Omhari

26 Jan 2013

5 Easy Ways to Stay Healthy

While everyone realizes that maintaining their health is important, life often gets in the way of regular exercise and healthy diet choices. Although it is best to try and eat as cleanly and move as much as possible, these steps are not always practical in everyday life. However, you don’t have to give up on a healthy lifestyle completely, even if you have no time for regular exercise. These five tips can help you improve your overall health with minimal impact on your everyday life and schedule.

Move

Obviously exercise is good for the body. Without enough exercise, your body stores excessive amounts of fat, faces the risk of diseases and infections, and breaks down faster. But regular, scheduled exercise is not an option for everyone. Luckily, there are a few ways you can introduce a little more movement into your everyday life without disrupting your normal schedule.

Try taking the stairs rather than using an escalator or elevator. Try parking a little further from the entrance to buildings when you travel from one place to another. Rather than always driving to nearby businesses, try riding a bike or walking occasionally. Even fidgeting in your chair at work can help burn extra calories while you work.

Drink water

Water is extremely important for a healthy body. Since so much of the body is made up of water, dehydration can cause problems with a variety of the body’s functions that can cause problems including muscle cramps, poor skin quality, dizziness, reduced brain functioning, and many others. Water can also help flush unwanted toxins from the body simply by helping your body function like it is supposed to. When possible, you should try to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. You don’t have to drink plain water only though, try adding flavor packets, lemon or lime juice, or other fruits to your drinks to make them more appealing and refreshing. You can also get some of your water intake from the foods you eat, like soup and fruits.

Take vitamins

Ideally, everyone would get the right vitamins and nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables eaten daily. However, this kind of diet is impractical for many people. You can improve your overall health by taking a daily vitamin supplement. Even a daily multi-vitamin can go a long way toward ensuring you receive the recommended amount of nutrients in your body each day.

Enjoy the outdoors

Most people spend little more than however long it takes them to get into their car in the morning outdoors. This is a problem that is surprisingly bad for your health. In small doses, sun exposure is extremely beneficial to the body. Sunlight offers vitamin D, which provides a host of benefits, including improved immunity, calcium absorption, bone health, and more.

Eat more fruits and veggies

If you can, try to add one or two additional servings of fruits or vegetables to your diet each day. One of the easiest ways to do this is by switching out an afternoon snack for a piece of fruit. Eating seasonal fruits is an inexpensive way to add nutrients to your diet. Try eating one vegetable with each meal to give yourself a variety of vitamins from natural sources.

Starting your journey to health does not have to be difficult. You can greatly improve your health simply by making a few small changes to your daily life. In just a few weeks or months, you should notice significant improvement in your overall health and energy levels.

This is a guest post by Jordan Fried. Jordan has a variety of interests, but he is currently concerned with health and addiction based issues. For more information on drug recovery, click here. Follow Jordan On Twitter @JordanFried

by admin in Health

15 May 2013

Alcohol Abuse and Your Family History

Did you know that if you have a family history of alcohol abuse, your chances of becoming addicted are higher? According to a 1995 study published in the journal, Recent Developments in Alcoholism, your biological and genetic history can play a large role in how you respond to drinking both physically and mentally. This means that if you have a family member who experienced alcohol abuse you are much more likely to experience it as well.

A 1979 study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol showed that individuals related to alcohol abusers were two to four times as likely to experience alcohol addiction themselves.

It can be difficult to identify exactly what alcohol abuse looks like. Much of the modern portrayal of casual drinking actually includes signs of addiction. Signs of addiction range from an inability to have fun without the drink to a sense of urgency when you have yet to drink anything during the day. In fact, if you feel better or more at ease with alcohol, that is a sign of addiction. In fact, according to many studies, the approximant number of alcoholics in the United States is one in eight. This is true even for younger drinkers, such as high school age children or college students.

So, what do these facts mean? Basically, if you want to avoid alcohol abuse, you will have to be extremely careful about your drinking if you have a history of alcohol abuse. If you do not want to avoid drinking altogether, you can try a few different methods to avoid falling into the trap of alcohol abuse like your family members.

