When Diet Becomes Obsession

In society it’s looked down upon to weigh certain amounts. Whether you’re too “fat” or too “thin”, it’s easy to feel bad about yourself and feel the need to do something about it. Because of this, certain people may take dieting too far and put themselves in danger. Here are a few ways to get yourself healthy, without overdoing it.

Don’t Over-Manage: It can be easy to get too caught up in counting calories. Don’t focus so much on the actual number of calories, of the specific serving size. It’s okay to have some chips as a snack, but instead of reading the label and saying “Okay, I can have 7…” grab yourself a handful, put them on a napkin, and put the bag away. This way you can enjoy a good amount, keep yourself from eating more than that, but also keep yourself from obsessing over the calories. If you obsess over calories, it will soon become impossible to enjoy food. Instead, you’ll just worry about it.

Exercise: While exercise is great for your body, some people may over-exercise. If you exercise too much, you could make yourself too thin or much worse. Instead of exercising at a high level, try exercising for shorter periods of time. 20 minutes should be enough time to keep your body working, without over exerting yourself. If you feel like this isn’t enough, try exercising at a high level, but for fewer days of the week. If you are a body builder, obviously this isn’t enough. But if you’re just trying to lose a bit of weight, or maintain your weight, this could be right for you.

Weighing: Do NOT weigh yourself constantly. This is a dangerous habit that many people can fall into. Weighing yourself once a day can be bad for some people that are extremely concerned with their weight, but a lot of people can weigh themselves over and over again during the course of a day. If this happens, it can be very easy to fall into some sort of eating disorder. Your weight in the morning is your true weight, and if you check it frequently during the day, you’ll just be confusing yourself.

Don’t feel the need to be stick thin. Having some meat on your bones looks healthier and much more attractive, so try to keep yourself at a healthy weight. If you find yourself falling into bad habits, try to break them. You may save yourself a lot of trouble, and your health.

Hair Loss Might Be A Diet Issue

While it is normal for us to shed between 40 and 100 hair strands a day, if you are starting to find that there are days when you are losing more than a few strands, you may want to take a good look at your diet.

Hair loss can be the result of many things. As we age, our hair can get thinner and stress, anxiety, hormonal issues, and even the medications we take can cause irregular hair loss. But for a large number of folks that are experiencing unexplained hair loss, the regular diet of individuals may be the key and can bring on the potential for a reversal once the problem is addressed.

Let’s take a look at some of the dietary factors that can affect hair growth.

Not Enough Protein
When you are on a protein-free diet or perhaps you are a vegetarian, you may experience bouts of hair loss because when the body is lacking protein, it will cause the growth of hair to go into a resting phase. After a few months, there can be a large amount of shedding that occurs. Eating better proteins, such as soy protein, can stimulate the growth of hair and in most cases, hair loss is reversible. You can also get protein from eating low-fat cheeses, beans, yogurt, and fish.

Missing Zinc
If your body is not getting enough zinc, you may find frequent loss of hair. Zinc deficiencies can lead to a lot of shedding because your hair shaft is weakened and it allows for easier breakage and prevention of new hair growth. Zinc helps with cell reproduction and affects the oil secretion glands that are attached to the follicles in your hair. If you need to replenish zinc in your diet, you will find a variety of supplements that are for sale in retail outlets. There are even zinc supplements that are advertised to helping hair loss. Take only the recommended dosages because too much zinc can cause hair loss since it can disrupt the absorption of other mineral your hair needs to remain healthy.

B-Vitamin Deficiencies
If you are not getting enough B vitamins in your diet, you may want to start eating more eggs and liver. Biotin in one example of a B vitamin that is required for new hair growth. It is also a crucial part of healthy nails and skin. You can also find biotin supplements to take to help improve new hair growth.

Need Iron
Iron deficiencies are more common in women than in men. Menopausal women are very likely to have iron deficiencies that lead to hair loss due to pregnancy and their regular menstrual cycle. Eating iron-rich foods like bean, spinach, raisins, and lean beef can help keep adequate supplies of iron in your daily diet. Too much iron however can cause hair loss as well as organ damage to the liver, the heart, and the pancreas.

