Losing weight for good is a big topic. There will also not be much said about some fairly obvious health issues. If you smoke or have a problem with alcohol or drugs, you probably realize that this isn’t good for you. The same with overeating. Some of the methods here can help you with these issues, but I am not going to go into any detail about subjects that are so extensively covered all over the mainstream media and internet. The same with the advice to exercise. I do refer to exercise in the breathing chapter, but I don’t spell out “get x number of hours of exercise per week.” Exercise is important, but it should be tailored to you as an individual. I don’t want to imply that what I haven’t written about in detail is not important. It just isn’t the focus of this report.

What I am doing here is presenting a solid foundation upon which you can build. If you do have specific health challenges, need to lose a lot of weight, get into better shape, everything here will definitely be a good base upon which to add anything else you may need.

One final note about the focus of this report. I try, as much as possible, to give positive rather than negative advice. What I mean by that is, except where it is absolutely necessary (as with the chapter on junk foods!), I try to keep the focus on the positive –what is good for you rather than on what to avoid. Read the rest of this entry »

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: allergy, animal products, antibiotics, athlete, Autism, Ayurvedic medicine, cancer, dairy products, depression, diabetes, energy, healthier products, healthy products, heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, meditation, nutritional product, obesity, Organic products, particular systems, reflexology, relaxation, restaurant food, Sleep deprivation, strenuous sports, sweet products, Swimming, vegetarian diet

There are many types of baldness treatment advertised on the internet, and the good news is that some of them do work in slowing the progression of Male Pattern Baldness or even helping hair to grow back. But don’t go buying the first ‘miracle cream’ that you see. Here we take a look at some of the genuine treatments that are available.

The first of these methods, and the most drastic, is to transplant hair follicles that are still active, from another part of the head. This is a surgical procedure that works best for men whose remaining hair is thick and abundant, so they can afford to lose some of it. It does not create new hairs, but redistributes the hair more evenly over the head. However, the area of baldness will continue to grow, so once you begin transplant treatment, you must be prepared to repeat it.

Alternatives to straight one-for-one transplanting of hairs are currently under development and testing. If proven, these will allow multiplication of transplanted hairs so that several new follicles can be developed from one existing follicle. This could revolutionize baldness treatments because it would mean that in theory, nobody need ever go bald. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: baldness, fda, high blood pressure, Male Pattern Baldness, surgery, treatment for high blood pressure, United States

What is the anti aging secret weapon? It’s water. Yes, plain old water – our best friend in the battle to restore or hold on to our youth.

Without water there would be no life. It’s that important. Water is something that NASA looks for on new planets to establish whether there might be life on the planet. Although for humans, oxygen is a more urgent need and we would die very fast without it, there are known forms of life that do not need oxygen or even are poisoned by it. But every living thing needs water.

Water makes up 55% to 75% of the human body, depending on a person’s build and size. It is essential for all of our metabolic processes. It helps transport nutrients and eliminate toxins. These substances are dissolved or held in suspension by our bodily fluids that are mostly water, and carried around the body. It is important for a healthy colon, kidneys, liver, brain and just about everything else. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alzheimer's disease, bloating, food, heart disease, high blood pressure, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, stroke, US National Research Council

Weight is measured in terms of body mass index (BMI). For adults, a healthy weight is a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9. Overweight is a BMI of 25 to 29.9. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

Health experts say roughly 66 percent of American adults are overweight. The Obesity Society reports, 25.6 percent of Americans are obese. The extra weight is hard on the body and increases the risk for many types of chronic health problems, like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, liver and gallbladder disease and respiratory problems.

Obesity in African Americans

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports rates of overweight and obesity are higher among African-Americans than whites. In a health survey conducted between 1999 and 2000, researchers found 69.6 percent of blacks and 62.3 percent of whites were overweight. There is a much higher disparity in rates of obesity, with 39.9 percent of blacks being obese versus 28.7 percent of whites. Among African-American women, four out of five are overweight or obese. Low-income African-American women have the highest risks of being overweight.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: cancer, center for disease control, diabetes, gallbladder disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, nurse, obesity, Obesity Society, osteoarthritis, physician, sleep apnea, Stephanie Ward, stroke, Temple University School of Medicine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Caldolor, the first injectable dosage form of the common pain medication ibuprofen, to treat pain and fever.

“Injectable ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are promising pain management options,” said Bob Rappaport, M.D., director, Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Rheumatology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “But until now there were only oral forms of most NSAIDs. An injectable ibuprofen product can provide patients with relief from pain and fever when they cannot take oral products.”

