Health Information

Taking care of yourself is the best example you can give to your family, children and grandchildren. Living healthy does not have to be about diets and horrendous workouts. It is about fun!

You can become healthier at any age. Do you remember your parents talking about no longer being able to do what they enjoyed? George Burns, nearing his 100th birthday, complained that people "think" themselves into their dotage by adopting what they consider to be the expected mannerisms and lifestyle of the elderly.

Researchers at Tuft’s University proved that most people can be changed for the better no matter how many years they have lived or neglected their body in the past. We can reverse, or at least retard, many of the physiological declines associated with aging without turning our lives inside out and upside down.

What I found most encouraging was the conclusion that each of us can change. No matter what your age, it is not too late. We can adopt a pattern of activity and eating that maximizes our ability to age more slowly.

Every day we get older. However, the pace at which we get older varies enormously from one individual to the next. In fact, older people are more unlike their peers than younger folk. They concluded that the older people become, the less like each other they become.

Plans must be designed to recognize these differences. First step is to know what is happening right now. Is junk food filling your stomach but starving your body? All of us have developed habits that become automatic as the years pass. Not always are these habits in our best interest.

Keeping a journal for a week is one way to gain necessary knowledge. The journal (diary) should be for your eyes only. Success is dependent on keeping an accurate record. Here is the information that you will want to collect.

For each food, snack or beverage (including water) consumed, record:

(1) size and number of servings;
(2) when consumed (time of day);
(3) where consumed (dining table, watching TV, preparing dinner, at the refrigerator door, etc.);
(4) with whom (family, friend, liked or disliked co-worker; etc.) or were you alone;
(5) why (hunger, boredom, anger, hurt, habit with certain activity, companionship, or?);
(6) exercise (how much time and doing what);
(7) sleep (how many hours).

A week will usually cover your normal routine and activities. Analyze the record to see if there are some patterns that need to be changed. Are your visits with mom or a best friend always over a food laden table?

Most of us understand what foods are in a healthy diet. Is it really hunger or is your body needing more water? How do you feel after your meal or snack–satisfied or stuffed?

A big joke on me was an exercise club that I once joined. We met for a combination exercise/dance class that ended up being more chat than exercise. The finale was a meal-sized green salad supper–usually preceded by cocktails. That night of "exercise" was a great way to gain, not lose, weight!

Your week’s record will give you proof of your current activities and a guideline on where changes need to be made. Are all your social activities built around food? Those habits can be hard to break. Instead, replace meeting a friend for coffee and donuts with a walk in the park. You can get all her news without the extra calories.

One young woman I know changed her part in the family reunion. Instead of helping get the table ready, she organized all the nieces and nephews into a ball game. Mothers were happy to leave the children in her care and she was away from all the temptations at the food table.

Find a lot of ways to make little changes in your lifestyle. It is easier to make small changes. Look for ways to reduce fat or sugar. Cut down on portion sizes and chew each mouthful of food thoroughly. That gives your body time to recognize when you have had enough.

Years ago diet articles promoted ways to prepare "fake" copies of favorite high calorie foods. Those recipes ended up having umpteen ingredients–usually strange items not found in most kitchens. No one in their right mind would have eaten it at any time other than when on a "diet." It never tasted like the real thing nor was it good on its own merits.

One recent disaster was all the fat-free salad dressings. Fat may have been removed but total calories were not changed very much. The special ingredients put in to make up for the missing oil gave them a weird taste and mouth feel.

In contrast, I have found some reduced-fat dressings that are quite good. In addition, the serving size can be cut and you end up with something you are happy to eat. Fat, the right kind, is an essential food for our bodies. Some essential nutrients are only fat soluble.

Remember, we are not talking about a short term diet change. It is a lifestyle change. Your goal is to find foods and ways of preparation that will satisfy your food desires for the rest of your life.

The idea is to make small changes to the foods you usually eat to make them more healthy. Next explore the produce counter at the local supermarket for new foods to try. A good place to find quick and healthy recipes is in some of the health/exercise magazines.

It is not the years in your life that count. It is the life in your years!

