Friday, August 20, 2010

Diet and Obesity



Being healthy and fit is the earnest desire of everyone. In today’s world, where we are entangled between out hectic work life and social circle, finding time for fitness and exercise becomes very difficult. Also the kind of diet we follow and food we eat makes us obese and hence more prone to diseases. Checking on the kind of food you eat and lifestyle you maintain helps you keep your body weight in control. Those people who are learned enough to know what is right to eat and what is not are able to keep themselves away from the prangs of obesity.

If you have been struggling to lose weight and have been looking out ways to reduce it then the very first thing that you need to change is your eating habits. People usually confuse exercising with food. They think if they are working out every day, they get the right to eat anything, which is of course not true. Keeping your diet healthy and nutritious helps to provide your body with right nutrients and helps it to stay healthy and strong. In order to lose weight you need to maintain a balance between healthy diet and exercise. Exercising regularly is important and so is eating healthy. If you are not aware of the food that would suit your body and help you lose weight then approaching a dietician is important.

A dietician would check your routine of eating food and will suggest you about the food groups that are healthy and less fattening. She will prepare a diet chart for you that will help you lose weight and also make you strong within. A dietician is an educated person who has studied the pros and cons of different food groups on the body and tells you the time to consume them for better and complete digestion.

Most of us know that eating breakfast is essential and skipping meals makes us fat as the metabolism of the body decreases due to it. Slow metabolism thus decreases the capacity of your body to digest food and absorb nurititon to use energy for your daily activities. Thus storing calories in the form of fat and making you obese.

A dietician gives you a complete diet which is designed to help your body lose weight and speed up your metabolism so that you lose weight even when you are sitting or resting. A dietician will divide your daily consumption of food in a way that you consume maximum during the morning and afternoon and less during the night. Eating less at night is healthy because since we are not using much energy and moving less, it becomes easier for our body to digest less food.

Therefore, if you are interested to lose weight and learn on healthy ways on living your life then it is necessary that you consult a dietician and start taking healthy food.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Cancer and Diet


The consensus on diet and cancer is that obesity increases the risk of developing cancer. Particular dietary practices often explain differences in cancer incidence in different countries (e.g. gastric cancer is more common in Japan, while colon cancer is more common in the United States). Studies have shown that immigrants develop the risk of their new country, suggesting a link between diet and cancer rather than a genetic basis.

Despite frequent reports of particular substances (including foods) having a beneficial or detrimental effect on cancer risk, few of these have an established link to cancer. These reports are often based on studies in cultured cell media or animals. Public health recommendations cannot be made on the basis of these studies until they have been validated in an observational (or occasionally a prospective interventional) trial in humans.

The case of beta-carotene provides an example of the necessity of randomized clinical trials. Epidemiologists studying both diet and serum levels observed that high levels of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, were associated with a protective effect, reducing the risk of cancer. This effect was particularly strong in lung cancer. This hypothesis led to a series of large randomized trials conducted in both Finland and the United States (CARET study) during the 1980s and 1990s. This study provided about 80,000 smokers or former smokers with daily supplements of beta-carotene or placebos. Contrary to expectation, these tests found no benefit of beta-carotene supplementation in reducing lung cancer incidence and mortality. In fact, the risk of lung cancer was slightly, but not significantly, increased by beta-carotene, leading to an early termination of the study.

However, Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) also have drawbacks in cancer prevention, particularly in micronutrient deficiencies, which are thought by some to be a major contributor to cancer. RCTs involve huge numbers of people, take many years to complete, and are therefore extremely expensive and complicated, and therefore few are done. In addition, these randomized clinical trials usually test only a single dose. An alternative, which is likely to be more useful, is to do shorter intervention trials focusing on other endpoints related to cancer, such as DNA damage. These trials can test a variety of doses on fewer people to determine what level of micronutrient intake (or, better, micronutrient concentration in blood) keeps DNA damage to a minimum.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Make Up Tips To Look Stunning


Formal eye makeup tips will allow you to look glamorous no matter if you are heading out for the biggest night of your life or if you are just hanging out with friends. To look glamorous, you need to know just how to apply makeup correctly, to achieve the desired, finished look.

