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Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

When it comes to the weight loss topic, there is no shortage of advice. Thousands of websites are there. Check any magazine rack or bookstore, search internet and you are bound to discover that latest and greatest cure for being overweight.

Some even work — for a while. Unfortunately, people often find diets hard to sustain, in part because they tire of avoiding certain foods, loading up on others, or feeling deprived and hungry. And their diet is often temporary, something to endure for a while before returning to former ways. As a result, any lost pounds come right back once the diet stops.

Here is a summary of six common weight-loss strategies, and the questions to ask yourself to determine if any of them will help you make the lifestyle changes required to maintain a healthy weight.

Low-fat diets

Cutting down on high-fat foods can help you cut down on your daily calories and thus help you lose weight. So why do not low-fat diets always work? Even a low-fat diet can lead to weight gain when people ignore the total amount of calories they are eating and regularly exceed their daily calorie goals. Too many calories from any source, low-fat foods included, can add pounds.

Low-carb diets

Followers of these eating plans believe that a decrease in carbs results in lower insulin levels, which causes the body to burn stored fat for energy. Initially, when you follow a low-carb diet you may lose more weight than if you followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet. However, this advantage slowly decreases after the first six months. After one year, the amount of weight loss is about the same between the two diets.

A low-carb diet does not appear to be any easier to maintain than are other diets. Studies comparing low-carb diets and low-fat diets have found that after a year, people drop out of both diets at similar rates. This suggests that the low-carb diet, like so many diets, is no easier to stick to long term. Well-known low-carb diets include the Atkins diet, Zone diet and Protein Power.

Glycemic-index diets

The glycemic index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on their effects on blood sugar. Similar to the theory behind low-carb diets, most low-glycemic-index diets claim that lowering blood sugar levels leads to weight loss. You may have difficulty following a diet that emphasises only foods with a low-glycemic-index ranking. Many factors other than food influence your blood sugar level, including your age and weight, the type of food preparation, and the portion size. The South Beach diet is an example of a low-glycemic-index diet.

Meal replacements

Some meals provide less calories, but are nutritionally complete. You replace one or two meals a day, such as breakfast and lunch, with a low-calorie shake or meal bar. Then you eat a healthy third meal, between 600 and 700 calories, of your own choosing. Meal replacements — if used as directed — can be as effective as other weight-loss diets.

Meal providers

Some people have a difficult time knowing what they are supposed to eat. Busy schedules leave little time for meal preparation. In such cases, relying on ready-made meals eaten at home may deserve consideration. These services can be expensive.

Group approaches

You do not have to lose weight alone. Group programmes can support your efforts, giving you eating plans, exercise recommendations and support from others on the same dietary path. After joining, expect regular weigh-ins, group meetings and activity sessions.

Does the plan fit your needs?

How do you know if a weight-loss plan fits your needs and lifestyle? Ask yourself these questions. Does the programme:

* Include various foods from the major food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains (particularly whole grains), low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, beans and other legumes), nuts and seeds?

* Include foods you like and that you would enjoy eating for a lifetime — not just for several weeks or months?

* Feature foods you can easily find in your local grocery store?

* Allow you to eat your favorite foods, or better yet, all foods?

* Fit your lifestyle and budget?

* Include proper amounts of nutrients and calories to help you lose weight safely and effectively?

* Encourage regular physical activity?

If you answer no to any of these questions, the weight-loss programme is not right for you, as you probably will not stay with it. Successful weight loss requires permanent changes to your eating and physical activity habits. This means you need to find a weight-loss strategy that you can embrace for life. The key is to search for a path that gives you offers an opening to finding comfort in life.

Almost everyone sweats as a normal reaction to stress such as heat, exercise, emotional factors. However, some people sweat excessively at armpits, on the hands or feet, causing severe social and psychological embarrassment. These people suffer from a condition known as primary focal hyperhidrosis. It affects one in twenty people worldwide. Some people are so embarrassed by this condition that they never seek help from their medical doctors.

Hyperhidrosis can either be generalised or localised to specific parts of the body. Hands, feet, axillae and the groin area are among the most active regions of perspiration due to the relatively high concentration of sweat glands; however, any part of the body may be affected. Primary hyperhidrosis is found to start during adolescence or even before.

Excessive sweating impedes the performance of many routine activities. Things like driving, taking tests and simply grasping objects are severely hampered by sweaty hands.

Some hyperhidrosis sufferers feel they have to avoid situations where they will come into physical contact with others. Interviews, a common source of anxiety for many people, are particularly distressing for hyperhidrosis patients. Most often, it is the handshake before and after the interview that they will be stressing most about. Hiding embarrassing sweat spots under the armpits limits the sufferers arm movements and pretense. In severe cases, shirts must be changed several times during the day.

Many careers present challenges for hyperhidrosis sufferers; cooks and chefs, doctors and people working with computers can be affected by the social aspect of their condition. The risk of de-hydration can limit the ability of sufferers to function in extremely hot conditions without reasonable access to a source of hydration as well as cause a risk of mineral and salt imbalance from excessive sweating.

Many cases of excessive sweating can be controlled by applying products such as Drysol (20 percent aluminum chloride in alcohol) on your armpits and wrapping plastic wrap over them before you go to sleep If your armpits itch or burn, remove the plastic and wash the area with soap and water. This process reduces sweating for six to eight days. You can repeat the procedure when you start to sweat heavily again. Most antiperspirants contain aluminum, which is safe for external use.

