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  Obesity is a condition characterized by excess body weight. Basically, it's the accumulation of fat on the body due to several reasons...

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Top 8 Health Benefits of Water

Water is the most prominent liquid in the atmosphere which is aiding to the existence of the creation. Every living thing survives on water and this water even has several health benefits for humans. As a matter of fact, about seventy five percent of the human body is filled with water of which blood has eighty there percent of water, muscles have seventy five percent, brain has ninety five percent and lungs have ninety five percent. Water has many health benefits starting from carrying the oxygen to all the organs, to help regenerate the cells and keep one active. There are several more health benefits that water offers and few of them are listed below.

Avoids Constipation

Basically, constipation is caused due to improper diet, lack of fiber content in the food consumed and the other prominent reason for constipation is lack of required intake of water. It is even important to have required amount of water along with the food consumed. A average intake of water helps to have a flexible digestion and helps the easy movement f food through the colon and gives a smooth bowel movement and avoids the situation of constipation. It is advised to have at least two glasses of water in the morning to have a smooth bowel movement.

Maintains body temperature

It is very essential for every living to maintain a regular body temperature. In case of humans, it is much more essential. A regular balanced body temperature helps to resist few diseases and prominently helps to get adjusted to the climatic conditions. Sic the largest content of human body is water, it helps to regulate the average body temperature and helps to resist the situations such as to survive the precipitation during summers season’s heat and maintains the required body temperature.

Reduces the risk of stones in the kidneys

It has been clinically proved after many observations and researches that, people who consume more amounts of water per day ale less likely to get hit by the kidney stones that people who stay away from consuming required amounts of water. The stones in the kidney are mainly formed because of the unnecessary accumulation of the excess salts and minerals in the kidneys that are intended to pass out form the body in the urine. When a person consumes the required amounts of water, these salts and minerals gets washed away and there are no chances of stones in the kidney. At an average, a person has to consume at least 2 to six glass of water of avoid these stones.

Reduces the risks of heart diseases
For the designated functioning of any organ, water is very necessary and so is for the heart. Inadequate intake of water may lead to many heart disorders. What water does it, it has the ability to avoid the threats o avoid to the heart by supplying the blood and helps to balance the viscosity of the blood and the plasma  and further helps the hydration of vascular components  in the organs and heart.

Boosts the metabolism

Metabolism is basically the process where there happens a chemical reaction in between the cells to sustain their existence. Water helps in carrying oxygen, proteins, minerals, hormones and all the necessary components to the cells which are required for the metabolism. This further helps in washing of the junk like the toxins and dead cells from the body and helps to balance and boost the metabolism.

Reduces the risks of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a diseases caused to the bones, where the bones begin to lose their density and weight. The bone tissues tend to become weaker and further lead to severe fractures. Clinical studies have proved that a regular consumption of eight to ten glass of water per a day reduces the risks of the osteoporosis disease.

Helps to have a healthy skin

It has been proven that people who 4 to 8 eight liters of water per a day have a healthy and glowing skin than the people who consume less water. It helps to washes away the impurities in the blood, builds the process of metabolism and helps to repair the damaged skin tissues and gives a healthy skin. It even washes out the excess fats in the skin.

Quick remedy for backache and headache

Most of the people do not know that the remedy for backache and headache is in the water. Water works instant in case of these aches. These aches are caused by many factors but work fine when water is consumed. Basically backache is caused to many factors, when a person becomes weak, when a person has excess weight and even when the water in the spine gets low because the spine has large quantities of water in it. So a regular consumption of 8 to 10 glasses of water can effectively reduce these aches.

Also Read Water the elixir of life


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Walnuts May Improve Sperm Quality


These are the findings of a new study that shows healthy American men in their 20s and 30s who ate a 75g (2.5 ozs) packet of walnuts a day were able to increase the vitality, motility and structure of their sperm compared to counterparts who did not eat walnuts.

A report on the study appeared online on 15 August in the Biology of Reproduction journal's papers-in-press section.

Infertility and subfertility is a common problem that affects about 70 million couples worldwide. Between a third and a half of cases are due to poor semen quality in the male partner, with scientists giving a number of reasons for this in industrialized societies: pollution, unhealthy lifestyles and the Western-style diet cited amongst them.

Walnuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which play an important role in maturing sperm and preserving the integrity of the membrane around the cell which in turn affects its ability to fertilize an egg.

In the Western-style diet, PUFAs are usually found in fish, fish oil supplements, flax seed and walnuts. Walnuts also offer an important source of linolenic acid (ALA), a natural plant source of omega-3.

read complete article at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249191.php

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Learn About Back Pain


In the United States, back pain is one of the most most common neurological ailment, second only to headaches.

Most of the time back pain is caused by a minor fall or lifting a heavy object. What you suffer is actually a muscle pull or ligament strain. These types of injuries cause pain that lasts only a few days.

Sometimes you can find pain relief with the use of anti inflammatory medicines like, ibuprofen. The next best thing to do for the pain is rest and ice. This should improve the pain and give relief over the next 5 to 7 days. Believe it or not, back pain just doesn't happen to adults. There are studies that have shown that 10 to 40% of middle and high school students do experience some form of lower back pain.

Muscle fatigue and low back pain can often be very debilitating, insidious with its gradual onset or even arbitrary when a sudden occurrence happens and there is no obvious precipitating event. The back is a very complex anatomical structure so it is difficult to diagnose. The back is made up of bone, ligaments, muscle, tendons and a major network of neurological components.

Back pain is widespread in all countries. Even with this widespread problem, the knowledge and the medical advances we have on back pain, we are uncertain as to many of the causes of lower back pain. Low back pain and muscle fatigue are not diagnosis but a symptom of an underlying problem. In fact, there may be other organs causing the back pain. It is amazing that more than three quarters of all Americans suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain for those under 45 years old is one of the main causes for disability.

Back pain is very common and can be classified into three different categories, based on the length of the symptoms:

Acute back pain - this is a pain that will last anywhere from present to 6 weeks or less. Subacute back pain - is defined as pain for 6 to 12 weeks in duration. Chronic back pain - last longer than 12 weeks.

Common causes for back pain are:
Nerve impingement problems (pinched nerve) herniated disc problems (slipped disc or ruptured disc) spinal degeneration osteoarthritis muscular problems sciatic back pain

In cases regarding the nerve roots or details of the discs in your back such as, isthmic spondylolisthesis, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis, MRI scans have become very useful and the preferred modality for looking for the cause of back pain. MRI scans are normally taken after x-rays have been taken and are painless. MRI scans provide information that can help rule out spinal infections or tumors as the cause of back pain.

Back spasms are often treated with medications known as muscle relaxants. You should not take these types of drugs for long periods of time because they often are known to cloud the mind. The drugs are also known to be controversial because they are known to have side effects such as: dependency to the drugs and they can make you sedated.

You can relax the back spasm by treating the muscles with a tens unit, gentle stretching, heat, massage and other types of back pain therapy. These types of treatment are good at helping relax the muscles causing the back pain. Pulled muscles are sometimes the cause of muscle imbalances and chronic back pain. For the length of this imbalance, so the pain can continue.

Also Read  Keep back pain at bay


Author :
STEVE MADIGAN

 

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Smoking Cigarettes Causes Accelerated Aging

One of the insidious things about smoking cigarettes is that it takes a long time for the serious health effects to be noticed by the smoker even though damage occurs with each cigarette smoked. By the time the smoker notices health issues, serious health damage has occurred; damage that could have been avoided if they had stopped smoking years earlier.

Fortunately, there are obvious external effects of smoking cigarettes that warn the smoker years in advance of the damage that is happening to them internally. The problem is the smoker doesn't realize that cigarettes are causing these external changes. This article will alert the smoker to an external effect of smoking: accelerated aging. This is something the smoker can see every time they look in the mirror. The change the smoker sees on the outside is a reflection of what is going on inside their body!

The False Sense of Security with Smoking

When you look at young smokers, you see people that don't believe smoking cigarettes is a serious health threat to themselves. These young smokers think that because they go to the gym, play sports and go about their daily routine without any obvious negative effects, they are somehow spared the health consequences of smoking. Sadly this isn't so.

