Statistics reveal that around 20 percent of people in the United States have abnormally high cholesterol. High cholesterol is a major factor of risk in heart disease and therefore it needs to be reduced to normal levels in order to maintain the health of the organism. In some people, high cholesterol levels can be lowered through the means of a healthy diet and proper physical exercise. However, people with genetic predispositions to heart disease and cholesterol accumulation sometimes also require medications for lowering blood cholesterol levels. Some people have high cholesterol levels due to liver hyperactivity or other internal dysfunctions. For this category of people, appropriate diet, frequent physical exercise and lifestyle improvements aren’t sufficient in normalizing blood cholesterol values. There are many factors that facilitate the accumulation of cholesterol inside the bloodstream. Unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol abuse all contribute to cholesterol accumulation in the organism. However, age, gender and genetic heritage are also major factors that determine either overproduction or inappropriate elimination of blood cholesterol. High cholesterol levels are usually characteristic to people with ages over 50. Women generally have lower blood cholesterol levels than men. However, post-menopausal women have higher blood cholesterol levels than young men. Genetic heritage also affects blood cholesterol levels and people with a family history of cardio-vascular diseases usually have high cholesterol and are very exposed to developing heart disease. Cholesterol is needed inside the organism in very small quantities. In excess, the substance can cause a lot of damage to arteries, tissues and body organs, perturbing normal blood circulation. By clogging the coronary arteries, cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is a viscous substance produced by the liver. This substance has a very important role in synthesizing vitamin D. Cholesterol is also required for producing hormones (testosterone and estrogen) and bile salts that contribute to the digestion of fat. The best thing to do when you have high cholesterol is to keep a good diet. Although diet alone can’t always overcome cholesterol problems, it can considerably reduce “bad cholesterol”. “Bad cholesterol” (low-density lipoprotein) is very harmful for the body and it is the major factor of risk in heart disease. By following a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, natural fibers and unsaturated fat you can normalize blood cholesterol levels. In order to reduce blood cholesterol levels, you should avoid foods that are rich in saturated fat (animal products) and include more vegetables and fruits in your diet. Fresh fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers that can help in decongesting the arteries filled with cholesterol deposits. You should avoid smoking and alcohol, as they are known to facilitate the accumulation of cholesterol inside the body. People with high cholesterol levels should exercise regularly and lose extra pounds, as obesity is also a factor of risk in heart disease. High cholesterol levels are reversible and if nothing seems to be working for you, there are medical treatments that can improve your condition.
Archive for ◊ September, 2009 ◊
Most people that come to see me for the first time think they are going to meet someone who is a bit weird. They wonder who this person is that does this magical and mystical thing called hypnosis. The fact is, there are no special powers to Hypnotherapy. Hypnosis is no more than deep relaxation, a very natural therapy. Due to this misconception and the fact that hypnosis can be very affective in helping people make changes in their lives, they expect something strange and magical to happen. Unfortunately, the belief that hypnosis is magical and mystical frightens a lot of people away from hypnotherapy, which is a shame as it means they do not get the chance to see if it might help them. It is very understandable that people may be a little concerned about hypnotherapy. The thought that they will lose consciousness, not know what is going to happen and that the hypnotist will be able to control their mind, making them do things against their will, is indeed a frightening thought. So what is hypnosis? Hypnosis is just very deep relaxation. When hypnotised you are fully conscious at all times. You are aware of things going on around you and you cannot be made to do anything against your will. In a normal state of mind something stops you from being able to do things you want to do, however, Hypnotherapy can help you to do the things you usually find difficult in your everyday life. This could include stopping unwanted habits or even fear of certain things. Many people wonder what it “feels” like to by hypnotised. Well, there is no such thing as a hypnotised “feeling”. All you feel is extremely relaxed. When hypnotised you will enter a trance like state. Trance states are not magical or mystical. We all go into trance states many times in a day, either when we are reading, watching television, day dreaming, or even when we are driving. Yes, we often go into a state of trance when driving. Anybody who has been driving for sometime will have had occasions when they can’t remember driving past that roundabout or have had no recollection of taking a corner or going through a village or town. They have been in a trance state, but they must have been fully conscious, fully awake and aware to have driven safely. It is that type of trance that you enter when hypnotized. Fully conscious but very relaxed. So, if hypnosis is not spiritual or magical how can it help so many different people with so many different problems? A lot of the problems people have come from a feeling from within. Therefore, the feelings that will change that problem will also have to come from within. Whilst in that relaxed state called hypnosis we can learn how to see things in a different way. We can learn how to change negative feelings to positive ones. All we need to overcome a problem is the belief we can overcome it. If we think of a child learning to ride a bike, all the time he believes dad is holding the saddle he can ride the bike, even if dad has let go, but as soon as he realises no one is supporting him he becomes unstable. The role of hypnosis is to enable you to have the belief that you can overcome a specific problem through what is known as auto-suggestion. So there we have it. There is nothing magical or mystical in hypnosis, it’s all in the mind.
