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Dealing With Panic Attacks

December 15th, 2009

Every so often, all of us have problems with some type of panic attack. Getting really scared can cause a panic attack. Being really nervous because of an upcoming event can trigger a panic attack. They’re not pleasant, and there’s never a good time for one. Luckily, there are a few things you can do whenever one comes up.

Photo Credit: www.treatment-for-anxiety.org

Photo Credit: www.treatment-for-anxiety.org

The first thing you can do is to try to slow down your breathing. That’s easier said that done, but one trick you can use is to start breathing deeper. If you can breathe as deeply as possible, it slows down how many times you can breathe in a short period of time, and it eventually will help you to regain some calmness.

Another thing you can do is chiropractic stretching or flexing. This doesn’t take a lot of exertion, but it’s another way people relax. You can do it standing up or sitting down, which means you don’t have to try to move too far from where you already are. Sometimes just the act of doing something else will calm your mind enough to help eliminate the panic.

If you’re too rattled to do either of the first two, the last thing you ca do on your own without any special training is to just lay down wherever you are and ride it out. Either that or sit in the most comfortable chair possible. Anything you can do where you can use as little effort as possible can work wonders in a relatively short time.

If any of these things fail, you might have to go to either a doctor or a therapist, as you might have deeper issues that need more extreme solutions. Don’t be trapped into feeling as though you need to handle recurring issues on your own all the time. There are many solutions that can bring you relief with just a little bit of help.

See more:
Ways to Calm an Anxious Spirit
Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety and Panic Attack Resources

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The Ephedra Herb

December 8th, 2009
Photo Credit: www.herb.daegu.go.kr

Photo Credit: www.herb.daegu.go.kr

Ephedra is a herb that goes back over 5,000 years as something that can give people an energy boost as a stimulant, but can also be used as a herbal treatment against colds, asthma and hay fever. Over the years many cultures would use ephedra for a variety of treatments, and in the 1990′s it was not only used as a stimulant, but also as a weight loss supplement.

Ephedra, in the 1990′s, was seen as a miracle drug that people could use for almost anything. And they pretty much did, which led to many problems for people. It was being put into almost anything, and since the FDA didn’t regulate it, there were no warning labels anywhere telling people the dangers of ephedra. Those dangers included speeding up the heart, increasing blood pressure, and potentially inducing strokes and heart attacks.

Many young people died, not necessarily because they took ephedra, but because there weren’t any standards for the products, it was up to the people who were selling the products to tell people how much they should be taking. Those recommendations ranged from one pill a day to three pills three times a day, depending on the person selling the products.

Once there became this sudden rash of young people dying by taking many of these products, the FDA took the extraordinary step of deciding to regulate how much ephedra could be in a supplement. They also decided that anything containing ephedra is it had to be labeled telling everyone about the health risks of using the product. Immediately there was a backlash by the makers, establishing their own coalition to fight the FDA for their stance on this particular product. Lawsuits went back and forth, including much testing evidence, and eventually the government won out, accelerated by the death of a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Steve Bechler, who had ephedra in his system when he died of heat stroke during spring training, and was said to be suffering from ephedra toxicity.

By 2004, ephedra laced diet supplements were banned in the United States, overturned in a lawsuit in Utah, then subsequently put back in place in 2006, and supported by the Supreme Court in 2007 when they declined to hear an appeal of the case. At this point it’s been banned in most sports, although it can still be obtained illegally and in other countries.
This is dangerous stuff, and it’s not worth anyone’s health to take any chances with it.

See more:
The Dangers of Ephedra
Ephedra Uses
Ephedra Side Effects

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How To Decrease Fasting Blood Glucose Levels

December 1st, 2009
Photo Credit: www.howstuffworks.com

Photo Credit: www.howstuffworks.com

Diabetes is a problem many people suffer from. The recommended average for glucose levels is between 80 and 120 mg/dl, though some people do better at levels that may be slightly higher or lower than those figures. People whose glucose levels remain high run into risks of things such as eye problems, kidney problems, and numbness of body parts. It can even cause heart attacks. It’s important to work on bringing down glucose levels for your health.

Diet

The most important thing a person can do is to change their diet. Changing the types of foods one eats on a consistent basis is essential to bringing glucose levels down. Reducing sugar in one’s diet is a major facet in decreasing glucose levels, and it’s what most people think is the most important thing to eliminate, but it’s not true.