It usually takes about 30 plus years of smoking to develop the really serious diseases that are associated with smoking cigarettes. For a 25 year old that has been smoking for 10 years, twenty years in the future is a long time.

Yet, that 10 years of smoking has already taken its toll. If the young smoker stopped ignoring the changes that cigarettes produce in their body, they would see that they are affected. If they realized what they were looking at, they would see the effects of cigarette smoking every time they looked in the mirror!

Do You Look Older than Your Years?

It's ironic that one of the reasons a 12-15 year old starts smoking is to look older. When they start smoking at this early age, they don't realize that smoking cigarettes will actually make them look older and BE older because of accelerated aging!

As a student of history and a photographer, I have always been fascinated by images from the past. I am grateful to all the photographers before me that took the time to preserve memories of day to day places and people that no longer exist; the everyday life that most of us take for granted. This preservation allows us to visually experience another time.

One of the things I have noticed when studying images from the 1920's through the 1970's is that the people look really old. When you look at a picture of a man and guess 55 years of age, it's shocking to find that person is only 23 years old!

What accounts for this great difference in appearance versus age? Cigarette smoking! Research shows it accelerates aging. The images from the era when 44% of the population smoked cigarettes clearly shows this phenomena.

Smoking Cigarettes Causes Accelerated Aging

Our skin is the canvas that displays the picture of our health status. Smoking makes a person look much older. The longer a person smokes, the faster they show signs of aging. Research finds that not only does smoking contribute to premature facial wrinkles but also wrinkling of skin in other areas such as the inner arm. Look at your arms smoking ladies!

Another effect smoking has on the skin is developing psoriasis, a very unsightly and unpleasant skin ailment. The higher the number of cigarettes smoked over a pack per day, the greater the risk of developing this miserable skin condition, e.g. itching and burning. You can always tell a smoker, other than by the odor which is another article, because their skin has an unhealthy tone to it as well as wrinkles.

If you want to see a clear example of the aging effects of smoking, look at pictures of famous people who smoked. One of the clearest examples is President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was noted for his cigarette holder and there are numerous photographs of him smoking! He died of a stroke, a health condition associated with long term smoking, in 1945 at the age of 63. Look at the pictures of him in the last few years of his life. Rather than 63, he looks more like 93.

You can find many, many other examples in old photographs from the era when 44% of the population smoked. Look at the picture, guess the age and then see how old the person really was when the photograph was taken. Smoking does age you!

Is it Male Pattern Baldness or Cigarettes?
Even your hair dresser won't know for sure! People are surprised to find that smoking affects their hair but research shows it does in several ways.

As a smoker of 10 or more years, do you find some gray hair beginning to show up? Most smokers do because research has shown that smokers are three to six times more likely to go prematurely gray than non-smokers. Another effect on the hair is that men who smoke are twice as likely to become bald as men who don't smoke. Does this just apply to men? Or is this a reason why older women who smoke have thinning hair?

Although the smoker can ignore their skin changes because it's gradual, they cannot ignore gray hair. However, the smoker just attributes this to getting older. They don't realize that it's not normal for people to start getting gray hair in their 20's and 30's. This is not a sign of getting older, it's a sign of smoking!

How Does Smoking Affect Your Mouth?

Obviously, that harsh, polluted cigarette smoke passes into the lungs through the mouth. Smoking can't help but stain your teeth which also adds to the appearance of being older than you are.

Of course, there is the awful "cigarette" breath as well. In addition to the bad breath, smoking also puts you at great risk for all sorts of dental problems, including oral cancer and gum disease.

Teeth and gum problems are another symptom associated with old age. Yet, this is happening to smokers early in their life.

Does Smoking Really Shorten Your Life?

In a word, YES! In addition to making the smoker look older, research shows that the smoker actually IS older.

A report in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that men who never smoked lived an average of 10 years longer than their peers who smoked. YES, smoking really does shorten your life! Also, the non-smokers enjoyed a higher quality of life throughout those extra years.

Conclusion

You do not have to wait for 30 plus years to see the impact that cigarettes are having on your body. If you've smoked for 10 years or more, you can look in the mirror and see the effects today!