Gloria Hansen is an author and educator on consumer issues. She has a B.S. degree in Foods and Nutrition from Iowa State University. Her website, http://www.selfimprovementtools.com, provides resources for all who wish to continue learning and evolving as original, unique individu

Obese men suffering from prostate cancer are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from it compared to normal-weight men, according to a recent study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The study involved almost eight hundred middle-aged men who were recently diagnosed with prostate-cancer, and followed the subjects for ten years. Seventeen percent of the subjects were obese and six percent of them died of prostate-cancer.

The mortality risk from prostate cancer for obese men is not related to the treatment, or prostate cancer stage at the time of the study, said Dr. Alan Kristal, senior author of the study. The risk for obese men is of 2.6 times greater compared to healthy weight men, regardless of the cancer diagnostic profile.

The results of the study are not related to whether the patient is subjected to radiation treatment, radical prostatectomy, or androgen-deprivation therapy. It does not matter if the subject suffers from a high grade cancer, or low-grade, localized, distant, or regional cancer, says Kristal.

Particularly, men with regional or local prostate-cancer have a 3.6-time higher risk of metastasis, or cancer spreading to other organs, than patients with a healthy weight.

Obesity was strongly connected with prostate cancer especially for men with regional disease, meaning cancer that has already started to spread to surrounding tissues, compared to those with early cancer.

Researchers believe that inflammation and steroid hormones are behind the connection between prostate-cancer and obesity. Obesity is considered a massive inflammatory condition, which modifies the levels of serum estrogens and increases factors that lead to cancer growth, according to Kristal.

To read the rest of this article, go to ProjectWeightLoss.com an online weight loss community featuring calorie counter, carbs counter, BMI calculator, diet planner, workout planner and nutritional information.

(c) ProjectWeightLoss.com 2007. All rights reserved.

For free weight loss tools and diets, visit ProjectWeightLoss.com, a growing weight loss community featuring calorie counter, carbs counter, BMI calculator, diet planner, workout planner, and many other weight loss tools. Visit ProjectWeightLoss.com and start losing weight today!

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Ear surgery or otoplasty is usually done to set prominent ears back closer to the head or to reduce the size of large ears. Ears are almost fully grown by age four, so the operation is done on children between ages of four and fourteen. Ear surgery is also possible in adults with fewer risks. You have to be clear about what and how you want your ear to be when you talk to the doctor.

Risks involved:

•When a qualified and experienced surgeon performs the ear surgery, the complications and risks involved are usually minor.

•Patients may develop a blood clot on the ear. It can dissolve naturally or drawn out with a needle.

•Patient may develop an infection in the cartilage, which can cause sear tissue to form.

Planning for surgery:

The surgeon will evaluate the patient’s condition and recommend the most effective technique specific instructions will be given on how to prepare for the surgery. If the child is young, the surgery is performed on general anesthesia, so the child will sleep through the operation. For older children or adults, the surgery may be performed by using local anesthesia combined with a sedative. The child will be awake and relaxed.

The surgery:

The surgery usually takes two or three hours, the technique depends on the problem. In one of the more common techniques, the surgeon makes a small incision in the back of the ear to expose the ear cartilage. Then the surgeon will sculpt the cartilage and bend it back towards the head. The stitches which are non removable may be used to help maintain the new shape. Some times as large piece of the cartilage is removed to give a more natural looking fold, when the surgery is complete. In another technique, a similar incision is made in the back of the ear. Skin is removed and stitches are used to fold the cartilage back on itself to reshape the ear without removing cartilage. The surgery will leave a faint sear in the back of the ear, which will fade with time.

Recovery:

The patients is usually up and around within a few hours of surgery. If you prefer you may stay overnight in the hospital until all the effects of general anesthesia wear off. To promote best molding and healing, the patients head is wrapped in a bulky bondage. The pain in the ear can be relived by medication. Within a few days the bulky bandage will be replaced by a lighter dressing similar to a headband. The dressing should be worn day and night stitches will be removed or will dissolve in about a week. For about a month, avoid any activity which will make your ear bend. Adults can go back o work five days. Children can go back to school after a week. Most patients are satisfied with the results of ear surgery. Be realistic in your goals and don’t expect a perfect symmetric in both ears. The goal of the surgery is improvement not perfection.

