History has long taken notice of the slim and attractive bodies of men and women from Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco, an area also known as the Mediterranean. Medical professionals have also noted the lesser incidence of heart disease and longer life spans enjoyed by inhabitants of the region.

Mediterranean people have a unique diet, rich in antioxidants and heart healthy oils, which has remained unchanged for more than a millennium. Despite the drastic change in dietary habits in Western countries, Mediterranean men and women continue to consume a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and high in whole grains.

Modern researchers have uncovered the reasons why the classic diet provides such incredible health benefits, and diet programs incorporating the Mediterranean style of eating now flourish. Mediterranean diets focus on the key components of olive oil and fresh, high-quality produce.

Adherents of a Mediterranean diet are encouraged to replace dietary fats and oils with heart-healthy olive oil. Olive oil is rich in vitamins A, B-1, B-2, C, D, E, and K, as well as being high in iron. It has also been shown to lower cholesterol and may protect against ailments like stomach ulcers and constipation.

High consumption of fresh produce is encouraged, with emphasis placed on consuming those fruits and vegetables which are minimally processed and locally and seasonally grown. Whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds, also minimally processed, give the Mediterranean diet variety.

Although fresh produce and olive oil (25 to 35 percent of total calories) are the true focus of the Mediterranean diet, lean meats are allowed in moderation, which reflects the eating habits of the Mediterranean peoples. Lean red meat is not off-limits, but followers of the diet should eat read meat sparingly.

Other protein sources like cheese, fish, poultry, and eggs are to be consumed in moderation throughout the week. Yogurt and cheese should be consumed in moderate amounts daily, while fish and poultry are to be eaten in limited servings weekly. Mediterranean dieters are encouraged to eat anywhere from none to 4 servings of eggs each week.

Like Western eaters, the Mediterranean peoples have long enjoyed a little something sweet each day. The Mediterranean diet calls for daily consumption of fresh, unprocessed fruit as a dietary treat. High fat, high sugar, processed sweets should be limited or cut out of the diet entirely.

Another health-affirming component of the Mediterranean diet is the addition of moderate amounts of wine. While over-consumption of alcohol is discouraged, Mediterranean dieters may enjoy one or two glasses of wine per day.

Moderate consumption of wine has been found to produce many health benefits, including reduction in incidences of kidney stones and reduction in risk of heart disease. Researchers have also found a link between moderate wine consumption and longevity.

While the Mediterranean way of eating is now supported by current dietary research, many adherents choose the diet for the simplest reason: it’s an enjoyable way to eat.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: constipation, France, Greece, heart disease, heart-healthy olive oil, Italy, kidney stones, Lebanon, Mediterranean, mediterranean diet, Mediterranean diets, Morocco, olive oil, Spain, Stomach ulcers, Tunisia

If you’ve ever been treated for severe pain from surgery, an injury, or an illness, you know just how vital pain relief medications can be.

Pain relief treatments come in many forms and potencies, are available by prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), and treat all sorts of physical pain— including that brought on by chronic conditions, sudden trauma, and cancer.

Pain relief medicines (also known as “analgesics” and “painkillers”) are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some analgesics, including opioid analgesics, act on the body’s peripheral and central nervous systems to block or decrease sensitivity to pain. Others act by inhibiting the formation of certain chemicals in the body.

Among the factors health care professionals consider in recommending or prescribing them are the cause and severity of the pain.

TYPES OF PAIN RELIEVERS

OTC Medications
These relieve the minor aches and pains associated with conditions such as headaches, fever, colds, flu, arthritis, toothaches, and menstrual cramps.

There are basically two types of OTC pain relievers: acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Acetaminophen is an active ingredient found in more than 600 OTC and prescription medicines, including pain relievers, cough suppressants, and cold medications.

NSAIDs are common medications used to relieve fever and minor aches and pains. They include aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, as well as many medicines taken for colds, sinus pressure, and allergies. They act by inhibiting an enzyme that helps make a specific chemical.

Prescription Medications
Typical prescription pain relief medicines include opioids and non-opioid medications.

Derived from opium, opioid drugs are very powerful products. They act by attaching to a specific “receptor” in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. Opioids can change the way a person experiences pain.

Types of prescription opioid medications include

• morphine, which is often used before and after surgical procedures to alleviate severe pain
• oxycodone, which is also often prescribed for moderate to severe pain
• codeine, which comes in combination with acetaminophen or other non-opioid pain relief medications and is often prescribed for mild to moderate pain
• hydrocodone, which comes in combination with acetaminophen or other non-opioid pain relief medications and is prescribed for moderate to moderately severe pain

FDA has recently notified makers of certain opioid drugs that these products will need to have a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to ensure that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks.