Facial wrinkles, gray hair and even baldness at a young age are the outwards signs of the internal damage caused by cigarettes. If you think the external body changes are simply the result of aging, you need to think again. These outward signs are more than cosmetic issues. They are a visible warning alerting you to the internal damage that smoking cigarettes is causing to your body. The sooner cigarettes are removed from your life, the sooner your body can begin to repair itself. Don't wait until it's too late, pay attention to these important signs today!

Article Source:  Smoking Cigarettes Causes Accelerated Aging

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Herbs and Herbal Remedies For Erectile Dysfunction - Worth Trying

Use of herbs for treating erectile dysfunction initially was an eastern practice but it has been growing very rapidly all over the world. There are some real benefits of treating this problem by herbs as herbs do not cast any sort of side effects and they are safe compared to other erectile dysfunction medications, apart from this they are very effective and results are much better than others.

In most of the cases erectile dysfunction is related to the problem of blood circulation, poor circulation of blood all over the body or in the genitals causes weak or no erection in males. Most of the herbs used in treating the problem of ED focus on improving the circulation of blood by clearing blockages in the blood vessels, improving absorption capacity of tissues in the genitals and enhancing duration of holding the blood within those tissues.

There are several other reasons also which may initiate this problem in any male such as cardio-vascular problems, stress and anxiety, diabetes, renal or neurological problems, deficiencies due to malnutrition or bad eating habits, lethargic or sedentary life style and muscular or tissue related problems. These are few commonly found reasons for this problem and herbal treatment can address all the issues very well.

Shilajit has been used for over all health since ages, it is a mineral herb which comes out of rocks in the northern mountain ranges of India. It is also known as Indian Ginseng. This herb improves stamina, stimulates metabolism and balances hormonal production. It is an old and time tested herb which is also treated as herbal alternate for Viagra. It also has strong anti-oxidants to improve blood flow and clear the blood vessels.

Horny goat weed is another effective herb which is used to treat the problem of ED and has all round effects to alleviate the situation. This herb improves functioning of thyroid gland, reduces the levels of cortisol a harmful hormone which suppresses the desire for lovemaking and increases the levels of testosterone hormone, very crucial hormone, for initiating desire for lovemaking activity in males.

Mucuna pruriens was initially used as HGH releaser as it has properties to stimulate functioning of pituitary gland to promote release of growth hormone but it also acts as prolactin inhibitor. The high levels of prolactin decrease the desire for lovemaking in males, use of Mucuna pruriens inhibit the excess production of this hormone and promotes secretion of testosterone which eventually improves performance of male in the lovemaking act.

Another very effective herb for improving male libido is Tribulus Terresteris, it works as natural testosterone enhancer, excellent circulatory system tonic and build muscles and improves strength. This herb is also used to cure many reproductive organs related problems in females also. It improves libido in males and improve blood flow to increase duration, desire, performance and frequency of lovemaking activity in males.

Garlic is perhaps most commonly found and also very easy to be used treatment for the problems of ED. Garlic can correct many problems which may lead to the situation of ED, it improves body's reaction to nitric oxide and improves the activity of central nervous system. Garlic resolves problems like hyper tension, atherosclerosis and blood pressure etc.

Article Source: [] Herbs and Herbal Remedies For Erectile Dysfunction - Worth Trying

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Battle With Gynecomastia

"Bob had mammaries", or so the movie character famously said. This opening one-liner from Fight Club is perhaps the most mainstream mention of gyno. It introduced a generations of moviegoers to the horror that is male breast tissue growth, although many were already familiar with it.

Gyno - What is it?

Gynecomastia is a benign enlargement of the breast tissue in males. It occurs naturally in about 1/3 of those who suffer from it, with the other 2/3 from drug use, usually anabolic steroids. Once it occurs, it is permanent, and can only be removed via surgery. It is caused by sensitivity to estrogen in the body, and is often spurned when stopping a steroid cycle.

