Health For All: 2011

How to Recover From Emotional Trauma

Yearly, a quarter of the population undergo emotional trauma due to crisis or personal tragedy. A loved one could get sick or pass away, you may be sued or lose your job. There could be heavy financial concerns or be constrained to relocate. Your marriage could break up. You could be one of millions of people who experience grave clinical depression; or you may have gone through some emotional hurt in childhood that greatly affects you. More than half of children come from divorced marriages or dysfunctional families and a lot of others would have lived seeing their parents' divorce before turning twenty-one.

How can you protect yourself during these emotionally traumatic times? Here are some strategies for dealing with stress and emotionaltrauma. All the same, what if it's just unbearable? Do you have a particular problem that is difficult to discuss with your friends and family?

Each individual can benefit from being emotionally fit, and every person goes through experiences that affect his or her emotional welfare. Do not hesitate to ask for professional help to provide you emotional trauma therapy. A counselor, therapist, psychologist, church minister, or psychiatrist can impart guidance and insight. The negative stigma associated with seeking professional help could hurt everyone. Thankfully, the past two decades saw a noticeable shift in the manner we regard mental health. Seeking professional help has become an accepted trend.

Mental health is a complicated issue because denial could so oftentimes serve a potent role, keeping the individual from getting the assistance he or she needs and deserves. That's why individuals who live with an alcoholic will likely notice the problem than the alcohol-dependent person by himself or herself. A couple of mental and emotional conditions have a physiological factor likewise as a psychological one. For example, the variants among clinical depression cases are determined according to the chemical changes that happen in the brain's hormones. Medications can help treat these conditions. Common medicinal drugs involve the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSUls), like Prozac, citalopram, paroxetine , and sertraline, and another group of antidepressants, the most typically prescribed being bupropion. One drug may induce side effects in a patient while some other drug of a similar kind won't. Frequently, emotional events could activate the biological response, and, while a pill can alter the biochemistry of the brain, it could not fully alter the emotional tensions that may have initially activated the depression.

Psychotherapy could also aid in treating emotional trauma. Two forms of counseling are interpersonal and cognitive/behavioral therapies. The goal of interpersonal therapy is to help you understand the symptoms of emotional trauma. Cognitive/behavioral therapy identifies behaviors that perpetuate the depression and seeks to program behaviors to prevent further depression. Generally, talk therapy and drug therapy when combined, work best.

Hair Care During Winter

Many things can happen to your hair during winter -- and most of these are not good. Here are ways to care for your hair in winter time to prevent if from further damage.

- During winter, hair has a tendency to dry out. Switch to a shampoo formula made for dry hair instead of the standard shampoo. Dilute the shampoo with water before using it on your hair.

- Flyaway hair is common due to winter’s dryness, which makes it conducive to static energy. Regularly use a conditioner to keep hair more manageable.

- Here's a homemade remedy for static hair. Combine 1/2 cup of any cream conditioner, two teaspoonfuls sesame oil, and one egg yolk and mix in a blender for a minute. Apply and massage the mixture onto your hair. Cover your head with plastic wrap leave on for half an hour. Shampoo and rinse your hair well.

- Before using the hair brush, dip it into water mixed with conditioner to coat the bristles.

- When your scalp begins to flake due to dryness. Switch to a milder, castile-type shampoo for a couple of washes and check if it improves.

- Be careful when applying heat to your hair. Use warm-to-cool setting on your blow dryer especially on damp hair. This prevents hair from over-drying. Never use hot rollers or curling irons on damp hair— unless you want your hair cooked!

- Once a month, treat your hair to a hot oil treatment to give it that extra deep conditioning. This will tone down brittle ends and hair will grow softer.

- To avoid hair static use wooden or metal combs and brushes. Avoid using those plastic or natural-fiber types, which creates more static. You could also "de-static" a brush by slipping a nylon stocking on the bristles.

Winter Skin Care Regimen

During winter, special attention is given to the skin to keep it healthy. Follow these winter skin care tips:

- Before sleeping, clean your face using mild soap or facial and water and follow through using an alcohol-free toner. Upon waking up in the morning, splash your face with lukewarm water. If your skin is oily, you may also opt to use a mild toner in the morning.

- When skin becomes dry and flaky, try using plain milk as a cleansing lotion. Use a cotton ball to apply it on your face then rinse with a splash of tepid water and thoroughly rinse the face using cold water.

- Shift to an oil-based moisturizer, unlike the one you use in the hot months. Massage it thoroughly, but gently, onto your face.

- Continue using sunscreens! Even if it’s not summer, you still need protection from the sun’s UV rays. You may combine a sunscreen with your moisturizer before applying it, or use a one with a built-in sunscreen.

- Do not wash your face for at least thirty minutes prior to heading outdoors. The water paired with the cold winds has a drying result on the skin.

- Warming yourself immediately by the fire after coming in from the cold outdoors and may sound fantastic, but be warned for it could result in broken capillaries appearing on your face. The cold outdoors induces blood vessels to shrink, and when a sudden change to a hot temperature happens, they enlarge and may burst. To avoid this, go at once to the sink. Splash cool water on your face; slowly increase the water temperature to lukewarm, not hot. Then you may enjoy the fireside!

- Don't abuse caffeine for it can dehydrate the skin. Take herbal tea or even plain hot water having a slice of lemon as a substitute— very energizing!

- Prevent the all-over itch caused by winter-dry skin by using mild detergent soaps and bleaches on any garment that will touch your skin. The chemical residue from strong detergents and bleaches can strip the skin of its natural oils, leaving it looking aged.

- Humidity is vital for the skin and hair during wintertime. To raise the humidity level in your dwelling, acquire a humidifier or put a pan of water on the radiator. Fill your sleeping room with plants that demand lots of water. Ferns, bamboo, and plants with large leaves such as begonias, emit moisture that is good for the skin.

