Foreverly Young!!! ...* * * d'Specialist

Herbal Tea ... 防流感中药方

2009-06-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

防流感中药方

4月30号（星期四）早上9点15分，“爱谈天下事”邀请到杨立前医师（专业中西和临床医生）来到“开讲天下议题”和我们谈谈最近流行的A（H1N1）型流感。杨医师提供以下药方以预防感染流感：
1．金银花 20克
2．菊花 15克
3．藿香 6克
4．防风 3克
5．红枣 5枚
以热水泡2-3分钟后就能马上服用，供2-3人饮用。杨医师特别提醒，不要加“板蓝根”，因为A（H1N1）型流感会导致呕吐、腹泻等症状，若加上板蓝根，会更加伤胃、伤肠而加剧病情恶化。
另外，如果你已经发现有流感症状，可采用由中国特殊机构认证的药方：
1.桑叶 12克
2.菊花 12克
3.杏仁 10克
4.枇杷叶 12克
5.意米仁 15克
6.银花 12克
7.葛根 15克
8.芦根 15克
9.桔梗 12克
10.莲翘 12克
11.大青叶 9克
12.甘草 6克
###无论如何，杨医师还是善意提醒各位：若发现有流感症状，请到诊所求医，以上药方只是供参考用途。###

Power Foods .......

2009-05-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

Power Foods...
that boost your immunity
By Amanda MacMillan , Amanda MacMillan is a Prevention associate editor.

(Oct. 3, 2006) -- It takes more than an apple a day to keep viruses at bay. You can ensure your body and immunity run smoothly by getting your seven servings of fruits and veggies and 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, at the very least. The following ingredients can add extra flu-fighting punch to your winter meal plan.

Fish

Selenium, plentiful in shellfish such as oysters, lobsters, crabs, and clams, helps white blood cells produce cytokines--proteins that help clear flu viruses out of the body. Salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich in omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation, increasing airflow and protecting lungs from colds and respiratory infections.

Your optimal dose Two servings a week (unless you're pregnant or planning to be).

Oats and Barley

These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities more potent than echinacea, reports a Norwegian study. When animals eat this compound, they're less likely to contract influenza, herpes, even anthrax; in humans, it boosts immunity, speeds wound healing, and may help antibiotics work better.

Your optimal dose At least one in your three daily servings of whole grains.

Garlic

Garlic contains the active ingredient allicin, which fights infection and bacteria. British researchers gave 146 people either a placebo or a garlic extract for 12 weeks; the garlic takers were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold. Other studies suggest that garlic lovers who chow more than six cloves a week have a 30% lower rate of colorectal cancer and a 50% lower rate of stomach cancer.

Your optimal dose Two raw cloves a day and add crushed garlic to your cooking several times a week.

Yogurt

Probiotics, or the "live active cultures" found in yogurt, are healthy bacteria that keep the gut and intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs. Although they're available in supplement form, a recent study from the University of Vienna in Austria found that a daily 7-ounce dose of yogurt was just as effective in boosting immunity as popping pills. In an 80-day Swedish study of 181 factory employees, those who drank a daily supplement of Lactobacillus reuteri--a specific probiotic that appears to stimulate white blood cells--took 33% fewer sick days than those given a placebo. Any yogurt with a Live and Active Cultures seal contains some beneficial bugs, but Stonyfield Farm is the only US brand that contains this specific strain.

Your optimal dose Two 6-ounce servings a day.

Chicken Soup

When University of Nebraska researchers tested 13 brands, they found that all but one (chicken-flavored ramen noodles) blocked the migration of inflammatory white cells--an important finding, because cold symptoms are a response to the cells' accumulation in the bronchial tubes. The amino acid cysteine, released from chicken during cooking, chemically resembles the bronchitis drug acetylcysteine, which may explain the results. The soup's salty broth keeps mucus thin the same way cough medicines do. Added spices, such as garlic and onions, can increase soup's immune-boosting power.

Your optimal dose Have a bowl when feeling crummy.

Tea

People who drank 5 cups a day of black tea for 2 weeks had 10 times more virus-fighting interferon in their blood than others who drank a placebo hot drink, in a Harvard study. The amino acid that's responsible for this immune boost, L-theanine, is abundant in both black and green tea--decaf versions have it, too.

Your optimal dose Several cups daily, all season; to get up to five times more antioxidants from your tea bags, bob them up and down while you brew.

10 Swine Flu Safety Dos and Don'ts

2009-05-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

10 Swine Flu Safety Dos and Don'ts

Should you strap on a face mask, keep your kid off the schoolbus, or start an emergency food stash? Here, the panicky woman's guide to navigating the swine flu hype.
By Lauren Gelman

After a few days of non-stop swine flu coverage, many of us are starting to feel a bit panicky: Is this just media hype, or should we really be worried? Is there anything else I should be doing to keep my family safe? After all, when Vice President Joe Biden declares he's told his family to stop flying and avoid subways because of swine flu fears, why shouldn't you do it too?

To find out what's really worth the worry—and what's a waste of your time—we talked Dos and Don'ts with Myron S. Cohen, MD, director of the Institute of Global Health and Infectious Disease at UNC Chapel Hill. "Overall, it's about doing what makes you comfortable, as long as it's not crazy," he says. Here's what else he had to say:

DO:

Germ-proof your skin: Wash your hands well and often. Not every 10 minutes, but when it makes sense, like after using the bathroom, touching common objects at work—like the microwave or printer—or returning home from the grocery store. Use warm water and soap, and rub your hands together for about 20 seconds.

Pack Purell in your kid's backpack: The classic germ-killer can be 99% effective in 20 seconds, says Cohen. Slathering it on throughout the day can minimize the chance that your child will transmit potential germs on his hands to his mouth and nose, where the virus enters the body. Keep a bottle in your purse too.

Keep your distance. "Critical closeness—less than 6 to 10 feet—is required to catch airborne viruses," explains Cohen. That means avoiding close contact with people who are coughing or sneezing, but it doesn't mean you should hole up at home and never go out in public until the swine flu passes.

Call the doctor if you think it's flu. "Some people think everything that's an infection is the flu, but there's actually a very specific cluster of symptoms to worry about," he says. These include:

· Almost always: Fever, cough, muscle aches, and headaches
· Sometimes: Runny nose, red eyes, nausea and vomiting

Take the right meds: Antivirals like Tamiflu will only help if you actually have the flu. They're most effective in the first 2 days of illness onset, so if you have suspicious symptoms, call your doctor right away. Your doctor may also recommend a fever-reducer like Tylenol or an NSAID like ibuprofen for muscle pain relief.

Remember, never give aspirin to children or teens with the flu (or any virus); this can cause a rare but serious condition called Reye's Syndrome.

DON'T:

· Skip public transportation or cancel air travel: "I think this is going overboard for right now," says Cohen, despite VP Biden's advice to the contrary. "Remember, at this point only .0001% of the population has swine flu."

· Keep your kid out of school. Schools with individual cases are being closed. If you live in a community or state with no instances of swine flu, there's no need to keep your child home.

· Banish the schoolbus. Wondering whether it's safer to chauffeur your child to school yourself? Don't feel like you have to, says Cohen. "If it makes you feel more comfortable, there's no downside, but this not something I'd recommend yet."

· Stock up on face masks. The CDC has said they're not necessary for people who don't work in healthcare jobs, and Cohen agrees. "Wear a face mask if you have swine flu, so the virus is contained better. For the rest of us, you're much better off just focusing on hand washing and avoiding people who are visibly sick."

· Start an emergency food and water stash. "That is crazy, crazy, crazy," he says. "You have to be rational about this. There's no evidence that we are going to have influenza so vast and out of control that we have to shut down grocery stores. There is nothing to support this."

More ways to stay healthy:

· 11 Best Ways to Stop Flu Spread
· Swine Flu 101: Everything to Know About Prevention, Spotting Symptoms, and More
· Power Foods that Boost Immunity

13 Facts About the Swine Flu

2009-04-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

13 Facts About the Swine Flu
How to protect yourself and your family from the swine flu and what to do if you spot symptoms
By Lauren Gelman

On Sunday the government declared a public health emergency over swine flu, a strain of flu that normally occurs among pigs, but has begun spreading between humans. The virus, which originated in Mexico and, as of Monday afternoon, has infected more than 1,600 people worldwide, has also been detected in the US—with 50 cases reported to date—and Canada. Though the number of infected persons continues to climb, experts urge calm and caution.

While details are developing, not much is known yet about this flu strain, so understandably, questions arise: How contagious is this? Can your kids catch it at school? What do you do if you get sick and how do you know if it's the swine flu? Is pork safe to eat?

To help you separate fact from fiction (and fear!), Prevention turned to the CDC and public health experts for answers to your top questions. One reassuring fact right off the bat: Each of us can play a significant role in reducing our individual risk of infection, says Richard Besser, MD, acting director of the CDC. Here are the 13 top things you need to know about the swine flu.

Q: What is swine flu?
A: Just like humans, pigs can catch and spread the flu—a respiratory infection caused by a type of influenza A virus. Usually the virus is spread only among pigs, but sometimes humans can catch it too. This isn't the first time swine flu has struck: From December 2005 to February 2009, 12 cases were reported in the U.S.

Q: Is swine flu contagious?
A: Yes, the virus is contagious and has spread from person to person (rather than just from direct contact with an infected pig), but we currently don't know exactly how contagious it is, according to the CDC. The disease was first identified in Mexico, and currently 50 known cases have been identified in the U.S., in 5 states: New York, California, Ohio, Texas, and Kansas, says Besser. "But the more we look for it, the more cases we'll find," he says, noting that this isn't necessarily a sign that the disease is spreading, but just that we're able to correctly identify symptoms as swine flu.

Unlike the seasonal flu, which tends to most seriously affect the very young and very old, the age range of those affected in the U.S. so far is 7-54, says Besser, with a median age of 16. But this is likely to change as more cases are reported.

Q: How is swine flu spread?
A: Experts think this virus is spread the same way regular seasonal flu does—when an infected person coughs or sneezes and send the germs to other nearby people. Touching a surface that has been contaminated with the swine flu, such as a door handle or countertop, and then touching one's mouth, nose, or eyes can also transmit the virus.

Q: How dangerous is the swine flu?
A: So far, all cases in the U.S. have all been mild with only one hospitalization, and all patients have recovered, says Besser. But Mexican incidences have been more virulent, causing 152 deaths to date, as have past swine flu outbreaks in the US. A 1976 swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey, caused more than 200 cases, according to the CDC, including several serious illnesses and one death.

Q: What are symptoms of the swine flu?
A: Swine flu symptoms are similar to those of the regular flu: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have reported more gastrointestinal-like symptoms, like diarrhea and vomiting. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor—in particular if you've recently traveled to Mexico, where the flu is believed to have originated. But remember that lots of viruses can have flu-like symptoms, including the common cold and seasonal allergies. "Just because it looks like the flu doesn't mean it is the flu," says Burke.

There are no symptoms unique to the swine flu, says Dr. Besser. The only way to know for sure is for your doctor to send a respiratory specimen for testing to a CDC-affiliated lab. With regular flu season in the U.S. winding down, swine flu symptoms may stand out more than they would have earlier in the year.

Q: How can I prevent myself or my family from catching swine flu?
A: The #1 thing you can do is be more vigilant about hand washing, says Donald Burke, MD, dean of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. This is especially important after you've been in contact with other people (sick or healthy) or have used communal objects, such as the microwave at work. You'll only get sick if the virus actually enters your body, usually through your mouth or nose. Scrub your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap for at least 15-20 seconds to kill germs before they have the chance to invade. Other basic health hygiene rules from the CDC to follow include:
· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Make sure your kids know to do the same.
· If you can't get to a sink to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand gel such as Purell to zap germs.
· Avoid contact with infected persons.
· If you get sick—with swine flu or anything else—stay home from work or school.

Another way to protect yourself: Regularly clean these 10 germiest zones in your home.

Q: Should I wear a face mask to protect myself?
A: "We would not recommend this as a precautionary measure," says Besser. Outside of healthcare settings where workers come into direct contact with infected people, the evidence for face masks reducing the spread of flu is not very strong, he explains. "I'd rather people focus on hand washing, or avoiding that little kiss of a greeting when you meet someone."

Q: Are there any medicines to prevent or treat swine flu?
A: Luckily, the current strains of swine flu are responsive to common antiviral drugs. These prescription medications, which keep flu viruses from reproducing in your body, can be used to treat people already infected with swine flu (they may make the illness milder, help you feel better faster, and reduce serious complications), as well as to prevent infection in high-risk people. If you think you may have flu symptoms or may have been exposed to someone diagnosed with swine flu, ask your doctor whether you should take these drugs, recommends Dr. Burke.

Keep in mind that influenza antiviral meds will only help if you're battling an influenza bug—they won't treat other types of viruses that may cause similar symptoms, according to the CDC. The best drugs for the current circulating strain of swine flu are Tamiflu (approved to treat and prevent flu in people age 1 and older) and Relenza (approved to treat infection in people age 7 and older and to prevent infection in people age 5 and older).

Q: Is there a vaccine for swine flu?
A: No, there is currently no vaccine for the swine flu and existing vaccines, like the flu shot you may have received earlier this year are not effective in preventing swine flu. But the CDC has taken steps to start a "seed stock" of the virus that could be used to make a vaccine in the future, although it is not ready to be manufactured yet.

Q: What if I have recently traveled to Mexico or have an upcoming trip planned?
A: The CDC just announced a new travel advisory for Mexico. "Out of an abundance of caution, all non-essential travel should be avoided for now," says Besser. If you've been to the country recently, there's no immediate action to take, other than just being on the lookout for flu-like symptoms and letting your doctor know if you experience them.

Q: Should I stop eating pork or other pig products?
A: No, says Besser. The swine flu cannot be spread through food. But it is important to make sure your meat is properly handled and cooked to reduce your risk of foodborne illness.

Q: What if I get the swine flu?
A: It's important to take care of yourself but equally important to take steps to avoid spreading the virus: Stay home from work or school, avoid crowds and public places, get plenty of rest, and take the full course of any medications your doctor prescribes. If you become sick and experience any of the following signs, the CDC recommends you seek emergency medical care:

Adults:
· Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
· Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
· Sudden dizziness
· Confusion
· Severe or persistent vomiting

Children:
· Fast breathing or trouble breathing
· Bluish skin color
· Not drinking enough fluids
· Not waking up or interacting
· Being so irritable the child doesn't want to be held
· Flu-like symptoms improve but return with fever and worse cough
· Fever with a rash

Q: What are signs that this virus is spreading or slowing down?
A: "As we look around we will see more cases," cautions Besser. But if we see instances in Mexico decreasing, becoming less severe or people recovering sooner, that's a good sign.

Q: What if this becomes a flu pandemic?
A: It's the responsibility of the World Health Organization to officially declare a flu pandemic (an outbreak that is spread through populations over large regions or globally). A flu pandemic is defined in 6 phases; the WHO recently announced a change from stage 3 to stage 4, which means that there’s a new virus that’s starting to spread from human to human, but at smaller community levels. This means that a pandemic is more likely, but still not inevitable. However, the CDC has not drastically changed their current strategy in response to the level update. The government has already released 25% of the national stockpile of antiviral drugs—or about 11 million courses—to affected states. "This flu is evolving quickly, changing quickly," he says. "But we continue to approach this aggressively, and are taking bold action to minimize consequences."

10 Ways to not look Old!

2009-04-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

10 Ways to not look Old (and there is living proof!)
by Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance, on Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:24am PDT

Ever wonder if your healthy habits will really pay off? Ever think that a lot of what we hear from the press and media, moreover science, is just a lot of hoopla? Ever look in the mirror and wonder if you weren't healthy, if you would look any different? As we get older, we become hypersensitive to our aging process...questioning our lifestyle, our environment and even our gene pool. Which of these factors are really aging us, or if we are healthy, keeping us young? Today, my doubts were extinguished.

Walking home, I met two women in their late 40s who are identical twins. Although they technically looked alike, one twin looked significantly older...I'd guesstimate about 10 years older. I came to find out that the older looking twin smoked. Huh. Remarkably similar genes...similar environment (they live minutes away from one another)...but very different lifestyles.

These twins were living proof...this was as close as you could get to seeing the impact of lifestyle on the aging process. Intrigued, I did some research to find out if there were any studies done to document this phenomenon. Surely enough, there have been.

In a study called Factors Contributing to the Facial Aging of Identical Twins, a team of doctors from the Department of Plastic Surgery at Case Western Reserve University studied the effects of lifestyle and environment on the facial aging process of 186 sets of twins. Although the study looked at multiple factors in lifestyle and environment, smoking and sun exposure were extremely significant to the aging process. Specifically, here are the results:

1. Smoking: For those pairs of twins where one twin smoked and one didn't, the minimum perceived age difference among the twins were 5 years. For every ten years of smoking, the twin who smoked looked approximately 2 ½ years older in appearance. Why is this so? Smoking causes blood vessels to constrict, resulting in decreased blood flow to skin. Further, it depletes the body of Vitamin C, which is key for keeping skin plump and moist. This in turn causes capillaries to become permanently damaged, increased dryness and skin dehydration due to a diuretic effect, a grayish complexion and lastly, an increase in wrinkles, including crows feet.

2. Sun Exposure: Increased sun exposure was associated with an older appearance, especially as the twins got older. Those twins with outdoor hobbies such as golf and tennis had a perceived older appearance, while those who used skin protection (sunscreen) led to a younger appearance. Why is this so? High amounts of sun exposure breaks down skin's structural tissues (collagen and elastin). As a result, skin looks mottled, freckles become more permanent, and skin becomes dried out, leathery, wrinkled and saggy.
Ok, great. So now we have living proof of these bad boys and their effects on your skin. But guess what, there are other lifestyle choices that can affect the aging process. Here are eight more enemies of your skin:

3. Alcohol: Alcohol dilates small blood vessels, increasing blood flow near the skin's surface. This can cause the skin to look wrinkled, red and flushed. What you can do: Try to limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage per day.

4. Caffeine: Caffeine can cause water loss from your body and skin, resulting in a lack of plumpness. What you can do: Make sure you drink plenty of water and limit intake to 300 mg a day.

5. Extreme Weather: Exposure to cold winds and low temperatures or extreme dry heat can dehydrate your skin, leading to wrinkles and roughness. What you can do: Use a good moisturizer and a humidifier if you are in an especially dry climate.

6. Eating Disorders: Depriving your body of important nutrients, vitamins and minerals required for proper cell turnover and growth can cause skin to become dry and thin. Further, hair and nails can become brittle and thin. What you can do: Make sure you are eating enough calories so that your metabolism stays high and your body is properly nourished.

7. Lack of Sleep: Not enough sleep deprives your body of needed rest and doesn't allow skin to regenerate. You'll look and feel tired, develop dark circles and bags under your eyes and your skin will become saggy. What you can do: Get at least 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night, if not more.

8. Stress: Stress and worry cause frowning, and over time muscles in the face actually conform to that movement, developing lines and wrinkles. What you can do: Monitor your stress levels throughout the day and find healthy ways to release the stress you feel through breathing and relaxation techniques.

9. Refined Sugars and Low-Protein in Your Diet: Refined sugar and carbohydrates can disturb collagen production, resulting in wrinkles and sagging skin. Further, spikes in your insulin levels can cause excess amounts of secreted oils, resulting in acne and breakouts. What you can do: Focus on whole grains, fruits and vegetables for your carbohydrates and a minimum of 20% of your calories from lean proteins.

10. Saturated Fats or VERY Low-Fat Diets: Saturated fats (butter, cream and high-fat dairy) can cause skin to age and become more wrinkled. However, not having enough healthy fats can harm the oil barrier of your skin, which protects from fluid loss and infection. Too little fat can result in Eczema, Dermatitis (inflammation of skin) and Acne. What you can do: Make sure you eat a well balanced diet that incorporates healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates.

As we get older, our lifestyle choices become even more important...especially when it comes to the aging process and looking and feeling our best. Have you witnessed anything like the twin phenomenon? Have you made a lifestyle change that has helped you to 'reverse' or slow the signs of aging?

Related Topics:
What is Photo-Aging?
7 Places They Should Ban Smoking
How to Ensure a Good Night Sleep
Sheer Balance Beauty Guide to Stay Young
10 Reasons You Should Want to Be Healthy
Study cited: Factors Contributing to the Facial Aging of Identical Twins
Related: wellness, sleep, skin, nutrition, getting old, fountain of youth, diet, beauty, anti-aging, aging

Kiss Off Stress!

2009-04-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

Kiss Off Stress
Ten ways to beat stress in 10 minutes or less
By: Alison KotchPublished: December 2008/January 2009 [ Updated: December 2008 ]

Did you know that the holiday season is the time of the year when you're most likely to die from a heart attack? According to research at the University of California, the deadliest day is Christmas, when you're 5 percent more likely to have a cardiac event. Of course, all the key stressors (finance, family, travel) seem destined to be worse this year (they always do). Since a restful night's sleep or an hour at the gym isn't always possible, here are 10 quick ways to stress less.

1 Second: Swear
Researchers at England's University of East Anglia Norwich looked into leadership styles and found that using swear words can reduce stress and boost camaraderie among coworkers. Good luck, shithead!

5 Seconds: Pop Fish Oil
According to research from the University of Pittsburgh, people with the highest blood levels of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids are happier, less impulsive, and more agreeable. Try a daily supplement of 400 milligrams each of EPA and DHA fish oils.

10 Seconds: Eat Dark Chocolate
A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that the flavonoids in cocoa relax your body's blood vessels. Look for low-fat dark chocolate, which has more stress-busting flavonoids than milk chocolate.

30 Seconds: Know Your Hoku
Acupressure is a quick tension releaser, according to researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University who found it can reduce stress by up to 39 percent. For fast relief, massage your hoku (the fleshy part between the thumb and index finger) for 20 to 30 seconds. "This is the universal pressure point for easing upper-body tension," says Patrice Winter, a spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy Association.

30 Seconds: Sit Back
Forget what you've been told about sitting up straight to relieve tension in your back. Researchers at the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada found that leaning back at a 135-degree angle is the best sitting position for alleviating back pain.

1 Minute: Add Garlic
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham believe they've figured out why garlic is good for heart health, and their finding implies it's a powerful stress buster too. When you digest garlic's main ingredient, organosulfur allicin, your body produces hydrogen sulfide, which relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow.

3 Minutes: Brew Tea
In a study at University College in London, 75 men were given tea before completing two stressful tasks. Afterward, their cortisol levels dropped an average of 47 percent, compared with 27 percent for men who weren't given tea.

5 Minutes: Take a YouTube Timeout
Just the anticipation of laughing decreases the stress hormones dopac, cortisol, and epinephrine by 38, 39, and 70 percent, respectively, according to researchers at Loma Linda University in California. And when researchers at the University of Maryland showed short movie clips to study participants, those who watched funny films experienced a 22 percent increase in blood flow to their hearts.

8 Minutes: Budget Wisely
"Money is the biggest source of stress for a man during the holidays," says Bonnie Eaker Weil, PhD, author of Financial Infidelity. And with good reason: Men who avoid making budgets spend an average of 36 percent more on holiday gifts than those who don't, according to a 2002 survey. So go easy on your wallet and your heart. Sit down with your wife and quickly calculate how much you two want to spend on gifts this year.

10 Minutes: Just Do It
Kissing or hugging your wife can reduce stress because it raises levels of oxytocin, the hormone associated with bonding and love, say researchers at the University of North Carolina. And a Scottish researcher found that having sex regularly lowers anxiety, stress, and blood pressure.