Caldolor will be available for hospital use only. It is approved to be administered in 400 mg to 800 mg doses, over 30 minutes, every 6 hours for acute pain. To treat fever, the drug is approved in a 400 mg dose administered over 30 minutes, followed by 400 mg every 4 to 6 hours, or 100-200 mg every 4 hours, as necessary. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergic reactions, Bob Rappaport, Congestive heart failure, director, Division, Division of Anesthesia, fda, FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, fever, headache, high blood pressure, hysterectomy, ibuprofen, nausea, pain, pain management, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, vomiting

We have all beleived that aspirin use will lower the risk of heart attack, mostly becuase it thins the blood. The problem I have always foudn though is that too much aspirin will stop the blood from clotting quickly and this in itslef almost led to a quick trip to the hospital for my wife last year.

This new study below though seems to show that it is not so obvious as to wether Aspirin really helps to prevent heart attacks but in itslef it is a good read with lots of findings

Long-term, low-dose aspirin provides no clear net value for primary prevention of cardiovascular events in apparently healthy adults, according to a meta-analysis of patient-level data.

In people not known to have cardiovascular disease, aspirin reduced composite MI, stroke, and vascular death rates to 0.51% per year compared with 0.57% among controls for a relative 12% reduction, according to Colin Baigent, B.M.B.Ch., of the University of Oxford, England, and colleagues in the Antithrombotic Trialists’ Collaboration. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease, Colin Baigent, coronary heart disease, diabetes, heart attack, heart attacks, heart disease, high blood pressure, Michigan, stroke, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, United Kingdom, University of Oxford

Who should buy a home fitness equipment? If you are lazy and feel that you can lose weight on autopilot, please don’t waste your money on exercise equipments because you are never going to use them. A lot of exercise equipment manufacturers claim that you can lose weight fast and easily with the help of those machines, but truth to be told, this is nothing more than hype.

I don’t know about you, but I have seen several newspaper ads featuring people who are bulked up using Photoshop to show they are “fat”; their real picture is displayed at the top, and just beside it is the picture of the exercise equipment. The ad claims that you can lose weight within a couple of weeks. Nothing could be further from the truth. A woman who is really that fat would need at least a couple of months to get rid of fat, no matter how devoted she is and which workout machine she uses.

I am saying all these to make sure you get the real picture about those workout machines. The fact remains that if you are not ready to work hard and sweat, you are not going to acquire the sexy and svelte body you desire. With that said, let me tell you how to make the best use of a home-based exercise equipment.

A huge advantage of a home based fitness equipment is that it helps you get rid of fat from the comfort of your home. Nothing could be more enjoyable and fun than taking a shower and then riding on the treadmill. More than helping you acquire a toned up body, regular exercises make you a happy and confident person. A good exercise program should consist of three types of exercises: strength training, cardios and stretching.

The primary purpose of working out is to keep your heart healthy; keep in mind that if your heart is not healthy you can never be fit. Diseases like strokes and high blood pressure are the offshoots of an unhealthy heart located within an equally unhealthy body. If you want to focus on your heart, equipments such as treadmills, elliptical trainers, steppers, etc., are pretty good. Make sure that the equipment you are going to buy comes with an in-built heart-monitoring tool.

Treadmills are good for you if you are too lazy to go out and take a walk or jog. Treadmills enable you to walk or run in the comfortable surroundings of your home. Moreover, unlike the uncomfortable, hard and steep roads, treadmills make your feet comfortable with good cushioning.

On the other hand, if you wish to burn fat non-stop, then there is no better option than an elliptical trainer. An elliptical trainer is indeed a versatile fitness equipment, in that it has a cycle, treadmill and stepper, all rolled into one. It offers electronic adjustable resistance which is good for burning fat when you maybe busy in some other work. Another advantage of an elliptical trainer is that it offers you plenty of statistics, ranging from the amount of calories you burned, the speed at which you burned those calories, your pulse rate, etc.

Tags: exercise equipment, Fitness Equipment, high blood pressure, home fitness equipment, home-based exercise equipment, in-built heart-monitoring tool, strokes, versatile fitness equipment

Healthy eating is the first step to making sure that you are getting yourself more fit. There a a lot of great advantages to eating better and these include more energy, better concentration and less stomach and digestive problems. Currently, the typical American diet is low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and high in saturated fat, salt, and sugar. As a result, more Americans than ever are overweight, obese, and at increased risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.

