Showing posts with label during. Show all posts
Showing posts with label during. Show all posts
Light During Sleep Increases Cancer Risk
Monday, May 19, 2014
Many of the critical biological functions carried out by our body during sleep are dependent on circadian rhythms and are disturbed by the smallest amount of light from devices such as iPods, laptops, electronic readers and television. Information provided by the journal Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics shines a light on the importance of sleeping in a totally dark room to lower cancer risk.
Small Amounts of Light During Sleep Alters Gene Expression and Cellular Repair Cycle
The study author, Dr. Ben-Shlomo noted "damage to cell division is characteristic of cancer, and it is theore important to understand the causes of this damage." Changes in gene expression were identified after exposure to artificial light for a period of one hour during normal sleep hours. The cellular ‘biological clock’ was altered and normal gene transcription and repair processes harmed.
This research clearly provides proof that minimal exposure to an artificial light source is sufficient to alter the expression of genes that are connected to the formation of cancer as well as genes that assist in the fight against cancer. Alteration of genetic expression is a precursor to cancer initiation, and disruption of nighttime circadian rhythm with a light source can be a trigger for carcinogenesis.
Natural Melatonin Levels Disturbed by Unnatural Light Sources
Melatonin secretion controls the normal sleep-wake cycle in the body and influences blood pressure, body temperature and insulin sensitivity. Levels of the hormone begin to increase 30 minutes before bedtime. Researchers found that exposing test participants to dim light for 8 hours before bedtime delayed the release of melatonin by 90 minutes. Exposure to room light during sleep cut production of the hormone by half.
When melatonin production is delayed or halted by artificial light sources, our nighttime rhythms are disturbed and normal metabolic activity required for cellular repair are disrupted. Lead study researcher, Dr. Joshua Gooley of Harvard Medical School commented, "Our study shows that this exposure to indoor light has a strong suppressive effect on the hormone melatonin. This could, in turn, have effects on sleep quality and the body`s ability to regulate body temperature, blood pressure and glucose levels."
The numbers of artificial light-producing electrical gadgets that are part of our daily life have exploded over the past decade. Many people keep these devices in close proximity during night hours and are continually exposed to light emissions that influence melatonin production. Melatonin dysfunction increases the health risks associated with high blood pressure, temperature regulation, and insulin resistance. Dim all artificial light sources in preparation for bed and sleep in a totally dark room to lower cancer risk and maximize the rejuvenating effect of a good night sleep.
Light During Sleep Hinders Weight Loss Efforts
Monday, May 5, 2014
(Article first published as Light Exposure While Sleeping May Effect Body Weight on Technorati.)
Light at Night Affects Hormonal Balance
We are creatures of evolution, and rely on the function of hormones in our body to survive. Metabolism is controlled by a delicate balance that is influenced by environmental cues and gives us the ability to adapt to different stimuli. Melatonin is the hormone that our body uses to signal when we’re tired and when it’s time to wake up. Any light when we’re trying to sleep will disrupt the release of melatonin and affect our sleep. This in turn influences the way fat is metabolized overnight and can halt natural weight management.
Study Demonstrates Negative Effects of Light During Sleep
Meal Timing Critical to Fat Metabolism
Use Darkness to Your Weight Loss Advantage
The results of this study as well as many others confirm that natural weight loss and maintenance is much more than simply reducing calories and exercising more. It’s important to control the environment around you as this influences the hormonal balance that improves fat metabolism. Be certain that your room is totally dark when sleeping. Cover any light sources such as alarm clocks, cell phones or cable boxes. Working with your body’s natural circadian rhythms and eating your largest meal earlier in the day will set the stage to achieve your weight loss objective.
Things you should avoid during your training
Minutes which he is the human body training to lose weight or muscle strengthening is minutes very special, in this process happens a lot of things that require special preparations, and with these preparations we must stay away from some things that may hurt us and the process of training and even spoiled and reduce the interest earned to lose weight.
1 - Dining:
Eating or drinking during the training process or shortly before displays the body of the disorder, we must rain from eating foods of all kinds before the operation well in advance of the training of up to two hours at least.
2 - juices and sugars:
Juices and sugars a lot of us felt that not have an effect, but these materials take a large amount of blood that is supposed to reach the muscles to digest, to the detriment of the training process great harm not reach the required level.
3 - to rain from drinking water:
Water is the best friend of the trainees during and before and after the training process, they have a lot of benefits, especially when you have a lot of sweat, they compensate for water lost from the blood and make it more liquid to reach the efficiency of the muscles and less of his wife.
4 - long rest periods:
Is a very important factor during the training process, Vfterat comfort is a key element, but are limited to Vzaadtha less leverage and exercises that many of us overlook them, you should be very suitable rest periods and commitment literally.