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Dyslexia has become a term that most people are familiar with. They believe it means reversing letters and numbers, which is true, but in my work with children I have found that it encompasses so much more than just reversals. What I have primarily found is that these children are highly intelligent, yet their world cannot seem to hold still for them. Can you imagine your world floating or moving? That is what these kids deal with daily. Can you imagine your world changing daily, hourly, or by the minute? That is what is on these poor kids’ plates. And yet, we ask them to sit still, read, do math, mind and follow directions, and the list goes on.

There are many forms of dyslexia. The dyslexia most people think about involves reading and reversing letters. Recently I was working with a dyslexic student and told her mom that she was having a hard time reading the silent e. I gave her some activities to help her. The next day the mom called me. The student had indeed inherited her dyslexia from Dad. When Mom was telling Dad about the silent e, He replied, “Well, that’s because we don’t see it.” How simple is that? Can you imagine not being able to see a letter right there in front of you, a letter so important that it can change the sound and meaning of a word? Can you imagine how stupid you would feel if you read the word site as sit? How about if you did it in front of your reading group or the entire class? How about if your teacher isn’t kind and makes you feel stupid in front of the whole class when you make a mistake such as this? It happens daily.

Dyslexia may show up in math, writing, handwriting, or spelling. I have worked with kids who could read so well it would amaze you, but give them some math problems, and they fall apart. Also, they may not reverse letters or numbers. They may have an auditory form of dyslexia. Some of these kids can’t focus because they hear the computer whirring away but only hear every third or fourth word the teacher might say.

And we wonder why these kids are failing. We wonder why many of them become behavior problems or retreat into a silent, strange world. I think I might have to get up and move around the classroom if it couldn’t hold still. I can guarantee you that a teacher wouldn’t sit for hours on end if she had this problem. And the sad truth is that these kids are probably smarter than the straight A student whose mom is bragging to you at soccer practice. If you are the parent of a dyslexic child, you may have given up or you may think your child is dumb. That bragging can get pretty old.

Dyslexia can be treated. I don’t know if there is a cure, but I do know this. I have had students who write backwards or in mirror form, who couldn’t read or write, who were failing school and life. After working with these kids, most have been on the Honor Roll or close to it. The most severe dyslexic student I have ever had was misdiagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Her mother was told by the school to plan on institutionalizing her when she grew up because she had no future ahead of her. She was 9 years old and couldn’t read or write. She couldn’t do first grade math. She is now reading, writing, and doing math. No, she is not yet on grade level, but I have no doubt that within a year she will be close. My first indication that she had a world that wouldn’t hold still was how she held her head. You see, it was tilted to the side constantly. Each week when she comes, that is one of my biggest victories. Her head is no longer tilted, which means her world is starting to settle down. She can now settle down and get on to the business of learning. I am convinced that she is intelligent. I am convinced that she does not have Asperger’s Syndrome. I am convinced that as we work on spatial issues and visual and auditory processing activities as well as brain retraining that this child will lead a normal life. She will be reading and writing like any other kid her age.

The progress each child has will differ. I have had kids show huge growth in a few weeks. Other kids will show nothing and then one week they seem to know everything. Some kids will just plod along at a steady pace. Do not give up on them. Keep the kindness and patience alive for them, because you are all they have to fight this battle. I usually work with a student once a week for a year before the student is able to function in a classroom and have decent grades and test scores. I have had some severe students for two years. The students who make the most progress get daily help. Once a week isn’t enough to lick this thing.

Most parents are relieved when they actually get a diagnosis. However, they must understand that if a student has dyslexia, then he won’t always see a b as a d. It may be a p or a q another day. This just seems to drive parents nuts. They had just gone over the b the day before and now the kid is saying it is a p! Keep in mind that their worlds are not constant. Not much is constant in their brains, and yet you will hear some of the biggest bits of wisdom you have ever heard come out of their mouths. There truly is intelligence in there. If you have a problem you can’t seem to find the answer to, find a dyslexic child or adult and ask his opinion. You will be astounded at his insight. These are the most intuitive kids I have ever met, and most have a sense of humor that is so advanced that they are one step ahead of you.

So, how do you know if your child has dyslexia? Following are some general symptoms of dyslexia that can serve as a guide for the steps you need to take if your child has these symptoms.

