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Why don’t more Americans exercise?

June 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Whole government agencies have been created to assist Americans in loosing weight. The argument is that most diseases arise from poor habits that the American people end up paying for. The kicker is that most Americans know this. We know what makes us fat and or sick and that exercise is good for us yet there are many who only exercise sparingly or not at all? Why?

Freedom

The meaning of freedom is that we all get to decide what we want and what we don’t. As the poster child for freedom, Americans decide on a regular basis that they want another piece of cake and less time at the gym. Freedom is the ability to make choices for ourselves whether good/bad, wise or unwise. If we are going to be a free people than the decision to have another 400 calorie slice of pie is ours to make but the consequence will also be ours along with the responsibility to pay for them.

Excessive and permissive lifestyles

It is believed that Americans have too much of everything, because of this, addictive and excessive lifestyles are common. Fast food restaurants practically line the streets of every major city. Almost every retail establishment provides sweets and sodas of one type or another. So “bad-for-you” foods are accessible to the rich and poor. Not only this but it is permissible and expected to eat what you like, when you like. No one is scorned because they choose the Oreo Blast over a cup of fruit. In this country if you can afford it, you can have it and that is why people keep coming to America.

Filed Under: Exercise Tagged With: American, Health, United States

Taking Care of your Health in your Older Age

June 6, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Those first few grey hairs are turning into a mop of silvery white.

It takes a little longer when you get up in the morning and your grandchildren stare back at you blankly when you reminisce about your favorite movie stars and musicians. What you crave is a nice sit down and a cup of tea in the afternoon and maybe even a nap.

Yes, it’s official that you are getting old!

What can you do to ensure that you remain fit, healthy and active in your golden years? Well there is actually quite a lot that you can do, but here are 6 tips to get you started:-

1. Daily exercise is really important, make sure you go for a walk every day, even if it’s just into town to pick up daily groceries or the newspaper. If you live too far away to walk, then invest in a treadmill or an exercise bike so that you can get your heart pumping without going out into the cold.

2. Eat well! You may be retired and on a tighter budget, but look for specials at the deli counter and buy seasonal fresh vegetables. Keeping your body fuelled with the best food possible is important. If your body is full of the right vitamins and nutrients, then you are less likely to get ill.

3. Protection. This is very important, get your flu shot and immune defense vitamins such as vitamin c and zinc. Keep warm on cold days and your body protected with a little force field of goodness and anti-oxidants.

4. Stress Less! It’s important as we get older not to let stress affect our lives. Work stress, financial stress and family/relationship stress can all affect our health. Work on the main stress factors in your life and how to reduce them. Take a small positive step in the right direction and you will soon feel the weight lifting from your shoulders.

5. Socialize. It can be hard to socialize with others on a regular basis, especially if you are living alone or just retired. Social interaction, however, is important to keep our minds active and stimulated. Join a volunteer group where you can engage with others, exercise and do some good for the community all at the same time. Or maybe you have always wanted to write your memoirs? Join a local writing or reading group and get those creative juices flowing!

6. Your life insurance policy. Healthy people spend less money on life insurance policies and premiums than those that lead unhealthy lifestyles. That means keeping fit can also keep your wallet healthy!

You may be heading towards the next chapter or your life, but that’s exactly what it is: the next chapter. Your world hasn’t stopped and, yes, you may be getting a little older but you can still look after your body, your mind and your family. Who said retirement was boring?

Filed Under: Diet & Nutrition Tagged With: elder health, general health, life insurance

Don’t Abuse Prescription Medication

May 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Prescription medicine abuse is a growing problem because it is easy to get away with. People need to realize there are serious health side-effects that can arise from using prescription medication in a way that is not prescribed. It is also against the law and can result in fines and possible jail time.

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What Is Classified as Prescription Medicine Abuse?

Taking prescription medicine that was not prescribed to you. Sometimes people don’t want to go to the doctor when they get sick because they know they contracted the same virus or infection as their family member, so they already know the problem. They then proceed to take the medication that was prescribed to their family member, if there is any extra. This is a serious problem because all medication a person is taking needs to be compared to prevent the wrong mixture of chemicals.
Taking prescription medicine in a different way than you are supposed to. Each prescription comes with directions on how it should be taken. Some people take more than they are supposed to, like if they are still in pain after taking prescription pain medication. Overdose can happen and this can be life-threatening.
Using left-over prescription medicine from a previous illness for a new illness. You are supposed to dispose of old medicine and not keep it in your cupboard. Some people hold on to old medicine so that they do not have to get a new prescription for the same thing in the future.