5 - countervailing and energy drinks:
Are the types of beverages covered by a lot of athletes during training, but not all of the trains in needing them, are mostly to compensate salts lost by the body athlete who trained in an atmosphere of very hot, it is not all-in needing them and that negatively affect a lot of times, you should consult coach before eating
Tips during the exercise bodybuilding
Sunday, May 4, 2014
31 ) Drink milk between meals milk is the best food for weight gain. It is the food chosen by nature for the growth of all young mammals. If you have difficulty gaining weight drinking milk.
32 ) Moderation at the beginning: if you are a beginner or untrained take some time , do it sparingly at first , otherwise you risk to injury or overtraining . Even if you are trained , do light sets of warm up before tackling the really tough .
33 ) Do not do too many exercises per group: one muscle group will grow faster as a result of heavy bombing based on only one or two exercises. A variety of exercises to a group during the same session does not lead to rapid gains in term of strength and muscle volume .
34 ) Be nice joints : choose exercises that are easy on the joints . If you feel that some exercises are not comfortable for your joints review your technique and if execution is perfect and the feeling persists , stop doing it most likely will not fit your frame. Note that if you are injured you do not progress .
35 ) Do not doubt yourself : not for a second doubt that you will get the perfect body or the body SpecialGym . Be gain muscle weight or fat loss have not doubt that you will. Your blind faith in the success you will achieve what you want.
36 ) MentalÃzate before your session : If youre feeling a little lazy before your session , seeks to prepare mentally entoces half hour earlier. Visualize yourself doing the exercises and do it positively .
37 ) Minimize rest between sets : your workouts can be much more productive if you decrease progressively rest between sets. Reducing the time equivalent to increasing workload .
38 ) Do not train after a heavy meal : at that time the stomach needs blood to the digestive process , but if you train , the blood will be required by the muscles so that the digestive process is altered.
39 ) Do not underestimate any group : arms will grow if you train your whole body if you train only the upper limbs. When you train a group , the largest influx of growth is located there, but there is a part that affects the rest of the body .
40 ) trains in a commercial gym : home workout is better than nothing, but if you have to train seriously progress where others do . The atmosphere of being surrounded by people with the same objective , size and strength, helps to train harder.
I hope you will be helpful , comment and suggest . And do not forget to share !
Ask the Internet Eating During a Move
Monday, April 21, 2014
Today’s question comes from Holly, who is soon moving to the greatest city in the world. (Besides NYC, of course.) (If I dont say that, they throw me out of the state.):
Q: So, I will be getting in the car in a few weeks to move from Boston to Seattle. Im thrilled at all of the people and places I will get to visit along the way for a 1-2 week roadtrip. My cat will be considerably less thrilled, but shell live.
The dilemma that Im facing is that Im poor as a church mouse already, and the added expenses of moving make eating good healthy food along the way pretty tough. Add to that, who knows how many weeks Ill be in Seattle before my belongings arrive, so I cant even cook up something tasty when I arrive!
Im desperate to not be eating fast food/takeout/pizza for a month or longer! Please help!
A: Thanks for writing, Holly! Alas, since most of my moves have only been between neighborhoods, I don’t have much experience with extended on-the-road/where-are-all-my-things eating.
Howevs, raw fruits, veggies, and dips seem like good places to start. I might invest in a huge bag of granola or whole-wheat bagels for breakfasts – or really, any fairly good-for-you food that doesn’t involve cooking (for which you don’t have any/many implements.)
I mightn’t dismiss takeout entirely, either. Sometimes, a big ol’ order of Chinese food can give you leftovers for several days. (Steamed for the health benefits, of course.)
Readers, how about you? How did you survive after a big move? What saved you cash and kept you nutritionally balanced? What are your favorite no-kitchen-equipment-needed foods? The comment section, she is open.
Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.
Q: So, I will be getting in the car in a few weeks to move from Boston to Seattle. Im thrilled at all of the people and places I will get to visit along the way for a 1-2 week roadtrip. My cat will be considerably less thrilled, but shell live.
The dilemma that Im facing is that Im poor as a church mouse already, and the added expenses of moving make eating good healthy food along the way pretty tough. Add to that, who knows how many weeks Ill be in Seattle before my belongings arrive, so I cant even cook up something tasty when I arrive!Im desperate to not be eating fast food/takeout/pizza for a month or longer! Please help!
A: Thanks for writing, Holly! Alas, since most of my moves have only been between neighborhoods, I don’t have much experience with extended on-the-road/where-are-all-my-things eating.
Howevs, raw fruits, veggies, and dips seem like good places to start. I might invest in a huge bag of granola or whole-wheat bagels for breakfasts – or really, any fairly good-for-you food that doesn’t involve cooking (for which you don’t have any/many implements.)
I mightn’t dismiss takeout entirely, either. Sometimes, a big ol’ order of Chinese food can give you leftovers for several days. (Steamed for the health benefits, of course.)
Readers, how about you? How did you survive after a big move? What saved you cash and kept you nutritionally balanced? What are your favorite no-kitchen-equipment-needed foods? The comment section, she is open.
Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.
Handling Insulin During an Emergency
Friday, April 11, 2014
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a fact sheet on insulin storage and substitution during an emergency such as the Katrina hurricane.
Some highlights:
In an emergency, only when a physician cannot be consulted, you may switch your insulin for another brand as long as you maintain its type. For example, regular of one brand may be substituted for regular of another, intermediate for intermediate, etc. The FDAs fact sheet describes more precise substitutions across brands.
Insulin manufacturers may be reached at the following toll-free numbers:
Eli Lilly: 1-800-545-5979
Aventis: 1-800-633-1610
Novo Nordisk: 1-800-727-6500
________
For the FDAs fact sheet:
Information Regarding Insulin Storage and Switching Between Products by Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Some highlights:
- Try to keep your insulin rigerated, between 35ºF to 46ºF.
- If your insulin cannot be kept cool, it will still retain its potency for about 28 days if its temperature doesnt rise above 86ºF.
- Keep your insulin out of direct heat and direct sunlight.
- When possible, replace insulin that was exposed to heat or sunlight.
In an emergency, only when a physician cannot be consulted, you may switch your insulin for another brand as long as you maintain its type. For example, regular of one brand may be substituted for regular of another, intermediate for intermediate, etc. The FDAs fact sheet describes more precise substitutions across brands.
Insulin manufacturers may be reached at the following toll-free numbers:
Eli Lilly: 1-800-545-5979
Aventis: 1-800-633-1610
Novo Nordisk: 1-800-727-6500
For the FDAs fact sheet:
Information Regarding Insulin Storage and Switching Between Products by Victims of Hurricane Katrina
Six Ways To Stop Bone Loss During The Menopause Transition
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
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| Bones |
Six Ways To Stop Bone Loss During The Menopause Transition - You’ve probably heard that women are prone to losing bone during menopause. For the most part, nature has provided healthy women with ample bone mass to accommodate this perimenopausal and menopausal bone loss, but some women can end up with dramatically less bone mass than when they began the transition — up to 20% for a few women I see at the Center for Better Bones.
Our bones naturally break down and rebuild themselves on a daily basis, and until women reach the age of 30, the building of bone outweighs breakdown. Shortly after peak bone mass is reached — somewhere around our 29th birthday — we begin to lose bone density. This loss seems to accelerate in many women during the menopause transition. And for many years, the medical and research community blamed estrogen. But as it turns out, estrogen is not the only factor responsible for bone health during the menopause transition. Neither is calcium for that matter. The truth is, finding one definitive cause for thinning bone during menopause is unrealistic. Bone mineral density loss during menopause depends on a combination of factors.
The good news is that in most cases, accelerated bone loss slows down within five to seven years after your last period. So the window of time we are most concerned about is the few years before and the few years after your last period. There is also a lot you can do to preserve your bone density — or even increase it — during this time.
Let’s take a look at how you can keep your bones strong and healthy through menopause so you can give yourself the best possible foundation for the second half of your life!
1: Make nutrition your first priority
There are at least 20 key nutrients that are required for optimal bone health. A balanced diet containing a range of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, seeds and nuts, and lean protein will help supply these nutrients, while supporting the body’s acid-alkaline balance.
Many of us in the US are suffering from chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis because of our diets. Foods like excess animal protein, ined grains, excess sugar, sodas, and preservatives can cause the pH in our blood and tissues to become slightly more acidic than is optimal. And when this happens the bones release their alkalizing mineral compounds into the blood to “rescue” our all-critical pH balance. This happens at the expense of bone mineral density and maintaining the living bone protein matrix. Eating more alkalizing fruits and vegetables and less acidifying animal proteins, grains, and processed foods can prevent your body from drawing on mineral reserves stored in your bones to offset a highly acidifying diet.
Since no diet is perfect, I also recommend women take a high-quality supplement specifically formulated for bone health to fill any nutritional gaps. It’s important to understand that micronutrients interact with each other and that simply taking one, such as calcium, is never as helpful as getting a well-rounded nutrient base. That being said, menopausal women should pay special attention to increasing vitamin D and vitamin K intake. Here are some of the reasons why:
Tips on getting vitamin D from the sun
- Limit sun exposure to before 10:00 a.m. and after 2:00 p.m. during summer months to prevent skin damage.
- Expose the skin to full sun for 30 minutes per day — longer if you’re dark-skinned. But don’t allow yourself to burn.
- If you’re light-skinned and concerned about sunburn, sun exposure in increments — three 10-minute exposures at different times in the day, rather than one 30-minute stretch.
- If you live above 40° latitude (a horizontal line running below New York City west to northern California), the sun is only strong enough to trigger vitamin D synthesis between May and September. From October through April, you will need to supplement your diet with other vitamin D sources.