Carbohydrates

Diabetics need to reduce the carbohydrates in their diet to affect glucose levels. Sugar is only one type of carbohydrate, but it’s not the worst one. Carbohydrates such as pasta and white bread will stay in the body much longer than pure sugar, which means they will affect the body negatively over a longer period of time. Reducing these items, along with sugar, will have a positive impact on one’s body. It’s better to eat more protein, grains, and vegetables. Fruits are important, but not all fruits are good for you because some of them are high on the glycemic index, such as apples and bananas. Everyone needs a little bit of carbohydrates, but eating the right ones, in small quantities, will decrease blood glucose levels.

Frequency

Eating three square meals a day doesn’t work for many diabetics trying to reduce glucose. Instead, multiple small meals throughout the day helps to keep glucose levels even, instead of having spikes of glucose whenever one eats. Some people will eat 5 or 6 mini meals a day.

Exercise

Working out will help to reduce glucose levels also. The exercise must be brisk enough to get the heart rate up, though, so walking at a slow pace for 15 minutes won’t get it done. Walking at a more brisk pace for 30 minutes will get your heart pumping, though, and any exercise that’s more strenuous that that, as long as it gets your cardio up, will help out dramatically.

Medication

If your physician puts you on medication, it’s important to take it at the frequency and times that you’ve been told. Most diabetic medication is meant to be taken around meals for it to be effective. Taking medication without eating often doesn’t do anything because the body has nothing to work on. Skipping medication frequently also hurts because some medications take time, even a couple of weeks, to get into the system so that they can help maintain proper glucose levels.

Lose Weight

Losing weight will definitely decrease one’s glucose levels over time. Dropping even 20 pounds can have the effect of reducing one’s glucose levels anywhere from 30 to 50 points if their numbers are high. However, one still has to have a balanced diet while doing it. Fasting to lose weight can have a negative effect on glucose levels, and only eating carbs, though in small amounts, won’t reduce blood glucose levels either.

See more:
Testing Blood Glucose Levels
About Dangerous Levels of Blood Sugar
Top Warning Signs of Diabetes

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St. John’s Wort

November 27th, 2009
Photo Credit: www.proturflandscapes.org

Photo Credit: www.proturflandscapes.org

St. John’s wort was initially an European plant that has migrated to other countries. It’s mainly a yellow flower with five petals and leaves with tiny white spots. It mainly acts as a weed, which means it takes over areas where it’s been introduced. Because it grows fast and is hearty, St. John’s wort is plentiful, which helps keep its price down.

Why someone decided it could do so many things isn’t known. The main thing it’s used for is to fight depression. It can be in tablet, capsule, or turned into a tea. But that’s not all. It’s been said to help stop smoking, help people lose weight, reduce neuronal degeneration from Parkinson’s Disease, stop alcoholism, alleviate migraines, help nerve pain, and reduce menopause pain. There are also 15 other things it’s been said to help, along with other supplements.

There are also contraindications to using St. John’s wort. Beyond the fact that it can kill the effectiveness of many prescription drugs, which means if you’re taking any you should talk to your physician first, it’s also been known to cause dry mouth, dizziness, diarrhea, insomnia, fatigue, and headaches to name a few. A biggie for some people might be a decreased sex drive.

But does St. John’s wort work? It depends on who you ask. Based on studies of studies, it was found that 8 of 11 German studies found that patients did show positive signs of relief from depression after using the herb. However, 8 non-German studies showed that St. John’s wort did nothing whatsoever. In a few of those instances, it ranked much lower than the placebo. It didn’t cause any harm, except for reducing the effectiveness of prescription medication for those patients on it.

Oddly enough, some studies found that St. John’s wort was as effective at treating depression as many anti-depressants on the market, which St. John’s wort marketers use as a positive, while others view as an indictment against most anti-depressants, which don’t alter brain chemistry all that much to begin with.

In the end, this one is, at best, a push, so the consumer can decide whether they want to spend their money on it or not.

See more:
St. John’s Wort for Depression
Drugs.com – St. John’s Wort Medical Facts
St. Johns Wort Uses, Dosage & Side Effects

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Five Tips On Healthy Aging

November 27th, 2009
Healty Aging Tips

Healty Aging Tips & Dieting

As people get older, they have to take better care of themselves and try to live just a bit healthier than they did when they were younger. Our bodies won’t easily overcome some of the types of stressors put on them when we’re young, so we need to make sure we know certain things about how to keep our health so that we can live long, fulfilled lives as we age. Here are 5 tips and information on aging healthily.

