Archive for April, 2008

An Ancient Prescription

Live in rooms full of light.
Avoid heavy food.
Be moderate in the drinking of wine.
Take massage, baths, exercise, and gymnastics.
Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water.
Change surroundings and take long journeys.
Strictly avoid frightening ideas.
Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements.
Listen to music.

–Aulus Cornelius Celsus, ca. 25 B.C.—ca. 50 A.D.

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Are You In Line For A Skatepark Injury?

We can’t prevent all accidents from happening, but we can make smart choices about how we spend our leisure time.  If you’re the type of person who loves a little pavement adventure on your skateboard, rollerblades, or freestyle bike, you already know you can easily get hurt—if you don’t take proper precautions.  But have you stopped to consider the other possible consequences of your leisure-time injuries?

According to researchers at the Center for Trauma and Injury Prevention at the University of California-Irvine, the average cost per skatepark injury is about $3,200.  Medical costs are around $2,100, while lost wages run about $1,100.  Adults (over age 25) miss an average of 17 days of work from skatepark injuries.  Once man actually lost his job because his injury prohibited him from working for weeks; subsequently, without an income, he also lost his apartment.  Likewise, a piano and guitar tuner was fired for similar reasons when he fractured his forearm, the researchers report.  

Before you show off on your skateboard or skip wearing a helmet when rollerblading or biking, consider the impact any potential injury could have on your ability to maintain an income.  Don’t let a little fun become a life-altering event.

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Death By Medical Intervention

You know you’re supposed to wash your hands, but have you ever stopped to consider just how critical it can be?

You might be surprised to learn that in 1881 a few sets of dirty hands changed the course of U.S. history.

On July 2 of that year a gunman attempted to kill the 20th president of the United States, James a Garfield.  The would-be assassin shot the president twice, and one of the bullets lodged deeply in Garfield’s body.  A well-known surgeon was called, and he probed the wound with his unwashed finger in an attempt to find and remove the bullet.  Other doctors were brought in who also probed the wound with unwashed fingers.  They, like most doctors of the day, knew they should wash their hands, but they chose to ignore the practice.  The wound festered.

After more than 10 weeks of languishing, Garfield died—not from the bullet he had taken but from the subsequent massive infection that caused blood poisoning and eventually a heart attack.  Today, medical experts believe that had the president’s doctors not invaded the wound so aggressively with their unclean hands, Garfield would likely have survived the shooting.

A president paid the ultimate price because a few MD’s didn’t take the time to perform a simple, seemingly unimportant act.  The final insult: Garfield’s attending surgeons submitted a $91,000 bill for medical services rendered (that’s more than $1.8 million in today’s currency), and deemed it fair and reasonable.

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A Review of the Reasons Why You Need to Drink Green Tea Diet

Green tea has become very popular due to the essential health benefits it brings. It has a very long history in being used by Asians as traditional medicine for many years. In addition to adding to one’s vitality, in recent years scientific research has also shown that green tea can help with weight loss.

The green tea diet is different from all other tea diets because its liquid is extracted by steaming the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant as opposed to full oxidation. As a result, the green tea diet preserves a lot more antioxidants for the body to use. The fact that green tea is a natural ingredient makes it a healthy drink which anyone can drink with no long term harmful side effects, unlike other drugs for weight loss.

What are the key health benefits of green tea diet?

The green tea can diet can help fight the signs of aging since it contains big amounts vitamins C and E which are antioxidants. This marvelous drink is an outstanding source of polycatechin polyphenols, antioxidants that can fight free radicals that damage cells. Heart attacks, cancer and diabetes are some of the diseases that can be caused by damaged cell membranes. Due to green tea diet’s polycatechin polyphenols, a person has a better chance of evading ailments and keeping himself healthy for a much longer period of time. One can get better vitality by simply drinking green tea diet.

There are currently ongoing studies on another antioxidant which is available in green tea diet which can potentially cure cancer. Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG found in green tea diet has been discovered to destroy cancer cells while keeping surrounding healthy cells unharmed. By simply drinking green tea diet, one can also reduce the risk of cancer.

Some studies in recent years have also shown that drinking green tea can help lose some weight. It has been noted by a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that with the consumption of green tea diet, the body’s total 24-hour energy expenditure is boosted by up to 4%. Green tea diet helps increase the body’s metabolic rates. With its thermogenic properties, it is only natural that green tea diet can also promote faster metabolism of fats and sugars. With the green tea diet, one can therefore lose weight without doing a workout at the gym.

