Liver Disease information that you need to know. part 1

Liver disease is actually not just one single condition but a collection of many different diseases that can affect the liver, The liver is a large and a very important organ, located in the abdomen, specifically the right and upper part of the abdomen.

the liver has a number of very important responsibilities for the body. Some of them are indigestion, and breaking down poisonous toxins in the body and breaking down blood products, also clotting of the blood and in glucose metabolism. so as you cann imagine if something goes wrong with the liver there is a number of problems or symptoms that you may had.

These are some of the conditions that can cause liver diseases. 1. Hepatitis- is when the cell of the liver become inflamed and are not properly functioning, many things can cause hepatitis., the most common are different types of viruses, there's hepatitis a. Usually it comes from contaminated food or water, and is usually not life threatening. And usually gets better after a few weeks or a few months, Other more serious hepatitis, are hepatitis B, C, D and E, these are all cause by different kinds of viruses, some of them are more treatable than the others. Some of them like Hepatitis B can be completely prevented if you received a vaccine. against Hepatitis b.

Other liver disease are Cirrhosis, It is when the liver begins to decline and it's function and also it's architectural structure from chronic inflammation, This is usually caused by excessive alcohol consumption over a long period of time, and sometimes by other chronic infections.

Other problems or diseased that can occur with the liver is when you have the liver cancer. there's primary and there's secondary liver cancer. Primary liver cancer is when you actually have a cancer, that arises from cell of the liver, Secondary liver cancer is when cells from a different cancer in a different part of the body metastasized or moved in to the liver.

You can also have acute liver failure, can be caused by different metabolic problems that are happening in the body or toxins that poisoned the liver and cause it to fail. you ca also have autoimmune disorders, that affects the liver.

Having lactose Intolerance.

Ok so before we go further, what exactly is lactose intolerance? Is that your body is unable to digest the sugar in milk, called lactose, this is due to the lack of enzyme lactase, that is usually found in your intestine that digest that sugar, so when people have lactose intolerance when they do have things like milk or milk products and yogurt and things like that, and it causes a lot of nausea, cramps, gas, and indigestion. it's not uncommon to have lactose intolerance.

So if you think that you have lactose intolerance, you probably need to avoid plain milk, a good substitute could be something like soy milk, my children love the soy milk, there's also the rice milk, they don't have lactose in them. Another tip is that you have to make sure that you choose calcium rich foods that are non-dairy or non-animal like of that broccoli, green leafy vegetables,pinto beans, and enriched orange juice because they have added calcium as well that you might be lacking from not having milk products. Another thing is that make sure that you get 2 to 4 servings of calcium-rich foods a day, Now if you know that you are going to eat lactose in some form, you can try taking something that you can buy at the drugstore called Lactase, basically you ingest the enzyme in a pill form before you eat the lactose, it helps reduce the symptoms of cramping, and gassing and all.

If you think you are lactose intolerance, don't feel bad like what i mentioned earlier this is not uncommon. You can still have the good healthy lifestyle without the pain.

What you should know about boils.

Boils was one of the skin problems that most people just take for granted, and sometime has no idea what are the causes why they have it and stuffs like that.

Boils are painful puss-filled lumps under the skin that caused when bacteria infect and inflamed one or more hair follicles, These boils usually starts as tender red lumps They quickly filled with puss, getting larger and more painful until they rapture and drain. Although some boils disappears a few days after they occur, Most take up to two weeks to heal up.

They can occur anywhere on the skin, especially on the face, on the neck, in the armpits, on their buttocks or thighs, in hair baring areas where you more likely to sweat, or have a friction, sometimes these boils occurs in clusters, that we call carbuncles.Any one can develop these but people who have poor general health, diabetes, a suppressed immune system, or acne or other skin problems are in increase risk, you more likely suffer complications if spreading infection including blood poison including MRSA.