If your family has a history of alcohol abuse, take the following steps to prevent your own downfall into alcohol abuse:

Stop underage drinking: Underage drinking is not only illegal, but research has shown that individuals who start drinking at a earlier age are more likely to fall into addiction. This is due in part, to the fact that alcohol can slowly build up inside the body, requiring more and more to achieve the same feelings. If you drink earlier in life, your tolerance builds up sooner and it is easier to become addicted.

Drink moderately as an adult: If your family has a history of alcohol abuse, you will need to watch your alcohol consumption closely. Avoid drinking more than two drinks during any occasion, and try to drink less often than three times a month. This low dose of alcohol is unlikely to trigger an addiction.

Consider your lifestyle: If you use alcohol as a way to feel good or unwind, you are more likely to become intoxicated more than 25 times a year. When this happens, your risk for becoming addicted skyrockets, according to research studies on alcohol abuse. Try to replace your drinking habits with other activities that make you feel good, such as volunteering.

Don’t sweat mistakes: If you do make a mistake and drink too much, don’t worry. As long as you don’t make it a regular habit, your chances of becoming addicted to alcohol probably will not go up. If you drink too much one day, simply try again the next day. Try to stick to the fewer than 3 drinks fewer than 3 times a month rule.

As you can see, alcohol abuse is dangerous and runs in families. The best way to avoid falling into the trap of alcohol abuse is to avoid drinking altogether, or at least follow the steps outlined above. When you are armed with education and a plan, you are better able to sidestep your family risks associated with drinking.

by admin in Health

09 May 2013

Is Liposuction Safe?

There are many different liposuction techniques around today and recent improvements in technology have made this procedure significantly safer than it was just 10 or so years ago. With that said, any type of surgery will have risks and liposuction is no different. Let’s find out how safe liposuction really is.

Overview

Liposuction is a relatively impel surgical procedure during which fat tissue (cells) are removed from the body via a small tube that has to be inserted directly into the fat layer. It is the most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States right now.

Safety

Since liposuction actually removes fat cells from the body while leaving everything else around them intact, it has some unique precautions that must not be overlooked. I’ll discuss some of them below.

1. Most doctors agree that liposuction is in no way a way to treat obesity and only those patients who have tried to lose weight through diet and exercise – yet saw no results – should be considered for treatment. Liposuction can only remove fat from very specific areas and will never be able to treat overall weight problems.

2. Since liposuction is considered to be a highly invasive cosmetic surgery, there are many possible complications including nerve damage, sagging skin, blood clots, slow healing, scarring, and so on. Using a good, certified surgeon and getting the procedure done in a hospital or a certified surgical clinic is absolutely essential.

There are many variations of liposuction surgery including laser-assisted and ultrasound-assisted surgery. The most traditional type of liposuction uses small metal tubes to break down and suck out fat from inside the body, while the never techniques use laser to melt or ultrasound to break down fat before sucking it out of the body. Do note that more innovative doesn’t necessarily mean safer or better.

Another interesting technique that’s only recently been introduced is called i-lipo and is a non-invasive liposuction treatment. If you’d like to learn more about this type of liposuction, have a look at LipoAdvisor.com/i-Lipo.

by admin in Weight Loss

19 Apr 2013

Electronic Cigarettes – How Do They Work?

Everyone knows that smoking tobacco cigarettes has many health risks including heart disease and cancer. What’s worse, cigarette smoke is harmful to everyone who comes into contact with it, which has led to smoking bans across dozens of countries. Today there’s a new alternative to regular tobacco cigarettes, the so called e cigarette or an e-cig. Let’s see how they work.

An electronic cigarette is a very simple device. It contains a small atomizer, a rechargeable battery and a tiny nicotine cartridge (nicotine comes in liquid form mixed with several other chemicals). Now, when the “smoker” presses on a small button located on the e-cig, the atomizer heats up a little nicotine to create vapour. This vapour can be inhaled and provides a sensation very similar to that of real tobacco smoke, except without some of the harmful chemicals and toxins.

Benefits

E-cigarette proponents consider them to be much safer than regular cigarettes. Here’s why:

They claim that nicotine vapour contains no dangerous chemicals, toxins and carcinogens.
They say that nicotine vapour disappears quickly into air and poses no second-hand smoke risk.
Since e-cigs are not tobacco-based, they are not banned in most public places.
E-cigarettes are cheaper (long-term) than regular cigarettes.