Vitamin D. Adequate vitamin D levels are critical for us to absorb calcium in our intestines and to metabolize calcium throughout life. Without enough vitamin D, less than 10% of ingested calcium may be absorbed. The role vitamin D plays in menopause is very clear. As estrogen levels drop, the bone breakdown hormone known as parathyroid hormone tends to increase. Vitamin D has been shown to limit the rise in parathyroid hormone and, in turn, limit bone breakdown.
Unfortunately the majority of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. Aside from compromising bone, low vitamin D levels are linked to life-threatening diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as other conditions like depression and circulatory disorders. Simply exposing the skin to full sun triggers vitamin D production in the skin.
But there is no guarantee you will achieve adequate vitamin D levels without appropriate supplementation. In my office I have seen remarkable variation in my patients’ levels of vitamin D, so I always suggest that everyone has her vitamin D level tested. Optimal levels are between 50–60 ng/mL. Testing is the only way to really know if you have enough of this life-saving nutrient. Recent research suggests an ideal intake of 2000 IU vitamin D3 daily for the average person.
Vitamin K. Along with D, vitamin K has very recently been recognized as essential to bone health, and many, if not most, menopausal women in America are deficient in it. Vitamin K is a key player in the formation of the bone protein osteocalcin and the binding of calcium to the bone matrix. It also limits how much calcium we excrete in our urine. Vitamin K has been associated with higher bone mineral density, reduced bone breakdown, and lower risk of fracture. During the early stages of menopause, vitamin K metabolism is altered in many women, and intake may need to be increased during this transition.
Ovary removal may be associated with an even greater reduction in vitamin K status than natural menopause. A 2006 study found that after ovary removal, the concentration of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (an inactive form of osteocalcin) increased quickly, suggesting that there wasn’t enough vitamin K on board to carboxylate and activate the protein. Thus scientists now suggest that the need for vitamin K is higher in both natural and surgical menopause.
- Foods rich in vitamin K
- Sauerkraut
- Aged cheese
- Natto
- Kimchee
I encourage you to increase your intake of both vitamins K1 and K2 (also known as MK-7) during the menopausal transition because I’ve seen what a difference it makes. For added vitamin K in food, see the list at left. If you are wisely thinking of supplementing with vitamin K, your bones will benefit most from the form of vitamin K2 known as MK-7 (menaquinone), so look for this to be included in your bone health supplement. At the Center for Better Bones, we are conducting a clinical trial using MK-7 to halt menopausal bone loss. Our preliminary results look promising, and I’ll keep you informed about our vitamin K / MK-7 research as we complete this exciting study.
2. Preserve and build muscle mass
Like our bone mass, our muscle mass generally reaches its peak in youth, then progressively decreases as we age. By the time women are transitioning through menopause, they have been steadily losing muscle since around the age of 30 — unless they’ve made an ongoing effort to maintain muscle strength. This makes it more important than ever to exercise during the years leading up to and right after menopause.
Save muscle with an alkaline diet
According to a 2008 study, scientists have now documented that an alkaline diet helps to preserve muscle mass as we age.
We’ve known for a long time that exercise helps to build bone. After all, our bones adapt to the stress we put on them, so the more we use them the stronger they become. This is somewhat more difficult for women in perimenopause and menopause because of the other stressors their bodies are dealing with and the tendency to lose bone rather than build it. But intensive strength training allows many women to regain bone as they build muscle. Exercise studies show that women in early post-menopause can not only maintain, but gain an average of 1.5% in bone mineral density in as little as nine months with rigorous strength-training regimes — a far cry from the 2% of lost bone that might otherwise occur.
Even simply doing aerobic exercise three times per week for half an hour, or a regular practice as gentle yet powerful as Pilates, can do wonders for preventing bone loss. If you’re interested in learning more about strength training for your bones, you can take a look at Miriam Nelson’s book, Strong Women, Strong Bones, or Wayne Westcott’s Strength Training Past Fifty.
3. Balance your hormones
Researchers always assumed the main reason for bone loss after menopause was a lack of estrogen — and estrogen does play a large role in bone health. For starters it can preserve calcium in the body by increasing our ability to absorb it in the intestine. It also prevents bone breakdown (resorption) by limiting parathyroid hormone, the hormone primarily responsible for releasing calcium from bone into the bloodstream, and by stimulating osteoprotegerin (OPG), a potent inhibitor of bone resorption. These are some of the reasons why millions of women were put on hormone replacement therapy after menopause.
But when scientists took the trouble to study the stage immediately before menopause — known as perimenopause — they found that a great deal of bone loss occurs in women before their last period. This complicates things, because women are known to have a rollercoaster ride of spikes and dips in estrogen levels combined with low progesterone levels during perimenopause. So the cause and effect relationship between estrogen and bone loss becomes less definitive.