· Slow, labored inaccurate reading of single words in isolation
· Slow, choppy oral reading while ignoring punctuation
· Becomes visibly tired after reading for a short time
· Poor reading comprehension
· When reading, frequently reverses, inverts, or transposes letters or words
· Substitutes similar looking words, even if it changes the meaning of the sentence, such as sunrise for surprise
· Omits or changes suffixes, such as need for needed
· Spelling errors of reversals, inversions, or transpositions
· Continually misspells sight words or misreads sight words
· Written work shows signs of spelling uncertainty
· Misspells even when copying something from the board or from a book
· Unusual pencil grip when writing, often with the thumb on top of the fingers – a fist grip
· May hold the pencil lower or higher than normal
· The pencil grip is so tight that the child’s hand cramps
· Writing letters is a slow, labored, non-fluent chore
· Writes letters with unusual starting and ending points
· Has great difficulty getting letters to sit on horizontal lines
· Unusual spatial organization of the page. Words may be widely spaced or tightly pushed together. Margins are often ignored
· Has an unusually difficult time learning and using cursive writing
· Writes extremely short sentences
· Takes an unusually long time to write
· Displays very poor mastery of punctuation as well as grammar, syntax, and suffixes
· Misspells many words
· Has nearly illegible handwriting
· Uses space poorly on the page
· Misses many errors in written work even when proofreading has been attempted
· Left-right confusion, mainly showing up in handwriting and math
· Difficulty in directionality – confuses north and south or the meaning of words such as right – left
· Tying shoelaces is difficult
· Difficult time writing capital cursive letters
· Long division, fractions, and memorizing multiplication tables is difficult
· Touch typing is difficult
· Learning science and history facts is difficult
· Concepts of time and calendars are difficult
· Disorganized personal space
· Loses many personal items such as clothing, watches, papers, books, shoes

If your child has many of these symptoms, he may be dyslexic. A test is a good place to start to find out for sure. Or, you can just assume that this is his life and move on from there.

So, how do we still the waters that churn continually in a dyslexic child’s mind? For starters, brain exercises must come into play. To calm these waters the brain must become balanced. Ear eights, eye eights, cross crawls, magic eights, and mirrors are exercises I use regularly with the dyslexic child. (You can find these exercises at www.learning-aids.com – just look for the free Quick Start Kit) Martial arts is wonderful for these children due to the constant crossing of the midline and visualization of moves and poses.

Next, I work on spatial and visual processing. I have found that most of these kids are having a difficult time processing in their visual field. Eighty percent of what we take in is visual, so I always start here. Usually their eye muscles are weak, so I patch an eye and do the star eye exercises and repeat them on the other eye. I work on strengthening eye muscles. I have them work on spatial skills as well. Listen and draw is a great exercise I use for dyslexic children, as it encompasses all three avenues of learning. It is amazing how these kids perceive the world.

Then, I work on auditory and fine motor skills. I have yet to work with a dyslexic child who didn’t have fine motor skills problems. I am to the point where I can almost diagnose a kid after a few minutes. This thing is real, and it seems to be an epidemic. Getting these kids to write is one of the most difficult things I do. We start slowly with other exercises to get their hands and brains to work together. I always have these kids learn cursive, as it is difficult to have a reversed letter with cursive and it also flows with the brain. Manuscript is choppy and it does not flow. It actually slows these kids down. Cursive is a tough transition for them, but once it is made, then it works so much better and writing skills can then be learned.

Usually, after a few months of this, the waters do indeed calm down. They start doing things that were not possible for them before. They start seeing some successes in school. Reading isn’t quite the chore it once was. Writing becomes easier.

Is this an over night fix? Definitely not. It usually takes about a year for me to get a kid with dyslexia to be functional in a classroom and on grade level. And, that is with the parent’s help. Daily exercises are important. It took me twice as long to get a dyslexic girl up to speed because her parents weren’t willing to do eye exercises at home. But, she is in junior high school now and doing well. It just takes time and patience.