Silica Deficiencies
Silica relates to collagen in the body and is found in hair, nails, and the muscles of the body. If you have a silica deficiency, you may notice that you are particularly sensitive to cold, even when it’s hot outside. Silica deficiencies can also lead to wrinkles, poor bone development, brittle nails, and hair loss. If you have a silica deficiency, you can supplement your diet with red peppers, potato skins, almonds, peanuts, onions, cabbage, carrots, and fish. There are even silica shampoos that are sold to prevent baldness and stimulate new hair growth.

Diets in General
If you have taken to using “crash diets” to control your weight, a side effect of these kinds of unhealthy diets is the body’s inability to regenerate new cells, resulting in unhealthy hair that breaks and falls out. Your body needs calories each day to be healthy. Crash diets prevent you from getting adequate nutrition and calories that can lead to hair loss but also to other more severe health effects.

When Does PMS Start?

There are several different estimates regarding how many women are affected by premenstrual syndrome (PMS).  The numbers vary from as little as twenty percent up to seventy-five percent of all menstruating women experience some PMS symptoms or difficulties.  Most women affected by PMS report symptoms starting anytime after ovulation.  Ovulation occurs approximately two week before the start of your period.  During this time women experiencing this condition may notice a combination of physical and emotional changes that disappear shortly after the onset of menstruation.

Symptoms of PMS
There are many symptoms which may appear during PMS which range in intensity for each individual.  Some women are only mildly affected while others find the symptoms interfere with their daily life.  Here are a few of the physical and emotional symptoms that are associated with PMS.

• Pain in the joints or muscles
• Fatigue
• Bloating or weight gain due to fluid retention
• Sore and/or tender breasts
• Acne or skin blemishes
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Insomnia
• Inability to focus or concentrate
• Mood swings (easy to anger, irritate or sadden)
• Anxiety and/or tension
• Depression
• Changes in appetite/Food cravings (sweets and salty)
• Uncontrolled crying
• Forgetfulness

These are just a few of the more than 100 symptoms that can be associated with PMS.  The number of symptoms and varying degree that each affect certain women make it difficult to actually clarify this condition as a disease.  While the majority of women suffer from PMS symptoms at some point in their life, there is a smaller percentage of women (5%) that suffer severe symptoms that are present for several days, month after month.  Women who suffer from severe disabling symptoms each month should discuss the situation with their doctor to rule out other underlying physical or psychological problems which might be intensified due changes occurring in the body prior to the onset of menstruation.

Treatments and Lifestyle Changes
Women who experience severe symptoms may find relief through various treatments some of which are prescribed by their doctor such as antidepressants and oral contraceptives.  Over-the-counter medicines ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) can relieve pain from cramping or sore and tender breasts.  Making small lifestyle changes at home can also reduce or even eliminate many PMS symptoms.  Modifying your diet, exercising daily and reducing stress will not only help ease the pain and discomfort associated with PMS but also help you feel better throughout the month.

How to Perform CPR

Performing CPR (cardiopulmonar resuscitation) should be done by people who have been trained to do so – but since emergencies don’t wait for training, at least brushing up on these step by step instructions will help you prepare in the event you need to know how to perform CPR.  If you would like to obtain training and CPR certification, try visiting  http://www.cprtoday.com/ for online certification, or contact your local American Red Cross for their certification classes. The steps of CPR are slightly different for infants and children than they are for adults.  The following are the steps to performing CPR on adults:

Step One: Make sure you are not in danger.  It’s great to be prepared to rescue a victim, but take a look at your surroundings to ensure you will not become a victim yourself before beginning.

Step Two: Try to wake the victim.  Call 911.  If the victim moves, moans, or shows signs of breathing, you do not need to perform CPR.

Step Three: Check to see if victim is breathing. Tilt the victims head back carefully and place your ear near the victims mouth to feel and listen for breathing. While doing so, look at the chest to see if any movement occurs from breathing.  If the victim is breathing, you do not need to perform CPR.