Green eyes are really fun to work with. They have such a wide color range from turqouise to chartreuse to forest green to bright light green and on and on.These tips are designed for the magority of green eyes, but of course there are exceptions to every rule. My best advice is to try every color that you're interested in. You'll be surprised what looks good.

Makeup tips for blue eyes are pretty straightforward. The trick is to learn which colors look better on blue eyes, and start with those, and then branch out with the colors that you are personally drawn to. Women have a unique ability to choose colors that are complimentary to them. Just because colors are suggested doesn't mean those are the only colors suitable for you to wear.

Smoky eye makeup is essentially a makeup application that darkens the lids and highlights the brow bone. This effortless eye makeup trick will draw instant attention to your eyes and provide an overall sultry, sexy look. People always think of dark, dramatic colors when they hear smokey. Although the look can definitely be dramatic, it is not necessarily dark.
Almond-shaped eyes Use a light shade of powder from your lashes to the brow, a medium shade on your lid, and a darker shade on the outer third of your eyelid.

Eye shadows that you wore when you were in your 30's just may not be right now. Someone had come up with a silly rule that once you hit 40 its time to put away all your favorite vivid greens, purples, pinks eye shadows.

Eye makeup tips should be practiced ahead of time to guarantee you will not look like a makeup experiment as a worse scenario. Curling your lashes to make your eyes open and stick to dark colored mascaras will make you look more natural, but if you want to add a dramatic effect, line your lower lashes.

General makeup tips for brown eyes always include browns, beige and neutral tans. Grays and charcoals look good with this eye color, as do violet and lavender. You can mix it up with a lavendar and a violet. Khaki and olive green are a great color combination. Browns with green highlights or copper highlights are always a fun option. Try copper and even gold. If your eyes have a tinge of green, or like mine are half green, choose green eyeshadows as well.

Round: Round faces need only a little darker foundation applied at the temples and around the lower face. This will make it appear a little more elongated. Balancing Your Features Face shape makeup tips also include your facial features. If you've got a feature you're not too fond of, like your nose or chin, playing with light and dark correctors can help you adjust how they look. We'll give you the makeup artist's tips on how to do this.

Hair Color Ideas


Precision cut bobs are huge this year, coupled with smooth, sleek styling, a blunt fringe and heaps of shine. Your bob should be carefully crafted to accentuate your unique facial structure, or highlight a long, beautiful neck. Bob hair styles range from ear level to shoulder skimming and are best for straight or slightly wavy hair.

If you're looking for all of the hot styles worn in Hollywood, Celebrity Hairstyles could be just the hair style magazine to bring it all together for you. Ever wonder how Hilary Duff and Faith Hill got those softly tousled locks? Wonder no more. Not only is this hair style magazine full of color photos of the latest celebrity styles, it also has technical how-to information that you can take along with you to the salon.

If you have wavy, shoulder-length hair in a brunette tone, don't go for all-over color. Instead, add texture to your style plus some caramel highlights scattered throughout the crown and part areas. The textured waves combined with the highlights will reflect the sunlight and create a dazzling effect.

Double sided coloring - underneath, choose a darker color like chocolate, and over the top, and for most of the hair, choose lighter shades like copper and bronze. The darker color will frame your face, and if you go for any flicks or curls when styling, you'll see it contrasted against the lighter colors. But the main colors when hair is straightened will be the lighter ones. It's great for variety.

Hair needs to be in reasonably good condition to take peroxide based lighteners, especially if you are going for a look that is a lot lighter than your natural or base hair color. Use protein treatments to strengthen your hair first, if its not in good condition. Or go for a few highlights to complement your cut instead.

