Health tips

The average American eats more sugar in one day than our ancestors did during an entire lifetime. They prized sugary foods for their abundant calories and quick energy spike. Thus, now we are wired to reach for the cookie jar over and over and over � even though we have no lions to outrun. Sugar has a very high caloric content and virtually no nutritional value. Besides causing weight gain, it also encourages inflammation and infection, compromises the immune system and raises insulin levels. Insulin encourages the storage of fat, elevates triglyceride levels and promotes cardiovascular disease, asthma, mood swings, diabetes, gallstones, hypertension and arthritis. Still want that piece of cake? We all know that sugar can cause health problems, however our eating culture revolves around sugary, salty, fatty, unhealthy foods. Even those without a raging sweet tooth will find that it's almost impossible to avoid eating refined sugar these days, as grocery manufacturers routinely ad...

Nutritionists have long advised us to add color to our diet. In fact, they say the more colors we eat, the better balanced the meal. A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine supports this belief. Carotenoids are yellow, orange and red pigments made by plants that come into our body through fruits and vegetables. They're found in yellow-orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, and dark green vegetables, like green beans. There are two types of carotenoids, alpha- and beta-carotene, which both produce vitamin A in our bodies. More is known about beta-carotene because of its possible role in preventing chronic disease. Now, in a new study of over 15-thousand adults, researchers measured the concentration of alpha-carotene in the blood. Over a 14 year period they found that the risk of death was lower for people with elevated levels of alpha-carotene. The investigators think that the benefits of high alpha-carotene eventually flattens out - it's not an elixir ...

To date, I have written in this column thirteen (13) articles on health tips on the use of cell phones� as a public service to remind cell phone users of the harmful effects of the excessive use of cell phone because of radiation exposure. Here are additional health tips on the use of cell phones that I got from the internet. Should you wish to confirm the information I am sharing with the readers of this column; or should you need further information to convince you of the health risks of cell phone radiation, please check the internet:- � Do you know that different cell phones emit different amount of radiation? And do you know that cell phones are just complex two-way radios and that if one is talking on a cell phone, he/she is actually talking and listening to a two-way radio that is broadcasting a very, very high frequency signal right next to one�s head; � Do you know that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a law requiring retailers of cell phones to post notices...

Planning for holiday meals should include more than a delicious menu and invited guests. The McHenry County Department of Health wants residents to practice safe food handling, as well. Keeping �hot things hot (more than 135 degrees) and cold things cold� can reduce your risk of a food-borne illness. Other safety tips: � Thaw frozen meats in the refrigerator (allow one day for each 5 pounds of weight plus an extra day or two). � Wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before and after handling foods. � Clean all kitchen surfaces before you begin cooking. � Scrub cutting boards with hot soapy water after preparing food to avoid cross contamination. � Use a metal-stemmed food thermometer to ensure that food is cooked to the proper temperature. Food is safely cooked when it reaches a high enough internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria. Poultry, stuffed pasta and reheated foods should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Ground meats, pork and eggs sho...

The Kansas Department of Health and Environments  wants to remind  Kansans that as cold weather approaches the dangers associated with Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning increase.     Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is extremely poisonous and can kill within minutes. CO is found in combustion fumes, such as those made by automobiles,    portable generators, stoves, gas ranges and heating systems.  CO from these fumes can build up in places that do not have a good flow of fresh air and breathing high levels of CO can cause severe illness or death in a matter of minutes.  KDHE reminds people to have their gas appliances inspected to insure they are not leaking and that they have the proper ventilation.   For more information and tips about CO, visit www.kdheks.gov/beh/index.html or call the KDHE Bureau of Environmental Health, 785-296-5606. Source  http://www.ksnt.com/news/local/s...

Cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole � with Thanksgiving right around the corner, people watching their waistlines are hoping to keep them in check during the holidays. Thomas Lemke, a registered dietitian and licensed with Intergris Bass Baptist Health Center, said stopping overeating begins in the morning. �My basic recommendation is always start with breakfast,� he said. �I recommend you always eat breakfast on the day of a holiday. People who eat breakfast tend to be lighter overall because they don�t tend to overeat later in the day.� Pamela Baggett, a registered dietitian and licensed dietitian with St. Mary�s Regional Medical Center, added skipping breakfast can lead to loss of self-control. �What we need to think about is not skipping breakfast because by lunch I will be so ravenous that I have no self-control,� she said. With many people hitting the road to visit friends and family during the holiday season, several end up arriving fam...