Surgical Solutions

Gynecomastia is correctable with surgery and other various conditions. Liposuction, reduction mammoplasty, skin sculpture, and gland excision are all commonly used. Typically, a plastic surgeon will place a small incision at the border of the nipple complex. The glandular tissue is then removed. A vest is worn for several weeks to ensure healing occurs and the shape of the chest remains constant. Many bodybuilders - even the new young pros we see in magazines - opt for this procedure in the off-season during a break.

Over-The-Counter Remedies

The surgical solutions above are designed to remove gyno once it has become a major problem. Preventative medicine is always preferable to surgery. Gyno occurs during the weeks following a steroid cycle. Bodybuilders employ a technique known as PCT, or post-cycle therapy, in which two compounds are introduced to the body to correct the estrogen/testosterone imbalance. PCT consists of 1-2 AIs (Aromatase Inhibitors) and 1 SERM (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator) used to help correct the balance during that initial imbalance period, until the body begins producing testosterone on its own and the estrogen production slows. The top over-the-counter solution is probably Nolvadex-XT by Gaspari Nutrition. It is very popular with amateur bodybuilders and those without a doctor.

Gynecomastia, like acne or baldness, is a condition that comes with the territory when it comes to using steroids for competitive bodybuilding purposes. The trade-off can be minimized, however, if the user knows beforehand that gyno is indeed an occurring side effect, and takes preventative measures to ensure its impact is minimized. Too many bodybuilders run headfirst into the steroid realm without a true understanding of the side effects. Use of PCT, along with prompt surgery when that fails, ensures that one doesn't end up like our good friend Bob of Fight Club fame.


Author: Dane C. Fletcher

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Smoking vs. Erectile Dysfunction - What Are the Risks?

New studies done recently have shown that there is a link between smoking cigarettes and erectile dysfunction. But how bad can it really get? There is still a lot to learn, but some new discoveries have been revealed. The more men smoke, the more they risk developing erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is the inability for a male to keep an erection long enough to complete satisfactory sexual performance. The recent study was done on over 4,700 Chinese men between the ages of 35 and 74 who had no blood disease and were sexually active in the past half year. This was the first study of its kind to be done on healthy men as opposed to those with hypertension and other problems which could potentially skew the tests.

The tests concluded that men who were smokers had over a 40% greater chance of developing erectile dysfunction than those who did not smoke. And the more the person smoked, the higher their risk of developing erectile dysfunction. When comparing the smokers with non-smokers, smokers who only smoked 10 cigarettes a day only had about a 27% likelihood while those who smoked 11-20 had 45% chance, and those who smoked 20+ cigarettes a day had a 65% greater chance of developing erectile dysfunction over those males who did not smoke. So in response to the recent study it can be estimated that nearly over 20% of erectile dysfunction cases can be attributed to smoking.

This study is very important as it shows even more effects on smoking today. Not only do those who smoke 20+ cigarettes per day increase their risk of developing erectile dysfunction by around 65%, but it has also been found that the risk does not go away after a man decides to quit smoking. There are no reasons to start or even continue smoking with these kinds of studies showing more and more problems with the habit. As a kid, the first cigarette can be quite a traumatic experience. After that first one, you start to feel quite a bit nauseas and dizzy and its not too much fun. Why is that? Because it is simply a person's body reacting to poison. Ultimately, if and when a person finally overcomes these natural objections they begin to risk even more than erectile dysfunction but also cancer, emphysema (breakdown of lung tissue), organ damage, and heart disease. It is estimated that every single cigarette that is lit up takes around 5-20 minutes off of a person's life.

Overall, everyone knows what kind of effect smoking has on our bodies. It is understandable that it is quite a heavy addiction that is very hard to get rid of for many people. But, for those who have not realized all of the problems that will inevitably arise through regular use, please remember that it doesn't just cause more wrinkled skin and yellow teeth, but severe lung damage, greater risk of illnesses, slower healing times when injured, and much more will also occur if nothing is done to help prevent this habit from being treated. And if you do want to stop smoking, there are plenty of resources online as well as with the American Cancer Society. For some, quitting cold turkey has really worked for them. For others, it may require a slower pace in order to quit. The possibilities are endless. However, if you are a smoker or considering it, consider all of the facts before taking that next hit. It will be the hit that changes your life for the better...inevitably.

By S. Michael Windsor