Your Health is Fragile, Learn How to Maintain It

From the minute we are born nature is trying to help us stay alive but also try to hurt us. That is a strange dichotomy but that is how it is. How can that be possible? Well in nature there is everything that we need to live a long, strong and healthy life. All of the food items that we need to survive are there and they contain all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients we have to have in our body to survive in harsh and unyielding environments. The problem is that living side by side with the good stuff are billions of germs and viruses that want nothing more than to latch onto us and either feed off of our healthy bodies or destroy the health that we work so hard to maintain or even in some cases both.

The hard part of this is learning what is out there are how to either prevent from getting the germs or viruses or stopping them from destroying our bodies once we do contract it. It is for these reasons that we as people need to know our bodies and pay close attention to it when something is not exactly how it should be. Normally our body is a well oiled machine that is capable of doing hundreds of complex tasks at once without us even knowing how hard it is working. The thing is that though we may not know when our body is dong something we can sure tell when it is not. All of the body systems are seemingly interlaced and when one system breaks down the others are quick to follow since they depend on a successful outcome of the first task to complete the second task properly.

If you feel that you have something wrong with you there is no sense in waiting as nothing really improves with time other than wine and art so get to a doctor and find out what is going wrong. You will be glad you did.

Learn more about symptoms of hypothyroidism, under active thyroid and hypothyroid.

14 Startling, Must-Read Facts About Prescription Drug Prices and America’s Uninsured

Fact #1: 45.8 million Americans under the age of 65 lacked health insurance coverage in 2004.

Fact #2: In 2005, the cost of health care insurance for family coverage surpassed the annual salary of a minimum-wage worker.

Fact #3: Drug benefits of many employer insurance plans are being reduced every year. These reductions in drug benefits include steps such as higher premiums for drug benefits, higher co-payments on drug purchases, higher annual deductibles, tiered cost sharing, annual dollar limits on drug purchases, tightening eligibility rules and completely cutting drug benefits all together. This means more and more individuals are becoming underinsured when it comes to prescription drug coverage.

Fact #4: U.S. National Health Care Expenditures per Capita rose by 123% from 1990 to 2004. In that same time frame Prescription Drug Expenditures increased 78.6%. Prescription drug spending is one of the fastest growing components of national health care spending. In fact, in 1999, national prescription drug spending increased an astounding 18.2%, compared to an 5.2% increase for physician and clinical services and a 5.0% increase for hospital care.

Fact #5: Retail prescription drug prices increased an average of 8.3% a year from 1994 to 2004 (from an average of $28.67 to $63.59), more than triple the average annual inflation rate of 2.5%.

Fact #6: A recent AARP Bulletin reported that some individuals have to resort to very desperate (and unnecessary) measures to obtain their medications. The report stated that ?A widow recently sold her wedding ring to pay for medicine. Another sometimes begs for prescription drugs left by friends who have died. Another on occasion uses pills prescribed for her dog.?

Fact #7: In a 2004 survey, over a third of uninsured adults said that they did not fill a drug prescription in the past year due to cost. The scary part is that skipping doses or simply not taking a medication to save money can be extremely dangerous to your health.

Fact #8: From 1995 ? 2002, pharmaceutical manufacturers were the nations most profitable industry. In 2004, they ranked third, with profits of 16%, compared to 5% for all Fortune 500 firms.

Fact #9: The five most highly paid drug company executives pocketed more than $183 million in compensation in 2001, with the top 25 pharmaceutical execs averaging nearly $6 million in annual compensation in 2000. That compensation does not count stock options, which can add millions of dollars to a CEO?s income.

Fact #10: Prescription drug costs are expected to increase by 12.6% a year for the next 10 years, according to a recent report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. By 2010, 16% of what Americans spend each year on personal health care will be spent on prescription drugs, the department said. In 1999, it was 9.4%.

Fact #11: The United States is the only developed nation that does not regulate drug prices. American consumers pay much more for their prescription drugs than any other country in the World. In fact, a 2003 study by the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration compared the U.S. prices of a list of 54 prescription drugs with the prices in 9 other countries and found that the prices in these 9 other countries were 18 to 67% lower than the U.S. prices.