The New Heart Risk

2009-04-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

The New Heart Risk
The key to living free of heart disease and even cancer is to reduce chronic inflammation

By: Jayne Keedle; Illustration: Mario WagnerPublished: November 2008 [ Updated: November 2008 ]

Eat the rainbow to calm the fire in your arteries. Numerous studies have linked inflammation to heart disease, DNA damage, diabetes, and cancer, but scientists weren't sure which came first, the illness or the inflammation. When researchers at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine recently discovered that inflammation causes diabetes, they answered the chicken-and-egg question and hatched a new metric to measure wellness. Some physicians now recommend that people monitor inflammation, just as they do cholesterol, and take an active approach to preventing it. "If you reduce inflammation, you reduce the risk of death from a heart attack," says Steven Nissen, MD, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic's department of cardiovascular medicine. Part of the body's immune response, acute inflammation is the swelling and pain you get when you stub your toe; it's a sign that the body is working to heal the injury. "But when inflammation becomes chronic, the acute system doesn't shut off," explains Mark Miller, PhD, professor of cardiovascular science and pediatrics at Albany Medical College. "What follows is a constant war between damage and inadequate repair." Here's how to crush inflammation.

Test Your Levels
Ask your doctor for a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein blood test. A CRP level of greater than 1 mg/L means you're at risk for cardiovascular disease; greater than 3 mg/L puts you in the high-risk category. Take the test twice, a month apart, to ensure an accurate score.

Trim Belly Fat
"The best way to reduce CRP levels is to lose even modest amounts of abdominal fat," says Dr. Nissen. Use your waist-to-hip ratio to assess your risk. Measure your waist in inches around the belly button and divide that number by your hip measurement. A number higher than 0.9 means slim down.

Ration Omegas
Experts recommend a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3s. But the typical American diet has 11 to 30 times more omega-6s (in saturated fats such as corn, soy, canola, and sunflower oils) than omega-3s. Doctors advise consuming 1.8 grams of omega-3s a day. That's the equivalent of eating two servings a week of fatty fish such as wild salmon or trout.

Eat the Rainbow
The flavonoids found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables reduce inflammation. The most potent choices are blueberries, purple grapes, cherries, oranges, and sweet potatoes. Eat seven servings a week. Gorge on FiberA high-fiber diet (25 to 35 grams a day) can reduce CRP levels by as much as 14 percent, according to a recent study. Boost your fiber intake by eating more beans (especially lentils and black beans) and whole grains. Buckwheat and amaranth are good choices because they have no gluten.

Choose Beef Over Chicken
Chicken is high in arachidonic acid, a fatty acid that prompts the body to produce inflammatory chemicals, so opt for beef instead, says nutritionist Monica Reinagel, author of The Inflammation Free Diet Plan. Beef tenderloin contains half as much arachidonic acid, plus higher levels of selenium and zinc, nutrients that fight inflammation. Grass-fed beef is the best, because it has a 2:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. (Corn-fed cattle have a 4:1 ratio.)

Spice Things Up
Eating 2 to 4 grams of ginger a day suppresses the molecules in the body that promote inflammation. Recent studies suggest that it works at the DNA level, turning off the genes that trigger inflammation.

Acne Vulgaris

2009-04-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Acne Vulgaris - Topic Overview

What is acne vulgaris?
Acne vulgaris, or acne, is a skin problem that starts when oil and dead skin cells clog up your pores. Some people call it blackheads, blemishes, whiteheads, pimples, or zits. When you have just a few red spots, or pimples, you have a mild form of acne. Severe acne can mean hundreds of pimples that can cover the face, neck, chest, and back. Or, it can be bigger, solid, red lumps that are painful (cysts).

Most young people get at least mild acne. It usually gets better after the teen years. But many adult women do have acne in the days before their menstrual periods.

How you feel about your acne may not be related to how bad it is. Some people with severe acne are not bothered by it. Others are embarrassed or upset even though they have only a few pimples.

The good news is that there are many good treatments that can help you get acne under control.

What causes acne?
Acne starts when oil and dead skin cells clog the skin's pores. If germs get into the pores, the result can be swelling, redness, and pus. See a picture of how pimples form .

For most people, acne starts during the teen years. This is because hormone changes make the skin more oily after puberty starts.

You do not get acne from eating chocolate or greasy foods. But you can make it worse by using oily skin products that clog your pores.

Acne can run in families. If one of your parents had severe acne, you are more likely to have it.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of acne include whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. These can occur on the face, neck, shoulders, back, or chest. Pimples that are large and deep are called cystic lesions. These can be painful if they get infected. They also can scar the skin.

How is acne treated?
To help control acne, keep your skin clean. Avoid skin products that clog your pores. Look for products that say "noncomedogenic" on the label. Wash your skin once or twice a day with a gentle soap or acne wash. Try not to scrub or pick at your pimples. This can make them worse and can cause scars.

If you have just a few pimples to treat, you can get an acne cream without a prescription. Look for one that has benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. These work best when used just the way the label says.

It can take time to get acne under control. Keep using the same treatment for 6 to 8 weeks. You may even notice that it gets worse before it gets better. If your skin is not better after 8 weeks, try another product.

If your pimples are really bothering you or are scarring your skin, see your doctor. A prescription gel or cream for your skin may be all you need. Your doctor may also order antibiotic pills. A mix of treatments may work best. If you are female, taking certain birth control pills may help.

If you have acne cysts, talk to your doctor about stronger medicine. Isotretinoin (such as Accutane) works very well, but it can cause birth defects. And using Accutane may be associated with depression. Let your doctor know if you have had depression before taking this medicine. And if you are female, you must protect against pregnancy by using two forms of birth control. Even one dose of this medicine can cause birth defects if a woman takes it while she is pregnant.
You cannot take isotretinoin if you are breast-feeding.

What can be done about acne scars?
There are skin treatments that can help acne scars look better and feel smoother. Ask your doctor about them. The best treatment for you depends on how severe the scarring is. You can have scar tissue removed or have a shot of collagen. Collagen smoothes a pitted scar by plumping up the skin underneath. You may get the best results with a combination of treatments.

Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about acne:
· What is acne?
· What causes acne?
· Can I prevent acne?
· What increases my risk for acne?
Being diagnosed:
· Should I see a doctor for acne?
Getting treatment:
· How is acne treated?
· What can be done about acne scars?
· Should I take isotretinoin for acne?
Living with acne:
· What can I do at home to treat acne?
· How can I prevent acne from getting worse?

Sucralose - Favorably Review .....

2009-04-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sucralose - Favorably Reviewed by:
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation
PDF Version

Six hundred times sweeter than sugar, sucralose is derived from sugar through a patented, multi-step process that selectively substitutes three chlorine atoms for three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule. Sucralose can be used in place of sugar to eliminate or reduce calories in a wide variety of products, including beverages, baked goods, desserts, dairy products, canned fruits, syrups and condiments.

Sucralose was discovered in 1976. More than 100 scientific studies conducted over a 20-year period have conclusively demonstrated that sucralose is safe for consumption. In 1990, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was the first regulatory body to endorse the safety of sucralose. In 1991, Canada’s Health Protection Branch became the first national regulatory agency to endorse sucralose safety and permit its use in foods and beverages. In 1998, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of sucralose in 15 food and beverage categories -- the broadest initial approval ever given to a food additive. Then, in August 1999, the FDA extended the approval by permitting sucralose use as a general-purpose sweetener in all foods, beverages, dietary supplements and medical foods. In January 2004, the European Union amended its Sweeteners Directive to permit the use of sucralose in a broad range of food and beverage products. Sucralose is now permitted for use in over 60 countries and has been consumed by millions of people worldwide.

What is sucralose?

Sucralose is the low-calorie sweetener made from sugar. It is used around the world as an ingredient in processed foods and beverages and in tabletop sweeteners available in supermarkets and other consumer outlets.

What is sucralose made of?

Sucralose is derived from sugar through a patented, multi-step process that selectively substitutes three chlorine atoms for three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule. The tightly bound chlorine atoms create a molecular structure that is exceptionally stable.

Is sucralose safe?

Sucralose has an excellent safety profile. More than 100 scientific studies conducted over a 20-year period demonstrate that sucralose is safe for use as a sweetening ingredient. The data from the studies were independently evaluated by international experts in a variety of scientific disciplines, including toxicology, oncology, teratology, neurology, hematology, pediatrics and nutrition. Importantly, comprehensive toxicology studies, designed to meet the highest scientific standards, have clearly demonstrated that sucralose is not carcinogenic.

Which regulatory bodies reviewed the safety profile of sucralose?

Among the regulatory bodies that have evaluated the safety of sucralose are the U.S. FDA, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); the Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada; Food Standards Australia/New Zealand, the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food, and a host of others in South America and Asia. Sucralose is now permitted for use in over 60 countries.

Types of Products That Contain Sucralose

Sucralose makes a wide variety of calorie-reduced products possible, including soft drinks, ice cream, dairy products and baked goods. One of the unique attributes of sucralose is that it can be used almost anywhere sugar is used. It does not lose its sugar-like sweetness even in applications that require heat or that are subjected to long shelf-storage. Thus, products made with sucralose maintain their sweetness during cooking, baking, and throughout their shelf-life. In the United States, the FDA has granted approval for the use of sucralose as a general purpose sweetener, which covers all conventional foods and beverages, dietary supplements, and medical foods. In fact, sucralose is the sweetening ingredient in over 3,500 products worldwide, and may be used across a broad range of major categories including:

Baked goods and baking mixes
Beverages, alcoholic
Beverages and beverage mixes,
Breakfast cereals
Cheeses
Chewing gum
Coffee and tea
Condiments and relishes
Confections and frostings
Dairy product substitutes
Fats and oils
Frozen dairy desserts and mixes
Fruit and water ices
Gelatins, puddings, and fillings
Gravies and sauces
Hard candy and cough drops
Herbs, seeds, spices, seasonings, blends, extracts, and flavorings
Jams and jellies
Meat products
Milk products
Processed fruits and fruit juices
Processed vegetables and vegetable juices
Snack foods
Soft candy
Soups and soup mixes
Sugar substitutes
Sweet sauces, toppings, and syrups
Nutritional products & dietary supplements
Pharmaceuticals

Do products sweetened with sucralose carry any warning labels or information statements?

No. None of the regulatory agencies and scientific review bodies that have confirmed the safety of sucralose require any warning information to be placed on the labels of products sweetened with sucralose.

Does sucralose provide calories?

Sucralose is non-caloric and, thus, adds no calories to the foods and beverages it is used to sweeten. Products made with sucralose may contain calories from other nutritive ingredients that provide carbohydrates, protein and fat.

How is sucralose handled by the body?

Although sucralose is made from a process that starts with sugar, it is not a sugar nor does the body recognize it as a carbohydrate. Sucralose is not broken down for energy in the body so it has no calories. The sucralose molecule passes through the body unchanged, is not metabolized, and is eliminated after consumption.

Is the chlorine in sucralose potentially harmful?

No. Chlorine in the form of chloride is a safe and natural element present in many of the foods and beverages that we eat and drink every day. It is in most natural water supplies, and is also found in lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, melons, peanut butter and table salt. In the case of sucralose, the addition of chlorine to the sucralose molecule is what makes sucralose free of calories. Sucralose is an essentially inert molecule and it passes through the body without being broken down for calories.

Products sweetened with sucralose provide good-tasting, lower-calorie alternatives...

How much sucralose may people safely consume?

People may consume a variety of sucralose-sweetened food and beverage products on a daily basis without concern that they are exceeding a safe intake level.

When evaluating the safety of new food ingredients like sucralose, health authorities compare an estimate of the ingredient’s maximum daily intake with the highest daily consumption level consumed in preclinical and clinical studies that was shown to be without harmful effects. Ideally, the intake estimate will be substantially less than the actual consumption levels shown to be without adverse effect in the preclinical and clinical studies.

Studies in animals consuming large doses of sucralose on a daily basis over a lifetime and studies in humans who consumed high levels of sucralose for up to six months have shown no harmful effects. The consumption levels in these studies were well in excess of the estimates of maximum potential exposure to sucralose from foods and beverages.

Can people with diabetes use sucralose?

Yes. Clinical studies have shown that sucralose can be safely consumed by people with diabetes. Sucralose is not recognized by the body as sugar or as a carbohydrate. It is not metabolized by the body for energy and does not affect blood glucose levels. Sucralose has no effect on blood glucose utilization, carbohydrate metabolism or insulin production. Products sweetened with sucralose provide good-tasting, lower-calorie alternatives for people with diabetes who are interested in reducing their caloric or sugar intake. As with any nutritional concerns, people with diabetes should consult their doctor or diabetes healthcare professional for advice on an individualized dietary plan.

Can pregnant and breastfeeding women consume sucralose?

Yes. Sucralose can be used by everyone, including pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. Although sucralose may be used as part of a healthy pre- and post-natal diet, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk to their doctor or nutritionist about foods to eat to support their health, and their baby’s health.

Is sucralose safe for children?

Yes. Sucralose may be safely used by everyone, including children. Sucralose can be a great addition to healthful meal plans designed for children’s needs.

What is the role of sucralose in a healthful diet?

Sucralose may be used as part of a healthy diet that includes a variety of nutritious foods in moderate portions. Because sucralose tastes like sugar, has no calories and is ideal for cooking and baking, it helps meet consumer demand for good-tasting foods and beverages without the calories of sugar.

The American Academy Of Family Physicians Foundation Has Favorably Reviewed This Material. Favorable Review Means That Medical Information Is Accurate, But Does Not Imply Endorsement Of Any Conclusions Presented.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe?

2009-04-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe?
WebMD gets the low down on artificial sweeteners on the shelves and in the pipeline.
By Denise MannWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

The way artificial sweeteners were discovered could have been a scene out of the classic comedy The Nutty Professor.

In 1879, Ira Remsen, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., noticed that a derivative of coal tar he accidentally spilled on his hand tasted sweet. While he did not morph into the slim, but obnoxious Buddy Love as the characters played by Eddie Murphy and Jerry Lewis did in their film versions of the comedy, his spill set the stage for the development of saccharin -- an artificial sweetener known today to many seasoned dieters as Sweet-n-Low. This is now the most recognized name brand of the saccharin-based sugar substitutes.

Now more than 125 years later, saccharin is joined by a growing list of artificial sweeteners with varying chemical structures and uses including acesulfame potassium (Sunett); aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal); sucralose (Splenda), and D-Tagatose (Sugaree). And there's a whole host of new ones on the horizon.

These products substitute for sugar. For example, they can replace corn syrup, used in many sodas and sweetened drinks, and table sugars. However, the sweet remains in anything and everything from chocolate and ketchup to gum, ice cream, and soft drinks. But are artificial sweeteners safe? Can they help people shed extra weight? What role should they play in person's diet -- if any?

Here's what WebMD found out:

Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, are compounds that offer the sweetness of sugar without the same calories. They are anywhere from 30 to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar and as a result, they have much fewer calories than foods made with table sugar (sucrose). Each gram of refined table sugar contains 4 calories. Many sugar substitutes have zero calories per gram.

"Artificial sweeteners can serve a definite purpose in weight loss and diabetes control," says New York City-based nutritionist Phyllis Roxland. "It enables people that are either carb-, sugar-, or calorie-conscious to take in a wider range of foods that they would either not be allowed to eat or could only eat in such teeny amounts that they were not satisfying." Roxland routinely counsels patients in the offices of Howard Shapiro, MD, a weight loss specialist and author of Picture Perfect Prescription.

In other words, artificial sweeteners allow people to stick to a good diet for a longer period of time, she says. In a diet, artificial sweeteners are considered "free foods." The sugar substitutes don't count as a carbohydrate, a fat, or any other exchange.

"These products can be useful when used appropriately for people like diabetics who need to control their sugar intake and in overweight people," agrees Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) in New York City.

Artificial sweeteners do not affect blood sugar levels, but some foods containing artificial sweeteners can still affect blood sugar because of other carbohydrates or proteins in these foods. In other words, while foods that contain artificial sweeteners may be sugar-free, they may not be carbohydrate-free.

Just because a food contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar is not carte blanche for grazing, Kava points out.

"The real key to weight loss is calories," Kava points out. "If you substitute a diet soda for a sugar soda, you save 100 calories, but if you eat 15 sugar-free cookies [which have calories] instead of two regular cookies, you may not be helping yourself at all," she says.

"If somebody is trying to lose weight and cut back on calories, artificial sweeteners can add flavor to unsweetened beverages or other products," says Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in Washington. That said, "somebody who consumes a lot of artificially sweetened foods should think twice about their diet and ought to be eating real food," he tells WebMD.

"I don't think [artificial sweeteners] are needed at all," he says. "I fear that in some cases people have a diet soda for lunch and then have a couple of tablespoons of ice cream -- giving up the saved calories," he says.

Using sugar substitutes instead of sugar can lower your risk of tooth decay, but "the acid in diet soda still could contribute to dental erosion," Jacobson points out.

The Saccharin Saga
Safety, particularly as it relates to cancer risk, is on many people's mind as a result of the saccharine saga, which began in the 1970s. In 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tried to ban this sweetener as animal studies showed that it caused cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin, and other organs. But the food industry intervened, urging Congress to keep it on the market with a warning label that (until recently) read: "Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."

In the late 1990s, the Calorie Control Council stated that the main health concern about saccharin was bladder cancer in male rats -- not people. They stated that further research has shown that male rats have a particular predisposition to bladder cancer and as a result the National Institutes of Health removed saccharin from its hit list of cancer-causing agents.

"Congress said no to the [original call for a] ban due to backlash but stated that there has to be a warning," ACSH's Kava recalls. "More recently, Congress de-listed saccharin as very high doses may cause bladder cancer in male rats -- not in female rats or anyone else," she says. According to the National Cancer Institute, there's no scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. cause cancer.

"The cancer risks are not something that an individual person should worry about," CSPI's Jacobson says. "It's more a risk for the government as the potential problems occur when millions of people consume the sweeteners for years," he tells WebMD.

But cancer risk may not be the only safety concern with these artificial sweeteners.

"My overlying feeling is that artificial sweeteners are safe," says ACSH's Kava. "The only caveat is asparatame in people with a rare disorder known as phenylketonuria (PKU), who are unable to metabolize phenylalanine. PKU is detected at birth through a mandatory screening program.

Jacobson adds that in the short term, some people develop headaches after consuming foods sweetened with aspartame.

As far as short-term effects, sugar alcohols -- technically not considered artificial -- can cause bloating and diarrhea in some people and the effect may occur with as little as 50 grams of sugar alcohol. These sweeteners include sorbitol. Lactitol and mannitol are lower in calories than sugar, don't promote tooth decay, or cause an increase in blood sugars, according to the FDA.

Some of these "can cause powerful diarrhea and people ought to pay some attention to that," CSPI's Jacobson says.

The key is really to know your body and your limits, Roxland adds. "Sometimes it says right on the package that 'excess consumption may have a laxative effect' but does that mean two Velamints will give you the runs?" she says. "I have known some people who eat two pieces of gum and have the worst diarrhea and others who chew a whole pack and are fine," she says.

Overdosing on Equal?
As far as non-sugar alcohol sweeteners, Roxland does not see a tremendous potential for overdose. "Even if a person binges on low-calorie Fudgesicles or Creamsicles, as long as their diet is otherwise healthy, there is no downside because they would probably be bingeing on something a lot worse," she says.

One thing is clear, consumers embrace these sweeteners. As many as 180 million Americans routinely eat and drink sugar-free products such as desserts and artificially sweetened sodas, according to 2004 statistics compiled by the Calorie Control Council, and with new products in the pipeline and on the shelves, the trend shows no sign of abating.

The newest artificial sweetener on the block is sucralose (SPLENDA). It is not affected by heat and retains its sweetness in hot beverages, baked goods, and processed foods. This has some advantages, Roxland says. "Nutrasweet can't be stored for long periods and you can't cook with it, but Splenda is heat stable so you can use it in cooking."

There are others in the pike including alitame (brand name Aclame™), which is 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose. A petition for its use in a broad range of foods and beverages has been filed in the U.S.

Another sweetener is Cyclamate, which is a 30 times sweeter than sucrose but as such it has the least "sweetening power" of the commercially acceptable intense sweeteners. It was banned in the U.S. in 1970, but currently there is a petition at the FDA for re-approval.

Dihydrochalcones (DHCs) are non-caloric sweeteners derived from bioflavonoids of citrus fruits that are approximately 300 to 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose.

Glycyrrhizin, a noncaloric extract of licorice root, is 50-100 times sweeter than sucrose. It is approved for use in the U.S. as a flavor and flavor enhancer.

Stevioside comes from leaves of a South American plant and is 300 times sweeter than sucrose. It is currently approved for use in 10 countries, including Japan, Paraguay, and Brazil. It can be sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement only.

Another potential sweetener is Thaumatin (TalinTM), a mixture of proteins from a West African fruit that's approximately 2,000-3,000 times sweeter than sucrose. In the U.S., it's approved as a flavor enhancer for beverages, jams and jellies, condiments, milk products, yogurt, cheese, instant coffee and tea, and chewing gum.

WebMD gets the low down on artificial sweeteners on the shelves and in the pipeline.
By Denise MannWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

The way artificial sweeteners were discovered could have been a scene out of the classic comedy The Nutty Professor.

In 1879, Ira Remsen, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., noticed that a derivative of coal tar he accidentally spilled on his hand tasted sweet. While he did not morph into the slim, but obnoxious Buddy Love as the characters played by Eddie Murphy and Jerry Lewis did in their film versions of the comedy, his spill set the stage for the development of saccharin -- an artificial sweetener known today to many seasoned dieters as Sweet-n-Low. This is now the most recognized name brand of the saccharin-based sugar substitutes.

Now more than 125 years later, saccharin is joined by a growing list of artificial sweeteners with varying chemical structures and uses including acesulfame potassium (Sunett); aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal); sucralose (Splenda), and D-Tagatose (Sugaree). And there's a whole host of new ones on the horizon.

These products substitute for sugar. For example, they can replace corn syrup, used in many sodas and sweetened drinks, and table sugars. However, the sweet remains in anything and everything from chocolate and ketchup to gum, ice cream, and soft drinks. But are artificial sweeteners safe? Can they help people shed extra weight? What role should they play in person's diet -- if any?

Here's what WebMD found out:

Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes, are compounds that offer the sweetness of sugar without the same calories. They are anywhere from 30 to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar and as a result, they have much fewer calories than foods made with table sugar (sucrose). Each gram of refined table sugar contains 4 calories. Many sugar substitutes have zero calories per gram.

"Artificial sweeteners can serve a definite purpose in weight loss and diabetes control," says New York City-based nutritionist Phyllis Roxland. "It enables people that are either carb-, sugar-, or calorie-conscious to take in a wider range of foods that they would either not be allowed to eat or could only eat in such teeny amounts that they were not satisfying." Roxland routinely counsels patients in the offices of Howard Shapiro, MD, a weight loss specialist and author of Picture Perfect Prescription.

In other words, artificial sweeteners allow people to stick to a good diet for a longer period of time, she says. In a diet, artificial sweeteners are considered "free foods." The sugar substitutes don't count as a carbohydrate, a fat, or any other exchange.

"These products can be useful when used appropriately for people like diabetics who need to control their sugar intake and in overweight people," agrees Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) in New York City.

Artificial sweeteners do not affect blood sugar levels, but some foods containing artificial sweeteners can still affect blood sugar because of other carbohydrates or proteins in these foods. In other words, while foods that contain artificial sweeteners may be sugar-free, they may not be carbohydrate-free.

Just because a food contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar is not carte blanche for grazing, Kava points out.

"The real key to weight loss is calories," Kava points out. "If you substitute a diet soda for a sugar soda, you save 100 calories, but if you eat 15 sugar-free cookies [which have calories] instead of two regular cookies, you may not be helping yourself at all," she says.

"If somebody is trying to lose weight and cut back on calories, artificial sweeteners can add flavor to unsweetened beverages or other products," says Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in Washington. That said, "somebody who consumes a lot of artificially sweetened foods should think twice about their diet and ought to be eating real food," he tells WebMD.

"I don't think [artificial sweeteners] are needed at all," he says. "I fear that in some cases people have a diet soda for lunch and then have a couple of tablespoons of ice cream -- giving up the saved calories," he says.

Using sugar substitutes instead of sugar can lower your risk of tooth decay, but "the acid in diet soda still could contribute to dental erosion," Jacobson points out.