About the author:

Lisa Harp, a teacher and educational therapist, offers a line of learning products designed to help the struggling learner in a quick, effective, affordable setting.

http://www.learning-aids.com

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Many gout sufferers find that they want to be on a prescription medication for maximum gout pain relief. The pain associated with this condition can be pretty severer.

Though a change in diet can help improve the symptoms, many have to have a medication on top of diet change in order to manage the pain. Because gout is usually found in the big toe, those with serious amounts of pain have a hard time walking. This can severely limit quality of life.

There are some great medications that can help with gout pain relief, but it is important to watch out for any side effects that may compromise health.

One of the most common gout drugs is Colchicine. This comes from the crocus plant. This is provides both a relief when there is an attack, and also has the potential to be a preventative medication as well.

This should be used in the first day of a gout attack, and works in a high percentage of those who suffer with this condition. The most common side effect is upset in the digestive tract.

However, when too much of this is taken, it can be lethal. It can cause bone marrow damage and anemia. This means the white count can get low, and infections can set in. A patient should have their blood cell counts monitored while on this medication. An overdose can be deadly, so this must be taken with care. Anyone with unusual side effects must get in to the emergency room as soon as possible.

Benemid is a drug that helps to remove the uric acid build up in the body that brings on gout attacks. It will not cure the condition, but it can help keep flare ups down to a minimum.

Some of the most common side effects are dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, upset stomach, frequent urination, and hair loss. These should be minor though, and if they become chronic, this should be brought to the attention of the prescribing doctor.

There are some signs that should be reported as soon as possible, as they may indicate something more serious is going on. Side effects such as bloody urine, sores in and around the mouth, rash, severe swelling, painful urination, flu-like symptoms, strange bleeding or bruises, and difficulty with breathing.

Prednisone is often used to reduce an attack. It might only be given for a few days, or a shot may be done directly into the inflamed and painful area. Many doctors prefer to taper this drug off slowly to avoid the flare up from coming back.

Infections are one of the more serious side effects of this drug. A patient should keep a close eye out for signs that indicate there may be an infection somewhere in the body. Less common and less serious side effects are trouble with falling and staying asleep, heartburn due to increased stomach acid production, and an increase in hunger.

Many of these medications will be paired with NSAIDS when appropriate. If a patient is taking any of these drugs, they should ask their doctor before they take anything else. Most of these are not safe for pregnant or nursing mothers. They may cause birth defects and other problems.

Probably one of the smartest moves a person taking prescriptions for gout pain relief can do is to ask their doctor what to look for and what they should avoid.

Grab your free copy of Lisa McDowell’s brand new Gout Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you discover more about gout recipe and for information on gout symptom please visit Cure Gout Now.

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There is no one definite acid reflux cause; acid reflux is a problem that can occur from various stressors and for different reasons.

Some of those reasons could be as simple as your diet, which can be changed to remove the symptoms. Others might be unalterable, like genetics.

To understand how to deal with acid reflux, you must first determine the cause of acid reflux that applies to you.

First Cause: Your Diet

This is often the most common reason for acid reflux; one simply consumes too many foods that trigger an acid reflux response. Foods that are high in fat and citrus content will aggravate your throat muscles, causing them to send the food and stomach acid back up. This can be easily corrected, though, by a change in diet, and by not overeating. Your body cannot handle too much food at once and will try to reject it, sending the many acids back up your gullet. Try reducing the trigger foods from your diet and eat smaller meals more often to relieve strain on the stomach.

Second Cause: Your Stress Level

Your body responds to stress in different ways. You may find yourself with headaches, back spasms or even heartburn. High amounts of stress can create an overflow of stomach acid, which will find its way to your throat. You need to learn to reduce your stress. Activities like exercising and meditation will be of great help to you. Furthermore, exercise helps you to maintain a healthy weight. This is important, as being overweight can also increase the risk of acid reflux.

Third Cause: Your Lifestyle

Certain activities, like smoking or even your eating schedule can cause acid reflux. Avoid eating late at night; wearing clothing that is too tight; bending over directly after eating; lying down after you eat; engaging in vigorous activities, etc.

Also, attempt to sleep with your head elevated at least six inches to allow gravity to help keep acid in your stomach at night, exercise regularly, and cut back on nicotine and caffeine. Your lifestyle can easily dictate whether you have acid reflux or not. Small changes will do much to help control it.