Affected opioid drugs, which include brand name and generic products, are formulated with the active ingredients fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone.

FDA has authority to require a REMS under the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.

Types of non-opioid prescription medications include ibuprofen and diclofenac, which treat mild to moderate pain.

USE PAIN RELIEVERS AS DIRECTED

Pain medications are safe and effective when used as directed. However, misuse of these products can be extremely harmful and even deadly.

Consumers who take pain relief medications must follow their health care professional’s instructions carefully. If a measuring tool is provided with your medicine, use it as directed.

Do not change the dose of your pain relief medication without talking to your doctor first.

Also, pain medications should never be shared with anyone else. Only your health care professional can decide if a prescription pain medication is safe for someone.

Here are other key points to remember.

With acetaminophen:

• Taking a higher dose than recommended will not provide more relief and can be dangerous.
• Too much can lead to liver damage and death. Risk for liver damage may be increased in people who drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day while using acetaminophen-containing medicines.
• Be cautious when giving acetaminophen to children. Infant drop medications can be significantly stronger than regular children’s medications. Read and follow the directions on the label every time you use a medicine. Be sure that your infant is getting the infants’ pain formula and your older child is getting the children’s pain formula.

With NSAIDs:

• Too much can cause stomach bleeding. This risk increases in people who are over 60 years of age, are taking prescription blood thinners, are taking steroids, have a history of stomach bleeding or ulcers, and/or have other bleeding problems.
• Use of NSAIDs can also cause reversible kidney damage. This risk may increase in people who are over 60 years of age, are taking a diuretic (a drug that increases the excretion of urine), have high blood pressure, heart disease, or pre-existing kidney disease.

With opioids:

• Use of opioids can lead to drowsiness. Do not drive or use any machinery that may injure you, especially when you first start the medication.
• The dose of an opioid pain medication that is safe for you could be high enough to cause an overdose and death in someone else, especially children.

KNOW THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

A specific area of concern with OTC pain medicines is when products sold for different uses have the same active ingredient. A cold and cough remedy may have the same active ingredient as a headache remedy or a prescription pain reliever.

To minimize the risks of an accidental overdose, consumers should avoid taking multiple medications with the same active ingredient at the same time.

All OTC medicines must have all of their active ingredients listed on the package. For prescription drugs, the active ingredients are listed on the container label.

Talk with your pharmacist or another health care professional if you have questions about using OTC medicines, and especially before using them in combination with dietary supplements or other OTC or prescription medicines.

MISUSE AND ABUSE
Misuse and abuse of pain medications can be extremely dangerous. This is especially so in regard to opioids. These medications should be stored in a place where they cannot be stolen.

According to the National Institutes of Health, studies have shown that properly managed medical use of opioid analgesic compounds (taken exactly as prescribed) is safe, can manage pain effectively, and rarely causes addiction.

But the abuse of opioids is a significant public safety concern. Abusers ingest these drugs orally, and also crush the pills in order to snort or inject them.

Commonly abused opioid pain medicines include prescription drugs such as codeine, and the brand-name products Oxycontin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone with acetaminophen), and Demerol (meperidine).

Addiction is just one serious danger of opioid abuse. A number of overdose deaths have resulted from snorting and injecting opioids, particularly the drug OxyContin, which was designed to be a slow-release formulation.

USE OPIOIDS SAFELY:  3 KEY STEPS

1. Keep your doctor informed. Inform your health care professional about any past history of substance abuse. All patients treated with opioids for pain require careful monitoring by their health care professional for signs of abuse and addiction, and to determine when these analgesics are no longer needed.
2. Follow directions carefully. Opioids are associated with significant side effects, including drowsiness, constipation, and depressed breathing depending on the amount taken. Taking too much could cause severe respiratory depression or death. Do not crush or break pills. This can alter the rate at which the medication is absorbed and lead to overdose and death.
3. Reduce the risk of drug interactions. Don’t mix opioids with alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines. All of these substances slow breathing and their combined effects could lead to life-threatening respiratory depression.

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Health Information Web page (www.fda.gov/consumer), which features the latest updates on FDA-regulated products. Sign up for free e-mail subscriptions at www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html.