Usually you can care for a single boil yourself. all you need to do is to apply a warm wash cloth or compress after soaking in warm salt water, It's very effective you can do this for at least 10 minutes every few hours and gently wash the boil 2 or 3 times a day, After washing you can apply over the counter antibiotic and covered with bandage, never squeeze the boil because this can spread infection, you need to wash your hands thoroughly after you treated the boil to prevent the spread to other areas of the body, but you do need to see your doctor if you have a boil that is on your face or on your spine, or if you have a boil that worsen rapidly or it was very painful, boils that are very large or haven't healed in two weeks, or accompanied by fever, also you are needed to be examine by a doctor if you get frequent boils that's another reason to see your doctor.

What are the causes of hearing loss?

We love to listen to music, I think everybody has their own type of genre, But, does loud music can cause loss of our sense of hear? But we all know that sounds are obviously tolerated for many years. Now the sounds are very much acceptable, but of course the sound should also be in an acceptable or reasonable range. Have you been to a rock concert? Where were you located? Were you near those gigantic speakers? Why?

Because many youngsters nowadays may have some minor hearing problems after a concert. They usually have those temporary threshold, So recreationaly were exposed to a lot of noise. Employment wise, there are a lot of employees that work in an environment that is very loud, construction people, people who work with the airplanes in the airports, they have a fair amount of exposure sometimes, Now if the length of exposure exceeds the time that is tolerable, They could develop some hearing impairment.

Now how do you know if you might have some hearing problems that may somehow cause hearing loss in the future? Associated with this hearing loss almost always is the ringing sound that you hear in your ear which is also known as Tinnitus, and Tinnitus is a brain signal that the brain is hearing a sound which really a phantom sound because it's not there, and what it really is, is damage to the nerve in the frequency range that is outside sound that stimulates that nerve act.

So yes simple sounds that may be unacceptable might give us hearing problems in the future, so take care of your ears, we only have one pair.

Foods that can cause migraines to everyone.

there are many people that whenever they eat certain foods they get a migraine. Maybe some people drink wine and all of sudden they are having a migraine. But what are the foods that causes migraine.

The most common migraine triggers are red wine, chocolates, other alcoholic beverages, even healthy foods such as yogurt, bananas, citrus fruits, onions. ANd take note that for each different people it's a different set of fruit, If you have migraine. you have to stop eating all of these foods, It's a way to find out what triggers your headache. One of the best way to prevent and know which food cause your migraine is to keep a notebook and whenever you are having a headache. Try to write down everything you eat before you got the headache( the previous 8-12 hours). So if you see a pattern every time you had a headache whenever you eat bananas, then maybe that's your trigger.

For many people food doesn't play a role at all, they can eat anything, they can drink anything they want, and not get a headache from food, for some people it's dramatic that is if they stay on a very strict diet they will not get a single headache. For most people it's in between. Foods contribute to the migraine but it's not the only or the major trigger for their headaches.

There are still a lot of foods that causes headaches such as raisins, cheese, peanut butter, tofu, nuts, soy sauce, avocado etc, All of these are healthy food. Anything smoked, cured, pickled anything that has preservatives, all that can trigger headache. For some people it's MSG. some people are other preservatives such as artificial sweeteners. Again it depends on the individual so you can't generalize the list. So if you usually have migraines, check the food you ate in the past 12 hours.

Folate-Rich Diet Cuts Women's Colon Cancer Risk

Here's a news that recently caught my attention. I knew this because a friend of mine have told me about it and I wanted to share it to everyone.

Eating plenty of folate may sharply reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, at least for women, South Korean researchers report.

In a study of 596 colorectal cancer patients and 509 healthy individuals, they found that the women who ate the most folate were at about two-thirds lower risk of the disease than women who consumed the smallest amount of the B vitamin.

But folate intake didn't significantly affect men's colorectal cancer risk, Dr. J. Kim of the National Cancer Center in Goyang and colleagues report.

Deaths from colorectal cancer have jumped more than six-fold among South Koreans since the early 1980s, the researchers note, and an increasingly Western-style diet may be a factor in the increase.

There is evidence that intake of folate, which is found in green, leafy vegetables and citrus fruits, may reduce colorectal cancer risk, although some research suggests this protective effect could vary by ethnic background.