As you can see, e-cigarettes have a lot of potential health benefits and might be a good alternative for hardcore smokers who just cannot seem to be able to quit smoking altogether.

Drawbacks

Do e-cigs have any known side-effects? Not really, but that’s mostly because they haven’t been studied thoroughly and are not being regulated by any official health body. Some of the most commonly heard concerns over their use are:

Nicotine reacts with some chemicals in indoor air to form dangerous carcinogens. This doesn’t happen in all situations, but it is a real possibility and can be dangerous if e-cigs are used indoors for long time periods. Furthermore, nicotine is a heavy and “sticky” substance, which means that exhaled nicotine particles stay on our skin and other surfaces for days.
Another concern is that e-cigs offer an almost too convenient nicotine delivery system which can make serious addicts consume a lot more of this highly addictive substance.
Since no one regulates or tests e-cigs on a regular basis, manufacturers can cut corners and mix nicotine with cheap and potentially dangerous ingredients to create liquid nicotine solutions.

As you can see, e-cigarettes have a lot of pros and cons. Are they healthier than tobacco cigarettes? Absolutely. But I wouldn’t label them as completely safe to use in public places or as 100% carcinogen-free.

by admin in Health

19 Apr 2013

Skinny Doesn’t Always Mean Healthy

While most people think that having a slim body means that you are healthy, it isn’t always so. The truth is that both obesity and being underweight have many side-effects that can have serious long-term effect on our health and wellbeing.

What is underweight?

The most common way to determine whether a person’s weight is in a healthy range is to calculate their BMI (or Body Mass Index). It is done like so:

Take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in meters (twice). So someone who is 70kg and 1.75m would have a BMI of 70 / 1.75 and then again / 1.75 which equals 23 (rounded up).

Now, the so called healthy BMI range is anywhere between 18.5 and 25. Fewer than 18.5 is considered underweight while anything above 25 is overweight. Realistically, however, this measurement is not very accurate – especially in “transition” stages such as 17.5-18.5 and 25-30. That’s because your BMI is only influenced by factors like height and bodyweight, and doesn’t take into account your general build (wide or narrow frame?), fat distribution and the amount of lean muscle mass.

Health risks

Alright so if your BMI is around 18 or 18.5 and you’re a tall, athletic person, you might be just fine. The same goes for someone with a BMI of 28 if that person has a very wide-frame and works out on a regular basis.

Now, if your BMI is very low or you constantly suffer from issues with headaches, vertigo, bad sleep and exhaustion, you may need to increase your calorie intake. The truth is that not all types of slim are healthy and the only way to determine that is to get a checkup to determine your body fat percentage. As it turns out, some people have a gene that makes them accumulate fat inside muscles and around internal organs (instead of right under the skin), which can be very unhealthy and lead to type-2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol and so on. Most of these individuals look slim and may never even consider that they are at risk of developing these health conditions.

What most recent medical studies show is that people who are slim, yet have very little muscle and some fat around their waist and other organs are twice more likely to die from diabetes than overweight diabetes sufferers. This is mostly attributed to poor muscle development.

by admin in Weight Loss

14 Apr 2013

A Basic Guide for Successful Weight Loss

Why do so many people try to slim down but fail? It is because most of the popular weight loss products don’t really work or is it something else entirely? Let me give you an exact guide on how to lose weight and keep it off for good.

1. Remember that successful weight loss is a long process. Most low-calorie and intensive diets work only in the short term and will never give you the long lasting results that you so desire. So, plan for the long-term and don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results straight away. Let all of your close friends and family members know that you are trying to eat healthy and exercise more. Ask them to support you as much as they can and perhaps even stop you from making the wrong food choices from time to time.

Another very powerful bit of advice is to keep a food log or diary. Write down everything you eat throughout the day, you will be surprised how many additional calories you consume without even realizing it!

2. Eat foods that aid weight loss. From drinking green tea to taking green coffee supplements (see extract from green coffee Dr Oz) or eating red hot chili peppers, there are a lot of different ways to speed up fat loss! Red chili peppers, for example, send the body into a (good type of) overdrive and can temporarily boost your metabolism by as much as 20%! Add a teaspoon of freshly cut red chili peppers into every meal that you eat and you will burn a ton of extra calories.