Fourth Cause: Physical Problems

Not every acid reflux cause you suffer from will be so easily fixed as the three causes above allow. You may have a physical problem, such as impaired stomach mobility or an overactive immune system. These may be caused by genetic factors and can easily create acid reflux.

Impaired stomach mobility, for example, occurs when the muscles react spontaneously, rather than contracting naturally. This can create a build-up of acid.

With an overactive immune system, your body may simply be rejecting certain foods, seeing them as an attack on the system and something to get rid of quickly. This will cause your throat to contract.

Some physical problems can be cured with help from your doctor; others cannot. Should you suffer from a genetic or physical condition that causes your acid reflux, you must consult with your doctor to see what can be done for you.

As was previously mentioned, there is no one universal cause of acid reflux. In fact, you may have a combination of many. The four listed above are the most common, however, and you should do all you can to relieve them.

Sign up to our free newsletter below to discover natural acid reflux, GERD and heartburn remedies.

While things like genetics can’t be changed, your lifestyle certainly can. Little steps can make a big difference. So learn your acid reflux cause and see what you can do.

By Kathryn Whittaker. Sign up for a free newsletter that has proven methods for tackling Acid Reflux, Heartburn and GERD head-on and discover more about acid reflux cause. In the newsletter you’ll also find more about the different kinds of acid reflux help and what to do if you have severe heartburn.

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It is imperative that you learn the right acid reflux info to keep yourself from thinking that those more than occasional sessions of heartburn are just that.

In actuality, frequent heartburn may in fact be warning signs that you suffer from acid reflux. Without understanding what this is, or how it is caused, you might end up doing damage to your throat.

Acid reflux is not an illness that simply goes away, but it is something that you will need to be able to recognize so you can better treat the symptoms and get to the root cause. Using acid reflux information is the first step of many you will have to take.

To begin, you must realize what causes acid reflux. How else are you to learn how to deal with it?

To put it simply: your throat has a group of muscles located at the bottom called the lower esophageal sphincter (it is usually just called LES). This is what prevents acid reflux from occurring. When this ring of muscle is closed, no stomach acid can get through. It is far too tight, only opening to allow food to pass through. It should close again after that happens.

Acid reflux occurs when the LES muscles cannot close. Stomach acid is no longer blocked and makes its way past the LES and into your throat. This can do severe damage.

The skin of your throat is not as thick or well-protected as the lining of your stomach. Acid can easily irritate, scar, cause bleeding, etc. Thus, because acid reflux can be extremely harmful to you body, it is important for you to gather as much acid reflux knowledge as you can, to keep acid reflux from happening. The effects of acid reflux are harmful to your throat and can be more than just the annoyance of heartburn.

As was previously mentioned, the LES muscles are what block acid from coming into your throat. When they relax (refuse to close) is when you will have complications.

There are two things that will cause the problems.

One: the throat is relaxed due to food. Your body may reject certain items or may simply react to the ingredients. There are properties found in foods that can force your LES muscles to relax. Caffeine, coffee, tea and other items naturally work against the muscles, causing them to remain open when they should close.

Two: the throat is relaxed due to contractual difficulties. Your LES muscles may themselves be the problem, rather than food. They may not be able to operate as they need to. This could be due to a narrow throat, inflammation, etc. Acid reflux can be the result of a larger problem with this option, as further investigation into acid reflux info will determine.

For information on treating and preventing acid reflux through natural means sign up for the free newsletter below.

It is important to note, however, that the first cause is the most common. Abnormalities with the LES muscles are rare. Usually, the cause of acid reflux is your body’s reactions to the food and drinks you consume. It will be up to you, then, to study yourself and see what happens when you have certain items.

You now know how acid reflux happens; you know why it happens. Using this acid reflux info is just a practical way to begin figuring out what you need to keep the effects from reoccurring.

By Kathryn Whittaker. Sign up for a free newsletter that has proven methods for tackling Acid Reflux, Heartburn and GERD head-on and discover more about acid reflux info. In the newsletter you’ll also find more about the different kinds of acid reflux help and what to do if you have severe heartburn.