Tags: acetaminophen, aches, allergies, arthritis, brand-name products, cancer, chemical, chemicals, constipation, cough, cramps, dietary supplements, drowsiness, fever, food and drug administration, generic products, headache, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, ibuprofen, kidney disease, machinery, OTC, OxyContin, pain, pains, peripheral and central nervous systems, pharmacist, respiratory depression, surgery, toothaches, www.fda.gov/consumer, www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html

Most people have never had a hernia but for those that have had it hernias are very very painful and often some kind of surgery is needed to get any relief. Hernia is an abnormal protrusion of internal organs through an abnormal opening in the wall of the cavity. A combination of increased pressure inside the body with weakness in the wall is responsible for this condition.

In this condition internal organs or parts of organs are protruded out forming a swelling which will increase the size with coughing and lifting weight, and while passing stool and urine. In lying down position the swelling goes inside except in strangulated and irreducible hernia.

Causes of hernia

1) Weakness in the body wall
a) Congenital weakness
b) Acquired weakness due to injuries,wasting of muscles, suppurative lesions in the wall and presence of weak natural openings, obesity, lack of exercise, repeated pregnancy
c) Surgical operation with improper suturing or sepsis of operated site

2) Increased pressure inside the body.
a) Chronic constipation
b) Recurrent cough
c) Weight lifting
d) Stricture of urethra Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: constipation, cough, Epigastric hernia, Femoral hernia, general surgeon for surgical management, hernia Hernia, Homoeopathy, Incisional hernia, Inguinal hernia, Intestinal obstruction, irreducible hernia, Lumbar hernia, obesity, Obturator hernia, pain, peritonitis, sepsis, stainless steel mesh, surgery, surgical management, Surgical treatment, Umbilical hernia

Thanks to the considerable awareness about weight loss generated by experts and media alike, almost all of those so-called ‘bad foods’ now have seemingly ‘good alternatives’ so that you could enjoy your favorite foods without getting fatter. So we have diet drinks to replace fizzy drinks and diet soda to replace the original sweet soda. But how healthy are these diet alternatives? In this article we shall take a closer look at that.

Take diet soda for example. It may contain fewer calories than the original soda, but they are also loaded with lots of caffeine which makes equally harmful. In case you don’t know already, caffeine is a diuretic that makes us dehydrated by flushing out all the water from our body. The more caffeine we consume, the more our body would become dehydrated. But how would you know if your body is dehydrated or not? Here are some quick symptoms to check out.

1. Fatigue: Are you always tired? Do you feel unable to concentrate on any one thing? Do you tend to feel sleepy even after sleeping for a long while? Do you feel that you lack the energy required to perform your daily chores? Believe it or not, they are all symptoms of dehydration.

2. Headaches: We all know how annoying headaches could be. But do you know why they happen? Very often, when our brain is deprived of even a little amount of water, we suffer from headaches. Keep in mind that almost two-thirds of our brain is composed of nothing but water.

3. Difficulty in passing bowels: When water gets depleted from your body, your stool gets harder and harder, consequently making it difficult for you to pass the bowels. You would notice that almost always a patient suffering from constipation is advised to drink lots of water and fruits; while water keeps the stool soft, fiber pushes the bowels so hard that you should have no difficulty passing them at all.

4. Dark-colored urine: Do you urinate less than usual? Is the color of your urine dark? This is yet another pointer to the fact that your body is dehydrated and it needs water supply. When your body’s water level is reduced to an abnormally low level, the kidneys find it difficult to flush out the toxins and other waste products properly from our body and consequently our urine becomes abnormally dark.

5. Bad breath: If you have tried high and low and are still unable to get rid of your bad breath, consider increasing your water intake. Bad breath is caused by bacteria, and water helps flush out these bacteria from your mouth, thereby ridding you of bad breath.

As you can see, diet sodas are not a good choice because they could make your kids’ body dry as hell. If you really want to control your kids” soda intake, persuade them to drink water more often.

Tags: constipation, dehydration, energy, flushing, headaches, waste products

New diet programs seem to crop up almost every month, so much so that at times I find it difficult to remember all of them. A new kid on the block is the Ketogenic Diet. You may or may not have heard of it because it hasn’t been able to reach the popularity levels of Atkins Diet or South Beach diet. Nonetheless, weight loss has little to do with the popularity of a particular diet program.

In my experience I have found that people have lost weight with little known diet programs, and the opposite has also happened – that of people getting disappointed with the most popular diet program! The big question is: is the Ketogenic Diet just another fad or does it really work? That is what I would be exploring in detail in this article!

To understand the Ketogenic Diet, you need to know about ketones first, since this diet is based on how ketones function in our body. In short, ketones are the enemies of fats, and the more ketones your body has, the quicker you would be able to shed the extra pounds!