Drinking water is another healthy way to keep metabolism high. Scientists don’t’ know exactly why this happens, but drinking about 2 cups of water can temporarily boost metabolism by about 15%. Take some water with you everywhere you go and drink it regularly to keep your metabolism running high throughout the day.

3. Exercise. Remember that both diet and exercise are essential for a healthy body. Good exercises for fast weight loss are high intensity interval training and strength training/workouts. Basically, you should either do intensive cardio in short bursts or lift heavy weights in the gym. Remember that just 15-20 minutes of exercise, 3-4 times per week is enough, as long as it’s done right! High intensity interval cardio workouts burn calories 5 to 10 times faster than long running/cycling/swimming sessions!

4. Don’t lower your calorie intake by a lot – choose healthy foods instead. In you eat less, your metabolism will naturally slow down, which isn’t good! A better way to lose weight is to eat just as many calories as you always do, but only consume healthy, unprocessed foods. Plus, drink lots of water and eat at least 5-8 servings of fruit per day.

by admin in Weight Loss

13 Apr 2013

Maintaining Healthy Weight Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

To most overweight individuals, maintaining healthy weight seems like a very difficult task. In reality, however, keeping weight gain at bay is much simpler than many people realize. All you have to do is watch what you eat and develop a few healthy lifestyle habits to help keep your metabolism levels high!

Keeping metabolism in check. Those of us who lead very sedentary lifestyles tend to forget that exercise and physical activity in general are key to maintaining stable metabolism rates. If your metabolism slows down, you will burn fewer calories, which will most likely lead to fat gain. So, how do you ensure that your metabolism stays high?

The answer is actually very simple. All you have to do to give your metabolism a boost is 5 to 10 minutes of intensive exercise every single day. This really isn’t a lot, but it can do great things for your body. By high intensity exercise I mean something like rope jumping, squats or even running on the treadmill. The key here is to exercise in short intervals (1 to 2 minutes) with 1-2 minutes of resting time in between. Make sure that you push yourself to the limit with each set of exercise and repeat the whole process 3-5 times (that only 8 to maybe 15 minutes max!).

Eat a lot of smart foods. If you like to snack a lot, do so using negative calories foods – apples, pears, grapefruit, oranges, kiwis, strawberries, cucumber, and so on. All of these foods contain very little calories and won’t add to your waistline.

Another clever tip is to use fat loss supplements/foods, such as Garcinia Cambogia (read where to purchase Garcinia Cambogia), green tea, coffee (just 1-2 cups per day max, best drank early in the morning), spicy chili peppers, etc. All of these foods are proven to give a temporarily metabolism boost and/or slow down fat buildup in the body.

Avoid bad fats and processed carbs. Want to lose weight quickly? Forget about low-calorie diets and focus on healthier food options instead. The general rule is this: saturated/trans fats, sugars and processed carbs (white bread, simple cereal, etc) are bad for your health and weight. All natural fats (such as those found in oily fish, nuts, and so on), wholegrain foods that contain unprocessed carbs (wholegrain cereal, etc), lean meat, vegetables, fruit, etc are good for you. Eat as much as you like, just make sure that you are eating healthy!

by admin in Weight Loss

11 Apr 2013

What’s So Special About E-cigs?

As you may have already noticed, e-cigarettes are getting increasingly popular among smokers of all ages. There are many reasons for this, including alleged health benefits that e-cigs have over regular tobacco cigarettes. Let’s have a closer look at what makes e-smoking so popular.

What’s an e-cig?

E-cigarettes come in many shapes and types, although most of them mimic regular long cigarettes in form and usage. Most of them work in the exact same way:

When the user inhales, a small sensor present inside the mouthpiece triggers a battery powered heater to switch on and heath up liquid nicotine to produce nicotine vapour.
In addition to this, nicotine vapour is mixed with propylene glycol (also vaporized) which creates the appearance of smoke similar to that of tobacco smoke. This creates an overall experience very similar to that of smoking regular tobacco-based cigarettes.
This special vapour mix dissipates very quickly when the user exhales.
Almost all e-cigarettes contain no tobacco products of any kind.