- To prevent lips from chapping, use lip balm or a tinted lip balm instead of lipstick.

Skin Moisturizing Baths for Winter

Winter season has environmental elements that are harsh to the skin. Here are a few useful skin care tips that can be incorporated at bath time to keep the skin moisturized in winter.

Moisturizing Bath

- Bathe and shower with lukewarm water. Hot water removes the natural oils of the skin.

- Drier skin tends to be more. Put away your scratchy loofahs and stiff-bristled brushes and use a soft cloth or a very soft-bristled brush for bathing.

- Treat your skin to a moisturizer as often as possible. Do not hold off till your skin feels dried and itchy before moisturizing it. Prevention is indeed the best remedy, so always moisturize your skin after every bath or shower. Apply cream or lotion to the skin when it is still slightly damp to trap moisture in.

- Take a bath or shower at night instead of in the morning. This way, your body could replenish its protective natural oils during the night.

Spa Bath

Using ingredients found in the kitchen, you can turn your bath into a special spa session.

- Mixing a cup of vinegar to your bath water helps get rid of dry-skin itchiness.

- To soothe aching muscles mix a handful of Epsom salts to your bath.

- You may use spices and herbs in your bath for relaxation. Tie basil, cinnamon, and cloves inside a cheesecloth and position it under running water. Other relaxing herbs you may use include lavender, elder flower, comfrey, rose.

- Milk bath formula: Make 3 quarts of hot milk by using dry-milk powder mixed with 1 cup chamomile tea and 1 cup honey. Add to the bath and stir well.

Enjoy your homemade moisturizing bath spa.

Hair Types and Hair Problem Solutions

Work with your hair, not against it. Here are common hair problems and practical solutions including recommended hair products that will solve your hair problems.

Limp Hair Problem

Limp hair is commonly caused by buildup on the scalp, not the hair, so the basic solution is to clean and exfoliate the scalp first. Loading up on products can torture limp hair. “You can’t spray limp hair with a volumizer and expect it to instantly repair the difficulty,” as advised by hair expert Jean-Louis Renaud. His Phytologie Hair care company addresses hair care as serious as toxicology.

Recommended products: Phytoslogie’s three step program involves Phytopolliene pre-treatment oil to exfoliate the scalp, Phytocedrat shampoo to clean the hair and scalp, and Phyto L spray to act as an astringent. Restoration does not happen overnight. It is a corrective therapy that gets lasting results.

Frizzy or Curly Hair

Do not lop off those rebellious curls-- all they need is a little TLC. To keep frizzy or curly hair under control, avoid blow-drying it. If you must, use a diffuser attachment and a cool setting. Work with your hair not against it. Shop for hair products labeled as “serum.” It should be applied to damp hair to coat and smoothen it, taming the wayward strands.

Recommended products: John Frieda Frizz Ease Hair Serum and Kiehl’s Leave-In Hair Conditioner

Dry, Flaky Scalp

If you are experiencing dry, flaky scalp, stay away from blow dryers for a while because it can over-dry the scalp. Use a medicated and mild soothing shampoo. Some find Neutrogena T/Gel Shampoo very effective for this purpose.

Course Straight Hair (Asian hair)

For those with straight, course hair, look for a style with no significant part. You may add some needed texture by coloring or waving (such as digital perm) the hair. Styles with some length work best with this type of hair because if you cut it too short, the hair can separate and appear pokey, like hairbrush bristles. Most Asians with this type of hair complain because of its weighted down quality. Occasional use of a deep cleansing shampoo like TRESemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo will remedy this significantly.

Damaged Hair

Damaged and out of condition hair may only be remedied by a good haircut to remove the damaged parts. Follow that up by an intensive conditioning treatment which can be done in a salon using steam heating. You can also remedy this at home by using an intensive conditioner at least once a week. Leave it on your hair under a shower cap for 20 minutes.

Recommended product: Rene Furterer Karité Conditioning Cream - it is highly acclaimed to repair over-processed hair.

Baby-Fine Hair

The fix for baby fine hair is a great haircut. A uniform cut sans the layers will work best. Be overly cautious on going for very short haircuts because it makes you lose a lot of volume. You may end up looking like a wet chicken.

Recommended products: Pantene Pro-V 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner would give you noticeable results. Body building sprays may simply make your hair look thicker but without any movement or swing, which eventually defeats the purpose. Try Redken’s Fat Cat Thickening Lotion instead. Those who used this product found visible improvements after three applications.

Static on Hair

To solve the static problem on hair, use conditioner regularly as usual. Apply a little gel your hair before blow drying. There’s one other solution – use laundry anti-static sheets (the stuff you toss in the dryer) on your hair to get rid of the static on your hair.

Cowlick Bangs

A cowlick is one natural hair trait that you have to live with for the rest of your life. Work with it by applying some weight on your bang area. Heavier bangs would help solve it. Your blow dryer is your best friend when it comes to solving this problem.

Also read on:

Beauty Tips for Busy Women

What Causes Dry Eyes and How Can Dry Eye Syndrome Be Treated?

What is Dry Eye?
Dry Eye Syndrome is one very common eye dysfunction. A lot of factors bring about this condition, as well as a various of symptoms. Dry Eye is the effect of incapability to produce the proper quantity or quality of tears to keep the eye moistened. People with Dry Eye complain of symptoms such as itching, eye grittiness, burning feeling, tired eyes and fuzzy sight. It is surprising that, some people suffer from an excess of tears. Those tears produced by their eyes are mostly of water and lack the important oil to keep them from evaporating. Such tears are then not moistening their eyes, then the eyes compensate by creating even more tears.