Shopping, decorating, cooking, wrapping gifts, visiting with family and friends, traveling � while many find joy in the activities of the holiday season, others find themselves overwhelmed by the obligations. Experts say the most important part of handling holiday stress is preparing for it. Understanding that the season will bring additional tasks and interrupt the normal daily flow helps curb stress levels. �The first thing I tell people is that you have to be aware that the holidays are always stress inducing,� said Jim Sendelbach, a Conyers-based therapist. �We have to be aware that our schedule and routines change frequently and radically.� People should approach the holidays with realistic expectations, said Dr. Gretchen Collins, medical director for the Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton Community Service Board, a public health agency which provides mental health, developmental disabilities and addictive diseases services. Ignore the bombardment of perfect-looking, happy families at ...

Sleep is vital need of body and is essential for every individual. At least seven to nine hours of sound sleep will determine the mood for the whole day. If one doesn't get good sleep at night, he or she will feel sleepy all day long and might even lead to depression over a period of time. In this fast-paced world where people run ahead of time to achieve their preset goals, it has become very difficult to have a sound sleep at night. Here are a few sound sleep tips that will help in getting a good sleep. Most of these bedtime tips or suggestions were tested and found to have helped the people in achieving the desired rest and sleep. Sound Sleep Tips 1.Don't take a long nap during the day; this may make it more difficult to fall asleep at night. 2.Eat at regular intervals during the daytime. Avoid heavy meals at night. 3.Quit smoking, at least try not to smoke at least an hour before going to bed. 4.Take a warm bath before going to bed; or else listen to some soothing music or ...

One spring afternoon in 1943, Louie Zamperini came crashing out of the sky in his WWII-era bomber plane and landed in the Pacific Ocean. He remained there for 47 days, floating at sea in a life raft. Author Laura Hillenbrand traces Zamperini�s story in Unbroken , which follows his life through to his miraculous rescue ( read our excerpt here. ) Should you find yourself similarly inconvenienced at sea, we asked two survival experts for their tips on how to brave the odds. For best results, print this before you embark. Remain Calm. Really. �Fear is pretty disabling. If you�re afraid of something, your temptation is to turn away from it�to look away from it, whether it�s an emotional situation or a physical thing. Think about your own life. � As soon as you turn away from reality you become less competent. Survivors are people who are comfortable with reality and its uncertainties.� �Clint Willis, editor of Adrenaline Books, which has published 3...

In the rush of the holiday season, most people worry about on-time delivery of important gifts and packages for friends and loved ones. But for a pregnant woman due around the holidays, there�s an added worry about when her baby will arrive. Around the holidays, many pregnant women experience pressure from family or their healthcare providers to �schedule� their baby�s birthday around festivities and travel plans. Lamaze warns that scheduling a baby�s delivery without a compelling medical reason can put the baby at risk. �Few doctors want to be pacing the halls on Thanksgiving or Christmas, waiting for a mother to deliver,� said Marilyn Curl, CNM, MSN, LCCE, FACCE and president of Lamaze International. �So it�s not uncommon to see a surge of women with normal pregnancies being told that there might be an issue and that they should consider scheduling the delivery, coincidentally, right before a holiday.� Healthcare professionals aren�t the only ones who may try to rush the arrival of b...

Beginning next week, Medicare Part D beneficiaries will have the opportunity to switch to a new prescription plan. Choosing a plan that covers your medications for a lower cost could save you hundreds of dollars in 2011. About 2.6 million beneficiaries enrolled in prescription drug plans will see a premium increase of at least $10 per month if they stay in their current plan. Current beneficiaries can choose a new Medicare Part D plan between November 15 and December 31. Here are some important factors to consider when choosing among the Part D plans in your area: Compare premiums . The average monthly Part D premium will be $40.72 in 2011 if beneficiaries remain in their current plan, which is up 10 percent from $36.90 in 2010, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. Average premiums vary considerably by location, ranging from $29.01 per month in New Mexico to $46.51 per month in Idaho and Utah. "We have seen plans that have had pretty substantial increases in pre...

The Wellness Center at Snow Health Center has displayed a large black panel advocating the benefits of a good night�s sleep. Posted on the panel are resource brochures and tips for a consistent night�s sleep. One piece of information missing is learning how to balance sleep with the rollercoaster of being a college student. Balancing sleep with school, work and friends is a decision some college students have to make on a daily basis. This can be seen as a problem with no solution, because each factor is interdependent on the other for success. Too often, students are forced to choose an activity at the expense of sleep. Business management major Keith Blackwell admits to choosing fun and school over sleep too much, and it�s a habit he needs to break. Sleep in college, where he sleeps about seven to eight hours a day, is easier than sleep high school, when he woke up at 6 a.m. �If I choose fun over sleep, I lose sleep, but that�s the sacrifice I have to make,� Blackwell, 22, said...

