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The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home – But Which Room is the Liver?

  • Posted on August 28, 2010 at 3:49 pm



The kitchen is my favorite room in the house. It is where all the food is prepared, it is where food is stored and it is where food is supposed to be eaten, well either there or in the dining room. Why then does my family want to take a plate and go to the living room and sit in front of the television when they eat?

Have you seen the public service announcement about The Family Table? I almost saw it once but Hubby clicked through the channels so fast I caught only half of it.

According to the folks who sponsor the public service message, the supper table is where the family should gather each evening to discuss their day and share their hopes and dreams with one another. (This is also the perfect place to bring up the subject of the huge dent you put in the side of hubby’s new truck when you backed over it. For as we all know, most men when eating greasy pork chops, biscuits, artery clogging gravy and buttered down mashed potatoes have the tendency to smile and nod in response to anything you tell them. Of course they would never admit it, so they wouldn’t dare confess that they were so engrossed in raising their cholesterol levels they didn’t hear what you said.)

Speaking of unhealthy food… I know I’m a little off topic here so stay with me…does it perturb you as much as it does me when the Surgeon General or whoever is head of the food police tells you that something is good for you, then about a month later they say it is actually a hazard to your health. Like for years now we have been hearing that we need to drink lots of water. We should drink at least eight glasses a day if not more.

Well, I read a report last week which stated that the human body doesn’t need excessive amounts of water and that in fact too much water can kill you. If you drink more than your kidneys can process, this can lead to a disorder called hyponatremia, meaning “low sodium.” This occurs when someone drinks a large amount of water in a short period of time and the kidneys can’t eliminate the water fast enough, causing the amount of sodium in the blood to drop too low.

Also we have been told that coffee is bad for the liver. Paul Harvey once reported on research findings which showed that the same amount of coffee each day was just as damaging to the liver as was the same amount of alcohol. Now I hear that coffee is good for you. According to the newest research findings, at least two cups of coffee daily can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25% and reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis by 80%.

For years we’ve been warned against eating eggs. They were bad for our cholesterol levels. Now I’m reading about recent studies which show that the regular consumption of two eggs per day does not affect a person’s bad cholesterol level and may in fact improve it. According to reports, saturated fat and not dietary cholesterol is the culprit.

Don’t eat pork, they once said. Now it is called “the other white meat” and according to nutritionists, pork is an excellent source of six essential vitamins, four important minerals, protein and energy.

We say “tomato”, they say “toe-mah-toe”. We say “potato”, they say “poe-tah-toe. They say “the family table”, I say “the coffee table…in the living room…in front of the TV”.

No matter where you gather to eat, it’s still dinner. Families shouldn’t talk with their mouths full anyway.

The Pain-free Daily Regimen with Carisoprodol

  • Posted on August 27, 2010 at 5:03 pm

Back pain is one of the most common and aggravating conditions in life and it takes a good daily regimen AND medicines to send it on its way. Luckily, these stretches and tips aren’t difficult to follow and using your prescription will make it a breeze! Find pleasure in a peaceful routine.

Morning Stretches

Stretch-1: 5-10 times

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent so that your feet can rest flat on the floor.
  • Grip the underside of your thighs with your hands.
  • Pull your legs to your chest, or as close as you comfortably can.
  • Hold this stretch for 15 seconds before returning to a resting position.

 

Stretch-2: 10 times

  • Lie on your stomach, supporting your upper body with your elbows and forearms.
  • Stretch your elbows and arms so that your back is extended and stretching.
  • Hold at a gentle stretch for 15-20 seconds before returning to a rest.

 

Stretch-3: Once

  • Start the same as Stretch-1: flat on your back, legs bent with feet flat against the ground.
  • Lift your upper back off the ground using your abdominal muscles.
  • Hold for a long 10 seconds if you can, then gently lower yourself back down.

 

Stretch-4: Until tired

  • Sit in a chair, feet resting flat on the floor.
  • Bend the back and neck until your chest rests again your thighs.
  • Hold for 10 seconds before returning to the initial position. You should feel the stretch.

 

Good Posture

Posture might be the most important thing for backs. Short of walking around with a yard-stick in the back of your trousers, here is what you can do to fix your back.

When standing, hold your chest high, shoulders back (not tense), abs and butt tight, with your feet an even distance apart and sharing the weight. Your head should be looked straight ahead and your knees should never lock.

When sitting, rest your feet flat on the floor, back flat against the chair, chin tucked in a bit, shoulders relaxed, and back straight. Try to imagine a line shooting from your neck and head directly to the ceiling. It might help to cushion your lower back also.

What to Eat and Drink

There are some basic principles when deciding what to eat. High protein, high fiber, and high in minerals like magnesium, iron, and copper. With that in mind, here are some perfect foods for sufferers of back pain:

 

  • Avocados
  • Nuts, specifically Almonds and Pecans
  • Soy Beans and Tofu
  • Spinach, which is better for you cooked

 

You should also take a multivitamin.