What causes Dry Eye?
There are many causes of Dry Eye. One of the most common sources for the eye dryness is simply the natural aging process. As we age, the tear glands do not produce tears as efficiently as before. It is more common among older women than men, especially after menopause. Thyroid problems, as well as inadequate Vitamin A are additional medical causes of Dry Eye. A wide variety of over-the-counter and prescribed medications, especially diuretics, antihistamines, sleeping medications and pain relievers can also be related with Dry Eye.

What are the Symptoms of Dry Eye?
The most familiar symptoms of Dry Eye are burning sensations, itchiness or grittiness in the eye. Your eye care specialist is the best person to help determine not only if you are suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome, but the extent of the disorder - mild, moderate or severe. It is important to measure and treat Dry Eye not only for comfort, but also for your eye's overall health.

What should be done for my Dry Eye symptoms?
The most important thing when you believe that you are afflicted with Dry Eye is to consult your eye care professional. Other people attain relief in using a formulated tear product on a regular basis. These products not only provide speedy relief of symptoms like itching, burning and grittiness, but they also have a lubricant to protect the outer eye layer. There are eye care products that are formulated to closely resemble the chemical composition of natural tears as possible, and are safe to use as often as needed in a day.

Protect Your Eyes From Injuries

Why We Need to Cry Sometimes

Breastfeeding Tips for the Working Mom

image via Wikimedia

Breastfeeding mothers who intend to resume full-time work can still continue nourishing their babies with breastmilk. If you are one of these mothers, here are tips on how to continue breastfeeding while working full-time.

1. Get a portable breast pump (either bought, rented, or borrowed). Breast pumps can either be battery-operated or plugged-in. During your work day, pump your breast milk every three hours (you have to take some short breaks to accomplish this). You have a legal right to pump your milk even at the work. Breast milk should be stored in a clean bottle in an ice box or a refrigerator to be consumed by your baby when you get home to be stored in the freezer for future use.

2. Before going to work, breastfeed your baby, also as soon as you come home; and as frequently as possible during weekends and holidays. Nursing before leaving for work leaves the baby happy and full and breastfeeding upon return is a happy reunion. These are usually the most pleasant times.

3. Encourage the nanny or caregiver to make the take a late-afternoon nap and to avoid feeding him within an hour prior to your anticipated return home. Upon arrival, don't allow yourself to be disturbed by phone calls or messages. Play some calming music and proceed with your breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has a relaxing hormone called prolactin. This is one of the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers.

4. Sleep with your baby. This will give both the mother and the baby more restful and longer sleep time. This gets rid of frequently waking up all night that makes it hard to work the following day. Furthermore, breastfeeding at night also encourages continuous milk supply.

5. If your husband is living with you, ask him to do his share of household chores. If you are planning to continue breastfeeding and working, you will need domestic assistance.

6. Think about your during work. Many mothers instinctively surround themselves with pictures of their baby while at their office. Thinking of your baby while using the breast pump helps activate your milk-producing hormones.

7. There will be temporary annoyances such as breast engorgement or leaking of milk. These discomforts will settle down within a couple of weeks as your body adjusts to your new breastfeeding routine.

Remedies for Body Odor and Excessive Sweating

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Sweating is important to keep our body healthy. Sweat keeps our body cool and helps eliminate some of the toxins from our body through the pores of the skin. There are two types of sweat glands: the eccrinte glands and the apocrine glands. The eccrinte glands which count to about three million is located all over the body. The eccrinte glands produce salts and can pass smells and odors such as the food we ate like onions. The apocrine glands line the armpits, groin and feet excrete oils and draw in bacteria. When the bacteria starts thriving in your sweat, this is when body odor starts. The intensity of odor will depend on the amount of sweat and the length of time it stays on your body. Excessive perspiration could be caused by eating extremely spiced foods, an overactive thyroid or other hormonal changes, and also stress or nervousness.

Remedies for Body Odor

Thorough cleanliness is the key to eliminating body odor. Daily bathing with an anti-bacterial soap is important.
Removal of underarm hair through shaving or waxing also helps.
Use an antiperspirant containing aluminum chlorhydrate
use a deodorant foot spray and wear only newly washed cotton socks. Avoid using of nylon socks if your feet sweat a lot.
Practice stress management by doing relaxation exercises and meditation.

In extreme cases, doctors can surgically remove the sweat glands in an affected person's underarms.

Remedy for Belching and Intestinal Gas (Farting)

Everyone produces almost a liter of gas daily - and passes it about 13 times everyday. It is caused either by bacteria in the intestines feeding on indigestible food by-products like the fiber in several vegetables; when we swallow carbon dioxide such as those found in soda and fizzy drinks; or by swallowing too a lot of air, either normally during eating and drinking, or compulsively, due to nervousness. Gas is either absorbed into the bloodstream or expelled by flatulence (farting) or commonly by burping.

Is burping or farting bad?

Flatulence is normally a good sign: it may mean that you have a healthy, high-fiber diet. Even so, that does not make it any less embarrassing. When you wish to increase your dietary fiber intake in order to reap the health benefits, do so bit by bit, and drink a lot of water or fruit juice. Some drugstores sell gas remedies such as Beano, which contains an enzyme that boosts break down of undigested food so the bacteria have less to feed on.

Binging or stress-eating can also hinder normal digestion; and lead to excessive gas. To lessen burping, try taking peppermints or drinking peppermint tea after a meal. Some doctors prescribe using over-the-counter products that containing simethicone, such as Ovol, which dissipate air bubbles in the stomach. For lactose-intolerant people - those who experience gas pains after consuming dairy products - frequently find relief by using Lactaid, a product that assists in digesting lactoses or milk sugars.

