasm or tightening of the airways, inflammation and increased mucous production. Inflammation makes the airway smaller, making it more difficult to move air in and out of the lungs. Many may think winter is better for children with asthma since pollen – a common asthma trigger – is at a low point, but the cold, dry air winter brings can present a challenge.
Breathing cold air can be a trigger for some people. In addition, the winter months bring with them an increase in sinus infections and upper respiratory viral infections that can trigger or worsen asthma. Exercise alone can be a trigger, but combine it with many winter activities such as sledding and skating, and the cold weather months can be long and dreary for children with asthma.
Asthma symptoms include:
Coughing. For some children, coughing is the only symptom of asthma. It may occur only at night or during exercise.
Wheezing (a high-pitched whistle when breathing).
Chest tightness or pain.
Shortness of breath (faster, more shallow breathing).
Wearing a scarf over the mouth and nose can help warm cold air and decrease irritation. During an asthma attack you can help your child stay calm and relaxed, and coach him or her to take slow, deep breaths while giving his prescribed rescue medication.
If this does not help, seek medical attention. Signs of a severe attack that require emergency care include:
Wheezing that does not improve after taking the bronchodilator or rescue medication.
Difficulty talking or playing.
Breathing that gets faster or harder. Children are having difficulty breathing if they are bending over to breathe, flaring their nostrils or raising their shoulders. If a child's lips or fingernails turn blue, go to an emergency room immediately.
Medications that relieve the symptoms of asthma include the bronchodilators or rescue medications that help airways open and relax, and long-term controller or anti-inflammatory medication that help prevent inflammation and production of mucous.
Bronchodilators such as Albuterol can quickly control a breathing problem. They usually are taken after a child starts to have breathing problems. Anti-inflammatory medications are taken daily, even if your child is not wheezing. Your doctor will decide which medicines your child need based on symptoms and frequency of episodes.
The more informed you are about your child's asthma triggers and management, the less asthma symptoms will interfere with his or her activities. It is important to work with your physician on a management plan, and take appropriate medications as prescribed.
Please keep in mind that as dangerous as asthma can be, those who suffer can live very normal and athletic lives. As a chiropractor, I have treated many asthmatic athletes over the years. Very often we chiropractic can yeild profoundly positive effects with regaurd to deminishing the frequency of attacks. The sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for expanding the bronchial tubes may be restricted in some cases of asthma sufferers. When we adjust the upper and midback and reduce any spinal restriction, we ofeten find that the patients report breathing easier and not feeling dependent on their inhaler. It is very rewarding to help someone reduce their medication dependency.
Breathing cold air can be a trigger for some people. In addition, the winter months bring with them an increase in sinus infections and upper respiratory viral infections that can trigger or worsen asthma. Exercise alone can be a trigger, but combine it with many winter activities such as sledding and skating, and the cold weather months can be long and dreary for children with asthma.
Asthma symptoms include:
Coughing. For some children, coughing is the only symptom of asthma. It may occur only at night or during exercise.
Wheezing (a high-pitched whistle when breathing).
Chest tightness or pain.
Shortness of breath (faster, more shallow breathing).
Wearing a scarf over the mouth and nose can help warm cold air and decrease irritation. During an asthma attack you can help your child stay calm and relaxed, and coach him or her to take slow, deep breaths while giving his prescribed rescue medication.
If this does not help, seek medical attention. Signs of a severe attack that require emergency care include:
Wheezing that does not improve after taking the bronchodilator or rescue medication.
Difficulty talking or playing.
Breathing that gets faster or harder. Children are having difficulty breathing if they are bending over to breathe, flaring their nostrils or raising their shoulders. If a child's lips or fingernails turn blue, go to an emergency room immediately.
Medications that relieve the symptoms of asthma include the bronchodilators or rescue medications that help airways open and relax, and long-term controller or anti-inflammatory medication that help prevent inflammation and production of mucous.
Bronchodilators such as Albuterol can quickly control a breathing problem. They usually are taken after a child starts to have breathing problems. Anti-inflammatory medications are taken daily, even if your child is not wheezing. Your doctor will decide which medicines your child need based on symptoms and frequency of episodes.
The more informed you are about your child's asthma triggers and management, the less asthma symptoms will interfere with his or her activities. It is important to work with your physician on a management plan, and take appropriate medications as prescribed.
Please keep in mind that as dangerous as asthma can be, those who suffer can live very normal and athletic lives. As a chiropractor, I have treated many asthmatic athletes over the years. Very often we chiropractic can yeild profoundly positive effects with regaurd to deminishing the frequency of attacks. The sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for expanding the bronchial tubes may be restricted in some cases of asthma sufferers. When we adjust the upper and midback and reduce any spinal restriction, we ofeten find that the patients report breathing easier and not feeling dependent on their inhaler. It is very rewarding to help someone reduce their medication dependency.
Preventing Low Back Pain While Raking Leaves
The seasons are changing, and it’s the time of year where you might be
spending your weekends raking the leaves in your yard. Unfortunately, this
activity can be hard on the low back, and it’s often when people injure
themselves or re-aggravate their old low back injuries.
Most of us have low backs—lumbar spines—that are too mobile. When we
participate in activities that involve rotating our trunks in relation to our legs like
raking leaves, golf-swinging, sweeping, and so on, there is always a potential for
injury.
Most of us also have low backs that are surrounded by inflexible muscle groups
and not protected by strong and well-trained muscles like the abdominals and
deep muscle layers of the back. Jarring, forceful movements will always go in the
path of least resistance; this is one of the most common reasons why activities
like raking leaves will commonly hurt our backs.
Muscle groups like the hamstring or quadriceps muscles of the thighs or the back
paraspinal muscles are often tight and stiff. And unless you are actively
strengthening your abdominals and deep muscle layers of the back, your core
strength is most likely poor. So, until you are able to begin a comprehensive
exercise program and focus on both these issues, here are some tips to follow if
you decide to go rake some leaves this weekend:
1. Warm-up: Try putting on your favorite music and dance for 3 minutes. Or jump
up and down or jog in place for a few minutes.
2. Stretch: Here are 3 stretches that target the trunk, legs and upper body:
-Counter-Top stretch: Place your hands on your kitchen counter and walk
backwards until your body makes a L-shape. You should be bending at your hips
and reaching out like Superman. Feel a stretch in your back and throughout your
trunk. Hold this for 10 long, deep breaths.
-Heel Up On a Chair stretch: While holding onto some support, straighten your
leg out and place your heel up on a chair, tighten that thigh, and pull those toes
towards your body. Feel the stretch in the back of your leg. There’s no need to
bend forward and it’s better if you don’t. Just stand up tall and keep both legs
active. Hold 10 breaths. Repeat other side.
-Bent Knee with Ankle in Hand stretch: Keep holding onto some support as you
grab one foot with one hand behind your rear end and hold it as you bend that
leg. You should feel this stretch in the front of the thigh of the bent leg as you
hold for 10 breaths. Repeat other side.
3. Core strengthening exercise: While standing, imagine pulling your belly button
in towards your spine and engage your abdominal muscles without letting your
pelvis tuck under. Try holding this for 5-10 seconds while breathing normally and
repeat this a few times until it makes sense. This exercise uses the innermost
layer of abdominal and back muscles and reminds your body where the center of
your core strength is.