Over the years, noted Canadian endocrinologist Dr. Jerilynn Prior and others have conducted research on the effects of progesterone on bone. Progesterone, in many cases, is the hormone to decrease first in the perimenopause transition. Dr. Prior’s work shows that progesterone and our bone-building cells, called osteoblasts, have a complex relationship and progesterone may help build bone, although others have had different results. There is also recent evidence showing that a natural increase in follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) during perimenopause may be linked to perimenopausal bone loss.
It’s clear that our sex hormones have an impact on the way our bones remodel themselves. During menopause these hormone levels are likely to change, with a consequent effect on bone building. But this does not mean you should turn to hormone replacement therapy, especially given the health risks of HRT. Mother Nature didn’t plan for our bodies to maintain reproductive levels of estrogen and progesterone throughout life, and your bones don’t require them to stay healthy. All things in life are cyclical, including our hormones, and the body can adapt. We just have to take care to support it in the transition.
You can do this in many ways, one of which is by eating a well balanced diet full of fresh whole fruits and vegetables, high-quality protein and fats. Herbal therapies (phytotherapy) can also gently help your body restore its hormonal balance.
4. Take care with weight loss
Many women are surprised to hear that losing weight can be a significant risk factor for bone loss in perimenopausal and recently menopausal women. It’s not that weight loss is itself necessarily unhealthy — if you’re overweight or obese, it’s still a good idea to address the health issues that have led to your excess weight. But the methods you use to lose weight are very important, and I would caution all women who plan to lose weight during the years leading up to and right after the menopausal transition to take rigorous steps to protect their bones.
Researchers all around the world have noticed that the combination of low weight and advancing age are the most important risk factors for determining low bone density. In fact, if a practitioner does no other tests or screening at all, she can predict who is likely to have low bone density simply by looking at age and weight. And when postmenopausal women lose weight, they tend to lose bone. The numbers indicate that a 10% loss in body weight will give you about 1% loss in bone mass.
We’re not entirely sure why women lose bone when they lose weight. More research is needed in this area, but here are some possibilities. First, simple physics tells us that women who are thin have less weight to carry around, and theore the everyday force of impact placed on their bones is lower than what an average or overweight woman sustains — so their bones receive fewer signals to regenerate in the course of daily life. Second, weight loss causes the release of bone-detrimental toxins that have accumulated in fat cells over the years. Third, fat cells are secondary producers of estrogen, which helps protect against bone loss.
Personally, my favorite theory is that our prevalent chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis is worsened by calorie restriction, high animal protein and/or high fat diets leading to a loss in the urine of calcium and other bone nutrients. Ultimately, how you lose weight is a key factor in whether your weight loss improves your health (see our articles on healthy weight for more information).
Data from a large, six-year study done in Scotland showed that Caucasian women (already at higher risk for low bone density than other ethnicities) who lost weight in the stage leading up to menopause and shortly thereafter lost greater bone density than participants who did not lose weight during this time. Although it was the change in weight rather than low weight per se that was associated with loss of hip bone mineral density, lower weight at follow-up was associated with greater loss of spinal bone, suggesting that both low weight and losing weight result in lower bone density overall.
What all this means in sum is that women approaching menopause who want or need to lose weight should do so in a thoughtful, planned way that is targeted toward improving their whole health so they don’t lose bone along with the weight. Nutritional support during your weight loss is key: a healthy diet and appropriate nutritional supplements are important. If you plan to lose weight during the menopause transition, be sure to do the following to protect your bones:
Engage in healthy exercise that builds muscle. Some examples include weight-training, yoga, qi gong, t’ai chi, and Pilates.
Decrease your body’s acidity by following an alkaline diet.
Supplement with the 20 key bone-building nutrients.
Get your vitamin D levels tested and supplement with vitamin D and K as needed.
5. Decrease inflammation and improve digestion
Chronic inflammation has very recently been discovered as another factor in bone loss. Our bodies become “inflamed” when they are reacting to a situation that calls for the activation of the immune system, such as an injury or disease. Persistent exposure to food allergies or a generalized deficiency in healthy gut bacteria can also lead to chronic inflammation in the body. And when inflammation starts in (or is centered around) the gut, it can affect our ability to absorb bone-building nutrients.
Inflammatory disorders that impact your bones
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Irritable bowel syndrome
Interestingly, our bone breakdown osteoclast cells share a common precursor with immune cells. Consequently, when the immune system is recurrently activated, the body overproduces bone breakdown cells, and bone is broken down more readily than it would be otherwise.
Inflammation’s harmful effects on bone tend to accelerate during menopause for two reasons. First, estrogen has a natural anti-inflammatory effect, and during menopause estrogen levels decline. Second, as we age inflammatory free radicals and oxidative stress accumulate, which increases bone breakdown and lowers bone mineral density.