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Upper Body Strength Training for Beginners

This workout focuses on endurance, muscle awareness, and very basic muscle strengthening for the arms, chest, back, and shoulders. With the use of light dumbbells, this program is designed to aim at each of these important muscles. Even beginners who have never tried lifting weight can follow this easily and benefit greatly.

With regards to muscle training, many people choose to focus on the abdomen, legs, and buttocks. But for day-to-day life, it will greatly help, especially for women, to tone the upper body as well.

When lifting weights, it's crucial to concentrate on the specific muscle movement: steady tension must be produced by conscious contraction the muscle during the exercise. This may not be the most efficient or fastest strength-building method; if that is your aim, graduating to heavier weights and, in some cases, specific position should be done during exercise. Every time you learn a new movement, whether a biceps curl or a dance step, your brain must first learn which muscles to stimulate for the action to be done correctly. An significant part of strength training is the use of the muscles specified to do the work. Fresh movements form neural pathways through the brain and spinal cord to the muscle. These nerve pathways dictate which muscles to fire, or contract. This is called "neuromuscular facilitation."

With the use of light weights, you can focus on using the proper muscles. Although the neural pathways will be different as you begin this weight program at home or at the gym, this exercise may be a much more enjoyable introduction to the program. You could go through the primary learning process lifting a three-pound weight rather than a heavier barbell.

As you adjust to the movements and progress to heavier weights or machines, you will use your muscles variedly and build new neuromuscular pathways. For example, when you do the cable row in the gym, a resistance is formed by the cable in front of you. Your back and upper arm muscles will then work against the resistance while you draw the cable. In a standing stance, carry two dumbbells and pull them back in similar motion, the greatest resistance will come from the gravity pulling downward on the dumbbells, a resistance that requires the muscles on the front of the shoulder a lot more than the muscles at the back. Your back muscles will work primarily to stabilize your arm position. You can intensify your muscle awareness by also bringing in tension in these muscles while executing the movement.

You'll have a great starting point on building the muscles that are essential to your posture and your lifestyle by using the basics of strength training for the upper body. Enjoy the experience of feeling stronger. Later, you will be more aware of muscles that you never knew existed.

Steps in Administering an Insulin Injection

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Control with Insulin— the Techniques

There is nothing quite complicated about an insulin injection. A patient typically learns how to administer it from the doctor or nurse. Moreover, the whole process is presented through pictures in various pamphlets which can be obtained free of charge from the American Diabetes Association, Eli Lilly & Co. or from E R. Squibb and Sons.

Still, the process is so important that it is worth reviewing:

1. The syringe and needle should be sterilized by boiling in water for about five minutes or by steady immersion in alcohol in a "Steritube" or similar case. In the event such a case is employed, then it, the syringe and needle should be sterilized by boiling at least once every two weeks. Because hard water tends to cake the syringe and needle, be sure soft water is used. If necessary, use distilled water or a commercial water softener. Hard water can normally be detected by a whitish residue it leaves as it boils away.

2. Be sure the insulin to be used is totally mixed in the vial. Only globin, regular, and crystal-line-zinc insulins require no mixing. If a mixture of insulins is done in the syringe, make sure they're well mixed.

3. Be mindful to eject any water or alcohol from the syringe.

4. Wash the site of the injection using soap and water, then apply alcohol with a cotton dab. Injections must be made in the arms, legs, or abdomen, and a different site in another area must be used every time.

5. Wipe the rubber stopper in the insulin vial with another piece of cotton wet with alcohol. Don't ever remove the stopper.

6. Set the plunger of your syringe at the mark indicating your dose.

7. Stick the needle through the rubber stopper of the vial and push the plunger completely in. This should force air into the vial.

8. Turn the vial gradually upside down several times, then with the vial upside down, pull the plunger back to the mark showing your dose. When there are any air bubbles in the syringe, push the plunger in slowly then pull it back to your proper dosage mark again. Be utterly sure your proper dose is in the syringe before you pull away the needle from the vial.

9. As opposed to most instructions, there is no need to pinch the skin. Hold it steady and stick the needle into the site of the injection promptly and deeply with the needle going straight in, never at an angle. Push the plunger in slowly as far as it would go.

10. Hold the piece of cotton wet with alcohol-lightly over the patch where the needle enters the skin. Then extract the needle, continuing to hold the cotton on the skin for a couple of seconds. Don't rub the injection site. Just continue pressing.

11. Take the syringe apart and rinse using clear water or, if a Steritube or Vim case is being used, place it back to the tube.

These are the steps in administering an insulin injection. It is significant to observe them carefully to prevent contaminating the insulin, as well as the danger of injecting too much or not enough insulin. The process is not at all complex once it is practiced a few times. Child diabetics, no more than four years of age, have been instructed to give themselves their own injections.

The Basic Insulin Equipment of Diabetics

The Development of Insulin

Medical History: Insulin Origins

The Search for a Diabetes Cure

Symptoms of Child Diabetes and How it Develops

Diabetes Facts: The First Real Dietary Treatment for Diabetes

Diabetes Facts: Diet Restrictions and Oral Medicines in Place of Insulin

© 2011 Athena Goodlight

The Development and Symptoms of Diabetes

The definite symptoms of diabetes are quite obviously impossible to ignore. However, many people are unaware of the signs or refuse to recognize what they are. As a result, in four known cases of diabetes, about three are undetected and untreated.

These are common symptoms of diabetes in the approximate order shown: frequent urination, excessive thirst, rapid weight loss, extreme hunger, over-all weakness, drowsiness and fatigue, itching in genitals, visual disturbances, blurred vision, etc., skin diseases such as boils, carbuncles, and other infections.

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What Are The Risks Of Plastic Surgery?

