Posts Tagged ‘health’

Healthy Aging Means to Take Care of You

August 3rd, 2009

The aging process is going by each and everyday of our lives. Stopping the clock is impossible so we all need to stay healthy and take care of ourselves. There is no way you can turn around the process, as we grow older so except it and take care.

Start working now to take care of yourself as you age. Taking care of yourself now will help slow down those aging diseases. A person can do many things, as they get older to take care of their health.

You can start out by taking your multivitamins and all other prescriptions your health care provider has prescribed to you. Taking vitamins is as important as anything else you can do is. Vitamins will provide your body with repair tools. Vitamins will lessen the dangers and the risk of you getting some of the chronic diseases that you can acquire as you age. Diet alone doesn’t normally give a person all the vitamins that they need. In fact, experts show that millions of people in the world suffer malnutrition despite the fact that they eat three healthy meals per day. People are known to eat too much fast food, go on fads or quick weight diets that harm the body. This builds stress, which causes loss of vitamins.

Maybe you’re a person who eats many processed foods because of your busy life style and there is just no time to cook the right meals. You could be one that stops off at a fast food place to eat three or four times a week before going to work or home from work because you are just to tired to fix supper. Remember eating all that fast food isn’t good for the digestive system and all that fat from them fries isn’t good. Take time to fix a meal and sit down to enjoy it; doing this will cut down on the calorie intake and it helps to relieve stress because your doing something good for you and or your family.

Stop worrying about everyone else; take time out for you. Stress is bad for your heart, which affects your blood pressure, nervous system, and is hard in general on your body. Stress can cause many things, even causing a person to become obese. The world is turning at such a fast pace these days that there is never time to take care of us, so start now.

Try doing a little exercise to stay healthy as you age. Every little bit of exercise you do is better than not any at all. An average person should exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. A person has many options when it comes to exercise. Walking is a great exercise, since it helps you keep those muscles more flexibly and stronger.

How happiness makes you live a longer life:
Happiness is another way to stay healthy as you age. If you are not happy find out why and turn it around so you will be. Being happy and being with friends is always a good way to keep the stress away to. Don’t let yourself get depressed and down; it will make your aging come upon you sooner than you want and it can cause you to be a very sick person. Depression is a sickness and you want to stay away from all that.

Again, there is no way you can stop from aging so stay in good health and slow it down. Keep yourself happy, do those exercises and take those vitamins. Staying active helps keeps the stress down, keep you stronger and you’ll feel better for doing it.

No comments »

Posted in Healthy Aging

Tags:

Healthy Aging and Doctor Visits

August 1st, 2009

Many of us despise visiting the doctors all the time although doctor visits can help keep us healthy. Some people enjoy visiting the doctors, since they are aware that it will keep them updated with their health issues. This is a good thing.

How visiting your doctor regularly benefits you:
We should all go see our doctors at least once a year to get our yearly exam, unless we have illnesses that require frequent visits. This will help your doctor keep watch over your health. The doctor keeps a watch on your blood pressure, check your heart and so on. Breast exams, vaginal exams and other exams are essential for women. Every six months women should seek a pelvic exam and once a year depending on age, the patient should get a mammogram. There are a million reasons to see your doctor regularly. If you stay healthy you will feel better and you will be running stronger when the rest of us are laying in our bed wishing we would had listen.

How do I find a doctor?
Finding a doctor is not hard for some and harder for others. You can check with people and ask them whom they have for a doctor or you can call your local hospital in your area and see who is in your area. Keep in mind that because you do not have a doctor now, it may make you feel uncomfortable when seeing a doctor for the first time. You need to find a doctor that makes you feel comfortable for this reason.

You have to have a friendship with your doctor this way you will feel more a rest. If you do not like your doctor, other doctors are available that you can visit. You just have to find one that you like and go with that one.

How frequent doctor visits make you feel healthier:
You will feel healthier for one thing when you visit the doctor frequently. Frequent visits will make you feel much better in the end. If there is something, wrong with you the doctor will be able to see it and can with hopes fix the problem but it you don’t go the doctor will not be able to fix the problems.

Doctors are your best friend. When you have a doctor in your corner the doctor will take extra care to make sure you are healthy.

The doctor can help you to live a healthier life so you will look younger and feel younger. Do you know that saying ole’ saying, “you are as old as you feel?” This saying can become yours by visiting your doctor frequently.

