Watching your child suffer from asthma is not fun. There is endless nights of being up with breathing treatments. There are the nights of worry in which your child caught something worse because he or she is more prone to infections simply by having asthma.
There are endless prescriptions between inhalers, allergy medications, antibiotics for sickness, steroids, etc. The good news is you are not alone as a parent. More than 17 million people in the United States have asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Monday, September 28, 2009
5 Easy Steps For Diabetic Foot Care
1-check your foot daily for cuts,sores blisters
2-avoid cross legged position to keep blood flowing
to your feet
3-wear your shoes and socks everytime
4-avoid plastic/vinyl made footwear
5-use a moisturing lotion to keep the skin smooth and soft
2-avoid cross legged position to keep blood flowing
to your feet
3-wear your shoes and socks everytime
4-avoid plastic/vinyl made footwear
5-use a moisturing lotion to keep the skin smooth and soft
Monday, September 14, 2009
Does Fish Oil For Blood Pressure Actually Help?
High blood pressure is a very common health ailment that can occur in anyone at anytime. It is often referred to as the "silent killer". Most people who have it are not aware of it. The symptoms of can often mimic symptoms of less severe health problems and are all too soon dismissed as being nothing. Prescription blood thinners are most commonly prescribed to patients with this ailment. However, more and more people are beginning to notice that fish oil for blood pressure works just as effectively.
Some of the symptoms of this disease are chronic headaches, shortness of breath, and dizziness. As you may have noticed, these can also be the symptoms of several other things. It can be very hard to tell and the only way to know is to obtain a proper diagnosis from a licensed health professional. If you have already been diagnosed with this ailment, you may have already heard about the effectiveness of fish oil for blood pressure.
The oil acts as a natural blood thinner by causing the platelets to become less "sticky". When the platelets clump up, they form what is known as a blood clot. This action usually leads to a heart attack or stroke, which can be fatal. Taking this oil supplement lowers this risk dramatically. Prescription blood thinners perform in the same fashion, but with the oil, you are not faced with any dangerous side effects or high medical expenses.
You may not be aware of it, but every one in four people have this condition, and most do not even know it. What is scary is that you do not have to be overweight to have it. There are several things which can play a major contribution. One bad habit which causes this condition and can be easily controlled is too much salt intake. The daily recommended amount is 2,400 mg or less a day.
Most people are consuming ten times more than that. A good idea would be to cut down on processed and fast foods. Restaurants and food manufacturing companies can really pile on the salt causing more health problems than what you bargained for. It can be hard to avoid eating on the go, but it is not impossible. Taking fish oil for blood pressure can decrease your chances of developing problems associated with eating this way.
Another cause for this disease is obesity. Being extremely overweight puts extra pressure on all parts of the body, especially the heart. When the heart is stressed, it has to pump extra hard to supply blood throughout the body, naturally causing an increase in blood pressure. A good way to avoid this is to exercise, eat healthier, and take a fish oil for blood pressure supplement to help with blood flow.
But these are not the only causes. In order to be absolutely certain, you must see your physician. If you are already on a prescription blood thinner, you should ask your doctor before starting this supplement to be on the safe side. Please be aware that most people can take a fish oil supplement, even if they do not currently have high blood pressure. Fish oil for blood pressure contains several other heart healthy benefits and can also contribute to the prevention of future high blood pressure as well as other heart ailments.
Some of the symptoms of this disease are chronic headaches, shortness of breath, and dizziness. As you may have noticed, these can also be the symptoms of several other things. It can be very hard to tell and the only way to know is to obtain a proper diagnosis from a licensed health professional. If you have already been diagnosed with this ailment, you may have already heard about the effectiveness of fish oil for blood pressure.
The oil acts as a natural blood thinner by causing the platelets to become less "sticky". When the platelets clump up, they form what is known as a blood clot. This action usually leads to a heart attack or stroke, which can be fatal. Taking this oil supplement lowers this risk dramatically. Prescription blood thinners perform in the same fashion, but with the oil, you are not faced with any dangerous side effects or high medical expenses.
You may not be aware of it, but every one in four people have this condition, and most do not even know it. What is scary is that you do not have to be overweight to have it. There are several things which can play a major contribution. One bad habit which causes this condition and can be easily controlled is too much salt intake. The daily recommended amount is 2,400 mg or less a day.
Most people are consuming ten times more than that. A good idea would be to cut down on processed and fast foods. Restaurants and food manufacturing companies can really pile on the salt causing more health problems than what you bargained for. It can be hard to avoid eating on the go, but it is not impossible. Taking fish oil for blood pressure can decrease your chances of developing problems associated with eating this way.
Another cause for this disease is obesity. Being extremely overweight puts extra pressure on all parts of the body, especially the heart. When the heart is stressed, it has to pump extra hard to supply blood throughout the body, naturally causing an increase in blood pressure. A good way to avoid this is to exercise, eat healthier, and take a fish oil for blood pressure supplement to help with blood flow.
But these are not the only causes. In order to be absolutely certain, you must see your physician. If you are already on a prescription blood thinner, you should ask your doctor before starting this supplement to be on the safe side. Please be aware that most people can take a fish oil supplement, even if they do not currently have high blood pressure. Fish oil for blood pressure contains several other heart healthy benefits and can also contribute to the prevention of future high blood pressure as well as other heart ailments.
How to Fight Heart Disease With Water
One of the most remarkable medical research findings is how consumption of water reduces the risk of heart disease. That's water, plain water.
Professor Jacqueline Chan of studied the water consumption habits and health histories of 20,000 people. She found that drinking three or four glasses of water a day reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, 40 percent for men and 43 percent for women. What about drinking even more water? Consumption of five or more glasses of water a day cut heart disease risk 62 percent for men, but oddly only 39 for women.
Here are even more really unexpected results. That risk reduction from drinking water was greater than that found for other more acclaimed heart-protecting steps, namely quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. It was even better than taking a daily low-dose aspirin or having a glass of wine.
What is in drinking water matters. Other research found that drinking hard water results in less cardiovascular disease than drinking soft water. Hard water has more calcium carbonate and magnesium in it. Similarly, it has also been found that people who drank water higher in Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) had lower death rates from heart disease, cancer and chronic diseases than people who drank water with low amounts of TDS. TDS not only includes calcium and magnesium (the hardness factors), but also zinc, copper chromium, selenium and other elements.
Beware, drinking other fluids, notably coffee, soda, milk and other caffeinated drinks did not reduce heart risk. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, meaning they pull more water out of your body than they put in.
The average person loses about 2 percent of their body weight every day by producing urine and perspiration. Replacing this water is crucial in keeping your blood volume normal. Otherwise your blood gets heavy and harder for your heart to pump. Water protects against blood clot formation by decreasing blood viscosity.
Naturally, exercising in hot and humid weather means even high water loss. The American Heart Association recommends drinking 8 ounces of water before, during and again after exercising. Drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes can be dangerous. Many sports drinks provide electrolytes, but try and use the low calorie versions.
Also, recognize that some foods provide another way to get water in your diet. Soups, stews, vegetables like celery and peppers, and juicy fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges and grapefruit.
In addition to reducing heart risk, maintaining adequate water intake helps prevent getting kidney stones, constipation and fatigue. It also helps you lose weight.
Never take water for granted. And don't think that expensive bottled water is necessary or better for you than your tap water.
Professor Jacqueline Chan of studied the water consumption habits and health histories of 20,000 people. She found that drinking three or four glasses of water a day reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, 40 percent for men and 43 percent for women. What about drinking even more water? Consumption of five or more glasses of water a day cut heart disease risk 62 percent for men, but oddly only 39 for women.
Here are even more really unexpected results. That risk reduction from drinking water was greater than that found for other more acclaimed heart-protecting steps, namely quitting smoking, reducing cholesterol, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight. It was even better than taking a daily low-dose aspirin or having a glass of wine.
What is in drinking water matters. Other research found that drinking hard water results in less cardiovascular disease than drinking soft water. Hard water has more calcium carbonate and magnesium in it. Similarly, it has also been found that people who drank water higher in Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) had lower death rates from heart disease, cancer and chronic diseases than people who drank water with low amounts of TDS. TDS not only includes calcium and magnesium (the hardness factors), but also zinc, copper chromium, selenium and other elements.
Beware, drinking other fluids, notably coffee, soda, milk and other caffeinated drinks did not reduce heart risk. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, meaning they pull more water out of your body than they put in.
The average person loses about 2 percent of their body weight every day by producing urine and perspiration. Replacing this water is crucial in keeping your blood volume normal. Otherwise your blood gets heavy and harder for your heart to pump. Water protects against blood clot formation by decreasing blood viscosity.
Naturally, exercising in hot and humid weather means even high water loss. The American Heart Association recommends drinking 8 ounces of water before, during and again after exercising. Drinking too much water without replacing electrolytes can be dangerous. Many sports drinks provide electrolytes, but try and use the low calorie versions.
Also, recognize that some foods provide another way to get water in your diet. Soups, stews, vegetables like celery and peppers, and juicy fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges and grapefruit.
In addition to reducing heart risk, maintaining adequate water intake helps prevent getting kidney stones, constipation and fatigue. It also helps you lose weight.
Never take water for granted. And don't think that expensive bottled water is necessary or better for you than your tap water.
Mitochondria and Parkinson's Disease
Some forms of familial Parkinson’s disease are linked to loss of function of the genes called Parkin, or PINK1, but, until recently, it was not understood why. Why did these genetic defects lead to PD in some families? Recent evidence suggests that these genes are important for normal functioning of the mitochondria. Mitochondria are those cellular processes in every cell of your body that produce energy for the body’s functions. The mitochondria produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosate. Cells, particularly cells that produce dopamine, need this energy molecule in order to perform their normal functions. Scientists have long suspected that damage to the mitochondria in your cells can contribute to the onset of PD. When mitochondria are damaged in animals, it can produce a form of parkinsonism. Now scientists have discovered that Parkinson-associated genes like PINK1 and Parkin functionally interact to maintain mitochondrial function. Loss of Parkin or PINK1 function impairs the morphology and activity of mitochondria, which then produce less adenosine triphosphate. Slowly, the pieces to the puzzle are being put together. Already scientists are talking about creating drugs or genetic products that can protect mitochondria and thus treat or ameliorate PD.
Source: Lutz, A.K., Exner, N., Fett, M.E., Schlehe, J.S., Kloos, K., Laemmermann, K., Brunner, B., Kurz-Drechsler, A., Vogel, F., Reichert, A.S., Bouman, L., Vogt-Weisenhorn, D., Wurst, W., Tatzelt, J., Haass, C., and Winkelhofer, K.F. Loss of parkin or PINK1 function increases DRP1-independent mitochondrial fragmentation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 21. August 2009, Vol. 284, Issue 34, 22938-22951.
Source: Lutz, A.K., Exner, N., Fett, M.E., Schlehe, J.S., Kloos, K., Laemmermann, K., Brunner, B., Kurz-Drechsler, A., Vogel, F., Reichert, A.S., Bouman, L., Vogt-Weisenhorn, D., Wurst, W., Tatzelt, J., Haass, C., and Winkelhofer, K.F. Loss of parkin or PINK1 function increases DRP1-independent mitochondrial fragmentation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 21. August 2009, Vol. 284, Issue 34, 22938-22951.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Recognizing the Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
Each year, thousands of women suffer from one form of harmful eating disorder or another. The causes of them are many including depression, broken family relationships, and even the media's obsession about weight. No matter what the cause, eating disorders can be extremely dangerous and can often lead to death.
One of the most common eating disorders is called anorexia nervosa. In short, it leads women to lose extreme amounts of weight until they are basically a skeleton with skin around it. This disease has claimed the lives of many women and it is important to be aware of the symptoms so that if you see them exhibited in either yourself, your friends, or members of your family you seek help immediately to help stave off this harmful eating disorder. Below are some of the most common symptoms of anorexia nervosa and if you begin to notice these and others it is important to seek professional help immediately.
- Refusal to maintain a normal healthy weight
- Denial of low body weight or weight loss
- Experiences loss of menstruation due to weight loss or excessive exercise
- Obsession with dieting and exercise
- Binge eating and/or vomiting after meals
- unusual fear of weight gain
- avoidance of regular meals or food altogether
- sudden and severe weight loss
- extreme exhaustion and lack of strength
- increased use or excessive use of diet aids or diuretics
- avoidance of full-length mirrors
- constant tape measuring of body parts
The above represent some of the most common symptoms of anorexia nervosa but depending on the severity of the disorder in particular individual, you may only notice one or only a few of these symptoms at a time and this may lead you to not experiencing the potential severity of the problem. It is very common for eating disorders to sneak up on people as they can sometimes come on very slowly so that the symptoms are not incredibly obvious. The fact of the matter is, you should try to be aware of these symptoms and if you notice them increasing in severity and you have any suspicion at all that an eating disorder might exist, you should seek the help of a medical professional who has experience in dealing with eating disorders. All too often, family members and friends try to confront others when they suspect an eating disorder is present. This can oftentimes be a mistake as the ones suffering from it will usually deny the existence of the eating disorder and in turn push away from the person who is trying to help. This could lead to them going into a sort of seclusion where they refuse to visit with others at all while suffering from this harmful disease.
By being aware of the above list of symptoms, you can be more helpful in helping to diagnose the problem of eating disorders in others as well as yourself and if it is noticed, you should take action immediately as advised.
One of the most common eating disorders is called anorexia nervosa. In short, it leads women to lose extreme amounts of weight until they are basically a skeleton with skin around it. This disease has claimed the lives of many women and it is important to be aware of the symptoms so that if you see them exhibited in either yourself, your friends, or members of your family you seek help immediately to help stave off this harmful eating disorder. Below are some of the most common symptoms of anorexia nervosa and if you begin to notice these and others it is important to seek professional help immediately.
- Refusal to maintain a normal healthy weight
- Denial of low body weight or weight loss
- Experiences loss of menstruation due to weight loss or excessive exercise
- Obsession with dieting and exercise
- Binge eating and/or vomiting after meals
- unusual fear of weight gain
- avoidance of regular meals or food altogether
- sudden and severe weight loss
- extreme exhaustion and lack of strength
- increased use or excessive use of diet aids or diuretics
- avoidance of full-length mirrors
- constant tape measuring of body parts
The above represent some of the most common symptoms of anorexia nervosa but depending on the severity of the disorder in particular individual, you may only notice one or only a few of these symptoms at a time and this may lead you to not experiencing the potential severity of the problem. It is very common for eating disorders to sneak up on people as they can sometimes come on very slowly so that the symptoms are not incredibly obvious. The fact of the matter is, you should try to be aware of these symptoms and if you notice them increasing in severity and you have any suspicion at all that an eating disorder might exist, you should seek the help of a medical professional who has experience in dealing with eating disorders. All too often, family members and friends try to confront others when they suspect an eating disorder is present. This can oftentimes be a mistake as the ones suffering from it will usually deny the existence of the eating disorder and in turn push away from the person who is trying to help. This could lead to them going into a sort of seclusion where they refuse to visit with others at all while suffering from this harmful disease.
By being aware of the above list of symptoms, you can be more helpful in helping to diagnose the problem of eating disorders in others as well as yourself and if it is noticed, you should take action immediately as advised.
Remedy:How to Treat Cystic Acne
Normal zits are already unpleasant enough, but cystic acne is a much more painful and potentially scarring experience for your skin (and your self esteem!). There is no “easy" remedy for getting rid of acne cysts, but there are certainly some treatment options that can help speed the process, as well as some things that you should be sure NOT to do. This advice is meant for acne sufferers with a mild to average number of cysts. If you have severe cystic acne that covers your face and body, you should really seek the advice of a dermatologist immediately, as an affliction such as this can leave your skin scarred for life.
Understanding cystic acne:
Unlike the small whitehead pustules that most people with acne experience on the surface of their skin, cystic acne appears as large irritated bumps, often with the pustule hidden deep beneath the skin’s surface. These cysts are caused when hormonal shifts result in your skin glands overproducing oil (sebum) at an unnatural rate. The gland becomes swollen and eventually bursts, but not before the sebum has swelled and hardened into a clump too large to escape by means of your pores. The irritation from your gland bursting results in inflammation, and buried pustule can remain in your skin for a very long time.
What to do:
The first thing to keep in mind is what you should not do. Never try to force a deep cyst to the surface of your skin prematurely. Trying to force cysts to burst is one of the major causes of acne scars, and will often leave your face looking much worse than it did before.
There are some things that you can still do to help. Strong acne creams with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide will help speed the healing process by killing the bacteria that forms in the cyst. Anti-inflammatory treatments such as Neosporin can also help by taking some of the red out of the inflamed region. After this, it simply takes patience and the discipline not to pick at your skin. Your cysts will eventually be broken down by the body, and this usually takes less time than healing from the inflammation caused by forcing them out.
Prevention:
Cystic acne happens below the surface of your skin and has very little to do with personal hygene. Creams and cleansers will not help much at all in preventing it. You need to target your oil glands in order to counter those hormonal shifts. Start with a daily multivitamin to make sure you’re getting the minimum of essential nutrients that your body needs to metabolize oil, and then consider other supplements.
Zinc is an important mineral in regulating the activity of your oil glands, as well as being a powerful antioxidant. Taking an extra 30-50 mg per day of Zinc has helped many acne sufferers. Vitamin B5 is also a key ingredient in fighting excess oil. There are many online resources about vitamn B5 acne treatment. B5 is necessary in order to produce Coenzyme-A, which in turn is needed for the metabolism of skin oil. Supplementing with 5-10 grams of vitamin B5 (less if time-released) has helped many acne sufferers get their skin under control by enhancing oil metabolism. Since cystic acne is caused by excessive oil production, this may be exactly what you need.
If nothing else works for you, see a dermatologist, as you may need a prescription treatment such as Accutane (a vitamin A derivative that directly lowers your production of skin oil). However, this should only be a last resort, as the side-effects from prescription acne treatments can sometimes be more serious than the acne itself.
---
Understanding cystic acne:
Unlike the small whitehead pustules that most people with acne experience on the surface of their skin, cystic acne appears as large irritated bumps, often with the pustule hidden deep beneath the skin’s surface. These cysts are caused when hormonal shifts result in your skin glands overproducing oil (sebum) at an unnatural rate. The gland becomes swollen and eventually bursts, but not before the sebum has swelled and hardened into a clump too large to escape by means of your pores. The irritation from your gland bursting results in inflammation, and buried pustule can remain in your skin for a very long time.
What to do:
The first thing to keep in mind is what you should not do. Never try to force a deep cyst to the surface of your skin prematurely. Trying to force cysts to burst is one of the major causes of acne scars, and will often leave your face looking much worse than it did before.
There are some things that you can still do to help. Strong acne creams with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide will help speed the healing process by killing the bacteria that forms in the cyst. Anti-inflammatory treatments such as Neosporin can also help by taking some of the red out of the inflamed region. After this, it simply takes patience and the discipline not to pick at your skin. Your cysts will eventually be broken down by the body, and this usually takes less time than healing from the inflammation caused by forcing them out.
Prevention:
Cystic acne happens below the surface of your skin and has very little to do with personal hygene. Creams and cleansers will not help much at all in preventing it. You need to target your oil glands in order to counter those hormonal shifts. Start with a daily multivitamin to make sure you’re getting the minimum of essential nutrients that your body needs to metabolize oil, and then consider other supplements.
Zinc is an important mineral in regulating the activity of your oil glands, as well as being a powerful antioxidant. Taking an extra 30-50 mg per day of Zinc has helped many acne sufferers. Vitamin B5 is also a key ingredient in fighting excess oil. There are many online resources about vitamn B5 acne treatment. B5 is necessary in order to produce Coenzyme-A, which in turn is needed for the metabolism of skin oil. Supplementing with 5-10 grams of vitamin B5 (less if time-released) has helped many acne sufferers get their skin under control by enhancing oil metabolism. Since cystic acne is caused by excessive oil production, this may be exactly what you need.
If nothing else works for you, see a dermatologist, as you may need a prescription treatment such as Accutane (a vitamin A derivative that directly lowers your production of skin oil). However, this should only be a last resort, as the side-effects from prescription acne treatments can sometimes be more serious than the acne itself.
---
Does Vinegar Burn Fat?
Vinegar has long been touted as a weight loss aid. It is practically calorie free and it seems like it would have a strong effect on the body in helping to melt away pounds.
There have been vocal advocates of vinegar as a weight loss aid. Among them are Japanese researchers who recently found that subjects who ate a very high fat diet who also ate lots of vinegar actually had 10% less body fat than those who ate the same diet without the vinegar.
Unfortunately, the Japanese study used mice, not humans. Animal research is important, but it is a stretch at best to assume that the same result would occur in humans. To approach the dosage used in this study, you would have to consume about 20 oz. of vinegar per day, a pretty unrealistic amount.
Although this Japanese study isn't a very reliable source of information on the benefits of vinegar, there is evidence that it does in fact provide some significant health benefits. It contains acetic acid, a pungent liquid that gives vinegar its strong acidic taste. Acetic acid is know for its ability to activate certain genes that tell your body to store less weight around your waist and deposit it more evenly throughout the body. It seems to increase thermogenesis to heighten the heat and burning power in the body. This is the process that allows your body to metabolize food quicker and burn fat.
Because its main ingredient is acetic acid, it would seem like vinegar can really help with weight loss. Unfortunately, it is likely that the magnitude of the thermogenesis that it creates would probably be too little to register in a human. If you're looking to vinegar as a powerful thermogenic fat burner, you're probably out of luck.
There may be a way, however, that vinegar actually works as a tool for weight loss. Recent studies in humans have shown that adding vinegar to a meal may actually slow down how fast carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the body. This actually works as an appetite suppressant and may be something that helps to prevent diabetes. If you slow down the process of converting sugar, you are essentially allowing your body more time to burn fat before it can be stored. So there may be some benefits to using vinegar as a part of your daily diet. But you shouldn't turn to it as a miracle weight loss solution.
If you are really looking for thermogenic fat burning power, it would be a lot smarter to try a safe supplement like a thermogenic or lipotropic fat burner. Thermogenic fat burners will increase your metabolism and help you burn fat faster, even while you sleep. The effectively increase the temperature at which your body burns fat. Lipotropic Fat Burners increase your body's metabolism to burn fat too, and also aid you in removing or transporting fat out of your body. Lipotropics are substances that prevent an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver.
A bit of vinegar can be helpful, but for real fat burning, stick to the supplements that really work.
To your weight loss success
There have been vocal advocates of vinegar as a weight loss aid. Among them are Japanese researchers who recently found that subjects who ate a very high fat diet who also ate lots of vinegar actually had 10% less body fat than those who ate the same diet without the vinegar.
Unfortunately, the Japanese study used mice, not humans. Animal research is important, but it is a stretch at best to assume that the same result would occur in humans. To approach the dosage used in this study, you would have to consume about 20 oz. of vinegar per day, a pretty unrealistic amount.
Although this Japanese study isn't a very reliable source of information on the benefits of vinegar, there is evidence that it does in fact provide some significant health benefits. It contains acetic acid, a pungent liquid that gives vinegar its strong acidic taste. Acetic acid is know for its ability to activate certain genes that tell your body to store less weight around your waist and deposit it more evenly throughout the body. It seems to increase thermogenesis to heighten the heat and burning power in the body. This is the process that allows your body to metabolize food quicker and burn fat.
Because its main ingredient is acetic acid, it would seem like vinegar can really help with weight loss. Unfortunately, it is likely that the magnitude of the thermogenesis that it creates would probably be too little to register in a human. If you're looking to vinegar as a powerful thermogenic fat burner, you're probably out of luck.
There may be a way, however, that vinegar actually works as a tool for weight loss. Recent studies in humans have shown that adding vinegar to a meal may actually slow down how fast carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the body. This actually works as an appetite suppressant and may be something that helps to prevent diabetes. If you slow down the process of converting sugar, you are essentially allowing your body more time to burn fat before it can be stored. So there may be some benefits to using vinegar as a part of your daily diet. But you shouldn't turn to it as a miracle weight loss solution.
If you are really looking for thermogenic fat burning power, it would be a lot smarter to try a safe supplement like a thermogenic or lipotropic fat burner. Thermogenic fat burners will increase your metabolism and help you burn fat faster, even while you sleep. The effectively increase the temperature at which your body burns fat. Lipotropic Fat Burners increase your body's metabolism to burn fat too, and also aid you in removing or transporting fat out of your body. Lipotropics are substances that prevent an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver.
A bit of vinegar can be helpful, but for real fat burning, stick to the supplements that really work.
To your weight loss success
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
10 Tips For Losing Weight While Breastfeeding
After giving birth to a child, many women become interested in regaining the figure they had prior to getting pregnant. Losing the excess weight requires going on a diet while breastfeeding. However, some question which breastfeeding diets are healthy for the mother and the baby. Here are 10 tips you need to know about losing weight while breastfeeding.
Tip #1: Wait 60 Days
Your body needs time to create a healthy supply of milk for the baby. If you restrict your calorie consumption, this can impact the quality of milk your body produces.
Tip #2: Eat Enough Calories
While breastfeeding, you need to consume between 1,800 and 2,000 calories each day. If you consume less than that, the quality of milk your body produces could suffer.
Tip #3: Limit Your Weight Loss
After the initial 60 days, try to lose no more than 1.5 pounds each week. You can safely lose this amount without risking your milk supply. Take care not to lose more than this while breastfeeding.
Tip #4: Watch Calories Closely
If you become dehydrated or ill, your body may try to conserve resources at the expense of your milk supply. Take great care to consume the 1,800 to 2,000 calories each day as mentioned in tip #2.
Tip #5: Lose the Weight Naturally
You may be tempted to try weight loss medications, liquid diets and other "quick fix" weight loss plans. Resist the temptation. While breastfeeding, it is critical that weight loss happens naturally so you can ensure your milk's quality and your body's health.
Tip #6: Cut the Junk
A great way to lose weight safely while breastfeeding is to eliminate the junk food from your diet. Sodas, cakes, chips and other foods of this type do very little for you or your baby. Cut them out of your diet to drop the pounds naturally.
Tip #7: Drink Lots of Water
Water is critical to breast milk production. While nursing, make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day and preferably much more. Avoid the temptation to quench your thirst with sodas and other sweetened drinks.
Tip #8: Workout
Gradually
You want your figure back. You may be tempted to workout aggressively to get it back. Don't do it. While nursing, your body needs to conserve energy. Start slowly. Begin with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase your routine over time.
Tip #9: Follow a Schedule
Exercising while nursing is difficult to schedule. But, with discipline and planning, it can be done. Plan ahead by laying out your clothes and gear so you can begin working out right after your baby is finished with a breastfeeding.
Tip #10: Clean Up for Baby
Some babies do not like their mommy to be sweaty when they breastfeed. Try to shower right after exercising or have some baby wipes nearby to clean up before breastfeeding your baby.
You can safely lose weight while nursing your child. By following the tips above, you can drop the excess weight without impacting your body's milk supply and ensure that your baby's feeding schedule is not unnecessarily interrupted. Before long, you are sure to have your figure back!
to your weight loss success
Tip #1: Wait 60 Days
Your body needs time to create a healthy supply of milk for the baby. If you restrict your calorie consumption, this can impact the quality of milk your body produces.
Tip #2: Eat Enough Calories
While breastfeeding, you need to consume between 1,800 and 2,000 calories each day. If you consume less than that, the quality of milk your body produces could suffer.
Tip #3: Limit Your Weight Loss
After the initial 60 days, try to lose no more than 1.5 pounds each week. You can safely lose this amount without risking your milk supply. Take care not to lose more than this while breastfeeding.
Tip #4: Watch Calories Closely
If you become dehydrated or ill, your body may try to conserve resources at the expense of your milk supply. Take great care to consume the 1,800 to 2,000 calories each day as mentioned in tip #2.
Tip #5: Lose the Weight Naturally
You may be tempted to try weight loss medications, liquid diets and other "quick fix" weight loss plans. Resist the temptation. While breastfeeding, it is critical that weight loss happens naturally so you can ensure your milk's quality and your body's health.
Tip #6: Cut the Junk
A great way to lose weight safely while breastfeeding is to eliminate the junk food from your diet. Sodas, cakes, chips and other foods of this type do very little for you or your baby. Cut them out of your diet to drop the pounds naturally.
Tip #7: Drink Lots of Water
Water is critical to breast milk production. While nursing, make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day and preferably much more. Avoid the temptation to quench your thirst with sodas and other sweetened drinks.
Tip #8: Workout
Gradually
You want your figure back. You may be tempted to workout aggressively to get it back. Don't do it. While nursing, your body needs to conserve energy. Start slowly. Begin with 10 minutes a day and gradually increase your routine over time.
Tip #9: Follow a Schedule
Exercising while nursing is difficult to schedule. But, with discipline and planning, it can be done. Plan ahead by laying out your clothes and gear so you can begin working out right after your baby is finished with a breastfeeding.
Tip #10: Clean Up for Baby
Some babies do not like their mommy to be sweaty when they breastfeed. Try to shower right after exercising or have some baby wipes nearby to clean up before breastfeeding your baby.
You can safely lose weight while nursing your child. By following the tips above, you can drop the excess weight without impacting your body's milk supply and ensure that your baby's feeding schedule is not unnecessarily interrupted. Before long, you are sure to have your figure back!
to your weight loss success
Weight Loss:Why Laying Off Alcohol is the Best Thing You Can Do
Chances are you already know that alcohol is something that is very bad for you. Not only can your drunkenness end up causing a lot of problems, but there are also serious health problems that have been proven to be caused by alcohol. Most notable among these are, of course, liver problems.
However, there is another problem that goes hand in hand with alcohol that often isn't discussed simply because, of all the numerous problems with alcohol, it is a lesser evil'. Still, seeing as you're interested in losing weight, it is definitely very much relevant to you.
And here it is: Alcohol contributes greatly to your calorie count.
Yes that's right. Contrary to some of the folk tales that state that alcohol can help burn fat, it actually does exactly the opposite and contributes to the total number of calories you end up loading on in a heavy way.
As a comparison, alcohol contributes 7 calories per gram, whereas carbohydrates and proteins both contribute only 4. In fact, the only thing that contributes more calories than alcohol are fats that contain 9 calories per gram.
When you think about it, you should appreciate the fact that consuming a lot of alcohol means that you're consuming a lot of calories too more than you might get from your average meal. Couple that with the fact that certain alcoholic beverages (such as beer in particular) have high calorie contents in general, and you have a recipe for disaster!
Bottom line : Alcohol is going to be counterproductive to any weight loss effort you might be trying to carry out, and so its best if you cut it out completely, as quickly as you possibly can.
Of course in some cases this may be easier said than done, and if you're an addict this can be a tough problem to kick so seek help!
End of the day, kicking alcohol for good is worth its weight in gold quite literally!
to your weight loss success
However, there is another problem that goes hand in hand with alcohol that often isn't discussed simply because, of all the numerous problems with alcohol, it is a lesser evil'. Still, seeing as you're interested in losing weight, it is definitely very much relevant to you.
And here it is: Alcohol contributes greatly to your calorie count.
Yes that's right. Contrary to some of the folk tales that state that alcohol can help burn fat, it actually does exactly the opposite and contributes to the total number of calories you end up loading on in a heavy way.
As a comparison, alcohol contributes 7 calories per gram, whereas carbohydrates and proteins both contribute only 4. In fact, the only thing that contributes more calories than alcohol are fats that contain 9 calories per gram.
When you think about it, you should appreciate the fact that consuming a lot of alcohol means that you're consuming a lot of calories too more than you might get from your average meal. Couple that with the fact that certain alcoholic beverages (such as beer in particular) have high calorie contents in general, and you have a recipe for disaster!
Bottom line : Alcohol is going to be counterproductive to any weight loss effort you might be trying to carry out, and so its best if you cut it out completely, as quickly as you possibly can.
Of course in some cases this may be easier said than done, and if you're an addict this can be a tough problem to kick so seek help!
End of the day, kicking alcohol for good is worth its weight in gold quite literally!
to your weight loss success
How to Lose Inches Fast,Boost Your Metabolism and Improve Your Health by Drinking More Water
Are you wondering how to lose inches fast while gaining more energy? Perhaps you're a mom who's left exhausted each day from taking care of the kids. Or maybe you're an executive or entrepreneur who has no energy left at the end of a stressful week. Your busy lifestyle has caught up to you and now you're gaining weight and feel tired all the time.
It can be tempting to purchase expensive products that promise to help you lose inches fast, boost your energy and improve your overall sense of wellbeing. Some people even attribute their weight gain and lack of energy to growing older and actually resign themselves to believing this is a natural part of life they can't do anything about. But that simply isn't true.
In fact, you may not need to look further than your kitchen sink for the health boost you need to lose inches fast and improve your health. God Himself created the perfect beverage that our body needs to stay healthy, look better, and have the energy we need to keep up with the children, travel, or pursue our favorite activities - water.
Although it doesn't look like much, there are many benefits to drinking water. Besides helping to boost your metabolism and giving you more energy, water also:
- Helps you to lose inches fast by enhancing fat loss. If you're trying to lose weight, water flushes out the by-products of fat breakdown.
- Improves your sense of wellbeing. Fatigue, headaches, and back pain may all be caused by not drinking enough water.
- Reduces hunger. Hunger pangs may be misinterpreted cravings for water, and it also works as an appetite suppressant.
- Rehydrates your skin. When your skin is properly hydrated, it reduces the appearance of wrinkles and looks more radiant.
- Drinking plenty of water is suggested along with body wraps to flush out toxins to improve digestion, metabolism, energy levels, and fast inch loss.
How much water should you drink? The amount of water you needs depends on your current weight. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would need to drink 75 ounces of water each day.
Drinking enough water can become a habit. Here are some ways you can incorporate drinking more water into your daily routine:
- Drink a glass of water each half hour.
- If you don't like the taste of water, you can flavor it by adding fresh lemon or lime juice to each glass.
- Carry water with along with you in an eco-friendly, reusable bottle. Look for bottles that are non-toxic and safe for you and the environment. Some plastic bottles leech chemicals into the water each time they are used.
The type of water you drink makes a difference too. Make sure you're drinking the right kind of water for your optimum health. The ideal bottled water is high in magnesium and low in sodium. If you are drinking tap water, use an alkaline water filter to remove alkaloids, or metals, from the water.
One of the most important things water does for you is detoxifies your body, which is a crucial step if you want to lose inches fast, improve your metabolism and your overall health. Drinking plenty of water daily is suggested along with detoxifying body wraps to flush out toxins from your body and leave you healthier and full of energy. Look for a a natural herbal wrap that helps to mobilize fat and toxins and not just water loss.
to your weight loss success
It can be tempting to purchase expensive products that promise to help you lose inches fast, boost your energy and improve your overall sense of wellbeing. Some people even attribute their weight gain and lack of energy to growing older and actually resign themselves to believing this is a natural part of life they can't do anything about. But that simply isn't true.
In fact, you may not need to look further than your kitchen sink for the health boost you need to lose inches fast and improve your health. God Himself created the perfect beverage that our body needs to stay healthy, look better, and have the energy we need to keep up with the children, travel, or pursue our favorite activities - water.
Although it doesn't look like much, there are many benefits to drinking water. Besides helping to boost your metabolism and giving you more energy, water also:
- Helps you to lose inches fast by enhancing fat loss. If you're trying to lose weight, water flushes out the by-products of fat breakdown.
- Improves your sense of wellbeing. Fatigue, headaches, and back pain may all be caused by not drinking enough water.
- Reduces hunger. Hunger pangs may be misinterpreted cravings for water, and it also works as an appetite suppressant.
- Rehydrates your skin. When your skin is properly hydrated, it reduces the appearance of wrinkles and looks more radiant.
- Drinking plenty of water is suggested along with body wraps to flush out toxins to improve digestion, metabolism, energy levels, and fast inch loss.
How much water should you drink? The amount of water you needs depends on your current weight. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would need to drink 75 ounces of water each day.
Drinking enough water can become a habit. Here are some ways you can incorporate drinking more water into your daily routine:
- Drink a glass of water each half hour.
- If you don't like the taste of water, you can flavor it by adding fresh lemon or lime juice to each glass.
- Carry water with along with you in an eco-friendly, reusable bottle. Look for bottles that are non-toxic and safe for you and the environment. Some plastic bottles leech chemicals into the water each time they are used.
The type of water you drink makes a difference too. Make sure you're drinking the right kind of water for your optimum health. The ideal bottled water is high in magnesium and low in sodium. If you are drinking tap water, use an alkaline water filter to remove alkaloids, or metals, from the water.
One of the most important things water does for you is detoxifies your body, which is a crucial step if you want to lose inches fast, improve your metabolism and your overall health. Drinking plenty of water daily is suggested along with detoxifying body wraps to flush out toxins from your body and leave you healthier and full of energy. Look for a a natural herbal wrap that helps to mobilize fat and toxins and not just water loss.
to your weight loss success
Monday, September 7, 2009
Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease
By Patrick McNamara, Ph.D.
One of the hardest symptoms to bear when you have Parkinson's disease is anxiety. Some forms of anxiety in PD are easy to understand. We are anxious over how the complications of PD will affect money and family life—not to mention our own well-being. But there are other forms of anxiety that seem to be an intrinsic part of the disease-not just a reaction to the disease. These intrinsic forms of anxiety can make you feel like you are going crazy. The fear seems irrational and yet uncontrollable. Something horrible is about to happen and I am powerless to do anything about it-or so it feels. Recent studies of anxiety in PD show that up to half of PD patients experience some form of anxiety at one point in their lives. The most common form of anxiety after diagnosis of PD appears to be “Anxiety disorder not otherwise specified”---in other words an anxiety disorder that is atypical and not well studied by the psychiatrists. In short, anxiety disorders of PD are not well understood and because of that they are probably not well treated either. If you are experiencing anxiety, talk to your doctor about it. When fears and worries are shared they lose their hold on us. Its time to bring anxiety disorders of PD out of the shadows and into the realm of rational understanding and treatment.
One of the hardest symptoms to bear when you have Parkinson's disease is anxiety. Some forms of anxiety in PD are easy to understand. We are anxious over how the complications of PD will affect money and family life—not to mention our own well-being. But there are other forms of anxiety that seem to be an intrinsic part of the disease-not just a reaction to the disease. These intrinsic forms of anxiety can make you feel like you are going crazy. The fear seems irrational and yet uncontrollable. Something horrible is about to happen and I am powerless to do anything about it-or so it feels. Recent studies of anxiety in PD show that up to half of PD patients experience some form of anxiety at one point in their lives. The most common form of anxiety after diagnosis of PD appears to be “Anxiety disorder not otherwise specified”---in other words an anxiety disorder that is atypical and not well studied by the psychiatrists. In short, anxiety disorders of PD are not well understood and because of that they are probably not well treated either. If you are experiencing anxiety, talk to your doctor about it. When fears and worries are shared they lose their hold on us. Its time to bring anxiety disorders of PD out of the shadows and into the realm of rational understanding and treatment.
The things you need to know about Weight Loss
Stability Ball Exercise
What do you really need to do to lose weight? The typical answer will include things like eating less and exercising more, both of which are correct. However, neither of those makes a bit of difference if you're not actually doing them, a problem more and more of us are struggling with. What stops you from eating less and exercising more? Maybe you think it's because you're too busy, tired or stressed. Maybe you think it's because you've tried everything –- diets, gym memberships, weird workout gadgets or waiting for the planets to align correctly -- and nothing seems to work.
Those are great excuses, but perhaps what really stands in your way isn't your body, your schedule or your whip-cracking boss; it's your mind.
The mental side of weight loss is the most important aspect of losing weight. Your mind is what drives all of your decisions and your choices and, if it isn't in the right place, your choices won't be either. With that in mind, what are the mental strategies you need to finally lose weight? They may not be what you think.
1. Honesty. It's amazing how easy it is to lie to ourselves. We lie about eating too much: "Oh, it's just a few handful of M&Ms…there can't be that many extra calories, right?" We lie about exercising: "I promise, I'll workout tomorrow. I know I said that yesterday, but I really mean it this time!" Some people take it even further, avoiding looking at themselves in the mirror, stepping on a scale or acknowledging when they have to buy bigger clothes.
Even keeping a food journal doesn't always keep us honest. I had one client who, if she ate the way she reported in her diary, wouldn't have the energy to pick up a glass of water, much less a dumbbell. It turns out that a dinner of wheat crackers, fruit and some string cheese was also supplemented by three beers ("I didn't really count those as food,"), nachos ("I only had a few!") and some cookies ("They were on my kid's plate, so I didn't count them.").
She's not the only one. One study delving into the topic of underreporting calorie intake found that 18% of the men and 28% of the women in the study underreported their calories.
Being honest isn't just about knowing what you eat and how much exercise you're getting. It also means being honest about whether you're really ready to make a lifestyle change.
Getting Honest With Yourself
•Decide if you're ready to change - Taking the lifestyle change quiz may give you insight into what you really want for yourself. If you're not ready, learn about how to enjoy exercise and healthy eating and simple ways to take better care of yourself. Even if you're not ready for big changes, small changes make a difference.
•Start a Weekly Weight Loss Checklist - Each week, record your measurements, write down your goals and plan out how you'll reach them.
•Create a Daily Check-In – Along with your weekly checklist, create a ritual where you check in with yourself to assess how you're doing. Update your fitness journal before bed or first thing in the morning and make notes of what you did well and what you need to work on.
•Keep an Honest Food Diary – Self-monitoring is a must if you're trying to lose weight. You should measure portions whenever possible, check food labels, look up nutritional information for restaurants and track everything you eat and drink. After practicing, you'll be able to eyeball your meals without having to be as meticulous. You can keep an online diary using sites like Calorie Count, FitDay or FitWatch or a journal such as DietMinder or this Food Diary Print Out.
•Hold Yourself Accountable – During your daily check in, note what you did well and what you struggled with. New behaviors take time to catch on and there may be deeper issues to work through, like emotional eating, stress and other ways you may sabotage your weight loss.
What do you really need to do to lose weight? The typical answer will include things like eating less and exercising more, both of which are correct. However, neither of those makes a bit of difference if you're not actually doing them, a problem more and more of us are struggling with. What stops you from eating less and exercising more? Maybe you think it's because you're too busy, tired or stressed. Maybe you think it's because you've tried everything –- diets, gym memberships, weird workout gadgets or waiting for the planets to align correctly -- and nothing seems to work.
Those are great excuses, but perhaps what really stands in your way isn't your body, your schedule or your whip-cracking boss; it's your mind.
The mental side of weight loss is the most important aspect of losing weight. Your mind is what drives all of your decisions and your choices and, if it isn't in the right place, your choices won't be either. With that in mind, what are the mental strategies you need to finally lose weight? They may not be what you think.
1. Honesty. It's amazing how easy it is to lie to ourselves. We lie about eating too much: "Oh, it's just a few handful of M&Ms…there can't be that many extra calories, right?" We lie about exercising: "I promise, I'll workout tomorrow. I know I said that yesterday, but I really mean it this time!" Some people take it even further, avoiding looking at themselves in the mirror, stepping on a scale or acknowledging when they have to buy bigger clothes.
Even keeping a food journal doesn't always keep us honest. I had one client who, if she ate the way she reported in her diary, wouldn't have the energy to pick up a glass of water, much less a dumbbell. It turns out that a dinner of wheat crackers, fruit and some string cheese was also supplemented by three beers ("I didn't really count those as food,"), nachos ("I only had a few!") and some cookies ("They were on my kid's plate, so I didn't count them.").
She's not the only one. One study delving into the topic of underreporting calorie intake found that 18% of the men and 28% of the women in the study underreported their calories.
Being honest isn't just about knowing what you eat and how much exercise you're getting. It also means being honest about whether you're really ready to make a lifestyle change.
Getting Honest With Yourself
•Decide if you're ready to change - Taking the lifestyle change quiz may give you insight into what you really want for yourself. If you're not ready, learn about how to enjoy exercise and healthy eating and simple ways to take better care of yourself. Even if you're not ready for big changes, small changes make a difference.
•Start a Weekly Weight Loss Checklist - Each week, record your measurements, write down your goals and plan out how you'll reach them.
•Create a Daily Check-In – Along with your weekly checklist, create a ritual where you check in with yourself to assess how you're doing. Update your fitness journal before bed or first thing in the morning and make notes of what you did well and what you need to work on.
•Keep an Honest Food Diary – Self-monitoring is a must if you're trying to lose weight. You should measure portions whenever possible, check food labels, look up nutritional information for restaurants and track everything you eat and drink. After practicing, you'll be able to eyeball your meals without having to be as meticulous. You can keep an online diary using sites like Calorie Count, FitDay or FitWatch or a journal such as DietMinder or this Food Diary Print Out.
•Hold Yourself Accountable – During your daily check in, note what you did well and what you struggled with. New behaviors take time to catch on and there may be deeper issues to work through, like emotional eating, stress and other ways you may sabotage your weight loss.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Arthritis Can Create Awkward Situations
by Carol&Richard Eustice
Arthritis is a greatly misunderstood disease. Myths and misconceptions about the disease abound. Despite pleas for more arthritis awareness in our society, unless they live with the disease themselves, people typically fail to realize the:
•challenges faced for people with arthritis
•difficulties and limitations imposed by arthritis
•unpredictable nature of arthritis
Certainly, some aspects of arthritis cause very visible problems, easily recognized and understood by other people. Arthritis, though, also can lead to situations that are nothing less than uncomfortable and awkward. For the person with arthritis, such awkward situations can be unnerving.
•7 Misconceptions About Arthritis
•Arthritis Quiz: Is It Myth or Fact?
What Should You Say?
A simple everyday occurrence, such as going to the grocery store, can lend us enough examples of the awkwardness that can face people with arthritis.
Consider these scenarios:
You (the person with arthritis) drive to the store and park in a spot reserved for handicapped people. When you get out of the car, you are confronted by a person who accuses you of illegally parking in the handicapped area. Knowing you have been unfairly prejudged by that person, what should you say?
Once inside the grocery store, you have difficulty reaching items on the top shelves. An older woman comes along and asks if you can reach an object for her from the top shelf. Realizing that this is difficult, if not impossible for you, what should you say?
You see an acquaintance in the grocery store who approaches you and reaches out to shake your hand. Shaking hands is painful and uncomfortable for you because of your arthritis. Realizing the person expects you to extend your hand, what should you say?
At the checkout counter, you slowly and painfully take each item out of your cart while the people behind you in line stare and look tormented by how long you are taking. Wishing that you could make them understand, what should you say?
After completing the transaction, the cashier hands you the change and is surprised as you fumble with the coins, because your arthritic hands are not cooperating. Fully aware that the cashier is wondering what is wrong, what should you say?
After you return home and unpack the groceries, the excursion to the store has left you feeling very fatigued and your family wonders why you are so tired. Dismayed by their lack of understanding, what should you say?
Our simple trip to the grocery store has yielded six examples of the awkward moments that can happen for people who live with arthritis. Many other similar examples exist. Is there one answer that would be a perfect fit for all of the various awkward situations? Perhaps an explanation is completely unnecessary. Yet there are many people who feel compelled to explain.
•"People with Disabilities - Living in a 'Normal World'"
Tips for Handling Awkward Situations
•In most instances, a simple answer should suffice: "My arthritis makes some things difficult for me. [Fill in the blank] is one of those things. I hope you understand." Try this reply. Fill in the blank with whatever word is appropriate ("reaching," "shaking hands," "lifting," "handling coins," "walking").
•Try not to overthink the awkwardness of the situation or the ignorance of certain people. Accept yourself and the challenges you face.
•Keep your simple reply in mind and use it to minimize the jolt you feel when confronted by an uncomfortable situation.
And remember — an honest reply will never fail you
Arthritis is a greatly misunderstood disease. Myths and misconceptions about the disease abound. Despite pleas for more arthritis awareness in our society, unless they live with the disease themselves, people typically fail to realize the:
•challenges faced for people with arthritis
•difficulties and limitations imposed by arthritis
•unpredictable nature of arthritis
Certainly, some aspects of arthritis cause very visible problems, easily recognized and understood by other people. Arthritis, though, also can lead to situations that are nothing less than uncomfortable and awkward. For the person with arthritis, such awkward situations can be unnerving.
•7 Misconceptions About Arthritis
•Arthritis Quiz: Is It Myth or Fact?
What Should You Say?
A simple everyday occurrence, such as going to the grocery store, can lend us enough examples of the awkwardness that can face people with arthritis.
Consider these scenarios:
You (the person with arthritis) drive to the store and park in a spot reserved for handicapped people. When you get out of the car, you are confronted by a person who accuses you of illegally parking in the handicapped area. Knowing you have been unfairly prejudged by that person, what should you say?
Once inside the grocery store, you have difficulty reaching items on the top shelves. An older woman comes along and asks if you can reach an object for her from the top shelf. Realizing that this is difficult, if not impossible for you, what should you say?
You see an acquaintance in the grocery store who approaches you and reaches out to shake your hand. Shaking hands is painful and uncomfortable for you because of your arthritis. Realizing the person expects you to extend your hand, what should you say?
At the checkout counter, you slowly and painfully take each item out of your cart while the people behind you in line stare and look tormented by how long you are taking. Wishing that you could make them understand, what should you say?
After completing the transaction, the cashier hands you the change and is surprised as you fumble with the coins, because your arthritic hands are not cooperating. Fully aware that the cashier is wondering what is wrong, what should you say?
After you return home and unpack the groceries, the excursion to the store has left you feeling very fatigued and your family wonders why you are so tired. Dismayed by their lack of understanding, what should you say?
Our simple trip to the grocery store has yielded six examples of the awkward moments that can happen for people who live with arthritis. Many other similar examples exist. Is there one answer that would be a perfect fit for all of the various awkward situations? Perhaps an explanation is completely unnecessary. Yet there are many people who feel compelled to explain.
•"People with Disabilities - Living in a 'Normal World'"
Tips for Handling Awkward Situations
•In most instances, a simple answer should suffice: "My arthritis makes some things difficult for me. [Fill in the blank] is one of those things. I hope you understand." Try this reply. Fill in the blank with whatever word is appropriate ("reaching," "shaking hands," "lifting," "handling coins," "walking").
•Try not to overthink the awkwardness of the situation or the ignorance of certain people. Accept yourself and the challenges you face.
•Keep your simple reply in mind and use it to minimize the jolt you feel when confronted by an uncomfortable situation.
And remember — an honest reply will never fail you
Health Care Reform and the Public option in Theory and Practice
by Christopher O. Tollefsen
Those who favor providing health care to all shouldn’t necessarily oppose the “public option,” but they will be unable to support a bill if it endorses and entrenches the taking of innocent human life through abortion.
Opposition to the health reform plans being put forth by the White House and the Democrats in Congress has centered on antipathy to the so-called “public option.” In my view, the reasons for this opposition are not uniformly sound. Indeed, insofar as the opposition is largely based on theoretical or ideological opposition to “government-run” health care, it has been relatively weak. But insofar as it has been based upon practical concerns for this administration’s and this Congress’s agendas, legitimate points have been made which need to be more adequately addressed as part of the large-scale effort at reforming health care in the United States.
Opposition to the public option at the level of theory seems in large part to reflect an animus towards the removal of health care from the sphere of the market and the kinds of healthy competition that drive that market. Critics are probably right in claiming that the public option would drive some insurers out of business, and that for-profit insurance would be at a great disadvantage in competing against the state, which, by the additional provision of resources, could always undercut the competition and provide the most attractive of the various public and private options.
Often embedded in opposition to the public option is an additional antipathy to the idea that health care is, or should be, a political entitlement, and that it is, or should be, considered to be a natural or basic human right. The proliferation of entitlement rights strikes many as problematic—such rights are rarely well-articulated, the means necessary to deliver them are rarely well investigated, and the assertion of such rights is often used more as a club to beat opponents in debate than as a serious tool for political discourse.
Nevertheless, the assertion that there is something like a natural right to health care that should be made into a political entitlement in at least some circumstances does not seem unreasonable. As I have argued in Public Discourse before, human beings have natural “Good Samaritan” duties to others to come to their aid when their needs are great. Health care needs are among the most significant and urgent of our needs as human beings whose lives are, in large part, bodily. Those needs thus ground duties on the part of others to provide aid when they can and when the need is great. The political state exists in part to assist people in fulfilling their responsibilities more effectively than they might otherwise be able to, and it exists in part to assist those incapable of meeting their own needs, and whose needs are not being adequately met by others.
Given this, the fact that a public option as part of a solution to the problem of inadequate health insurance for the poor and lower middle class is public—that is, involves government intervention—is not terribly worrisome. Were the public option able to do its job successfully, then government would be doing its job.
Nor are worries about diminishing competition convincing, for two reasons. The first is that health care is in some respects not the sort of thing for which there can be a genuinely free market. Health care decisions are made under great uncertainty, and those with knowledge—professional physicians—have an overwhelming advantage over their clients that renders the exchange of healthcare for money unlike the exchange of other commodities in a free market. Nor does the introduction of insurance schemes restore health care to the context of free exchange. Insurance companies must find ways to reduce the power of doctors without empowering patients to the point that they begin to thwart the ability of insurance companies to make a profit. Given that the health-care needs of the patients are the foundation for society’s health care duties, intervention into this triangle of patient-doctor-and-insurance company by the state to level the playing field in favor of the patient does not seem intrinsically unreasonable.
Second, the dominance of American health care by for-profit physicians and insurance companies seems at least somewhat in tension with the professional ethic of medicine. If that profession is seen as a vocational commitment to a form of service oriented around the basic human good of health, then service, duty, and responsibility, rather than competition, should play a greater role in conceptualizing how health care should be provided. Physicians and insurers in other developed countries are, it is true, simply not as wealthy and as well compensated as they are in the U.S. It is not at all obvious that this is a bad thing, from the standpoint of the medical profession.