Step Four: If there is no breathing, start rescue breathing.  Make sure the victim’s airway is open by tilting the head back.  Pinch the victim’s nose, make a seal over the victim’s mouth with your mouth (or use a CPR mask if you have one) and blow a breath into the victims mouth to see the chest rise.  When the chest falls, repeat the rescue breath again.

Step Five: Begin chest compressions by placing the heel of your hand on the middle of the victim’s chest, and lace the fingers of your other hand with it by putting your other hand overtop your first hand.  Push down on the chest about 1.5 to 2 inches and allow the chest to completely come back up before giving another compression.  Give 30 compressions, counting “one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand” to make sure you are doing them at the right rate.

Step Six: Repeat rescue breathing for two breaths, re-tilt the head to open airway and immediately give the first breath without first checking for breathing.  When the chest rises and returns to it’s normal position, give the second breath.

Step Seven: Repeat chest compressions and give 30 compressions.

Step Eight:  Repeat rescue breathing and chest compression steps for about two minutes or until emergency help arrives.

Step Nine: After two minutes, tilt the victims head back again and place ear near mouth to check for breathing. Look for the rise and fall of chest.  If the victim is breathing, do not continue CPR.  If the victim is still not breathing, continue CPR with rescue breaths and chest compressions until help arrives.

Understanding Oral Cancer

Oral cancer occurs when parts of the mouth and surrounding tissue become affected by cancerous cells.  As with all other forms of cancer, oral cancer begins with the uncontrollable growth of cells that damage and invade the tissue surrounding these cells.  Oral cancer can be found in the mouth (lips, tongue, gums, cheeks) or sinuses, palate and throat regions.  It is the largest group on cancers that fall within the head and neck category.

Common Causes of Oral Cancer.
The main cause of oral cancer is not surprisingly the use of tobacco.  Ninety percent of people diagnosed with oral cancer have used some form of tobacco such as cigarettes, pipes, snuff, chewing tobacco or cigars.  The next leading cause is the use of alcohol.  Other causes may include leukoplakia, erythroplakia (characterized by patches the develop in the mouth or throat) and exposure to the sun.  In some cases oral cancer may be caused by a virus such as HPV or fungi.

Symptoms of Oral Cancer.
It is important to remember when looking at symptoms that each individual case is different.  Some individuals see no symptoms while others have just a few.  Other patients may have all of the symptoms. As with other disease or illness, it is important to see a physician if you have concerns over any of the following common symptoms as they may be signs of oral cancer or another condition all together.
•    Patches on the gums, tongue or lining of the mouth (usually red or white in color).
•    Sores around the lips or mouth that do not heal.
•    Any lumps found around the mouth, lips or throat (or even neck).
•    Swelling of the jaw.
•    Chronic sore throat.
•    Difficulty or painful swallowing or chewing.
•    Bleeding in the mouth.
•    Earache
•    Loose teeth or difficulty wearing dentures

Who Gets Oral Cancer?
There are certain risk factors that increase a person’s chance of getting oral cancer.  They include use of tobacco and/or alcohol, exposure to the sun (lip cancer), HPV (human papillomavirus), and anyone with a suppressed immune system.  These are risk factors–meaning some people may develop oral cancer while others will not.  Over a quarter of the people diagnosed with oral cancer do not smoke or drink regularly.  Historically this cancer has affected people over the age of 40 and is found in men two times more often than women.

Diagnosis and Prognosis.
Your dentist can conduct an oral cancer screening as part of your routine dental visit.  Unfortunately in many cases either due to lack of routine oral exams or other conditions this type of cancer is often not diagnosed until it has progressed to a dangerous level.  If this cancer travels to your lymph system you are now looking at a cancer that will spread to other parts of your body.  If you have any questions about symptoms or other concerns, it is important to contact your doctor or dentist right away.  The survival rate increases the sooner the cancer is diagnosed and treated.

For more information about oral cancer, please visit the Oral Cancer Foundation or National Cancer Institute.