Fact #12: FDA-approved does not mean ?Made in the U.S.A.?. Actually, more than 40% of the drugs sold in the U.S. are made by foreign-based firms that may have American operations.

Fact #13: An estimated 2 million Americans now buy their drugs from a Canadian pharmacy.

Fact #14: A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in September 2005 (Volume 143 Issue 6) concluded that brand name medications are often substantially less expensive when purchased from Canadian Internet pharmacies instead of from major online U.S. drug chain pharmacies.

Individual?s struggling to afford their medication costs may want to look to Canada as a viable option for purchasing their prescription drugs. Canada is a very highly regulated and safe country to buy medications from. Millions of Americans have been ordering medications from Canada for more than 5 years now and there have been no reported cases of an American citizen harmed by an inferior medication. American residents can save an average of 45% on their prescriptions when buying from a licensed Canadian pharmacy.

Copyright 2006 Jeremy Cockerill

Jeremy Cockerill is a licensed pharmacist and the co-founder and pharmacy manager of UniversalDrugstore.com. Mr. Cockerill graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba with Honors in 1998. Mr. Cockerill is the recipient of the 2005 Manager of the Year award from the Manitoba Customer Contact Association. http://www.universaldrugstore.com

Heavy Negatives Are Positively A Good Idea

This article will assume that you are trying to increase your strength. If you go to the gym to stay in shape, maintain your strength, or even worse, to avoid getting fat, than don’t waste your time reading this. However, if you set your goals for yourself, have an open mind and want to get bigger and stronger than read on.

Negatives can be applied to any exercise to help shock your muscles. They are specifically included in the Critical Bench Program to help you increase your bench press. First lets review what exactly a negative is making sure everybody is on the same page. Using the bench press as an example let’s review a negative set. You will load the bar with a weight that is about 40 lbs heavier than your one rep max. (If you don’t know your one rep max you can look it up on this chart: http://www.criticalbench.com/chart.htm) Three spotters will be needed. The most important spotter is the one that stands behind you because he will keep his hands on the bar throughout the entire lift. The two remaining spotters will stand on opposite ends of the bar. Of course you will need a lift off unless you plan on turning negatives into a positively bad idea. You will now begin to lower the weight as slowly as positive. At first you’ll do fine, but about half way down you’ll feel like you are trying to stop the weight from falling. Once the bar touches your chest all three spotters lift the weight to the lockout position where you start again. When you are lifting poundage this heavy only a few reps will be possible so don’t feel discouraged.

Okay so why in the world would you want to do this? Won’t you look like an idiot in the gym when three people have to pull the weight off your chest? People have even said that the exercise is just an ego booster and doesn’t do much for you. Some clowns might even say that you are cheating! Well don’t believe any of it. Luckily, I’m here to tell you why negatives are so important.

1. Heavy Negatives Overload the Muscles

Most of us will agree that singles help improve strength because you overload your muscles will heavy poundage that your body is not used to. Based on the same principle, if you do negative sets with even more than your max weight you will overload your muscles even further.

2. Conditioning Your Body

Let me give you a few examples of this. A basketball player who is shooting jump shots while he is wearing ankle weights. A swimmer who does laps wearing pants and a t-shirt. A football player preparing for camp by running in the middle of the afternoon during a 90-degree summer day. A sprinter that runs with a parachute tied to his back. How about a powerlifter that does negatives with a weight that is much heavier than his one rep max. Are you beginning to see the correlation? When you run in 90-degree weather, practice in 80-degree heat doesn’t seem so bad. When you shot jump shots with ankle weights, you feel pretty light and explosive when you take them off. When it is time to unload in each situation the body can perform better because it has been strengthened by the overload. You get the point. Let’s say your goal is to bench 400 lbs. If you’ve never tried it, the initial shock might surprise you. If you’ve felt the weight of 450 lbs and done negative sets with it, your mind and your muscles will be preconditioned to handle the 400 you were aiming for. You’ve felt heavier weight, making this weight seem lighter. Your muscles need to feel the shock of heavy weight to prepare for a max. So why not take it to the extreme?