Smoking is injurious to health. This is the statutory tag which anyone can find on the cigarette packet. It is not clearly described what kinds of injury are caused when anyone smokes. Even a school student can find how smoking affects the human lungs. Everyone knows that the physicians advise the patients to give up smoking. The patients suffering from diabetic, blood pressure, nervous, digestive and cardiac ailment should not touch a single cigarette. Smoking of cigarettes, it is now established, can turn one into a patient with ailment of cancer. Injuries caused by smoking are much more. The smokers do not know how their near and dear ones become serious victims as they are forced to inhale the smokes of burnt tobacco passively. It is said that effect on the passive smokers is more harmful. Millions of smokers have been attacking the environment with unfathomable volume of smokes everyday, and the environment gets polluted more and more. One important thing is that, despite all that...

�The science of nutrition travels so rapidly that it is almost impossible to keep up with it,� wrote Lenna Frances Cooper in her textbook, �Nutrition in Health and Disease.� Wow, is she right! Nutrition research findings hit the headlines daily. It�s a lot of information to digest. But, get this: She made that observation in 1931. Cooper, a nurse and dietitian, was a dean at the Battle Creek Health Care Institution in Battle Creek, Mich. She was one of the co-founders of the American Dietetic Association and was appointed to the staff of the U.S. surgeon general. You know how most folks think of healthy foods as the ones that don�t taste very good? Well, Cooper was even on the case when she wrote in the foreword of her cookbook, �The New Cookery�: �Many food faddists have attempted to prepare wholesome foods but have neglected the almost equally important requirement � palatability.� In honor of Cooper�s pioneering diet advice from 1931, here are a few tips to dine out more healthf...

Daylight-Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7 and board-certified sleep physician, Anthony Masi, M.D., with the Sleep Center Institute at St. Mary�s Health Center, offers the following tips for getting a good night�s sleep. He also offers questions to determine if you have a bigger sleep issue that requires medical diagnosis and treatment. Good sleep tips: Don't eat a heavy meal before bedtime Don't drink a lot of caffeine or alcohol before bedtime Don't nap during the day, or at least keep it brief -- 10 to 15 minutes Stop working on any task an hour before bedtime to calm down Don't discuss emotional issues at bedtime Make sure your sleep environment is comfortable Don't turn lights on at night - use a small night-light instead Don�t fall asleep with the television still on Set a regular bedtime and wake up at the same time every day Fight after�dinner drowsiness by doing something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep too early...

Apart from it culinary use, fennel is a resourceful, aromatic herb that acts as a breath freshener, relieves dry coughs, relaxes the bloating of the stomach and intestine walls, controls hypertension, clears cloudy eyes, and also aids in slimming down that stomach!! Here are a few tips of fennel to good health. Tip 1- Drink Fennel Tea   To de-puff your stomach before a big event, drink fennel tea, which helps ease digestive woes, says Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, author of The Fat Flush Plan. Start sipping a few nights ahead of time. Tip 2 � Munch Fennel   Munching on 5 to 10 fennel seeds sweetens your breath naturally. In addition to increasing the production of saliva (which washes out bacteria), the herb's essential oil boasts antibacterial properties that may help fight bad-breath germs, says Andrew Gaeddert, an herbalist and the author of Healing Digestive Disorders. Fennel seeds can be carried in a small container and consumed post-meals. Tip-3 � Chew Fennel to Relax ...

Living a healthy lifestyle encompasses a plethora of things - it goes well beyond diet and exercise. Working to alleviate stress and getting enough sleep are two major factors to a healthier you. These five simple lifestyle tips can help improve your overall health and well-being throughout each day. Establish everyday healthy tips habits: Diet and exercise are essential for a good night sleep. Regular exercise in the morning or during the day, for just 30 minutes, will help you fall into a deeper sleep and wake up with more energy. Avoiding caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants will increase your quality of sleep as well. Also, staying away from heavy, fatty foods at dinnertime will promote a healthier digestive system. By eating at least two hours before bed, your body will be able to digest food more easily, which will help to keep you from tossing and turning. Just relax: After a long day, it is crucial to get some rest and relaxation to stay healthy. Reducing stress is important...