Now, as a matter of fact, our body has a soft corner for fat. It would rather burn your valuable muscles for the purpose of producing energy than that ugly fat. The Ketogenic Diet burns your fat deposits and produces the readymade energy your body can use. This is a win-win situation for you: neither you would need your body’s help to burn fat as it is done artificially by the Ketogenic Diet, nor would you lose your lean muscles!

Now the important part: which foods are you allowed to eat under this diet? Since carbs turn into fat and make you overweight, you should reduce their intake and increase the consumption of fatty foods. This means that you should be eating more of dairy products such as butter, milk, cheese, etc., and less of cookies, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, white breads, rice, pasta, fruits, etc.

The bad part of this diet program is that just like other fad diets, this one too is not without its share of side effects. Some side effects you may suffer from as a result of using this high-fat-and-low-carb diet are abnormal behavioral changes, stomach problems such as bloating and constipation, kidney troubles, as well as high cholesterol levels!
On top of that, there is no scientific or clinical evidence of the effectiveness of this diet with regards to weight loss. So far, only epileptic patients, that too mainly children, have benefited from the use of this diet. If you decide to opt for this diet, you shouldn’t do so without consulting a doctor or nutritionist!

Tags: atkins diet, bloating, constipation, dairy products, energy, low carb diet, nutritionist, readymade energy, south beach, South Beach Diet

Just caught this long article on Eating disorders on the main MSN.ca site. There are a lot of facts in this article and it is interesting that when people want to better their health sometimes they go to far and actually harm themselves by losing to much weight. I used to hate the talk of Anorexia and Bulimia being a disease thinking that it was just a way for some people to get attention but have really learned over the last few years that this is something that is a very dangerous disease with very deep rooted causes.

Eating disorders have increased in frequency as a consequence of society’s emphasis and preoccupation with thinness. Eating disorders are multi-factorial, with genetic, traumatic and nutritional causes. In North America, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two most important eating disorders. They predominantly affect females.

What is the difference between anorexia and bulimia?

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric condition where people intentionally starve themselves because of a false belief that they are fat, or for fear of becoming obese. In reality, they are almost always underweight or of normal weight when the condition starts. It is estimated that more than 90% of all those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are female, often from middle and upper socioeconomic backgrounds. This disorder usually starts in the years between adolescence and young adulthood, with the average age at onset of 14 years. Anorexia nervosa afflicts about 1 per 100,000 in the population at large, but the rate is believed to be higher among Caucasian adolescent girls – about 1 in 200. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: affective disorder, alcohol abuse, American Psychiatric Association, anorexia nervosa, anxiety disorders, binge-purge syndrome, bulimia nervosa, cognitive behavioural therapy, constipation, Counselling, dangerous disease, dehydration, depression, digestive and reproductive systems, dizziness, drug abuse, Drug therapy, dysfunctional family environments, eating disorder, eating disorders, enemas, esophagitis, food, food craving, food cravings, food restriction, inflammation, low blood pressure, malnutrition, Mumps, nervous and hormonal systems, north America, obesity, obsessive compulsive disorder, olanzapine, panic disorder, parenting, Psychotherapy, runner, schizophrenia, social phobias, starvation, vomiting

Some of the most astonishing miracles to come out of the nutrition laboratories in recent months have had to do with the mighty family of water-soluble vitamins grouped together under the head of the B complex.

When they use the term “B complex,” scientists are tacitly admitting that they do not know all the vitamins that compose it. Yet experiments with animals indicate that the B vitamins may turn out to be the most remarkable treasure house o£ human health thus far discovered.

The entire B complex (not the individual and better known B vitamins) appears to be a preventive o£ baldness and of gray hair, at least in animals, as we shall later see. Liberal B intake in animals is believed by many researchers to encourage greater resistance to infantile paralysis. Also, in very recent experiments, it has proved remarkably effective in preventing the development of liver cancers in laboratory rats. Right now there is a ferment of activity to relate these startling findings to human beings. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: alcoholism, anemia, b complex, b vitamins, B1 deficiency, baldness, beef liver, beriberi, chicken livers, constipation, cramps, delirium tremens, dizziness, energy, Energy-yielding carbohydrates, food, Golf, hallucinations, head, headache, heart failure, infantile paralysis, liver cancers, numbness, pain, peptic ulcers, poisoning, starvation, temperance lecturer, Tennis, thiamin, vitamin b1, vitamin deficiencies, water soluble vitamins, yeast

I don’t know why I keep noticing these detoxing articles although today I do. I made a turkey for the first time this weekend and messed up making the gravy. After a few hours of suffering from all the fat in the gravy I have come to the sudden realization that I would like to detox it right out of my body

When we want to detoxify our bodies naturally, we usually look to herbs to cleanse our bodies. You can’t get any more natural than greens that come from the good earth, now can you? However, how efficient are herbs in taking impurities out of our system? This article features a list of Pros, Cons and general guidelines in using herbs as a natural detoxification of your digestive system.