To look at the relationship in a Korean population, the researchers compared the diets of colorectal cancer patients and healthy controls matched by age and gender. The cancer patients drank and smoked more, were less active, and were also more likely to have a family history of the disease.

The researchers looked at the influence of dietary folate intake on disease risk after using statistical techniques to control for these factors, and found that people in the top fifth based on their folate intake (consuming more than 270 micrograms a day) were more than half as likely to have cancer compared to people in the bottom fifth, who ate 180 micrograms or less daily.

When Kim and colleagues looked at men and women separately, they found no influence of folate intake on mens' colorectal cancer risk. But women with high folate consumption (over 300 micrograms a day) were 64 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer compared to women with the lowest consumption (200 micrograms daily or less).

The findings are important, the researchers note, because they suggest that cancer risk can be decreased by modifying diet.

The body needs folate in order to form nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA and RNA), to copy DNA, and for other essential genetic functions, so low folate intake could contribute


Source: Foxnews.com

Why I so love coconut.

I just wanted everyone to know how much i love coconuts! and I just love everything about it, the water and the coconut meat. Oh men, I just love it. The coconut water taste so clean, did i just say clean? lol! well, what I meant was it's free from artificial stuffs. And I hate myself of always forgetting to blog about it.

Coconut water is the highest natural source of electrolytes , And yes it is much better than just your plain water. Twice in my life I got UTI, Urinary Tract Infection. And so It was really hard for me to pee, It was so painful that I cried, well, I was a kid then, The second time I have had it was when I was pregnant, I think I know some pregnant women has been in this kind of situation. Anyways, My mother would always tell me, Drink coconut water until you get well, It wasn't really the hardest thing for me. Because I love coconuts. Alright, I religiously drink it, I love it when it's cold Alright so in just amatter of a day or two. I'm OK. Honest!

So the coconut water has this antibacterial thing that kills all those bacteria that causes, throat infections, Urinary Tract Infections, Pneumonia and other diseases. Coconut milk has a lot of vitamins and minerals so My mother would always let my children drink a whole glass of it. It;s good for the skin and hair you know. So this weekend have a coconut water in the fridge and serve it with ice to your family.

The symptoms of heart failure

Just this morning me and my grandma our having discussions about heart failure, and like most people my grandma is a bit confused with heart failure and heart attacks, So I had to explain some stuffs I know, and would like to share this to everyone as well.

When you have heart attacks, one of the arteries of the heart is blocked, people have severe chest pain.When you have heart failure, the the whole muscle of the heart hasn't pump and that is the difference though however heart attacks can cause heart failure.

There is one risk that is important, though there are many. One would be hypertension so high blood pressure is one of the major risk for developing heart failure, and if you don't have symptoms of heart failure, if you have hypertension and you can't treat the high blood pressure, then you can't prevent the development of heart failure, there are other things like that of obesity.

Some people don't have any symptoms, but on the other hand there are two main symptoms, one is shortness of breath, the other one is fluid retention, so you can get fluid in your leg. One of the most important thing everyone should remember which is very common to a lot of people is at night when people had shortness of breath when they sleep and they had to get up, and then they had to sit down in bed and breathe, that is very common symptoms of heart failure, as well as fatigue.

Now how are you going to prevent this from happening, there are many therapies one would be if you can prevent blood pressure then you can reverse ore prevent heart failure, there are also medicines that you can ask from your doctor.

Mesothelioma symptoms.

Have you ever wonder what Mesothelioma really is? I was once one of those people who does know it but doesn't really understand it, Until someone I know passed away because of this.

Mesothelioma is a cancer. Most of these cancer cases were associated with the exposure with asbestos. It arises in cells called mesothelial cells. Mesotehelial cells line the chest cavity, and they also line the abdomen, The lining in the chest is called the pleura, So if you have the mesothelioma there it's called pleural mesothelioma.

But what are the symptoms of Mesothelioma?