4. Focus:
-As you’re raking leaves, focus on the rotating movements happening in your
hip joints. You can place your finger on the front of your hip joints (located at the
top of each thigh near the groin) and practice a few sways side to side,
simulating raking. Avoid letting the rotation happen at your waist—this will cause
unnecessary movement around your lumbar spine.
-Also, continue to focus on the core strength exercise above and pull your belly
button in towards your spine as you rake, activating those lumbar spine
stabilizers.
With the focus on your core and some attention to loosening up those stiff leg
and trunk muscles, you’ll go a long way to preventing injury to your back and
being able to enjoy your weekend despite the added task of raking leaves.
And if you are a sufferer of chronic low back pain, it’s always a good idea to get
some exercise advice and education from a physical therapist or personal trainer
who is experienced in teaching core stabilization exercises.
Your back and backyards will thank you!
**********************************
Julnar Rizk, MPT, CPCC is a wellness consultant, licensed physical therapist and
certified life coach. She maintains a private practice in San Francisco. For more
information, visit her website: www.julnarrizk.com.
spending your weekends raking the leaves in your yard. Unfortunately, this
activity can be hard on the low back, and it’s often when people injure
themselves or re-aggravate their old low back injuries.
Most of us have low backs—lumbar spines—that are too mobile. When we
participate in activities that involve rotating our trunks in relation to our legs like
raking leaves, golf-swinging, sweeping, and so on, there is always a potential for
injury.
Most of us also have low backs that are surrounded by inflexible muscle groups
and not protected by strong and well-trained muscles like the abdominals and
deep muscle layers of the back. Jarring, forceful movements will always go in the
path of least resistance; this is one of the most common reasons why activities
like raking leaves will commonly hurt our backs.
Muscle groups like the hamstring or quadriceps muscles of the thighs or the back
paraspinal muscles are often tight and stiff. And unless you are actively
strengthening your abdominals and deep muscle layers of the back, your core
strength is most likely poor. So, until you are able to begin a comprehensive
exercise program and focus on both these issues, here are some tips to follow if
you decide to go rake some leaves this weekend:
1. Warm-up: Try putting on your favorite music and dance for 3 minutes. Or jump
up and down or jog in place for a few minutes.
2. Stretch: Here are 3 stretches that target the trunk, legs and upper body:
-Counter-Top stretch: Place your hands on your kitchen counter and walk
backwards until your body makes a L-shape. You should be bending at your hips
and reaching out like Superman. Feel a stretch in your back and throughout your
trunk. Hold this for 10 long, deep breaths.
-Heel Up On a Chair stretch: While holding onto some support, straighten your
leg out and place your heel up on a chair, tighten that thigh, and pull those toes
towards your body. Feel the stretch in the back of your leg. There’s no need to
bend forward and it’s better if you don’t. Just stand up tall and keep both legs
active. Hold 10 breaths. Repeat other side.
-Bent Knee with Ankle in Hand stretch: Keep holding onto some support as you
grab one foot with one hand behind your rear end and hold it as you bend that
leg. You should feel this stretch in the front of the thigh of the bent leg as you
hold for 10 breaths. Repeat other side.
3. Core strengthening exercise: While standing, imagine pulling your belly button
in towards your spine and engage your abdominal muscles without letting your
pelvis tuck under. Try holding this for 5-10 seconds while breathing normally and
repeat this a few times until it makes sense. This exercise uses the innermost
layer of abdominal and back muscles and reminds your body where the center of
your core strength is.
4. Focus:
-As you’re raking leaves, focus on the rotating movements happening in your
hip joints. You can place your finger on the front of your hip joints (located at the
top of each thigh near the groin) and practice a few sways side to side,
simulating raking. Avoid letting the rotation happen at your waist—this will cause
unnecessary movement around your lumbar spine.
-Also, continue to focus on the core strength exercise above and pull your belly
button in towards your spine as you rake, activating those lumbar spine
stabilizers.
With the focus on your core and some attention to loosening up those stiff leg
and trunk muscles, you’ll go a long way to preventing injury to your back and
being able to enjoy your weekend despite the added task of raking leaves.
And if you are a sufferer of chronic low back pain, it’s always a good idea to get
some exercise advice and education from a physical therapist or personal trainer
who is experienced in teaching core stabilization exercises.
Your back and backyards will thank you!
**********************************
Julnar Rizk, MPT, CPCC is a wellness consultant, licensed physical therapist and
certified life coach. She maintains a private practice in San Francisco. For more
information, visit her website: www.julnarrizk.com.
Vitamin D Definciency and Back Pain
Vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.
Original Internist, September, 2004 by Alex Vasquez
Introduction
Several recent articles have shown that vitamin D deficiency is very common in patients with musculoskeletal pain (especially low-back pain) and that high-dose vitamin D supplementation relieves pain in a high percentage of these patients. Vitamin D supplementation, particularly with micro-emulsified preparations, provides a uniquely safe, affordable, and effective solution for chronic pain in many patients. Doctors need to understand how to assess and treat vitamin D deficiency so their patients can benefit from this new research.
Original Internist, September, 2004 by Alex Vasquez
Introduction
Several recent articles have shown that vitamin D deficiency is very common in patients with musculoskeletal pain (especially low-back pain) and that high-dose vitamin D supplementation relieves pain in a high percentage of these patients. Vitamin D supplementation, particularly with micro-emulsified preparations, provides a uniquely safe, affordable, and effective solution for chronic pain in many patients. Doctors need to understand how to assess and treat vitamin D deficiency so their patients can benefit from this new research.
Curbing Mindless Eating - Weight Reduction Tips from the American Dietetic Association
Nibbling on M&Ms while waiting for someone. Unknowingly finishing the kid's leftovers. Just 100 extra mindless calories a day can contribute to gaining ten pounds of undesired body fat a year.
A simple way to cut calories (and control weight) is to buy smaller bowls, plates, and also glasses.
A simple way to cut calories (and control weight) is to buy smaller bowls, plates, and also glasses.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Your child will have fewer ear infections
Your breastfed child will not only have fewer ear infections, but protection against other infections. Breastfeeding provides protection against diarrhea, gastrointestinal and respiratory infections; in fact, infections of every kind.
But please don't take our word for it. You can follow our references for such journals as the "American Journal of Public Health", the "American Journal of Epidemiology", the "Journal of Pediatrics", the "Journal of Infectious Diseases" and more.
Preceding the references is a review of a study on Breastfeeding and Ear infections produced by the medical journal: "Infectious Diseases in Children."
Breast Milk and Ear Infections
courtesy of 'The Compleat Mother', Winter 1996
Its well known that breastfeeding, especially for the first four months of an infant's life, is associated with fewer ear infections. But is that due to the breast milk itself, or is it because of some difference between the way breast-fed and bottle-fed infants nurse?
It has been theorized that something about the way breast-fed infants nurse helps keep the ears' eustachian tubes functioning more effectively, protecting the ears against infection. But a new study of 315 infants who were fed breast milk from a bottle shows that these infants had fewer ear infections than infants who got formula from a bottle.
Conclusion: it's not just the mechanics of breast feeding but something in the breast milk itself that helps protect against ear infections, says the medical journal Infectious Diseases in Children.
Otitis Media (infection of the middle ear)
Otitis Media is the most frequent diagnosis recorded for children who visit physicians for illness. Two out of three children under the age of 3 experience at least one episode of acute otitis media. An inner ear infection is the most common cause of hearing loss in children.
