February 2009 Archives

 

When considering a good snoring sleep position, keep in mind that there are positions you can sleep in that help you stop snoring and those that actually encourage even more snoring! While we can’t always help the way our bodies toss and turn at night during sleep, there are some things we can do when it comes to our bed and our pillows that will encourage a good snoring sleep position, that is, one that cuts down on incidents of snoring.

People are supposed to breathe through their nose at all times; the nose has natural filters that treat this air we take in. Breathing through the mouth is unnatural and during sleep, it makes one snore. This can clue you in on the basics of a good snoring sleep position - you want to be able to keep your mouth closed during sleep. We snore when the air going over the back of the throat and mouth causes the tissue back there to vibrate excessively, making the noise we call snoring. Sleeping on your side is a good snoring sleep position as the mouth is less likely to drop open. If you don’t sleep on your side naturally you might want to consider a body pillow that you can either clutch to your front or can prop up behind you to keep you on your side. Some people recommend putting a tennis ball or other object in the back of your pajamas to force you into a snoring sleep position but this is usually very uncomfortable and wakes you up during the night, which defeats the purpose of avoiding snoring! Pillows are much more comfortable and usually just as effective.

You can also purchase an actual snore pillow to keep you in a good snoring sleep position. These pillows are made of firm foam and have a scoop shape in the sides which cushion and cradle your head and neck. They keep your head from falling back and your mouth from falling open even when you’re sleeping on your back. These pillows usually offer quite a bit of relief for most when it comes to snoring and are well worth the few dollars they cost. After all, you can’t always force yourself into a snoring sleep position when you’re asleep, so getting a nice pillow or bunch of pillows and propping yourself up can be the way to go.

Filed under Health by on #

A rejuvenating 5-day body detox plan to keep you going

In the present condition, you can no longer survive a single day without encountering pollution. When you eat out and do not prepare your own food, it is not easy to know what is the cleanliness of the water and food you eat. We encounter all types of air pollutants such as: exhaust from automobiles, cigarette smoke and a vast variety of air sprays. This greatly affects our health in one way or another. Don’t be so sure that when your body does not visibly react, it’s alright.

However, for this very reason you need to detoxify your body as a means of keeping it healthy, which will ultimately effect your mind and outlook on life.

Our body has its own means of healing and detoxifying. Still, as pollutants enter our body and begin to build up, our bodies ability to self cleanse becomes weaken, and unable to keep up with the demands place on it. This can cause the body stress and can lead it to malfunction or weaken in some way. When the body malfunctions or weakens, the internal cleansing process is also affected in an negative way.

We definitely want a clean body, but we also need to help our system in regulating the body processes.

However, you should not wait for your body organs to be stressed out and overworked before doing something. We need to take steps in enhancing our bodies function to keep itself clean and working in a healthy way. By using the following 5-Day detox plan, you will be increasing your bodies ability to get healthy and maintain a healthier life. The 5-day detox plan will rejuvenate the body as well as the spirit, keeping it clean and toned.

Detoxification diet is a part of the 5-day detox plan. During the period of detoxification, certain foods are avoided. 1. Your meals consist mostly of fresh fruits and green, leafy vegetables. 2. You can NOT consume; fats, oils, preservative and food with additives during this initial stage of detoxification. 3. Meat is difficult for the body to digest, so it should be avoided. Therefore, for the first couple of days you will need to refrain from eating any type of meat products.

4. The best foods for you to eat during the initial stage of detoxing are; broccoli, garlic, beets, nuts or beans. If you drink fruit beverages they will need to be 100% fruit juice, with grapefruit as the only exception. 5. Since water is a universal solvent and a major factor in the detoxification process, you will need six to eight glasses each day.

It flushes out the toxins in the forms of perspiration, urine, or stool.

Although you seem to eat less when detoxifying, you are assured that you will not starve, and ironically, you will even boost your stamina. You may feel this way because you are restricted to only eating healthier foods, that are much better for your digestive system.

Detoxification plan should be done at least quarterly. To ensure that you get an efficient plan, it will be best to consult a nutritionist or a professional. Through the process of detoxification, the toxins are flushed out of your body and a new set of energy is supplied to the body providing you both physical and mental alertness

Cleanliness should be maintained not only on the outside, but more so on the inside.

To sum it up, here are some words from an Arabic Proverb; ’He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything’.

Filed under Fitness by on #

4

Medline

The Medline website is one of the best resources for medical information on the internet. This gold mine of medical research includes information from the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and other trusted health experts. Here, you’ll find a medical encyclopedia, medical dictionary, local resources for doctors or hospitals and up-to-date research on over 750 medical conditions. Medline is a valuable resource, whether you are a health care professional or someone looking for more information.

Medline offers many unique functions to enhance your understanding and enrich your life. For instance, if you are about to undergo a colonoscopy or hip replacement surgery, a biopsy, a laparoscopy, LASIK eye surgery or another procedure, then you can watch an interactive tutorial that will show you what will be done and alleviate some of the mystery and anxiety. Another resource you may find very useful is the “Health Check Tools” page, which gives you educational quizzes about breast cancer, arthritis or alcoholism, as well as an “alcohol calorie intake counter,” a mental health screening quiz, a cancer risk questionnaire, a diabetic “rate your plate” assessment, a target heart rate calculator, an interactive menu planner and a risk assessment tool for coronary heart disease.