The Saccharin Saga
Safety, particularly as it relates to cancer risk, is on many people's mind as a result of the saccharine saga, which began in the 1970s. In 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tried to ban this sweetener as animal studies showed that it caused cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin, and other organs. But the food industry intervened, urging Congress to keep it on the market with a warning label that (until recently) read: "Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."

In the late 1990s, the Calorie Control Council stated that the main health concern about saccharin was bladder cancer in male rats -- not people. They stated that further research has shown that male rats have a particular predisposition to bladder cancer and as a result the National Institutes of Health removed saccharin from its hit list of cancer-causing agents.

"Congress said no to the [original call for a] ban due to backlash but stated that there has to be a warning," ACSH's Kava recalls. "More recently, Congress de-listed saccharin as very high doses may cause bladder cancer in male rats -- not in female rats or anyone else," she says. According to the National Cancer Institute, there's no scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the U.S. cause cancer.

"The cancer risks are not something that an individual person should worry about," CSPI's Jacobson says. "It's more a risk for the government as the potential problems occur when millions of people consume the sweeteners for years," he tells WebMD.

But cancer risk may not be the only safety concern with these artificial sweeteners.

"My overlying feeling is that artificial sweeteners are safe," says ACSH's Kava. "The only caveat is asparatame in people with a rare disorder known as phenylketonuria (PKU), who are unable to metabolize phenylalanine. PKU is detected at birth through a mandatory screening program.
Jacobson adds that in the short term, some people develop headaches after consuming foods sweetened with aspartame.

As far as short-term effects, sugar alcohols -- technically not considered artificial -- can cause bloating and diarrhea in some people and the effect may occur with as little as 50 grams of sugar alcohol. These sweeteners include sorbitol. Lactitol and mannitol are lower in calories than sugar, don't promote tooth decay, or cause an increase in blood sugars, according to the FDA.

Some of these "can cause powerful diarrhea and people ought to pay some attention to that," CSPI's Jacobson says.

The key is really to know your body and your limits, Roxland adds. "Sometimes it says right on the package that 'excess consumption may have a laxative effect' but does that mean two Velamints will give you the runs?" she says. "I have known some people who eat two pieces of gum and have the worst diarrhea and others who chew a whole pack and are fine," she says.

Overdosing on Equal?
As far as nonsugar alcohol sweeteners, Roxland does not see a tremendous potential for overdose. "Even if a person binges on low-calorie Fudgesicles or Creamsicles, as long as their diet is otherwise healthy, there is no downside because they would probably be bingeing on something a lot worse," she says.

One thing is clear, consumers embrace these sweeteners. As many as 180 million Americans routinely eat and drink sugar-free products such as desserts and artificially sweetened sodas, according to 2004 statistics compiled by the Calorie Control Council, and with new products in the pipeline and on the shelves, the trend shows no sign of abating.

The newest artificial sweetener on the block is sucralose (SPLENDA). It is not affected by heat and retains its sweetness in hot beverages, baked goods, and processed foods. This has some advantages, Roxland says. "Nutrasweet can't be stored for long periods and you can't cook with it, but Splenda is heat stable so you can use it in cooking."

There are others in the pike including alitame (brand name Aclame™), which is 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose. A petition for its use in a broad range of foods and beverages has been filed in the U.S.

Another sweetener is Cyclamate, which is a 30 times sweeter than sucrose but as such it has the least "sweetening power" of the commercially acceptable intense sweeteners. It was banned in the U.S. in 1970, but currently there is a petition at the FDA for reapproval.

Dihydrochalcones (DHCs) are noncaloric sweeteners derived from bioflavonoids of citrus fruits that are approximately 300 to 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose.

Glycyrrhizin, a noncaloric extract of licorice root, is 50-100 times sweeter than sucrose. It is approved for use in the U.S. as a flavor and flavor enhancer.

Stevioside comes from leaves of a South American plant and is 300 times sweeter than sucrose. It is currently approved for use in 10 countries, including Japan, Paraguay, and Brazil. It can be sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement only.

Another potential sweetener is Thaumatin (TalinTM), a mixture of proteins from a West African fruit that's approximately 2,000-3,000 times sweeter than sucrose. In the U.S., it's approved as a flavor enhancer for beverages, jams and jellies, condiments, milk products, yogurt, cheese, instant coffee and tea, and chewing gum.

Sweet Solutions: The Best Sugar Substitutes

2009-04-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sweet Solutions:The Best Sugar Substitutes
WebMD Feature from "Redbook" Magazine
By Kelly Dinardo

Thanks to the newest sugar substitutes, it's becoming easier (and healthier) to bake your cake and eat it too!

There are so many alternative sweeteners available now that they seem to be elbowing sugar right off the supermarket shelf. But what's so wrong with sugar? At just 15 calories per teaspoon, "nothing--in moderation," says Lona Sandon, R.D., an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "The naturally occurring sugar in an apple is fine, but if we can reduce some of the added sugar in our diet, we can remove some of the empty calories." Less than 25 percent of your daily calories should come from the added sugar in foods like cookies, cereal, and ketchup, she says. To satisfy your sweet tooth--especially if you're counting calories, limiting carbs, or dealing with diabetes--try these options:

SWEETLEAF AND TRUVIA
What they are: These sugar alternatives are the latest made from stevia, an herb found in Central and South America that is up to 40 times sweeter than sugar but has zero calories and won't cause a jump in your blood sugar. Stevia was slow to catch on because of its bitter, licorice-like aftertaste, but makers of Truvia and SweetLeaf have solved this problem by using the sweetest parts of the plant in their products.

Where to find them: In grocery stores and natural-food stores throughout the country and online at sweetleaf.com and truvia.com.

How to use them: Both work well in coffee and tea or sprinkled over fruit, cereal, or yogurt. You can't substitute stevia-based products for sugar in baked goods, though, because these products are sweeter than sugar and don't offer the same color and texture. Makers of SweetLeaf promise to come out with a baking formulation soon.

Health Rx: "Truvia's one of the most promising alternatives out there," says nutritionist Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., author of The Healthiest Meals on Earth . "Right now, it looks safe. It tastes just like sugar and has almost no glycemic index, which means it won't spike your blood sugar."

WHEY LOW
What it is: Three naturally occurring sugars--fructose, the sugar in fruit; sucrose, or table sugar; and lactose, the sugar in milk--are blended to create this sweetener. While individually the sugars are fully caloric, when blended in Whey Low they interact in such a way that they aren't completely absorbed into the body. As a result, at four calories per teaspoon, Whey Low has one quarter of the calories and less than one third of the glycemic index of sugar, so you're less likely to crash after consuming it. It's available in varieties similar to granular sugar, brown sugar, maple sugar, and confectioners' sugar.

Where to find it: At grocery stores, like Whole Foods Market, online at wheylow.com, and in some baked goods at bakeries around the country.

How to use it: "Whey Low's flavor and texture are very similar to sugar's and it's easy to use," says Yasmine Sandhu, the pastry chef at Rock Creek, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., which uses Whey Low to keep calorie counts down. "I've substituted it into all my recipes as if it were sugar. The only product I've had trouble with is meringue--it browns a little quicker and doesn't set quite as well."

Health Rx: "Whey Low's creator argues that the way the sugars interfere with each other means that you get all of the sweet but many fewer calories than sugar," says Thomas Castonguay, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Maryland in College Park. "We're testing that process here in the lab, and the preliminary results look promising."

XYLITOL
What it is: This naturally occurring sugar alcohol is found in foods such as beets, berries, and corn. Xylitol tastes almost as sweet as sugar but is only partially absorbed by the body, so it has only about nine calories per teaspoon and a lower glycemic index.

Where to find it: Natural-food stores and online at vitaminshoppe.com.

How to use it: Substitute it for sugar in small amounts in tea or coffee. If you use it for baking, it's recommended that you substitute it for only half of the sugar called for in a recipe.

Health Rx: Xylitol prevents bacteria from causing plaque to stick to teeth, which is why it's often used in sugar-free gum and can help prevent tooth decay. It can also cause stomachaches, gas, and diarrhea if you have too much of it. "Sugar alcohols aren't digested well by the body," says Bowden. "That's what keeps xylitol from raising blood sugar, but it's also what can give you gas."

AGAVE NECTAR
What it is: Several types of agave, the plant that's used to make tequila, are blended to create this liquid sweetener.

Where to find it: At natural-food stores, in some grocery stores, like Whole Foods Market, and in various baked goods.

How to use it: "It's great for teas and coffee, but it's a little difficult to bake with," says Sandhu. "I use it at about a third of the capacity of sugar--agave nectar is far sweeter than sugar or honey, so you have to reduce the amount a recipe calls for. I look for recipes that use another liquid sweetener, like honey, as the base. I also tend to lower my oven temperature when I use it because agave nectar browns a bit more. It's probably not the best option out there for beginner bakers."

Health Rx: Agave nectar's benefits are still under debate. "It doesn't raise the blood sugar as rapidly as sugar," says Sandon. "And although it has more calories than sugar--about 20 calories per teaspoon--agave nectar is sweeter, so you can use less of it." There is some concern about agave's high fructose content, however; some experts wonder if it will have the same metabolic effect as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has been blamed for increasing rates of obesity. But experts still don't know whether the large quantities of HFCS we're consuming are partly responsible for America's obesity problem, or whether HFCS just happened to enter the American diet at the same time as negative lifestyle changes that led to weight gain.

The bottom line, say experts: We all could afford a little less sweet in our lives. "If you're eating a lot of foods that have these alternative sweeteners in them, that means you're still probably eating a lot of cookies, cakes, and other processed foods that aren't good for you," says Sandon. "We need to get back to eating more whole foods. Sugar substitutes are not a substitute for a healthy diet."

The Scoop On the Most Popular Sweeteners
Rumors persist about the health hazards of artificial sweeteners such as Sweet'N Low, Splenda, and Equal, but several food-safety groups and regulatory bodies, including the FDA, have consistently deemed them safe for consumption.

Sweet'N Low (saccharin) has fewer than four calories in each 1⁄4-teaspoon packet, which is as sweet as two teaspoons of sugar. It's best used in tea, coffee, or other drinks as it reacts differently to baking than sugar does, leading to differences in the volume and texture of foods.

Splenda (sucralose) is 600 times as sweet as table sugar; one packet is as sweet as two teaspoons of sugar. Though sucralose is made from a sugar molecule, it's chemically altered in a lab so it passes through the body unmetabolized. Splenda has no calories and is heat stable, so it's ideal for use in baking.

Equal (aspartame) has the sweetness of two teaspoons of sugar in each 1⁄4-teaspoon packet. Use it only in recipes designed specifically for Equal.

Understanding Eczema - Diagnosis & Treatment

2009-03-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

Understanding Eczema - Diagnosis & Treatment

How Is Eczema Diagnosed?
To diagnose eczema, your doctor will first talk to you about your symptoms and medical history. He or she will also ask about your family's history of rashes and other allergy-related medical conditions, such as asthma and hay fever. While there is no single test to effectively diagnose eczema, a good medical history combined with an exam of your skin is usually adequate.

What Are the Treatments for Eczema?
Good skin care is a key component in controlling eczema. Proper care of the skin can often be enough in many milder cases of eczema.

In treating eczema, most doctors will start patients on basic therapies. A good moisturizer (in cream, lotion, or ointment form) helps conserve the skin's natural moisture and should be applied immediately after showering or bathing and one other time each day.

Corticosteroid creams and ointments have been used for many years to treat eczema. Your doctor may recommend application of over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream in mild cases but often will prescribe a stronger steroid cream when the eczema is more severe. When other measures have failed, the doctor may prescribe oral corticosteroid medication; steroids should always be taken with caution and never without medical supervision.

Newer drugs called topical immunomodulators are available to help treat eczema. These medicines help control inflammation and reduce immune system reactions when applied to the skin. Examples include Elidel and Protopic. These drugs are thought to be as effective as corticosteroids.

WARNING: The FDA has issued its strongest "black box" warning on the packaging of Elidel and Protopic. The warning advises doctors to prescribe short-term use of Elidel and Protopic only after other available eczema treatments have failed in adults and children over the age of 2. Younger children should not take these medications.

Research in animals has linked Elidel and Protopic with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In those studies, the risk of cancer increased as the dose of the drugs increased. The FDA has also received reports of serious adverse events in children under the age of 2 who were prescribed the drugs, although they have not been approved for use in children in this age group.

Taking oral antihistamines may also help relieve symptoms. Some of these may cause drowsiness, which may be of benefit if nighttime itching is a problem.
For extreme cases of eczema, therapy using ultraviolet light may be prescribed. In adults, drugs that suppress the immune system may also be an option in the more severe cases. These medicines, such as cyclosporine or methotrexate, may be used in cases when other treatments have failed.

To relieve stress and improve circulation, it also helps to take a brisk walk or exercise on a regular basis. Set aside time for other relaxing activities.

Home Remedies for Eczema
Home remedies for eczema may be as simple as changing your laundry detergent or as difficult as moving to a new climate or changing jobs. Removing whatever is causing the allergic reaction is the easiest and most effective treatment.

Prevent dry skin by taking warm (not hot) showers rather than baths. Use a mild soap or body cleanser. Dry yourself very carefully and apply moisturizing skin lotions all over your body.
Avoid lotions with fragrances or other irritating substances.

Avoid wearing tight-fitting, rough, or scratchy clothing.

Avoid scratching the rash. If you can't stop yourself from scratching, cover the area with a dressing. Wear gloves at night to minimize skin damage from scratching.

Anything that causes sweating can irritate the rash. Avoid strenuous exercise during a flare.

If the allergy-causing agent cannot be removed or identified, the next step is to lessen the allergic inflammatory response.

* Apply a nonprescription steroid cream (hydrocortisone) along with anti-itching lotion (menthol/camphor, such as calamine). The cream must be applied as often as possible without skipping days until the rash is gone.

* Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in pill form may be taken for the itching. Caution - you should not take this medication if you need to drive a car or operate machinery as it will make you sleepy.

* Clean the area with a hypoallergenic soap every day. Apply lubricating cream or lotion after washing.

Avoid physical and mental stress. Eating right, light activity, and adequate sleep will help you stay healthy, which can help prevent flares.

Do not expect a quick response. Eczema is easier to control than cure.

Various Type of Eczema

2009-03-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Eczema Types

Atopic dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema, and sometimes people use the two terms interchangeably. But there are many terms used to describe specific forms of eczema that may have very similar symptoms to atopic dermatitis. These are listed and briefly described below.

Atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease characterized by itchy, inflamed skin. Atopic dermatitis is believed to be caused by an abnormal function of the body's immune system. The condition tends to come and go, depending upon exposures to triggers or causative factors. The most common form of eczema, atopic dermatitis affects about 10% of infants and 3% of adults in the U.S. When the disease starts in infancy it is sometimes termed infantile eczema. Atopic dermatitis tends to run in families, and people who develop the condition often have a family history of allergic conditions such as asthma or hay fever.

Contact eczema
Contact eczema (contact dermatitis) is a localized reaction that includes redness, itching, and burning where the skin has come into contact with an allergen (an allergy-causing substance) or with an irritant such as an acid, a cleaning agent, or other chemical. Other examples of contact eczema include reactions to laundry detergents, nickel (present in jewelry), cosmetics, fabrics, clothing, and perfume. The condition is sometimes referred to as allergic contact eczema (allergic contact dermatitis). Skin reactions to poison ivy and poison sumac are examples of allergic contact eczema. People who have a history of allergies have an increased risk for developing contact eczema.

Seborrheic eczema
Seborrheic eczema (seborrheic dermatitis) is a form of skin inflammation of unknown cause. The signs and symptoms of seborrheic eczema include yellowish, oily, scaly patches of skin on the scalp, face, and occasionally other parts of the body. Dandruff and "cradle cap" in infants are examples of seborrheic eczema. Seborrheic dermatitis is not necessarily associated with itching. This condition tends to run in families. Emotional stress, oily skin, infrequent shampooing, and weather conditions may all increase a person's risk of developing seborrheic eczema.

Nummular eczema
Nummular eczema (nummular dermatitis) is characterized by coin-shaped patches of irritated skin, most commonly located on the arms, back, buttocks, and lower legs, that may be crusted, scaling, and extremely itchy. This form of eczema is relatively uncommon and occurs most frequently in elderly men. Nummular eczema is usually a chronic condition. A personal or family history of atopic dermatitis, asthma, or allergies increases the risk of developing the condition.

Neurodermatitis
Neurodermatitis, also known as lichen simplex chronicus, is a chronic skin inflammation caused by a scratch-itch cycle that begins with a localized itch (such as an insect bite) that becomes intensely irritated when scratched. Women are more commonly affected by neurodermatitis than men, and the condition is most frequent in people aged 20-50. This form of eczema results in scaly patches of skin on the head, lower legs, wrists, or forearms. Over time, the skin can become thickened and leathery. Stress can worsen the symptoms of neurodermatitis.

Stasis dermatitis
Stasis dermatitis is a skin irritation on the lower legs, generally related to the circulatory problem known as venous insufficiency, in which the function of the valves within the veins has been compromised. Stasis dermatitis occurs almost exclusively in middle-aged and elderly people, with approximately 6-7% of the population over age 50 being affected by the condition. The risk of developing stasis dermatitis increases with advancing age. Symptoms include itching and/or reddish-brown discoloration of the skin on one or both legs. Progression of the condition can lead to the blistering, oozing skin lesions seen with other forms of eczema, and ulcers may develop in affected areas. The chronic circulatory problems lead to an increase in fluid buildup (edema) in the legs. Stasis dermatitis has also been referred to as varicose eczema.

Dyshidrotic eczema
Dyshidrotic eczema (dyshidrotic dermatitis) is an irritation of the skin on the palms of hands and soles of the feet characterized by clear, deep blisters that itch and burn. The cause of dyshidrotic eczema is unknown. Dyshidrotic eczema is also known as vesicular palmoplantar dermatitis, dyshidrosis or pompholyx. This form of eczema occurs in up to 20% of people with hand eczema and is more common during the spring and summer months and in warmer climates. Males and females are equally affected, and the condition can occur in people of any age.

Understanding Eczema - the Basics

2009-03-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Understanding Eczema - the Basics

What Is Eczema?
Eczema is a skin condition caused by inflammation. Atopic dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema. While the word "dermatitis" means inflammation of the skin, "atopic" refers to an allergic tendency, which is often inherited. These eczema sufferers have a higher risk of developing other allergic conditions (like asthma or hay fever).
Typically, eczema causes skin to become itchy, red, and dry -- even cracked and leathery. Eczema most frequently appears on the face and extremities, but it can show up in other areas, too.
Eczema is a chronic problem for many people. It is most common among infants, many of whom outgrow it before school age.

What Causes Eczema?
Like asthma, eczema seems to run in families. Certain genes make some people have extra-sensitive skin, and certain environmental factors -- like stress -- can trigger an episode of eczema.
Eczema is also caused or worsened by contact with irritants in common substances such as:
woolen and synthetic fabrics
soap and other agents that dry skin
heat and sweat
Eczema can also be worsened by dry skin.
Since eczema may in part be an internal response to stress, any emotionally charged event -- from a move to a new job -- may trigger a flare-up.
What Is Eczema?
Eczema is a skin condition caused by inflammation. Atopic dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema. While the word "dermatitis" means inflammation of the skin, "atopic" refers to an allergic tendency, which is often inherited. These eczema sufferers have a higher risk of developing other allergic conditions (like asthma or hay fever).

Typically, eczema causes skin to become itchy, red, and dry -- even cracked and leathery. Eczema most frequently appears on the face and extremities, but it can show up in other areas, too.

Eczema is a chronic problem for many people. It is most common among infants, many of whom outgrow it before school age.

What Causes Eczema?
Like asthma, eczema seems to run in families. Certain genes make some people have extra-sensitive skin, and certain environmental factors -- like stress -- can trigger an episode of eczema.

Eczema is also caused or worsened by contact with irritants in common substances such as:
woolen and synthetic fabrics
soap and other agents that dry skin
heat and sweat

Eczema can also be worsened by dry skin.
Since eczema may in part be an internal response to stress, any emotionally charged event -- from a move to a new job -- may trigger a flare-up.

What Are the Symptoms of Eczema?
Almost always, there's an itch before a rash appears in eczema. Typically, eczema shows itself as:

* Patches of chronically itchy, dry, thickened skin, usually on the hands, neck, face, and legs. In children, the inner creases of the knees and elbows are often involved.

* Scratching can lead to sores with crusts.

Call Your Doctor About Eczema If:
* You develop an otherwise unexplained rash and have a family history of eczema or asthma. You should have a medical diagnosis of the condition.

* The inflammation does not respond within a week to treatment with over-the-counter hydrocortisone creams. A physician may suggest more aggressive forms of treatment.

* You develop yellowish to light brown crust or pus-filled blisters over existing patches of eczema. This may indicate a bacterial infection that should be treated with an antibiotic.

* During a flare-up of eczema, you are exposed to anyone with a viral skin disease such as cold sores or genital herpes. Having eczema puts you at increased risk of contracting the viral disorder.

* You develop numerous small, fluid-filled blisters in the areas of eczema. You may have eczema herpeticum, a rare but potentially serious complication caused by the herpes simplex virus.

Eczema Causes
The exact cause of eczema is not known. Although it is activated by the immune system and is related to allergic reactions, it is not the same as other allergic reactions. People with eczema do have the IgE antibodies (immunoglobulin E) produced by the immune system as part of allergic reactions.

* Contact with the external trigger (allergen) causes the skin to become inflamed. The duration of the contact is not important. Eczema can develop on first contact (in days to weeks) or over time with repeated contact (in months to years).

* Common triggers of eczema include the following:

* Soaps
* Detergents
* Weather (hot, cold, humid, or dry)
* Environmental allergens
* Jewelry
* Creams
* Food handling
* Clothing
* Sweating
* Gloves
* Rubbing
* Bacteria
* Emotional or mental stress

* Severe forms of eczema are caused by powerful allergic responses to external agents that cannot be eliminated from the environment.

* Risk factors for eczema include the following:
* People with severe eczema usually also have hay fever and asthma.
* Eczema is probably hereditary and often is found in other family members.
* Eczema is not contagious.

* Risk factors for an eczema flare include the following:
* Illness
* Physical or mental stress
* Exposure to skin irritants

Diabetic Retinopathy - Topic Overview

2009-03-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

Diabetic Retinopathy - Topic Overview

What is diabetic retinopathy?
Retinopathy is a disease of the retina. The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of your eye. It is the part of your eye that "takes pictures" and sends the images to your brain. Many people with diabetes get retinopathy. This kind of retinopathy is called diabetic retinopathy (retinal disease caused by diabetes).

Diabetic retinopathy can lead to poor vision and even blindness. Most of the time, it gets worse over many years. At first, the blood vessels in the eye get weak. This can lead to blood and other liquid leaking into the retina from the blood vessels. This is the most common kind of retinopathy.

If blood sugar levels stay high, diabetic retinopathy will keep getting worse. New blood vessels grow on the retina. This may sound good, but these new blood vessels are weak. They can break open very easily, even while you are sleeping. If they break open, blood can leak into the middle part of your eye in front of the retina and change your vision. This bleeding can also cause scar tissue to form, which can pull on the retina and cause the retina to move away from the wall of the eye (retinal detachment).

Retinopathy can also cause swelling of the macula of the eye. This is called macular edema. The macula is the middle of the retina, which lets you see details. When it swells, it can make your vision much worse. It can even cause legal blindness.

What causes diabetic retinopathy?
High blood sugar causes diabetic retinopathy. If you are not able to keep your blood sugar levels near normal, it can hurt your blood vessels. Diabetic retinopathy happens when high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels of the retina.

When you have diabetic retinopathy, high blood pressure can make it worse. High blood pressure can cause more damage to the weakened vessels in your eye, clouding more of your vision.

What are the symptoms?
Most of the time, there are no symptoms of diabetic retinopathy until it starts to change your vision. When this happens, diabetic retinopathy is already severe. Having your eyes checked every year can find diabetic retinopathy early enough to treat it and help prevent vision loss.

If you notice problems with your vision, call an eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) right away. Changes in vision can be a sign of severe damage to your eye. These changes can include floaters, pain in the eye, blurry vision, or new vision loss.