The infection is most often cause by bacteria, although is some cases, it is viral. Breastfeeding has been shown to prevent otitis media in children. Some researchers suggest this is because when a mother breastfeeds her child, she passes immunities to her baby that help prevent otitis media.
Researchers from the State University of New York's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences revealed how exclusively breastfed children have a decreased risk of otitis media in a study published in October 1997.
More than 300 infants were included the study, in which physical examinations were done and information about the exclusiveness of breastfeeding, parental smoking, day care attendance and family history of ear infections was collected.
The researchers found that the incidence of first ear infections for infants between six and 12 months of age increased from 25 percent to 51 percent for those exclusively breastfed. The incidence for formula-fed infants of the same age increased from 54 percent to 76 percent.
Peak incidence of acute otitis media and otitis media effusion (when pus is discharged from the inner ear) was inversely related to rates of breastfeeding beyond three months of age.
Infants who where exclusively formula fed had a twofold elevated risk of first episodes of inner ear infections compared to infants who were exclusively breastfed for at least six months. The researchers found that formula-feeding was the most significant predictor of inner ear infections, although the amount of time spent at day care was also a risk factor.
Because inner ear infections often result from upper respiratory infections, and children who spend time in day care often get more upper respiratory infections, day care children contract a lot of inner ear infections.
The ultimate conclusion made by the researchers was that breastfeeding, even for short durations (three months) reduced the onset of otitis media episodes in infancy.
Other Research
A 1990 study on the risk factors for recurrent acute otitis media and respiratory infection in infancy found that short durations of breastfeeding is a significant risk of recurrent middle ear infections.
Source: Alho, O., "Risk Factors for Recurrent Acute Otitis Media and Respiratory Infection in Infancy". INT J PED OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY 1990; 19:151-61
A 1989 study determined that male gender, sibling history and a lack of breastfeeding significantly increased the risk for acute otitis media.
Source: Teele, D.W., Apidemilogy of Otitis Media During the First Seven Years of Life in Greater Boston: A prospective, Cohort Study". J of INFEC DIS.1989.
A Swedish study done in 1994 found non-breastfed children ages 2, 6 and 10 months had significantly more episodes of inner ear infections than breastfed children of the same age.
Source: Aniansson, G et al. A prospective cohort study on breastfeeding and otitis media in Swedish Infants. Pediatr Infect Dis. J. 1994; 13; 183-88
But please don't take our word for it. You can follow our references for such journals as the "American Journal of Public Health", the "American Journal of Epidemiology", the "Journal of Pediatrics", the "Journal of Infectious Diseases" and more.
Preceding the references is a review of a study on Breastfeeding and Ear infections produced by the medical journal: "Infectious Diseases in Children."
Breast Milk and Ear Infections
courtesy of 'The Compleat Mother', Winter 1996
Its well known that breastfeeding, especially for the first four months of an infant's life, is associated with fewer ear infections. But is that due to the breast milk itself, or is it because of some difference between the way breast-fed and bottle-fed infants nurse?
It has been theorized that something about the way breast-fed infants nurse helps keep the ears' eustachian tubes functioning more effectively, protecting the ears against infection. But a new study of 315 infants who were fed breast milk from a bottle shows that these infants had fewer ear infections than infants who got formula from a bottle.
Conclusion: it's not just the mechanics of breast feeding but something in the breast milk itself that helps protect against ear infections, says the medical journal Infectious Diseases in Children.
Otitis Media (infection of the middle ear)
Otitis Media is the most frequent diagnosis recorded for children who visit physicians for illness. Two out of three children under the age of 3 experience at least one episode of acute otitis media. An inner ear infection is the most common cause of hearing loss in children.
The infection is most often cause by bacteria, although is some cases, it is viral. Breastfeeding has been shown to prevent otitis media in children. Some researchers suggest this is because when a mother breastfeeds her child, she passes immunities to her baby that help prevent otitis media.
Researchers from the State University of New York's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences revealed how exclusively breastfed children have a decreased risk of otitis media in a study published in October 1997.
More than 300 infants were included the study, in which physical examinations were done and information about the exclusiveness of breastfeeding, parental smoking, day care attendance and family history of ear infections was collected.
The researchers found that the incidence of first ear infections for infants between six and 12 months of age increased from 25 percent to 51 percent for those exclusively breastfed. The incidence for formula-fed infants of the same age increased from 54 percent to 76 percent.
Peak incidence of acute otitis media and otitis media effusion (when pus is discharged from the inner ear) was inversely related to rates of breastfeeding beyond three months of age.
Infants who where exclusively formula fed had a twofold elevated risk of first episodes of inner ear infections compared to infants who were exclusively breastfed for at least six months. The researchers found that formula-feeding was the most significant predictor of inner ear infections, although the amount of time spent at day care was also a risk factor.
Because inner ear infections often result from upper respiratory infections, and children who spend time in day care often get more upper respiratory infections, day care children contract a lot of inner ear infections.
The ultimate conclusion made by the researchers was that breastfeeding, even for short durations (three months) reduced the onset of otitis media episodes in infancy.
Other Research
A 1990 study on the risk factors for recurrent acute otitis media and respiratory infection in infancy found that short durations of breastfeeding is a significant risk of recurrent middle ear infections.
Source: Alho, O., "Risk Factors for Recurrent Acute Otitis Media and Respiratory Infection in Infancy". INT J PED OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY 1990; 19:151-61
A 1989 study determined that male gender, sibling history and a lack of breastfeeding significantly increased the risk for acute otitis media.
Source: Teele, D.W., Apidemilogy of Otitis Media During the First Seven Years of Life in Greater Boston: A prospective, Cohort Study". J of INFEC DIS.1989.
A Swedish study done in 1994 found non-breastfed children ages 2, 6 and 10 months had significantly more episodes of inner ear infections than breastfed children of the same age.
Source: Aniansson, G et al. A prospective cohort study on breastfeeding and otitis media in Swedish Infants. Pediatr Infect Dis. J. 1994; 13; 183-88
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Importance of Hand Washing
Hand washing: An easy way to prevent infection
Hand washing is a simple habit that can help keep you healthy. Learn the benefits of good hand hygiene, when to wash your hands and how to clean them properly.
Hand washing is a simple habit, something most people do without thinking. Yet hand washing, when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. This simple habit requires only soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer — a cleanser that doesn't require water. Do you know the benefits of good hand hygiene and when and how to wash your hands properly?
The dangers of not washing your hands
Despite the proven health benefits of hand washing, many people don't practice this habit as often as they should — even after using the toilet. Throughout the day you accumulate germs on your hands from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people, contaminated surfaces, foods, even animals and animal waste. If you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as doorknobs.
Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.
Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Germs: Understand and protect against bacteria, viruses and infection
E. coli: Dangers of eating raw or undercooked foods
Proper hand-washing techniques
Good hand-washing techniques include washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Antimicrobial wipes or towelettes are just as effective as soap and water in cleaning your hands but aren't as good as alcohol-based sanitizers.
Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, these soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soaps may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents — making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. In general, regular soap is fine. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap — antibacterial or not — and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.
Proper hand washing with soap and water
Follow these instructions for washing with soap and water:
Wet your hands with warm, running water and apply liquid soap or use clean bar soap. Lather well.
Rub your hands vigorously together for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
Scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
Rinse well.
Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel.
Use a towel to turn off the faucet.
Proper use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don't require water — are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren't available. They're actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. Using these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand washing.