There are useful ways to lower your inflammation that can definitely serve your bones. Solving gastrointestinal problems is a good place to start, since soothing an irritated GI tract could help reverse inflammation throughout the body. Pay close attention to how you feel after each of your meals and see if any particular foods evoke a negative response. Sugar, caffeine, and ined carbohydrates tend to increase inflammation (and blood acidity), and foods like wheat, dairy, soy, nuts, and eggs also are common irritants. Daily omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to decrease inflammation, as has an alkaline diet. Turmeric and ginger have also historically been used to calm the immune system. (See our article on inflammation and bone loss to learn more.)
6. Reduce physical and emotional stress
There is an old saying that osteoporosis is common in thin, worried women. I’ve seen how worry and stress can compound bone loss in many women. Our bodies are under enormous physical stress during any hormonal transition — whether it’s puberty, pregnancy, or menopause. And the emotional stress that comes along with these transitions can add to the burden. Stress causes us to release higher levels of the fight-or-flight hormone cortisol, which in turn may lead to increased programmed cell death, or apoptosis, in our bone-building osteoblast cells.
Cortisol can weaken the bones and cause all kinds of other problems in our bodies when sustained at high levels over the years. Because our bodies are particularly stressed during the menopausal transition, it’s really important to incorporate stress reduction into our lives. At the clinic, we commonly find a connection between poor bone health and level of emotional support — when a patient has osteoporosis or osteopenia, it’s often the case that her low bone density mirrors a similar lack of solid support in her home life. So techniques to improve your emotional well-being are crucial in countering bone loss. My patients find meditation, yoga, t’ai chi, qi gong and other mind-body practices helpful in countering stress. T’ai chi, yoga, and qi gong are especially helpful because they facilitate stress reduction, build bone, strengthen muscles, and improve balance to prevent falls.
Stress can also stem from unresolved emotional issues that require more than the common forms of stress relief. You might also explore the possibility that stress may stem from a poor diet, food allergies, or prescription medication. The point is, stress reduction is an important factor that women often forego in the midst of their busy lives, and for the sake of their bones (as well as overall health) it shouldn’t be ignored.
An entry way for the healthy years to come
Menopause is a time for many women to rethink their roles and their lives in general. If bone health is a concern for you during this time you can transform this concern into a “window of opportunity” to improve your bones and improve your health overall. Poor bone health is a marker of systemic problems that affect the whole body, so the natural, life-supporting changes you make to strengthen your bones will help provide a sound foundation for a long and active life.
You don’t have to lose excessive bone during the menopausal transition or suffer from dangerous fractures in old age. Once you understand how to support your bones during this period of life, you have the power to work with nature to build and maintain strong bones. Hormone replacement and prescription drugs like Fosamax and Actonel are always a last resort in the Personal Program for Better Bones, because our bodies have the innate wisdom and the power to maintain lifelong healthy bones when we give them the right support.
Secrets to sleep soundly during the summer
Friday, March 28, 2014
Secrets to sleep soundly during the summer - Hot air that makes a lot of people can not sleep at night. They will continue to feel the heat plus the number of mosquitoes that come. Summer is often coupled with emotional make sleeping uncomfortable because of the heat. Here are tips for a comfortable sleep during the summer reported by eHow.
1. Prepare the beds were uncomfortable
Use cotton or linen with satin because its cold in the skin. Including pillowcases. Additionally each pillow behind you wake up at night so that was cool.
2. Wear a thin nightgown
Wear clothing that is thin and comfortable. In addition to easy to move nightgown is comfortable will make you sleep more soundly.
3. Avoid coffee and alcohol
The caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and can make your body feel hotter. That applies also to alcohol.
4. Use fans and air conditioning
This is the most effective way to avoid the heat during the night. But set the air conditioning temperature and fan rotation that is not too cold that actually make you catch a cold.
5. Open the window a little
Fresh air coming in through the windows will make your room feel cooler. But the risk is a lot of mosquitoes or insects that can fit in your room.
Get a good nights sleep and pleasant during the summer with the tips above.
1. Prepare the beds were uncomfortable
Use cotton or linen with satin because its cold in the skin. Including pillowcases. Additionally each pillow behind you wake up at night so that was cool.
2. Wear a thin nightgown
Wear clothing that is thin and comfortable. In addition to easy to move nightgown is comfortable will make you sleep more soundly.
3. Avoid coffee and alcohol
The caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and can make your body feel hotter. That applies also to alcohol.
4. Use fans and air conditioning
This is the most effective way to avoid the heat during the night. But set the air conditioning temperature and fan rotation that is not too cold that actually make you catch a cold.
5. Open the window a little
Fresh air coming in through the windows will make your room feel cooler. But the risk is a lot of mosquitoes or insects that can fit in your room.
Get a good nights sleep and pleasant during the summer with the tips above.