How is diabetic retinopathy diagnosed?
An eye exam by an eye specialist (ophthalmologist or optometrist) is the only way to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. Having an eye exam every year can help find retinopathy before it changes your vision. If you are at low risk for vision problems, your doctor may consider follow-up exams every 2 years. On your own, you may not notice symptoms until the disease becomes severe.

Can diabetic retinopathy be prevented?
You can lower your chance of damaging small blood vessels in the eye by keeping your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels near normal. If you smoke, quit. All of this decreases the risk of damage to the retina. It can also help slow down how quickly your retinopathy gets worse and can prevent future vision loss.

If you have an eye exam every one to two years, you and your doctor can find diabetic retinopathy before it has a chance to get worse. Finding retinopathy early gives you a better chance of avoiding vision loss and blindness.

How is it treated?
You may not need treatment for diabetic retinopathy unless it has affected the middle part of your eye. But you will need to see your eye doctor for regular follow-up exams.

Surgery, laser treatment, or medicine may help slow the vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy. You may need to be treated more than once as the disease gets worse.

Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about diabetic retinopathy:
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Who is affected by diabetic retinopathy?
What causes diabetic retinopathy?
What are the symptoms?
Who is at risk?
When should I see a doctor?

Being diagnosed:
How is it diagnosed?
Who should I see?
How often should I have an eye exam?

Getting treatment:
How is it treated?
Do I need laser treatment?

Ongoing concerns:
How can I prevent blindness?

Living with diabetic retinopathy:
How can I slow the progression of retinopathy?
What can I do if I have poor vision?
How do I care for my diabetes when I have poor eyesight?

Diabetic Neuropathy - Topic Overview

2009-03-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

Diabetic Neuropathy - Topic Overview

What is diabetic neuropathy?
Neuropathy means nerve disease or damage. Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage caused by diabetes. People with diabetes often have high blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage nerves throughout your body.

There are three kinds of diabetic neuropathy.
1. Peripheral neuropathy is damage to peripheral nerves. These are the nerves that sense pain, touch, hot, and cold. They also affect movement and muscle strength. The nerves in the feet and lower legs are most often affected. This type of nerve damage can lead to serious foot problems. The damage usually gets worse slowly, over months or years.

2. Autonomic neuropathyis damage to autonomic nerves. These nerves control things like your heartbeat, blood pressure, sweating, digestion, urination, and sexual function.

3. Focal neuropathyaffects just one nerve, usually in the wrist, thigh, or foot. It may also affect the nerves of your back and chest and those that control your eye muscles. This type of nerve damage usually happens suddenly.

What causes diabetic neuropathy?
Over time, high blood sugar levels from diabetes can damage nerves throughout your body. The higher your blood sugar levels, the more likely you are to have nerve damage. So controlling your blood sugar throughout your life is very important.

The older you get, and the longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to have nerve damage. People with diabetes who drink too much alcohol are also more likely to have nerve damage.

About half of all people with diabetes end up getting diabetic neuropathy.1

What are the symptoms?
Your symptoms will depend on which nerves are injured. You may not be able to feel pain, especially in your feet. This can lead to serious infections, because sores or other problems may not get treated.

When other parts of your body are affected, symptoms may include:
* Problems with digestion, such as bloating, belching, constipation, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and belly pain.
* Problems with body temperature, such as heavy sweating at night or when you eat certain foods. Some people may have reduced sweating, especially in their feet and legs.
* Problems with urination, such as finding it hard to tell when your bladder is full or finding it hard to empty your bladder completely.
* Sexual problems, such as erection problems in men and vaginal dryness in women.
* Heart and blood vessel problems, leading to poor circulation or low blood pressure. This may cause dizziness, weakness, or fainting when you stand or sit up from a reclining position.
* Trouble sensing when your blood sugar is low.

How is diabetic neuropathy diagnosed?
Your doctor will check how well you feel light touch and temperature and will test your strength and your reflexes. Tests such as electromyogram and nerve conduction studies may be done to confirm the diagnosis. You may need other tests to see which type of neuropathy you have and to help guide your treatment.

Doctors can't test for all types of nerve damage. So it’s important to tell your doctor about any pain or weakness you feel. Also mention heavy sweating or dizziness and any changes in digestion, urination, and sexual function.

How is it treated?
Treatment involves keeping blood sugar levels near normal. This will not cure the nerve damage, but it can help keep the damage from getting worse.

The type of treatment depends on your symptoms:
* Pain may be treated with medicines.
* Digestive system problems or blood vessel problems may be treated with medicines.
* Blood pressure problems may be treated with medicines and by wearing support stockings (also called compression stockings).
* Sexual problems may be helped with medicines or devices to improve erections or with lubricating creams that help vaginal dryness.
* A splint or brace may be used for a pinched nerve.

It is common in diabetes to lose some feeling in your feet. You could have a sore or other foot problem without noticing it. Check your feet every day. An untreated problem on your foot can lead to a serious infection or even amputation.

Be clear with your doctor about what is helping you feel better and what is not. You and your doctor can work together to find the treatment that helps you the most.

Can diabetic neuropathy be prevented?
Keeping your blood sugar levels near normal may help prevent neuropathy from ever developing. The best way to do this is by getting to and staying at a healthy weight by exercising and eating healthy foods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learning about diabetic neuropathy:
What is diabetic neuropathy?
What causes it?
Can I prevent it?
What are the symptoms?
How do diabetic foot problems develop?
How can I prevent diabetic foot problems?

Being diagnosed:
How is diabetic neuropathy diagnosed?
What tests will I need?

Getting treatment:
How is diabetic neuropathy treated?

Living with diabetic neuropathy:
What can I do at home to relieve symptoms?
Do I need to be careful when I exercise?
How can I best care for my feet?

Leukemia - Treatment Overview

2009-03-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

Leukemia - Treatment Overview

The goal of treatment for leukemia is to destroy the leukemia cells and allow normal cells to form in your bone marrow. Treatment decisions are based on the type and subtype of leukemia you have, its stage, and your age and general health.

Treatment for acute leukemia

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to fight cancer. It is the usual treatment for acute leukemia. For most people, that means receiving drugs in three stages:

Induction. The goal of this stage is remission. Remission is a period in which the leukemia cells have been destroyed and are replaced with healthy cells. Induction is done with high doses of powerful drugs which may be given over a period of time from about a week to a month, depending on the type of leukemia. Then it takes several weeks for your body to start growing new blood cells. You probably will stay in the hospital during this time. This can take a month or longer.

Consolidation. Even when tests show no leukemia cells can be found, there may still be some left. The goal of consolidation is to kill any cells that are left. Consolidation often involves the same drugs given in the induction stage, but the schedule and doses may be different. For example, you may receive the drugs in one or two 5-day cycles spread over 1 to 3 months.

Maintenance. The goal of this stage is to prevent leukemia cells from growing back. During maintenance you are given lower doses of drugs over the course of 2 to 3 years. If your type of leukemia has a high risk of coming back (relapse), this stage might include a stem cell transplant. The maintenance stage is not used for all types of leukemia, but is a common part of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Some types of acute leukemia spread to the brain and spinal cord. Regular chemotherapy cannot reach those areas, because your body puts up a special barrier to protect them. A different way of giving chemotherapy, called intrathecal chemotherapy, treats these areas by injecting the drugs directly into your spinal canal to attack any leukemia cells there.

Treatment if acute leukemia gets worse

Sometimes leukemia gets worse in spite of treatments. Sometimes it gets better, or "goes into remission." Sometimes it comes back, or "relapses." Even when that happens, there are several treatments that may help to cure the leukemia or help you live longer:

Clinical trials . People who have leukemia may enter a research program when they first start treatment or if the leukemia is not getting better. These programs test new ways to treat the disease. For more information, see www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/ or http://clinicaltrials.gov.

Stem cell transplant . Donated cells from a "matched" donor can rebuild your supply of normal blood cells and your immune system. (A matched donor is usually a family member. But many people have family members whose stem cells are not a close enough match.) Stem cells can be from bone marrow, from the bloodstream, or from umbilical cord blood. If you have a matched donor, drugs and radiation are used to destroy the cells in your bone marrow and make room for donated cells. If you have a relapse after a transplant, a transfusion of more of your donor's white blood cells may put you back into remission.

Drugs. Sometimes different drugs or different doses than those that were used during your initial chemotherapy can help.

Repeating the induction stage. Sometimes the same drugs that put leukemia into remission in the first place will work again.

Treatment of chronic leukemia
Unlike acute leukemia, chronic leukemia is not always treated right away. It usually gets worse more slowly than acute leukemia. This is especially true for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Treatment choices for chronic leukemia include:

Watchful waiting. Treatment is often not needed in the early stages of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CLL usually gets worse very slowly, and you may have no symptoms for some time. You and your doctor may decide to hold off on treatment for a while. During this time your doctor will watch you carefully. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people who have CLL never need treatment.8

Stem cell transplant. Some transplants are autologous, meaning the stem cells come from your own body. Some transplants are allogeneic, meaning the stem cells are donated by someone else. The goal of a transplant is to destroy all the cells in your bone marrow, including the leukemia cells, and replace them with new, normal cells.

Biological therapy. This is the use of special drugs that improve your body's natural defenses against cancer. One such drug that doctors often use to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is interferon alfa.

Radiation therapy. Radiation may be used to destroy cancer cells. It also may be used to shrink swollen lymph nodes or a swollen spleen. Sometimes radiation is used on the whole body to prepare for a bone marrow transplant or to treat CLL.

Clinical trials, which are used to find out whether a medication or treatment is safe and effective. People who have chronic leukemia are often referred to clinical trials for their treatment. For more information, see www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/ or http://clinicaltrials.gov.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs that attack cancer cells. A variety of drugs is available to fight leukemia and help you live longer.

Treatment of infections. When you have chronic leukemia, your body is not able to fight infections very well. You and your doctor need to watch for any signs of infections, such as pneumonia, yeast infections, and shingles. Early treatment of these and other infections will help you live longer. You can sometimes prevent certain infections or keep from getting very sick by getting a flu shot or a pneumonia vaccine.

If you have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), your doctor may want to check you regularly for other types of cancer. People who have CLL have a higher chance than normal of getting a second cancer.

Treatment if chronic leukemia gets worse
If you have chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) that gets worse or relapses, there is still much hope. Imatinib (Gleevec) may be combined with other drugs to treat the disease. A new drug called dasatinib (Sprycel) is now available for people whose CML is not helped by imatinib. Other new drugs are also being tested in clinical trials.

If you have a relapse after a bone marrow transplant, a transfusion of more of your donor's white blood cells may put you back into remission.

Palliative care
If leukemia gets worse, you may want to think about focusing on palliative care for your treatment. Palliative care is a kind of care for people who have illnesses that do not go away and often get worse over time. It is different from treatment to cure your illness, called curative treatment. Palliative care focuses on improving your quality of life-not just in your body, but also in your mind and spirit.

Palliative care may help you manage symptoms or side effects from treatment. It could also help you cope with your feelings about living with a long-term illness, make future plans around your medical care, or help your family better understand your illness and how to support you.

If you are interested in palliative care, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to manage your care or refer you to a doctor who specializes in this type of care.

For more information, see the topic Palliative Care.

End-of-life issues
Even if your treatment is going well, it's a good idea to plan ahead. Talk to your family and your doctor about health care and other legal issues that arise near the end of life. Put your health care choices in writing (with an advance directive or living will). This is important, if a time comes when you can't make and communicate these decisions. Think about your treatment options and which kind of treatment will be best for you. You may also want to choose a health care agent to make and carry out decisions about your care if you become unable to speak for yourself.

For more information, see the topics Writing an Advance Directive and Choosing a Health Care Agent.

A time may come when your goals may change from treating an illness to maintaining your comfort and dignity. Your doctor can address questions or concerns about maintaining your comfort when cure is no longer an option. Hospice care professionals can provide palliative care in the comfortable surroundings of your own home.
For more information, see the topics Palliative Care, Hospice Care and Care at the End of Life.

What to think about
When leukemia has been in remission for a long time, the word "cure" is often used. Your doctor may use the term "remission" instead of "cure" when talking about the effectiveness of your treatment. Although many people who have leukemia are successfully treated, the term remission is used because cancer can return (recur). It is important to discuss the possibility of recurrence with your doctor.

Clinical trials play a very important part in the treatment of leukemia. Clinical trials test the latest drugs and other new treatments. They have made it possible for many people with leukemia to live longer. People who are in clinical trials get all the recommended treatments for their cancer and are closely watched. Talk to your doctor about whether there is a clinical trial that might be good for you. For more information, see www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials/ or http://clinicaltrials.gov.

Leukemia - Topic Overview

2009-03-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

Leukemia - Topic Overview

What is leukemia?
Leukemia is cancer of the blood cells. It starts in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside most bones. Bone marrow is where blood cells are made.

When you are healthy, your bone marrow makes:
White blood cells, which help your body fight infection.
Red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of your body.
Platelets, which help your blood clot.

When you have leukemia, the bone marrow starts to make a lot of abnormal white blood cells, called leukemia cells. They don't do the work of normal white blood cells, they grow faster than normal cells, and they don't stop growing when they should.

Over time, leukemia cells can crowd out the normal blood cells. This can lead to serious problems such as anemia, bleeding, and infections. Leukemia cells can also spread to the lymph nodes or other organs and cause swelling or pain.

Are there different types of leukemia?
There are several different types of leukemia. In general, leukemia is grouped by how fast it gets worse and what kind of white blood cell it affects.

It may be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia gets worse very fast and may make you feel sick right away. Chronic leukemia gets worse slowly and may not cause symptoms for years.

It may be lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic) leukemia affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia affects white blood cells called myelocytes.

The four main types of leukemia are:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL. ALL is the most common leukemia in children. Adults can also get it.
Acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML. AML affects both children and adults.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL. CLL is the most common leukemia in adults, mostly those who are older than 55. Children almost never get it. It sometimes runs in families.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML. CML occurs mostly in adults.

What causes leukemia?
Experts don't know what causes leukemia. But some things are known to increase the risk of some kinds of leukemia. These things are called risk factors. You are more likely to get leukemia if you:

Were exposed to large amounts of radiation.
Were exposed to certain chemicals at work, such as benzene.
Had some types of chemotherapy to treat another cancer.
Have Down syndrome or some other genetic problems.
Smoke.

But most people who have these risk factors don't get leukemia. And most people who get leukemia do not have any known risk factors.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms may depend on what type of leukemia you have, but common symptoms include:
Fever and night sweats.
Headaches.
Bruising or bleeding easily.
Bone or joint pain.
A swollen or painful belly from an enlarged spleen.
Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit, neck, or groin.
Getting a lot of infections.
Feeling very tired or weak.
Losing weight and not feeling hungry.

How is leukemia diagnosed?
To find out if you have leukemia, a doctor will:
Ask questions about your past health and symptoms.
Do a physical exam. The doctor will look for swollen lymph nodes and check to see if your spleen or liver is enlarged.
Order blood tests. Leukemia causes a high level of white blood cells and low levels of other types of blood cells.

If your blood tests are not normal, the doctor may want to do a bone marrow biopsy. This test lets the doctor look at cells from inside your bone. This can give key information about what type of leukemia it is so you can get the right treatment.

How is it treated?
What type of treatment you need will depend on many things, including what kind of leukemia you have, how far along it is, and your age and overall health.

If you have acute leukemia, you will need quick treatment to stop the rapid growth of leukemia cells. In many cases, acute leukemia can be cured. Some doctors prefer the term "remission" to "cure," because there is a chance the cancer could come back.

If you have chronic leukemia, you may not need to be treated until you have symptoms. Chronic leukemia can rarely be cured, but treatment can help control the disease.

Treatments for leukemia include:
Chemotherapy, which uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells. This is the main treatment for most types of leukemia.
Radiation treatments. Radiation therapy uses high-dose X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink swollen lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen. It may also be used before a stem cell transplant.
Stem cell transplant. Donated stem cells can rebuild your supply of normal blood cells and boost your immune system. Before the transplant, radiation or chemotherapy is used to destroy cells in bone marrow and make room for donated cells.
Biological therapy. This is the use of special medicines that improve your body's natural defenses against cancer.

For some people, clinical trials are a treatment option. Clinical trials are research projects to test new medicines and other treatments. Often people with chronic leukemia take part in these studies.

Some treatments for leukemia can cause side effects. Your doctor can tell you what problems are common and help you find ways to manage them.

Finding out that you or your child has leukemia can be a terrible shock. It may help to:
Learn all you can about the type of leukemia you have and its treatment. This will help you make the best choices and know what to expect.
Stay as strong and well as possible. A healthy diet, plenty of rest, and regular exercise can help.
Talk to other people or families who have faced this disease. Ask your doctor about support groups in your area. You can also find people online who will share their experiences with you.

Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about leukemia:
What is leukemia?
What causes it?
Can I prevent leukemia?
What are the symptoms?
What increases my chances of getting leukemia?
How common is it?
What happens in leukemia?

Being diagnosed:
How will my doctor diagnose leukemia?
What is a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy?
Getting treatment:
How is leukemia treated?
What type of medicines will I need to take?
What is radiation therapy?
What is a bone marrow transplant?
What is a stem cell transplant?
What is a clinical trial?
When is surgery needed?

Ongoing concerns:
When should I call my doctor?

Living with leukemia:
What can I do at home to ease my symptoms or manage the side effects of treatment?
How can I control nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy?

End-of-life issues:
How can I prepare for end-of-life issues?

Sinusitis:

2009-03-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sinusitis: Causes and Treatments
Sinusitis is an inflammation, or swelling, of the tissue lining the sinuses. Normally, sinuses are filled with air, but when sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, germs (bacteria, viruses and fungi) can grow and cause an infection.

Conditions that can cause sinus blockage include the common cold, allergic rhinitis (swelling of the lining of the nose), nasal polyps (small growths in the lining of the nose) or a deviated septum (a shift in the nasal cavity).

There are different types of sinusitis, including:
· Acute sinusitis: A sudden onset of cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, stuffy nose and facial pain that does not go away after 7-10 days. Acute sinusitis typically lasts 4 weeks or less.
· Subacute sinusitis: An inflammation lasting 4 to 8 weeks.
· Chronic sinusitis: A condition characterized by sinus inflammation symptoms lasting 8 weeks or longer.
· Recurrent sinusitis: Several attacks within a year.

Who Gets Sinusitis?
About 37 million Americans suffer from at least one episode of sinusitis each year. People who have the following conditions have a higher risk of sinusitis:
· Nasal mucous membrane swelling as from a common cold
· Blockage of drainage ducts
· Structure differences that narrow the drainage ducts
· Conditions that result in an increased risk of infection such as immune deficiencies or taking medications that suppress the immune system.

In children, common environmental factors that contribute to sinusitis include allergies, illness from other children at day care or school, pacifiers, bottle drinking while lying on one's back, and smoke in the environment.

In adults, the contributing factors are most frequently infections and smoking.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Acute Sinusitis?
The primary symptoms of acute sinusitis include:
· Facial pain/pressure
· Nasal stuffiness
· Nasal discharge
· Loss of smell
· Cough/congestion

Additional symptoms may include:
· Fever
· Bad breath
· Fatigue
· Dental pain

Acute sinusitis may be diagnosed when a person has two or more symptoms and/or the presence of thick, green or yellow nasal discharge.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Sinusitis?
People with chronic sinusitis may have the following symptoms for 8 weeks or more:
· Facial congestion/fullness
· A nasal obstruction/blockage
· Pus in the nasal cavity
· Fever
· Nasal discharge/discolored postnasal drainage

Additional symptoms may include:
· Headaches
· Bad breath
· Fatigue
· Dental pain

How Is Sinusitis Diagnosed?
To diagnose sinusitis, your doctor will review your symptoms and give you a physical examination.

The exam may include the doctor feeling and pressing your sinuses for tenderness. He or she may also tap your teeth to see if you have an inflamed paranasal sinus.

Other diagnostic tests may include a study of the mucus culture, nasal endoscopy (see below), X-rays, allergy testing, CT scan of the sinuses, or bloodwor

What Is Nasal Endoscopy?
A nasal endoscope is a special tube-like instrument equipped with tiny lights and cameras used to examine the interior of the nose and sinus drainage areas.

A nasal endoscopy allows your doctor to view the accessible areas of the sinus drainage pathways. Your nasal cavity may first be numbed using a local anesthetic (some cases do not require any anesthetic). A rigid or flexible endoscope is then placed in position to view the middle bone structure of the nasal cavity.

The procedure is used to observe signs of obstruction as well as detect nasal polyps hidden from routine nasal examination. During the endoscopic examination, the doctor also looks for any structural abnormalities that would cause you to suffer from recurrent sinusitis.

How Is Sinusitis Treated?
Treatment for sinusitis depends on the severity.

· Acute sinusitis. If you have a simple sinus infection, your health care provider may recommend treatment with decongestants like Sudafed and steam inhalations alone. Use of nonprescription decongestant nasal drops or sprays may also be effective in controlling symptoms. However, these medicines should not be used beyond their recommended use, usually four to five days, or they may actually increase congestion.If antibiotics are administered, they are usually given for 10 to 14 days. With treatment, the symptoms usually disappear and antibiotics are no longer required.
· Chronic sinusitis. Warm moist air may alleviate sinus congestion. A vaporizer or inhaling steam from a pan of boiling water (removed from heat) may also help. Warm compresses are useful to relieve pain in the nose and sinuses. Saline nose drops are also safe for home use. Use of nonprescription decongestant nasal drops or sprays might be effective in controlling symptoms, however, they should not be used beyond their recommended use. Antibiotics may also be prescribed.

Other Treatment Options
To reduce congestion, your doctor may prescribe nasal sprays (some may contain steroid sprays), nose drops or oral decongestant medicine. If you suffer from severe chronic sinusitis, oral steroids might be prescribed to reduce inflammation -- usually only when other medications have not worked. Antibiotics will be prescribed for any bacterial infection found in the sinuses (antibiotics are not effective against a viral infection). An antihistamine may be recommended for the treatment of allergies. Antifungal medicine may be prescribed for a fungal sinus infection. Immunoglobulin (antibodies) may be given if you have certain immune deficiencies.

Will I Need to Make Lifestyle Changes?
Smoking is never recommended, but if you do smoke, you should refrain during treatment for sinus problems. No special diet is required, but drinking extra fluids helps to thin secretions.

Is Sinus Surgery Necessary?
Mucus is developed by the body to moisten the sinus walls. In the sinus walls, the mucus is moved across tissue linings toward the opening of each sinus by millions of cilia (a hair-like extension of a cell). Irritation and swelling from an allergy can narrow the opening of the sinus and block mucus movement. If antibiotics and other medicines are not effective in opening the sinus, surgery may be necessary. Also, if there is a structural abnormality of the sinus such as nasal polyps, which can obstruct sinus drainage, surgery may be needed.

Surgery is performed under local or general anesthesia using an endoscope. Most people can return to normal activities within five to seven days following surgery. Full recovery usually takes about four to six weeks.

A procedure called a "turbinectomy" may also be performed to permanently shrink the swollen membranes of the nose. This is done in the doctor's office and takes only a few minutes. The anesthetic used is very similar to that used in routine dental procedures.

What Happens If Sinusitis Is Not Treated?
Delaying treatment for sinusitis will result in suffering from unnecessary pain and discomfort. In rare circumstances, untreated sinusitis can lead to meningitis or brain abscess and infection of the bone.

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine.

Six Super Foods for Woman Needs

2009-03-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Six Super Foods Every Woman Needs
The foods you really need to stay you healthy and strong
By Colette BouchezWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

From the food pyramid to the Internet to your local bookstore, there is certainly no shortage of advice on nutrition and healthy eating. But with all the media hype surrounding many “health foods,” it can be hard for a woman to tell the nutrients from advertising ploys.

“We are sometimes led to believe that a specific food is healthier than it really is,” says nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, MS, RD, author of Age-proof Your Body. “Or that you need some exotic or expensive form of certain nutrients to gain benefits -- and most of the time that’s not true.”