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Most people who compare science with religion are forgetting one key aspect of science that does not exist within any religious system and is excluded from religion by nature. Science, unlike religion, is a self-correcting system. This is exemplified by people discovering that the world was round and not flat, and that smoking could cause lung cancer. What could be scientific heresy now could become the scientific fact of the next decade. Some researchers, following in the footsteps of the smoking-cancer connection, believe that the next medical heresy to be accepted as fact involves the perilous graveyard shift, known to some as the night shift. There are now studies being conducted to see whether or not night shift work increases the risk for cancer. Other known carcinogens include ultraviolet radiation, anabolic steroids, and engine exhaust fumes. Apparently, the study was prompted due to the results of various studies indicating that night work had a link with the increased number of cases of breast cancer. There is also the obvious link between night shift workers and smoking, which can lead to a number of respiratory disorders even for those who don’t actually smoke. Apparently, this was prompted by one study that found a seemingly trivial correlation between an increase in night shift workers and the increase in people who get diagnosed for breast cancer. This connection, which was initially mocked by the medical community, was later substantiated with statistics. Today, more and more researchers are focusing their work on establishing clear, scientific proof of the night shift – cancer connection in response to the proliferation of call centers and other business process outsourcing operations. More recent studies have indicated that women who work in the night shift are more prone to suffer from or develop breast cancer. Cancerous cells also appeared to develop and spread faster for animals that had switched their day-night sleep cycle, with data supporting the possibility that the same could occur in humans. Prostate cancer may also be a concern for night shift workers who are male, with statistics showing that an alarmingly large number of men on the graveyard shift developing the condition. This, combined with the prevalence of smoking as a habit among night workers, is starting to make the graveyard shift seem like a genuine health risk. However, these studies focused primarily on airline employees and medical professionals, such as nurses and doctors. As such, the data may be incomplete when one considers the number of jobs and companies that require night work to be put in. It also does not count the various types of jobs in overseas territories that are operated only at night because the clients targeted reside in opposite time zones. Still, the American Cancer Society has announced that it does have plans on adding night shift work to the list of known and probable carcinogens, which may generate some sort of reaction or backlash from companies that have graveyard shift employees. Still, the organization believes there is enough evidence to support it being labeled as “probable,” but are willing to wait for further data before pronouncing it as “known.”
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When you think about what hot drinks you want to have at the morning, or for that matter, at any other time of the day, consider this: caffeine can seriously affect your health. Now it is no secret that some of the tea companies use caffeine in their products; you can of course choose those that don’t – for example, let us take Wissotzky tea: Black tea has 60 – 70 mg of caffeine, Green tea has 15 – 20 mg while Herbal Tea would have no caffeine at all. The variety of tastes is quite large: Raspberry Tea, Peach Tea, Nana Tea, Lemon Tea, Cherry Tea – and most importantly – no side effects. It may appear surprising that drinking something like tea should cause anything at all, yet it is important to know the facts. As turns out, caffeine may act upon our moods – especially if you have a tendency towards depression – be aware – consuming caffeine may depress you even more. To those of you with depression tendencies – avoid caffeine at all cause! Especially when mixed with white sugar, it operates on the brain and may make you feel worse than you did before (brown sugar is better anyway). As you have surely by this time realized – coffee may be your biggest enemy. Black coffee consists 150 mg of caffeine and Instant coffee 120 mg. If you’re a “heavy drinker”, do the math. And let us not forget Coca Cola. This same drink that has conquered the world so fast is another host of caffeine. It is not in vain that caffeine is compared to drugs – indeed, some of us are real Cola-addicts! (I confess, I used to be one myself) Please, don’t be depressed by this, my intention in precisely the opposite one: my solution was simply not drinking it anymore. There are plenty of other delicious drinks that consist of herbs, and work to improve you daily nutrition. I know that simply refusing something you like may sound hard to do, yet it is quite simple when you try.