1 200 Rite Aid Stores To Host Free Screenings During November
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Rite Aid is teaming up with the American Diabetes Association to raise awareness and funds for its national Stop Diabetes campaign, offer incentives for patients to take Diabetes Risk Tests, distribute diabetes guides at every pharmacy counter, and host more than 1,200 free diabetes clinics during American Diabetes Month in November.Heres their press release:
Rite Aid Joins American Diabetes Association in Fight to Stop Diabetes®
"In November 1,200 Rite Aid stores will host Diabetes Solutions Days offering free blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure screenings and Body Mass Index (BMI) readings. Visitors to these annual clinics also can try free samples of over-the-counter medications and other diabetes products, discuss diabetes management with a Rite Aid pharmacist, and get a potentially life-saving flu shot."Visit their site to locate Rite Aid stores near you that offer flu shots.
Smoking During Pregnancy Cause Blood Vessel Damage Children
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Health for human | feel strange when pregnant some women still smoke during pregnancy though. Most people really find it difficult to quit smoking. A new study suggests smoking during pregnancy can cause the child has a blood vessel damage.
The study was conducted by Dutch researchers, which has involved more than 250 babies. When the baby is 4 weeks old, dimensions and lung function measured. At the same time, their parents completed questionnaires on factors such as smoking during pregnancy.
When the babies are 5 weeks old, the researchers used ultrasound to measure carotid artery thickness and flexibility. Carotid arteries are large blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain.
Carotid artery wall in children aged 5 years whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have a thickness of about 19 microns and 15 percent more rigid compared with mothers who did not smoke.
If both parents smoked while the baby is in utero, carotid artery children almost have a thickness of 28 microns and 21 percent more rigid than the infants whose parents did not smoke during pregnancy. Such changes may indicate damage to the blood vessels that can affect blood vessel function.
The study was conducted by Dutch researchers, which has involved more than 250 babies. When the baby is 4 weeks old, dimensions and lung function measured. At the same time, their parents completed questionnaires on factors such as smoking during pregnancy.
When the babies are 5 weeks old, the researchers used ultrasound to measure carotid artery thickness and flexibility. Carotid arteries are large blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain.
Carotid artery wall in children aged 5 years whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have a thickness of about 19 microns and 15 percent more rigid compared with mothers who did not smoke.
If both parents smoked while the baby is in utero, carotid artery children almost have a thickness of 28 microns and 21 percent more rigid than the infants whose parents did not smoke during pregnancy. Such changes may indicate damage to the blood vessels that can affect blood vessel function.
Maternal anxiety during pregnancy affect the babys immune system
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Maternal anxiety during pregnancy affect the babys immune system - Excessive anxiety can weaken the immune system. Apparently this does not apply to himself alone, but also on pregnant women and their fetuses. Research shows that the anxiety felt by the mother during pregnancy can affect a childs immune system.
Mothers who experience excessive anxiety weakening effect on the immune system when the baby is six months old, according to a study published in the journal Brain, behavior, and Immunity.
"We found that the anxiety experienced by the mother during pregnancy may decrease the effectiveness of immunization in children at the age of six months," said researcher Tom OConnor, a professor from the University of Rochester Medical Center, as reported by Fox News.
This conclusion is obtained after the researchers observed 210 pregnant women aged 20-34 years. They were asked to report the level of anxiety they experienced during the eight to 32 weeks of pregnancy. Researchers also examined saliva samples from the pregnant women to measure stress hormones.
After the researchers gave the hepatitis B vaccine in infants after they are born, at the age of three months and six months. At the age of six months babies begin to show the difference. Those who have mothers with high levels of anxiety showed an immune system response is lower.
Researchers have calculated other factors such as obesity of the mother during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and mode of delivery. Even so, the effect on the babys anxiety began to disappear when the child is getting complete immunization dose.
Mothers who experience excessive anxiety weakening effect on the immune system when the baby is six months old, according to a study published in the journal Brain, behavior, and Immunity.
"We found that the anxiety experienced by the mother during pregnancy may decrease the effectiveness of immunization in children at the age of six months," said researcher Tom OConnor, a professor from the University of Rochester Medical Center, as reported by Fox News.
This conclusion is obtained after the researchers observed 210 pregnant women aged 20-34 years. They were asked to report the level of anxiety they experienced during the eight to 32 weeks of pregnancy. Researchers also examined saliva samples from the pregnant women to measure stress hormones.
After the researchers gave the hepatitis B vaccine in infants after they are born, at the age of three months and six months. At the age of six months babies begin to show the difference. Those who have mothers with high levels of anxiety showed an immune system response is lower.
Researchers have calculated other factors such as obesity of the mother during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, and mode of delivery. Even so, the effect on the babys anxiety began to disappear when the child is getting complete immunization dose.
4 Sports is safe to do during menstruation
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
4 Sports is safe to do during menstruation - Most women are usually advised not to do strenuous exercise during menstruation. However, exercise can actually beneficial for menstruating women. This is because exercise can improve blood circulation, reduce bloating and also helps in reducing menstrual cramps. Here are some safe exercise performed during menstruation, as reported Boldsky.