Moreover -- as happened in the '90s when low fat cookies made everyone temporarily forget about calories -- Somer says some of today’s advertising sways us toward one healthy aspect of a food to keep us from noticing other, less healthy attributes. “A product may advertise itself as ‘no cholesterol’" she says, “but it still can be loaded with bad fats or tons of calories. You have to look at the total food to know for sure.”

NYU nutritionist Tara Miller, MS, RD, agrees. “You have to read the whole label, look at all the ingredients and the portion sizes, before you know for sure just how healthy a food is.”
Or you can let us do the work for you! To help you zero in on the healthiest foods that women can eat, we asked a panel of experts for their advice.

What follows is a description of the six super foods they say every woman needs. While these foods won’t cover all your nutrient bases, incorporating them into your diet as often as possible can help give you a wide range of protection.

Super foods for women: What you need
Super Food # 1: Low-fat yogurt
Goal: 3 to 5 servings a week
What it does: As a health food, yogurt is almost as old as, well, good health itself. But experts say evidence continues to accumulate that reveals its benefits in many new and exciting ways. And not just yogurt. Somer tells WebMD that any fermented dairy product -- including kefir -- contains healthy “probiotics” -- bacteria with the power to protect you in myriad ways.

“There is a suggestion [that yogurt] may decrease the risk of breast cancer,” Somer says. ”And there’s very strong evidence it can reduce problems associated with irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory digestive tract disorders -- both conditions that impact women more than men.” Additionally, she says, yogurt can help reduce the risk of stomach ulcers and vaginal infections.

Enjoy a cup of yogurt at breakfast, lunch, or snack to help meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendation for three servings of low fat dairy each day. “It’s loaded with bone-healthy calcium -- something every woman needs more of at every age,” Somer says. One cup of yogurt has about 448 mg of calcium, compared to just 300 for eight ounces of skim milk.

The key, according to Somer, is to choose a low fat yogurt with live cultures -- like Lactobacillus acidophilus. And do check the label, Somer advises. Some store brands may not have the level of cultures found in more established brands.

Also important: Skip the fruit-on-the-bottom or other flavored varieties. “Too much sugar,” says Somer, who also reminds us that, no, those two blueberries on the bottom of the container do not constitute a serving of fruit!

Super Food # 2: Fatty fish -- like salmon, sardines, and mackerel
Goal: 2 to 3 servings every week
What it does: The healthy factor in fish is omega-3 fatty acids, and specifically two types known as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).

“Fatty fish not only plays a vital role in the health of the membrane of every cell in our body, it also helps protect us from a number of key health threats,” says Laurie Tansman, MS, RD, CDN, a nutritionist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Some of those threats include heart disease, stroke, hypertension, depression, joint pain, and a number of illnesses linked to inflammation, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Somer says fish may even offer some protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

While many foods -- such as walnuts, flaxseed oil, and some mayonnaise brands -- claim the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, Somer cautions that only the DHA or EPA forms of omega-3 can be directly used by the body.

“What you get in foods like walnuts and flaxseed oil is an omega-3 acid known as ALA -- alpha-linoleic acid,” says Somer. “And while it’s certainly good for you, it requires a process in the body to convert it to DHA. And that conversion process can be influenced by a variety of individual factors.”

The good news: You are likely to see a wheelbarrow full of new products supplemented with DHA slowly making their way to market in the coming year. Currently, Kellogg is reportedly developing a cereal fortified with DHA, while a company called Nutri-Kids has already launched a DHA fortified ready-to-drink milk product. You can also find eggs fortified with DHA and, says Somer, certain brands of soymilk.

Super Food # 3: Beans
Goal: 3 to 4 servings every week
What it does: Low in fat, beans are a good source of protein and fiber and may have protective effects against heart disease and breast cancer. Beans may also play a role in stabilizing female hormones, says nutritionist Susan Krause, MS, RD.

“Beans have been around so long that most people don’t view them as a fancy new health food,” Krause says. “But in fact, they are among one of the healthiest things a woman can eat.”
In studies published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers found that beans in general, and lentils in particular, may have some protective effects against breast cancer. In research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, doctors found a relationship between a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and a higher intake of legumes. Well known legumes include peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts.

As a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, Krause says, beans can help lower cholesterol, while their level of a nutrient known as isoflavone can help in the regulation of hormones and may aid with PMS, perimenopause, or menopause symptoms. Although soybeans have among the highest levels of isoflavones, other sources include red clover, kudzu, mung beans, alfalfa sprouts, black cohosh, and chickpeas.

“Beans also contain something called protease inhibitors, which may help protect against breast cancer,” says Krause. Protease inhibitors help slow the division of cancer cells and in this way may prevent tumor formation.

Last but not least, if you are in your reproductive years, beans can give you a steady supply of folic acid -- essential if you should become pregnant.

Super Food # 4: Tomatoes (or watermelon, red grapefruit, red navel oranges)
Goal: 3 to 5 servings each week
What it does: The powerhouse nutrient in all these fruits is lycopene. And, according to Miller, while the headlines touted its protective effects against prostate cancer, more quiet research has shown it has tremendous health benefits for women as well.

“Research is starting to show that lycopene may protect against breast cancer,” Miller says. "And it’s also a powerful antioxidant that can help a woman fight heart disease.”
The very latest research shows it may also help keep you looking younger longer by protecting against UV damage from the sun.

Super Food # 5: Vitamin D fortified low fat milk or orange juice
Goal: At least 400 IUs of vitamin D daily
What it does: “Essential to helping the bones absorb calcium from the gut,” says Somer, “vitamin D helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis and may be vital in reducing the risk of diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and tumors of the breast, colon, and ovary.”

Indeed, recent studies from the University of California San Diego suggest that vitamin D has the potential to prevent up to one–half of all breast, colon, and ovarian cancer in the United States.

Somer tells WebMD that a growing body of research indicates many women may be vitamin D deficient. “A combination of staying out of the sun (which the body uses to manufacture vitamin D) and using sunscreen, which blocks the synthesis of vitamin D, has resulted in many women hitting a dangerously low level of this nutrient,” says Somer.
While Vitamin D is found in salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, experts say fortified foods, such as milk, are the best source.

Super Food # 6: Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries)
Goal: 3 to 4 servings every week
What It Does: In a way similar to wine, these fruits may protect your body with powerful anti-cancer nutrients known as anthocyans, which are believed to play a role in cell repair. Krause says research shows anthocyans may decrease the risk of several cancers, including those in the breast and gastrointestinal tract.

“These berries,” says Krause, “are also high in vitamin C and folic acid, which is essential for all women in their childbearing years. And they offer powerful anti-oxidant protection, which not only protects the heart but also may protect against skin aging, from the inside out.” Moreover, she tells WebMD that cranberries may help reduce the risk of urinary tract infections in women, while the nutrient, lutein found in all the berries, can help protect vision.

8 Foods You Should Eat Every Day

2009-03-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Eat these eight foods every day to cover all your nutritional bases
By: Ben Hewitt; Photograph: Kenji TomaAug 22, 2007 - 4:42:57 PM

Our all-star panel of doctors, scientists, nutritionists, and chefs will tell you why and show you how.

Spinach
It may be green and leafy, but spinach is also the ultimate man food. This noted biceps builder is a rich source of plant-based omega-3s and folate, which help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. Bonus: Folate also increases blood flow to the penis. And spinach is packed with lutein, a compound that fights age-related macular degeneration. Aim for 1 cup fresh spinach or ½ cup cooked per day. SUBSTITUTES: Kale, bok choy, romaine lettuce FIT IT IN: Make your salads with spinach; add spinach to scrambled eggs; drape it over pizza; mix it with marinara sauce and then microwave for an instant dip. PINCH HITTER: Sesame Stir-Braised Kale Heat 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger, and 1 tsp. sesame oil in a skillet. Add 2 Tbsp. water and 1 bunch kale (stemmed and chopped). Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain. Add 1 tsp. soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds.

Yogurt
Various cultures claim yogurt as their own creation, but the 2,000-year-old food’s health benefits are not disputed: Fermentation spawns hundreds of millions of probiotic organisms that serve as reinforcements to the battalions of beneficial bacteria in your body, which boost the immune system and provide protection against cancer. Not all yogurts are probiotic though, so make sure the label says “live and active cultures.” Aim for 1 cup of the calcium- and protein-rich goop a day. SUBSTITUTES: Kefir, soy yogurt FIT IT IN: Yogurt topped with blueberries, walnuts, flaxseed, and honey is the ultimate breakfast—or dessert. Plain low-fat yogurt is also a perfect base for creamy salad dressings and dips. HOME RUN: Power Smoothie Blend 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, 1 cup carrot juice, and 1 cup fresh baby spinach for a nutrient-rich blast.

Tomatoes
There are two things you need to know about tomatoes: Red are the best, because they’re packed with more of the antioxidant lycopene, and processed tomatoes are just as potent as fresh ones, because it’s easier for the body to absorb the lycopene. Studies show that a diet rich in lycopene can decrease your risk of bladder, lung, prostate, skin, and stomach cancers, as well as reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. Aim for 22 mg of lycopene a day, which is about eight red cherry tomatoes or a glass of tomato juice. SUBSTITUTES: Red watermelon, pink grapefruit, Japanese persimmon, papaya, guava FIT IT IN: Pile on the ketchup and Ragú; guzzle low-sodium V8 and gazpacho; double the amount of tomato paste called for in a recipe. PINCH HITTER: Red and Pink Fruit Bowl Chop 1 small watermelon, 2 grapefruits, 3 persimmons, 1 papaya, and 4 guavas. Garnish with mint.

Carrots
Most red, yellow, or orange vegetables and fruits are spiked with carotenoids—fat-soluble compounds that are associated with a reduction in a wide range of cancers, as well as reduced risk and severity of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis—but none are as easy to prepare, or have as low a caloric density, as carrots. Aim for ½ cup a day. SUBSTITUTES: Sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow bell pepper, mango FIT IT IN: Raw baby carrots, sliced raw yellow pepper, butternut squash soup, baked sweet potato, pumpkin pie, mango sorbet, carrot cake PINCH HITTER: Baked Sweet Potato Fries Scrub and dry 2 sweet potatoes. Cut each into 8 slices, and then toss with olive oil and paprika. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. Turn and bake for 10 minutes more.

Blueberries
Host to more antioxidants than any other popular fruit, blueberries help prevent cancer, diabetes, and age-related memory changes (hence the nickname “brain berry”). Studies show that blueberries, which are rich in fiber and vitamins A and C, boost cardiovascular health. Aim for 1 cup fresh blueberries a day, or ½ cup frozen or dried. SUBSTITUTES: Açai berries, purple grapes, prunes, raisins, strawberries FIT IT IN: Blueberries maintain most of their power in dried, frozen, or jam form. PINCH HITTER: Açai, an Amazonian berry, has even more antioxidants than the blueberry. Mix 2 Tbsp. of açai powder into OJ or add 2 Tbsp. of açai pulp to cereal, yogurt, or a smoothie.

Black Beans
All beans are good for your heart, but none can boost your brain power like black beans. That’s because they’re full of anthocyanins, antioxidant compounds that have been shown to improve brain function. A daily ½-cup serving provides 8 grams of protein and 7.5 grams of fiber, and is low in calories and free of saturated fat. SUBSTITUTES: Peas, lentils, and pinto, kidney, fava, and lima beans FIT IT IN: Wrap black beans in a breakfast burrito; use both black beans and kidney beans in your chili; puree 1 cup black beans with ¼ cup olive oil and roasted garlic for a healthy dip; add favas, limas, or peas to pasta dishes. HOME RUN: Black Bean and Tomato Salsa Dice 4 tomatoes, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 jalapeños, 1 yellow bell pepper, and 1 mango. Mix in a can of black beans and garnish with ½ cup chopped cilantro and the juice of 2 limes.

Walnuts
Richer in heart-healthy omega-3s than salmon, loaded with more anti-inflammatory polyphenols than red wine, and packing half as much muscle-building protein as chicken, the walnut sounds like a Frankenfood, but it grows on trees. Other nuts combine only one or two of these features, not all three. A serving of walnuts—about 1 ounce, or seven nuts—is good anytime, but especially as a postworkout recovery snack. SUBSTITUTES: Almonds, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts FIT IT IN: Sprinkle on top of salads; dice and add to pancake batter; spoon peanut butter into curries; grind and mix with olive oil to make a marinade for grilled fish or chicken. HOME RUN: Mix 1 cup walnuts with ½ cup dried blueberries and ¼ cup dark chocolate chunks.

Oats
The éminence grise of health food, oats garnered the FDA’s first seal of approval. They are packed with soluble fiber, which lowers the risk of heart disease. Yes, oats are loaded with carbs, but the release of those sugars is slowed by the fiber, and because oats also have 10 grams of protein per ½-cup serving, they deliver steady muscle-building energy. SUBSTITUTES: Quinoa, flaxseed, wild rice FIT IT IN: Eat granolas and cereals that have a fiber content of at least 5 grams per serving. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed on cereals, salads, and yogurt. PINCH HITTER: Quinoa Salad Quinoa has twice the protein of most cereals, and fewer carbs. Boil 1 cup quinoa in a mixture of 1 cup pear juice and 1 cup water. Let cool. In a large bowl, toss 2 diced apples, 1 cup fresh blueberries, ½ cup chopped walnuts, and 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt.

All-Star Panel Joy Bauer, author of Joy Bauer’s Food Cures and nutrition advisor on NBC’s Today show; Laurie Erickson, award-winning wellness chef at Georgia’s Sea Island resort; David Heber, MD, PhD, author of What Color Is Your Diet? ; and Steven Pratt, MD, author of the best-selling SuperFoods Rx

The 10 Best Foods for Your Heart

2009-03-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

The 10 Best Foods for Your Heart

Heart disease is often silent, hits without warning, and kills an American every 26 seconds. But you can reduce your risk of a heart attack by 80 percent. Here’s how to eat your way to lower cholesterol
By: Nicole CollinsPublished: March 2008 [ Updated: Oct 21, 2008 - 12:31:00 PM ]

1. Nuts
People who eat an ounce and a half of nuts—pistachios, almonds, and walnuts are best—more than four times a week have a 37 percent lower risk for coronary heart disease than those who seldom eat nuts, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Nutrition.

2. Fish
Two servings a week of omega-3-rich fish is all it takes to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and elcosapentaenoic acid (EPA) are the omega-3 fatty acids in fish that do the coronary dark work. Wild salmon and Atlantic mackerel are its best sources.

3. Oats
Eating an average of two and a half servings of whole grains a day (e.g., oats, brown rice, barley) reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease by 21 percent, according to a new study in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.

4. Avocados
Chock full of monounsaturated fat and beta-sitosterol, avocados deliver a double-barreled blast to LDL cholesterol. They are also rich in folate, a water-soluble B vitamin that helps lower the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that can hinder the flow of blood through blood vessels.

5. Black Beans
People who eat one three-ounce serving of black beans a day decrease their risk of heart attack by 38 percent, according to a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition. Black beans are packed with superstar nutrients, including protein, healthy fats, folate, magnesium, B vitamins, potassium, and fiber.

6. Flaxseed
A recent study of people with high cholesterol (greater than 240 mg/dL) compared statin treatment with eating 20 grams of flaxseed a day. After 60 days, those eating flaxseed did just as well as those on statins. Sprinkle ground flaxseed on oatmeal, yogurt, and salads.

7. Green Tea
EGCG, an antioxidant that helps fight heart disease, is plentiful in green tea. Drink it like water: Five cups of green tea daily can boost your cardiovascular health, according to several recent studies. But don’t add milk, it eliminates the benefits.

8. Watermelon
High in blood-pressure-lowering potassium, a good source of inflammation-reducing vitamin C, and rich in lycopene, a slice of watermelon or a glass of watermelon juice should be part of your daily diet.

9. Spinach
The heart-health equivalent of a first-ballot Hall of Famer, spinach is replete with the essential minerals potassium and magnesium, and it’s one of the top sources of lutein, an antioxidant that may help prevent clogged arteries. Eat one cup a day of fresh, or ½ cup cooked.

10. Red Wine
Swimming in resveratrol—a natural compound that lowers LDL, raises HDL, and prevents blood clots—red wine can truly be a lifesaver. The American Heart Association recommends two glasses a day. Vin rouge is also a rich source of flavonoids, antioxidants that help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. Not a drinker? Nibble dark chocolate. It contains the same flavonoids as red wine. A common tannin called procyanidin, found in red wine and chocolate, can keep your arteries flexible and your blood pressure low.

12 Wacky Skills for Every Chick!

2009-03-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

12 Wacky Skills Every Chick Must Master

Consider this Cosmo's crash course in dealing in the real world--where being able to fit everything in your handbag and using a public toilet are keys to survival.
By Cara Litke
Photo: Tamara Schlesinger

HOW TO...

1 Grab a Bartender’s Attention
The name of this game is getting noticed. “Bartenders are used to people waving and shouting at them, so smiling and not being pushy automatically makes you stand out,” says Michael Genchi, a bartender at PURE Nightclub in Las Vegas.

But you can’t rely on charm alone, so here’s a tip: Don’t wait in one fixed spot, as if you’re in line. Instead, follow the bartender. “We start at one end of the bar and work our way toward the other, either right to left or left to right. When you see which way we’re headed, get in place so we’ll come to you next,” he says. Most important is to have money or a credit card visible in your hand. “This will signify that you are ready to purchase drinks,” he adds.

2 Use a Public Restroom (Without Picking Up Germs)
You’re unlikely to catch an STD even in the grungiest bathroom. But disease causing bugs do thrive there, including deadly E. coli, so be smart.

Step number one, choose the first stall. “Studies show that the middle and last stalls have the most bacteria because people use them more often,” explains Charles Gerba, PhD, coauthor of The Germ Freak’s Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flus. Then put down a seat guard or toilet paper as a physical barrier between the seat and your bare butt. (No need to squat; the seat is actually not that germy.) Once you do your business and flush, hightail it out of the stall. “Flushing sends fecal particles 20 feet into the air,” informs Gerba.

Now, to wash up: “The faucet is loaded with microbes, so hold a paper towel or wad of toilet paper when you turn the water on and off,” he says. Finally, dry your hands completely with another paper towel or the dryer, using your elbow to turn the dryer on.

3 Fake Wearing Makeup
If your boss calls an emergency meeting for five minutes from now or you spot your ex-boyfriend at a café and—Murphy’s Law—you’re sporting the au naturel face, freshen your look fast with these easy-to-find beauty stand-ins from celebrity makeup artist Gita Bass:

Foundation: Splash a little cold water on your face. “This will temporarily tighten your pores and help even out your skin tone,” explains Bass.

Powder: Blot your oily skin with a napkin, a towel, or even your shirt.

Concealer: Camouflage zits with eye-drops, which take the red coloring out of blemishes.

Lipstick: “Cranberry juice or a piece of red or pink sucking candy will stain your lips,” says Bass.

Mascara: Your lashes will appear longer and darker if you carefully dab petroleum jelly on them. A tiny bit works wonders for unruly brows too.

Blush: Pinch your cheeks for color, then streak a colorless lip balm onto your cheekbones for definition.

4 Fit Everything in Your Handbag
First, you have to redefine everything to mean only day-to-day essentials. We’re talking about your keys, wallet, sunglasses, cell phone, notebook and two pens, makeup bag with the basics (one lipstick, blush, and mirror), and personal-care items, such as tissues, tampons, pain meds, and a totable hairbrush. All other items should be kept at work, in your car, or at home, says organization expert Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing From the Inside Out.

Next, make sure you invest in the right bag: a big one (about the size of a laptop computer) with one main compartment as well as several smaller pockets, she suggests. Stash large items like your wallet and makeup bag in the main part, while tinier things (such as your keys) should be in the pockets. “That way, the big things will always be visible and the little ones won’t get lost,” she says.

When you switch bags, be consistent. For example, always put your keys in the inner zippered pocket, your cell phone in the outer pouch, and so on. “If you keep things consistent, you’ll always know where everything is and you’ll be able to reach in with your eyes closed and pull out exactly what you’re looking for,” says Morgenstern.

Lastly, make sure the bag you buy has a light-colored, not black, lining. “It’s much easier to see what you’re looking for when the background is colorful—things tend to blend in to dark shades,” she says.

5 Make a Great Omelet Every Single Time
We asked Emile Castillo, executive chef at Le Parker Meridien New York hotel, for the secret:

Heat 2 ounces of butter (or 1 tablespoon of cooking oil) in a nonstick pan set on medium, and coat the entire bottom evenly. Add three beaten eggs to the pan, then (and this is key) continually push the cooked edges toward the center of the pan. You want to keep the eggs moving so they don’t stick.

When the eggs become firm, cover half of the omelet with your fillings (think diced ham, cheese, veggies). With the spatula, fold the other side of the omelet over the filling side so it makes a half circle. After 30 seconds, slip it onto a plate.

6 Set a Mental Alarm Clock
You’re crashing on a friend’s couch on a weeknight, and there’s no alarm clock in the room to compel you to get up in time for work in the a.m. Try this simple mind game: Start by making sure the room is dark but not pitch black. “If light can’t get in, your body won’t be able to wake up,” explains sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, author of Good Night.

As you’re lying down, ready to drift off, tell yourself that you’re going to wake at, for example, seven. “Say it over and over in your mind—‘I will wake up at seven’—and at the same time, envision the numbers on an imaginary clock,” says Breus. You should awaken at or very close to the desired time.

7 Talk and Eavesdrop at the Same Time
Mastering this talent gives you the perfect cover when you’re listening in on some juicy tidbits. You can completely tune in to a nearby conversation if you make a few mechanical movements within your own discussion that indicate you’re paying attention but don’t require actual focus.
“Lean slightly toward the person talking to you; this conveys an eagerness to hear what she has to say, even You can prevent your purse from becoming a bottomless pit.though you’re actually checked out,” says Debra Fine, author of The Fine Art of Small Talk. Also, maintain steady eye contact and nod your head occasionally. And every 30 seconds or so, volunteer a vague verbal cue like “Right” or “How interesting.” “These words are easy to spit out without thought, and they relate to almost any topic,” she says.

8 Freshen Your Breath With out a Toothbrush
Beat this icky situation by getting some carbonated water and swishing it around your mouth. “This washes away food particles caught in your teeth or on the back of your tongue that cause odor,” explains Jeff Golub- Evans, founding president of the New York Center for Cosmetic Dentistry.

You also can take a few bites of certain fruits and vegetables if you have them on hand. “Apples, oranges, carrots, cucumbers, celery, and lettuce contain acids that cleanse your teeth naturally,” says Dr. Golub-Evans. One especially effective breath-booster is parsley. Maybe that’s the reason why the ancient Romans started using this green as a garnish.

9 Upgrade a Flight or Hotel Room
Travel consultants Amy Bradley-Hole and James Wysong of tripso.com suggest savvy ways to get on the high-life track.

Buy a Y-Up fare, available for most flights. It costs about $100 more than a typical coach ticket but automatically puts you on the upgrade list.

Ask for it—nicely. Hospitality-industry workers often deal with grumpy customers. A courteous “This flight looks full; I’d love to volunteer for an upgrade” may be rewarded if there’s room in first class. And if a better room is available in your hotel, the manager will give it to a polite person over a bitchy guest.

Be a regular. Hotels and airlines like to give faithful customers perks, so join a specific carrier’s mileage club or one hotel chain’s loyalty plan.
Book your room over the phone rather than online. If you speak to an actual person, you can explain why you want an upgrade. The booker will make a note next to your reservation, and you could just get lucky.

10 Fix a Broken Heel
Conquering this common stiletto nightmare requires an easy preemptive maneuver—arming yourself at all times with the right extra strong glue. One celebrity-stylist favorite to buy and stash in your purse whenever you’re wearing heels: E-6000. Coat a thin layer on the heel, then press it firmly against the back of your shoe. “It’s as strong as cement and sets in minutes,” explains celebrity stylist June Ambrose, author of Effortless Style. “But go easy on your feet—it takes a while for the glue to dry completely.” E-6000 is mainly sold in arts and craft stores, but if you can’t locate some, try Gorilla Glue, which is more widely available and just as strong.