As you may have already guessed, the above features of an e-cig have several advantages:

Since there is no risk of second-hand smoke, e-cigarettes can be used in most smoke free environments.
While e-cigarettes contain nicotine, there’s no harmful tobacco smoke that’s filled with dangerous carcinogens.
Some marketers claim that e-cigarettes are a good way to quit smoking by slowly transitioning from regular nicotine cartridges to low-concentration and eventually no-nicotine refills. Most health organizations do not agree with these claims and say that e-cigs do nothing to help smokers combat their addiction.

Are e-cigarettes bad or good? There’s a lot of debate about this and no one really knows for sure whether prolonged exposure to nicotine vapour causes harm. Plus, since e-cigs are not properly regulated, there may be other health risks which are not currently known to us.

by admin in Health

09 Apr 2013

Signs of Marijuana Abuse

While marijuana addiction is fully curable with intervention or by contacting a marijuana rehab, very few people with serious addiction issues seek help on time. In this article, I’m going to talk about the most common signs and symptoms of cannabis addiction.

How addictive is it?

While marijuana proponents will tell you that the substance is far less addictive than, for example, nicotine, and thus doesn’t cause serious long-term issues, that is not true. Most clinical studies have found that irregular marijuana users have very little risk of becoming addicted. If you use marijuana on a regular basis, however, the chances of developing a serious addiction skyrocket. Most chronic cannabis users suffer from very serious addiction and require professional help.

Signs and symptoms

Spotting a marijuana addiction is not very hard. Here are some of the most obvious tell-tale signs of addiction (applies to most substance addictions):

Gradual increase in tolerance levels. If you find that over time you need to use increasingly more cannabis to achieve the same effect, you are almost certainly developing an addiction.
Withdrawal symptoms. Try quitting marijuana for a few weeks and see if you experience any of these withdrawal symptoms: intense craving for marijuana, severe mood swings, insomnia, headaches, weight loss/gain, change in sex drive and so on.
Episodes of using far more cannabis than normal. Often followed by regret and depression.
Do you often find yourself thinking about using the drug instead of focusing on other tasks that require attention (work, daily life, relationships, etc)?
Have you cut down on your regular hobbies/healthy habits in order to dedicate more time to drug use?
Have you ever continued to use marijuana, even when you knew that you had an important appointment or some other commitment that should not be missed?
Do you ever make excuses/lie (at work or in your relationship) in order to cover up and/or make time for drug use?

As you can see, marijuana addiction can have very serious consequences and should be treated ASAP.

by admin in Health

29 Mar 2013

Can Prostatitis Cause Infertility?

There are two types of prostatitis: acute and chronic. In most cases acute prostatitis is easy to diagnose and can be treated with antibiotics, whereas chronic prostatitis is not very well understood, can be difficult to treat and can cause long-term issues with fertility in men.

Prostatitis is an infection of the prostate gland. The simplest form of this infection is what’s known as acute prostatitis – a bacterial infection that responds well to most modern antibiotic treatments. And then there’s something called chronic prostatitis – a disease that’s not very well understood, can often go undetected for many years and may cause infertility problems. To make things even more complicated, chronic prostatitis can have many different types and thus require complex personalized treatment. Let’s have a closer look.

Types of chronic prostatitis:

Asymptomatic prostatitis – can only be diagnosed with a fertility test.
Bacterial prostatitis – similar to acute prostatitis, but the bacterial infection is very slow to progress and does not always respond to antibiotics.
Pelvic pain syndrome – a type of prostatitis that has no obvious causes and is not very well understood.

Only the first two types of chronic prostatitis are thought to cause infertility problems in men. The reason for this is simple: both of these conditions cause white blood cells to mix with sperm which decreases overall sperm quality (mobility, overall sperm count, etc).

Does chronic prostatitis really cause infertility problems? Most scientists believe that the answer is yes, although such cases are rare when compared to all other infertility causes such as PID, long-term STD infections, exposure to chemicals, genetic predisposition and so on. Go here to read more about infertility, prostatitis and PID.

by admin in Health

28 Mar 2013

Want to Lose Weight? Start Your Own Business!

Have you noticed that most small business owners tend to be in a very good shape? There’s a good reason for that – running a business comes with a lot of stress and there’s always something that needs to be done. If you are getting sick of the same boring daily routine where you get home from work and just sit in front of the TV for hours eating snacks and watching the same programs over and over again – consider doing something new.