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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, more commonly called GERD, brings a wide range of symptoms and annoyances. These can be alleviated, if not completely combated, through a diet for GERD and simple lifestyle changes.

The idea of lifestyle changes usually involves rearranging every aspect of your schedule, but through the right methods, a lifestyle change doesn’t have to be so dramatic. It is an easy matter of creating a GERD diet and fighting the symptoms.

When planning a specific GERD diet you are essentially removing the stressors from your day, getting rid of certain foods and combinations that can trigger acid reflux.

This does not mean that you have to stop eating the things you love. You simply have to understand that some foods cause the symptoms of GERD. Cutting down on the amount you consume of these foods (if not cutting them out entirely) will be beneficial toward reducing your problems.

When you create a GERD diet, you can help strengthen the muscles found at the bottom of your throat. These muscles form a ring that allows food to pass through to the stomach; they open, let the food slide along and then close.

When you suffer GERD, however, the muscles have become open too wide, stretching so that they cannot close after food passes. This allows the food (and stomach acid) to come back up, and causes the variety of symptoms you experience, such as vomiting, chest pains, heartburn, etc.

Unless you are content living with these symptoms, you need to design a diet for your GERD. Keep in mind, you will not have to remove all your favorite foods from you life. Controlling your diet is simply a matter of moderation. The most common foods that aggravate GERD, and the ones you should try to eliminate from your diet, include:

• Caffeinated drinks
• Chocolate
• Fried foods
• Foods or drinks with high quantities of citrus
• Peppermint
• Whole milk

These are, as you can tell, easy enough to remove from your diet. There are plenty of substitutes you can use, ones that will not trigger the effects of acid reflux. For example, drink fat free milk instead of whole. Or eat fish rather than fried pork. Simple steps can be taken and you will instantly see the effects.

Some may argue that a diet specifically for GERD is unnecessary; they believe the symptoms are mild enough that there is no real point in altering the way that they eat. This is not a wise way to think.

Even mild symptoms can turn problematic with time. Your throat can suffer from inflammation from the acid splashing back; you can develop ulcers; and the throat may become narrowed with a build-up of scar tissue from the acid, resulting in swallowing becoming a problem.

Sign up for the free GERD, acid reflux and heartburn newsletter below and discover natural ways to reduce painful reflux symptoms.

GERD can lead to other serious problems and you should do all you can to avoid them by adopting a diet for GERD. Make sure you speak to your doctor about any dietary recommendations they may have.

By Kathryn Whittaker. Sign up for a free newsletter that has proven methods for tackling Acid Reflux, Heartburn and GERD head-on and discover more about diet for GERD. In the newsletter you’ll also find more about the different kinds of acid reflux help and what to do if you have severe heartburn.

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If you are uneasy about taking pain medications, you may be interested in alternative treatments for migraine, or vascular, headaches. Alternative methods are natural ways to cure the pain and suffering of migraines. Alternative treatments are becoming more and more popular with doctors, especially when they are combined with prescription medications.

There are several factors that lead to the increasing popularity of natural migraine remedies. If you have a tendency to react adversely to prescription or over the counter medications, you may find that you can’t take any of the available migraine medications. Of course, you may just prefer not to use prescription medications because you are concerned about adversely affecting your body after extended use. The side effects of migraine drugs also make them a problem for many people. The last reason many people are turning to natural migraine remedies is the cost of prescription drugs. Without good insurance, these drugs can just be too pricey for most people.

One of the easiest, and most effective, natural migraine remedies is to turn out the lights. Darkness can help you recover more quickly from a painful attack. While laying down in a dark area should help somewhat, you can make this remedy more effective by following a few simple tips.

* Keep it quiet. Turn off televisions, radios and other noisemakers.

* Make sure you are warm and cozy.

* Lay down and relax as much as possible.

* Don’t close your eyes. Instead, cover them with a cloth, such as a scarf or a handkerchief. Closing your eyes actually uses additional muscles and can worsen your pain.