11 Tell a Funny Story
Or what kind of car they drove, don’t bore everyone with these tangents.

And second, have fun telling your story without giving away the punch line. “Go ahead and laugh while you’re talking—it will encourage others to enjoy your story and laugh along with you,” he says. Just don’t give away the punch line early on. “It’s always best to keep it as a surprise,” he says.

12 Deal With Your Period When You Don’t Have Protection
This fast fix can pinch-hit for a tampon, but it won’t absorb much liquid, so book it to a drugstore ASAP.

Roll up some toilet paper and insert it between your outer labia—far enough that it stays in place as you move, but not inside your vagina. If it’s all the way in like a tampon, bits of tissue can break off and get stuck and possibly cause an infection, explains Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine. ■

Seal the Deal and Make Him Commit!

2009-03-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Seal the Deal and Make Him Commit

Getting the man you want to propose -- and then turning that proposal into an actual wedding date -- can be a tougher deal to close than a media merger. Of course, if you've been following The Rules (the set of dating guidelines outlined in our book, The Rules: Time Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right, Warner Books, 1995) from the moment you met Mr. Right and he's said he loves you, he will propose -- sometimes in a matter of a few months but usually within 15 months. (He may have his own rules about dating for four seasons before popping the question, and there's nothing wrong with that.)

Don't Break These Rules
Following The Rules means letting him pursue you -- not seeing him more than two or three times a week, refusing to go away with him on weeklong vacations, and not moving in with him or crowding him in any way. If you've done all these things, you've actually helped him fall in love with you and want to marry you. He wants more of you, not less. And you will sense his desire to include you in his world. Within a year, if not sooner, he's figured out that he not only wants to marry you but has to marry you to see you more often, to really have you. Your problem at this point is not if he's going to marry you but when. Men can happily date, commitment-free, for years! They are notorious for wanting to put off the actual engagement part until later. If he suggests living together first to see if you get along, tell him you're old-fashioned and want to wait until you're engaged or married.

Rules of Engagement
If he hasn't asked you to marry him within a year -- or two at the most -- you might have to shake things up a little bit. Go away for a weekend with a girlfriend, cancel a Saturday-night date, get very busy at work, mention that you are renewing your apartment lease, or be mysterious about some of the things you do. All of the above should make him anxious to propose. A man who is wary of commitment is made less wary by a woman moving away from, not toward, commitment. This isn't trickery. You're just giving him the space he needs. And if this doesn't work? Ask him what his intentions are. If he says he has no plans to marry you, say okay and then never see him again. Men don't lie about things like this. He's not scared of commitment -- he doesn't want to marry you. If he says he does plan to marry you someday, but he's not ready yet, then it's up to you to close the deal. Ask him when -- and if it's more than a year away, see less of him and think about dating others. You've already spent more than a year waiting for him to propose. Do you have another year to wait? If you are already living together and he says he doesn't want to become engaged, make plans to move out. But don't say, "I'm moving out because you won't commit." Just say that you need more space and you heard about a great apartment. When a man doesn't want to commit and you do, leave him alone. If he doesn't try to get you back with a proposal, don't waste your time. If he asks what's going on, nonchalantly answer, "I don't know if this relationship is for me." If he can live without you, you don't want him. Move on.

Dignity-Saving Don'ts
Here are five things not to do if he says he doesn't want to marry you, no matter how tempting.

1. Don't tell him you're hurt or mad, and don't reprimand him for leading you on. You stayed with him -- take responsibility for your actions. And if you've been living with him, you allowed him to be with you indefinitely without making a commitment.

2. Don't suggest going to couples therapy to discuss why he can't commit. Men can and do commit when they love you and when you maintain your identity and self-esteem in the relationship. But they can become commitment-phobic when a woman has pursued them, is too available, or they're just not in love with her.

3. Don't let your man brainwash you into thinking that marriage isn't important - "just a piece of paper." If he does not want to marry you, then he's not that in love with you -- he wants the option of meeting someone else!

4. Don't let a man convince you that because he's been married before, he can't marry you or that you should give him time to recover from wife No. 1 or 2.

5. Don't let a man you have been dating for years convince you to wait until "things slow down" at work or he's better off financially to make a commitment. There will always be work and money issues in life. They should have nothing to do with marrying you. When a man loves you and wants to marry you, he gets down on bended knee and says something like, "Look, I know I'm not a millionaire, but I love you and I'd do anything for you."

Be Willing to Walk
You've seen it happen: A man will date a woman for five years, claiming he has commitment issues, but after breaking up with her, he marries someone else in six months. If a man truly is in love with you, and your actions (not your words) tell him that you won't wait around forever, his commitment issues will disappear and he will propose.

If you are involved with a man for several years who isn't proposing, how much longer are you willing to wait? When a man knows that you will accept less than marriage, he is not motivated to commit himself fully. You must be willing to walk away.

Assuming you are engaged, how do you actually motivate him to take the walk down the aisle? Becoming engaged is no guarantee of marriage, so don't get lax about The Rules. Don't talk to him on the phone for hours every night -- and it's still best not to move in together. Engagements can be broken and wedding dates never set. Better he should miss you and move up the wedding date than feel claustrophobic as you take over his closet space.

Danger Signals
Be on the alert for any excuses your fianc--e might make or situations that might delay the marriage, such as:
1. He thinks being engaged is great, so why rush into marriage?

2. He's been married before, it was a disaster, and he's not anxious to tie the knot again. He gave you the ring so he doesn't lose you (so you won't sleep with anyone else), but he's happy with the way things are.

3. He's young and still likes to go out with his friends and doesn't want to be tied down. Although you convinced him to become engaged, you can't pin him down to a wedding date.

4. You were already living together when you got engaged, but you still don't have a wedding date set. What to do? In general, it's better to set a wedding date when you get engaged or soon after. Your engagement should last a year or less. If you're under 25, a two-year engagement is fine. If the engagement is dragging on, you may want to think about giving him back the ring and moving on. Perhaps he's not Mr. Right. Don't waste your time.

When Not to Close the Deal
Perhaps you're the one having second thoughts. He's proposed, but something just doesn't feel right, and you're thinking about breaking it off. What should you do? If you've thought about it carefully and discussed your decision with a therapist, good friends, or family members, we suggest that you always trust your instincts. Do not close the deal.

Don't feel silly, embarrassed, or guilty. Don't hate yourself or feel like a failure. Ending a relationship that isn't right is a learning and growing experience. Besides, you're not the first woman to change her mind or cancel a wedding. It happens. You tried, it didn't work out. Better to find out and disentangle yourself now than later. After you've made up your mind, give yourself permission to grieve. Who wouldn't be upset? But don't give up on love or throw yourself in front of a bus. Keep the faith. You're a winner for being honest with yourself! Your real Mr. Right may be just around the corner, and when you meet him, you won't regret your breakups!

The 13 Best Relationship Tips Ever

2009-03-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

The 13 Best Relationship Tips Ever

These days, more and more happy couples are seeing counselors to keep their unions humming along. Here, the country's top love experts offer up their best advice — for free!
Photo: Tamara Schlesinger

Beginning a relationship is generally the easy part; it's maintaining the connection that gets a little tricky. That's why a growing number of twosomes (whether or not they've tied the knot) are going into couples therapy as a preemptive strike against the tough times that will inevitably hit...and to learn how to keep the good times flowing. To give you a leg up in your love life, we asked the country's top relationship experts to share the most crucial things they've uncovered over the years — from big-picture philosophies to little gestures that go a long way. These practices will help keep your union in a happy, healthy place.

1. Act Out of Character
Couples develop a particular dynamic: the way they relate to each other that repeats itself over and over. If you break that pattern and act against type — in a positive way — you inject new life into the relationship. For example, if you always get angry at your guy when he doesn't follow through on some chore, try addressing him in a nicer, more friendly tone, then thank him when he does a good job. It works every time.—Toni Coleman, psychotherapist and relationship coach in McLean, Virginia

2. Get in Touch a Lot
No doubt you hug and kiss each other hello and maybe snuggle a little after having sex. But simple acts like stroking his arm while you're watching TV, taking his hand when you're walking down the street, or fondling his thigh during dinner are also ways to bond. Touching your partner throughout the day triggers your feel-good hormones, which reinforces your affection and makes you feel closer on an instinctive level.—Psychotherapist Barton Goldsmith, PhD, author of Emotional Fitness for Couples

3. Don't Be BFFs
Being pals with your man is great in theory. But that kind of connection actually can kill your sex life. You could wind up having a roommatelike bond with each other rather than a hot one if you let yourself lose track of the masculine-feminine tension that excited you at the beginning of your relationship. Save the gab sessions for when you hang out with your girlfriends and your sexy energy for connecting with your guy.—Lana Holstein, MD, director of sexuality and vitality programs for couples at Miraval Resort in Catalina, Arizona

4. Enjoy a Steady Diet of Sex
If you want to maintain closeness with your man, get out of your head and into bed. Guys feel more comfortable connecting with women on a physical level, not engaging in deep discussions. To strengthen your bond, approach your lust life as you would your gym regimen or your diet — make it part of your routine. Set a goal to have sex at least a couple times a week.—Toni Coleman

5. Take Turns Talking
To make sure you both get a chance to state what's on your mind during a disagreement — and get your points across — alternate playing reflective therapist, where one listens while the other talks.—Psychologist Diana Kirschner, PhD, author of Opening Love's Door

6. Find the Intersection
When making decisions together, try to find common ground. You each should write down exactly what you want. Let's say you're angling for a vacay in San Francisco to see the sights and hit up the cool shops and restaurants, while he wants a tropical getaway where he can veg out by the pool and sip drinks with umbrellas in the glass. Now that your desires are clearly laid out on paper, you can pick a place that will satisfy both your needs. A cool city, a little sun...how about Miami? —Paul Dobransky, MD, author of The Secret Psychology of How We Fall in Love

7. Be More Positive Than Negative
There's a more effective way to air grievances than to file an angry complaint. Sandwich your negative comment between two positives. If you want to complain about how he's always late, for example, try something like "You know, I love that you're so laid-back and easygoing, but it really bothers me when you show up so late. I'm sure you can still be the fun guy I adore and also be on time." —Los Angeles psychologist Yvonne Thomas, PhD

8. Echo Each Other
When you and your man are having a serious relationship talk, it's easy to get so caught up in how you want to respond that you're not really listening to what's being said. That's why it's important for both of you to repeat each other: so you know you've been heard and you feel understood.—Yvonne Thomas

9. Grow Your Tolerance
Neither of you is perfect, and the quirks you both have are here to stay. So rather than let those annoying traits work your last nerve, try to get in touch with the upside of those particular flaws, even if it's not immediately recognizable. Instead of getting annoyed when he starts screaming at the TV, for example, remind yourself how much you love his passion. Or if his shyness with new people bugs you, think about how refreshing it is to be with a chill, genuine guy rather than a blowhard who needs to chat with everyone in the room.—Denver psychologist Jennifer Oikle, PhD, dating coach for Coupling Connection

10. Take a Time-Out
It's important that you get a break from the daily grind and spend alone time as a couple — cell phones and the Internet are off-limits. It can be a fun day trip or just a few quiet hours to yourselves. The point is simply to steal away (even if you're going nowhere) so you can reconnect, free of any distractions. —Diana Kirschner

11. Have His Back
You might not agree with your guy when he's had a riff with a friend or he thinks his boss is being unfair, but you should always be on his side...and vice versa. Otherwise, you'll both feel like you can't count on each other. That doesn't mean you have to take the "you're so right" route all the time. Just hear him out, and let him know that you'll support him no matter what.—New York City psychotherapist JoAnn Magdoff, PhD

12. Spend a Little Money on Each Other
You don't have to wait for a special occasion to give small presents to show your love. In fact, gifts are more fun-and meaningful — when they're not expected. Try to get into the habit of exchanging sweet tokens of appreciation for no particular reason. Don't go and blow your paycheck though. It's not about being extravagant; it's just a way of showing that you really get — and think about — each other. Maybe you buy him a tee of his favorite band that you saw on sale or he gets you a pair of pajamas in your favorite color. —Barton Goldsmith

13. Be a Good Date
Face it, no one can stay fascinating forever. After being together for a while, the initial excitement fades, and your guy can start to get kind of boring sometimes. Hey, don't think you're off the hook — if you're feeling a little ho-hum about him, the feeling is likely mutual! To combat the blahs, take turns coming up with an interesting date idea every month. Keep the time and details to yourself, and try to think outside the box — dinner and a movie is not exactly innovative. An awesome concert or a snowboarding lesson, for example, is a much less predictable treat. —Jennifer Oikle

The Romance-Friendly Home
Cohabiting has its perks, like frequent opportunities for sex and someone to read the Sunday paper with. But harmonizing decorating tastes and maintaining a sense of mystery can be a challenge. Michael Payne, interior designer and host of HGTV's Designing for the Sexes, offers tips for sharing a happy home.Compromise on color. Men veer toward taupe and beige, while women tend to like stronger hues, such as red or deep gold. To create a compatible home, especially in the bedroom, where you're most intimate, try colors both sexes agree on, such as chocolate brown or silver blue.

Banish TV from the bedroom. Television is a major intimacy killer. Watch your favorite shows and DVDs in another room, and use the boudoir for three things: sleep, snuggling, and sex.

Install dimmers. Low lighting may seem like a cheesy cliché, but it really can set a mood, making your living room feel cozy and giving your bedroom a sexy vibe.

Create your own space. Even though you're sharing a pad, you each need a separate area to serve as a quiet escape. It might be just a chair and table in a corner, a desk, or if you're lucky, a spare room.

Surprising Screwups
Avoid these often-overlooked issues.

You ignore money matters. Even if it's awkward, you need to discuss who should pay for what and how much both of you can afford.

You're too friendly with his pals. They're his friends, and he wants to preserve that separate part of his life that doesn't include you. So don't tag along every time he's with them.

You never argue. By not addressing a problem, it probably won't be resolved. Explain how you're feeling, give him a chance to respond, and don't let it devolve into an insult bout.

You're too low-maintenance. If he's inconsiderate and you don't call him on it, he'll keep treating you badly. Just be straight-up and say you don't like being disrespected.Source: Psychotherapist Barton Goldsmith, PhD—Reported by Lauren Denigan

The Many Moods of Love!

2009-03-20T19:16:00.001-07:00

The Many Moods of Love
A relationship is a lot like a roller coaster — there are the intense highs of infatuation but also the lows. Cosmo tells you how to endure — and even enjoy — the ups and downs of couplehood.

It's easy to assume that a relationship is meant to be a straight line. You start at Point A (falling in love) and giddily sprint toward Point B (blissful coupledom), then finally to Point C (happily ever after). But in reality, every love journey is interrupted every so often when — bam! — you hit a rut. Maybe your lust takes a header, or perhaps you start spotting his flaws. Whatever the gripe with your guy and whenever it happens, this shift can make you feel like your relationship has ground to a halt...and cause you to wonder if you've hooked up with a guy who's all wrong for you. But before you ditch your previously perfect man, stop and consider this: Relationships are cyclical, and facing downtime isn't only inevitable, it's necessary. "When it comes to real love, ups and downs aren't aberrant, they're normal," says Pepper Schwartz, PhD, author of Everything You Know About Love and Sex Is Wrong. "It's only by moving through these highs and lows of a relationship that you can reach the deepest level of connection and forge a lasting relationship." Here are the phases you can expect to endure and tips on how to come through them as an even more solid couple than before.

A Perfect Peak
Phase One When you first link up with a new love, it's as if you've been transported to a different world: Planet Utopia, where every joke of his is hysterical, every meal you share is scrumptious, and every moment together is miraculous. You don't sleep much, you can't think straight, and if lust were a commodity, you could out-trump Trump. This period of infatuation might feel mysterious and mythic, but in fact, it has a strictly scientific explanation: hormones, hormones, hormones.

"When you meet someone you really like, you become infatuated, and your body produces a euphoria-inducing, adrenaline-like hormone," explains Pat Love, author of The Truth About Love. Call it the love buzz: You're so high on him during the first three to six months of the relationship that you're in awe of even his most inconsequential quirks, according to Helen Fisher, PhD, anthropologist and author of The First Sex. (The way he stirs his coffee gives you goose bumps — sound familiar?) In a recent survey of women in the early dating stage, Fisher found that 84 percent remembered trivial things their guy said or did, and 90 percent of those women daydreamed about the mundane moments.

Maximum momentum move: Live it up! Whether it's by putting him on a pedestal, having 48-hour sexathons or neglecting your friends and job a bit (and not feeling bad about it), this is your chance to enjoy the excitement and revel in each other. "When Dan and I started dating, we didn't get much sleep," says Amy,* 25. "But instead of wrecking our sex or intense conversations by worrying about being exhausted at work the next day, we made a pact to suck it up. It was so worth it." And although this blissfully intense period must end eventually, you can help to extend it. "Simply recalling the first time you saw him will give you a surge of that initial emotion," says Love. Or keep up your appreciation of his most swoon-worthy qualities by occasionally imagining him being sized up by another woman — what would she find most attractive about him? "People tend to lose sight of their partners' best sides, but looking at him from a stranger's perspective will remind you of what you find amazing about him," explains Paul Coleman, PsyD, author of 25 Stupid Mistakes Couples Make. *Names have been changed.

Confronting the Crash
Phase Two
While infatuation-extension tricks can buy you some extra sleep-optional nights and dreamy days, a love lull is inevitable, usually after three to six months of couplehood. The explanation is mostly physiological: Your overtaxed, overhyped brain can't sustain its amped-up state once its nerve endings become habituated to the infatuation hormone, explains Love. The symptoms of boy burnout: You're not writing his name in pancake syrup any more, you realize he has an annoying habit (actually several) — or you find yourself suddenly craving sleep instead of all-night sex.

Maximum momentum move: Don't freak out...or break up! After the intensity of stage one, it's natural to come off your high and wonder if he's the one for you. But rather than second-guessing your guy, realize that this phase is an unavoidable (and likely temporary) stretch on the way to a long-term relationship. So when your lust levels start to dip back toward normal, try not to focus on the letdown but see it as a new opportunity to find out how you click out of the sack, says Coleman. "After months of falling into bed as soon as we saw each other, Tom and I started to lose the urgency," says Amanda, 24. "I was still attracted to him, but sex wasn't the first thing on my mind whenever I saw him. At first it freaked me out, but then I realized that because we weren't obsessed with doing it, we had time to discover that we both love blues music, we both hate television sitcoms and a million other little things we never knew we had in common." So look at the sex slowdown as an opportunity to move your relationship forward. "Once the focus is off lovemaking, you can start to create real intimacy," explains Coleman. "Finding out how he acts in a variety of contexts is the best way to get to know your partner." So move beyond your strictly à deux dates and introduce him to your friends, go out for drinks with his, and meet each others' families. Or see how he fares in your office, as Sandra, 25, did. "Dave and I had been together for five months, and after the initial intensity wore off, I started to wonder if we just weren't meant to be," she recalls. "Then he suggested meeting for lunch during the week. He met everyone in my office, and I saw a totally new side of him — I had no idea he would be so confident and charming." And if his quirks still get under your skin after you've seen his other sides, look at yourself before criticizing him. "When outside factors like your job or anything else that stresses you out creep back to the forefront of your life, it can reduce your tolerance of him," explains Coleman. And fixing those stressors may be enough for you to be able to cut him some slack...and even learn to love his faults.

Getting Nice and Comfy
Phase Three
Between six months and a year into the relationship, according to Love, you'll likely find that what once felt like a lull now feels like a comfort zone. Gradually, you go from being bummed that he's not perfect to feeling good because you're not either and he doesn't love you one bit less. From letting him see you in your pj's to enjoying a Blockbuster night, what used to seem dull now feels divinely cozy.

Maximum momentum move: Once you feel comfortable with each other and confident in the relationship, you should turn back to things that were a priority pre-him. And although establishing a life/boy balance is essential for an extended relationship, putting him on a back burner will spell disaster. "You may become so at ease that you think the relationship will thrive even if you don't spend as much time together or express your appreciation of each other," says Beatty Cohan, coauthor of For Better, for Worse, Forever. "In fact, not taking this opportunity to really enjoy being yourselves together can doom your relationship." So take pleasure in comforting him when he's sick and not stifling the snort in your laugh. Spend the occasional rainy Saturday night in your apartment in sweatpants together. When he comes home from work ragging on his boss, not only can you be there to feel his pain, but by now, you also know exactly where to kiss him to make it feel better. "Sometimes, when I'm exhausted from work, I'll go over to George's place, have two glasses of wine and crash," says Eileen, 30. "He loves that he's the one I want to be with when I'm so spent and that I feel so comfortable with him."

Sinking into Boredom
Phase Four
You've established a level of ease and friendship that will endure for the rest of your relationship, but you're not home-free. Although compatibility is key to a satisfying union, Love explains, you can get too complacent with each other and wonder if you've lost your spark forever.

Maximum momentum move: At this stage, boredom happens because you and your man have created a comfort cocoon. It's likely that you've let friends drop out of the picture or you've begun to blow off your individual hobbies to spend time together. But by isolating yourselves, you lose an important source of energy for the relationship. "It may not be that your relationship is boring — you may have become boring," says Coleman. Luckily, your apathy can be fixed by addressing issues outside the relationship, explains Schwartz. Rather than putting pressure on your guy to crank up the thrill-o-meter, try seeking out kicks on your own and encourage him to do the same. "After a year and a half of dating, I knew Pete and I were solid, but we were starting to feel like an old married couple," says Carmen, 21. "So instead of trying to pretend that we were on a first date, we made a pact to go our own way sometimes. He started playing in a recreational soccer league again; I started reporting as a stringer for the local newspaper. Instead of being bummed that we wouldn't see each other as much, when we finally did crawl into bed together, we were so glad to be there...and we had so much more to talk about."

Hitting a New High
Phase Five
Once you hit two years and beyond, chances are, you'll both feel intimately and intricately connected, says Love. Having stuck together through the spates of boredom and other periodic lows, you know from experience that what goes down must come up. So now, more than ever, you're confident that even a big blowout doesn't mean a breakup.

Maximum momentum move: Although you can revel in the high that comes from a committed relationship, coasting can kill your hard-won connection. "Taking each other for granted is still a risk," says Schwartz. To avoid letting your love fall apart due to neglect, make sure you always have an aim in sight. "When you're not working toward a common goal, it's easy to lose the incentive to stay in the relationship," explains Coleman. The most obvious objective is marriage, but you can also talk about raising a pet or saving for an exotic vacation. "When Rich and I first met, we talked about how we both wanted to live and work abroad one day," says Ellie, 27. "A few years later, we decided to try to make it a reality together — we both spoke to our bosses, looked into subletting our apartment, and researched what countries we'd most like to live in. Having a future plan that we were both so excited about not only brought us together, it was a way to make it clear to each other that we were in it for the long haul." Keep in mind that even the most connected couples repeat the less-appealing phases of the relationship cycle all over again. The good news? Each time you move through the highs and lows of coupledom, Love explains, you reach a deeper level of love. "The ups and downs create an intimacy that energizes you and takes you beyond even the apex of your first falling-in-love buzz."

Irreversible Ruts
How to know when your low point is not just a lull

You Don't Share Details
"If you've lost interest in what's happening in your time apart from each other, your connection will unravel, if it hasn't already," says Pepper Schwartz, PhD, author of Everything You Know About Love and Sex Is Wrong.

You're Resigned to Your Sex Rut
"If lovemaking is lackluster or on an extended hiatus and you don't care about fixing it, you may need to call it quits," says Beatty Cohan, coauthor of For Better, for Worse, Forever.

You Don't Bother Fighting
"If you can't communicate or solve problems effectively, you can't face the rigors of a long-term relationship," says Cohan.

Recipe Makeovers!!!

2009-03-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

Recipe Makeovers: 10 Commandments of Healthy Cooking

'The Recipe Doctor' shares her top recipe lightening tips
By Elaine Magee, MPH, RDWebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

When it comes to the not-so-ancient art of "making over" recipes to make them lighter and healthier, I think I can safely say that I qualify as an expert.