Don’t justify abusing prescription medicine for any reason. It can be a threat to your health, not to mention it is against the law.

Filed Under: Diet & Nutrition Tagged With: Pharmaceutical drug, Prescription drug, Substance abuse

Don’t Let Your Family Go without Health Insurance

May 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The cost of health care rises every day, and so does the cost of insurance. Many families feel they cannot afford insurance because their budget is already strained, and they justify this saying that they are generally healthy and hardly ever have to see a doctor. It is fine for individuals to make decisions like this for themselves, but it is a problem when children do not have medical coverage and therefore their parents resist taking their children to a doctor when they become sick.

One trip to the emergency room can cost upwards of $10,000 without insurance. This should be one justification for why health insurance is something nobody should be without. Plus, an extended hospital stay can easily reach the six and seven figure digits, which would be impossible for someone without insurance to pay.

Insurance, however, does more than pay the bills. It gives people peace of mind knowing they will be able to receive the medical care they need during an emergency. It is literally a matter of life or death in some cases. If you are without medical coverage, you really should buy health insurance, even though you are going to have to rework your budget to accommodate for the expense. It could end up being the best thing you have ever purchased in your life.

If you think the costs really are too high for health insurance, there are usually government programs that can help out. You just have to do some research and see what is available in your area. Health insurance programs for children are usually inexpensive and easy to find through the government.

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Health, Health insurance, Insurance

Dealing With Your Health Care Provider’s Negligence

May 11, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Just an example, of course: maybe you live in Chicago or something like that. The point, though, is — no matter where you live — to get the issues presented in court, because this is your health we’re talking about. Specifically with the number one reason for medical malpractice sitting on the horizon — substance abuse — justice is paramount and completely within your rights. No fears — when the wrong has been committed, no matter how much the cost for the court, a lawyer can be, you’ll come out on top.

Medical malpractice isn’t something to take lightly. Take action. Don’t just move on, because you never know how many other patients out there suffer needlessly because of a doctor’s negligence

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Chicago, Medical malpractice, Substance abuse

Pursuing an Advanced Degree in Health and Wellness

May 10, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

From the beginning of time there has always been the need for healthcare, and with our population constantly rising, many are finding the health care field constantly in demand for professional and experienced workers. Obtaining a degree in the medical and health field is one of the best ways to get a great paying career and also be introduced to the latest technology in the health field.

A person who is just starting out in the health field or is already working in some area of health, but wants to continue their education with an advanced degree can benefit with a master degree in the area of health and wellness. With this degree individuals will be trained on how to create a wellness model in order to encourage psychological and physical health of a group. This will give the individual the ability to render support to the growth and stability of employees. With a health and wellness master degree program, individuals will learn how to measure, develop and diagnose wellness models for skills they can apply for the betterment of employee well being and organization support.

Individuals who want a career in the health field have many options available to them. They can choose a career where they will focus on the care of children or they can choose a career where adult health care is the focus. Individuals can learn medical care information that will teach them the latest and most advanced treatments and health information that is available to them.

Filed Under: Benefits Tagged With: Academic degree, Health, Health care

Don’t Put Off Your Yearly Physical Exam

May 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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It is recommended that everyone see their doctor at least one time per year. Some people need to see a doctor more often, but once per year has become fairly standard for preventative care. It is important to see the doctor often to make sure no medical problems go untreated and to be able to ask medical questions.

Many people go in for their yearly exam and find out they have a problem, such as a lump on their breast or some other sort of abnormality. Treatment then follows to remove the problem. Catching problems like this during the yearly physical exam can be essential in saving a person’s life. So, if you have not had a physical exam in a while, you should get in to see your doctor and schedule a yearly exam from here on out. Some of the worst news you can receive is that you have a terminal disease, and your life could have been saved if you would have come in earlier.

Most of the time, preventative care is covered entirely by health insurance. All you have to do is pay the copay. This means going to the doctor does not have to be expensive, so this should not be used as an excuse not to go, or to go less often than you should.

Go to the doctor and stop putting it off. A yearly physical exam is necessary to keep you healthy. Plus, doctors know what they are doing and have “seen it all” so you have nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about.

Filed Under: Diet & Nutrition Tagged With: Health, Medical history, Physical examination

Should breastfeeding be encouraged among Western Women?

March 28, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Breast cancer rates in Western countries are dramatically up and despite the myriad breast awareness programs, breast mammograms and periodic self evaluations by western women, breast cancer occurence shows no sign of abating.