If you are looking for a more permanent hair dye then you may want to consider a demipermanent hair coloring. This treatment uses a hair color cream that has a mild developer. This type of coloring will typically last a few months. This option is great for covering grey hair.

Weaving is a two-part process. First, the stylist weaves a series of threads into your own hair, using underneath sections so the work won't show. She then uses that weave as a base upon which she will attach the hairpiece, or weft (a curtain of hair, attached at the top and free-flowing at the bottom).

Hair coloring can add spice and enhance many hair styles. A good hair color can add shine, drama and fun to your hair style. It can make some hair types easier to style. Permanent hair coloring breaks down the hair cuticle and deposits pigment into the hair shaft.

Hair color is a reflection of light off the colored pigment of the hair shaft. Different colors add or subtract from the hair color giving it various hues and shades. Colors that are too beige or ashy don't complement skin tones. Try using gold or warm tones, this gives the skin a more youthful, healthy glow. Try not to panic and rush to find a solution that might cause even more harm.

Dandruff Cure


Dandruff also known seborrhea. Dandruff is a chronic scalp condition that causes scaling and flaking of the skin. The skin on our scalp sheds more than any other area. Flakes get trapped in the hair and mix with oil, causing dandruff. Dandruff is a global phenomenon and many people find that dandruff can cause social or self-esteem problems. Dry scalp is caused by a lack of moisture or natural oils on the scalp, which results in small, dry flakes, and itchiness. Dandruff is caused by the shedding of skin, which results in medium-to-large size, white, oily flakes. Dandruff has been shown to be the result of three factors First is skin oil commonly referred to as sebum or sebaceous secretions. Second is the metabolic by-products of skin micro-organisms and Third individual susceptibility. Severe cases of dandruff are caused by a disease called seborrhoeic eczema or seborrhoeic dermatitis.

Common symptoms of dandruff include white, oily-looking flakes of dead skin in your hair and on your shoulders and an itchy, scaling scalp. Dandruff is not an organism like lice. Dandruff mostly occurs after puberty, usually between the ages of 20 and 30, and affects males more than females. 50% of adults are affected by dandruff at some time or the other in their lives. Hormones may also be involved, because dandruff usually starts after puberty and is more common in men than women. Other factors contributing to this disorder are emotional tension, harsh shampoos, exposure to cold and general exhaustion.

Treatment:

Hot oil therapy is the best method to cure dandruff. Massage hot oil into the scalp at bedtime. Next morning an hour before the bath, rub lemon juice mixed with cosmetic vinegar into the scalp with cotton wool.

Mix beetroot juice in vinegar and apply on the scalp. Ginger juice and beetroot juice mixed together and applied on the scalp are also beneficial.

During the first five days of the treatment when the patient takes an all-fruit diet, a warm-water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels. Simultaneously, an attempt should be made to keep the body in good health.

Mild dandruff is the result of excessive oiliness of the skin and not due to dryness of the scalp. Chronic dandruff may occur due to psoriasis of the scalp.

People should avoid spicy and greasy food because it helps dandruff to increase and spread. People should add more vegetables and fruits on the diet. It is very essential to take fresh foods avoid taking tinned and canned foods add more green vegetables and fruits.

Egg shampoo is one of the oldest beauty recipes. Eggs are full of protein. Simply wash your hair with egg. Beat up one or two eggs with a cup of water and thoroughly massage this into your wet hair for about five to ten minutes. Rinse off thoroughly and remember not to use hot water. There is another method to use egg shampoo. Simply beat one egg in a cup of water and mix to it 1 to 2 tablespoons shampoo. Do not worry about which shampoo has to be used. As a last rinse use the juice of one lemon in a cup of hot water. Continue this complete treatment once a week for three months, then once a fortnight for the next two months

Sunday, August 1, 2010

High Blood Pressure Treatment - Medication, Diet and Alternative Therapies


Healthy lifestyle is the best treatment for high blood pressure

No drug can ever help you to win a battle against high blood pressure for good. The best they can do is to give a temporarily relief. However, by changing your lifestyle habits you can keep your blood pressure under control.