Skin Cancer

Skin is our largest organ and one that is not immune to developing cancerous cells.  Skin cancer develops when damaged cells start growing and dividing uncontrollably in the skin.  This form of cancer is the most prevalent with more than one million cases in the United States diagnosed each year.  Here we will cover some of the commonly asked questions about skin cancer.

What Are The Different Forms of Skin Cancer?
There are different types of skin cancer with three forms accounting for almost all of the diagnosed cases.  They are:

•    Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)-  Accounting for nearly 80% of skin cancer, BCC develops in the basal cells which are located in the lowest layer of the epidermis.  It is commonly found on areas of the body regularly exposed to the sun such as your face, head and upper body.  Signs of BCC include skin that appears as a sore that repeatedly heals and re-opens, a slightly elevated pink growth, patch of irritated skin that is red in color and/or shiny translucent skin.  This type of cancer does not commonly spread but should be treated to protect surrounding tissue.

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When Steroids and Bodybuilding Go Wrong

Bodybuilding and steroid use have been linked since the early 60′s when many competitive bodybuilders were using them to be more competitive and achieve more success in the sport. However, many took too many extreme measures and have ultimately paid a price with their health by using steroids.

Why Use Them?

Steroid use and bodybuilding became a popular combination because of the ability for the drugs to improve the size of one’s muscle mass, build their endurance and their strength, and create muscle hardness. These effects were possible because anabolic steroids were able to copy the functioning of testosterone, which naturally aids the body in muscle growth.

Why To Not Use Them

While many may feel that using steroids is not particularly harmful and give them a more competitive edge, the reality is that steroids can have very serious consequences, including fatal ones. While death by steroid cases may not be as common as other side effects, it can happen. The side effects from steroid use can be debilitating and life altering and severely affect your health negatively.
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Prevent Type 2 Diabetes With Diet and Exercise

One of the best way to prevent and deal with Type 2 diabetes is with dieting and exercising. Type 2 diabetes, sometimes called adult-onset diabetes, is experiencing rapid growth in the United States. About 20 years ago, it was thought that teenagers and young adults were immune to Type 2 diabetes, but even this group of people are experiencing the disease.  Why the sudden increase in the number of Type 2 diabetes cases?  The national lifestyle, from our diets, reduced activity levels to increased waistlines are all playing a large role in contributing to the increase of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a serious problem.  The disease kills more Americans per year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
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Preventing Skin Cancer – Promoting Healthy Skin

Preventing skin cancer is not hard to do. Recent research shows that despite all of the warnings and information about skin cancer,  only one-third of people will consistently protect their skin with proper sunscreen. Those statistics make it understandable that one in every 5 Americans will develop the disease. The most serious of skin cancer, known as melanoma, has seen cases double over the last 30 years for women under 40.

Taking care of your skin should be part of your daily health care regimen so here are some easy tips to remember when you are protecting your skin and your overall health:

Always Use Sunscreen Protection
Many individuals make the mistake of only requiring sunscreen for themselves and their family during the summer months. The reality is that the dangerous UVB rays that burn your skin are present during any time of the year, even on cloudy or snowy days. Use sunscreen lotion on all exposed skin. Don’t forget your lips!

Apply Before You Leave the House
If you are planning to go outside for any amount of time, apply the lotion at least a half an hour before going outside. These minutes will give the lotion’s active ingredients time to work effectively.
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Dirty Dining – At Restaurants

There are some things we all should know and learn about dirty dining. In light of the latest news coming out of North Carolina where two Domino’s employees who contaminated the food in a local chain restaurant and then placed a video of their actions on You Tube (both were subsequently fired, with charges pending), there is a reminder that there certainly can be a risk to your health when dining out at your local restaurants. While most dining establishments keep it clean and above health standards, there are still some that do not practice as much cleanliness and safety as they should. What does that mean for your health?

While the restaurant at which you are dining ultimately has a responsibility to provide you quality service and safe food, you too are responsible to pick up on the red flags that may signal the environment is not good for your health. There are many kinds of foods that can make you sick. Foods that are undercooked, stored improperly, or served in unclean dishes, can cause you to ingest dangerous bacteria or virus that can lead to serious illness and food poisoning.
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