Relaxed breathing is another natural remedy for migraines. The reason this method is so effective is that knowing how badly your head is going to hurt when the migraine reaches full strength can cause you to have an anxiety attack. This makes your heart rate go up, which makes your blood move through your system more quickly, which increases your blood pressure. The increase in blood pressure puts more pressure on the areas being affected by your migraine attack, worsening the symptoms. It is essential for you to relax your breathing and slow your heart rate. To relax your breathing, you should:

1. Breathe in slowly and deeply. Then exhale just as slowly.

2. Take a second slow, deep breath. Take the time to feel the air going into your lungs and filling your body. Once you’ve inhaled as deeply as you can without growing uncomfortable, exhale slowly. Think about the way the air feels as it leaves your body. Be sure to breath out completely before you inhale again.

3. Repeat the entire process four to five more times, focusing on staying relaxed and slow.

4. You should feel far more relaxed and your breathing should be calmer. Your heart should be beating at a normal rate. Ideally, you should be so relaxed that you feel sleepy. Don’t fight the feeling. Go ahead and fall asleep.

Lavender oil is the final natural remedy for migraine sufferers. This essential oil is known for its many uses, including its ability to soothe migraine headaches. Lavender oil is inexpensive and readily available. You will want to avoid fragrances or scented oils, as they are not effective. Essential oils are much more powerful. When you begin to feel migraine symptoms, you will need to place a drop of lavender oil on your temples or behind your ears. You may want to place two to three additional drops of oil on your pillow. This treatment is especially effective when combined with the first two natural migraine remedies. The scent of lavender is so relaxing that many people feel their migraine lessening almost right away.

Ideally, when you treat your migraine with these natural remedies, you will fall into a healing sleep and awaken feeling rested and ready to face the day.

Do you suffer from migraines and want natural relief from the pain? There are lots of natural remedies for migraines - read more today @ MigraineHelper dot com.

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No, I am not talking about number one and number two !

Being a health care professional and remembering how I was more of a sickly child growing up compared to my other siblings have made me develop into a person who always wants to dig deep in finding valid reasons foranything and everything medical or not.

So you can see how answers like "familial" or "genetic" never cut it for me in explaining the many medical problems I and millions of people have to deal with as We enter a new century of an overwhelming amount of new medical diagnosis and terminology that simply didn’t exist 30+ years ago.

Those who have read any of my articles sigh as I continue to hammer down on the lovely and amazing chemical over dependance our human kind believes to be O.K.

Today I want you to mozy on into your Bathroom and pick up 4 things: The first will be your favorite shampoo that you believe you cannot live without, second; is your toothpaste, third; pick up your or your husband’s after shave and finally pick up your everyday moisturizer or skin lotion.

Now, sit down and read the back labels of each looking for the following: In your shampoo: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Lauryth Sulphate, Polyethelene Glycol, DEA (diethanolamine) and TEA (Triethanolamine). In your toothpaste: Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Monofluorophosphate and Sodium Saccharin. In the after shave: Isopropyl and Alcohol. Finally, in the moisturizer or lotion: Formaldehyde (Q15, Q30…etc),Petrolatum,Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Ethyl Paraben & fragrance

If you have been unable to locate any of these chemicals in your toiletries then thumbs up for you! Put this article away and continue on with what ever it is you were doing. However, if you have identified one or more of those names in your personal care products then a big red alarm should be going off in your head right about NOW!

I will not go into the fine details of how each of the above chemicals and many more are contributing directly to many health problems you are currently experiencing and a lot more you will confront in the future. Instead I will leave it up to you to do your home work.

My job here is to make that alarm go off in your head as I point out that things like allergies, skin problems, asthma and respiratory problems, cancer, behavioral problems like ADD and ADHD, autism, autoimmune disorders, miscarries, headaches, fatigue…etc. are all either directly or indirectly related and aggravated by the above mentioned chemicals and many more which I simply could not list without converting this into a chemistry lesson.

So to those of you who have converted a portion of their home to a pharmacy line they can’t live without, divert your attention to the cause of your medical complaints and save your self some money and health. Be unique and change where you shop. Your family and loved ones health may depend on it!

Dr Iman Ashour is a 30 year old stay at home wife. As a medical professional and a member of the Fourpoint group, her goal is the education of family members on applying healthier life styles. As a wellness/business specialist she helps people build a solid , ethical and viable home business. email: dr_halifaxhealth@yahoo.com phone: 1-888-210-8176 Learn to live well

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