Green tea can also help your body fight any infections. Some recent studies have shown that drinking tea increases the immunity system, thus strengthening the body’s ability to fight diseases.

In recent years, the green tea diet has also been proved to lower blood pressure and also help asthma sufferers. Green tea contains theophylline which can help muscles surrounding bronchial tubes to relax, thus helping asthma sufferers to breathe easier.

With all these benefits of green tea diet, why should you pass up on boosting your body’s vitality and lose weight at the same time?

Are there any downside effects to green tea diet? Even though green tea diet has a reputation for boosting health, scientific evidence of its health benefits are rather mixed.

In an article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, American researchers collaborated with their Chinese counterparts to discuss the positive effects of green tea diet on cholesterol levels. Using a sample of 240 men and women (average age 55) who possess moderate to high LDL cholesterol levels, the researchers instructed them to retain their usual low-fat diet, green tea diet intake, and activity levels. After three months, those who consumed green tea diet extract with their regular meals lost more than 15% of their total LDL cholesterol levels. This finding therefore further supported the benefits of green tea.

Based on recent studies and experience, the general consensus is that green tea offers several health benefits and also help with losing weight.

Dieting generally involves eating well and exercising. Green tea diet, like all other diets, needs a lot of effort and commitment for those who try it. This diet requires both discipline and dedication for it to make any significant impact on your weight loss goals. With the green tea diet, you lose weight and also keep your body healthy.

Julie Health writes about the health benefits of drinking green tea like its weight loss benefits at her website.

You may reprint the article above in its entirety provided the resource box and its links remain.

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Macadamia nuts for healthy heart

Macadamia nuts for healthy heartImage courtesy of bfeedme.com Macadamia nuts included in a heart healthy diet reduced low-density cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and should be included among nuts with qualified health claims, according to researchers.

"We looked at macadamia nuts because they are not currently included in the health claim for tree nuts, while other tree nuts are currently recommended as part of a heart healthy diet," says Dr. Amy E. Griel, a recent Penn State Ph.D. recipient in nutrition and now senior nutrition scientist at The Hershey Company. "Macadamia nuts have higher levels of monosaturated fats, like those found in olive oil compared with other tree nuts".

Along with Brazil nuts and cashews, macadamia nuts are not included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list of nuts with qualified health claims because the cut-off point is 4 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams of nuts. Macadamia nuts have 6 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams, cashew nuts have 4.6 grams and Brazil nuts have 7.6 grams of saturated fat per 50 grams of nuts.

"Epidemiological studies showed that people who are frequent nut consumers have decreased risk of heart disease," says Penny Kris-Etherton, co-author and distinguished professor of nutritional sciences.

The researchers used a controlled feeding study to compare a heart-healthy diet with 1.5 ounces a small handful of macadamia nuts to a standard American diet. The participants had slightly elevated cholesterol levels, normal blood pressure and were not taking lipid-lowering drugs. Researchers randomly assigned participants to either the macadamia nut diet or the standard American diet and provided all meals for the participants for five weeks. The participants then switched diets and continued eating only food provided by the researchers for another five weeks.

The Healthy Heart diet with macadamia nuts did reduce total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared with the standard American diet. The researchers reported in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, that the macadamia nuts reduced total cholesterol by 9.4 percent and low-density lipoprotein by 8.9 percent.

Individual calorie levels were used for each participant so that they did not gain or lose weight during the study. Both diets were matched for total fat, containing 33 percent calories from total fat. The Heart Healthy diet with macadamia nuts had 7 percent saturated fat, 18 percent monosaturated fat and 5 percent polyunsaturated fat. The standard American diet had 13 percent saturated fat, 11 percent monosaturated fat and 5 percent saturated fat.

"We found that the reduction in LDL or bad cholesterol we observed was greater than would be predicted by just the healthy fats in the nuts alone," says Griel. "This indicates that there is something else in the nuts that helps lower cholesterol".

The macadamia nut diet included macadamia nuts as a snack, mixed into meals, as a salad topping and in cookies and muffins. The total fat was the same in both diets. Macadamia nuts were substituted for other sources of fat and protein in the diet. Switching skim milk for 2 percent milk and adding some macadamia nuts kept fat levels even.

"I think the bottom line is that Macadamia nuts probably should be included in the list of nuts to have a qualified health claim," says Kris-Etherton.


Posted by: Evelyn    Source

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