In 1998, Dr Walter Shelley of the Medical College of Ohio developed a breakthrough treatment for severe hand sweating when he injected botulinum toxin (Botox) into patients’ palms. The patients stopped sweating on their palms for 4 to 12 months.

Another possible treatment for sweaty hands is a device called Drionic, where you place your hands on a special wet pad and have a weak current run through your hands. Scopolamine can also help to prevent sweating, but it can make you dizzy so you must take it in very low doses. Propanthelin 15 mg pills will reduce sweating for a few hours, but it can also make you feel dizzy.

Many people sweat profusely because they are nervous about appearing before an audience. A propanolol pill taken one half hour before public speaking or any other high-pressure event can prevent the sweating, shaking and other effects of stage fright. Propanolol is a beta blocker commonly used to control blood pressure; it is a safe and very effective way to get rid of even the worst stage fright. Check with your doctor.

A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables — already known to protect against heart disease — also appears to help ward off diabetes, Spanish researchers said recently.

The study published in the British Medical Journal showed that people who stuck closely to the diet were 83 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not.

The World Health Organisation estimates more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes — a number likely to more than double by 2030 as more nations adopt a Western lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 percent of all cases and is closely linked to obesity and heart disease. The condition accounts for an estimated 6 percent of all global deaths.

For their study the Spanish researchers recruited 13,000 former students at the university with an average age of 38 who had no history of diabetes. They tracked their dietary habits and health over an average four years.

The volunteers also initially completed a food frequency questionnaire to measure the kinds of food they ate. The list included questions on the use of fats and oils, cooking methods and dietary supplements.

People who strictly adhered to a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, and low in red meat, dairy products and alcohol had lower odds of diabetes.
Only about 40 people in the study developed diabetes but Martinez-Gonzalez added in a telephone interview that further study is needed to confirm the diet’s protective effects.

But the fact that the protection appeared to extend to older people, smokers and volunteers with a family history of diabetes — a group all the more prone to the disease — shows the diet works, Martinez-Gonzalez said.

These higher risk participants with better adherence to the diet, however, had a lower risk of diabetes, suggesting that the diet might have a substantial potential for prevention.

Source: British Medical Journal

During the first 30 years of life, our bodies undergo constant bone formation and bone loss (also known as bone resorption). However, around age 30, more bone loss begins to take place than does bone formation. This unfortunate cycle continues as we age, and when bone loss becomes quite severe, it is known as osteoporosis.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, low bone mass and osteoporosis are major public health threats for nearly 55 percent of the U.S. population age 50 and older. One out of every two women and one in four men older than 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in his or her lifetime.

What are some symptoms of osteoporosis?

Because osteoporosis causes bones to become brittle and weak, a broken bone is often the first sign of the disease. Other signs are curvature of the spine, and loss of height. Osteoporosis is often referred to as a “silent disease” because many may be completely unaware that their bone health is in jeopardy.

What role does estrogen play in the development of osteoporosis?

When a woman enters into menopause, the ovaries stop producing estrogen. The decrease in estrogen levels leads to an increase in bone loss that can result in osteoporosis.

Why is osteoporosis so dangerous for aging people and can it be treated or prevented?

Osteoporosis can affect males and females of all ages, but as a person grows older, his or her bones become weaker and thinner. People with low bone density are much more likely to suffer from fractures after a fall, and in severe cases, a slight bump, sneezing or even coughing may cause a bone to fracture. However, an active lifestyle, avoiding smoking and excess alcohol, and a proper diet may help to prevent the disease. If one has osteoporosis, those measures and medication can strengthen bones and reduce the risk of fracture.

What physical activities help?

Strengthen your postural muscles and improve flexibility to reduce the risk of falling.

Perform weight-bearing exercises or activities at least three times a week for 30 minutes.

What sort of diet or supplements should one take?

Consume foods that are rich and high in calcium, such as:

o Dairy products (skim milk, yogurt, low-fat cheese)

o Dark, green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli)

o Salmon and shellfish

o Tofu

o Almonds

o Limit alcohol consumption

Stop smoking and try to avoid caffeine, as both accelerate bone loss.

Calcium and vitamin D supplements are very important, as most adults do not get enough of these in their diet.

How can a person find out more about their bone density?

A bone density test, known as DXA, measures bone loss by X-ray technology. This painless procedure is today’s standard for measuring bone mineral density and helps in the diagnosis of osteoporosis and to assess an individual’s risk for suffering a fracture. DXA is most often performed on the hip and lower spine.

What medications might a physician prescribe for osteoporosis?

Medications used for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis are mostly “anti-resorptive,” meaning they slow the destructive phase of bone turnover, slowing bone loss yet allowing for new bone formation.

The first line anti-resorptive agents to treat osteoporosis are bisphosphonates, including Fosamax and Actonel, which reduce the risk of vertebral, hip and wrist fractures by 40 to 50 percent, and Boniva, which reduces vertebral fractures by as much as 50 percent. When taken properly, they are generally well tolerated, although their side effects may include stomach irritation.

Evista is a medicine that acts like estrogen in the bone but it does not affect the breasts and it reduces the risk of spine but not hip fractures. Calcitonin nasal spray is similar to Evista in its effect on bone and fractures.

Hormone replacement is still good for the bones but typically is not recommended because of the concern about its effect on the breasts and heart.

Finally, the “bone forming” medicine Forteo is used in severe cases of osteoporosis and in patients who have suffered fractures on other treatments.

Where can I go for more information?

Speak with your primary care provider and, if indicated, schedule a DXA test to help identify and treat this silent disease. Avoiding a fracture is the goal, as that is how one can remain active and independent.