3. The Challenge

If your training lacks intensity I’d like to see you have the courage to take this exercise lightly. Actually I wouldn’t, but don’t worry about it because it’s not possible anyhow. Your heart will begin racing, and you will be pumped with adrenaline. Not to mention the fact that you have three people watching you. You’ll be ready to perform, because there is no other choice. This is more weight than you’ve ever lifted in your life, so you will get psyched up for the big challenge. As mentioned earlier, some people call negatives ego boosters. They are partially correct. It does feel good to load the bar with the heavy poundage. Whipping out a few reps will definitely give you confidence when it’s time to max out for real. The only difference will be you’ve felt heavier.

4. Letting It Down Slow

Still not convinced? Let me pull out the textbook for you. The eccentric phase is the opposite of the contraction. For the bench press it is the lowering of the weight. Many bodybuilders treat this phase as an after thought, which they shouldn’t because it is very important. Research confirms that the eccentric component of a lift may be more important than the concentric phase for promoting muscle growth. One study showed that, when compared to normal weight training, concentric-only training required twice as many repetitions to produce similar results. With normal weight training, during an eccentric contraction (negative) you lower the same weight with fewer muscle fibers, and that means that each fiber involved has to sustain greater force.

5. Get The Last Laugh

We all know variety is important as well. If you haven’t done heavy negatives before than give them a try. It may be just what your muscles are screaming for. If you get funny looks at the gym, don’t worry about it. You’re not there to impress anybody; you’re there to get stronger. The only person you have to look at in the mirror is yourself. The weights will always weigh the same so you can’t compete with them. You may want to practice negatives with lighter weight before you jump right into this. Round up a couple buddies and show them why heavy negatives are positively a good idea.

Mike Westerdal is the President of Critical Bench, Inc. He earned his BS from Central CT State University and holds certification as a personal trainer with the American Council on Exercise. Westerdal also has experience coaching and playing professional football. His articles are published throughout the Web and in numerous weight lifting magazines including Monster Muscle. His best RAW bench press is currently 450 lbs. He is the author of the Critical Bench Program which can be found at http://www.criticalbench.com/program.htm

6 Simple Steps To LifeLong Weight Loss

If You are sick of losing the same weight over and over, and feeling like a failure because your last “diet” didn’t work, try these tips to not only lose weight, but lose it for good. I have watched hundreds of clients over the years and almost without exception, those that lose their weight once and for all have these six basic habits as a part of their lives.

1. Keep a food diary

For at least five days and up to a week, keep a pen and paper handy and write down everything you eat, how much, where and when you ate it and who you ate with. try to write it down as you eat it. Most people find that when they try to remember everything at the end of the day, they leave something out. I have also had clients tell me that they didn’t eat something because they knew they were going to have to write it down. Be completely honest with yourself. You don?t need to show anyone the results, but most will be very surprised by them. Particular environments and people can often trigger certain eating behaviors that are redily apparent when you use a food log. free fitness journal/food log.

2. Don?t eat too little

Very low calorie diets will, in the short term, help you lose weight but they?re extremely difficult to maintain. You?ll gradually become tired and irritable, lack the energy to exercise, and people won?t want to eat with you because the long list of ?taboo? foods renders restaurant menus, and even family meals at home, unsuitable for your overly strict diet. For a more detailed description of the effects of low calorie diets click here.

3. Neither feast nor fast – They weren’t kidding when they said “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” Studies show that those who skip the first meal, end up eating more total calories throughout the day and tend to make less healthy choices. Try to eat at least 3 meals a day. Optimally you should spread your calories throughout 6 small meals per day. This will keep your metabolism bustling and yuor blood sugar level even to help avoid binging.

4. Freshness Counts – The packaging and processing generally found in “convenience” foods generally reduce the nutrient values of foods and substantially raise the caloric content. The American Dietetic Association recommends at least 3 – 5 servings from the fruit and vegetable group per day. no time to prepare “home made meals? Try preparing in bulk on the week ends to make healthy choices readily available. Cut up a large bowl of fresh fruit, (1c = 1 serving) or pre make a large bowl of salad or cut up veggies. I usually prepare a weeks worth of chicken or pork so i can quickly re heat it and add it to any recipe.