Well the symptoms can be rather non-specific,sometimes you can just have back pain, or a chest pain or a little bit of shortness of breath, or you going to have a fever or fatigue. A lot of the symptoms can be seen in a lot of different illnesses, it's a little bit difficult to make that diagnosis.

So how is it diagnosed? Well same as the others, the first thing that anyone should so is to see a physician, and getting a detailed history and your physical from that physician, and if there's a concern for mesothelioma from that point further studies are ordered.

Usually the initial studies would be the chest X-ray, sometimes pulmonary function tests, as well as other lab work. If these studies comeback abnormal, you need a more definitive study like MRI for chest to look for more detailed information.

Mesothelioma is still one of the rare cancer in the world, only 1 in 1,000,000.

Healthy food benefits, you shouldn't take for grantedl

Here are some simple healthy food tips for everyone.. never take any fruit and vegetables for granted read on...

Our favorite orange:
supports the immune system, combat cancer, protects your heart, straightens respiration

The sweet watermelon:
Lower cholesterol, Protects prostate, controls blood pressure, helps stops strokes.

The red and green apple :
Prevents constipation, protects your heart, cushions joints, improves lung capacity.

The tangy lemon:
protects your heart, controls blood pressure, smoothes your skin, combat cancer

The red tomato:
Protects prostate, combats cancer, lowers cholesterol,

The yellow pineapple:
Relieves colds, aids digestion, dissolves warts,strengthen bones.

Mushrooms:
Kills bacteria, controls blood pressure, combats cancer, lowers cholesterol

My ever favorite banana:
Quiets cough, strengthens bones, Controls blood pressure, protects your heart.

Sweet strawberry:
Boosts memory, calm stress, protects your heart and combat cancer.

Hot Chilli peppers:
Clears sinuses, boost immune system, combat cancer

The broccoli :
saves sight, strengthens bones, combats cancer, protects your heart

Avocado:
Smoothes skin, battles diabetes, lowers cholesterol, controls blood pressure

Stuttering: Most children outgrow it.

For kids who outgrow stuttering, the normal stage of speech development is know as pseudostuttering. Characterized by brief repetitions of sounds, syllables or short words, It's a common speech irregularity that comes and goes. However it is most noticeable when the child is excited, stressed or overly tired.

I can still remember my 2nd grade classmate, she used to stutter at that time but when we were already 4rth grade, i noticed that she no longer stutters. Children who stutter regularly are more likely to notice it and will tend to be more anxious and embarrassed about it.

Here are some tips that would help you and your kids.

1. Talk to your child. Read books together. Encourage conversations during family meals.

2. Do not require your child to speak correctly at all times. Allow talking to be fun and enjoyable.

3. Avoid having your child speak or read aloud when he is uncomfortable, or when you notice the stuttering increases. Encourage instead activities that do not require a lot of talking.

4. Avoid corrections or criticisms such a "slow down" or take a deep breath. They only make your child feel more self-conscious. You should also ask others not to correct him.

5. Do not tell your child to start over or to think before speaking.

6. Minimize the stress or situations that will make the stuttering worse.

7. Maintain natural eye contact with your child. Try not to look away or show signs of being upset.

8. Let your child speak for himself and allow him to finish his sentences.

9. Speak slowly and clearly. Modeling a slow rate will help your child's fluency.

If pseudostuttering persists for more than two months. or is making the child anxious, then he may benefit from speech evaluation and therapy.. Kids with true stuterring should consult a speech .pathologist.

Mild acne home remedies

are you one of those people whose main problem is acne? Now this maybe a solution to that. Well, We all know that there are more important things than just those pimples, so don't stress yourself on how are you going to treat those acne, Again, treatments can be very very costly, but you have to think that there are maybe other means than spending to much right? right.

The most reliable treatments are actually can be done at home. This is a reliever, you don't need to spend a lot to treat those pimples. You might be asking if they're safe, yes they are.These helpful treatments will help you save while treating your acne at the comfort of your own home.

These treatments are proven safe and effective. But, you have to remember these are made just only for mild cases of acne. If you have a severe type then you must ask for professional help.