Businesses that’ll keep you fit

There are many types of small business ventures that require a lot of active work day in and day out. Surprisingly, many people find that the busier they are, the better they feel both mentally and physically. Consider these small business ideas:

1. House cleaning and general housekeeping. Everyone needs a housekeeper and in some areas the pay is actually really good, as long as you have all the right tools and a little experience to go from job to job quickly. Your goal should always be to branch out and hire others to do the work, but getting stuck in and experiencing first-hand what the business is all about is crucial in the initial stages.

2. Gardening. Not many people the time and skills to look after their gardens. Gardening is a huge business, but you need some initial investment to buy all required tools and get a larger vehicle to carry it all with you.

3. Become a personal trainer. If you are in a reasonably good shape and would like to get slim and healthy – start a training journal, put up a blog and record your progress. Work hard and by the time you’re done with your fitness goals you will have clients lining up at your doors asking you to help them do the same.

Remember that running a business is not for the faint of heart. If you can’t handle stress or are not very stable financially, it might not be such a good idea after all. And whatever you do – whether you’re renting gardening equipment or ordering Bahia Chaise loungers – always use trusted providers.

by admin in Weight Loss

28 Mar 2013

Tips for Choosing the Best Local Healthcare Providers

Choosing a good health care provider is not easy. There are many things to take into consideration including your health insurance coverage, physician’s work experience, certifications, and so on. In this article I’m going to give you a few tips on finding a health service provider that’s right for you!

The first thing to do when looking for a new provider is to identify all of your options. If you have a health insurance plan that covers specific doctors, clinics and hospitals – contact you provider and see what’s available. You can also look up local health services online as well as by asking your friends and colleagues to recommend a good provider for you.

Now, once you have chosen a health care clinic and know who your physician is going to be, check to see that they have a medical license that allows them to practice in your state and whether there have been any complaints filed against that particular doctor. This can be done by contacting the state licensing board (as well as – in some cases – online).

Another thing to consider is medical malpractice insurance. Mistakes happen and you should only deal with doctors who have current, up-to-date malpractice insurance. The reason I say this is very simple – not all states make this type of insurance mandatory and insurance premiums can often be very high.

Check online to find out whether your physician is board certified and whether the certification is up to date. It used to be that a doctor would only need to acquire a certification once and it’d be valid for life – not any more though, most medical professionals have to be re-certified every 8-10 years.

Before you sign up for an appointment always double check things like opening hours and general availability. You may need to schedule several visits to the physician’s office and if your work hours are not very flexible it could cause a lot of unnecessary problems. Also, once you get some tests done remember to find out exactly how the results are going to be communicated to you (and how long it is going to take). Waiting for test results can be very frustrating (trust me I know) and knowing exactly how things work will at least give you some comfort.

by admin in Health

28 Mar 2013

What Causes Testosterone Levels to Drop?

As men get older they often notice various changes in mood and appearance. Some of these changes are associated with aging while others may be a sign of an underlying health condition such as high blood cholesterol or low testosterone production.

Symptoms of low testosterone

One of the most common signs that your testosterone levels have dropped significantly is depression. If you notice that your mood is changing to worse and worse and that the condition seems to be chronic rather than temporary – see a doctor for a quick test.

Another common sign is a severe drop in focus and ability to concentrate on difficult mental tasks. This can be especially obvious at work and your colleagues may even comment that your job performance is slipping or that you are losing that “edge” that you used to have. This symptom is often made worse due to chronic fatigue and exhaustion as well.

Some people associate low testosterone with poor sexual performance and loss of libido. There are many studies that contradict this and low testosterone is normally not the cause of problems in the bedroom.

Causes

If you lead a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet, chances are that your testosterone levels will remain normal throughout your life. Most cases of abnormally low testosterone are caused by health conditions such as obesity, AIDS, drug use, certain medical treatments, injury, bad cardiovascular health, and so on.

If you want to keep your testosterone levels normal you should eat a healthy diet and get regular physical exercise. Supplements (see Ageless Male reviews) can also be helpful in certain cases – just make sure to consult with your physician before taking them.

by admin in Health

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