There are 3 major aspects of your life that affect blood pressure
  • Exercise
  • Diet
  • Stress management
Making your heart beating slightly faster than normal from time to time is very important. This doesn’t mean you will have to go the gym every day. Many everyday things count as exercise - house chores, gardening, walking your dog or playing active games with your children are good examples. Walking is the best exercise for high blood pressure, even 15 minutes a day will do wonder.

Most important you should do some exercise every day.

Another essential thing you will have to evaluate is your diet. Do you like souses, pickles and pre-cooked meals? Than you will have to cut it down, because all of the above are extremely high in sodium and sodium affects blood pressure very badly. Add more veggies and fruits to your diet, remove your salt shaker from the table and you will feel much better as your blood pressure lowers.

Every time you stress out, your blood pressure jumps up. And if stress is a permanent part of your life it can constantly keep your readings high. Don’t ignore stress; there are many effective ways to deal with it. For example, you can enroll in a stress relief class or take a yoga or Tai Chi class. Try to find time to do things that you enjoy.

High blood pressure medication

When it comes to high blood pressure drugs, you should never get one without consulting a doctor. If a particular medicine works well for your friend it doesn’t mean it will suit you. Most high blood pressure drugs are prescription drugs, so the only way to get them is to visit your physician first and ask for prescription.

Medication used to control high blood pressure includes:
  • ACE inhibitors
  • Calcium channel blockers
  • Beta-blockers
  • Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs)
  • Alpha-blockers
  • Diuretics


In the past a lot of high blood pressure medications were unsafe and had side effects. Luckily they improved in recent years, so modern drugs that help to lower your blood pressure are more effective and safe.

Alternative high blood pressure treatments

If you don’t trust conventional drugs and prefer alternative medicine, there are several treatments that can help to lower blood pressure.

Natural herbs for high blood pressure are very popular. Most effective are Hawthorn and Ginkgo Biloba. Several studies have shown that garlic also helps with hypertension control. Garlic thins the blood (reduces its ability to clot).

Garlic supplements work just as well as fresh garlic.

Among the alternative therapies, most common are acupuncture and magnetic high blood pressure therapy.

Acupuncture relaxes your body and releases some of the strain on the heart. There is no hard scientific proof that acupunctures works, but many people who tried it, swear that it helped to decrease their blood pressure.

Treatment with magnets can also help. Copper and iron bracelets reduce the effects of blood pressure, but scientists don’t know how and why. However, this treatment is painless and safe, so it is worth the try.

There are many ways to treat high blood pressure. You should never ignore it, because this condition doesn’t just go away unless you do something to control it.

Rice Diet at Home


Diet, as a primary way to treat diseases has been used since 1939. The Rice Diet has helped in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, renal disease, and other illnesses. The rice diet can also be used to reduce weight. It also detoxifies the body by getting rid of excess water weight and toxins from food and environment.

The Rice Diet Program in Durham, North Carolina, was one of the first medical facilities in America to use diet as the primary way to treat diseases like obesity, diabetics and hypertension. Rice diet is primarily a vegetarian eating plan which features high-complex carbohydrates, low fat and low-sodium. People who follow rice diet program lose weight faster, safely, and effectively than any other people who follow other diet programs.

Phases in Rice Diet:

There are two phases in Rice Diet:

Rice Diet Phase I

The phase 1 program includes grains and fruits. Medical supervision is mandatory and hence it is recommended to do the same at medical centers rather than at home. The rice diet food list for phase 1 includes lean cut beef, cheese, eggs, lamb, pork, seafood, vegetables, oil, veal, tofu, nuts, and dairy.