When simple soap and water is not helping to your acne, Benzoyl Peroxide is one of the things that you have to consider when treating your acne, this can be easily found in soaps, facial washes, creams and gels. But you have to use it well, do not use it too many times, people tend to washtheir faces too many times when they wanted to speed up the process which as absolutely wrong this may lead to skin dryness. so just use it just when you need it.


Some people are not very into home remedies, that is because this treatment maybe slow for others and fast for some, Patience is the name of the game here, but yes this is effective. You may achieve your goals maybe after couple of weeks or so.

Another very popular one is the salicylic acid. This can also be easily found in facial washes, I myself is a living proof to do this, I remember that we were on a tight budget then and i can't afford the ones that are sold on TV. So i just religiously use it for weeks and yes it worked.This also help to unclogged your skin pores.

These treatments has been around for ages, so it is effective, it just depends on cases. just make sure to use it properly.

Acne. why do you have it?

Image via Wikipedia

What is it?

Acne is an inflammatory skin condition that causes spots.

Spots result from the build up of dead skin cells and grease that block the pores or hair follicles, typically on the face, upper arms, upper back and chest.

It is not contagious and is nothing to do with not being clean.

Hormonal changes, such as those related to puberty, menstruation and pregnancy, can contribute to acne.

Some medicines will also make it worse, including some contraceptive pills and steroids.

Who gets it?

Most people experience acne at some time in their lives, typically as young adults. Girls tend to develop it slightly earlier than boys - around the ages of 14-17 compared to 16-19 years, respectively.

Acne can occur later in life. Around five per cent of women and one per cent of men aged 25-40 continue to have acne after adolescence.

What are the symptoms?

As the pores of the skin become blocked, blackheads develop and small, tender, red spots appear. These can turn into pimples or whiteheads filled with pus.

What is the outlook?

Usually it is a mild condition, most commonly during young adulthood, and will resolve by itself. But for 15% of people it is severe.

The spots can become infected and cause significant scarring, particularly if they are scratched or squeezed.

How can it be treated?

Mild acne does not need treating as each inflamed spot will eventually heal. Eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water will help keep the skin healthy.

Keeping spot-prone areas clean by washing the affected area twice daily with an unperfumed cleanser can help. However, excessive washing and scrubbing of the skin will not help and may make the inflammation worse.

More severe acne may need treatment. The aim is to clear the spots and prevent scarring.

Treatments work by either unblocking blocked pores, reducing the amount of grease or sebum made by the skin, reducing the inflammation or fighting the bacterium that infects the lesions.

Creams, gels and lotions that can be applied to the skin are available to buy at pharmacies without a prescription. These usually contain antibacterial agents such as benzoyl peroxide, which also works by drying out the skin and encouraging it to shed the surface layer of dead skin.

There are several more potent oral tablets that can be prescribed by a doctor if the acne persists.

Make-up can be used to cover blemishes but heavy use of concealer may make acne worse.

Any scarring will improve with time. Laser therapy, chemical peels, dermabrasion and other treatments have been suggested for acne scarring.

Acne can be extremely distressing and it is important to seek help if you are anxious or depressed about it.

source:

BBC.co.uk

Looking Good = Feeling Good

Being healthy isn't just confined to a healthy diet and exercise. Overall health and well-being should also reflect in how you look and carry yourself(there's a reason why Queer Eye for the straight guy became such a hit) Take these basic tips to looking and feeling your darndest best!

1.Take your cue from your wife/sister/girlfriend.

Women care for their skin because soft, supple skin boosts self-image and self-esteem immensely. You might gawk at the idea of applying all the gunk on your face, but all you really need are moisturizing facial washes, sunblock or sunscreen. And moisturizing shaving gels and creams for better shaves. If you've got acne, try a wash with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid ointments. Am added bonus to all these: Women like caressing smoother skin than dry or oily or flaky skin so head on to the drugstore.

2.Get rid of that slacker look.