1. Jogging
If you experience bloating, you can do a leisurely jog in the morning or evening. But it is very important to keep in mind, you should not push your body. Exercise during menstruation may increase the blood circulation and metabolism pumping.
2. Abdominal exercise
Exercise abdomen during menstrual period is a great way to loosen up the abdominal muscles. You might think that doing sit-ups would be counterproductive, but it might actually be you soothe the pain you feel because of menstrual cramps.
3. Aerobic
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise that helps you to sweat during menstruation. Doing aerobics for half an hour every day also helps the body stay fit and not easy to get sick.
4. On foot
A walk around your home will make the body become reshed. This could also be the best way to cope with menstrual cramps.
Here are some gentle exercise you can do during menstruation. Good work!
1. Jogging
If you experience bloating, you can do a leisurely jog in the morning or evening. But it is very important to keep in mind, you should not push your body. Exercise during menstruation may increase the blood circulation and metabolism pumping.
2. Abdominal exercise
Exercise abdomen during menstrual period is a great way to loosen up the abdominal muscles. You might think that doing sit-ups would be counterproductive, but it might actually be you soothe the pain you feel because of menstrual cramps.
3. Aerobic
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise that helps you to sweat during menstruation. Doing aerobics for half an hour every day also helps the body stay fit and not easy to get sick.
4. On foot
A walk around your home will make the body become reshed. This could also be the best way to cope with menstrual cramps.
Here are some gentle exercise you can do during menstruation. Good work!
Screening During Hospital Admission An Opportunity To Identify Unrecognized Diabetes
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Dr. Deborah Wexler and her colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston screened 695 adult patients admitted during 11 days in 2006.How many of those had an HbA1c greater than 6.1% (indicating probable diabetes) but had no diagnosis?
"Nearly one in five adult patients admitted to a large general hospital had unrecognized probable diabetes, based on elevated HbA1c levels."That rate, the authors said, was "roughly 5-fold higher than in the general outpatient population."
Also, random blood sugar tests performed during the patients hospital stay were found to be poorly predictive of diabetes. In this case, sampling blood glucose with a meter was not as effective as assessing blood glucose over the prior few months, which an HbA1c test can measure.
Unfortunately, only 15% of those with elevated HbA1c were diagnosed within a year, pointing to a area where more attentive follow-up could prevent diabetes-related complications.
Dr. Wexlers research was published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism:
Prevalence Of Elevated Hemoglobin A1c Among Patients Admitted To The Hospital Without A Diagnosis Of Diabetes
Swollen feet and hands during pregnancy Overcome this way!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Swollen feet and hands during pregnancy? Overcome this way! - Pregnancy and swelling of the body in tandem. Swelling does not only occur in the stomach, but your whole body. There are two main causes swelling during pregnancy, water retention in the body and increased blood volume. Heres an effective way to cure swelling during pregnancy, reported by Boldsky.
Often moving
If you stop moving at all, then you are more likely swelling during pregnancy. Sitting idle obvious increase water retention in the body, this is what triggered the swelling. So diligent walk leisurely or do the exercises recommended by your doctor.
Soaking
Soaking in water can help you feel lighter and cheerful. So you can try to swim to cure swelling during pregnancy. If that is not possible, then the body soak in the tub can also help. But make sure that the water is not too hot because hot water is not good for pregnant women.
Straighten legs
Sitting in the office for a long period of time can cause leg swelling. Stretch your body needs in order to smooth blood circulation. So put a small stool under your desk so that the foot can not be bent back and continue.
Sleep on your left
Lay with the left facing helps improve circulation. Try to lie on the left side as often as possible.
Reducing salt intake
When you are pregnant, your body tends to retain more water. This is called edema. Salt as you know, hold more water in the body. So reducing your salt intake to reduce swelling during pregnancy.
The above tips can help heal swelling during pregnancy. So, what do you do to get relief from swelling during pregnancy?
Often moving
If you stop moving at all, then you are more likely swelling during pregnancy. Sitting idle obvious increase water retention in the body, this is what triggered the swelling. So diligent walk leisurely or do the exercises recommended by your doctor.
Soaking
Soaking in water can help you feel lighter and cheerful. So you can try to swim to cure swelling during pregnancy. If that is not possible, then the body soak in the tub can also help. But make sure that the water is not too hot because hot water is not good for pregnant women.
Straighten legs
Sitting in the office for a long period of time can cause leg swelling. Stretch your body needs in order to smooth blood circulation. So put a small stool under your desk so that the foot can not be bent back and continue.
Sleep on your left
Lay with the left facing helps improve circulation. Try to lie on the left side as often as possible.
Reducing salt intake
When you are pregnant, your body tends to retain more water. This is called edema. Salt as you know, hold more water in the body. So reducing your salt intake to reduce swelling during pregnancy.
The above tips can help heal swelling during pregnancy. So, what do you do to get relief from swelling during pregnancy?
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