I've written 25 books (and counting) on an assortment of nutrition topics, but I'm certainly not an authority on all of them. Sure, I wrote about getting through menopause without hormone therapy, but I haven't spent my career researching menopause. And I've written about what to eat if you have irritable bowel syndrome, type 2 diabetes, acid reflux, and migraines. But I relied on specialists in these areas to review what I wrote, as I'm not a specialist in these very important topics.

But with lightening recipes, it's a different story. I've been doing this since I was a graduate student in the early 80s, which, according to my calculations, means I've lightened thousands of recipes!

I don't mean to brag, but I can take a quick glance at a recipe and know, with pretty good accuracy, what I can get away with changing and still end up with a dish that tastes terrific. I know off the top of my head what the magical minimum amount of fat is for most bakery recipes (muffins, cakes, brownies). To recipes you wouldn't think could be lightened (like fried chicken, jalapeno poppers, tempura, and English toffee), I've said "bring it on!" and found success. (OK, now I really am bragging -- so sorry!)

Over the years, I've changed my focus to incorporate the latest nutrition science. For example, we now know that the type of fat we cook with is important, so I switch to the "smart fats" whenever possible. I work to increase the fiber and nutrient content of recipes just as I work to cut sodium and decrease calories from fat and sugar. Being "The Recipe Doctor" is part of my professional identity, and I am grateful for (and fond of) this responsibility.

All that said, I would like to share with you what I call my 10 Recipe Lightening Commandments. These commandments are the culmination of years of recipe testing and tasting. I pass them to you in good faith.

My 10 Recipe Lightening Commandments

1. In most bakery recipes (muffins, cakes, cookies, coffee cakes, bars, brownies, nut breads, etc.) you can substitute whole wheat for two-thirds or one-half the white flour called for. Compared to 1/4 cup of white flour, each 1/4 cup of whole-wheat flour adds 3.5 grams of fiber and various phytochemicals, and doubles the amount of magnesium and selenium. The extra fiber helps slow digestion and increase fullness.

2. In most bakery recipes, you can reduce the sugar called for by one-fourth without a big difference in taste and texture. For example, instead of adding 1 cup of sugar, you can add 3/4 cup. Or, if you like using Splenda, you can replace half of the sugar called for with Splenda (or a similar alternative sweetener approved for use in baking).This cuts the calories from sugar by 48 calories for every tablespoon of sugar you take out or replace with Splenda.

3. In egg dishes (quiches, frittatas, omelets, breakfast casseroles), you can use egg substitute in place of half the eggs. In other words, if the recipe calls for six eggs, you would blend three whole eggs with 3/4 cup egg substitute (1/4 cup of egg substitute replaces each egg). You can replace half the eggs in bakery recipes with egg substitute as well. By replacing one large egg with 1/4 cup egg substitute, you'll shave 45 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.6 grams of saturated fat, and 213 milligrams of cholesterol. If you don't like to use egg-substitute products, you can also use egg whites for half of the eggs called for.

4. In many bakery recipes, you can cut the fat ingredient (butter, margarine, shortening, or oil) in half. In other words, if a cake recipe calls for 1 cup of butter or margarine, you can usually use 1/2 cup instead. Remember to replace the missing fat with a similar amount of a moist but healthy ingredient (fat-free sour cream, orange juice, low-fat yogurt, applesauce, etc.) This change cuts both fat and calories, since each gram of fat translates into 9 calories as opposed to 4 per gram for protein or carbohydrate.

5. Cook with reduced-fat or fat-free products when available -- and when they taste good. Try fat-free sour cream, fat-free half-and-half, reduced-fat cheeses, light cream cheese, light mayonnaise, extra lean meat without skin or visible fat, reduced-fat or light sausage, less-fat turkey bacon, light salad dressings, and light margarine for frosting . Many cut calories and saturated fat along with total fat. A few fat-free products are in my arsenal as well: fat-free sour cream and half-and-half, chicken broth, wine, strong coffee, fruit purees, and fruit juice. These foods add moisture, and sometimes flavor, to recipes where you aren't using a lot of fatty ingredients.

6. Never deep-fry when you can oven-fry or pan-fry with a lot less oil. Choose canola oil or olive oil, and use about 1/2 teaspoon per serving (depending on the item). When you pan-fry or oven-fry in a controlled amount of oil, you can cut a lot of the fat and calories your food would soak up if it were submerged in hot oil. For every tablespoon of oil you cut, you'll save 120 calories and 13.5 grams of fat.

7. Use whole grains in your recipes whenever possible. We've already talked about whole-wheat flour, but you can also substitute brown rice for white rice, add barley to stews and casseroles, and look for recipes that call for oats. There are also multigrain blends and whole- wheat pastas to choose from in supermarkets now. Whole grains offer a plethora of health benefits, plus fiber to fill you up. One-fourth cup of dry brown rice contributes 2 grams of fiber and a 2-ounce serving of dry multigrain spaghetti adds 4 grams or more of fiber to your diet.

8. Extra ingredients and embellishments can often be removed or cut in half. If a recipe calls for chocolate chips, you can use less. If it calls for dotting your casserole or pie with butter, you can skip this step. In a cake recipe, you can use half the original amount of frosting (in a double-layer cake, just frost the top and middle and forget the sides). And in some cakes, bars, and cookies, you can skip the frosting in favor of a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Using 2 tablespoons of frosting instead of 4 will shave 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of saturated fat. Each tablespoon of chocolate chips you skip cuts the calories by 50 per serving, the fat by 3 grams, and the saturated fat by almost 2 grams.

9. Use top-quality ingredients when possible. Start with the best-tasting, freshest ingredients you can find. For example, I use fresh garlic (I buy it already minced in jars) and fresh herbs when I can -- they usually have more flavor than the dried. Use ripe tomatoes and just picked lemons for zest or juice, extra-fresh fish, the sharpest reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and so on. All this means your lighter dish will be more likely to pass muster with the masses!

10. Switch to "smart fat" ingredients when possible. Certain fats, when used in moderation, actually have health benefits! Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish and some plant foods like canola oil and ground flaxseed), as well as oils that contain monounsaturated fats (like olive and canola oil) and foods high in monounsaturated fats (like avocado and almonds) may help protect against heart disease. In recipes, you often have a choice of which oil or margarine to use. You can also add fish to some entree recipes instead of red meat. When a recipe calls for melted butter or margarine, you can often substitute canola or olive oil. Foods fortified with or containing omega-3s are starting to pop up in several aisles in the supermarket, including low-fat milk, eggs, and multigrain pastas.

Healthy Cooking Tricks

2009-03-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Healthy Cooking Tricks

How learning to cook can help you resolve your issues with food.
By Jenny Stamos KovacsWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

If you feel like you're losing the fight against food -- scarfing chips and cookies when you should be munching on carrots -- maybe it's time you learned the rules of healthy eating and healthy cooking. Learning to feel more comfortable in the kitchen can help you feel closer to your food -- and closer to a healthy lifestyle.

Diet Secret: Eat at home and learn healthy cooking tricks

Americans eat a lot of food they didn't cook themselves. While three-quarters of us eat most dinners at home, less than 60% of us prepare them in our own kitchens. In 2005, the trend of combining the convenience of take-out food with the comforts of home found each American buying an average of 57 restaurant meals to eat elsewhere, up from 33 meals 20 years ago. And when we do cook, we seldom cook from scratch. Last year, less than half of main meals prepared at home included even one fresh product, according to research from the NPD Group.
Why don't we cook more often? Many of us are just too busy--and too tired to face the kitchen after a long day of work. Others don't cook because they see food as the enemy, and are afraid they'll eat what they've made--maybe even all of what they've made, says therapist Karen R. Koenig, author of The Rules of "Normal" Eating and The Food and Feelings Workbook. Another cause for kitchen avoidance is the fear of making mistakes. According to Koenig, some people see the food they make as an extension of themselves, so they worry about being judged by the outcome. Ordering in takes a load of pressure off the perfectionist's back--you can blame a lousy dinner on the restaurant it came from, instead of on yourself.
Some of us hope that, by steering clear of the kitchen, we can keep the numbers on the scale from creeping slowly upwards. But when it comes to what we eat, ignorance is not bliss. And avoiding the issue won't keep us from getting fat. In fact, studies show that we're more apt to eat too much, too fast when we don't keep an eye on what goes into our mouths. And how can we make sure our meals are healthy and low-calorie if we don't know how they were prepared?

Learn healthy cooking tricks -- and resolve your food issues, too

One of the best ways to watch what you eat is to make it yourself.
"I love shortbread cookies," says Vicki Smythe, 26, a personal trainer. "But I had no idea how much butter was in them until I baked a few batches last week--an entire cup of butter in just 1 dozen cookies! I used to eat up to 4 or 5 cookies at a time, but now I'll definitely be stopping at 2!"

There are more reasons than just a reality check.
"Cooking helps food matter," Koenig says.

Many of us are disconnected from food because we're disconnected from our bodies. Cooking helps us tune in to how food smells and looks (real food - not its fake, processed equivalent), as well as to the whole process of feeding ourselves; a process in which food is energy and nourishment--not the enemy. If your biggest food issue is speed eating (which often leads to overeating), cooking can help you slow you down and connect with your senses, she says. Tasting and smelling food as it cooks encourages you to do the same as you eat. You're also more motivated to slow down and really enjoy a meal after working hard to make it.

Food and cooking have emotional associations, says Koenig, and paying attention to how you feel as you cook you get in touch with feelings you have about the past that relate to food. Were you often urged to finish your dinner because a parent worked so hard to make it for you? Or was your childhood spent eating frozen dinners and fending for yourself? The process of cooking can help you understand why you feel the way you do about food.

Ready to get started? Here are 4 healthy cooking tricks that can help you be just as comfortable in the kitchen as you are on the couch.

Healthy Cooking Tip #1: Stock your kitchen.

Healthy cooking starts with filling your cupboards. Keep these basics on hand, and you'll be able to whip up delicious meals in less than the time it takes for pizza to be delivered.

Basic healthy cooking tools:
· good set of pots and pans
· vegetable steamer/rice cooker
· soup pot
· food processor
· grill
· crock pot
· good utensils

Basic healthy cooking ingredients:

· fresh fruits and vegetables (just an amount you'll be able to use before spoilage)
· frozen vegetables (They're fairly equal to fresh veggies in terms of vitamin levels, says Lola O'Rourke, a Seattle-based dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.)
· yogurt
· cheese
· eggs
· low-fat cuts of meat such as chicken breast or pork tenderloin (both fresh and frozen)
· rice (brown, red, black and mixed rice varieties)
· pasta (preferably whole grain)
· whole grain bread and/or pita
· beans (pinto, black, white, etc., both dried and canned)
· canned chopped tomatoes
· salsa (fresh, if available)
· vegetable or chicken stock
· garlic
· onion
· olive oil
· vinegar
· herbs and spices (fresh, if possible)

Healthy Cooking Tip #2: Plan ahead.

Simplify dinnertime prep by making as much as possible ahead of time, O'Rourke suggests. Make double or triple the amount the recipe calls for, and freeze the extra for future use. (Be sure to label and date each item). Minestrone soup is a great example of something that freezes well and thaws into an instant healthy meal, says Carol Hildebrand, co-author, with her brother Bob Hildebrand, executive chef at The Three Stallions Inn in Randolph, Vermont, of 500 3-Ingredient Recipes, 500 5-Ingredient Desserts and 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Comfort Foods.

For example:
· Clean and chop vegetables.
· Peel and chop potatoes and store in cold water in the fridge.
· Cut chicken breast into strips or bite-sized pieces for stir fry.
· Make vegetable or chicken stock to use as a base for soup.
· Prepare a basic marinara sauce for use over pasta or with polenta.
· Cook a big batch of beans for minestrone, chili or beans and rice.
· Cut up fruit for quick snacks. (According to research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, it's just as nutritious as fruit cut directly before eating.)

Healthy Cooking Tip #3: Keep it simple, sweetheart!

Using just these basic healthy cooking tools, ingredients, and pre-made foods, you can make any of the following healthy meals in minutes:

· Stir fry. Fix quick-cooking rice or use a rice cooker (some can even be set to start on a timer, just like your trusty coffee pot), and serve with stir fry made with your pre-prepped chicken and vegetables and your favorite spices.
· Pasta. Cook whole wheat pasta and serve with pre-made marinara sauce. Round out the meal with a salad of pre-washed and prepped greens. Sandwiches. Grill chicken breast and serve on a pita or whole grain sandwich, again using pre-prepped chicken and veggies.
· Beans and rice. Cook black or pinto beans, and eat with rice, salsa and a salad.
· Soup. Here are two quick recipes from Carol and Bob Hildebrand:
o Quick chicken soup: Saute pre-cut chicken breast, garlic and onion in bottom of a soup pot with a small amount of olive oil. Add chicken or vegetable soup stock, chopped basil, and either a half bag of your favorite frozen vegetables or the equivalent amount of pre-cut vegetables, and simmer.
o Carrot ginger soup: Saute pre-cut minced fresh ginger, onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add finely chopped carrots (can be done in food processor ahead of time), saute a few minutes more, add chicken or vegetable stock to cover, and simmer until the carrots are soft. Puree the whole thing in a food processor and serve topped with a dollop of yogurt. Add a salad and some crusty rolls and you're all set!
· Dessert. Serve fresh fruit anytime for a quick and nutritious snack or dessert. For a special treat, try one of the following ideas from Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Wellness Institute in Chicago and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association:
o Quick apple crisp. Microwave chopped apples topped with sprinkled cinnamon. Serve with a sprinkle of rolled oats and sugar.
o Grilled fruit. Grill pineapple, peach or banana, and top with a small scoop of ice cream.
o Fruit 'n' yogurt sundaes. Spoon low-fat yogurt and chopped fruit into a sundae glass. Pile high, and top with a cherry and reduced-sugar chocolate syrup.

Healthy Cooking Tip 4: Fold in flavor.

Garlic and onion add flavor depth to any dish, Hildebrand says, and you can up the ante even more with spices like basil, oregano and cilantro--fresh, if possible. A sprinkle of chopped cilantro over black bean soup, for example, adds punch to the entire dish, she says. And salt, when used judiciously, brings out flavor like nothing else.

To save on fat and calories, use low-fat plain yogurt in place of sour cream or mayonnaise, and buy low-fat cheese and milk instead of full-fat versions, says O'Rourke. Add flavor to vegetables with low-fat cheese, nuts, salad dressing or margarine with no trans fat; then add herbs and spices. Blatner suggests an Italian blend on green beans, curry on cauliflower, cumin on sauteed bell peppers, and lemon pepper on broccoli.

And there you have it: 4 healthy cooking tricks for a lifetime of good taste. Bon appetit!

The New Power Foods

2009-03-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

The New Power Foods

Spike your diet with these powerfoods to stimulate your taste buds, boost your immune system, strengthen your heart, sharpen your brain, and trim your waist.
By: Trevor Thieme; Published: October 2008

Kale
One irony of our nation's obesity epidemic is that kale is largely used to garnish buffets. Throughout the rest of the world, however, it's recognized as a body-boosting superfood that is rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, iron, and folate. "It's also dense with carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and lutein, which studies have shown fight macular degeneration and several types of cancer, including that of the lungs and mouth," says Dave Grotto, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. Serving tip: When adding kale to salad, preserve its vitamin C content by not chopping or tearing it until you're ready to serve.

Goji Berries
No need to pay $35 for one liter of goji juice. Whole berries can be bought in many Asian markets for a fraction of the price. Although they're not especially rich in any one vitamin or mineral, the bittersweet berries are packed with the phytochemicals beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, which studies have shown reduce the risk of lung and bladder cancers. "Goji berries are also unique among fruits for their ability to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol," says Grotto. Serving tip: Use dried goji berries like cranberries. Add them to your favorite trail mix or sprinkle them on top of cereals, stews, or baked goods.

Kefir
Created by culturing fresh milk with kefir grains (made from yeast and bacteria), this fermented beverage is an upgrade to yogurt. "It has a different range of bacteria than yogurt, but similar benefits, such as the ability to lower cholesterol and boost immune function," says Susan Kleiner, PhD, author of The Good Mood Diet. A recent study also found that it's more effective than fruit juice and other dairy beverages at curbing hunger. Serving tip: Use in place of milk or yogurt in a morning or postworkout smoothie.

Teff
In Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, the word teff means "lost", which is exactly what will happen if you drop a seed. "It's the world's smallest grain," says Grotto. "Even so, it packs more heart-healthy fiber than almost any other food on the planet." And unlike other grains, it's gluten free, making it an excellent wheat alternative for people with celiac disease. Serving tip: Mix cooked teff with herbs, seeds, beans, garlic, and onions to make superhealthful veggie burgers.

Rooibos Tea
Think of rooibos as the new green tea, although it's red, made from a root, and packed with even more digestion-enhancing phytochemicals and disease-fighting antioxidants. A Japanese study found that it might even help prevent allergies and fight cancer. Serving tip: Look for Celestial Seasonings rooibos teas (we recommend Madagascar Vanilla Red), or order organic varieties online at adagio.com.

Agave
Most commonly served distilled with a side of lime, the nectar from the agave cactus is also a sweetener. "The honeylike syrup has twice the sweetness and half the calories of sugar," says Grotto, "but it is digested slowly, so it won't cause swings in energy." Agave is also one of the only nondairy foods to contain digestion-enhancing bifidobacteria. Serving tip: Drizzle on pancakes instead of maple syrup, or use in cocktails in place of simple syrup.

Flaxseed Meal
Unlike whole flaxseed, "flaxseed meal is easily digested and rich in lignans, prebiotic compounds that nourish bacterial cultures in the gut," says Kleiner. The result is healthier intestinal flora, and, in turn, enhanced immune function. Flaxseed oil does not offer the same benefits. In fact, studies have suggested that consuming the oil may increase one's risk of prostate cancer. Serving tip: Buy ground flaxseed at your local health-food store (or grind it yourself in a coffee grinder) and sprinkle it on top of cereal, yogurt, or fruit.

Spike your diet with these powerfoods to stimulate your taste buds, boost your immune system, strengthen your heart, sharpen your brain, and trim your waist.
By: Trevor Thieme; Published: October 2008

Amaranth
The Aztecs mixed this nutty-flavored grain with human blood to build stamina and strength. You can reap similar benefits by eating the cereal version (arrowheadmills.com) mixed with kefir. "Amaranth is one of the few grains that is a 'complete protein,' meaning it has all eight essential amino acids," says Grotto. "It's also rich in the antioxidant squalene, which studies have shown to inhibit prostate cancer." Korean researchers have also found that it's uniquely effective at reducing LDL (bad) cholesterol. Serving tip: Boil and serve instead of rice, or toast and sprinkle on salads.

Alligator
High in protein and packed with omega-3s, the "other other white meat" is a savory, heart-healthy alternative to steak, says Dwain Johnson, PhD, a professor of meat science at the University of Florida. The mild-flavored meat, which sits between chicken and rabbit on the taste spectrum, is still a rarity in most supermarkets, but it can be ordered online at fossilfarms.com. Serving tip: Tail meat is the most tender. Rub with blackening seasoning and then grill or pan sear.

Nori
Best known as the dark outer wrapping on sushi rolls, this sea algae is particularly high in fiber, calcium, iron, and zinc. "It's also rich in lignans, which recent studies have shown to help prevent tumor growth," says Kleiner. Look for it in the international section of your local supermarket or online at edenfoods.com. Serving tip: Grind a sheet of nori in a coffee grinder and use the powder as a salt substitute to season food.

A Heart-Healthy Diet!

2009-03-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

A Heart-Healthy Diet: Wining and Dining the Heart

By Katherine KamWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Wine and chocolate conjure up images of the good life, but they may also be part of a heart-healthy diet.

Given the high rates of heart disease among Americans, researchers have taken a close look at numerous foods and supplements -- from fatty fish to vitamin E -- to analyze the ideal ingredients for a heart-healthy diet.

"I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that we will ultimately find some magic food that's really going to make a difference," says Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, professor of nutrition science and policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University in Boston.

But she cautions against a false sense of security. For instance, pouring a fish oil capsule over your hot fudge sundae won't protect your heart, she says. It's still best to follow a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle. That means nutritious eating, as well as maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, avoiding smoking, and staying physically active.

"We've had high hopes for individual foods for a long time, but also, we're going to have to bite the bullet," she tells WebMD.

So keep hitting the gym -- and reward yourself afterward with a glass of red wine or a piece of chocolate.

Red Wine and the Heart-Healthy Diet

Does drinking red wine reduce the risk of heart disease? Some studies have shown that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol have less heart disease risk than nondrinkers, and some research suggests that red wine may offer extra health benefits. It contains compounds, such as flavonoids and resveratrol, that may help to limit atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

Drinking alcohol regularly, including red wine, may boost levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. One to two drinks per day have been shown to increase HDL by about 12%, according to the American Heart Association. The extra HDL can help to remove bad "LDL" cholesterol, meaning that there's less of the material to contribute to fatty plaques inside arteries. Moderate alcohol consumption may also reduce the risk of blood clots.

If you drink wine or alcohol, the American Heart Association urges moderation: no more than two drinks per day for men and one for women.

And if you don't drink alcohol, the AHA warns against starting in order to prevent heart disease, especially when you can take so many other preventive measures. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of addiction, high blood pressure, obesity, breast cancer, and accidents.

Chocolate and the Heart-Healthy Diet

Dark chocolate and cocoa are rich in antioxidants called flavonoids. Research suggests that eating flavonoid-rich chocolate helps to keep blood vessels healthier by improving their ability to expand.

One small study showed that eating high-flavonoid dark chocolate daily helped high blood pressure patients lower their blood pressure and reduce LDL. Patients who ate white chocolate got no beneficial effects.

Eating chocolate in moderation is fine, Lichtenstein says. But be aware that flavonoid levels differ in various chocolate products, so there's no guarantee that you'll get a dose large enough for health benefits. Also, too much chocolate has no place in a heart-healthy diet because the extra calories can lead to weight gain.

Fish Oil and the Heart-Healthy Diet

Eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent heart disease. Good choices include fatty fish such as salmon, lake trout, mackerel, sardines, and albacore tuna, according to the AHA.

Fish oil contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Lichenstein has reviewed many studies on fish oil and cardiovascular disease, and most of the evidence associates DHA and EPA with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, she says. People who report eating two or more servings of fish per week have a lower risk, she adds.

How do omega-3 fatty acids help to promote heart health? Experts don't know for sure. "It's still open to debate," Lichenstein says.

But whatever the reason, there is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids cut risk of death, heart attack, and dangerous heart rhythms in people with cardiovascular disease, according to the NIH. Omega-3 fatty acids also lower "bad" LDL levels, mildly decrease blood pressure, and lower levels of a blood fat called triglycerides.

Getting omega-3 fatty acids from food is best, the AHA says. It recommends at least two servings of fish per week. But people with coronary artery disease or high triglycerides may want to talk to their doctor about taking a supplement if they're not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diet.

Cholesterol-Lowering Foods and the Heart-Healthy Diet

Cholesterol-lowering margarines that contain plant sterols have been shown to decrease "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. Other foods that are sterol-fortified include some orange juices, chocolate bars, yogurt, and more.

Though these cholesterol-lowering products seem to be effective, they should be part of a comprehensive heart-healthy diet, one that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, experts say.

Fruits, Vegetables, and the Heart-Healthy Diet

Many people take antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene, to prevent heart disease, but there's no proof that dietary supplements help, experts tell WebMD.

"We've been very disappointed with supplements in general, especially with respect to cardiovascular disease, in the past three or four years," says Lichtenstein, who co-wrote the AHA's scientific advisory on antioxidant vitamin supplements and cardiovascular disease.

"All the major vitamin E intervention studies have shown no significant effects," she adds. Many people take vitamin E on the widely held belief that it may help prevent or delay heart disease.

Instead of relying on diet supplements, you should follow a heart-healthy diet, Lichtenstein says. "We know that diets high in fruits and vegetables are associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer."

Why the benefit? It could be substances in the fruits and vegetables themselves. Or people who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables may be eating fewer unhealthy foods, or perhaps they're more likely to exercise and not smoke, Lichtenstein says.