Not all hand sanitizers are created equal, though. Some "waterless" hand sanitizers don't contain alcohol. Use only the alcohol-based products. The CDC recommends choosing products that contain at least 60 percent alcohol.
To use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:
Apply about 1/2 teaspoon of the product to the palm of your hand.
Rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands, until they're dry.
If your hands are visibly dirty, however, wash with soap and water, if available, rather than a sanitizer.
When should you wash your hands?
Although it's impossible to keep your bare hands germ-free, there are times when it's critical to wash your hands to limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes.
Always wash your hands:
After using the toilet
After changing a diaper — wash the diaper-wearer's hands, too
After touching animals or animal waste
Before and after preparing food, especially before and immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish
Before eating
After blowing your nose
After coughing or sneezing into your hands
Before and after treating wounds or cuts
Before and after touching a sick or injured person
After handling garbage
Before inserting or removing contact lenses
When using public restrooms, such as those in airports, train stations, bus stations and restaurants
Kids need clean hands, too
You can help your children avoid getting sick by insisting that they wash their hands properly and frequently. To get kids into the habit, teach by example. Wash your hands with your children and supervise their hand washing. Place hand-washing reminders at children's eye level, such as a chart by the bathroom sink for children to mark every time they wash their hands. Make sure the sink is low enough for children to use, or that it has a stool underneath so that children can reach it. Tell your children to wash their hands for as long as it takes them to sing their ABCs, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or the "Happy Birthday" song. This works especially well with younger children, who may rush when washing their hands.
Older children and adolescents also can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Younger children can use them, too — with an adult's help. Just make sure the sanitizer has completely dried before your child touches anything. This will avoid ingestion of alcohol from hand-to-mouth contact. Store the container safely away after use.
Hand washing is especially important for children who attend child care. Children younger than 3 years in child care are at greater risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, which can easily spread to family members and others in the community.
To protect your child's health, be sure your child care provider promotes sound hygiene, including frequent hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Ask whether the children are required to wash their hands several times a day — not just before meals. Note, too, whether diapering areas are cleaned after each use and whether eating and diapering areas are well separated.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Children's illness: Top 5 causes of missed school
A simple way to stay healthy
Hand washing doesn't take much time or effort, but it offers great rewards in terms of preventing illness. Adopting this simple habit can play a major role in protecting your health.
Hand washing is a simple habit that can help keep you healthy. Learn the benefits of good hand hygiene, when to wash your hands and how to clean them properly.
Hand washing is a simple habit, something most people do without thinking. Yet hand washing, when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. This simple habit requires only soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer — a cleanser that doesn't require water. Do you know the benefits of good hand hygiene and when and how to wash your hands properly?
The dangers of not washing your hands
Despite the proven health benefits of hand washing, many people don't practice this habit as often as they should — even after using the toilet. Throughout the day you accumulate germs on your hands from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people, contaminated surfaces, foods, even animals and animal waste. If you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as doorknobs.
Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.
Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Germs: Understand and protect against bacteria, viruses and infection
E. coli: Dangers of eating raw or undercooked foods
Proper hand-washing techniques
Good hand-washing techniques include washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Antimicrobial wipes or towelettes are just as effective as soap and water in cleaning your hands but aren't as good as alcohol-based sanitizers.
Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, these soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soaps may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents — making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. In general, regular soap is fine. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap — antibacterial or not — and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.
Proper hand washing with soap and water
Follow these instructions for washing with soap and water:
Wet your hands with warm, running water and apply liquid soap or use clean bar soap. Lather well.
Rub your hands vigorously together for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
Scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
Rinse well.
Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel.
Use a towel to turn off the faucet.
Proper use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don't require water — are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren't available. They're actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. Commercially prepared hand sanitizers contain ingredients that help prevent skin dryness. Using these products can result in less skin dryness and irritation than hand washing.
Not all hand sanitizers are created equal, though. Some "waterless" hand sanitizers don't contain alcohol. Use only the alcohol-based products. The CDC recommends choosing products that contain at least 60 percent alcohol.
To use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:
Apply about 1/2 teaspoon of the product to the palm of your hand.
Rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands, until they're dry.
If your hands are visibly dirty, however, wash with soap and water, if available, rather than a sanitizer.
When should you wash your hands?
Although it's impossible to keep your bare hands germ-free, there are times when it's critical to wash your hands to limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes.
Always wash your hands:
After using the toilet
After changing a diaper — wash the diaper-wearer's hands, too
After touching animals or animal waste
Before and after preparing food, especially before and immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or fish
Before eating
After blowing your nose
After coughing or sneezing into your hands
Before and after treating wounds or cuts
Before and after touching a sick or injured person
After handling garbage
Before inserting or removing contact lenses
When using public restrooms, such as those in airports, train stations, bus stations and restaurants
Kids need clean hands, too
You can help your children avoid getting sick by insisting that they wash their hands properly and frequently. To get kids into the habit, teach by example. Wash your hands with your children and supervise their hand washing. Place hand-washing reminders at children's eye level, such as a chart by the bathroom sink for children to mark every time they wash their hands. Make sure the sink is low enough for children to use, or that it has a stool underneath so that children can reach it. Tell your children to wash their hands for as long as it takes them to sing their ABCs, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or the "Happy Birthday" song. This works especially well with younger children, who may rush when washing their hands.
Older children and adolescents also can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Younger children can use them, too — with an adult's help. Just make sure the sanitizer has completely dried before your child touches anything. This will avoid ingestion of alcohol from hand-to-mouth contact. Store the container safely away after use.
Hand washing is especially important for children who attend child care. Children younger than 3 years in child care are at greater risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, which can easily spread to family members and others in the community.
To protect your child's health, be sure your child care provider promotes sound hygiene, including frequent hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Ask whether the children are required to wash their hands several times a day — not just before meals. Note, too, whether diapering areas are cleaned after each use and whether eating and diapering areas are well separated.
Children's illness: Top 5 causes of missed school
A simple way to stay healthy
Hand washing doesn't take much time or effort, but it offers great rewards in terms of preventing illness. Adopting this simple habit can play a major role in protecting your health.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Good News for Breast Fed Babies
New research says breast-feeding your baby means a healthier heart later on.
The list of health benefits to children who were breast-fed as babies is growing, with research unveiled on Monday showing they are more likely as adults to have higher levels of "good" cholesterol.
Numerous studies have shown babies whose mothers breast-fed them enjoy health advantages over formula-fed babies. These include fewer ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin diseases and allergies, and less likelihood of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
Now, a study presented at an American Heart Association meeting found that breast-fed babies are better off in two important heart disease risk factors as adults than bottle-fed babies - levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and body mass index.
The study looked at 962 people, average age 41, taking part in the long-running Framingham Heart Study centered on Framingham, Massachusetts. About a quarter of the children were breast-fed for at least a month as babies. Those who were breast-fed were 55 per cent more likely to have high average levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol in adulthood than low levels.
Those who were breast-fed on average had a lower body mass index, or BMI, as adults - 26.1 compared to 26.9 for the bottle-fed counterparts. Adults with a BMI above 25 are considered overweight and at higher risk for heart disease.
Having a higher HDL is considered protective against cardiovascular disease like stroke and heart attack. People with a lower BMI also are have a risk for cardiovascular disease.
These cholesterol and BMI differences were modest but significant, according to Dr. Nisha Parikh of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who led the study.