1. We eat less as we age. One day you’ll get to the point where one egg and a piece of toast will seem like a pretty good meal. The body doesn’t need as much energy as it did when you were younger, unless you’ve been able to continue running marathons and lifting all sorts of weights, which few of us do.

2. Bones will get brittle and finer. That’s the reality of aging, so we need to make sure we find ways to take care of ourselves. Some people continue drinking milk, which is great if you’re not intolerant. If you are, you might need to start taking calcium supplements or eating more foods rich in calcium, which includes a lot of seafood.

3. Exercise is still very important. If you’ve always exercised, keep doing it. If not, you need to start, or at least you need to be more physically active. A good walk will do your body more good than it would have when you were younger, but movement is what you need. It can help your bones stay stronger, it certainly will make the muscles around those bones stronger, and it will help your blood flow better because it’ll help keep your heart strong.

4. Read and do puzzles. Strange as this sounds, the basic idea is to keep your mind active in some fashion. In today’s world, people don’t spend as much time reading, watching more TV instead, but overall that doesn’t engage the brain as much as reading. Also, working crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles of at least 250 pieces every once in awhile helps to keep the brain stimulated, and studies have shown that helps slow down memory loss, including Alzheimer’s.

5. Stop smoking and drink less alcohol. Hopefully you stopped smoking when you were much younger, but if you’re still smoking into your 50′s and your doctor hasn’t told you that you have cancer, it’s a good time to stop. We tend to breathe less deeply as we age, and therefore we need as much oxygen in each breath that we can possibly get. Smoking reduces how much oxygen your body can take in. Drinking and smoking kind of go hand in hand, so if you can reduce how much you drink, it can help you give up smoking. That, plus drinking too much inhibits anything else you might want to try to do to keep your body healthy.

See more:
Healthy Aging Information
The Anti-Aging Diet
Healthy Aging Foods
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Dangers of Herbal Medicines and Supplements

November 24th, 2009

Herbal Medicine and Supplement Dangers

Photo Credit: www.us.medage.net

Many people take supplements and herbal medicines for a variety of reasons. They want to feel better. They want to help cure areas of their body that are giving them trouble. They want to lose weight. They want to make sure they’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients that they’re supposed to. They want their skin to feel better. They want to stop bad habits. They want to live longer and healthier overall.

These are all well and good. Unfortunately, sometimes these things can actually hurt us in some fashion, and it’s not necessarily because it’s the item itself. For instance, many of the companies that produce some of these things aren’t licensed. Since they don’t need FDA approval, as they’re not calling themselves medicine but foodstuffs, no one is always sure what’s in the item. A Chinese herbal cream was tested in London and was found to contain high amounts of steroids. Another test on ginkgo bilboa was found to have significant amounts of impurities that could cause more harm than good. And, there was the stimulant scare of the 90′s where many of these stimulants contained higher than needed amounts of both ephedrine and phen-phen, which injured a lot of people and even killed some of them.

The problem here is that there are many companies that will jump on the money bandwagon and start cranking out the same types of supplements that other companies are making, since none of these items can be protected under patents, and they may cut corners in the processing. This puts people at risk from unscrupulous makers, and even the natural foods stores where many of these items can be purchased might not know that the factories these products were made at aren’t up to standard.

Another problem with some of these things is that they can sometimes counteract against pharmaceuticals that physicians have prescribed for their patients. For instance, CoQ10 has been accused of diluting the effect of some diabetic medications. In cases like this, many patients don’t tell their physicians that they’re taking supplements or herbal medicines, so physicians are prescribing medications without having enough knowledge of the patient to know whether those medications will be effective enough.

Overall, consumers need to first tell their doctors everything they’re taking, even if it’s just over the counter vitamins. They also need to ask questions about many of the products they’re ready to consume, and not take everything a sales person tells them at face value. Ultimately, we’re all responsible for our own health.

See more:
List of Dangerous Supplements
Using Herbal Remedies with Caution
The Smart and Safe Use of Vitamins & Supplements

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Salba Health Benefits

November 18th, 2009
Salba Seed Health Benefits

Photo Credit: www.i.ehow.com

Don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of Salba. It’s the latest grain product being introduced to the United States for its health properties. It’s actually a tiny seed produced from the chia plant, of Chia Pet fame, and in actuality, though it’s new to our knowledge, it’s a plant that’s been around for centuries, that people in South America have always known about.