5. Hydrate your way to quicker weight loss

Drink water ahead of coffee, tea, or soft drinks. Including the ?hidden? water we consume in food, we need 64 oz. per day. More is recommended to counteract the dehydration caused by caffeinated beverages and intense exercise or excessive heat.

How much do we need to drink? In general you should be drinking enough water per day so that your urine is nearly clear.

6. Eat less, exercise more

The great thing about food diaries is they show you much where you can cut the number of “extra” (calories). Many people eat out of habit when they are not even hungry. you may also need to make dietary changes if you begin or increase the intensity of a fitness program.

I know, you are going to say, “I don’t have time because …(insert your favorite excuse here) Ask yourself this…”how much more energy will I have when I am not carrying around this extra _____ pounds? How many more things will I enjoy and feel god while doing when I am in a fit healthy body? Is it worth a few minutes a day to incorporate these simple habits into your day?

Copyright ? Custom Bodies, Inc. 2005

About The Author

Article written by Dianne Villano, President of Custom Bodies in Tampa Bay, Fl. Custom Bodies has been serving the bay area since 1996 with weight loss & fitness programs. Dianne is a personal fitness instructor certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a frequent speaker on health and fitness related topics with articles published in over 20 media outlets. For more articles, fitness tips or information on getting the body you want visit http://www.mypersonalfitnesscoach.com

Personal Hygiene Is The Maintenance Of Healthy Practices

Hygiene ? is a science of preserving and promoting the health of both the individual and the community. It has many aspects: personal hygiene (proper living habits, cleanliness of body and clothing, healthful diet, a balanced regimen of rest and exercise); domestic hygiene (sanitary preparation of food, cleanliness, and ventilation of the home); public hygiene (supervision of water and food supply, containment of communicable disease, disposal of garbage and sewage, control of air and water pollution); industrial hygiene (measures that minimize occupational disease and accident); and mental hygiene (recognition of mental and emotional factors in healthful living). The World Health Organization promotes hygienic practices on an international level.

We will talk about personal hygiene which is very important for men’s health.
Good personal hygiene is an aid to health, beauty, comfort, and social interactions. It directly aids in disease prevention and/or disease isolation. (That is, good personal hygiene will help keep one healthy and thus avoid illness. If one is ill, good hygiene can reduce one’s contagiousness to others, for instance, in one family.)
Washing (with water) is the most common example of hygienic behavior. Washing is often done with soap or detergent which helps to remove oils and to break up dirt particles so they may be washed away.
Personal hygienic practice, such as frequent body washing, has a profound impact on reducing the spread of disease. This is because it kills or removes disease-causing microbes (germs) in the immediate surroundings. For instance, washing hands after using the toilet and before handling food reduces the chance of spreading E. coli bacteria and Hepatitis A, both of which are spread from fecal contamination of food.

Maintaining personal hygiene enhances an individual?s physical and emotional well-being. Therefore, using bidet leads to better personal hygiene and can provide therapeutic benefits to sensitive genital and rectal areas.

Who uses bidet and why?

? The bidet can and is be used by both men and women. Bidets offer the user a hands-free and supposedly superior water wash in place of the wiping and occasionally irritating action of toilet paper. An invaluable aid to person hygiene, the bidet is gaining popularity among senior citizens, the disabled and those with impaired motor functions or incontinence.

? Bidets are also used for sitz baths. A sitz bath (also called a hip bath) is a type of bath in which only the hips and buttocks are soaked in water or saline solution. Its name comes from the German verb ?sitzen?, meaning to sit.

? A sitz bath is used for patients who have had surgery in the area of the rectum, or to ease the pain of hemorrhoids, uterine cramps, prostate infections, painful ovaries, and/or testicles. It is also used to ease discomfort from infections of the bladder, prostate, or vagina. Inflammatory bowel diseases are also treated with sitz baths.
Bidets are principally used to wash and clean the external genitalia and the anus, as well as the skin near these areas. They may also be used to clean any other part of the body; they are convenient for cleaning the feet for example. Despite appearing similar to a toilet, it would be more accurate to compare it to the washbasin or bathtub. In fact, the bidet makes an excellent baby bath. Anyone who has mobility problems and finds it difficult to get into a bathtub, or is afraid of slipping in the shower, may find a bidet an excellent solution for maintaining personal hygiene.