As methods are becoming more polished, it seems that complications for plastic surgery are a rarity these days. Even so, each person who is thinking of having plastic surgery must be aware of its potential risks and dangers.

Complications arising from plastic surgery can range anywhere from permanent scarring to fatalities. The consequences of surgery can occasionally traumatize the patient both physically and psychologically. Even while complications are not as common nowadays, the patient still has to keep the perils of plastic surgery in mind.

Among the basic risks of plastic surgery is scarring. A lot of surgeons today will try to hide the surgical incision line in inconspicuous places. Nonetheless, most surgeries will still end with lasting scarring.

Bleeding, infection, and hematomas are all possible after surgery. However, these ramifications are generally treatable if they're caught early on.

One really serious complication that people must be aware of when thinking of plastic surgery is nerve damage. A few people who opt to have plastic surgery will lose the feeling in the operated on area while some patients may have trouble moving muscles in the operated area.

The operation you are having done would determine the risks involved. Smokers, diabetics, people with heart disease and certain allergies are much more expected to have complications that others of good health can prevent.

Before going through plastic surgery, you must have blood tests as well as a physical examination to make sure that you meet the prerequisites for surgery. Be sure to study about the risks that are involved with your operation so that you'll be readied for your transformation.

© Athena Goodlight

What to Look For in Dietary Minerals

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When buying minerals, look for chelated on the label. Only 10 percent of average minerals will be assimilated by the body, but when mixed with amino acids in chelation, the assimilation is three to five times more effective.

Hydrolyzed stands for water dispersible. Hydrolyzed protein-chelated signifies the supplement is in its most easily assimilated form.

Predigested protein is protein that's already been broken down and can go straight to the bloodstream.

Cold pressed is crucial to look for when buying oil or oil capsules. It means vitamins have not been ruined by heat and that the oil, taken out by cold-pressed methods, continues to be polyunsaturated.

Understanding the RDA Code

A lot of people are confused by the variables between vitamin criteria listed as U.S. RDA, RDA and MDR. It gets much less confusing if you understand that they're not the same thing.

RDA (Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances) was introduced in 1941, when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council of the Academy of Sciences was founded by the government to safeguard public health. The RDA are not devised to cover the needs of those who are ill—they're not therapeutic and are intended purely for healthy individuals— nor do they consider nutrient losses that happen throughout the processing and preparation. They are estimates of nutritional needs needed to ensure acceptable growth of children and the prevention of nutrient depletion in adults. They're not thought of to be optimal intakes, nor are they recommendations for an ideal diet. They're not average essentials but recommendations specified to meet the demands of those healthy people with the highest requirements.

The U.S. RDA(U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances) were developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be utilized as the legal standards for food labeling inreference to nutrient content. (The RDA were employed as the [basis for the U.S. RDA.) Calories and ten nutrients should be listed on food labels—protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and iron. Since the U.S. RDA are based on the highest values of the RDA, the former is oftentimes higher than the basic demands of most healthy people, while very few people today fall under that hypothetical category. Individuals vary by broad margins, and stress and illness, past and present, affect everybody otherwise. As far as many other leading nutritionists, the RDA and U.S. RDA are, sadly, inadequate.

© 2011 Athena Goodlight

What to Do When Your Kids and Family Get Head Lice

Many children in any given school may develop head lice and your kids may get them too. You may feel embarrassed when this happens, especially when you know that you keep the house clean. So what can you do?

First, don't be embarrassed. The fact that your kid has head lice isn't a reflection on the cleanliness of your home, personal hygiene, or your economic status. Head lice are all over where there are a lot of children in small spaces like classrooms. Head lice don't fly or jump but are transmitted through direct contact, like by sharing grooming aids such as combs and brushes and by sharing caps and scarves. Teach your kid not to share these personal items.

Head lice are so tiny to be seen with the naked eye. You need a magnifying glass to spot them. You are most likely to view the nits (the eggs), which look like specks of sugar, adhering to the base of the hair shaft close to the nape of the neck or round the ears. When you see these nits, don't panic; they're easy to eradicate. Treatment of head lice is a lot easier today than it used to be. The newer over-the-counter shampoos are nearly as effective and much safer than the stronger prescription shampoos of yesteryear. These shampoos go with a specially designed nit comb which takes out the nits without damaging the hair shaft. Shampoo your child's hair as directed and repeat the shampooing 7 to 10 days later. Thoroughly clean personal articles like combs, brushes, scarves, hats, towels and bed clothing—anything that touches the hair—in really hot water. Dry clothing and linens in the hot Cycle in the dryer, or have the items dry-cleaned. When this is impractical, putting items in a sealed plastic bag for ten days would kill the lice and eggs. When your kid has head lice, don't treat her like a leper. They're not highly contagious, and are more source of irritation and embarrassment than an actual medical problem.

Natural and Homemade Remedies for Head Lice

The Difference Between Cholesterol and Triglycerides

What are triglycerides? Is this a serious problem?

Unlike "cholesterol," the term "triglyceride" has yet to become a common word, although it is rapidly becoming popular as more and more people are become increasingly aware about health concerns. Cholesterol counts are only half the story -20 percent of heart attacks happen to people with cholesterol levels lower than 200. The fact is, you need to measure triglycerides.

What is the difference between cholesterol and triglycerides? Judith Ashley, Ph.D., R.D., a research nutritionist with the Division of Clinical Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, explains: "While cholesterol and triglycerides are both fats, cholesterol, which is used for hormones and cell membranes, has no calorie or energy value; triglycerides, whose main function is to provide energy to the body, do. Initial research shows that triglyceride levels might be a more significant risk factor for heart disease in women than in men."