Salba is considered a more powerful food source for Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber than fish. It’s purported to provide eight times more Omega 3s than salmon, four times more fiber than flax, six times more calcium than whole milk, 13 times more antioxidants than blueberries. Salba is considered superior in protein quality to wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, amaranth, and soy. It offers disease-fighting antioxidants. It’s rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, folate, niacin, and copper. And it has the highest fiber content of any food, including wheat bran. Salba can absorb 14 times its weight in water, which facilitates slower food digestion, decreasing blood sugar levels and helping to moderate hunger.

Wow, that’s a lot of stuff, isn’t it? And it supposedly does even more than that. It can help reduce incidences of heart disease. It can enhance one’s memory, and help beat depression. It can help strengthen bones and potentially reverse osteoporosis. It can boost your immune system and help slow down the aging process. It can help reduce the effects of diabetes. And it’s all natural and has no side effects.

How does one ingest Salba? You’re supposed to sprinkle it into foods that you eat. You can bake it also. It’s pretty bland stuff, but supposedly takes on a nutty flavor when baked. Many people like to mix it up in smoothies.

So, what are the negatives? Can’t find many, that’s for sure. Anywhere you search on the internet, you don’t see anyone, not one place, saying anything bad about it. However, it’s not perfect, and some claims might be a bit misleading. For instance, while it does have 8 times more Omega 3 than fish, only 12% of its alpha-linoleic acid is converted to the equivalent of fish. So, don’t give up salmon just yet. Also, it’s marketed as a food, which means it doesn’t need FDA approval, and I tend to often wonder about new things and how they’re seen by the rest of the scientific community. When everyone jumps on a bandwagon, yet no scientists or news sources have started talking about it yet, like they did with hoodia on 60 Minutes, I tend to be somewhat skeptical.

My wife has started taking it within the last couple of weeks, and says she feels more regulated with her bowel movements, hasn’t suffered any leg cramps, which was common, and has stemmed her hunger somewhat. I’m going to try it out myself; nothing wrong with trying out the next big health benefit, right?

See more:
Salba Products
Is Salba the New Black?
Research on Salba

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American Massage Therapy Association

November 11th, 2009
Mesa Arizona Massage Therapy

The American Massage Therapy Association is an organization founded in 1943 to represent massage therapists in the United States. It has grown to include therapists in 26 other countries as well. It represents more than 58,000 massage therapists, and is the largest non-profit, member driven, professional organization of massage therapists in the United States. Its purpose is to establish standards for massage therapists, set up training and certifications, ethical standards, and award accreditation to massage schools, as well as promote massage therapy as a legitimate and safe healthy alternative to those in need of pain and stress relief.

There is at least one chapter of the AMTA, as they’re known, in every state. The national office is in Evanston, IL. It is overseen by a volunteer board of directors, and each state and city will have its own leadership boards of directors, and usually a volunteer corporate structure as well. AMTA is also listed as a member of the Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Organizations.

If you visit the main organization’s website, there is a lot of interesting information about the group. For instance, they have a code of ethics which has a list of 7 standards they believe all therapists should follow. The group has a mission statement and a 5 point core ideology. There are historical facts about the organization, links to all the state organizations, goals and predictions. There’s also a jobs site for those looking to be employed by someone else.

For testing and certification purposes, the AMTA has also created a website to do it all online, including getting help training for the tests. It has a demo so prospects can see what it’s all about before deciding to go forward in obtaining a password and username, which is only given to those who are members of the organization.

The AMTA also has white papers on many benefits of massage, as well as lobbies for the rights of massage therapists on the state and federal levels. In essence, this is probably one of the best organizations massage therapists should consider being a member of.

See more:
Massage Therapy Resources
Mesa Massage Therapy
American Massage Therapy Association Arizona Chapter

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Ten Tips For Relieving Joint Pain

November 10th, 2009
10 tips for joint pain relief

Photo Credit: www.healthproductsreviewed.org

At some point, everyone experiences some kind of joint pain. It might be from injuries, or from the progression of age, or even indicative of some kind of disease. Joint pain is lousy to have, because we all need our joints. Whenever we move, almost no matter what we do, our joints are impacted in some way.

But there are some things we can try to do to help get beyond this pain. Some of these tips may bring some long term relief, while some of them are short term fixes. But they’re all something you should look into if you’re looking for some kind of relief.

1. Visit a chiropractor. This is what chiropractors were made for. They’re experts in bones and muscles, and if you’re having joint pain, they’ll be able to figure out how to get fresh blood to those joints, which helps to relieve pain.