Bidets are made in several different designs. The classic one has a faucet, which pours water into a china basin. The basin can be plugged and filled if necessary, or the water can be allowed to drain away. Modern bidets, as a Bidan, have a nozzle that propels an arc of water up into the air. This jet of water is angled to connect directly with the genital area. Some models, like Bidan Turbo, have a warm air jet to dry the body instead of using a toilet paper. It is strongly recommended for hemorrhoid sufferers. The newest is travel bidet (or bidanit), which is suitable for people-on-the-go.
Additionally, there are special bidet seats for disabled people: electronic and pneumatic. The electronic bidan (or bidet) activates by remote control and the pneumatic one by pneumatic pads enabling the disabled to operate it independently and efficiently while retaining privacy.

Popularity
Bidets are common bathroom fixtures in some European countries (especially France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal), Latin America (especially Argentina found in approximately 90% of households), the Middle East and some parts of Asia. They may be installed both in private homes and hotels. In Japan, bidets are so common that they are often present in public toilet facilities.

The bidet is not normally used for cleaning the anus after defecation (which is done with toilet paper), but for optional supplementary washing, or for daily personal hygiene.

History
A bidet has allowed men and women since possibly the Crusades (11th to the 13th centuries) to wash feet, hair, beards, genitals and perineum. The bather usually rides it like a pony; pony is what the word meant in the French of 400 or so years ago. This odd etymology exists because early bidets were normally on a stand, which the user would straddle, not unlike mounting a horse.

The bidet appears to have been an invention of French furniture makers in the late 17th or early 18th century, although no exact date or inventor is known. The earliest written reference to the bidet is in 1710.

By 1900, thanks to the plumbing improvements of the Victorian era, the bidet (and chamber pot) moved from the bedroom to the bathroom.

1960 saw the introduction of the electronic bidet (bidan), an attachment that connects on to existing toilet arrangements – ideal for bathrooms lacking the space for both a separate bidet and toilet.

More historic facts:

? In 1750, the bidet ? seringue appeared. It provided an upward spray through the use of a hand-pump fed by a reservoir.

? Until the 1900’s the bidet was confined to the bedroom, along with the chamber pot (a bucket that served as a toilet.)

? Modern plumbing brought the bidet into the bathroom and W.C. Where it sits on a basin instead of a regular toilet seat.

In conclusion, the bidet was developed for personal hygiene maintenance to limit the spread of infection and help prevent urinary tract infections. It gives a pleasant ?looked after? feeling and should be used by all family members.

Do you have any questions?

Please, contact:
uzanr@bezeqint.net
Sergei Tereschenko

Experienced, versatile freelance writer. Strong research skills, clear and concise writing, compassionate journalism.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints that gradually reduces and disables joint movements. It is also known to affect an individual symmetrically. For instance, pain and inflammation of knee joints will appear together in the left and right leg.

A human body is a very complicated system. It is made up of very small functional units called as cells. Theses cells organize into various body parts to perform various activities, whether it is the joints in the hands or the blood circulation. They are also involved in the human immune system. The blood maintains the immune system of the body through its white blood cells, which are anti-bodies. They function towards fighting the foreign bodies or ?invaders? that cause infection in the human body. Sometimes the antibodies, known for its immune services, ?mistakenly? attack the ?good tissues? in the body. The body reacts to the condition and as a defense mechanism causes the attacked area to inflame. One such chronic, autoimmune disease is the rheumatoid arthritis. It is a severe form of ailment caused by the inflammation of the joints or where two bones meet.

While in a normal case of arthritis the patient complains of just inflammation of joints, rheumatoid arthritis damages and deforms the joint, disabling its functions, especially its ability to move. RA leaves the inflamed joints swollen, stiff, and painful. In severe cases of RA, the soft tissues holding the muscle to bone, the tendons, ligaments, and fascia become affected. RA, in fact, damages the cartilages or the soft, flexible tissues causing movement of the bones, too. Rheumatoid arthritis can even extend to organs such as the spleen and liver in the body if deprived of proper health treatment. At such a stage, a person will face other problems such as low blood count, weight loss, fever, and dryness in the eyes and mouth.