Doing these stretches and taking good care of your back is really hard to do when your have near crippling pain preventing you from even thinking straight, never mind standing or sitting straight. That’s why so many people turn to Carisoprodol to ease their pain. It’s important to remember that you have to keep working at it once you’re on Carisoprodol in order to keep back pain at bay. And take it easy. You can’t be on Carisoprodol forever, but you can make your back feel at peace.

Beats heredity?

  • Posted on at 5:01 pm

Television ads are always on the edge of the truth. Those that write the copy have to strike a balance. Their clients want a high sales trend following the ad campaign. “Tell ‘em whatever you need to get them to buy”, is the usual instruction. But there are these inconvenient Truth-in-Advertising Laws aimed at protecting those poor innocent consumers who might be taken in by all those lies. The idea is a simple one. Advertisers should not claim anything that cannot be substantiated. And in the background, the FTC is lurking, ready to pounce if the ads are considered deceptive. There can be expensive law suits and, worse, penalties if the ads are “unfair”.

So can hair loss drugs beat heredity? As always, the answer needs a little explanation. It starts easily enough. No drug on the market can prevent you from losing hair. Your body is designed to shed hairs everyday. Under normal circumstances, they grow back. Worse, as we age, more hair will drop out. That’s also unstoppable. So it does not look good for the drugs. Unlike heart disease where there are drugs to prevent the first symptoms from developing into the disease, nothing beats your body clock’s determination to shed hairs every day as you age.

What’s the genetic reality? As you probably know, men are XY and women are XX. When babies are made, each parent contributes half the genetic make-up of the child. Mothers can only give one of their X chromosomes so it’s the man who decides on the sex of the baby by either contributing an X or Y chromosome. Because of the work to analyze genes, we now know the genes controlling hair loss come in the X chromosome. That means whether you get to lose your hair early is decided by your mother’s family line. If there’s a bald maternal grandfather hiding just out of focus in old photographs, that’s probably going to be you.

How is this helping? Well, if you have the wrong genes, your hair follicles are going to react to the arrival of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by slowing down the growth of hair. What does grow will emerge thinner and more likely to fall out of the roots. That’s why you start going bald. Hair that drops early tends not to regrow. DHT is produced in the adrenal gland and this is what keeps men male, i.e. it reinforces the usual male “characteristics”. With the wrong genes, this triggers hair loss on the scalp – not the rest of the body. This is where Propecia comes in. It prevents your adrenal gland from manufacturing DHT out of “ordinary” testosterone. Without there being the same level of DHT in your bloodstream, your hair keeps on growing. So Propecia does not beat heredity. Rather it carefully gets round it and lets you keep your hair. This makes the advertising so clever. It’s not unfair to claim a drug like Propecia can beat heredity. You beat someone or something by going around it. Winning is not always a battle to the death where one side batters the other into submission. Winning can be sneaky. That does not make the ads deceptive either. They are just elegantly playing with words to make you want to buy. Better still, the drug works so, if you buy, you are a winner!

Ambien for getting a good sleep

  • Posted on August 26, 2010 at 4:46 pm

There’s nothing strange about experiencing sleep problems from time to time. But when sleep problems become persistent it is a real cause for concern. Unfortunately, most people tend to do nothing about it, because they think that sleep problems are just minor issues that don’t require attention. This erroneous assumption often leads to the development of more serious problems such as anxiety and depression. So it is really important to address sleep disorders professionally at the right time.

In order to get a proper treatment, you should first be diagnosed with a particular sleep disorder affecting the quality of your sleep. The most common symptoms of sleep disorders are daytime drowsiness, concentration issues, irritability, mood swings, trouble staying awake while performing monotonous tasks, and eye discomfort among many others.

Some symptoms of sleep disorders can be really dangerous, such as drowsiness or falling asleep while performing hazardous activities, such as driving or operating machinery. Heavy consumption of caffeine throughout the day in order to stay awake can also be a sign of sleep problems.

People who suffer from sleep disorders usually have problems with getting asleep or staying asleep during the night, as well as a hard time staying awake in the daytime. Some of the commonly prescribed forms of treatment are addressing insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome.

Insomnia is virtually the most common type of sleep disorders, which can be both occasional and chronic. There is a wide range of causes for insomnia starting with stress and irregular sleep schedule to serious health conditions and medication side effects. There are some measures you can take to address insomnia without medications:

  • Employ relaxation and special breathing techniques
  • Practice yoga
  • Be more physically active throughout the day

By avoiding certain food substance you can also improve the quality of your sleep:

  • caffeine
  • alcohol
  • sugar

These measures can help if you experience occasional sleep disturbance. However, if the problem persists you may require serious medication treatment and prescription for drugs such as Ambien. Consult with your doctor concerning your insomnia problems and ask about forms of treatment you can benefit from.

Other types of sleep disorders usually require medication treatment form the start. Sleep apnea, another common sleep disorder is characterized by heavy snoring that causes sleep fragmentation and decrease in the quality of sleep. This is a serious condition that may lead to heart disease or stroke. Sleep apnea is often caused by blocking of the air passage, which makes the person choke literally during sleep.

Narcolepsy (excessive sleep) can also significantly reduce the quality of life of the person. Being an opposite of insomnia, this sleep disorder is characterized by occasional sleep attacks during the daytime. Imagine that happening while you’re driving a car – it’s a very serious health concern that should be addressed as soon as you experience the first symptoms.