The I-haven't-changed-in-days guise really doesn't look, feel, and, well, smell great, so ditch your slacker t-shirts and jeans for smarter-looking fashion. Nice-fitting shirts show off your great physique, and washing your jeans every so often can get you that soft-denim effect you're gunning for more than using them unwashed everyday. If you really don't want to get rid of your ripped denim, pair it with a crisp button down shirt and cool pair of sneakers to smarten it up a bit.

3. Pay your barber a visit.

Yes long hair worked for Brad Pitt- but that was so 1994. What's a healthy balanced lifestyle if they can't see you behind all that hair? cut off your locks and show off that face! A clean cut does a lot of mileage, but if you are into styling gels and texturing waxes, make sure that you style your hair in a way that it doesn't grab attention away from your face. You's want people to look at you, and not on a work of art on the top of your head.

Why do you need to lose some weight

Are you one of those very few people who are very much happy or let's just say satisfied with your weight? Well, Congratulations! However, weight loss still may be needed. Many people who are overweight say that they are happy with their bodies, but the fact remains that weight loss in order to achieve a healthy weight is very important. There are a number of reasons you should consider weight loss, even if you don’t mind having a few extra pounds.

First a foremost, if you are overweight, you are at risk for a number of diseases. The main health risk you will probably experience is heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Many heart attacks are deadly. Heart disease develops when you heart has to work extra hard to pump the blood to the body, which causes it to become fatigued. This can occur simply because you are overweight, or can be a result of high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Along with heart disease, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can also put you at risk for a stroke. Strokes occur when blood, and therefore oxygen, cannot reach the brain. This can happen due to high cholesterol. When you have high cholesterol, the fatty deposits build up on your artery walls. If a piece of this plaque breaks off and travels to the heart, it causes a heart attack, and traveling to the brain causes a stroke.

Being overweight is also bad for women who wish to become pregnant. When you’re overweight, the hormones in your body are changing, and if you don’t get the right nutrients you may find that your body does not produce the right chemicals for the hormones needed to ovulate or carry a child. Even if you become pregnant, being overweight puts you at risk for a miscarriage or health problems with the baby.

Beyond the health world, being overweight can also affect your daily life. You may find it difficult to purchase clothing in your size or you may find that the clothing that does come in larger sizes is more expensive. This is simply due to the manufacturer need more material to make the same article of clothing. Problems extend beyond shopping when doing things like visiting theme parks, where you may not be able to ride all of the rides, or using public transportation, where you may feel crowded in seats made for smaller people. Losing weight, even if you are currently happy with your own weight, is always a healthy and smart option, until you reach a normal weight.
However, weight loss still may be needed. Many people who are overweight say that they are happy with their bodies, but the fact remains that weight loss in order to achieve a healthy weight is very important. There are a number of reasons you should consider weight loss, even if you don’t mind having a few extra pounds.

First a foremost, if you are overweight, you are at risk for a number of diseases. The main health risk you will probably experience is heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Many heart attacks are deadly. Heart disease develops when you heart has to work extra hard to pump the blood to the body, which causes it to become fatigued. This can occur simply because you are overweight, or can be a result of high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Along with heart disease, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels can also put you at risk for a stroke. Strokes occur when blood, and therefore oxygen, cannot reach the brain. This can happen due to high cholesterol. When you have high cholesterol, the fatty deposits build up on your artery walls. If a piece of this plaque breaks off and travels to the heart, it causes a heart attack, and traveling to the brain causes a stroke.

Being overweight is also bad for women who wish to become pregnant. When you’re overweight, the hormones in your body are changing, and if you don’t get the right nutrients you may find that your body does not produce the right chemicals for the hormones needed to ovulate or carry a child. Even if you become pregnant, being overweight puts you at risk for a miscarriage or health problems with the baby.

Beyond the health world, being overweight can also affect your daily life. You may find it difficult to purchase clothing in your size or you may find that the clothing that does come in larger sizes is more expensive. This is simply due to the manufacturer need more material to make the same article of clothing. Problems extend beyond shopping when doing things like visiting theme parks, where you may not be able to ride all of the rides, or using public transportation, where you may feel crowded in seats made for smaller people. Losing weight, even if you are currently happy with your own weight, is always a healthy and smart option, until you reach a normal weight.