Rice Diet Phase II

This phase includes vegetables, beans and other carbohydrates, in addition to grains and fruit. You can have fish once in a week. Meals can also be taken. Vegetarian eating habits are prescribed until you attain your goals. Non-fat dairy products, fish and lean meats can be used depending upon one’s physical condition. The rice diet food list for phase 2 includes fruits, dairy, vegetables and legumes, and starch (controlled).

Working

The Rice Diet limits salt and sodium-rich ingredients. Reduction in salt intake cause loses in water weight and you are less inclined to overeat. The main source of nutrition in rice diet is carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Saturated fats and sodium are limited. The Rice Diet Solution includes hundreds of tasty, filling, easy-to-prepare recipes.

Keep in mind that the end result of rice diet program purely depends on how well an individual follows the diet recommendations. Hence make sure that you follow it correctly.

Symptoms of Kidney Disease


The kidneys are bean shaped organs located in the lower abdomen. They are one of the vital organs in the body, playing an important role in the process of excretion. Kidneys help in removal of waste products, toxins and excess fluids out from the body. However, sometimes factors like infection, injury, diabetes, blood pressure, etc. affect the kidneys resulting in kidney diseases. Long lasting abnormalities in the kidneys lead to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) which can be a dangerous condition. Polycystic kidney disease, kidney stone, kidney infection are the significant kidney diseases that are caused due to different reasons. The symptoms of all kidney diseases are more or less the same. What are the early symptoms of kidney disease? Let us take a look at it in detail.

Chronic Kidney Disease Symptoms

Unfortunately, the early symptoms of kidney disease are not easily observed and hence, a person may be unaware that he/she is suffering from kidney disease for a longer time. In some cases, chronic kidney disease for a longer period of time can lead to complete kidney failure; while some people are found to suffer from chronic kidney disease for lifetime which may not lead to kidney failure. However, the latter case can be rare. It is therefore, advisable to identify the signs and symptoms of kidney disease as early as possible to get the condition treated immediately. The following are kidney disease symptoms in women and men.

Kidney Disease Symptoms in Adults
  • Difficulty in urination
  • Pain during urination
  • Frequent/infrequent urination
  • Dark colored urine
  • Blood in urine
  • Swelling
  • Water retention (edema)
  • Lower abdominal pain
  • Lower back pain
  • Skin rash
  • Itchy skin
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Anemia
  • Shortness of breath
  • Loss of appetite
  • Metallic taste in mouth
  • Bad breath
  • Dizziness
  • Muscle cramping
  • Weight loss
  • Cold
Kidney Disease Symptoms in Children
  • Nighttime bedwetting
  • Difficulty in controlling urine
  • Frequent urination
  • Blood in urine
  • Pain or burning sensation during urination
  • Swelling or edema around the eyes, face, feet
  • Fever
  • Increase in blood pressure
Polycystic kidney disease symptoms include pain in the back, changes in urination, flank pain, kidney stones and recurring bladder or kidney infections. In severe cases, polycystic kidney disease can even result in complete renal or kidney failure. Kidney stone give rise to sharp and excruciating pain in the lower abdomen on one side. Sometimes, symptoms of kidney disease also include chills, nausea and vomiting which are difficult to relate to this condition. Therefore, one needs to know and recognize the above mentioned symptoms of kidney diseases. One should note that any changes or abnormalities in urination is a typical identifying kidney disease symptom.

Kidney Disease Treatment

If one observes any of the above mentioned kidney infection or kidney failure symptoms, he/she should consult the doctor immediately. Kidney disease symptoms in children and babies like changes in urination or changes in urine color are difficult to identify and hence, parents must keep a watch on other identifying symptoms. Kidney stone and kidney infection treatment involves use of medications. However, kidney stone, if larger in size, may require a surgical procedure. However, this condition is completely curable. On the other hand, complete kidney failure may require dialysis and/or transplantation. Sometimes, the affected kidney may also be removed. It is possible to live a long life with one kidney, however, the person needs to follow a strict diet. In either of the cases, the doctor may prescribe medications and diet for kidney disease to treat and prevent chronic kidney diseases.