Healthy News

Some food for thought…If you want to increase your health, one thing you can do that can make a difference to your health immediately is to stop drinking soda pop.  Not only should you do this for your weight but for your overall health and the health of your family too.

Pop contains a lot of caffeine and sugar. It doesn’t quench thirst and in fact, it messes with your body in many ways including your blood sugar which can spike and plummet leaving you without energy.  Some soda beverages have a whole cup of sugar in a single serving and more than 100 calories per glass plus the equivalent caffeine of a cup of coffee. Do you see any vitamins or nutrients on the list? Not likely..

Plus, high fructose corn syrup is in many of these carbonated beverages in the top five ingredients and the results of that are that your hypothalamus  which regulates your appetite cannot distinguish being full. If you drink three or four glasses of soda a day with or without meals,  this can equate to consuming a whole extra meal. That could equate to a pound of weight gain a week… Definitely something to think about.

So, the dandelion might be considered both a friend and a foe. You might not have realised it’s such a friend. It’s got great possibilities in terms of culinary and natural health benefits but takes away from the lush golf course look on our lawn.In salads, in teas and in dandelion wine, this so-called weed is considered by many to be a Superfood.

While you might not want to cultivate dandelions from your own lawn due to potential pesticides or four legged sprinklers, you might want to look at some of the possibilities for dandelions in terms of supplements available.

Some of the Health Benefits of Dandelions:

• One of the healthiest green vegetables around in terms of nutrient content
• liver detoxification benefits
• fights kidney stones
• promotes weight loss
• good for your complexion
• good for bowel health
• anti inflammatory properties
• helps with diabetes
• antibacterial properties
• can help fight cancer

source: http://www.leaflady.org/health_benefits_of_dandelions.htm

Tylenol or Acetominophen is probably among the most commonly used medications. This drug has a massive list of side effects and potential interactions. Does that surprise you? The fact is, all medications and even herbal supplements can have contraindications. Most people can take it without problems but it is still important that you are aware about potential for problems with everything you put into your body. Don’t you agree?

When  you take over the counter drugs, prescription medications or even a vitamin supplement, it’s important that you are well informed.  The internet has a number of drug resources to help you.

A great resources is Drugs.com , which can help you understand drugs from many perspectives including patient and doctor. This resource can be a great one to look at when you start a new medication. Hopefully your pharmacy gives you a leaflet with any new prescription and takes the time to address your concerns but it’s very wise to look up the medication online before you take it. This can accomplish a number of things:

1. You can see what potential side effects are including mild and bothersome side effects as well as DANGEROUS side effects that could warrant a trip to the ER
2. You can see generic alternative info which can save you money
3. You can identify what the pills look like which help you be sure that your pharmacist hasn’t made a dispensing error
4. You can learn about alternatives and find out what others have experienced with the medication in terms of success rates or side effects.

The purpose of this post is to get you to get more informed about your health.  When you or a loved one is prescribed a new medication, vast info is available at your fingertips so you can take control of your own health so it can be improved.

I know, ICK!

Seriously. When did you have your last pap smear? If it’s more than a year, I have four words for you…

PICK

UP

THE

PHONE

Call your doctor and schedule one. It’s a pain, it feels slightly degrading and it’s something all women universally dread but it can save your life.

The results can be early symptoms of something wrong that can be easily treated before a potential problem can become serious. The smear is looked at for abnormal cells which may or may not be indicative of cervical cancer. The important thing to know is that early treatment for any condition is critical, especially when it comes to cancerous cells or pre-cancerous cells. Despite the yuck factor of the pap test, it’s vital that you have one regularly once you’ve become sexually active.

Are you a telecommuter or an office worker or someone who just spends a LOT of time at the computer? Watch your ergonomics!

As I was pondering what to post on Healthy News today, I caught myself sitting limp wristed cross-legged at my desk. Not very condusive to an ergonomic working environment!  RSI is something those working at computers need to be very aware of and as a writer that works double shifts at the computer every day, bad form can really hurt my wordcount the next day and make keystrokes agonizing.

Here are a few basic  healthy desk tips for you:

Take frequent breaks. Every hour or so, it’s a good idea to do something other than typing for ten minutes.

1. Invest in a comfortable and decent desk chair. It’s really worth a few hundred dollars to save your back…trust me!
2. Have your desk and chair at an ideal height so you can reach straight ahead to type. You shouldn’t be reaching up or reaching down. Your belly button should also be lined up at G & H
3. Wrist rotations can help sore wrists. Stop every once in a while and flex fingers and rotate your wrists clockwise and counter clockwise to lessen strain on your hands
4. Make sure your monitor is a comfortable height and that you can look straight ahead
5. Proper lighting can reduce eye strain.

These tips are just some basics for good form at your desk. When you spend more than a few hours a day at it, it’s very wise to practice ergonomic tips to increase productivity and reduce muscular aches and pains.