"The results are intriguing in that they point to this concept that early nutrition or early environmental exposures may affect long-term health," Parikh said in an interview.
Breast-feeding was not associated with benefits in other heart disease risk factors that the researchers examined, including total cholesterol and blood pressure.
The mothers of all the people tracked in the research were also part of the Framingham study.
Reuters
The list of health benefits to children who were breast-fed as babies is growing, with research unveiled on Monday showing they are more likely as adults to have higher levels of "good" cholesterol.
Numerous studies have shown babies whose mothers breast-fed them enjoy health advantages over formula-fed babies. These include fewer ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin diseases and allergies, and less likelihood of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
Now, a study presented at an American Heart Association meeting found that breast-fed babies are better off in two important heart disease risk factors as adults than bottle-fed babies - levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and body mass index.
The study looked at 962 people, average age 41, taking part in the long-running Framingham Heart Study centered on Framingham, Massachusetts. About a quarter of the children were breast-fed for at least a month as babies. Those who were breast-fed were 55 per cent more likely to have high average levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol in adulthood than low levels.
Those who were breast-fed on average had a lower body mass index, or BMI, as adults - 26.1 compared to 26.9 for the bottle-fed counterparts. Adults with a BMI above 25 are considered overweight and at higher risk for heart disease.
Having a higher HDL is considered protective against cardiovascular disease like stroke and heart attack. People with a lower BMI also are have a risk for cardiovascular disease.
These cholesterol and BMI differences were modest but significant, according to Dr. Nisha Parikh of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who led the study.
"The results are intriguing in that they point to this concept that early nutrition or early environmental exposures may affect long-term health," Parikh said in an interview.
Breast-feeding was not associated with benefits in other heart disease risk factors that the researchers examined, including total cholesterol and blood pressure.
The mothers of all the people tracked in the research were also part of the Framingham study.
Reuters
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Arthritis Costs Growing
"A study by Access Economics has found that arthritis costs the community more than $24 billion a year, and is a greater health burden than diabetes, heart disease and depression. The total includes the cost of treatment, drugs and nursing homes, and almost $8 billion through lost working days and taxes."
Australian Med; Sept 3rd 2007:6.
Australian Med; Sept 3rd 2007:6.
Qigong suggestions for lower blood pressure by H. Wei Williams
Qigong practitioners traditionally consider various herbs and food supplements as part of their practice of preventive health. With greater understanding of nutrition and research supporting what traditional Chinese medicine has practiced for thousands of years, it is little wonder that more and more people are turning to qigong for answers to today's health problems. There are many herbs and food supplements that can treat or prevent hypertension. Here is a list of those that can significantly reduce your elevated blood pressure:
1. Vitamin C. A number of studies have shown 500 milligrams of vitamin C taken daily will help to lower blood pressure. However, avoid combining with grape seed extract. While there is no indication that grape seed extract reduces blood pressure, it has been found to actually induce high blood pressure when taken with vitamin C.
2. Onions. Added to salads and other foods, raw onions can help to reduce blood pressure in people with moderate hypertension.
3. Garlic. A natural antibiotic, it is antibacterial, antiviral and particularly, antifungal. Prostaglandin A, an active ingredient that gives garlic its distinctive odor, is largely responsible for reducing blood pressure and angina pain. Garlic can also act as a blood thinner and should not be taken weeks before surgery and during recovery. For best effect against hypertension, consume one or two cloves daily.
4. Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10. This is a compound found naturally in our cells and is responsible for producing energy in the body. Not only does it appear to help lower blood pressure, reduce the effects of congestive heart failure, decrease gum disease when applied topically, but also reduce blood sugar in diabetics, as well as alleviate migraines and protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson. People suffering from heart failure also have reduced CoQ10 levels in their heart muscle cells.
5. Hawthorn berry. Called shanzha in Chinese, it is often used in Chinese medicine to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions and to aid digestion. For a reasonably low price, you can obtain a bag of dried hawthorn berries in Chinese herbal stores to make your own tea. Add hot boiling water to steep for three or four minutes. Works best with mild hypertension.
6. Mung beans. In Chinese medicine, they are considered yin or cold foods. In its dried, raw form, they are traditionally made into a pillow to effectively treat high blood pressure and heat or sunstroke by removing the heat from one's body.
7. Folic acid. A vitamin B that is responsible for red blood cell formation, it can help to lower blood pressure in some people.
8. Calcium and magnesium. Make sure you get sufficient amounts of magnesium in your diet to help your body absorb the calcium. I don't recommend cow's milk, especially if you are lactose intolerant. Chinese traditionally get their calcium from soy milk, which I find is a far better choice.
9. Soy nuts. One study suggests that a daily consumption of half a cup of unsalted soy nuts will help lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women.
10. Ginkgo biloba. Also called bai guo or yinxing in Chinese, ginkgo nuts are often added to congee and other Chinese dishes. It protects against oxidative cell damage from free radicals, promotes blood circulation and acts as an anticoagulant. Avoid taking in large quantities — six or seven per day for three to five days is sufficient to lower blood pressure. Side effects can include increased risk of bleeding, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and dizziness. Avoid using with MAO inhibitors or during pregnancy.
11. Salvia miltiorrhiza. Also called red sage or dan shen in Chinese, this herb is often used in Chinese medicine to treat cardiovascular disease and to thin blood. When slow-cooked in raw form, the effects can be long lasting, though it may take some time to work.
12. Chrysanthemum. Best taken as several whole flowers rather than as crystals or in tea bags. Steep in hot water for several minutes and drink a minimum of four cups daily. You can also flavor it with some raw honey to taste.
13. Dandelion. Excellent for hypertension and congestive heart failure, particularly in the spring when it produces mannitol that is used in the treatment of high blood pressure. You can make a tea out of two tablespoons of chopped dandelion roots and leaves by simmering and steeping in hot water. Drink 2 cups daily.
14. Panax notoginseng. Also called sanqi or tianqi in Chinese, it is also known as pseudoginseng. It has been used widely in Chinese medicine to treat all kinds of diseases of the blood. When ground into powder, it can be applied topically to heal bruising and sprains, and promote healing of broken bones. When slow-cooked in its raw form, it is an effective treatment for cardiovascular disease. Since it is also a blood thinner, avoid taking it before surgery and during recovery.
Always consult a physician before trying any of these herbs and food supplements. Some may be contraindicative to medications not mentioned in this article.
As a teenager, H. Wei Williams trained intensively in qigong/chi kung and tai chi chuan for health, self-defence and spiritual growth — several hours a day, 365 days a year! Her 30 years of extensive knowledge and teaching experience in martial arts, Chinese medicine, meditation, and yogic breathing is reflected in the wide range of topics offered on her website. Readers can visit Chi Kung Unlimited at http://www.chikung-unlimited.com to see how qigong/chi kung can best meet their individual needs.
1. Vitamin C. A number of studies have shown 500 milligrams of vitamin C taken daily will help to lower blood pressure. However, avoid combining with grape seed extract. While there is no indication that grape seed extract reduces blood pressure, it has been found to actually induce high blood pressure when taken with vitamin C.
2. Onions. Added to salads and other foods, raw onions can help to reduce blood pressure in people with moderate hypertension.
3. Garlic. A natural antibiotic, it is antibacterial, antiviral and particularly, antifungal. Prostaglandin A, an active ingredient that gives garlic its distinctive odor, is largely responsible for reducing blood pressure and angina pain. Garlic can also act as a blood thinner and should not be taken weeks before surgery and during recovery. For best effect against hypertension, consume one or two cloves daily.
4. Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10. This is a compound found naturally in our cells and is responsible for producing energy in the body. Not only does it appear to help lower blood pressure, reduce the effects of congestive heart failure, decrease gum disease when applied topically, but also reduce blood sugar in diabetics, as well as alleviate migraines and protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson. People suffering from heart failure also have reduced CoQ10 levels in their heart muscle cells.
5. Hawthorn berry. Called shanzha in Chinese, it is often used in Chinese medicine to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions and to aid digestion. For a reasonably low price, you can obtain a bag of dried hawthorn berries in Chinese herbal stores to make your own tea. Add hot boiling water to steep for three or four minutes. Works best with mild hypertension.
6. Mung beans. In Chinese medicine, they are considered yin or cold foods. In its dried, raw form, they are traditionally made into a pillow to effectively treat high blood pressure and heat or sunstroke by removing the heat from one's body.
7. Folic acid. A vitamin B that is responsible for red blood cell formation, it can help to lower blood pressure in some people.
8. Calcium and magnesium. Make sure you get sufficient amounts of magnesium in your diet to help your body absorb the calcium. I don't recommend cow's milk, especially if you are lactose intolerant. Chinese traditionally get their calcium from soy milk, which I find is a far better choice.
9. Soy nuts. One study suggests that a daily consumption of half a cup of unsalted soy nuts will help lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women.
10. Ginkgo biloba. Also called bai guo or yinxing in Chinese, ginkgo nuts are often added to congee and other Chinese dishes. It protects against oxidative cell damage from free radicals, promotes blood circulation and acts as an anticoagulant. Avoid taking in large quantities — six or seven per day for three to five days is sufficient to lower blood pressure. Side effects can include increased risk of bleeding, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and dizziness. Avoid using with MAO inhibitors or during pregnancy.
11. Salvia miltiorrhiza. Also called red sage or dan shen in Chinese, this herb is often used in Chinese medicine to treat cardiovascular disease and to thin blood. When slow-cooked in raw form, the effects can be long lasting, though it may take some time to work.
12. Chrysanthemum. Best taken as several whole flowers rather than as crystals or in tea bags. Steep in hot water for several minutes and drink a minimum of four cups daily. You can also flavor it with some raw honey to taste.
13. Dandelion. Excellent for hypertension and congestive heart failure, particularly in the spring when it produces mannitol that is used in the treatment of high blood pressure. You can make a tea out of two tablespoons of chopped dandelion roots and leaves by simmering and steeping in hot water. Drink 2 cups daily.
14. Panax notoginseng. Also called sanqi or tianqi in Chinese, it is also known as pseudoginseng. It has been used widely in Chinese medicine to treat all kinds of diseases of the blood. When ground into powder, it can be applied topically to heal bruising and sprains, and promote healing of broken bones. When slow-cooked in its raw form, it is an effective treatment for cardiovascular disease. Since it is also a blood thinner, avoid taking it before surgery and during recovery.
Always consult a physician before trying any of these herbs and food supplements. Some may be contraindicative to medications not mentioned in this article.
As a teenager, H. Wei Williams trained intensively in qigong/chi kung and tai chi chuan for health, self-defence and spiritual growth — several hours a day, 365 days a year! Her 30 years of extensive knowledge and teaching experience in martial arts, Chinese medicine, meditation, and yogic breathing is reflected in the wide range of topics offered on her website. Readers can visit Chi Kung Unlimited at http://www.chikung-unlimited.com to see how qigong/chi kung can best meet their individual needs.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Concentrate, So You Will Not Forget
A man forgets because he does not concentrate his mind on his purpose, especially at the moment he conceives it. We remember only that which makes a deep impression, hence we must first deepen our impressions by associating in our minds certain ideas that are related to them.
We will say a wife gives her husband a letter to mail. He does not think about it, but automatically puts it in his pocket and forgets all about it. When the letter was given to him had he said to himself, "I will mail this letter. The box is at the next corner and when I pass it I must drop this letter," it would have enabled him to recall the letter the instant he reached the mail box.
The same rule holds good in regard to more important things. For example, if you are instructed to drop in and see Mr. Smith while out to luncheon today, you will not forget it, if, at the moment the instruction is given, you say to yourself something similar to the following:
"When I get to the corner of Blank street, on my way to luncheon, I shall turn to the right and call on Mr. Smith." In this way the impression is made, the connection established and the sight of the associated object recalls the errand.
The important thing to do is to deepen the impression at the very moment it enters your mind. This is made possible, not only by concentrating the mind upon the idea itself, but by surrounding it with all possible association of ideas, so that each one will reinforce the others.
The mind is governed by laws of association, such as the law that ideas which enter the mind at the same time emerge at the same time, one assisting in recalling the others.
The reason why people cannot remember what they want to is that they have not concentrated their minds sufficiently on their purpose at the moment when it was formed.
You can train yourself to remember in this way by the concentration of the attention on your purpose, in accordance with the laws of association.
When once you form this habit, the attention is easily centered and the memory easily trained. Then your memory, instead of failing you at crucial moments, becomes a valuable asset in your every-day work.
Exercise in Memory Concentration. Select some picture; put it on a table and then look at it for two minutes. Concentrate your attention on this picture, observe every detail; then shut your eyes and see how much you can recall about it. Think of what the picture represents; whether it is a good subject; whether it looks natural. Think of objects in foreground, middle ground, background; of details of color and form.
Now open your eyes and hold yourself rigidly to the correction of each and every mistake. Close eyes again and notice how much more accurate your picture is. Practice until your mental image corresponds in every particular to the original.
Nature is a Wonderful Instructor. But there are very few who realize that when we get in touch with nature we discover ourselves. That by listening to her voice, with that curious, inner sense of ours, we learn the oneness of life and wake up to our own latent powers.
Few realize that the simple act of listening and concentrating is our best interior power, for it brings us into close contact with the highest, just as our other senses bring us into touch with the coarser side of human nature.
The closer we live to nature the more developed is this sense. "So called" civilization has over developed our other senses at the expense of this one.
Children unconsciously realize the value of concentration - for instance: When a Child has a difficult problem to solve, and gets to some knotty point which he finds himself mentally unable to do - though he tries his hardest - he will pause and keep quite still, leaning on his elbow, apparently listening; then you will see, if you are watching, sudden illumination come and he goes on happily and accomplishes his task.
A child instinctively but unconsciously knows when he needs help, he must be quiet and concentrate.
All great people concentrate and owe their success to it. The doctor thinks over the symptoms of his patient, waits, listens for the inspiration, though quite unconscious, perhaps, of doing so.
The one who diagnoses in this way seldom makes mistakes. An author thinks his plot, holds it in his mind, and then waits, and illumination comes. If you want to be able to solve difficult problems you must learn to do the same.
A man forgets because he does not concentrate his mind on his purpose, especially at the moment he conceives it. We remember only that which makes a deep impression, hence we must first deepen our impressions by associating in our minds certain ideas that are related to them.
We will say a wife gives her husband a letter to mail. He does not think about it, but automatically puts it in his pocket and forgets all about it. When the letter was given to him had he said to himself, "I will mail this letter. The box is at the next corner and when I pass it I must drop this letter," it would have enabled him to recall the letter the instant he reached the mail box.