As we grow older, we often feel sluggish. The reason is that our living cells are not replacing dying cells as quickly, as well other mechanisms within us, such as metabolism is not producing as quick. This causes us to feel sluggish. To feel better we need vitamins, herbs, and medications sometimes.

What we need is accomplished when we seek professional support, since that support, team will evaluate and diagnose your problems. The diagnostics is what determines what the doctor can do to help you feel better. If you ignore the doctor, you may face Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, strokes and so on. Most diagnosis have cures, the problem is most people do not seek medical attention until it is too late.

If you are seeking medical support, you can go online, type in your zip code and conduct a random search. The sites online will offer you a list of doctors in your area.

No comments »

Posted in Healthy Aging

Tags:

The Hidden Cause of Neck Pain and Lower Back Pain

July 31st, 2009
by Stephen Akamine

The Complex Causes of Neck Pain and Lower Back Pain. The 2 most common forms of pain in the human anatomy are Neck Pain and Lower Back Pain, although the cause of either can be complex at times due to so many different causes. There is however, a root cause or secondary cause of Neck Pain or Lower Back Pain that is frequently overlooked, very difficult to diagnose, and oftentimes labeled as a secret or hidden cause. Neck Pain or Lower Back Pains hidden cause or secret source is known as Facet Joint Pain or Facet Syndrome. Facet Syndrome, or simply Facet Joint Pain is directly related to pain in the facet joints, and is a chronic pain syndrome, which is a collection of Chronic Neck Pain symptoms or Chronic Lower Back Pain Symptoms.

What is Articulation of a Facet Joint? Facet Joints are posterior Spinal Joints that connect an adjacent upper and lower vertebrae together. The medical name Zygapophyseal Joint for a Facet Joint is complex in itself and difficult to pronounce. The Facet Joint moves in a manner that is medically known as Articulation within defined ranges of motion. Facet Joint articulation includes bending forward, which is known as flexion, bending backward, which is known as extension, and twisting to either the left or to the right, which for the Neck is known as Cervical rotation, and for the Lower Back, which is known as Thoracolumbar rotation. Flexion stretches and unloads the Facet Joint, while extension compresses or loads the Facet Joint. Facet Joints also limit range of motion in the spine, which helps to prevent excessive range of motion that can cause damage to spinal discs.

What is a Synovial Joint? Facet joints are Synovial Joints- the most common joint in the human body. A Synovial Joint is characterized by having a joint capsule, joint capsule fluid-synovial fluid to lubricate the inside of the joint, and cartilage on the outside of the joint between the upper and lower adjacent surfaces of each vertebra to allow a smooth gliding movement.

What could cause Facet Arthritis or Facet Arthropathy? Facet Arthropathy or Facet Arthropathy is a Chronic Pain condition that can be caused by wear and tear, degeneration of the cartilage surfaces, joint capsule. Facet Arthritis or Facet Arthropathy represents a form of facet joint inflammation and is one of the syndromes of Facet Joint Pain.

How is Joint Movement affected? When the articulation of the Facet Joint is in some way restricted, then Facet Joint Pain is often the result. When the joint becomes stuck or fixated in the open or closed position or in the partially open or partially closed position, then Facet Joint Pain is often the result. Either the muscles surrounding the joint could be the source of the problem, or the dysfunction of the joint itself could be the problem. The muscles surrounding the joint could become hypertonic-extremely tight causing compression and loading and restricted articulation resulting in pain, or the joint could have a problem binding, or becoming stuck open or closed, resulting in Facet Joint Pain, which in turn causes a problem with the muscles surrounding the joint.

What else can cause Facet Joint Pain? Some causes of Facet joint pain are: Abnormal spinal curvature, Hyperlordosis-excessive arch in the lower back, Scoliosis-Lateral Lumbar spinal curvature, Injury or Trauma, Incorrect Neck Posture or incorrect Lower Back Posture or Forward Pelvic Rotation.

What are some common Symptoms of Facet Syndrome for the Lower Back? The initial onset of pain might be related to a rotational spinal injury or a spinal injury involving hyperextension of the spine. Lower back facet joint pain symptoms include increased pain upon side bending or twisting or arching the lower back or torso, lower back pain or tenderness, deep dull aching pain that moves to the buttocks or the back of the thighs, and/or stiffness or difficulty with certain movements, such as standing up straight or getting up out of a chair.