Ontario is implementing a law preventing cigarettes from being displayed in stores. So everything has to be hidden behind counters. Will this prevent people from smoking?

Point to Ponder:

—————-

Years ago in ontario liquor stores you couldn’t see big and beautiful displays of alcohol bottles and had to write down what you wanted and have it given to you but did this stop people from wanting to drink?

This writer is an ex smoker and quitting 5 years ago was the most difficult thing I’ve accomplished but speaking as a former smoker, isn’t smoking sort of always on your mind whether you see cigarettes or not?

Did the nasty pictures of cancerous mouths and dead bodies stop these people from smoking? Did the warnings in big, bold font on the cigarette packages help? The fact is, smokers know they should quit but they need to want to quit before anything will happen.

On the Plus Side:

——————–

I do believe in continuing to raise awareness and it’s nice that my kids won’t see displays of cigarettes wherever they go but for those who are already hooked, I don’t think it’s going to help very much.

If teenagers want to find cigarettes, they’ll have it in their head to go looking for them. Most people really don’t think that not seeing the displays will do very much if someone is already determined to smoke. What do you think?

News source:

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/416440

In terms of access to information, there’s never a better time for pregnant or trying to conceive mothers.  Instead of relying on your “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” or “Dr. Spock” book, you can access a plethora of information about: natural births, water births, what to eat during pregnancy, how to conceive, info about attachment parenting and more.

Here are  two  great ideas to start your pregnancy off right by taking advantage of all the internet has to offer pregnant women:

1. Subscribe to pregnancy newsletters such as www.pregnancyweekly.com that send you week by week or month by month information about your developing baby and tests that may happen with your doctor as well as great photos that can help you and your spouse see what baby looks like as well as share that information with siblings to be.
2. Join a birth month club.  A birth month club will be joined by other pregnant women who are all due to give birth during the same month. This can be not only a valuable way for you to learn and share but can help you develop great friendships with women who are in the same shoes as you.Google, Yahoo and MSN groups exist as well as forums that create a place to share and chat with women at the same gestational period as you.

Have a healthy and happy pregnancy!

Foods can impact how we feel. There is some truth to the phrase, “comfort food” because food can energize you, make you comfortable and impact your body’s chemistry to the degree of raising levels of seratonin which can create a natural high.

Following a diet like the GI Diet (Glycemic Index Diet) could give you more energy. Food that contains the following could improve your mood and help you feel happier:

• whole grains
• antioxidants
• crunchy food
• fiber

Foods that help de-stress include:

• healthy fats like that from olive oil, nuts and avocados
• anti-inflammatory foods like citrus and fish

Top two tips to change your mood:

1. Eat Breakfast

2.  Reduce sugar/junk food intake.

If you’ve inexplicably been down in the dumps, try adopting a good mood food diet to see if it helps. Chances are, you’ll look and feel better as well as have more energy.

If you want to improve your health and your diet, a quick and easy way to do it is to reduce the amount of white foods you eat.

Take out white bread, white pasta and white rice and remove as much of the sugar from your diet as you can.

Try some more brown foods and get some more colour on your plate from fruits and vegetables. Enough with the white and beige diet! Colour is equal to fiber, to vitamins and minerals.

Trade:

-White bread for whole wheat, pumpernickel or multigrain

-Trade white rice for brown rice

-Read labels and opt for foods that don’t have more than five ingredients on the list and make sure one of those five ingredients is not sugar, glucose, fructose or corn syrup.

White, bleached foods can not only cause you weight gain but can also create unhealthy cravings as well as cause yeast overgrown in your body. The switch may seem challenging at first but it won’t be long until you prefer whole wheat’s nutty flavor or stop missing all that sugar in your coffee. Have a healthy day!

The new Special K challenge is advertised on television telling you to exercise and add cereal to your diet in order to get healthy and lose some weight. You don’t have to eat just Special K during this challenge but it is a very low cal cereal and the new varieties have enough sweetness that it doesn’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of a bit of a treat. It is now available in several flavours plus you can purchase cereal bars as well in order to satisfy you between meals.

A 1500 calorie per day diet for a few weeks can definitely help you lose some weight. If you’re sedentary today, you can start the exercise bit off slowly with walking, with rebounding, low impact aerobics or walking on the treadmill.

Here’s a sample diet:

-cereal with milk and fruit for two meals

-1 healthy regular meal each day with reassonable portions

-2 x 100 calorie snacks during the day

*as much fruit and vegetables as you want.

Tip: If you’re worried about buying a gym membership and not using it, consider buying passes to let you try the gym out several times. Gyms have sales people looking to pitch you and many gyms have locked in memberships and loads of fine print which could cost you money whether or not you use the facilities for a long time (up to a year) so consider shopping around for a good gym by visiting at least two or three before making a choice.