The same rule holds good in regard to more important things. For example, if you are instructed to drop in and see Mr. Smith while out to luncheon today, you will not forget it, if, at the moment the instruction is given, you say to yourself something similar to the following:
"When I get to the corner of Blank street, on my way to luncheon, I shall turn to the right and call on Mr. Smith." In this way the impression is made, the connection established and the sight of the associated object recalls the errand.
The important thing to do is to deepen the impression at the very moment it enters your mind. This is made possible, not only by concentrating the mind upon the idea itself, but by surrounding it with all possible association of ideas, so that each one will reinforce the others.
The mind is governed by laws of association, such as the law that ideas which enter the mind at the same time emerge at the same time, one assisting in recalling the others.
The reason why people cannot remember what they want to is that they have not concentrated their minds sufficiently on their purpose at the moment when it was formed.
You can train yourself to remember in this way by the concentration of the attention on your purpose, in accordance with the laws of association.
When once you form this habit, the attention is easily centered and the memory easily trained. Then your memory, instead of failing you at crucial moments, becomes a valuable asset in your every-day work.
Exercise in Memory Concentration. Select some picture; put it on a table and then look at it for two minutes. Concentrate your attention on this picture, observe every detail; then shut your eyes and see how much you can recall about it. Think of what the picture represents; whether it is a good subject; whether it looks natural. Think of objects in foreground, middle ground, background; of details of color and form.
Now open your eyes and hold yourself rigidly to the correction of each and every mistake. Close eyes again and notice how much more accurate your picture is. Practice until your mental image corresponds in every particular to the original.
Nature is a Wonderful Instructor. But there are very few who realize that when we get in touch with nature we discover ourselves. That by listening to her voice, with that curious, inner sense of ours, we learn the oneness of life and wake up to our own latent powers.
Few realize that the simple act of listening and concentrating is our best interior power, for it brings us into close contact with the highest, just as our other senses bring us into touch with the coarser side of human nature.
The closer we live to nature the more developed is this sense. "So called" civilization has over developed our other senses at the expense of this one.
Children unconsciously realize the value of concentration - for instance: When a Child has a difficult problem to solve, and gets to some knotty point which he finds himself mentally unable to do - though he tries his hardest - he will pause and keep quite still, leaning on his elbow, apparently listening; then you will see, if you are watching, sudden illumination come and he goes on happily and accomplishes his task.
A child instinctively but unconsciously knows when he needs help, he must be quiet and concentrate.
All great people concentrate and owe their success to it. The doctor thinks over the symptoms of his patient, waits, listens for the inspiration, though quite unconscious, perhaps, of doing so.
The one who diagnoses in this way seldom makes mistakes. An author thinks his plot, holds it in his mind, and then waits, and illumination comes. If you want to be able to solve difficult problems you must learn to do the same.
Article Source: http://www.redsofts.com/articles/
We will say a wife gives her husband a letter to mail. He does not think about it, but automatically puts it in his pocket and forgets all about it. When the letter was given to him had he said to himself, "I will mail this letter. The box is at the next corner and when I pass it I must drop this letter," it would have enabled him to recall the letter the instant he reached the mail box.
The same rule holds good in regard to more important things. For example, if you are instructed to drop in and see Mr. Smith while out to luncheon today, you will not forget it, if, at the moment the instruction is given, you say to yourself something similar to the following:
"When I get to the corner of Blank street, on my way to luncheon, I shall turn to the right and call on Mr. Smith." In this way the impression is made, the connection established and the sight of the associated object recalls the errand.
The important thing to do is to deepen the impression at the very moment it enters your mind. This is made possible, not only by concentrating the mind upon the idea itself, but by surrounding it with all possible association of ideas, so that each one will reinforce the others.
The mind is governed by laws of association, such as the law that ideas which enter the mind at the same time emerge at the same time, one assisting in recalling the others.
The reason why people cannot remember what they want to is that they have not concentrated their minds sufficiently on their purpose at the moment when it was formed.
You can train yourself to remember in this way by the concentration of the attention on your purpose, in accordance with the laws of association.
When once you form this habit, the attention is easily centered and the memory easily trained. Then your memory, instead of failing you at crucial moments, becomes a valuable asset in your every-day work.
Exercise in Memory Concentration. Select some picture; put it on a table and then look at it for two minutes. Concentrate your attention on this picture, observe every detail; then shut your eyes and see how much you can recall about it. Think of what the picture represents; whether it is a good subject; whether it looks natural. Think of objects in foreground, middle ground, background; of details of color and form.
Now open your eyes and hold yourself rigidly to the correction of each and every mistake. Close eyes again and notice how much more accurate your picture is. Practice until your mental image corresponds in every particular to the original.
Nature is a Wonderful Instructor. But there are very few who realize that when we get in touch with nature we discover ourselves. That by listening to her voice, with that curious, inner sense of ours, we learn the oneness of life and wake up to our own latent powers.
Few realize that the simple act of listening and concentrating is our best interior power, for it brings us into close contact with the highest, just as our other senses bring us into touch with the coarser side of human nature.
The closer we live to nature the more developed is this sense. "So called" civilization has over developed our other senses at the expense of this one.
Children unconsciously realize the value of concentration - for instance: When a Child has a difficult problem to solve, and gets to some knotty point which he finds himself mentally unable to do - though he tries his hardest - he will pause and keep quite still, leaning on his elbow, apparently listening; then you will see, if you are watching, sudden illumination come and he goes on happily and accomplishes his task.
A child instinctively but unconsciously knows when he needs help, he must be quiet and concentrate.
All great people concentrate and owe their success to it. The doctor thinks over the symptoms of his patient, waits, listens for the inspiration, though quite unconscious, perhaps, of doing so.
The one who diagnoses in this way seldom makes mistakes. An author thinks his plot, holds it in his mind, and then waits, and illumination comes. If you want to be able to solve difficult problems you must learn to do the same.
A man forgets because he does not concentrate his mind on his purpose, especially at the moment he conceives it. We remember only that which makes a deep impression, hence we must first deepen our impressions by associating in our minds certain ideas that are related to them.
We will say a wife gives her husband a letter to mail. He does not think about it, but automatically puts it in his pocket and forgets all about it. When the letter was given to him had he said to himself, "I will mail this letter. The box is at the next corner and when I pass it I must drop this letter," it would have enabled him to recall the letter the instant he reached the mail box.
The same rule holds good in regard to more important things. For example, if you are instructed to drop in and see Mr. Smith while out to luncheon today, you will not forget it, if, at the moment the instruction is given, you say to yourself something similar to the following:
"When I get to the corner of Blank street, on my way to luncheon, I shall turn to the right and call on Mr. Smith." In this way the impression is made, the connection established and the sight of the associated object recalls the errand.
The important thing to do is to deepen the impression at the very moment it enters your mind. This is made possible, not only by concentrating the mind upon the idea itself, but by surrounding it with all possible association of ideas, so that each one will reinforce the others.
The mind is governed by laws of association, such as the law that ideas which enter the mind at the same time emerge at the same time, one assisting in recalling the others.
The reason why people cannot remember what they want to is that they have not concentrated their minds sufficiently on their purpose at the moment when it was formed.
You can train yourself to remember in this way by the concentration of the attention on your purpose, in accordance with the laws of association.
When once you form this habit, the attention is easily centered and the memory easily trained. Then your memory, instead of failing you at crucial moments, becomes a valuable asset in your every-day work.