Remember that any sleep disorder requires adequate diagnosis and treatment. It’s not bright to buy Ambien and use it just because you suspect having insomnia. Only a doctor can assess the problem and prescribe you with an adequate treatment. So as soon as you observe any signs of sleep disorders, go to your physician and discuss the problem with a professional.

Acne bacteria and treating acne

  • Posted on at 4:41 pm

The first thing you have to learn about acne is that acne breakouts take place primarily because there’s something wrong in the way our body works. Despite the common belief, bacteria are not responsible for acne breakouts, however they are involved in the process of acne formation. Drugs that help eliminate facial bacteria provide transient results, temporarily reducing the inflammation associated with bacterial activity, but the problem is not resolved in general. In order to fight acne breakouts you have to deal with the problem from the inside.

Acne is not purely a skin issue

Dermatologists characterize acne breakouts as an inflammatory skin condition. External factors such as skin rich with oil (which is produced by the oil glands within the skin) are only contributing to the inflammation processes in the lower levels of the skin.

The most common consequence of increased oil production is the blockage of pores, which is the primary factor for acne formation. When the pore gets blocked with oil, the oil accumulated inside provides favorable conditions for bacterial activity and inflammation, which leads directly to the appearance of pimples on the skin.

So as you may see, acne is caused not only by bacterial activity, but has a combination of factors in its roots: activity of oil glands, skin type, pores, and certain internal processes that make the skin more prone to inflammation. That’s why it is hard to say that acne is only an external problem.

Why acne bacteria are important?

You are not mistaken, acne bacteria are important, just like any other kinds of bacteria you will find within your body. In fact typical acne bacteria can be found in just anyone’s skin, and not having them at all is more serious than having to deal with acne. The main purpose of these organisms is to protect the skin cells from other more aggressive types of bacteria that may cause harm to the body, and maintain the right chemical balance on the surface and within the skin.

Even if you don’t have acne breakouts, you still have plenty of acne bacteria on your skin, which feeds with the oil produced by the oil glands. This type of bacteria doesn’t spread on its own and cause inflammation when everything is OK. However, when numerous factors such as increased oil production and decrease immune levels combine, this harmless type of bacteria starts playing an important role in the formation of acne.

So, as you may guess, fighting acne by eliminating bacteria with antibiotics can be not only ineffective but also harmful, since you’re killing the useful bacteria and leave your skin unprotected from more virulent types of microorganisms.

What should be done?

The most obvious solution would be regulating the production of oil in the skin and improving the immune system. The firs goal can be achieved by using drugs like Accutane. Accutane is believed to be one of the most effective medications for treating even the most severe forms of acne. It works by regulating the activity of oil glands and decreasing the production of oil in the skin. The immune system can be strengthened by eating more fruits and vegetables, consuming dietary supplements containing vitamins and minerals. However, pay attention when using Accutane with vitamins (especially Vitamin A). Since this drug is a synthetic form of Vitamin A, combining it with additional supplements may result in Vitamin A overdose, which may cause serious side effects.

Eggshell Calcium Human Diet – The Connection between Eggshell Calcium and Human Diet

  • Posted on at 10:23 am



Calcium is found abundantly in the human body and the earth’s crust. It is also a major constituent of animal and plant diets. Eggshell contains adequate amounts of calcium carbonate which is used as a source of calcium in many calcium supplements today. Let’s find out what the connection between eggshell calcium and human diet is.

Eggshell calcium and human diet are connected because of the fact that eggshell is consumed to overcome calcium deficiency in people of all ages. Although it’s not an option for vegetarians, they can also get enough calcium to fulfill their daily needs by adding an egg substitute to their diet.

Many people are found arguing that eggshell is not clean and it should not be consumed to receive calcium carbonate. But the fact is eggshell is one of the richest sources of calcium carbonate and it cannot be ignored just like that. Of course when it comes to purity and hygiene, you should wash the shell thoroughly and then grind it finely to mix with other substances for consumption.

Calcium carbonate occurs as calcite in eggshells. Eggshell calcium and human diet are also related by the fact that many calcium supplements are now being made which make use of eggshell as their main ingredient. These supplements and other calcium tablets available on the market are very effective in controlling calcium deficiency and making the bones stronger and healthier.

Eggshell or calcium carbonate obtained from other sources can be blended with magnesium and vitamin D to make very beneficial calcium supplements. Magnesium is also an important mineral and should be added to everyday human diet. Similarly, vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium and is needed by all of us on a daily basis.

Coral calcium is another widely used source of calcium carbonate in calcium tablets. This calcium source is obtained from fossilized coral reefs above sea level and has many benefits to offer. It contains not only large quantities of calcium carbonate but also traces of many other minerals and nutrients good for health. Supplements made with coral calcium, especially marine grade coral calcium, are equally effective as those made with eggshell calcium carbonate.

We all should consume up to 1000-1200 mg of calcium on a daily basis. To fulfill this requirement, a rich calcium diet along with good-quality calcium supplements is required. Don’t forget to exercise regularly to receive maximum benefits of any calcium supplement product.