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When you are trying to choose a Podiatrist you will find that it is much like choosing any kind of Doctor. You will have to take your time and check out the possibilities with care to ensure that you are getting the right specialist for you. It is always a good idea to choose one that has a membership in the American Podiatric Medical Association or the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. You can do many things to find the correct Doctor for you. You can ask your family physician for a referral to a good Podiatrist. They will be able to tell you from experience who they think would be best for you. On a personal level you can ask many friends or family members to assist you in the choosing of a good physician. One good place to find out information on any kind of Doctor, are the nurses. They usually work with a lot of physicians and can often be a good source for objective and helpful information. They can tell you a lot about their ability and their professionalism as well as their personality and their behavior. You can also look in the directory if you are having a hard time finding out about any of the Podiatrists. You can always call their office and ask for patient referrals to help you make your decision. Usually there are a few patients that will allow their names to be used as references for other patients. You should ask questions and find out all you can about the Podiatrists that you are thinking of using. The best thing that you can do is making an appointment with the doctor and sees how you feel about him. Do not be afraid to ask questions and find out all you can about his ability. You should also feel comfortable around this person. You are putting your life into his hands and you want the very best for your health care provider. Meeting with the Podiatrist will give you all of the information that you will have to have to make a good decision. Make sure that you can trust this person to handle your medical procedures. You should be able to determine whether or not you can feel good about using this doctor right away. Your instincts are the best source of judgment on anyone’s character and this will include your Podiatrist as well. The main thing is to do your research and find out all you can first. Do not go with a random search in the yellow pages. Your feet and health are important and you should be getting only the very best care for them.
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Newport’s, Winston’s, Salem’s, Marlboro Lights Don’t matter what the kind is Cause you got me smoking out on you Got me puffin’ ’bout a pack a night And I know it ain’t healthy — “Smoking Cigarettes” by Tweet Like the phrase from the song “Smoking Cigarettes” by Tweet, smoking isn’t good for one’s body. Especially if you’ve been smoking a pack a day, and for a long period of time. But what is the full extent of the effects of smoking on your body? The effects of smoking varies from person to person as it will depend on the person’s vulnerability to the chemical in cigarette or tobacco smoke. It will also depend on the number of cigarette sticks a person smokes per day, the age when the person first started to smoke, and the number of years the person has been smoking. According to recent studies, every year hundreds of thousands of people all over the globe die from medical complications caused by smoking. Aside from the stench it leaves on one’s clothes, breath, and hair, it also has other complications. Here are some of the different effects of smoking: l Immediate effects upon smoking a cigarette stick: Ѓ Raises a person’s blood pressure and heart rate. Ѓ Decreases a person’s blood flow to body extremities like the fingers and toes. Ѓ The brain and the nervous system is stimulated for a short time and then reduced. Ѓ Dizziness. Ѓ Nausea. Ѓ Watery eyes. Ѓ Hyperacidity. Ѓ Weakened sense of taste and smell. Ѓ Loss of appetite. l Other effects: Ѓ Shortness of breath. Ѓ Chronic coughing Ѓ Reduced overall fitness. Ѓ Yellowish stain on the smoker’s fingers and teeth. Ѓ Smokers experience more coughs and colds as compared to non-smokers. Ѓ Difficulty recovering from minor illnesses. Ѓ Impotence for men, infertility for women. Ѓ Facial wrinkles appear at an early age, making them look older than non-smokers of the same age. Because they experience these different side effects, they have a higher risk of developing diseases like: l respiratory tract infections (like pneumonia and chronic bronchitis) l emphysema (collapse of the small airways in the lungs) l heart attack and other coronary diseases l different kinds of cancers (lungs, throat, mouth, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, and stomach) l stomach ulcers l peripheral vascular disease due to a decreased blood flow to the legs. Once a person becomes addicted to cigarettes, they may find themselves experiencing different withdrawal symptoms when they decide to stop. These withdrawal symptoms include: l increased nervousness and tension l agitation l loss of concentration l change in sleep patterns l headaches l coughs l strong cravings For pregnant women, it is important to know that the growing child in their womb may suffer if they continue smoking. The effects of smoking to a growing fetus include: low birth weight, premature birth, or stillbirth. Even those who do not smoke are at risk of incurring diseases. Second hand smoke may cause lung cancer or heart problems to those who passively inhale smoke exhaled by smokers. Smoking may make a person look cool or macho, but you should consider more than just how it would make you look. Keep in mind that smoking has harmful effects that can end up claiming your life. Before you light up your next cigarette, think of the various harmful effects of smoking and if you’d want that to happen to you.