Why your heart is your most important asset?

Image by Bob.Fornal via Flickr

The heart is the fist-sized muscle organ between your lungs and just beneath your fifth rib. It is vital to your overall body health and functionality because it is mainly responsible for pumping blood and nutrients throughout your body.

In spite of it's size, the heart does quite an exhausting job with all that pumping- an average adult heart pumps as much as 1,000 gallons of blood through over 60,000 miles of blood vessels, and beats an average of 100,000 times a day for as much as 70-100 years in life time.

The heart helps bring oxygenated blood into other parts of the body, which gives life to all other organs, Nutrients also travel through our blood, which improve how our organs function.

So you have to keep your heart healthy, so how are you going to do that?

Studies shows that Men who are physically active reduce the risk of dying cause by coronary heart disease by almost 50%. At a minimum try injecting 30 minute of cardiovascular everyday of the week. These cardiovascular exercise that works out your heart and your lungs- brisk walking, running, or jogging, biking aerobics or rowing to name a few.

Why Our Muscles Get Sore

As we grow old, People tend to complain about almost everything, especially the pains in our body, such as back pains, muscle pains and joint pains. Our muscles and bones seems to stiff more as we age. My grandma often complain about her leg and back whenever she reaches or bending over for something. She wince and i know most of grandparents do.

It is so painful that it is sure that this thing begins deeply to their bones, But the real main cause of this soreness and stiffness is because of the muscles and connective tissues and not really from the bones or joints. This is based on the research studies at the Johns Hopkins Medical School.

The frictional resistance that was generated by the two surfaces of two rubbing bones that are in the joints is negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis.

Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the range of a joint’s motion from full movement in one direction to full movement in the other. The greater the range of movement, the more flexible the joint.

If you bend forward at the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips, you have good flexibility, or range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend over easily with a minimal expenditure of energy and force? The exertion required to flex a joint is just as important as its range of possible motion.

Different factors limit the flexibility and ease of movement in different joints and muscles. In the elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a definite limit. In other joints, such as the ankle, hip, and back, the soft tissue—muscle and connective tissue—limit the motion range.

The problem of inflexible joints and muscles is similar to the difficulty of opening and closing a gate because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has become balky.

Hence, if people do not regularly move their muscles and joints through their full ranges of motion, they lose some of their potential. That is why when these people will try to move a joint after a long period of inactivity, they feel pain, and that discourages further use

What happens next is that the muscles become shortened with prolonged disuse and produces spasms and cramps that can be irritating and extremely painful. The immobilization of muscles, as researchers have demonstrated with laboratory animals, brings about biochemical changes in the tissue.

However, other factors trigger sore muscles. Here are some of them:

1. Too much exercise

Have you always believed on the saying, “No pain, no gain?” If you do, then, it is not so surprising if you have already experienced sore muscles.

The problem with most people is that they exercise too much thinking that it is the fastest and the surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even though they are what quite literally holds the body together.

2. Aging and inactivity

Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest are the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along these pressured pathways.

3. Immobility

Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, owing to the body’s reaction to a cramp or ache. In this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious cycle pain.

First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual position. The body then responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the connective tissue around the muscle. This cause more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. One of the most common sites for this problem is the lower back.

4. Spasm theory

In the physiology laboratory at the University of Southern California, some people have set out to learn more about this cycle of pain.

Using some device, they measured electrical activity in the muscles. The researchers knew that normal, well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical activity, whereas, muscles that are not fully relaxed show considerable activity.

In one experiment, the researchers measured these electrical signals in the muscles of persons with athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized, and then, after the muscle had been stretched.

In almost every case, exercises that stretched or lengthened the muscle diminished electrical activity and relieved pain, either totally or partially.

These experiments led to the “spasm theory,” an explanation of the development and persistence of muscle pain in the absence of any obvious cause, such as traumatic injury.

According to this theory, a muscle that is overworked or used in a strange position becomes fatigued and as a result, sore muscles.