Older people are most likely to improve their eating habits, but nutrition is important for people of all ages, says Walter Willet, M.D., chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health. “We know that when people have health problems or their friends become ill, these are strong motivators of change,” says Willet. “The more serious the health condition, the more serious the change. We’d rather people made changes early and prevent health problems in the first place.”

So what if you’re feeling trapped by a diet full of fast-food burgers and cookies? You can work your way out slowly but surely. Here are tips to move your eating habits in the right direction.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: and Blood Institute, and Dietary Supplements, baked whole-grain corn tortilla chips, Barbara Schneeman, broil food, cancers, Chairman, chairman of the nutrition department, Cindy Moore, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, corn tortilla chips, diabetes, director, director of nutrition therapy, energy, Eric Hentges, fat-free products, food, Food and Drug Administration's Office of Nutritional Products, food diary, food groups, food package, food product, food products, grain products, Harvard School of Public Health, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, kidney disease, Labeling, lower-salt products, Lung, make smart food choices, Marilyn Tanner, milk products, National Heart, nutrition therapy, pediatric dietitian, physician, potassium chloride, similar products, squash, St. Louis, stroke, Tennis, USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, vegetable oil, Walter Willet, Washington University School of Medicine

A new three-in-one-pill could reduce the risk factors for heart disease and stroke by 50 per cent and revolutionize prevention of these medical conditions, which kill thousands of Canadians every year, according to a study released yesterday.

The study, published in the Lancet, showed that when blood-pressure medications, Aspirin and cholesterol-lowering medication were taken together in one pill, known as the Polycap, they were just as effective as when taken separately.

“People could take a pill a day and, literally, keep the doctor away,” said Salim Yusuf, a cardiologist and the study’s lead author. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: atenolol, Cardiologist, cardiologist and the study's lead author, diabetes, head, heart attacks, heart disease, high blood pressure, India, lead author, McMaster University, obesity, Population Health Research Institute, Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University, Prevent Heart Disease A, ramipril, Salim Yusuf, stroke, strokes, USD

It is said that America tops the obese adult population in the world, which is of course true. However, one seems to overlook the fact that America is also home to the highest population of obese children. If WHO (World Health Organization) is to be believed, our world contains more than twenty million obese kids, most of whom are in the age group of five-eight.

WHO also says that childhood obesity has reached the level of an epidemic in America, so much so that in the past three decades the number of obese American kids has more than tripled. Isn’t your child one of them too? It is time to take control of your kid’s life and help him lead the kind of comfortable and healthy life we would want him to lead. And this is only possible by helping him get rid of the extra pounds.

In fact, if America tops the number of obese kids, even third world countries are not far behind. You would think that an economically backward continent like Africa would have skinny kids because most of their parents are too poor to feed them properly, let alone overfeed them. However, very often our beliefs don’t coincide with reality. Just recently a special task force sent to Africa to gauge the health stats of the people living there encountered more obese kids than malnourished children.

You maybe thinking: why all this hullabaloo about childhood obesity? What is wrong if the belly of your kid if a tad fatter than his peers? The answer is: just like overweight adults, fat kids are also likely to suffer from harmful diseases such as high blood pressure, type 1 diabetes, hypertension, fatigue, heart diseases, and in some cases, even early death.

Believe it or not, the root cause of childhood obesity has little to do with genetics and more with poor lifestyle habits. Often people add two and two and jump to the conclusion that the kid is fat because of his parents. But that is not true at all. Kids emulate the unhealthy habits of their parents and naturally become fat like them. If you and your kids follow healthy lifestyle habits, both of you would be able to get rid of fat very quickly.

Truth to be told, the onus of the rising levels of childhood obesity lies on parents to a great extent. We parents prefer our kids to have junk foods since they can be easily procured from outside and help save the time we would have spent on cooking. A diet rich in fat and sugar could only make your child fatter and fatter. There is really nothing new to be said about it. Unless you are willing to spend a little time and energy in cooking healthy foods at home, don’t expect your kids to become any slimmer.

Apart from making them eat healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, it is also important that you try to reduce their intake of soda and fizzy drinks.

Controlling the food habits of your kids is only half the battle won, the other half being that of encouraging them to become more active. If you are concerned about your child’s future and wish to offer him a healthy life, you would need to take him away from Xbox and PSPs to outdoor sports such as cricket, basketball, tennis, etc. Encouraging them to indulge in cardiovascular activities such as swimming, dancing, rope jumping, etc., would also help them burn fat and lose weight.

Tags: Africa, America, basketball, cricket, diabetes, energy, fatigue, food habits, heart diseases, high blood pressure, hypertension, obesity, outdoor sports, Swimming, Tennis, World Health Organization