Like cholesterol, triglycerides are valuated through blood plasma tests administered in the morning succeeding an overnight fast.

Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fats exist in food, the body and blood plasma, explains Denise Rector, R.D., associate director of community programs at the American Heart Association. Calories that aren't utilized by our tissues are turned into to triglycerides and carried to fat cells for storage. Hormones then release the triglycerides throughout the day to give us energy.

About 5 -10 percent of adults have mildly elevated triglyceride levels. With normal blood cholesterol levels, these mild elevations don't necessarily increase the risk of heart problems. A high triglyceride level, however, is a red flag because it often accompanies high total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels (low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol, which accumulates on the inner walls of the arteries), and a low HDL-cholesterol count (high-density lipoprotein, believed to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body).

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Washington, DC, states that a blood triglyceride level of up to 250 milligrams per deciliter of blood is normal and does not pose worry; between 250 and 500 milligrams is considered marginal and warrants a search for an underlying cause (alcohol abuse, liver disease, medications or undetected diabetes). This level often responds to dietary modification. Levels above 500 are clearly high and may warrant drug treatment.

The first symptom of very high triglyceride levels is commonly angina-a tightness, heaviness, or pain in the chest that commonly takes place during exercise or heavy physical activity and is relieved by rest. Pain sometimes radiates into your back, left shoulder or arms.

Triglyceride levels of 1,000 milligrams or more greatly increase the risk of developing pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. A less painful but troublesome side effect of exceedingly high triglyceride levels is the formation of fat-filled deposits in the skin, mainly on the back and buttocks, which erupt like acne and take some weeks to clear up.

According to Michael J. Hogan, M.D, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter in Rochester, Minnesota, triglyceride levels rise naturally with age. Elevated levels are also caused by being overweight; excess calories, especially those from sugar and alcohol; certain medications, including contraceptives and diuretics; and illnesses like diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and kidney and liver disease. Heredity may also be a factor in some forms of high triglyceride levels.

Dr. Hogan suggests several ways to lower a high triglyceride level or maintain a healthfully low level:

■ Lose weight. This is often enough to lower mildly elevated levels to normal.

■ Decrease cholesterol intake to no more than 300 milligrams daily, the recommendation set by the American Heart Association.

■ Engage in aerobic exercise regularly- at least 30 minutes three times a week. Exercise also raises your HDLs.

■ Eat less sugar and foods containing it.

■ Avoid alcoholic beverages. Some people are particularly sensitive to alcohol's ability to increase the liver's production of triglycerides.

■ Limit total fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories.

If lifestyle changes don't help, see your physician.

Combining Exercise and Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)

What are the effects of exercise in conjunction with a Very Low Calorie Diet? Researchers at Cambridge University launched a test in where they monitored 60 overweight women who were eating just 405 calories per day for 8 weeks, followed by eight weeks on a maintenance program of 1500 calories each day. Some of the dieters took part in aerobic exercise on bicycle machines; others made isotonic resistance exercises while others did six weeks of one type of exercise and eight weeks of the other. Two other groups adopted the respective exercise programs but did not diet.

Read more: Combining Exercise and Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD)

Interval Cardio Exercises Burns More Fat

At some point in time, people have wondered which cardio work out is better. To answer it simply, both low and high intensity exercise routines will burn off excess body fat. Which then is the best way to burn off the most body fat.

Experts discovered that during intense exercises, the body burns glycogen, which is a form of carbohydrates that are the body stores in the liver and muscles to be used as energy fuels. During low intensity exercises, the body burns a lot of fat.

Now, you may be wondering, "Why are there still so many fat people around?" Even though you see them doing low intensity exercise routines, it still puzzles you how that can be.

The scientists were correct about the fact that the body burns more body fat during low intensity activities such as walking or swimming. It is during high intensity exercises such as running when the body burns more calories. Even if some of the calories that are burnt are from glycogen, there are also a lot of fat calories burned.

To explain it further, when your supply of glycogen runs low, the carbohydrates from the food you eat will in turn be converted into glycogen to replenish the supply, which won't be converted to body fat even when they remain unused for energy.

High intensity cardio work outs will pump up your metabolism even after your workout is over. Your body will keep going burning body fat hours after you have finished the exercise. This effect is virtually nonexistent in low intensity cardio or aerobic exercises.

You body therefore will increasingly burn up more calories during and after a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity workouts.

To get the most benefits from low and high intensity cardio workouts, mix high intensity exercises into your low intensity cardio workout by doing some interval training. You may walk for 5 minutes or so, then run or jog for another 5 minutes or so. Then, do brisk walking again until you've caught your breath and then burst into a sprint for a minute before walking again. From this level, just alternate your running and walking for the succeeding 15 minutes until you have completed your scheduled workout activity.

What's best about cardio is the fact that the more you do it, the more energy you can have. Cardio exercises help you to burn calories, while it keeps your energy levels optimal. If you have never tried interval cardio training before, you must give it a try If you are fond of exercise, you'll discover that cardio the best way to supercharge your energy and keep your body in tip-top shape. If you are just beginning, you'll wish to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in control - for it is also very tempting to over exert yourself.