Medline is set up to accommodate all different types of people. Speak Spanish? No problem, as there is a version en Espanol, as well as forty other languages! Is your eye sight failing? Don’t worry, there is a version, located on the lower right-hand corner of the “Health Topics” page, which offers an easier to view page.

Did you hear about a drug on television, from a friend, in the news or from your doctor that you’d like to know more about? Medline has a comprehensive “Drug Information” section. For example, if you were to look up Lunesta, a chronic fatigue drug used to treat sleep disorders, then you can have the following questions answered: Why is this drug prescribed? How should this medication be used? What are other uses for this medication? What special precautions should I follow? What special dietary instructions should I follow? What should I do if I forget a dose? What side effects can this medication cause? What storage conditions are needed for this medication? What should I do in case of an overdose? What other information should I know? What are the brand names for this drug? The answers are presented all on one page with quick, informative, bulleted responses for a quick scan.

As the G.I. Joes said, “Knowing is half the battle.” The more educated you are, the better chance you will have at living efficiently. No one wants to live out the last 20 years of life stuck in a wheelchair with limited mobility. We want to be looking great and feeling great for as long as possible! Whether you’re looking for research to give you renewed optimism for a chronic disease or information on a medical procedure/medication you’ve been prescribed, Medline is a gold mine of medical information, paid for by your tax dollars. So why not take a look and get your money’s worth? Visit Medline at www.Nlm.Nih.gov.

memory games

There are many ways by which we can improve our memory; however it has never been classified into short or long-term for most of the time. Whatever the case, there is little difference between the two as long as we get to retain as much of our precious memories in any way shape or form. By improving our general memory, indirectly both our short and long term memories would improve as well. Without further ado, here are some ways you can improve your memory or your short term memory.

Food

Fruits and vegetables with high sugar content are great for memory improvement as they provide the glucose needed by our brain to function. With a high intake of such fruits and vegetables, we inevitably would raise the glucose level in our body that would mean our brain would have sufficient glucose to function on and it improves our brain power. Other foods such as fish oil and soy are also very good for improving our memory. Fish oil consists of the omega-3 fats that enhances our memory and also gives us mental clarity.

Mental stimulation

If you want to have an active mind that is capable of superior memory retention, then the importance of mental stimulation can never be stressed enough. Out of all the nutrition and vitamins a person can consume, the method that will bring the most results for improved memory would be mental stimulation. You can stimulate your mind with memory games, math drills or simple tasks like reading a book! Even outwardly simple games such as mahjong and bridge all require large amounts of thinking and strategizing that stimulates the brain. In fact, by playing such games to improve memory, people realize connections between the notions that must be recalled in the future.

Vitamins
B vitamins have been proven to show great improvement to our memory after we consume them; though they do not help us in the improvement of our moods. Also, studies have shown that a person’s emotional and volitional states can change over time if they undergo folate treatment, with vitamin B12 and B6 followed up with it. In addition, people who are prescribed with vitamins have seen a significant improvement in their information processing.

Of course there are many other ways to improve our memory not just through these methods. However we must make sure that when we have the slightest suspicion of experiencing symptoms of amnesia or dementia, we should start to take actions to improve our memory, or it would continue to spiral out of control and the precious memories we have kept for so many years would be gone without us even realizing.

Filed under Health by on #

1

Acne is a condition that is manifested in the skin. This condition is not actually deadly or fatal but can lead to disfigurement of the face due to scars and blemishes if the case is extreme. There are several types of acne and the causes may be the same or different for each type. The most common type of effective acne treatment is the one called acne vulgaris. This type of skin condition is usually found in adolescents on the verge of puberty although there are cases of individuals who carry it well into adulthood.

What Causes Acne?

This skin condition manifests itself when the sebaceous glands are blocked, resulting to inflammation of the skin. One contributing factor to the onslaught of acne is the genetic structure of the individual. Some people are genetically structured to be more prone to this skin condition compared to others. Individuals prone to the dreaded skin condition may also suffer from over productive glands or excessive shedding of skin which can block pores resulting to inflammation.  

Scars And Blemishes

Many individuals suffer from deep gouges and scars due to the occurrence of recurrent acne in their facial skin and other parts of the chest and back. Acne treatment is necessary to reduce the possibility of scars and marks that can mar the skin in the future. Since acne is a temporary occurrence for many individuals, acne treatment is a great preventive measure for blemished skin when acne goes away.  

The best acne treatment can be hormonal pills or topical applications that will control the inflammation of the skin. The presence of the bacteria that is often the cause of recurring acne can also be eliminated by using topical antibiotics and other substances that can kill them. Practicing good hygiene is also another acne treatment that may work for those with not so severe cases of acne.

The top acne treatments for mild to moderate cases of acne is usually the application of topical benzoyl peroxide combined with the ingestion or application of corresponding antibacterial solutions. For more severe cases, a combination of hormonal pills along with antibacterial which are prescribed by a doctor nay be necessary. All of these should be accompanied by the right hygiene procedure in cleaning the skin.  

Hygiene also plays a big role in controlling acne. Keeping the skin, especially the facial skin as well as the chest, neck and back parts is essential. This can reduce the occurrence of clogged pores and dirt in the skin which can contribute to the condition.