What are the Neck-Cervical Facet Syndrome Symptoms? Facet Join pain neck symptoms include Neck Pain, Headaches, Shoulder Pain, and/or difficulty side bending or rotating the head. Ensure that the Facet Joint Pain Assessment clearly indicates the pain scale for the associated problems. Find out if there is a history of whiplash or any other kind of neck injury.

Is Facet Joint Articulation restricted? Articulation is the single most important question that needs to be answered, and if we conduct a special test known as the spring test which can test for basic joint movement, we can maybe hope to have some kind of answer.

What Exercises will help to relieve my Facet Joint Pain? If excessive lower back curvature " Lumbar Lordosis, and hypertonic hip flexors and hypertonic lower back musculature is causing compression of the lumbar facet joints, stretching and strengthening exercises to reduce joint compression and help prevent joint fixation will be required to reverse the postural distortion that has occurred. If the cervical (neck) spine is affected by excessive forward head posture and hypertonic neck musculature, there are strengthening and stretching exercises for postural correction and hypertonicity reduction as well. As mentioned above, the experienced Clinical Massage Therapist will be able to formulate an effective exercise treatment plan.

About the Author:
Stephen Akamine focuses his efforts on the treatment of Myofascial Pain and is highly regarded as one of the top Licensed Medical Massage Therapists in the State of Hawaii. You can find Facet Joint Pain information and information about soft tissue treatment for pain at his online resource center.

Incoming search terms for the article:

2 comments »

Posted in Injuries

Tags:

The Most Common Causes of Diabetes

July 30th, 2009
by Barb Hicks

For years, scientists have studied the pancreas, and still, they have yet to discover a solid reason as to why the pancreas stops producing insulin or produces ineffective insulin. However, science has discovered a mutant gene handed down from our ancestors that may be the cause. Other possible causes for Diabetes include:

Potbelly/Over Weight Stress/Anxiety Infections of the Pancreas, Genetics Inactivity Cholesterol/Triglyceride Elevations

It is interesting to note that the risk factors for heart disease and diabetes are both one in the same.

Insulin is a hormone the pancreas secretes. As the glucose levels in the body rise, the insulin is converted into energy the body uses as fuel. In a diabetic, the pancreas produces either insufficient amounts of insulin or produces insulin that is ineffective in the body. Symptoms of this include polyuria or frequent urination as well as polydipsia or excessive thirst.

How the body reacts to insufficient insulin:

Resistance to insulin is described as the body producing sufficient amounts of insulin but is not using appropriately. Another type of diabetes is where the insulin produced does not allow for glucose levels to be raised and the body can not convert it into much needed energy.

Is it curable?

Presently no, but there are several exciting and experimental procedures being performed that are showing high success rates. These procedures include;

Transplant of Pancreas: This procedure is for anyone with uncontrollable Type 1 DM diabetes, but have a functioning kidney. In patients who underwent this procedure, insulin injections were no longer required to keep them alive and the risk factors with diabetes were greatly decreased.

Kidney/Pancreas Transplant: Reserved for patients who have substantial kidney failure as well as uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes. This surgical procedure allows the patient to be free of dialysis treatments and insulin injections. Patients who avoid rejecting their organs in the first year after surgery have a greater likelihood of non-rejection for 10 years and more.

Islet Transplants: This procedure is currently in clinical trials and involves replacing the bad Islets Of Langerhans with good islets from a deceased donor. Islets of Langerhans are the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas. The islets are extracted from the donor pancreas and injected into the liver of the receiver. The cells start manufacturing insulin which works to regulate blood sugar levels.

In a study of patients who received islet transplants, five out of thirty-six still remain free of the need for insulin two years after the procedure. Although these procedures are experimental and not yet approved by the FDA, they have all shown positive results.

The search for better treatments and a cure for diabetes are on-going, and it is hoped that a cure will present itself in the very near future. But until then, lifestyle changes will help those who are living with diabetes to live a long and productive life in spite of having the disease.

About the Author:
Barb Hicks is a Licensed Registered Nurse who loves to write and share her knowledge about Diabetes Cure with others. She also provides more information about Diabetes Facts on Clivir.com.

No comments »

Posted in Women's Health / Gynecology

Tags: