Your Behavior and Your Health

By: Jenie Hinaloc

Description : Of the four factors, your behavior is the one most within your control. Changing it for the better can help. Granted, poverty limits the changes you can make in your diet and habits, but by utilizing the choices that are available, you can make a substantial difference. Note the following example.

A mother usually has a choice between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding her baby. Breast-feeding, says the United Nations Children’s Fund, is “the superior choice, both physically and economically.” Mother’s milk, say experts, is “the ultimate health food,” giving the baby “precisely the right concentrations of protein, fat, lactose, vitamins, minerals and trace elements that are needed for harmonious growth.” Breast milk also transports disease-fighting proteins, or antibodies, from the mother to the baby, giving the infant a head start in combating diseases.

Especially in tropical lands with poor sanitary conditions, breast-feeding is best. Unlike bottle milk, breast milk cannot be overdiluted to save money, mistakes cannot be made during its preparation, and it is always served from a clean container. In contrast, “a bottle-fed baby in a poor community,” notes Synergy, a newsletter from the Canadian Society for International Health, “is approximately 15 times more likely to die from diarrheal disease and four times more likely to die from pneumonia than a baby who is exclusively breastfed.”

Then there is the economic advantage. In the developing world, powdered milk is costly. In Brazil, for example, bottle-feeding a baby may take one fifth of a poor family’s monthly income. The money saved by breast-feeding can provide healthier meals for the whole family—including mother.

With all these advantages, you would expect breast-feeding to be booming. Yet, health workers in the Philippines report that breast-feeding there is “gravely threatened with extinction,” and a study in Brazil showed that one of the main factors associated with infants dying from respiratory infection is “lack of breastfeeding.” Your infant, however, may escape that fate. You have a choice.

Mother’s efforts to protect baby’s health are often undermined, though, by the unhealthy behavior of other family members. Take as an example one mother in Nepal. She shares a damp room with her husband and three-year-old daughter. The tiny room, writes Panoscope magazine, is filled with kitchen and tobacco smoke. The child suffers from a respiratory infection. “I cannot stop my husband from smoking,” sighs the mother. “I now buy cigarettes for my husband and medicine for my child.”

Sadly, her dilemma is becoming increasingly common as ever more people in the developing countries waste much-needed income by taking up smoking. In fact, for every smoker who stops smoking in Europe or the United States, two people start smoking in Latin America or Africa. Misleading advertisements, notes the Dutch book Roken Welbeschouwd, are much to blame. Slogans such as “Varsity: for that fine clear-headed feeling” and “Gold Leaf: very important cigarettes for very important people” convince the poor that smoking is linked to progress and prosperity. But the opposite is true. It burns up your money and ruins your health.

Consider this. Every time a person smokes a cigarette, he shortens his life expectancy by ten minutes and increases his risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as lung, throat, and mouth cancers and other diseases. Says UN Chronicle magazine: “Tobacco consumption is the single greatest preventable cause of premature death and disability in the world.” Please note that it says “preventable cause.” You can snuff out your last cigarette.

Article Source : http://www.articledirectory.com/

5 tips to make the most of your medical consultation

by Peter Yellowlees

Consultations with your doctor can be rushed and stressful, and it is common for patients to forget to ask key questions during the actual consultation itself.

While doctors often effectively have an "agenda" of issues to work through in a consultation,such as taking a history, performing an examination and ordering tests, issues of importance from a patients perspective can often be left out, so patients need to think about their own agenda, and what they would like to get out of any consultation. It is important to work out what are the most important questions to ask your doctor to make sure you get the most out of your consultation, and consequently receive the most appropriate treatment, and make sure that your own agenda is addressed?

How can you make sure that you remember to ask the questions that are of most concern to you?

As a practicing physician, here are my suggestions:

1. Do as much research as possible before you see your doctor - let's face it you don't go and see your accountant to do your taxes without collecting information beforehand, and thinking about the issues you want to discuss. Do the same with your doctor. The Internet is the easiest source of information to use, and the US Government Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has an excellent site where you will find a comprehensive series of questions on many different health topics.

2. Write down your questions - and if necessary take a list with you, including a second copy for your doctor.

3. Prioritize your questions - ask the most important ones first - don't waste time asking about the payment process when you are really worried about whether you have cancer or diabetes.

4. Take someone with you if you have questions that are really concerning you - two sets of ears are better than one - and make sure you have discussed your needs with your friend or family member before the consultation so that they can help you get answers if necessary.

5 Write down the answers - even if this is just a rapid note. Research has shown that only 20% of the information given during a medical consultation is remembered one week later - but if it's written down, the percentage recall is much higher.

Asking good questions is essential in any medical consultation, and it is incumbent on patients to take responsibility for their health and find out as much as possible of relevance so that they can make good decisions in partnership with their doctors.


This article is based on excerpts from the recently published book "Your Health in the Information Age - how you and your doctor can use the Internet to work together" by Peter Yellowlees MD. Available at http://www.InformationAgeHealth.com and most online bookstores.

Energy Drinks - Are They Dangerous To Your Health

by A Wolski

Have you noticed that the range of "energy drinks" on the market is increasing? There is a huge market for these drinks and much of the marketing appears to be directed toward the young people despite the fact that they carry a clear warning that it is not suitable for kids.

Some health research has found that improper use of these drinks may actually play a role in risky behaviors in teens and young adults because of the quantity they drink. They have become very popular at dance parties in a bid to keep up energy levels but they often cause the consumer to actually become dehydrated.

These highly caffeinated drinks are advertised as giving heaps of energy and stamina but, in actual fact, they provide no nutrients for the body and they cause risks to your health. Because some people mix these drinks with alcohol, the risk is further intensified.

It is important to distinguish between energy drinks and sports drinks as the latter are proven to provide sugars which create energy and they also replenish the electrolytes to maintain the balance of salt and potassium in the body. Drinks such as Powerade and Gatorade fall into this category.

In people who have reported adverse reactions to improper consumption of energy drinks, the following symptoms were characterised:

? Heart arythmia
? Disturbances in electrolytes
? Nausea and vomiting
? Anxiety
? Insomnia
? irritability

When you look at the ingredients in these energy drinks, it is little wonder that our young people are getting a "high" from them. They contain several stimulants such as:

? Sugar
? Caffeine (large doses)
? Guarana
? Ephedrine
? Ginseng
? Ginko
? Taurine

Although the amount of caffeine in an energy drink is similar to that in a cup of coffee, the problem is in the way they are consumed. Coffee is hot and is therefore sipped. Energy drinks are cold and are often drank down very quickly and followed by more. This causes the "rush" and makes the heart beat faster.

Another concern with consuming large amounts of energy drinks is that, when consumed with alcohol, the person feels less drunk because of the caffeine. However, the impairment of motor coordination and visual reaction time does not diminish. Therefore, it the person drives a motor vehicle, their blood alcohol is still affected and they may cause a motor vehicle accident.

Basically, if you feel you must drink energy drinks, then drink them sensibly and according to the label. By following the points below, you should ensure that you are safe and your health will not be adversely affected:

1. Look for an energy drink such as Red Bull which is seen as a health drink
2. Don't drink large amounts of energy drinks.
3. Never mix with alcohol.
4. Make sure you drink water when doing exercise.
5. Children and pregnant women should NEVER drink energy drinks.


While the information is scant on the effects of energy drinks on your health and wellbeing, it is best to avoid them. The hype about increased endurance, stamina, and mental alertness is yet to be proven and evidence would suggest we be cautious in our consumption of them.

http://www.ozehealthbiz.com.

Mom's guide to better and cheaper health

by Peter Yellowlees

Mom's organize most family healthcare in this country. Women of today bear the bulk of the caring load, and tend to have responsibility for not only their own, but their husbands and their children's health. Frequently they also care for other members of extended families, their parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, and sometimes even nieces and nephews. This is often a very time-consuming and complicated task that may lead to women giving up personal interests and opportunities, and not infrequently dropping out of the workforce, to become full time extended family carers. This leads to difficulties as women are more stretched than ever before, especially in this economic recession, where their work incomes are often essential to keep their family afloat, yet they still have to spend considerable amounts of time and energy arranging family care. The bottom line is that caring for families, and in particular extended families, is not only an increasingly time-consuming issue for today's women, but also an expensive one.

Everyone talks about how expensive healthcare is, yet few people have started to really look at how it could be cheaper for patients. Many of the costs of healthcare are the result of inefficient practices that arise from a system that has not been focused on patients, and has just assumed that patients will travel from one clinic to the next, from one lab to another, and from home to hospital. Most doctor's practices and health systems try and save money for themselves, but not for patients, and often they actually make more money by being inefficient because patients end up having more consultations and repeat tests than are really necessary, and paying for them. There are now many ways that the internet can be used to improve your health, and at the same time to save both time and money, and to therefore ultimately make healthcare cheaper for everyone. This is something that every mom needs to think about.

As a practicing physician I often advise my patients on a number of ways that they can use the Internet to improve their own healthcare, while at the same time working more closely with their usual doctor.

Broadly these approaches can be described in four simple steps. In brief they are:

1. Learn about how to use the internet for your healthcare. Read about the many different ways that the internet is now changing the practice of healthcare, from the implementation of electronic records and e-prescribing, to emailing your doctor and getting your lab results online.

2. Check out your doctor, and any other health providers, to make sure that they are appropriately expert and qualified to provide your care - and that they can do this using the internet

3. Learn to work collaboratively with your doctor using internet based healthcare. Find out which of the many internet health possibilities can be used by you and your doctor, and use them. You will save a lot of time and money by obtaining your healthcare more efficiently and easily - often at the click of a mouse.

4. Check out your current treatment, and compare it with best practices and health guidelines that you can find on the internet. Learn how to search the internet for health information and how to work out which information is helpful and accurate, and which is not. Then consult with your doctor, and discuss any areas where you think improvements can be made.

It is important that people improve their health by working collaboratively online and face to face with their doctors, by learning how to search effectively for good quality health information, and by comparing their own current treatment with best practice guidelines available on the internet. Today's mom's have more challenges than any previous generation, and often have to juggle work roles and home duties, such as arranging family healthcare. It is now time for mom's to start changing healthcare by insisting that doctors use the many different options for healthcare that the internet has opened up.

This article is based on excerpts from the recently published book "Your Health in the Information Age - how you and your doctor can use the Internet to work together" by Peter Yellowlees MD. Available at http://www.InformationAgeHealth.com

Electronic Medical Records - The Pros and Cons

by Katt Mollar

In this digital age, more and more bulks of information which used to be paper-based, from library catalogues to telephone books, are digitized and stored in a central location for easy access. The idea of EMRs started about 40 years ago.

The main proponents of EMRs cite the following advantages:

(1) The use of EHRs supposedly reduces errors in medical records. There is no doubt that handwritten records are subject to lots of human errors due to misspelling, illegibility, and differing terminologies. With the use of EMRs standardization of patient health records may eventually become acheivable.

(2) Paper records can be easily lost. We have heard how fires, floods and other natural catastrophes destroy physical records of many years, data which are lost forever. Digital records can be stored virtually forever and can be kept long after the physical records are gone. EMRs also help keep records of health information that patients tend to forget with time, i.e. inoculations, previous illnesses and medications.

(3) EMRs make health care cost-efficient by consolidating all data in one place. Previously, paper-based records are located in different places and getting access to all of them takes a lot of time and money. In a systematic review, Kripalani et al. evaluated the communication transfer between primary care physicians and hospital-based physicians and found significant deficits in medical information exchange. The review recommended the use of EMRs to resolve these issues and facilitate the continuity of care before, during and after hospitalization. EMRs translates into better treatment for patients. Take the example of one asthma center's experience with EMR: "A major benefit associated with EMR implementation was the increase in the number of children who were hospitalized with an asthma exacerbation and received an asthma action plan upon discharge. Prior to the EMR system, [only] 4% received an asthma action plan upon discharge. After implementation of the EMR system, 58% received an asthma action plan upon discharge."

(4) EMRs can save lives. VeriChip, developed by VeriChip Corporation is the first one of its kind ever approved by the US FDA. It enables rapid identification of at-risk patients and access to their medical history, thereby enabling rapid diagnosis and treatment especially in emergency situations. Classic examples are people with diabetes and/or heart problems who have high risk of collapsing and having attacks. VeriChip is also useful in vehicular accidents and other trauma incidents where the victims aren't capable of answering questions. In cases of large-scale catastrophes, VeriChip facilitates tracking and identification of victims. According to a coroner in Mississippi, VeriChip helped identify victims during the Hurricane Katrina incident.

Earlier this year, Google Health was launched, an online personalized health records service. Google Health is based on the principle that since it's the patient's medical record, the patient should control it, decide what should be in it, and who gets access to it. One of the features of the service includes records from hospitals and pharmacies that are Google Health-enabled or are registered Google Health partners.

The HealthVault is another online health information storage service offered by Microsoft with features similar to Google Health. Keith Toussaint, senior program manager with Microsoft HealthVault recently stated " leading hospitals like Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are actually integrating their systems with both us and Google -- because some people like one or the other. It's a Coke or Pepsi thing."

What are the disadvantages of EMRs? Not surprisingly, privacy rights advocacy groups are the main opponent of EMRs. Here is what they have to say:

(1) EMRs threaten our privacy. In this day and age when people's mantra is "I need my privacy", not many people are comfortable about having their entire medical history recorded and digitized for almost just anybody to see - in other words, incursion into people's privacy. The confidentiality of doctor - patient relationship is still sacrosanct. Besides, medical data can be used against a person in some cases - be it for a job application, insurance coverage or a college scholarship. Although it is against the law to discriminate against people with illnesses and disabilities, it is a fact of life that the fitter you are, the more competitive you are in the job market. The planned incorporation of genetic data in EMRs further adds to people's fear of incursion into their private sphere.

(2) EMRs can lead to loss of the human touch in health care. In the process of digitalization, the interpersonal aspect in health care may be lost. In handwritten hospital charts, doctors and other health care practitioners may write what they think and they feel based on their personal observations in their very own words. EMR is simply about ticking off boxes and crossing out things in electronic forms. The doctors are forced to think in categories and can seldom express a personal opinion on an individual case. Because of the lack of flexibility of many electronic reporting systems, cases of misclassification of patients and their conditions have been reported.

(3) EMRs are not that efficient. Despite efforts in digitalization and standardization, EMRs are actually far from being standardized and not as efficient as it is purported to be. It often happens that one clinic's EMR system is not compatible with that of a general practitioner or another clinic's system, thus belying the claim of added efficiency. In addition, not all users of EMRs are satisfied with the current state of the art. Although the objective is mainly efficiency and healthcare quality, one study showed that nurses in the Netherlands are not completely satisfied with their EMR implemented in 2006-2007.

(4) EMRs are not safe and secure. Google Health and HealthVault are quick in assuring patients of the safety of their online health accounts. Access to the patient's account is only possible using log ins and password. In addition, HealthVault assures that "all health information transmitted between HealthVault servers and program providers' systems is encrypted" and that Microsoft does it best to use the "highest standards of security to safeguard consumer health information from theft, loss, or damage."

However, there are cases wherein passwords and encryptions do not seem to be adequate as data protection tools. Stories of data hacking, stolen identities and blackmail abound. Even high security databases such as those run by banks and credit institutions are often compromised. This impression was aggravated by the many well-publicized incidences of data loss or breach. A few examples are listed below:

November 26, 2007, Canada. Hackers accessed medical information on HIV and hepatitis from a Canadian health agency computer. - September 22, 2008, UK. The National Health Service (NHS) reported the loss of 4 CDs in the mail containing information on 17,990 employees. - September 30, 2008, US. The company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana confirmed breach of personal data, including Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses of about 1,700 brokers. The data was accidentally attached to a general email.

In addition, there is criticism over Google Health not being a "covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the regulations promulgated thereunder (HIPAA)" under its terms and conditions and is therefore not subject to HIPAA privacy of individually identifiable health information. The HealthVault terms and conditions do not mention HIPAA privacy laws so it is not clear what its status is regarding this issue.

(5) VeriChip is not for humans. It is to be expected that although many of us are amenable to the use of RFID chips in pets, the idea of implanting similar chips in human beings is bound to raise hackles in humans, no matter what the US FDA says. A big opponent of the VeriChip and similar chips of its kind is the consumer advocacy group Spychip.com. In a position paper, Spychip and many advocacy and consumer awareness groups see RFID tagging (be it on your person or on the items you buy) as a major threat to privacy and civil liberties. They see the tagging as some kind of "Big Brother" operation. Another group, the No VeriChip Inside Movement, likens VeriChip as "cataloguing" humans similar to the way the Nazis have tattooed numbers on the skin of concentration camp detainees. Popular Hollywood films on privacy incursions (e.g. The Net, Public Enemy No. 1) increased further people's paranoia about personal data.

Where do we go from here? Without doubt, we have the technology to make EMRs standardized and efficient. Google Health, Microsoft HealthVault and similar online personalized health information accounts are enabling patients to take control of their medical records. The main issues that need to be overcome are data security, protection of privacy and gaining the confidence of the patients. It doesn't seem evident that the use of RFID and similar tagging chips will become acceptable or popular anytime soon. However, we live in a digital world and we cannot hold back progress indefinitely. With improved technology and data protection tools, let us hope the EMR issue will be resolved soon.

http://HealthWorldNet.com .

Gene Testing OnLine - Do You Really Want to Know?

by Katt Mollar

In Mid-September of 2008, Google founder Sergey Brin launched a personal blog, Too. The first post in that blog was a stunner and received huge media attention! The blog post unveiled that Brin who underwent a gene test at 23andMe, a California-based gene testing company co-founded by his wife Anne Wojcicki, is carrying a mutant gene linked to Parkinson's disease. According to the results of 23andMe's gene test, Brin's genetic profile includes mutation of a gene, called LRRK2. And previous research has shown that this particular mutation of LRRK2, known as G2019S, may increase a person's risk for a type of Parkinson's disease that runs in families. Brin's mother suffers Parkinson's disease and 23andMe's gene test showed that she also has the G2019S mutation in her genetic make-up.

"When my wife asked me to look up G2019S in my raw data (23andMe scientists had had the forethought to include it on their chip), I viewed it mostly as entertainment," writes Brin in his blog. "But, of course, I learned something very important to me, I carry the G2019S mutation and when my mother checked her account, she saw she carries it too."

Brin points out in the blog that he has "a markedly higher chance of developing Parkinson's in my lifetime than the average person." "In fact, it is somewhere between 20% to 80% depending on the study and how you measure," he writes.

Like Brin, people are now interested in checking their disease risk through gene or DNA tests. And thus, genetic testing is emerging as a new trend in personal healthcare, where people prefer to order the test online, know about their propensity for various diseases, and prepare for disease prevention.

Regarding his test, Brin writes, in his blog: "This leaves me in a rather unique position. I know early in my life something I am substantially predisposed to. I now have the opportunity to adjust my life to reduce those odds (e.g. there is evidence that exercise may be protective against Parkinson's). I also have the opportunity to perform and support research into this disease long before it may affect me. And, regardless of my own health it can help my family members as well as others."

For a gene test, an individual has to register and make the payment online. Then a test kit is sent for collection of the sample (that is the saliva of the customer). The kit includes a test tube, where the customer has to spit, and then mail the tube to the company. The results are obtained in about a month through a web account. The information unveils a genetic make-up of the customer, propensities for certain diseases, and some other genetic features including how one would probably respond to a group of drugs.

However, the results unveiled by a gene test are only considered informational and not diagnostic. There are several companies where the tests can be carried out including (amid others) California-based 23andMe and Navigenics and Iceland-based DeCode Genetics. In 2008 the California public health department granted 23andMe and Navigenics a license to offer gene services to their customers, with the condition that physicians have to be involved in ordering the genetic tests.

According to a web document by Navigenics, the company scans its customers' DNA for "genetic risk markers associated with both common and uncommon health conditions." "We use rigorous standards for deciding which conditions to include in your report," the document adds.

The test done by Navigenics unveils risks for several conditions, such as obesity, psoriasis, prostate cancer, glaucoma, Crohn's disease, colon cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, celiac disease, lupus, heart attack, atrial fibrillation, Grave's disease, type-2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few. However, the test doesn't cover certain conditions, Navigenics points out, and these include brain cancer, schizophrenia, height and eye color, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and HIV susceptibility or resistance.

The cost for online gene testing varies and usually ranges from $1000 to $2500. However, on September 9, 2008, 23andMe came up with a substantial price cut for its gene testing service. According to the company, the price was reduced to democratize personal genetics and expand people's opportunity to benefit from the genetic revolution. "Effective immediately, 23andMe is offering its service for $399," declared a press release by the company. "23andMe is able to offer the reduced price thanks to technological advancements made by the company that provides its DNA scanning technology, Illumina, Inc," the release says.

23andMe's co-founder Wojcicki comments, in the release, "By taking advantage of continuing innovation we are able to introduce a new chip that will give people more relevant data at a lower price." "We are excited that we are opening doors for more people to learn about their health and ancestry and for more people to be able to participate in advancing research. It is important to democratize personal genetics and make it more accessible."

Despite this enthusiasm for genetic testing in America, there are issues that have evoked strong negative vibes against the trend. Critics say, a DNA test speaks only of the preponderance of an individual for a disease or more than one disease-it can't say anything conclusive. For example, a large number of people with G2019S mutation (the mutation that Brin has) never contracts Parkinson's disease. Moreover, according to critics, stamping an individual predisposed to certain conditions on the basis of genetic testing may cause substantial psychological trauma to him or her. That apart, there is also possibility that insurance companies or employers would discriminate against a person on the basis of a gene test, which is why in May 2008, President Bush signed legislation into law that would bar insurance companies and employers from discriminating against anyone on the basis of genetic information.

However, Brin considers himself "fortunate" for the genetic test he underwent. "Until the fountain of youth is discovered, all of us will have some conditions in our old age, only we don't know what they will be," he writes in his blog. "I have a better guess than almost anyone else for what ills may be mine and I have decided to prepare for it."

http://HealthWorldNet.com .

Genetically Modified Food: The Benefits and the Risks

by Katt Mollar

Background Genetically modified foods or GM foods for short, also go under many different names, including transgenic food, genetically engineered food or biotech food.

So what are GM foods? Although different people and groups have different definitions, GM foods can broadly define as foods that "are produced from crops whose genetic makeup has been altered through a process called recombinant DNA, or gene splicing, to give the plant a desirable trait." The modification is usually done in the lab using molecular techniques or genetic engineering although there are others who would argue that crops produced through conventional breeding can also be considered as GM food.

The first GM food crop, a tomato developed by Montsanto was submitted for approval to the US FDA in August 1994 and came into market in the same year. As of September 9, 2008, a total of 111 bioengineered food products have completed the US FDA "consultation procedures" on bioengineered foods. In addition to the tomato, the range of products includes soybean, corn, cotton, potato, flax, canola, squash, papaya, radicchio, sugar beet, rice, cantaloupe, and wheat. According to estimates by the Grocery Manufacturers of America, "between 70 percent and 75 percent of all processed foods available in U.S. grocery stores may contain ingredients from genetically engineered plants. Breads, cereal, frozen pizzas, hot dogs and soda are just a few of them."

The benefits of GM foods. Support for GM foods come from different sectors: scientists, economists, and understandably from the agricultural and food industries.

GM foods can fight world hunger. The world population has reached an all-time high of over 6 and a half billion. Over 20% of these are suffering from poverty and hunger. That GM foods can stop hunger is one of the noblest motivations behind the development of GM foods. GM foods supposedly are easier to grow and bring higher yields. In poverty-stricken parts of the world, higher yields can save millions of lives and bring much-needed economic benefits. In a review, Terri Raney of the United Nations says "...the economic results so far suggest that farmers in developing countries can benefit from transgenic crops..."

GM crops are better. GM crops are designed to be sturdier and more robust than their non-modified cousins. They are meant to be resistant to drought, diseases, and pests. The Hawaiian papaya industry, for example, only managed to survive a virus epidemic after the introduction of more resistant transgenic varieties.

GM foods have been with us for hundreds of years. The wide variety of many plants that we see today came about through natural as well as traditional man-made plant cross-breeding that took thousands of years. That is peppers come in different shapes, colors, and taste, from the very spicy hot to the sweet types. That is why we have more than 1000 different types of tomatoes.

GM foods can fight malnutrition. In a world suffering from malnutrition, GM foods can answer the need for more nutritious food. To cite an example, Swiss research strove to create rice strains that contain large amounts of beta-carotene and iron to counteract vitamin A and iron deficiency. Malnutrition can refer to both undernutrition and wrong nutrition. People in rich and developed countries may have more than enough food but not the proper nutrition necessary to keep them healthy. For this reason, researchers at the European-funded FLORA project have developed strains of fruits and vegetables with enhanced content of antioxidants. Through genetic engineering, FLORA oranges have higher than normal flavonoids and phenolics. The FLORA purple tomatoes have three times the amount of the antioxidant anthocyanins compared to normal tomatoes.

GM foods are good for the environment. The damage to the environment that insecticides such as DDT bring about is well-known. The use of synthetic fertilizers in the farmlands led to the eutrophication of rivers and lakes all over the world. GM foods translate into less use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, and therefore less pollution.

GM foods can help medicine. GM foods can be used in producing pharmacological products in the so-called "medical molecular farming: production of antibodies, biopharmaceuticals and edible vaccines in plants." FLORA stands for "flavonoids and related phenolics for healthy living using orally recommended antioxidants" and it sees it self as "a player in the future of medicine." As early as 2005, Indian researchers reported the potential use of transgenic bananas in carrying vaccines against hepatitis B. In the same year, the biotech company GTC Biotherapeutics based in Framingham, Massachusetts has developed a herd of genetically modified goats that produce milk which contains a human anticoagulant called anti-thrombin.

GM foods are safe. The creators of GM crops are quick to assure that GM foods are safe and pose no threat to human health. GM crops are regulated by three agencies: the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US FDA. "The FDA ensures that foods made from these plants are safe for humans and animals to eat, the USDA makes sure the plants are safe to grow, and the EPA ensures that pesticides introduced into the plants are safe for human and animal consumption and for the environment. While these agencies act independently."

According to the US FDA, "bioengineered foods do not pose any risks for consumers that are different from conventional foods ... We make sure there are no hazards, such as an unexpected allergen or poisonous substance in the food, or that the food is not changed in some way that would affect its nutritional value."

The issues against GM foods.

The opponents of GM foods may be scientists, environmentalists, and of course consumer groups. In addition, many celebrities are openly anti-GM, thus setting role models for the public. Among the most well-known and outspoken GM sceptic is Charles, England's Prince of Wales.

GM foods are for profit. According to its opponents, GM foods were created for profit and nothing else. They cite the multinational giant Monsanto, a pioneer in GM research and owns the infamous Roundup crops. Companies like Monsanto are unlikely in the GM business for purely noble reasons.

GM foods are unregulated. The use of GM foods in the world is almost an unregulated free-for-all activity. Going through the US FDA consultation procedures is mainly voluntary. Anti-GM advocacy groups and concerned scientists are asking for more controls and regulations.

There are also reports of GM plants escaping field trials and finding their way to the natural environment, thousands of miles away. In 2006, rice which contained genes from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (the notorious Bt) found its way to European supermarkets, causing a big outcry. The bacterial gene rendered the rice resistant to insects and the transgenic rice was a test plant that has not yet been approved for human consumption.

GM foods can harm the environment. GM foods are affecting their environment and some of these effects might actually be harmful. The effects are especially evident in other living organisms within the vicinity.

There are concerns, for examples, how cross-pollination with pollens from GM plants can affect non-GM plants.

Resistance development is another major issue. In China, for example, researchers used antibiotic-resistance marker genes to derive resistant transgenic rice strains. There are concerns that the marker genes will be taken up by naturally occurring gut bacteria and lead to resistant, more pathogenic strains.

Other studies also point to possible effects on animal life such as insects which are closely interact with the GM plants. One of the most well-known incidences was the claims that pollens from transgenic corn plants with Bt insecticidal gene markers are adversely affecting monarch butterflies in North America. Although experts say that the butterflies were safe from Bt, environmentalists were not satisfied.

GM foods can be detrimental to human health. The main concerns about adverse effects of GM foods on health are the transfer of antibiotic resistance, toxicity and allergenicity. With genetic modifications come new compounds in the crops which we virtually know nothing about. These compounds may be in the form of allergens and little-known proteins whose effects to human health are difficult to predict. In the food chain, this can even affects animals fed by GM crops and slaughtered for human use.

GM foods are not better. Western Europe is a stronghold of anti-GM movement. A European study last year declared that organic foods - which are exclusively non-GM-, are definitely better and more nutritious than their non-organic counterparts.

Which way do we go? The risks versus benefits of GM food are not an easy issue to settle. There is an urgent need for increasing food production and GM foods seem to be in the best position to address this need. In the short-term, GM foods are probably the solution to food shortage.

Currently, there is not enough scientific evidence to support the possible risks of GM foods. However, like in most things new and innovative, the long-term benefits and adverse effects can only be speculated upon.

Responsibility should be on the scientists, the health authorities, and the industries to act responsibly and to be as transparent as possible.

http://HealthWorldNet.com .

Improve Your Body and Your Mind with Breathing Exercises

by Peter James Field

Most of us spend little or no time in consciously controlling our breathing

In fact for the majority of people, breathing is simply an automatic process that happens unconsciously. Unfortunately, this includes breathing in an unhealthy way.

Most of us are only too well aware of our own body's need for oxygen. Without it we would very quickly become unconscious and die.

Yet despite popular opinion, carbon dioxide is as essential to life as oxygen.

When we breathe in an incorrect manner, we automatically lessen the amount of carbon dioxide available to us and this can have a really harmful affect on our body - and our mind.

The point is that if there is not enough carbon dioxide in the blood then this creates 'alkaline blood', which causes restriction of the blood vessles.

And this in turn allows less oxygen to reach the vital organs.

Improper breathing which decreases carbon dioxide in our bodies can produce a whole array of health problems.

Included in these are cardiac problems, including 'angina' and palpitations.

The respitory functions may also be affected producing chest pain, shortness of breath and asthma. Also, muscular cramps, tremors and fibrositis may be experienced

As if this weren't enough, psychologically speaking, incorrect breathing that limits the amount of carbon dioxide available can create real tension, anxiety, sleep disturbances and a lack of concentration.

All of these things are good reasons for you to learn how to breathe in a proper and healthy way.

Here is an easy 5 step approach to breathing in a healthy way.

1. Inhale and exhale through the nose whenever possible, even during physical exercise. Because the nostrils are much smaller than the mouth, the volume of air is reduced.

2. Change from breathing with the chest to breathing with the abdomen or belly. An easy way to do this is to relax in a chair, put one hand on your tummy and the other on your chest and then breathe so that the hand on your chest hardly moves while the hand on your stomach rises and falls gently.

Once you have mastered this way of breathing, work on doing it while standing and then move on to learning how to use it when walking and moving around.

3. Focus on making your breathing shallow. Try to minimise the movement of the hand resting on your tummy.

4. Slow down your breathing so that you minimise it. The goal is to breathe somewhere around 6 to 8 breathes each minute - or about 1 every 10 seconds.

5. Work on developing a steady rhythm. This will cause you to stop holding your breath for irregular periods and then 'sighing'.

Practice breathing like this for a minimum of 3 times a day for at least 10 minutes.

Be patient!

It takes time to change anything as entrenched as our breathing habits, but with persistence you can certainly do it.

The effort really is worthwhile and, as the supply of oxygen to your body's vital organs improves so will your physical - and psychological health.

Peter Field is a leading English hypno-psychotherapist and author of many articles on psychotherapy, hypnosis and health. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Health and Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

How to boost your Energy level in an instant

by Ursula Knecht

Assignment from the last session:

Lets start with some of your success stories (Memories): It will be easy for you to remember three events when you performed at your best, felt excited, perhaps happy, or had this great feeling of success. Imagine yourself clearly and vividly in these situations. You can see the colours around you, is there any sound? What do you say to yourself? Are there people around you? What do they do and say? How would you describe the dominant feeling? Describe these three situations as clearly, as possible using all of your senses including sight, sound, smell, touch and feelings...

How did that work for you? Can you recall one of those situations before an important meeting, a job interview or an important telephone call where you felt like all your energy was simply drained out of you?

Now, many times we think that a coffee will help, but does it really help? Another thing we might do is to postpone it, or tell ourselves I'm just too tired for that today, or I'm feeling sick, feeling overwhelmed and so on... There are many strategies we employ when it comes to avoiding scary tasks that all feel like totally valid reasons at the time.

But, what is the real solution? Is there a way to change our energy level in an instant and get the motivation to go through with the task that we are afraid of doing? Good news, there is more than one simple and easy strategy. These techniques are research based and proven to produce outstanding results!

Solutions to instant "Life Energy": Lets start with an example using the strategy we introduced last time:

Memories As you have learned from the previous newsletter: Your first step to vibrant health and life energy Good memories build our "Life Energy" up in an instant. Yesterday I had a client and we went through this process to see if we could overcome a problem she was having. Until now, when she had to solve a problem she felt it was easy to become overwhelmed and in this overwhelmed, drowning state it is just impossible to come up with good solutions. After recalling a wonderful memory and re-living the experience she commented "Wow that is fantastic! Just with activating a great memory, I am living it again, the excitement in the feelings, and the generation of my uplifting self talk". From this point she was easily guided to find a great solution for the problem she was having. We call this, getting into the Resource State.

So, the meeting starts in 20 minutes and you feel the energy inside of you diminishing, what can you do?

1. Stand up, lift your arms and breathe in as long and deep as you can, then breath out slowly. While you are doing this, think about something you can be grateful for, or a good memory or somebody you love. Feel this feeling in your heart and with each further breath you take allow this sensation to grow and grow.

In total you take 10 deep breaths and enjoy this feeling, it might be love, gratefulness, happiness, or success energising every cell of your body. It is like a bright light floating through you and vitalizing you.

So, now you are ready, you are in your resource state, where you have access to your whole potential. Now see if you can't find the energy to get into that scary task!

Real Life Example from Simon Thompson, professional triathlete (member of the Australian Olympic team)

I often feel nervous before a big race. If I let it get to me this fear can become overwhelming and it actually inhibits movement, which is not an ideal situation to be in! I will often take a few moments before warming up for the event to focus my mind and put myself into the resource state. I will make a visualisation where I combine thoughts, feelings and memories of the past when I've competed at my best and project them onto the race I'm about to have. I picture the start of the race and see myself as I have been on occasions when I'm brimming with confidence and look physically and mentally ready to go. I then move into the race itself and feel myself swimming, riding and running to the best of my ability and the ease at which the movements come to me. Finally, I can visualise myself crossing the line in first place and the wonderful sensations that go with it. Once I've completed this visualisation I'm no longer feeling nervous, but I'm definitely excited to race!

Give it a try for yourself and let me know how you are going with that, or if you need any help.

http://energeticlifesolutions.blog.com/

Organ Transplantation

by Doug King

The number of people waiting for an organ transplant is increasing every year. Sadly the number of transplants being performed is not keeping pace. Too many people will die while waiting on these lists. Despite the best efforts of many organizations and well meaning medical professionals people are dieing waiting. The systems that are in place are just not doing the job and need to be rethought. Obviously the organs are available (we all die someday) but they just aren't making their way through our medical system to the patients that need them.

Statistics from UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) show that in the US alone in 2007 more than 6000 people died while on the wait list for an organ. The number of people on that wait list currently stands at over 100,000. The vast majority of those are waiting for a kidney with the liver and heart being a distant 2nd and 3rd. The problem lies in the fact that the wait lists are increasing in size faster than the number of organs being donated. So what are we to do about getting the word out to the masses that we need to sign ourselves up to be organ donors?

Is it just a lack of awareness or are there some other reasons why we feel it isn't something we want to do? Maybe if I have signed up to donate my organs and they know this my doctor or emergency room staff won't try as hard to save my life? Or maybe I believe it is against my religion. What if I'm too old or my health isn't that great anyway, who would want my organs? The rich and famous always move to the head of the list so why would I want to help them?

Of course all these concerns can be answered. Your doctor and those in any emergency room are only there to save you and are not involved with the transplant system. Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of most religions. Age has very little to do with the viability of your organs for transplant and only the doctors at the time of your death can decide on their suitability. The rich and famous are not given priority and are not treated differently than anyone else. In fact UNOS takes all celebrity transplants to an internal audit to make sure they meet the guidelines of fairness.

Another misconception about organ transplants is that most recipients survive only a few years. According to Donate Life America, long-term survival is becoming much more common. For example, a number of kidney recipients are living 30 years or longer after transplant. Recipients of other organs have survived more than 20 years after transplant. As science and technology improves these numbers will only get better and better.

One disturbing trend is the emergence of organ transplant tourism. Globalization of medical and surgical technology has increased the capacity for countries worldwide to perform organ transplantation. The byproduct of this has been the growth of patients traveling to foreign countries to get their transplants, bypassing the wait lists at home. You can hardly blame them but the reality is that many of the organ donors in these destination countries are somewhat less than consenting. In 2007 it was estimated by the World Health Organization that organ trafficking accounts for 5-10% of the kidney transplants performed annually throughout the world. A commercial transaction with no questions asked.

Is the market just meeting a need or are there more serious ethical questions regarding exploiting the poor who are trying to take care of their family and the sick who are just desperate for a cure? So who owns our bodies? Is it ethical or even legal to allow the vulnerable poor to sell their organs to save a life? Many of these surgeries are still happening and as long as this free market exists they will continue.

Even more disturbing are the stories of organ stealing from unwilling donors. No doubt there is large amount of "urban myth" here. However there is mounting evidence that the Chinese penal system is involved in systematic harvesting of organs from their prisoners for profit. The number of organ transplant procedures in China is surpassed only by the U.S. According to WHO, in 2005 China had 348 transplant centers, which performed 8,204 kidney and 3,493 liver transplantations. In a report by Canada's former secretary of state for the Asia Pacific region David Kilgour and human rights lawyer David Matas they implicated dozens of hospitals and jails throughout China in July, after a two-month investigation. "The involvement of the People's Liberation Army in these transplants is widespread,'' Kilgour said at a press conference. It has also been confirmed that a large number of Canadians have been traveling to China for transplants of organs with dubious origins. No doubt wealthy patients from many countries have been doing the same.

If these practices are happening in China than it's safe to assume that it is happening in other countries where the absence of regulations or scrutiny of medical practices allows for profiteering of the organ trade. You can hardly fault the terminally ill who see a long wait list ahead of them to do whatever it takes to save their own lives. But what if the donor is not a willing participant or is so desperately poor that they want to do anything that will help their family?

It is a case of supply and demand. With so many people willing to pay $100,000 or more for a kidney it will surely follow that the organs will become available. Whether it is through criminal activity or just the gray area of the law patients will find a way to get what they need when their lives are on the line.

It shouldn't have to be this way. Get out there and sign your organ donor card.
http://www.filmannex.com/search/searchkey/harvest%20project

Balanced living for a Healthy life?

by Mr. Parveen

In today's world almost every things get out of balance in some cases its easy to see and in other cases you cant also see it until it?s almost too late. People make people and at sometimes they don't have the tools to do your job properly. Also i would like to a minute to share with you some of my thoughts on about when I was out balance and how I put my self back into balance properly. One might be asking that what is a balanced life?
Also mental health and physical health can work against on each other and cause long list of problems in a human mind and in body. In my past I used to and had to over come a list of things that took me so far out of balance, for that my world felt as though it was really out of control. As the human mind is as delicate as it is complex and that's were we can begin also. In Our feelings and thoughts can also take us in so many various directions.
For instance, For example, I became depressed at young age then I self medicated and if that lead to acting out in anger, then some self isolation which can lead to over eating. When i was sitting in a chair and struggled to get out of it; also at thirty seven years old I used to look fifty seven and can felt it as well. This entire was very terrible and finally had more and decided to pick myself up at the same moment and move forward on repairing my body, mind and also my soul.
Generally taking the first step is the key to finding yourself self in the way back to being a balance. So admitting this to yourself that you can have a problem that has been also covered up or never really dealt with is was we all have to start quickly. Also it can be very painful for anyone but the end results are well worth it.
As your problems may be the same as on mine or having entirely different but the end result of this is that you may have also become out balance with your life. The Life can throw a curve ball and at any of us when ever it wants. The inner strength both mental and physical can also be lost or built to amazing levels of life.
But it does not matter what the case may be, also it is the truth is a huge part of a balanced life. It is advisable to live in the truth and never lie to yourself again.

Virus: The Mighty Mini Enigma

by David Lowell

While the press pushes stories of an impending pandemic of a new flu, there is a another side of viruses which few are aware of. Many viruses have an initial set of flu like symptoms, which then go into hiding only to show up later with some seemingly unrelated issues. Any drop in the state of health can be the opportunity for a new outbreak of symptoms or even an opening for some other, more virulent pathogen. The association often goes unnoticed, due to the time interval between the initial incident and the subsequent issues,

As someone who experienced a simultaneous bout of Lyme's Disease and Epstein-Barr virus, as well as being an intuitive, spiritual/energy healing practitioner, I have a somewhat different perspective than the medical community. My sensitivity to allopathic drugs and experiences with energy medicine led me to find alternative solutions without the "side effects" associated with antibiotic and other drug therapies.

Several years ago, I was on the phone with a new client, on another continent. She was being treated by an allopathic physician for a "fatty liver" which he thought was causing her extreme malaise. She also had a band of fat around her waist which had mysteriously manifested several years earlier. When I tuned in to her body/mind I found that all of her endocrine organs were severely compromised. After clearing enough of the overall energetic congestion, what showed up was what appeared to be a swarm. Usually, what I "perceive" is the consciousness of a pathogen; here there was nothing. Unlike bacteria, this swarm had no discernable consciousness. It was like a cloud of locusts which fly wherever the wind blows and land wherever there is food. This was the signature of a virus which had been present for numerous years.

Viruses are so small that they reproduce inside of the host cells, making diagnoses and treatment difficult. Energetically, I find viruses difficult to directly deal with, simply because there is little, or no perceivable intelligence. Bacteria have an interconnected consciousness which can be disrupted with energy, allowing the body?s immune system and remedies to more effectively deal with the invaders. At any rate I referred her to someone who had developed a nutritional supplement which he promoted for killing a wide range of pathogens. Five days after she started his protocol, the virus was dead, although she still had to recover from its damaging effects. A week later someone forwarded an article about a doctor who had developed a test for a flu-like virus which left long term symptoms exactly matching my client's.

During a session with someone who had mysteriously manifested vertigo, a similar viral swarm showed up in my radar. When informed of my sense of things, she went back to the memory of a boat ride, several years earlier, around Manhattan and the viral infection that showed up at the end of the night. This was yet another flu-like pathogen with a different set of secondary symptoms, however similar its initial appearance. Again it was passed off as the flu and again its identity as to the source of the secondary symptoms remained hidden

Before his recent death, I had a series of conversations with the late immunologist Dr. Rudolph Kallenbach. He verified my observations from the point of view of the latest in medical research regarding viruses along with his own experience. His opinion was that there was no discernable level of consciousness in a virus. Each sub-microbial entity operates on its own, mutating and reproducing with each opportunity. In contrast, researchers are now focusing on disrupting the group consciousness of bacteria, for the next generation of anti-bacterial drugs.

With the 5,000 identified viruses reportedly being only the tip of the iceberg, we are looking at a virtual Pandora?s Box of potential problems. Since not all people exposed to a particualr germ will "catch" it, there are obviously other factors at play here. Luis Pasteur reportedly recanted on his death bed, that it was the environment of the body that determined vulnerability, not the pathogen itself. Because of their concern with prevention as well as the numerous "side effects" of allopathic medicines, many alternative physicians prefer to work with herbs, supplements and energy medicines such as homeopathic remedies. Often they address the "biological terrain" of the body to create conditions favorable to healthy living and not for pathogens such as viruses.

When one examins the overall factors involved inr optimum health, the state of consciousness begins to show up as a major determininant. When one is happy, endorphins are released, along with growth and other hormones, which are associated with an elevated immune system. The often told story of Norman Cousins is but one example of people recovering from every disease known to man though consciousness. Coupled with a reasonable, non-destructive diet it creates an environment which supports life. When these conditions are in place there is much less likelihood of "catching" a bug to begin with and even then, the amount of time spent in battling it is much shorter, with less chance of complications.

http://davidlowell.com/

Telemedicine and healthcare reform

by Peter Yellowlees

It is clear that most stakeholders in the health industry now support President Obama's view that it is essential that we have substantial healthcare reform, and soon. The arguments around the issue are not whether this should happen, but how and when it will occur. An excellent white paper has just been written on how national telemedicine initiatives are essential to that reform. The whole paper, primarily authored by Rashid Bashshur PhD and Gary Shannon PhD, is available for free download at http://www.liebertonline.com/toc/tmj/0/0.

In brief the paper makes the case that the need for reform stems from long-standing problems in our health system, and demonstrates that the central role of telemedicine derives from an ever-expanding body of research-and experience that attests to its merit in addressing these problems.

The paper notes that "despite the fact that the United States spends more on health care than any other country, both in absolute numbers and on a per capita basis, the health status of Americans ranks relatively low when compared with that of people in other developed nations. Moreover, the general discrepancy between expenditures and health status indicators in the U.S. masks significant differentials among segments of the population, based on socio-economic, geographic, cultural, ethnic and other factors."

The consequence of these factors is that we continue to suffer from inequities in access to health care, inefficiencies in the delivery of care, escalating costs and the prevalence of adverse life styles that exacerbate these problems.

I have just spent been on call over the last weekend working in a major Academic Medical Center Emergency Department managing acutely psychotic patients transferred there as a place of last resort because the only local locked inpatient psychiatric facility was closed to admissions because it was full as a result of major financially driven cuts to local outpatient mental health services. This is the sort of concrete evidence that the American healthcare system is broken, inefficient, disorganized and inequitable.

Why is this relevant? Simply because we must improve our system of care, make it more integrated, and start using electronic healthcare more intelligently and more frequently. Electronic health records represent a means to improving the health care system but are only a partial solution to the problems we face. The practice of telemedicine, where patients are treated by videoconferencing or email in real or asynchronous time, incorporating electronic medical records, is a much better way of working, and allows many of the geographical and cultural inequities we face in health care access to be overcome. The white paper argues effectively and strongly for those involved in planning healthcare reform to take a broad view of the use of health information technology, and to think beyond electronic health records to a time where we will be using telemedicine incorporating electronic health records.

Peter Yellowlees MD is the author of "Your Health in the Information Age - how you and your doctor can use the Internet to work together." The book is available at http://www.InformationAgeHealth.com

Importance of a Healthy Living

by Verdel J.Maclean

Leading a healthy lifestyle is very important. Statistics have shown that over the years even with all of the medical advances that are present each generation is getting unhealthier. This is hard to believe with all of the technological advances that help to determine problems early as well as all of the other inventions and innovative ideas that have been produced. Leading a healthy life can not only lead to a longer life but it can help to block the onset of other problems later on in life. Most children do not have to worry about things such as heart disease, cholesterol or high blood pressure but teaching children about the importance of eating healthy to protect these things may help them to continue in adult hood and block the onset of these problems.

Most people are willing to small steps to ensure a healthy living and this is a good idea. By making small changes most people can drastically improve their health. Aromatherapy and essential oils are a small step that people can take advantage of in order to see results. An aromatherapy massage uses essential oils to stimulate the body and reduce tension, stress and even pain. Some people have also reported a reduction in ailments such as back pains, neck problems, headaches and even those dreaded sinus problems. Regardless if people experience all of these benefits the experience will be enjoyable. Professional massage employees focus on relieving any built up tension that may be present in the body?s muscles or connective tissues. This small step can help to promote a healthier and more stress free body overall. This form of massage is also used extensively in the medical world. Some doctors recommend treatments such as this to cancer patients or terminally ill patients to help them deal with the relentless pain. It helps the patients to relax their body, mind and soul and feel a little relief.

For those who suffer from mental disorders such as depression massages can be a good way to try and boost their mood and bring a little joy to their life. Remember a healthy mental state is essential to a healthy living overall so it is important to take this into account when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. Many people also report that essential oils help them to sleep better. With the hustle and bustle of life?s daily duties most people do not get the recommended sleep. Most people do not get enough sleep period for various reasons. A few drops of essential oils while taking a hot steamy bath may promote a better night?s sleep and a more energized feeling in the morning.

Essential oils are not new but many people are just getting involved in the circle of people who are giving them a try. Essential oils when implemented into the daily schedule can help people feel more energized and alert. They do have a positive effect on the balance of energy present in the body. Essential oils can give individuals who are trying to live healthier a definite boost.

The new must have therapy has been created by an Australian Aromatherapy Company called ANOINT? and their Chakratherapy? Anointing oils which help to balance and harmonise the body?s Chakra or Energy System.
http://www.anoint.com.au

Nutrients important in healthy life

by Kanmani P

Nutrients:

Healthy eating requires you to eat a number of nutrients every day. In fact, there are 40 different nutrients you need to ingest in order to keep your body healthy. Thats a lot of nutrients you need to know about! Luckily, you can break down all of these nutrients into smaller categories in order to keep them organized in your mind and make sure you get all of the foods you need.

Healthy life:

First and foremost, everyone needs water in order to live a healthy life. Without water, we become dehydrated, and eventually die. You lose water when you sweat and through daily bodily functions, so water must be replenished. Drinking about 8 glasses a day is recommended. Of course, water is found in food as well as in drinks, so you can get your 8 glasses by eating foods like watermelon.

Group of nutrients:

Of course, we need much more than water every day to survive. Another group of nutrients we cant do without is proteins. Proteins are found in foods such as meat, eggs, and soy products. They provide the amino acids needed to build muscle tissue as well as help make some of the hormones in our bodies. Red blood cells and hair is also made from protein.

Energy during intense activity:

Along with proteins, a body also needs adequate amounts of fats and carbohydrates in order for us to have enough energy during the day. Fats are primarily used for energy during intense activity, like exercising, while carbohydrates are primarily used for energy during less intense activities, like standing, sitting, and other movements. Both the fats and the carbohydrates that we eat in a day can be stored for later use as fat, so it is important to eat enough for energy, but also important to regulate intake in order to stay slim and healthy. In the event that you are not eating enough fats and carbohydrates, your body can also provide itself with fuel from proteins.

Vitamins and minerals:

Vitamins and minerals are also important nutrients for our daily lives. We get these from fruits, vegetables, milk, and most natural sources of food. Some of our foods, such as bread products, can even be enriched so that we get more vitamins and minerals in our bodies. There are dozens that you need to ingest regularly, such as iron, thiamine, vitamin C, and vitamin D. If you are eating a healthy diet, you can most likely get enough vitamins and minerals from your foods, but you can also take vitamin supplements to make sure that you are getting the right amounts you need to maintain body function. Supplements may also be available to help with other nutrients as well, so if you are worried, talk to your doctor about how you can be sure to be eating a healthy amount of nutrients.

http://healthoutfit.com

Six Tips for Longer Life

By: Peter Stockwell

We all want a long healthy life. If we go about it the right way we may well achieve it. Here are six tips to help you on your way.

Keep Fit. Obesity is one of the great killers of our age. Whether it is by a walking for weight loss program or static exercise we need to burn off the calories in the food we eat. We must do it every day, because the fatter we get the more difficult it gets to lose weight. The task seems beyond us and we fall back on the old excuses of having big bones, or size running in the family. No, we don't have big bones and size runs in families because they all eat the same bad diet. So daily exercise is essential.

Eat the Right Food. Avoid too much fat and sugar. In fact any food which is heavily advertised probably contains both and is likely to be bad for you. Try not to snack or, if you do, eat fruit rather than biscuits. Avoid sweet fizzy drinks. Keep to a Mediterranean diet of fresh vegetables, lean meat and oily fish. Other diets are possible, but I think this is the most complete. You can even eat crusty bread with it in moderation and an occasional glass of red wine. You are not on a diet, you are just eating better food.

Enjoy the Simple Things. Striving after things we can't have is another killer. Once people enjoyed short haul holidays, then medium haul and now nowhere is worth going to if it isn't a twelve hour flight away. By the time we have recovered from the stress of getting there it is time for the stress of getting back.

Then, of course there, is the consumer treadmill. Why do we have to change a perfectly useable car for a later model? Who needs a massive TV set? You can watch rubbish equally well on a smaller one. All this is tied to money and in order to obtain the money we work long hours. Many city workers are burnt out by the time they are forty. So then the health problems arrive.

It is much better to enjoy the things you have and only work for the achievable. There is nothing wrong in seeking to improve the quality of life of you and your family, but make sure you are really doing so.

Stress. "Life is trouble, only death is not," as Zorba so rightly put it. There is stress everywhere and it cannot be avoided. But we should not go looking for it. The man in the pub queue who orders five pints of beer, can't decide if he'll have cheese and onion or plain crisps and pays by credit card can cause stress. But it doesn't really matter if it takes you an extra five minutes to get your order.

Be relaxed in your car, we all get lost, we all make driving errors. You are not surrounded by idiots, just by people like you. Forgive and move on.

Much stress cannot to avoided, but self induced stress can. Next time you feel your blood pressure rising take a deep breath and calm down.

Keep Learning. To live a long and healthy life you must keep learning. It has been proved that using your brain fends off Alzheimer's disease. Not for all but for enough of us to make it worth while keeping our brains active. Use your brain. If you forget something look it up and learn it again. Start a new hobby. Become an expert on something - anything. But you must use your brain in a new way every day.

If you can afford it, a college or University course will enable you to learn
new skills and make new friends at the same time. It will also give you something to aim at, whether a Certificate of Completion, a finished painting or maybe a completed piece of creative writing. Whatever it is you have used your brain and achieved something as well.

Have a Close Relationship. A close friend or partner can help alleviate stress and depression by being somebody to talk to. Not all close relationships are successful or even desirable in later life, but if you do know someone with a sympathetic ear you will find great benefit in their friendship. But don't forget there will be times when they need help from you. If you do not have anybody to talk to join a club and you will find friends in abundance.

It's not too difficult to have a long healthy life. You just need to get a few things right. But remember, if you do nothing else, a regular walking for weight loss program will get you fit and keep you fit. So put the pieces in place and off you go. Why not start now?

http://www.seniorwalkingfitnessblog.com

How to detect breast cancer

By: Mai Brooks

Description : Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American women. In 2009, approximately 194,280 patients are estimated to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and 62,280 with carcinoma in situ. An estimated 40,610 will die of this disease. For a woman of average risk, the lifetime incidence of breast cancer is one in eight.

Screening of asymptomatic women has been accredited for the decline in mortality of breast cancer. The current recommendations from the American Cancer Society for normal-risk women are as follows: 1) Yearly mammogram starting at age 40. The age at which screening should be stopped should be individualized by considering the potential risks and benefits of screening in the context of overall health status and longevity; and 2) Clinical breast exam every 3 years for women in their 20's and 30's, and every year for women 40 and older. The evidence to justify mammography for population-based screening is derived from both randomized and several non-randomized clinical trials. Eight randomized trials totalling hundreds of thousands of patients include the Health Insurance Plan of New York, four studies from Sweden, one from the United Kingdom, and two from Canada. The US BCDDP (Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project), the largest study of mammography and clinical breast exam, also demonstrated that screening decreases breast cancer mortality.

During the past decade, advances in mammography include digital techniques and computer-aided detection. Film (non-digital) mammography has been estimated to have approximately 65-80% sensitivity at the desired specificity of 90%. The investigators from the DMIST (Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial) reported that the overall diagnostic accuracy of digital and film mammography is similar. However, digital mammograms are more accurate in women under the age of 50 years, pre-menopausal or peri-menopausal women, and those with radiographically dense breasts. Two years later, another large study compared film mammography with digital mammograms read with computer-aided detection software. The authors found that diagnostic specificity significantly decreases from 90.2% to 87.2% with computer-aided detection, whereas sensitivity does not change. The rate of biopsy increases by 19.7%. Thus, more expensive technology does not necessarily translate into better outcome.

In women at high risk for developing breast cancer, screening may also involve breast ultrasound and/or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). High risk factors include BRCA gene carriers, personal or strong family history of breast cancer, prior atypia such as ADH (atypical ductal hyperplasia) or LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ), and prior chest irradiation. Sonography may be useful in dense breasts. Screening ultrasound can lead to biopsy in 2%-4% of women, of which carcinoma was found in 10%-16% of these biopsies. The ACR Imaging Network trial 6666 is evaluating screening sonography in high-risk women. Breast MRI has also recently been used by clinicians in many high-risk patients. In previous reports, MRI resulted in biopsy in 7%-18% of women, of which breast cancer was detected in 24%-88% of these biopsies. We do not know yet whether ultrasound or MRI decreases breast cancer mortality in high-risk population, beyond that achieved by screening mammography. Currently, breast MRI is also indicated in women with newly diagnosed unilateral breast cancer. A recent publication showed that MRI can detect cancer in the contralateral breast that is missed by mammography and clinical examination in 3.1% of cases. The sensitivity of contralateral breast MRI is 91%, the specificity 88%, and the negative predictive value 99%.

Despite the proven success of breast cancer screening with mammography, many investigators in the US have noted a decline in its use. The NHIS (National Health Interview Survey) estimates from 2005 demonstrated a decline in mammogram screening to 66%, from 70% in 2000. This may unfortunately explain the reported decrease in the incidence of breast cancer, i.e. the discovery of new breast cancer.
Dr. Mai Brooks is a surgical oncologist/general surgeon, with expertise in early detection and prevention of cancer. More at http://www.drbrooksmd.com

How Hypnotism Reduces Your Weight

The battle of the bulge keeps on as millions across the globe fight off extra weight with the help of several alternatives that pop up by the day. While each one claims to be the most efficient and the best, there are few that are proven scientifically.

One of those alternative by which some people credit their fitness and body tone to is hypnosis. How? Well, hypnosis sessions are intended specially for weight loss now. The hypnosis for weight loss program includes the application of this age old technique by a qualified hypnotist designs and carrying commands when you are under a state of hypnosis.

Hypnotic wonder:

The conditioning takes place during this phase and you actually subconsciously accept the conditioning to apply its details once you are out of the state. The sessions are planned by the practitioner of this age old art according to the extent of weight loss desired or required.

Naturally the number of sessions and the length of each would differ in the case of one suffering from morbid obesity and one who needs to simply be conditioned to avoid certain food components to shed just a little weight. Hypnosis for weight loss is not a new concept at all. May be the application of the art with regards to weight loss may be recent but similar conditioning ahs been indulged in, in the past.

You too can now indulge in the same and that too without having to leave the confines of home! How? Well there are a number of dedicated resources that operate online and allow you to indulge in some safe and simple self hypnosis led by an expert.

The professionals who guide you through the course are among the best names in the industry. These professionals, both online as well as offline work in tandem with medical advice that may be given to you to keep your weight in check which may be the result of some health ailment like thyroid or inherent obesity. Without a doubt, hypnosis for weight loss is a much better option than getting under the surgeon’s knife or popping pills which may result in a series of untoward reactions.

A new you!

Today, celebrities and a host of common people are trying out the technique to condition themselves into not indulging in food components that are high in starch or carbohydrates of bad cholesterol. Hypnosis for weight loss conditioning never goes beyond a session and that too the contents of which you are at all times in complete control of.

The methodology is tried and tested and can be stopped at any given point in time. You could also try out the effectiveness of the therapy at any of the real time avenues in your locality. The practitioners of the art of hypnosis that offer you the benefit of the hypnosis for weight loss program are renowned and synonymous with dedication, guarantee and trust.
John Goldman
http://www.collegesandscholarships.org