Exercise in Memory Concentration. Select some picture; put it on a table and then look at it for two minutes. Concentrate your attention on this picture, observe every detail; then shut your eyes and see how much you can recall about it. Think of what the picture represents; whether it is a good subject; whether it looks natural. Think of objects in foreground, middle ground, background; of details of color and form.
Now open your eyes and hold yourself rigidly to the correction of each and every mistake. Close eyes again and notice how much more accurate your picture is. Practice until your mental image corresponds in every particular to the original.
Nature is a Wonderful Instructor. But there are very few who realize that when we get in touch with nature we discover ourselves. That by listening to her voice, with that curious, inner sense of ours, we learn the oneness of life and wake up to our own latent powers.
Few realize that the simple act of listening and concentrating is our best interior power, for it brings us into close contact with the highest, just as our other senses bring us into touch with the coarser side of human nature.
The closer we live to nature the more developed is this sense. "So called" civilization has over developed our other senses at the expense of this one.
Children unconsciously realize the value of concentration - for instance: When a Child has a difficult problem to solve, and gets to some knotty point which he finds himself mentally unable to do - though he tries his hardest - he will pause and keep quite still, leaning on his elbow, apparently listening; then you will see, if you are watching, sudden illumination come and he goes on happily and accomplishes his task.
A child instinctively but unconsciously knows when he needs help, he must be quiet and concentrate.
All great people concentrate and owe their success to it. The doctor thinks over the symptoms of his patient, waits, listens for the inspiration, though quite unconscious, perhaps, of doing so.
The one who diagnoses in this way seldom makes mistakes. An author thinks his plot, holds it in his mind, and then waits, and illumination comes. If you want to be able to solve difficult problems you must learn to do the same.
Article Source: http://www.redsofts.com/articles/
Friday, November 2, 2007
Diet, Exercise,Life Style and Cancer Prevention A Study
The contents of this study are over 500 pages, but there is useful information from the beginning. The sources are very credible. It basically states things you may already know. But there is nothing wrong with strengthening a foundation and confirming ones convictions. Please check it out and pass it on to someone you thin may benefit.
Here's to your health.
Dr. Jeff Sklar
Just copy the link below and place it in your browser.
http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/downloads/Second_Expert_Report.pdf
Here's to your health.
Dr. Jeff Sklar
Just copy the link below and place it in your browser.
http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/downloads/Second_Expert_Report.pdf
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Cholesterol-Reduced Diet Tips
High cholesterol and heart problems go hand in hand. But they don't need to have the upper hand on your good health.
It is possible to control high cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease through a cholesterol-reduced diet. Whether you already suffer from an elevated cholesterol level, or are at risk of developing one, it's always a great time to get on the road to better health. A cholesterol-reduced diet is lower in fat and high in healthy benefits.
To obtain a cholesterol-reduced diet, you should aim at minimizing your intake of daily total saturated fat calories by 7%, and fat by 25% to 35%. Reduce your sodium intake to 2400 milligrams daily. However, you need to be sure that you're taking in enough calories to maintain a healthy weight and blood cholesterol levels. Finding the right balance can be tricky, but your physician or dietician can help.
If a cholesterol-reduced diet isn't enough, talk to you doctor about the benefits of taking soluble fiber. This and other foods and supplements can help in lowering cholesterol.
Sticking to a specialized diet does not necessarily mean giving up the foods you love. You can even work your cholesterol-reduced diet into restaurant visits. Try these tips on your next night out at your favorite restaurant:
Try these tips
* Seek out restaurants that offer menu choices that are low in cholesterol and saturated fats
* Don't feel compelled to overeat. Share your meal with your dinner companion, take half home in a take-out container, or order lunch size or appetizer portions
* Ask your server to bring butter, gravy, rich sauces and dressings on the side. This way, you'll have more control over the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat in your food
* Substitute fatty side dishes, such as French fries, with salad or other healthier options
* You don't have to give up pizza night; just choose a pie with vegetable toppings instead of meat and extra cheese. Or, order half of the pizza with no cheese at all
* Many fast-food restaurants are taking part in the healthy-choice trend. Take advantage of the smart options available to you. Pass up the fatty burger and fries in favor of a grilled skinless chicken sandwich and side salad.
* Ask how the restaurant foods are prepared. When given the choice, opt for a cholesterol-reduced preparation method such as steamed, broiled, baked, roasted, poached and dry-boiled foods. Look for heart-smart menu terms such as au jus, garden fresh and lightly saturated
* Don't be tempted by dishes that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Avoid butter sauces, fried foods and dishes that are served au gratin, creamed and escalloped. You should also stay away from casseroles, stewed dishes, anything with a pastry crust and foods with hollandaise or bearnaise sauces.
Diets that reduce saturated fats lead to lower cholesterol, a reduction in body fat and a healthier heart. If any of these areas concern you, don't hesitate to speak to your dietician or physician about your cholesterol-reduced diet.
© Site Copyright Top-healthy.com. All rights reserved
It is possible to control high cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease through a cholesterol-reduced diet. Whether you already suffer from an elevated cholesterol level, or are at risk of developing one, it's always a great time to get on the road to better health. A cholesterol-reduced diet is lower in fat and high in healthy benefits.
To obtain a cholesterol-reduced diet, you should aim at minimizing your intake of daily total saturated fat calories by 7%, and fat by 25% to 35%. Reduce your sodium intake to 2400 milligrams daily. However, you need to be sure that you're taking in enough calories to maintain a healthy weight and blood cholesterol levels. Finding the right balance can be tricky, but your physician or dietician can help.
If a cholesterol-reduced diet isn't enough, talk to you doctor about the benefits of taking soluble fiber. This and other foods and supplements can help in lowering cholesterol.
Sticking to a specialized diet does not necessarily mean giving up the foods you love. You can even work your cholesterol-reduced diet into restaurant visits. Try these tips on your next night out at your favorite restaurant:
Try these tips
* Seek out restaurants that offer menu choices that are low in cholesterol and saturated fats
* Don't feel compelled to overeat. Share your meal with your dinner companion, take half home in a take-out container, or order lunch size or appetizer portions
* Ask your server to bring butter, gravy, rich sauces and dressings on the side. This way, you'll have more control over the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat in your food
* Substitute fatty side dishes, such as French fries, with salad or other healthier options
* You don't have to give up pizza night; just choose a pie with vegetable toppings instead of meat and extra cheese. Or, order half of the pizza with no cheese at all
* Many fast-food restaurants are taking part in the healthy-choice trend. Take advantage of the smart options available to you. Pass up the fatty burger and fries in favor of a grilled skinless chicken sandwich and side salad.
* Ask how the restaurant foods are prepared. When given the choice, opt for a cholesterol-reduced preparation method such as steamed, broiled, baked, roasted, poached and dry-boiled foods. Look for heart-smart menu terms such as au jus, garden fresh and lightly saturated
* Don't be tempted by dishes that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Avoid butter sauces, fried foods and dishes that are served au gratin, creamed and escalloped. You should also stay away from casseroles, stewed dishes, anything with a pastry crust and foods with hollandaise or bearnaise sauces.
Diets that reduce saturated fats lead to lower cholesterol, a reduction in body fat and a healthier heart. If any of these areas concern you, don't hesitate to speak to your dietician or physician about your cholesterol-reduced diet.
© Site Copyright Top-healthy.com. All rights reserved
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