Hence, it is extremely important to know the limitations and capacity of the muscles in order to avoid sore muscles. This goes to show that there is no truth in the saying, “No pain, no gain.” What matters most is on how people stay fit by exercising regularly at a normal range than once rarely but on a rigid routine.

How to prevent swine flu virus

The news about Swine flu virus's are way faster than the said virus. but seriously, this is no laughing matter. Although this kind of flu can actually be very fatal. This virus can also be prevented by the most typical and simplest form of prevention.

The very first one of course is the usage of face or surgical masks, that are very much available anywhere. You could've probably saw the news on TV on how people in Mexico live with these masks already. This very simple thing can actually keeping the germs away from you.And prevent the spread of disease. This may not be very convenient and or comfortable, but better safe than sorry. Especially if you live in the affected areas.

Another very simple way to prevent is to always bring/wear gloves or better yet, always wash your hands frequently with an antibacterial soap. This very simple way of washing can prevent you from catching colds or flu. Swine flu virus is still a flu. As much a possible try not to go to very crowded places. and of course, always see a doctor whatever signs you think you have.

Ginkgo biloba's health benefits.

This herb was already around for like thousand of years, and was used for so many things but up to now there are still many things aren't clear about it's benefits, My grand mother has been taking up some of this herbs for quite some time now and she told me that she felt a lot better and felt alert in some way. Especially in remembering things.

So what are some of the health benefits that could help us in our daily life and this benefits has been supported and proven with scientific researches and studies:

Dementia: One of the most talked about and popular benefit of this herb was the relation of this herb with memory enhancement. People with early stage Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia may benefit from taking Ginkgo biloba. The scientific research shows that Ginkgo biloba may be as effective as some of the prescription medications for these conditions.

Claudication (pain in the legs from clogged arteries): Some people with a condition known as claudication have pain in their legs while resting or after exercise. Ginkgo biloba has been shown to help this type of pain. Ginkgo biloba, however, is not as effective as physical therapy for this condition.


Ginkgo Biloba for Cerebral Insufficiency
While the research isn't as solid as the conditions above, using Ginkgo biloba for a condition called cerebral insufficiency holds promise. Cerebral insufficiency is a syndrome more commonly diagnosed in Europe that involves poor concentration, confusion, forgetfulness, headaches, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Some researchers believe that this condition is caused by a decrease in the amount of blood available to the brain because of clogged blood vessels.


Now in some cases there were reports that some people who took this may have caused too much bleeding especially Anyone using anti-coagulant medication, they should avoid taking Ginkgo biloba. Now of course if you have some doubts or anything a visit with your doctor wouldn't hurt. So ask your doctor for more advice.

The wonders of ginger.

Ginger is not just another spice in your cabinet, Its definitely more than that. I'm not the first person who will ask you to don't take that ginger for granted! It's my grandma! She always make it a point to boil some ginger and add just a little sugar and drink it like tea. I've decided to write down the most common health benefits of ginger.

Ginger is very much known for promoting lower cholesterol,Recent studies show that ginger might also have a role in lowering LDL cholesterol because the spice can help reduce the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed. It has also been shown in animal trials to help slow or even prevent cancerous tumor growth.

It can also help reduce inflammation. So it can be used to treat any disease that is caused by inflammations such as arthritis or ulcerative colitis. Some studies show that it can even help inhibit the replication of the herpes simplex virus.

In addition to its knack for curing nausea and indigestion, ginger is also potent in treating circulation problems, arthritis and stomach cramps. Other great benefits of ginger include promoting lower cholesterol, treating motion sickness, relieving gas and bloating, stopping diarrhea, and naturally freshening bad breath. The ginger herb root is also able to promote bile flow and improve the cardiovascular system by producing platelets that don’t stick to the artery walls.

The great thing about ginger that allows it to be so potent is that it is the one natural ingredient that does not cause any known side effects. This is because it does not have the tendency to interact negatively with other drugs prescription.
So don't take those ginger for granted and try to add some spice in your life.

Sources:

http://www.indepthinfo.com/
http://www.carefair.com/

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