Theoretical or ideological objections to the public option—that is, principled objections—seem ungrounded. But there are other reasons to be concerned here and now about the public option being put forward. Four such concerns are especially pressing.
The first is its effectiveness in dealing with the specific problems that need to be dealt with. Would the public option really redress our health care system’s injustices in an economically effective way? Justice in health care cannot be achieved by implementation of a plan that threatens to impose unsustainable costs—that would only defer our problems downstream and make them ultimately more intractable. Critics of the “economic prudence” of the public option, such as Ramesh Ponnuru and Yuval Levin, have raised real and troubling objections to the current proposals. These objections need to be answered with equally compelling answers and arguments by supporters of a public plan.
Does the administration and Congress have answers to the critics of the economic feasibility of the public option? I do not know, but this raises the second problem. There simply has not been enough information provided, enough honest debate, or enough time to consider the merits of the public option. Nor has there been adequate comparison of this possibility with other suggested ways of reform, including more private but more transparent ways of financing health care. Nor has there been adequate consideration of alternative forms of government intervention that focus on public health concerns such as obesity and food options. The stated effort to get health care reform passed by August could only have been predicated on the supposition that the nation should simply trust the administration and Congress to come up with a just and efficient plan. But that is a wholly inadequate way to move reform along. It is true that at some point a decision will have to be made about how to proceed, but the lack of transparency to this point has been striking, and it demeans citizens who reasonably want a voice in our national deliberations.
A third point, however, is that the lack of transparency has tended to shade into something worse: dishonesty. Is the public option merely one step towards a single payer system? Would it pose a threat to existing insurance companies? Would there be adequate safeguards to ensure that only qualified citizens, and not illegal immigrants, were eligible? These and other questions have been answered with an apparent disingenuousness and lack of frankness that is more than a little disturbing. The goals that different answers would give evidence for are, in each case, debatable and should be debated—perhaps there should be coverage for, e.g., the children of illegal immigrants. But proponents and opponents need to know what, in reality, they are arguing about.
Nowhere has the lack of candor been more grievous than on the public option’s treatment of abortion. Current federal law prohibits the use of taxpayer money for abortion, and the architects of the public option have relied on this to duck responsibility for speaking forthrightly about the final configuration of the plan. That plan, in all likelihood, would include abortion coverage financed through patient premiums, rather than government subsidies. But the plan would still be a public plan, administered by the state. The money contributed by any premium payer would go towards the funding of abortion, and, as Cardinal Rigali has noted, “funds paid into these plans are fungible, and federal taxpayer funds will subsidize the operating budget and provider networks that expand access to abortion.”
Such considerations have led even mainstream media outlets like Time magazine to note that the proposed reforms would “mark a significant change in the Federal Government’s role in the financing of abortions.” Yet the President has referred to such concerns as “myths” and “fabrications.”
It should go without saying that abortion is not a form of health care. That alone should remove it from the realm of the debate. Defenders of the public option, or of any other reasonable proposal for health care reform, need to decide where their priorities lie. If health care reform turns out to be a way of expanding an entitlement right to abortion, it will alienate many people, and, in all likelihood, not move forward. If the concern of the proponents of health care reform really is to address the genuine inefficiencies and injustices of the current system, while maintaining the federal government’s hands-off approach to abortion, then reform might be a genuine possibility. Whatever the nature of the reform, some people will be unhappy with it, for varyingly good and bad reasons. But government involvement in abortion is not simply a reason to be unhappy. It is, as many pro-life but also pro-reform leaders have indicated, a dealbreaker.
Christopher O. Tollefsen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina and a senior fellow of the Witherspoon Institute. His latest book, co-authored with Robert P. George, is Embryo: A Defense of Human Life (Doubleday, 2008). Tollefsen sits on the editorial board of Public Discourse.
Those who favor providing health care to all shouldn’t necessarily oppose the “public option,” but they will be unable to support a bill if it endorses and entrenches the taking of innocent human life through abortion.
Opposition to the health reform plans being put forth by the White House and the Democrats in Congress has centered on antipathy to the so-called “public option.” In my view, the reasons for this opposition are not uniformly sound. Indeed, insofar as the opposition is largely based on theoretical or ideological opposition to “government-run” health care, it has been relatively weak. But insofar as it has been based upon practical concerns for this administration’s and this Congress’s agendas, legitimate points have been made which need to be more adequately addressed as part of the large-scale effort at reforming health care in the United States.
Opposition to the public option at the level of theory seems in large part to reflect an animus towards the removal of health care from the sphere of the market and the kinds of healthy competition that drive that market. Critics are probably right in claiming that the public option would drive some insurers out of business, and that for-profit insurance would be at a great disadvantage in competing against the state, which, by the additional provision of resources, could always undercut the competition and provide the most attractive of the various public and private options.
Often embedded in opposition to the public option is an additional antipathy to the idea that health care is, or should be, a political entitlement, and that it is, or should be, considered to be a natural or basic human right. The proliferation of entitlement rights strikes many as problematic—such rights are rarely well-articulated, the means necessary to deliver them are rarely well investigated, and the assertion of such rights is often used more as a club to beat opponents in debate than as a serious tool for political discourse.
Nevertheless, the assertion that there is something like a natural right to health care that should be made into a political entitlement in at least some circumstances does not seem unreasonable. As I have argued in Public Discourse before, human beings have natural “Good Samaritan” duties to others to come to their aid when their needs are great. Health care needs are among the most significant and urgent of our needs as human beings whose lives are, in large part, bodily. Those needs thus ground duties on the part of others to provide aid when they can and when the need is great. The political state exists in part to assist people in fulfilling their responsibilities more effectively than they might otherwise be able to, and it exists in part to assist those incapable of meeting their own needs, and whose needs are not being adequately met by others.
Given this, the fact that a public option as part of a solution to the problem of inadequate health insurance for the poor and lower middle class is public—that is, involves government intervention—is not terribly worrisome. Were the public option able to do its job successfully, then government would be doing its job.
Nor are worries about diminishing competition convincing, for two reasons. The first is that health care is in some respects not the sort of thing for which there can be a genuinely free market. Health care decisions are made under great uncertainty, and those with knowledge—professional physicians—have an overwhelming advantage over their clients that renders the exchange of healthcare for money unlike the exchange of other commodities in a free market. Nor does the introduction of insurance schemes restore health care to the context of free exchange. Insurance companies must find ways to reduce the power of doctors without empowering patients to the point that they begin to thwart the ability of insurance companies to make a profit. Given that the health-care needs of the patients are the foundation for society’s health care duties, intervention into this triangle of patient-doctor-and-insurance company by the state to level the playing field in favor of the patient does not seem intrinsically unreasonable.
Second, the dominance of American health care by for-profit physicians and insurance companies seems at least somewhat in tension with the professional ethic of medicine. If that profession is seen as a vocational commitment to a form of service oriented around the basic human good of health, then service, duty, and responsibility, rather than competition, should play a greater role in conceptualizing how health care should be provided. Physicians and insurers in other developed countries are, it is true, simply not as wealthy and as well compensated as they are in the U.S. It is not at all obvious that this is a bad thing, from the standpoint of the medical profession.
Theoretical or ideological objections to the public option—that is, principled objections—seem ungrounded. But there are other reasons to be concerned here and now about the public option being put forward. Four such concerns are especially pressing.
The first is its effectiveness in dealing with the specific problems that need to be dealt with. Would the public option really redress our health care system’s injustices in an economically effective way? Justice in health care cannot be achieved by implementation of a plan that threatens to impose unsustainable costs—that would only defer our problems downstream and make them ultimately more intractable. Critics of the “economic prudence” of the public option, such as Ramesh Ponnuru and Yuval Levin, have raised real and troubling objections to the current proposals. These objections need to be answered with equally compelling answers and arguments by supporters of a public plan.
Does the administration and Congress have answers to the critics of the economic feasibility of the public option? I do not know, but this raises the second problem. There simply has not been enough information provided, enough honest debate, or enough time to consider the merits of the public option. Nor has there been adequate comparison of this possibility with other suggested ways of reform, including more private but more transparent ways of financing health care. Nor has there been adequate consideration of alternative forms of government intervention that focus on public health concerns such as obesity and food options. The stated effort to get health care reform passed by August could only have been predicated on the supposition that the nation should simply trust the administration and Congress to come up with a just and efficient plan. But that is a wholly inadequate way to move reform along. It is true that at some point a decision will have to be made about how to proceed, but the lack of transparency to this point has been striking, and it demeans citizens who reasonably want a voice in our national deliberations.
A third point, however, is that the lack of transparency has tended to shade into something worse: dishonesty. Is the public option merely one step towards a single payer system? Would it pose a threat to existing insurance companies? Would there be adequate safeguards to ensure that only qualified citizens, and not illegal immigrants, were eligible? These and other questions have been answered with an apparent disingenuousness and lack of frankness that is more than a little disturbing. The goals that different answers would give evidence for are, in each case, debatable and should be debated—perhaps there should be coverage for, e.g., the children of illegal immigrants. But proponents and opponents need to know what, in reality, they are arguing about.
Nowhere has the lack of candor been more grievous than on the public option’s treatment of abortion. Current federal law prohibits the use of taxpayer money for abortion, and the architects of the public option have relied on this to duck responsibility for speaking forthrightly about the final configuration of the plan. That plan, in all likelihood, would include abortion coverage financed through patient premiums, rather than government subsidies. But the plan would still be a public plan, administered by the state. The money contributed by any premium payer would go towards the funding of abortion, and, as Cardinal Rigali has noted, “funds paid into these plans are fungible, and federal taxpayer funds will subsidize the operating budget and provider networks that expand access to abortion.”
Such considerations have led even mainstream media outlets like Time magazine to note that the proposed reforms would “mark a significant change in the Federal Government’s role in the financing of abortions.” Yet the President has referred to such concerns as “myths” and “fabrications.”
It should go without saying that abortion is not a form of health care. That alone should remove it from the realm of the debate. Defenders of the public option, or of any other reasonable proposal for health care reform, need to decide where their priorities lie. If health care reform turns out to be a way of expanding an entitlement right to abortion, it will alienate many people, and, in all likelihood, not move forward. If the concern of the proponents of health care reform really is to address the genuine inefficiencies and injustices of the current system, while maintaining the federal government’s hands-off approach to abortion, then reform might be a genuine possibility. Whatever the nature of the reform, some people will be unhappy with it, for varyingly good and bad reasons. But government involvement in abortion is not simply a reason to be unhappy. It is, as many pro-life but also pro-reform leaders have indicated, a dealbreaker.
Christopher O. Tollefsen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina and a senior fellow of the Witherspoon Institute. His latest book, co-authored with Robert P. George, is Embryo: A Defense of Human Life (Doubleday, 2008). Tollefsen sits on the editorial board of Public Discourse.
How to Loss Weight Quick using Cinnamon
Cinnamon...
•can have favorable effects on brain function and memory
•soothes the stomach, and may help prevent ulcers
•suppresses the bacteria that causes urinary tract infections and the fungus associated with yeast infections
•reduces cholesterol levels – in particular, lowering bad cholesterol while leaving good cholesterol the same
Of particular interest is cinnamon’s ability to reduce blood sugar, and increase insulin levels, results which were documented in a respected diabetes journal.
It is cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar that makes it a potential help in the war against obesity, insulin resistance, sometimes known as "prediabetes," and the "Metabolic Syndrome."
Cinnamon can be used in its powdered or stick form, adding it to drinks and foods, or as a supplement.
To your weight loss success
•can have favorable effects on brain function and memory
•soothes the stomach, and may help prevent ulcers
•suppresses the bacteria that causes urinary tract infections and the fungus associated with yeast infections
•reduces cholesterol levels – in particular, lowering bad cholesterol while leaving good cholesterol the same
Of particular interest is cinnamon’s ability to reduce blood sugar, and increase insulin levels, results which were documented in a respected diabetes journal.
It is cinnamon’s effect on blood sugar that makes it a potential help in the war against obesity, insulin resistance, sometimes known as "prediabetes," and the "Metabolic Syndrome."
Cinnamon can be used in its powdered or stick form, adding it to drinks and foods, or as a supplement.
To your weight loss success
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
If We Had a Magic Wand for Primary Care
by Amy Berman
Posted in category Care Models, Chronic Disease, Grant Programs, Grantees, Health Policy
Health Reform has become a national pastime. It’s the hot topic of dinner conversation, top “tweet” in cyberspace, rant-du-jour in the blogosphere, and the focus of our policymakers even as Congress is adjourned. The public debate has focused on three core issues—cost, quality, and access—rarely accompanied by the necessary deeper dive into the causes of our current system’s woes, barriers to making change, and the all-important solutions. And yes, there are solutions.
So it was notably impressive when on August 11, 2009, the White House convened innovators from diverse health care organizations to rethink how we organize and deliver primary care, one of the nation’s top problems to be addressed within Health Reform. Nancy-Ann DeParle, the director of President Obama’s new White House Office of Health Reform, led the White House Health Care Roundtable discussion on Advanced Models of Primary Care. Click here to view the videotaped discussion.
One solution showcased at the White House Roundtable was Care Management Plus. A leading innovator of geriatric care delivery, David Dorr, MD, MS, of Oregon Health and Science University, presented the improved health outcomes and reduced costs associated with this innovative primary care model, which we funded in partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Dorr and co-investigator Cherie Brunker, MD, of Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, have led more than 75 clinical teams and delivery systems around the country in the adoption of Care Management Plus.
What Does Care Management Plus Do?
Care Management Plus is a program to help primary care clinics better coordinate care for older patients with multiple health needs. Its primary components are specially developed information technology, as well as a designated case manager and an interdisciplinary care team. For one common chronic health condition, diabetes, older patients served by Care Management Plus experienced a 24% reduction in hospitalization rates, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and avoiding likely complications. This is a win for everyone— patients, care providers, and taxpayers.
“We need to focus on improving the quality of care outcomes, making sure that we are providing preventive care and better coordinating care for patients,” said Nancy-Ann DeParle at the Roundtable. The Hartford Foundation agrees. As we seek to improve primary care, why not start by implementing proven solutions like Care Management Plus?
Posted in category Care Models, Chronic Disease, Grant Programs, Grantees, Health Policy
Health Reform has become a national pastime. It’s the hot topic of dinner conversation, top “tweet” in cyberspace, rant-du-jour in the blogosphere, and the focus of our policymakers even as Congress is adjourned. The public debate has focused on three core issues—cost, quality, and access—rarely accompanied by the necessary deeper dive into the causes of our current system’s woes, barriers to making change, and the all-important solutions. And yes, there are solutions.
So it was notably impressive when on August 11, 2009, the White House convened innovators from diverse health care organizations to rethink how we organize and deliver primary care, one of the nation’s top problems to be addressed within Health Reform. Nancy-Ann DeParle, the director of President Obama’s new White House Office of Health Reform, led the White House Health Care Roundtable discussion on Advanced Models of Primary Care. Click here to view the videotaped discussion.
One solution showcased at the White House Roundtable was Care Management Plus. A leading innovator of geriatric care delivery, David Dorr, MD, MS, of Oregon Health and Science University, presented the improved health outcomes and reduced costs associated with this innovative primary care model, which we funded in partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Dorr and co-investigator Cherie Brunker, MD, of Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, have led more than 75 clinical teams and delivery systems around the country in the adoption of Care Management Plus.
What Does Care Management Plus Do?
Care Management Plus is a program to help primary care clinics better coordinate care for older patients with multiple health needs. Its primary components are specially developed information technology, as well as a designated case manager and an interdisciplinary care team. For one common chronic health condition, diabetes, older patients served by Care Management Plus experienced a 24% reduction in hospitalization rates, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and avoiding likely complications. This is a win for everyone— patients, care providers, and taxpayers.
“We need to focus on improving the quality of care outcomes, making sure that we are providing preventive care and better coordinating care for patients,” said Nancy-Ann DeParle at the Roundtable. The Hartford Foundation agrees. As we seek to improve primary care, why not start by implementing proven solutions like Care Management Plus?
Acupuncture For Parkinson's Disease?
By Patrick McNamara, Ph.D
For years now there have been reports that acupuncture improves Parkinson's disease symptoms including body posture, tremor, and rigidity. Now a recent study in the journal Movement Disorders demonstrates that acupuncture does indeed activate areas in the brain that are normally responsible for movement and that are typically not functioning normally in PD. Specifically the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain effects of acupuncture at acupoint GB34—a site traditionally used to improve motor functioning. The investigators found that when the left GB34 acupoint was stimulated, brain activity in the putamen and the motor cortex-two key motor function areas that are impaired in PD, demonstrated a significant correlation with the degree of the enhanced motor function (a finger tapping task) associated with acupuncture treatment in the patients with PD. The findings indicate that acupuncture stimulation can consistently influence those brain regions that are known to be impaired in PD.
In short acupuncture may be construed as a form of deep brain stimulation via systematic stimulation of the skin. It may therefore one day prove to be an effective tool in the battle against PD.
For years now there have been reports that acupuncture improves Parkinson's disease symptoms including body posture, tremor, and rigidity. Now a recent study in the journal Movement Disorders demonstrates that acupuncture does indeed activate areas in the brain that are normally responsible for movement and that are typically not functioning normally in PD. Specifically the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain effects of acupuncture at acupoint GB34—a site traditionally used to improve motor functioning. The investigators found that when the left GB34 acupoint was stimulated, brain activity in the putamen and the motor cortex-two key motor function areas that are impaired in PD, demonstrated a significant correlation with the degree of the enhanced motor function (a finger tapping task) associated with acupuncture treatment in the patients with PD. The findings indicate that acupuncture stimulation can consistently influence those brain regions that are known to be impaired in PD.
In short acupuncture may be construed as a form of deep brain stimulation via systematic stimulation of the skin. It may therefore one day prove to be an effective tool in the battle against PD.
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