Benefits of Using Weights for Workouts

When you're lifting the weights, it's important that you actually focus on the movement of your muscles: You need to produce constant tension by consciously contracting the muscle during the exercise. This isn't the most efficient or time-saving strength-building method; for that you will have to graduate to heavier weights and, in some instances, position yourself otherwise as you do the exercise. Each time you learn a new movement, whether it is a biceps curl or the latest dance step, your brain should first learn which muscles to "fire" to do the action correctly. An important part of strength training is using the muscles designated to do the work. New movements make the formation of neural pathways through the brain and spinal cord to the muscle. These pathways order which muscles to fire, or contract. The fancy term for this operation is "neuromuscular facilitation," and that's what you will be doing as you learn new exercises.>>>READ MORE

Five Best Ways to Gain Muscles

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Specialty Fitness Training to Prepare For Sports Scholarship

Why The Exercise Ball Is A User Friendly Workout Tool

Effects of Omega 3 Fish Oil

There always appears to be some sort of controversy encompassing fish and seafood. While some nutritionists praise its heart-healthy protein, some warn that shellfish is rich in cholesterol. Another argument touches the safety of eating fish that comes from polluted waters, particularly since there's no required government inspection of fish and seafood. As usual, consumers are caught in the cross fire, speculative if it's worth trying to classify the facts.

Read more about Omega 3 Fish Oils:

Fish and Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Fish Oil for Better Heart and Brain Function

The Many Health Benefits of Fish Oil (Omega 3)

Possible Side Effects of Fish Oil

Symptoms and Treatments of Foot Ailments

Are you suffering from mysterious pains in your knees, shins, hips or lower back, or if your feet just aren't as pretty as you would like them to be?

Here are the most common foot problems encountered by many individuals:

Pronating or supinating (walking on the inner or outer edges of your feet) can induce aching hips and/or knees.
Bunions, the most common foot problem, affect between 25 million and 30 million Americans.
Hammertoes happen when muscle imbalance or an abnormal bone length, induce tendons to contract and the toe to buckle over.
Ingrown toenails are nails that have grown into the skin at one or both corners or sides.

Read more about the details of each ailment and its treatments here:

Symptoms and Treatments of Foot Ailments

Quick Tips to Get Fabulous Feet

Pamper your feet and make them look good using these beauty rituals:

1. To help prevent ingrown toenails, cut or file nails straight across, instead of rounding them at the sides.

2. A pair of Dr. Scholl's pads tucked in your shoes will help you pull through corns and calluses, or a long day of standing or walking.

3. Warm baths work wonders! Dribble a few sprigs of mint in the water to put that spring back in your step.

4. When your feet are dry and cracked, daub them with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly and cover them using old socks for the night.

5. Feet that have driven you through a tough workout merit a treat. There are excellent foot cream products that would make yours as soft as a baby's.

6. A foot massage having warm lubricating lotion would make you feel like a completely new woman.

7. Shop for shoes at the end of the day, as feet have a tendency to swell in the afternoon.

8. For the ultimate in foot indulgence, give yourself an at-home pedicure; Soak your feet in sudsy water for several minutes, then pat till they are almost dry. Using a pumice stone, rub off any dead or hard skin. Cut your toenails square across and use an emery board to scratch away excess hard skin. Put on cuticle remover and push back your cuticles with an orangewood stick. Knead your feet using body lotion, then clean your nails. Place cotton balls between your toes to separate them. Put on a base coat to your nails and let dry. Apply a coat of polish, allow to dry and apply a second coat and let dry. Lastly, apply a top coat and dry, keeping your toes apart for 15 minutes or so. Wrap the end of an orangewood stick using a piece of cotton dipped in polish remover, and take out excess polish.

More about foot care:

4 Natural Solutions For Swollen And Sore Feet

Common Foot Problems

The Importance of Choosing Proper-Fitting Shoes

How to Shop For the Best Running Shoes

How to Prevent Your Running Shoes From Getting Smelly

How to Shop for Quality Boots that Fit Like a Glove

Beauty Tips for Busy Women

Pros and Cons of Very Low-Calorie Diet (VLCD)

A VLCD can result in impressive weight loss, but there are a couple of extremely crucial points to ponder prior to beginning one. Most importantly, never take on a VLCD without the supervision of a certified physician. A VLCD is in fact a semi-starvation diet; it’s unsafe without consistent monitoring of your health by a physician.

A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) is hard to miss especially when the headlines scream about celebrities who lost a lot of weight in a short time by following the formula. Is a VLCD the miracle you’ve been looking for? If you’re dreaming about a much slimmer you, it’s important to know the facts about this method of weight loss.

Read more: The Truth About the Very Low-Calorie Diet (VLCD)

Cholesterol and Safety Issues on Shellfish and Seafood

Seafood is rich in protein and low in fat. While red meat can contain more than 30 percent fat, seafood is generally 1 to 3 percent fat. An important part of the fat in seafood and fish is composed of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Until recently, scientists consider that most mollusks are high in cholesterol. These high readings were caused in part by the molecules of the plant, as particularly evident in shellfish that feed on plants. Using a more appropriate method of measurement in the laboratory, researchers were able to differentiate between cholesterol molecules and plant molecules.

What about freshwater safety? Read more on this issue here:

Shellfish: Cholesterol and Safety Issues

Seriously Consider a Podiatrist Visit to Avoid Foot Injury

For all the energy we spend finding just the right shoe to match an outfit, you would think we'd spend a bit more time thinking of what's underneath all that leather.

Regrettably, most of us never think twice about our feet till they start to tucker out, which they unavoidably do if we dismiss them long enough.

We walk two to three miles just going around our daily business —not considering exercise. By the time we finally tuck our tired feet peacefully between the sheets we are likely to have put sufficient pressure on them to equal several times our body weight.

image credit

Our feet afford us stability, just as a foundation steadies a building. Numerous foot problems cause no pain at all in the feet themselves, but trigger mysterious aches and pains elsewhere in the body. Misalignment of just one of the foot's 26 bones, for instance, or a strained muscle, tendon or ligament, might cause a problem in the hip, knee, shin or calf or even your back or neck.

Most foot abnormalities can be adjusted through modern technology and podiatry. Early spotting is likely to bring down the difficulty, pain and expense of treatment. Unfortunately, aside from the checkup we get at birth, most of us never see a podiatrist unless we are limping with pain.