According to American Cancer Society, almost one in eight women in Western countries, especially North America will be victims of breast cancer during their life times.

One of the reasons why breast cancer rates have been so high is that the level of clinical evaluations and statistical oversight has been more thorough and pervasive over the last 3 decades compared to early 20th century when such pervasive monitoring and statistical oversight was not the norm.

Billions of dollars in money, millions of man hours by experts around the world have still no conclusive answer as to what life style factors and choices can permanently guard against breast cancer occurence, however, there has been some evidence that early pregnancy between 18-27 years of age, a generous regimen of breast feeding for at least one year for each baby, and a healthy diet low in red meat and high in green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits does help women protect themselves against the cancer to some extent.

There has been no conclusive evidence for or against hormone based contraceptives in terms of culpability in driving the breast cancer rates higher, but a detailed and timely conversation with ones health counselor is necessary to find out which contraceptive pills contain the least amount of estrogen and progesterone so that until the debate is over, women can err on the side of caution by taking either progesterone only mini-pill or the lowest dose combined oral pill which meets their requirements. Breastfeeding does lead to a natural contraceptive like outcome in women. Therefore breastfeeding combined with rhythm method based contraception might be an attractive susbst

A healthy and regular excercise routine combined with plenty of breastfeeding might go a long way towards stimulating the breast tissue and strengthening the immune system, and this might help prevent breast cancer in particular and other cancers in general.

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Breast, Breast cancer, Cancer

Can a DNA vaccine be invented to protect against a potential Avian Flu pandemic?

March 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

DNA delivery and vaccine development has been around for more than four decades and the earliest efforts along this line were made using viruses encapsulating DNA or RNA themselves.

However, it is possible to use bacteriological techniques to rapidly synthesize vast quantities of DNA or RNA in a short period of time, and in some cases less than a week from identifying the virus signature to devloping the antidote.

DNA synthesis is fastest with custom designed bacteria which are pulsed with foreign DNA which needs to be produced in large quantities for conferring immunity against the Avian Flu. Governmental and non-governmental organizations aorund the world should invest liberally to invent aggressive but manageable strains of bacteria which can be reproduce at a faster rate than any strain currently available.

In addition research should focus on finding a way to deliver unwrapped naked DNA which can be much harder to deliver under the skin or in the muscle compared to a sophisticated compact virus. Naked DNA can be 2-10 times as large as the Flu virus during the course of delivery and it can be sometimes as difficult as making an Elephant pass through a mouse trap.

However sophisticated technologies such as gene gun, electro-magnetic shock techniques, encapsulation using lipid, peptides, polymers or metals is being considered for mass application to deliver adequate quantities of DNA to the immune system for protection against Avian and seasonal flu.

It remains to be seen whether a reliable, reproducible and effective technique will eventually emerge so that DNA vaccine against a potential Avian Flu pandemic can become a reality. During the last 5 years, weak economies aorund the world and high birth rates in developing countries in Asia and Africa have led to a s

Filed Under: Diet & Nutrition Tagged With: Asia, DNA, Influenza pandemic

What are the options for Women who do not want to use Artificial Contraceptives?

March 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Since the 1960s, tens of millions of women in the Western World have been regularly taking birth control pills or making their partners use condoms to avoid pregnancy. However, it has not been conclusively shown that birth control measures such as contraceptive pills are perfectly safe and will not lead to any side effects such as ovarian, breast or other forms of cancer, lack of appetite, nausea, bloating and other day to day maladies.

Due to these reasons women in their most fertile years are left wondering if there could be options other than taking harmful chemicals and artificially synthesized hormones to regulate their fertility.

A demand for contraceptive free birth control has led to several religious and non-religious organizations taking up educational campaigns to inform women of child bearing age about strategies for family planning and child bearing without ingesting harmful chemicals and artificial hormones.

The most common option is withdrawal where the male partner withdraws before ejaculating inside the female partner, but this is not a reliable way to prevent pregnancy and it has a high rate of failure primarily due to imperfect execution of this technique.

The second option is the rhythm method where couples can engage in unprotected sexual activity on certain safe days which are typically right after the menstrual cycle or two to three days after ovulation. There are several ways to calculate ovulation by observing the viscosity of the cervical mucus, body temperature, length of the monthly cycle, and starting day of menstruation.

A combination of rhythm method and withdrawal is used by millions of new age and religious couples who do not want to use artificial products and want to use physiological patterns to regulate birth control.

Filed Under: Diet & Nutrition Tagged With: Birth control, Family planning, Pregnancy