2. Heat is used by therapists to help people ease pain. Most of the topical pain relief products you can buy go off the theme of putting heat into the area where there’s pain. There are many ways to use heat, which includes heating pads, showers or baths, and saunas.

3. Massage can help with muscles that surround your joints, as well as help bring fresh blood to the inflamed area. Massage can bring instant relief, as well as take your mind off your pain for awhile since no one goes for a massage and only has their joints massaged.

4. Aspirin in probably the best pain reliever for joints over ibuprofen or acetaminophen. It’s a true blood thinner, which helps blood flow throughout the body easier. The thing about aspirin is that it can be hard on the stomach, so if you’re going to use it, you need to remember to take it in low dosages.

5. Ice your joints. Ice reduces swelling, which could be a major cause of your joint pain. Strangely enough, if you leave ice on an affected area for a long time you’ll actually start feeling heat around those areas, and the ice will start melting really fast.

6. Physical therapy will help to relieve joint pain, and you’ll probably learn exercises that will help you to keep it away over a long period of time.

7. Lose weight. This is probably the toughest thing on people’s knees and feet, and most people wouldn’t believe how much pressure they can relieve off those joints by losing even 20 pounds. If you want to see what it’s like, just pick up the heaviest weighted bowling ball and walk 100 yards with it, if you can make it, and see how much your arms will start to hurt. Since the heaviest bowling ball is only 16 pounds, imagine what it’s like having that extra weight distributed around your body and pushing down on your joints.

8. Don’t smoke. Smoking ages your entire body, weakening muscles and tendons and getting into the oxygen that runs through your blood. This means poison blood is running through your joints, which can contribute your pain.

9. Take some herbal supplements. There are a number of herbal supplements that address pain, such as ginger and tumeric.

10. Exercise. Exercise will help strengthen your body, including your joints, and by working your joints it’s another way of bringing fresh blood to your joints, which helps them heal.

See more:
Natural Ways to Relieve Pain
Back Pain Relief: Techniques for Back Care and Pain Management
Low Back Pain: Tips on Pain Relief and Prevention

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Sugar Free Isn’t Always Good

November 6th, 2009
Artificial Sweeteners Vs. Sugar

Artificial Sweeteners Vs. Sugar

For many people who have problems with weight, diabetes, or any other issues, the words “sugar free” might seem like a godsend. After all, what could be better for you than not adding more sugar into your system? Unfortunately, many sugar free items have their own issues.

A major issue with sugar free items is what they’re sweetened with if not sugar. There is no one universally accepted choice, which means the market is open to almost anything. It sometimes seems like every week there’s a new supplement out that’s supposed to be healthier than the last one.

One sugar substitute that’s universally agreed upon that can cause some people problems are what’s known as sugar alcohols. These aren’t alcohols that are associated with drinking. They’re naturally occurring alcohols from plants. Many people like them because they don’t tend to leave an after taste like some other sugar substitutes. However, not everyone’s bodies can fully absorb these alcohols. This can lead to severe bloating and gas, which can be painful. The way to identify them in foods and drinks is to look for ingredients that end in “ol.” These are the most common, although there are some others that might slip by.

Another issue is this constant issue about whether or not some of these sugar substitutes can cause cancer. This one is almost ridiculous because, from what most studies seem to conclude, it might be possible for someone to get cancer, but the amount they’d have to consume in order to get cancer is more than one person could consume in a lifetime.

Another issue is whether sugar free actually promotes good health or not. None of the sugar substitutes have any real nutritional value to them. This means that they’re still empty calories. Also, consumers tend to believe that if something is sugar free that they can take in as much as they want to without any worries about anything else. Overconsumption of anything isn’t good, which many people should know but probably don’t think about.

If that wasn’t enough, sugar free items are now being linked to other issues. One study said too much chewing gum that contains sorbitol can cause bowel issues such as diarrhea. High fructose corn syrup, used to sweeten things such as bread, has been said to potential cause not only weight gain, but heart problems. Aspartame has been said to potentially turn into formaldehyde and cause brain tumors.

The main thing is that, whatever you choose, use it in small quantities and you shouldn’t have any real problems whatsoever.

See more:
Most Dangerous Artificial Sweeteners
Premenstrual Syndrome and Artificial Sweetener
Mayo Clinic – Artificial Sweeteners: A safe alternative to sugar?

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