North American Healthcare JB4550 Vibrating Foot Massager

The first routine visit to a podiatrist had better occur between the ages of two-and-a-half and three, when a child starts walking heel to toe. Thereafter, both children and adults should be checked by a podiatrist every few years and before initiating a new fitness program.

Dr. Scholl's DRMA7802 Hot and Cold Foot Massager

Fruits That Help Fight Acne

Eating red, orange, and other bright colored fruits can help promote healthy skin and also prevent acne. There are several fruits that can do the job.

Apples

While working on clearing your acne eat at least two apples daily. Apples are beneficial for skin health. Choose organic apples so that you can eat the skins because most pectin is contained in the skin, which also aids to relieve constipation. Apples also contain bioflavonoids, ascorbic acid, fiber, quercetin, pectin, vitamins, and minerals.

Apricots

Go ahead and eat as much as you like. Apricots are a good source of minerals, fiber, and beta-carotene which can also help control acne.

Bananas

Eat one banana a day. Bananas contain the phytochemcial fructooligosaccharides, which nourishes the good bacterial in your colon. Feeding the good bacteria prevents the bad bacteria from spreading in the colon and bringing on toxic acids that affects the skin, thus creating acne.

Blackberries

Blackberries are good for cleansing the blood and are also good for avoiding constipation. They are good for the kidneys and are good for promoting good skin.

Blueberries

Aside from being a good blood cleanser, blueberries also help ease constipation and cure various skin disorders such as acne, eczema, and psoraisis.

Cantaloupes

Because they are high in vitamins A, C and contain various minerals, cantaloupes are good for any type of skin problems.

Cherries

Cherries cleanse the blood and help the liver and kidney. They also promote regular bowel movements.

Figs

Figs are a good source of fiber which helps to reduce constipation.

Grapefruits

Grapefruits aids in dissolving and eliminating toxins from drugs hence improving the liver function.

Grapes

Grapes help clean the body, build blood vessels, and build the body. It alleviates constipation, and good for healing the skin and liver disorders.

Mango

Mangoes have elements that helps avoid kidney inflammation. It carries a lot of minerals, which assists to neutralize acid waste.

Strawberries

The pectin in strawberries has been shown to fight acne growth.

Pineapples

Pineapples contain several vitamins and minerals. Among them is Papain, which aids to digest protein. Pineapples are useful in of eliminating excess mucus, digestive problems, constipation, and intestinal worms.

These fruits and fruit products are useful for curing acne because they have an antibiotic effect:

These are grapes, figs, plums, raspberries, blueberries, grape juice, and apple juice.

Use as a lot of these fruits in your diet. If you do, you will begin to see improvement in your skin and your acne will start clearing up.

Using Snacks as a Weight Loss Program

Unlike other, more restrictive diet programs, snacking is an absolutely acceptable component of a low carbohydrate diet—as long as your snacks are also found on the low carb list.

FiberGourmet Light Cheese Snacks, 50-Calorie Pack, 50-Count Box, 21-Grams (Pack of 50)

Snacking is more than just okay, it is also beneficial in a lot of ways. Eating small food servings during the day has been proven to accelerate the body’s metabolism, to burn fat faster and more efficiently. Snacking also helps prevent food cravings, which can cause even the most disciplined individual to overeat or cheat at the next meal. If you don't use snacks as a safety net, then it will be more tempting to munch on restricted foods and almost anything else that comes your way.

Sugar Free Chocolate Delight 100 Calorie Snack Bars (5 Per Box) Russell Stover

Do remember that, snacking should be taken in moderation. Just because a food is considered low carb, it does not mean that it is all right to consume as much of it as you want. Make a list of the low carb foods that you may allow yourself to eat and regularly refer to this list to determine the amount of carbohydrates contained in a serving of the food items you wish to eat as snacks, and make sure that the total sum of carbohydrates conforms to your daily allowance. A food qualifies to be on the low carb list based on its singled serving, not an unlimited quantity.

Healthy Snacks - Low Calorie Snack Gift Pail

There are lots of foods that make good snack options. Meats and cheeses generally have very low carbohydrate content, so they are acceptable choices for snacks. Have a cold cut platter and/or assorted cheese slices to nibble on throughout the day. You could also have a lamb slice or buffalo wings which are great snack foods. Melt some low fat cheese over a drumstick, serve up some sausage, or make lean meatballs. You may also choose eggs—hard-boiled, scrambled, or over-easy.

Healthy Snacks For A Week: 7 Low Calorie Snack Options To Lose Weight Fast!

Other good snack items which you could include in your low carb list with virtually no carbohydrates are lettuce, celery, alfalfa sprouts, and cucumbers. Mix these with other food items from various categories of your low carb list to create a delightful salad. You could throw in some diced cheddar cheese with some nuts (make sure to check the low carb list to find out which nuts have fewer carbs) and drizzle it with olive oil; or have a chicken Caesar salad.

Slim Snacks: More Than 200 Delectable Low-Calorie Snacks that Can Be Made in Minutes

Selections from the low carb list that are beneficial snack foods, but taken in moderation, include most vegetables. Avoid squash, and potatoes, because these have high carbohydrate content. However, a vegetable platter with spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, and string beans, either or cooked or raw, topped with vinaigrette dressing can make a filling treat. Most beans make an easy and delicious snack, which go well with veggies, such as celery bits. For a filling afternoon treat, try having a tomato soup, chicken soup, or beef stew.

With a properly planned recipe, almost any kind of food can qualify on the low carb list! A lot of low carb recipes can be found online for variants of breads, muffins, pancakes, and even chewy desserts. Once you’ve sampled some successful recipes, experiment and find out what other low carb foods you could create.