RA begins with inflammation of joints, mainly the inner lining known as the synovial tissue. Synovial tissues are the case that holds the bones in the joint. The case contains synovial fluid, which greases the cartilages in between to help smooth movement. When the anti-bodies attack the synovial tissues, the area inflames and the joints develop pain, swell, and become rigid. Gradually, the synovial lining thickens. As the condition deteriorates, it releases fluids or enzymes that destroy cartilages and bones, reducing flexibility and leaving the joints deformed. Over a period of time, it becomes difficult to move that joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis can affect anyone, at any age, although, it is found more commonly in women than men. Another point to be noted is that the cause of RA need not always be genetic factors. This disease, to date, is not known to have a permanent cure. In some cases of RA, the disease remains dormant for a long period and attacks again. This is also known as a flare-up. Medical treatment, along with proper diet and exercise regime, would definitely help one to cope with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis provides detailed information on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments and more. Rheumatoid Arthritis is affiliated with Arthritis Pain.

The Healthy Way to Lose Weight

Confused by all the diets on the market today? The best advice I can give you is to eat healthy food for weight loss. Fad or crash diets do not work and are not healthy. In fact, they can slow your metabolism and cause further weight gain. The best way to lose weight is to eat the right foods. A good starting place for a balanced diet is the USDA Food Pyramid. Everyone is different so you will need to find the right balance according to your individual needs.

Be sure to include a variety of colors in your diet – red, orange, yellow, green, etc. This way you will be getting the most nutritional value and health benefits from your diet.

One of the best vegetables you can eat is the sweet potato. It is a great source of fiber and loaded with vitamins. Red peppers are another very healthy vegetable – much healthier than green peppers.
Berries are another great food. Blueberries and blackberries are very high in antioxidants. So be sure to eat a variety of berries.

Green tea is a great beverage. It has many health benefits and is high in antioxidants. It can also help increase metabolism and aid in weight loss.

Protein drinks are great as a meal replacement when you are trying to lose weight. Be sure to choose one that is high in protein and vitamins but is low in fat and sugars.

Watch out for extra calories hidden in things like salad dressing, butter, gravy, sauces and condiments. One of the biggest weight loss pitfalls is the fat and calories contained in these items.

In addition to eating healthy food for weight loss, portion control is key. Pay close attention to labels and the size of a serving. The bottom line for weight loss is you have to burn more calories than you consume. You should achieve this with a combination of consuming less calories and increasing your activity so you burn more calories.

It is better to eat 5 or 6 times a day and have small portions than to eat larger portions 2 or 3 times a day. Eating more frequently will help control cravings and blood sugar levels. It also keeps you from feeling so hungry. Eating 5 or 6 times a day will also help to increase your metabolism so you will burn more calories.

In addition to stepping on the scale, you should also take measurements. This is a more accurate indication of whether or not you are losing. You could be burning fat and losing inches but, because you are gaining muscle, the pounds are not changing. So keep track of the inches you are losing and don?t be as concerned about the scale.

Even though eating healthy food for weight loss is very important, don?t feel like you have to give up the foods you love. The key is everything in moderation. If you have a favorite dessert, go ahead and indulge once in a while. I usually try to increase exercise to work off the extra calories if I have a treat. The worst thing you can do is deprive yourself. That will only lead to resentment and failure. You have to look at the diet as a lifestyle change, not a temporary thing. So don?t cut out foods you love, just keep them in moderation.

Vitamins and supplements compliment eating healthy food for weight loss. It is hard to get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs in your daily food intake. There are also many herbal supplements that can assist in weight loss such as increasing energy and metabolism so that you burn more calories. You should, of course, consult with your physician regarding your personal needs.

Sue McQueen is a health and wellness consultant. She helps clients achieve optimal wellness through personal programs based on each individual’s needs. For more information, visit http://www.personal-health-beauty-consultant.com