The Good news about herbal detoxing

1. Herbal detoxing is all natural. There’s no suspicious complex formula or secret ingredient, so you don’t have to worry about bloating and other side effects brought on by strange chemical reactions. You should find out, though, which herbs will do what to your body. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Author, bloating, constipation, digestive and circulatory systems, digestive system, enemas, flaxseed, food, high technology lab, laxatives, natural detoxification, psyllium, strange chemical reactions, The Good news

What is a low carb diet?

I realized that I have mentioned a bunch of times about how people should lower the amount of carbs in their diet and increase the amount of protein in their diet. This is sometimes called carb depleting but the way I look at it if you drop your carbs somewhat and increase protein you are going to be in better shape. Just so not drop the carbs too far.

Low-carbohydrate diets for weight control have been very popular. Anyone who is considering losing weight has heard about low carb diets. Key questions you may have are: What are low carb diets? Are they safe? How do they work? Can low carb diets have any negative side effects to my health in the long term?

As the number of overweight and obese people has increased, calls to overweight people encouraging them to lose weight have also increased. As a result, there are more searches for diets that can help people lose weight and keep it off.

Today, more people who are deformed and overweight are engaging in the low carb dieting for their better health and vitality; and also to prolong their lives. It is noteworthy that low carb diets have also been followed by even those who are healthy and who are not overweight; bust would like to maintain their well-being, energy, vitality and health by following the basics of the low carb diet. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Atkins New Diet Revolution, carbs, constipation, diabetes, dizziness, energy, fatigue, food manufacturers, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, lose weight, low carb diet, low carb diets, low carb food, low fat diets, nausea, obesity, protein

There is a lot of confusion surrounding menopause. The term “menopause” actually refers to the point in time when a woman hasn’t had a menstrual period in 12 consecutive months. However, many women refer to the process that leads up to their last period as “going through menopause.” Medically, that process is called perimenopause.

During perimenopause, a woman’s ovaries gradually reduce the amount of estrogen they produce, which causes menstrual periods to become irregular and, eventually, to stop. Some women have their ovaries removed surgically, creating a condition known as surgical menopause, which eliminates perimenopause and results in an abrupt stop in menstrual periods.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

A few lucky women (about 15%) have no symptoms other than irregular menstrual periods. Most women, though, have at least some symptoms. Generally, the symptoms fade over time and disappear completely once a woman reaches the point of menopause. The most common symptoms include:

• Hot flashes: These sudden changes in body temperature arrive without warning, are often accompanied by heavy sweating, and generally last a few minutes. When they occur during sleep, they are called night sweats, and they can be severe enough to awaken some women and make it impossible for them to get a good night’s rest.

• Vaginal changes: Dryness, itching, and irritation sometimes occur and may interfere with sexual intercourse. Your pharmacist can help you select products to minimize these symptoms.

• Urinary tract problems: Some women become more likely to develop infections or bladder control problems. There are treatments a doctor can prescribe to treat these conditions.

• Other physical changes: Some women experience palpitations, mild dizziness, tingling sensations, fatigue, restlessness, constipation, or aching bones. Others gain weight or find that their breasts become smaller.

• Emotional changes: Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, memory loss, and other emotional symptoms can result from changing hormone levels, lack of sleep (often the result of night sweats), or a variety of other factors.

Some of the changes that take place during peri menopause have a permanent effect on a woman’s health. For example:

• Heart: The loss of estrogen raises the level of LDL (”bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides in a woman’s blood, increasing her risk of developing heart problems.

• Bones: As the level of estrogen in a woman’s body declines, her bones may become weaker and brittle, increasing her risk of developing osteoporosis.

• Sex organs: The wall of the vagina may become thinner and drier, making intercourse painful and increasing the risk of infection, and her breasts may become smaller and sag.

• Skin: Because the skin is likely to become drier and lose its elasticity, it may lose its youthful appearance

Tags: constipation, dizziness, emotional_changes, fatigue, hot_flashes, irregular_menstrual_periods, irritation, itching, last_period, memory loss, menstrual_period, night_sweats, osteoporosis, perimenopause, pharmacist, restlessness, symptoms_of_menopause