To make sure you eat a wide variety of foods, aim for "a rainbow of fruits and veggies," says Judith Levine, RD, MS, a registered dietitian with the American Heart Association's San Francisco office. Some examples:

· Red: watermelon, red grapes, strawberries, cranberries, tomatoes, apples, beets

· Orange/Yellow: carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, tangerines, lemons, apricots, cantaloupe, butternut squash

· Green: spinach, kale, collard greens, lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, Brussels sprouts

· Blue/Purple: purple cabbage, eggplant, raisins, figs, blackberries, blueberries, purple grapes, plums, prunes

10 Diabetes Diet Myths.

2009-03-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

10 Diabetes Diet Myths

"Diabetes diet" Simply hearing these words may be enough to make you feel overwhelmed or frustrated.
Perhaps you have said, or heard someone else express, one of these thoughts:
· Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
· There are too many rules about choosing foods that are OK in a diabetes diet.
· You have to give up all your favorite foods when you're on a diabetes diet.

These three statements are all myths about diabetes diets. Take a closer look at these and other myths to find out the facts about diabetes and diet.

Myth 1: Eating Too Much Sugar Causes Diabetes.
How does diabetes happen? The causes are not totally understood. What is known is that simply eating too much sugar is unlikely to cause diabetes. Instead, diabetes begins when something disrupts your body’s ability to turn the food you eat into energy.

To understand what happens when you have diabetes, keep these things in mind: Your body breaks down much of the food you eat into glucose, a type of sugar needed to power your cells. A hormone called insulin is made in the pancreas. Insulin helps the cells in the body use glucose for fuel.

Here are the most common types of diabetes and what researchers know about their causes:
· Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot make insulin. Without insulin, sugar piles up in your blood vessels. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin to help get the sugar into the cells. Type 1 diabetes often starts in younger people or in children. Researchers believe that it may occur when something goes wrong with the immune system.
· Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, the insulin does not work properly, or both. Being overweight makes type 2 diabetes more likely to occur. It can happen in a person of any age.
· Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in some women. Hormone changes during pregnancy prevent insulin from working properly. Women with gestational diabetes usually need to take insulin. The condition may resolve after birth of the child.

Myth 2: There Are Too Many Rules in a Diabetes Diet.
If you have diabetes, you will need to plan your meals. But the general principal is simple: Following a "diabetes diet" means choosing food that will work along with your activities and any medications to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible.

Will you need to make changes to what you now eat? Probably. But perhaps not as many as you anticipate.

Myth 3: Carbohydrates Are Bad for Diabetes
In fact, carbohydrates are good for diabetes. They form the foundation of a healthy diabetes diet – or of any healthy diet.

Carbohydrates have the greatest effect on blood sugar levels, which is why you are asked to monitor how much carbohydrate you eat when following a diabetes diet.

However, carbohydrate foods contain many essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and fiber. So one diabetes diet tip is to choose those with the most nutrients, like whole-grain breads and baked goods, and high-fiber fruits and vegetables. You may find it easier to select the best carbs if you meet with a dietitian.

Myth 4: Protein is Better than Carbohydrates for Diabetes.
Because carbs affect blood sugar levels so quickly, if you have diabetes, you may be tempted to eat less of them and substitute more protein. But too much protein may lead to problems for people with diabetes.

The main problem is that many foods rich in protein, such as meat, may also be filled with saturated fat. Eating too much of these fats increases your risk of heart disease. In a diabetes diet, protein should account for about 15% to 20% of the total calories you eat each day.

Myth 5: You Can Adjust Your Diabetes Drugs to "Cover" Whatever You Eat.
If you use insulin for your diabetes, you may learn how to adjust the amount and type you take to match the amount of food you eat. But this doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want, then just use more drugs to stabilize your blood sugar level.

If you use other types of diabetes drugs, don’t try to adjust your dose to match varying levels of carbohydrates in your meals unless instructed by your doctor. Most diabetes medications work best when they are taken consistently as directed by your doctor.

Myth 6: You'll Need to Give Up Your Favorite Foods.
There is no reason to give up your favorite foods on a diabetes diet. Instead, try:
· Changing the way your favorite foods are prepared.
· Changing the other foods you usually eat along with your favorite foods.
· Reducing the serving sizes of your favorite foods.
· Using your favorite foods as a reward for following your meal plans.

A dietitian can help you find ways to include your favorites in your diabetes meal plans.

Myth 7: You Have to Give Up Desserts if You Have Diabetes.
Not true! You can develop many strategies for including desserts in a diabetes diet. Here are some examples:
· Use artificial sweeteners in desserts.
· Cut back on the amount of dessert. For example, instead of two scoops of ice cream, have one. Or share a dessert with a friend.
· Use desserts as an occasional reward for following your diabetes diet plan.
· Make desserts more nutritious. For example, use whole grains, fresh fruit, and vegetable oil when preparing desserts. Many times, you can use less sugar than a recipe calls for without sacrificing taste or consistency.
· Expand your dessert horizons. Instead of ice cream, pie, or cake, try fruit, a whole-wheat oatmeal-raisin cookie, or yogurt.

Myth 8: Artificial Sweeteners Are Dangerous for People with Diabetes.
Artificial sweeteners are much sweeter than the equivalent amount of sugar, so it takes less of them to get the same sweetness found in sugar. This can result in eating fewer calories than when you do use sugar.

The American Diabetes Association approves the use of several artificial sweeteners in diabetes diets, including:
· Saccharin (Sweet’N Low)
· Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)
· Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)
· Sucralose (Splenda)

A dietitian can help you determine which sweeteners are best for which uses, whether in coffee, baking, cooking, or other uses.

Myth 9: You Need to Eat Special Diabetic Meals.
The truth is that there really is no such as thing as a "diabetic diet." The foods that are healthy for people with diabetes are also good choices for the rest of your family. Usually, there is no need to prepare special diabetic meals.

The difference between a diabetes diet and your family’s "normal" diet is this: If you have diabetes, you need to monitor what you eat a little more closely. This includes the total amount of calories you consume and the amounts and types of carbohydrates, fats, and protein you eat. A diabetes educator or dietitian can help you learn how to do this.

Myth 10: Diet Foods Are the Best Choices for Diabetes.
Just because a food is labeled as a "diet" food does not mean it is a better choice for people with diabetes. In fact, "diet" foods can be expensive and no more healthy than foods found in the "regular" sections of the grocery store, or foods you prepare yourself.
As with any food you choose, read the labels carefully to find out if the ingredients and amount of calories are good choices for you. If you have doubts, ask your diabetes educator or a dietitian for advice.

Moving Beyond Diabetes Diet Myths
Now that you know the facts about diabetes diets, you can take steps to learn even more about making wise food choices. Together with exercise and medication, you can use what you eat as an effective tool for keeping your blood sugar levels within normal ranges. That is the best diabetes diet of all.

Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot.

2009-03-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Blissing Out: 10 Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot
If your hectic lifestyle has got you down, experts say relaxation techniques can bring you back into balance -- some in five minutes or less.

By Jenny Stamos KovacsWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

The kids need a ride to school, your husband can't find his shorts, your boss has just scheduled an online meeting, and your best friend desperately needs your help -- all at the same time.

Is it any wonder that you can't find a minute for relaxation? In fact, if you're like most women, you may have even forgotten how to relax.

And while experts say that some stress is good for you -- it can sharpen your senses and your mind -- too much stress is bad for your mental and physical health. At the same time, relaxation can do wonders to restore balance in your life -- and may even reduce some of the health risks associated with stress.

WebMD talked to the experts to learn more about relaxation -- and how to attain it. What follows are 10 on-the-spot techniques you can use -- any time and almost anywhere -- to reduce the tension in your life.

1. Meditate
If you're thinking meditation means twisting your body into an uncomfortable position and uttering "oohs" and "omms" for an hour, guess again. Any repetitive action can be a source of meditation, says Herbert Benson, MD, author of The Relaxation Response anddirector emeritus, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This includes walking, swimming, painting, knitting -- any activity that helps keep your attention calmly in the present moment.

When you catch yourself thinking about your job, your relationship or your lifelong to-do list, experts say to simply let the thought escape, and bring your mind back the repetition of the activity. Try it for just 5 to 10 minutes a day and watch stress levels drop.

2. Picture Yourself Relaxed
Is your mind too talkative to meditate? Try creating a peaceful visualization, or "dreamscape." To start, simply visualize anything that keeps your thoughts away from current tensions. It could be a favorite vacation spot, a fantasy island, that penthouse in New York City -- or something "touchable," like the feel of your favorite silk robe or cozy sweater.

The idea is to take your mind off your stress, and replace it with an image that evokes a sense of calm. The more realistic your daydream -- in terms of colors, sights, sounds; even touch and feel -- the more relaxation you'll experience.

3. Breathe Deeply
Feeling stressed evokes tense, shallow breathing, while calm is associated with relaxed breathing, says Michael Lee, author of Turn Stress into Bliss and founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in Bristol, Vermont. So to turn tension into relaxation, he says, change the way you breathe.

Try this: Let out a big sigh, dropping your chest, and exhaling through gently pursed lips, says Joan Borysenko, PhD, director of Harvard's Mind-Body Clinical Programs. Now imagine your low belly, or center, as a deep, powerful place. Feel your breath coming and going as your mind stays focused there. Inhale, feeling your entire belly, sides and lower back expand. Exhale, sighing again as you drop your chest, and feeling your belly, back and sides contract. Repeat 10 times, relaxing more fully each time.

4. Look Around You
"Mindfulness is the here-and-now approach to living that makes daily life richer and more meaningful," says Claire Michaels Wheeler, MD, PhD, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress. It's approaching life like a child, without passing judgment on what occurs. Mindfulness means focusing on one activity at a time, so forget multi-tasking! Staying in the present-tense can help promote relaxation and provide a buffer against anxiety and depression.

Practice it by focusing on your immediate surroundings. If you're outdoors, enjoy the shape and colors of flowers, hear a bird's call or consider a tree. In the mall, look at the details of a dress in the window, examine a piece of jewelry and focus on how it's made, or window-shop for furniture, checking out every detail of pattern and style. As long as you can keep your mind focused on something in the present, stress will take a back seat.

5. Drink Hot Tea
If you're a coffee-guzzler, consider going green. Coffee raises levels of the notorious stress hormone, cortisol, while green tea offers health and beauty, says Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.

Chamomile tea is a traditional favorite for calming the mind and reducing stress. And black tea may be a stress-fighter, too, researchers from University College London report. Participants who drank regular black tea displayed lower levels of cortisol, and reported feeling calmer during six weeks of stressful situations than those who drank a placebo with the same amount of caffeine.

6. Show Some Love
Induce the relaxation response by cuddling your pet, giving an unexpected hug to a friend or family member, snuggling with your spouse, or talking to a friend about the good things in your lives, says psychologist Deborah Rozman, PhD, co-author of Transforming Stress. When you do, you'll be reducing your stress levels.

Why? Experts say social interaction helps your brain think better, encouraging you to see new solutions to situations that once seemed impossible, she says. Studies have also shown that physical contact -- like petting your dog or cat -- may actually help lower blood pressure and decrease stress hormones.

7. Try Self-Massage
When your muscles are tense and you've no time to visit a pro, try this simple self-massage technique from Darrin Zeer, author of Lover's Massage and Office Yoga. Relax, and travel straight to Zen-land.
· Place both hands on your shoulders and neck.
· Squeeze with your fingers and palms.
· Rub vigorously, keeping shoulders relaxed.
· Wrap one hand around the other forearm.
· Squeeze the muscles with thumb and fingers.
· Move up and down from your elbow to fingertips and back again.
· Repeat with other arm.

8. Take a Time-Out
Adults need time-outs, too. So when you sense your temper is about to erupt, Jeff Brantley, MD, author of Five Good Minutes In the Evening, suggests finding a quiet place to sit or lie down and put the stressful situation on hold. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on releasing tension and calming your heartbeat. Quiet your mind and remember: Time is always on your side, so relax. The stress can wait.

9. Try a Musical Detour
Music can calm the heartbeat and soothe the soul, the experts say. So, when the going gets rough, take a musical stress detour by aligning your heartbeat with the slow tempo of a relaxing song. And you might want to make that a classical tune. Research shows that listening to 30 minutes of classical music may produce calming effects equivalent to taking 10 mg of Valium.

10. Take an Attitude Break
Thirty seconds is enough time to shift your heart's rhythm from stressed to relaxed, Rozman says. The way to do that: Engage your heart and your mind in positive thinking. Start by envisioning anything that triggers a positive feeling -- a vision of your child or spouse, the image of your pet, that great piece of jewelry you're saving up to buy, a memento from a vacation -- whatever it is, conjuring up the thought will help slow breathing, relax tense muscles and put a smile on your face. Rozman says that creating a positive emotional attitude can also calm and steady your heart rhythm, contributing to feelings of relaxation and peace.

Health Benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong.

2009-03-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Health Benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong.

Tai chi and qigong are two mind-body practices that originated in ancient China. Practiced widely in China for thousands of years, both tai chi and qigong have become popular in the West. This might be because people of almost any age or condition can learn them.

Large, clinical studies on the health benefits of tai chi and qigong are lacking. But many who practice tai chi and qigong report heightened feelings of well-being along with a variety of other health benefits. A few studies are beginning to support some of these claims.

What is tai chi?
Tai chi is a type of low-impact, weight-bearing, and aerobic -- yet relaxing -- exercise. It began as a martial art. As it developed, it took on the purpose of enhancing physical and mental health. Practiced in a variety of styles, tai chi involves slow, gentle movements, deep breathing, and meditation. The meditation is sometimes called “moving meditation.”

Some people believe that tai chi improves the flow of energy through the body, leading to better wellness and a wide range of potential benefits. Those benefits include:
· Improved strength, conditioning, coordination, and flexibility
· Reduced pain and stiffness
· Better balance and lower risk of falls
· Enhanced sleep
· Greater awareness, calmness, and overall sense of well being

What are the health benefits of tai chi?
Because of the gentle nature of tai chi, researchers are particularly interested in the potential tai chi has of providing benefits for older adults. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and other agencies are funding a variety of tai chi research studies. Some of the findings from these studies suggest a wide range of benefits. Overall results, though, have been mixed, and more research is needed to confirm the health claims that are being made.

Here are some examples of the kind of results that have encouraged researchers:
· Balance and strength. The Oregon Research Institute found that, after six months, tai chi participants were twice as likely to have no trouble performing moderate to rigorous activities as nonparticipants. The benefit was greatest among those who started with the poorest health or worst function. Other studies have shown a reduction in falls among tai chi participants. In the 1990s, two studies sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) found that tai chi exercises cut the fear of falling and risk of falls among older people. Two small sports medicine studies suggest that tai chi may improve sensitivity to nerve signals in ankles and knees, which might prevent falls. But an evidence-based review of many studies only confirmed better balance -- not a reduction in falls.
· Osteoarthritis. Patients with osteoarthritis assigned to a tai chi group during a three-month study reported less joint pain and stiffness than when they started. They also had less pain and stiffness than patients in a control group.
· Sleep. Exploring tai chi’s impact on sleep, the Oregon researchers found that tai chi participants had improved sleep quality and length. They also had fewer sleep disturbances than people in a low-impact exercise group. A UCLA study of tai chi chih, a Westernized version of tai chi, also supports claims of sleep benefits. The benefits are similar to those gained through drugs or cognitive behavioral therapy. Two-thirds of the people practicing tai chi chih had major improvements in sleep quality, compared with one-third who of those involved in health education sessions.
· Shingles. A viral disease that causes a painful skin rash and blisters, shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. In a shingles study supported by the NIA and NCCAM, researchers found that tai chi prompted an immune response to the varicella-zoster virus similar to that prompted by the varicella vaccine. When combined with the vaccine, tai chi helped create even greater levels of immunity -- double those of the control group. Tai chi participants also reported improvements in function, pain, vitality, and mental health.

What is qigong?
Qigong -- pronounced chee gong -- is a practice that involves a series of postures and exercises -- including slow, circular movements -- regulated breathing, focused meditation, and self-massage.

There is a variety of styles, and they are classified as martial, medical, or spiritual. Some qigong styles are gentler like tai chi and can easily be adapted. Others are more vigorous like kung fu.

One unique feature of qigong is its ability to train the mind to direct the body’s energy, or chi, to any part of the body. Some believe that, when moved correctly, chi can bring your body to a natural state of balance. Qigong is believed to relax the mind, muscles, tendons, joints, and inner organs -- helping to improve circulation, relieve stress and pain, and restore health.

As with tai chi, a variety of benefits have been linked to qigong. They include:
· Greater stamina and vitality
· Reduced stress
· Enhanced immune system
· Improved cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic, and digestive function
· Lower blood pressure
· Less risk of falling
Practiced widely in the clinics and hospitals of China, qigong may have broad health benefits. However, most of the studies conducted on qigong are limited in scope. Many are small case studies conducted in China -- not large, randomized, controlled trials reported in peer-reviewed English-language journals.

What are the health benefits of qigong?
Some believe that as a complement to Western medicine, qigong can help the body heal itself, retarding or even reversing the effects of certain diseases linked to aging. Here are a few examples of findings from small studies showing qigong benefits:

· High blood pressure. In a study lasting 20 years, patients with hypertension -- whether in the control or qigong group -- were given drugs to control blood pressure. At first, participants in both groups had a drop in blood pressure. But blood pressure in the qigong group stabilized over time. They even were able to lower their use of blood pressure drugs. By contrast, the control group had an increase in blood pressure, requiring greater use of drugs.

· Immune system. Just 30 minutes of daily qigong training for one month might produce a tangible impact on the body’s immune system. In one study, blood samples taken the day before training started and after it was completed showed a statistically significant difference in white blood cell counts.

· Stroke. In one study looking atmortality, among patients who’d suffered a stroke, 86 in the qigong group survived compared with 68 in the control group. That was after a period of 30 years. Compared to the control group, patients practicing qigong had a 50% reduction in death from any cause, death from stroke, and sickness related to stroke. However, it’s not clear if the qigong participants were already healthier, making them more likely to live longer.

· Fibromyalgia. One small pilot study showed fewer symptoms and improvement in function among patients with fibromyalgia who were practicing qigong. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can cause widespread pain and fatigue. Larger trials are needed to confirm the results.

Are there any special precautions for tai chi or qigong?
Both tai chi and qigong are gentle exercises with few risks. However, if you are older, have a health condition, or have not exercised in a long time, tell your health care provider if you want to try either of these practices. Think of both as complements to Western medicine, and not replacements for it.

In general, use caution if you are pregnant or if you have a joint problem or severe osteoporosis. It is best to not do tai chi or qigong right after eating, if you are very tired, or if you have an active infection.

For more information about qigong, tai chi, and energy medicine, you can search more than 4,000 citations on line at www.qigonginstitute.org/html/database.php.

Eat, Exercise, Relax and Sleep Your Way to Better Sex

2009-03-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Eat, Exercise, Relax, and Sleep Your Way to Better Sex

Better sex doesn't just involve technique. Keeping a fit mind and body can increase your enjoyment of bedroom antics.
By Dulce ZamoraWebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature

Thought about leading a healthier lifestyle but haven't gotten around to doing it? Here's a possible incentive: Experts say people who are mentally and physically fit are more likely to have good sex lives.

· Can food put you in the mood?
· A few more tips on giving your libido a lift
· Sleep: Enhances sex and weight loss?
"If you feel good about yourself, you are in a better position to feel good about relationships, including your sex life," says Karen Zager, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in New York City.

"When one is not feeling well, and is exhausted, it can certainly have a negative impact on the quality of one's sex life," says Saralyn Mark, MD, a senior medical adviser at the Office on Women's Health.

This may all seem intuitive, yet many people find the road to a fitter mind and body to be bumpy, especially if it involves losing weight, starting an exercise program, reducing stress, or getting enough sleep.

One big reward, though, is to look and feel better -- arguably a plus for good romantic and sensual activities.

Eat Right
While there is no proven connection between a balanced diet and bedroom performance, a poor diet can cause health problems that can possibly interfere with sex.

Studies show animals that get too few calories tend to have weakened immune systems, says John Allred, PhD, professor emeritus of nutrition at Ohio State University. He says illness can be a big hurdle for pleasurable intercourse.

"If you have heart disease, then you might be taking medication that would inhibit sexual activity, or you might be afraid to have a heart attack," says Allred. "If you have the flu, a high fever, or just don't feel good ... any of these things would be a turn-off."

Mark Kantor, PhD, associate professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Maryland, agrees, saying, "You will feel sexy if you look and feel good."

A way to do that is to eat an overall balanced diet and to exercise each day. The two go hand-in-hand, says Kantor, as demonstrated by today's obesity problem, in which people eat too much food and aren't active enough.

Move That Body
Being physically active can be a natural Viagra boost, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), which recommends 20 to 30 minutes of moderate exertion a day.

"Men and women who exercise regularly are going to have increased levels of desire," says Cedric Bryant, PhD, ACE's chief exercise physiologist. "They're going to have enhanced confidence, enhanced ability to achieve orgasm, and greater sexual satisfaction."

If that isn't motivation enough to work out, consider this: Researchers have found that there is a correlation between waist size and a man's odds of having erectile dysfunction (ED). The larger the man's waist size, the greater his chance of having ED (because of a higher risk of underlying cardiovascular disease).

Need more positive reinforcement? Studies show that regular, moderate exercise can have a positive benefit on major sexual problems, such as ED in men and low libido in both men and women.

It only makes sense, say experts, since ED is often caused by poor blood flow to the penis, and exercise can improve the body's ability to pump and circulate blood throughout the body.

The same can be true for the ladies. In one University of Texas at Austin study, physically active women who watched an X-rated film had a 169% greater blood flow to the vagina compared with when they were inactive.

And there's more good news. Mark says exercise can promote the body's release of hormones important for sexual arousal, increase aerobic capacity and muscle strength, and boost self-body image -- all definite benefits for between-the-sheets play.

Sweet Dreams
For many of us, a good roll in the sack requires energy and the right mood -- elements that can be compromised when we are sleepy or tired.

While there is no direct relationship between slumber and better sex, a National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll, conducted in 2002, shows people's moods can be affected by the amount of shut-eye they get.

People who sleep less than six hours are more likely to report they are tired, stressed, sad, and angry than those who sleep more than eight hours. On the other hand, those with few sleep problems tend to report they are "full of energy," "relaxed," and "happy."

In his practice, Russell Rosenberg, PhD, director of the Northside Hospital Sleep Medicine Institute in Atlanta, says chronic sleep-loss patients report not only being too physically tired for sex, but also having decreased libido.

Unfortunately, lower sex drive, tiredness, and grouchiness are the least of worries with sleep deprivation. Research shows people who don't catch enough winks tend to:
· Get into more accidents. Inadequate sleep affects perception and motor skills.
· Find it harder to lose weight. Not enough shut-eye can affect the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates.
· Have an increased chance of a hormonal or metabolic disorder, which can indirectly put you at risk for medical problems such as type II diabetes and heart disease.

All of these consequences could undoubtedly put a damper on a person's sex life.

Rosenberg recommends trying to increase your total sleep time, even if it's just adding a half-hour or more per week. "Try it, and see how it affects your sex life," he says.

Relax
The brain may be the most important sex organ of all. It is perhaps in the mind where beliefs take hold and flourish about the effects of certain foods on sexual prowess, even as scientists deny any direct connection between diet and erotic fitness.

It is in the mind that people feel self-confident when they like the effects of exercise on their bodies. It is also where they feel happy and energized once they've gotten enough sleep.

Yet the inner workings of the brain can also keep a person from focusing on the delights of bedroom actions.

"In order to have a really healthy and pleasurable sex life, you have to be able to dismiss work; you have to be able to unwind and experience pleasure," says Zager. She says this means being able to temporarily forget about what your boss said, what was in the memo, what bills need to be paid, and what the children need.

Sex requires relaxation and time, adds Zager, noting that some couples may be too stressed and busy to enjoy or even have intercourse. She suggests setting priorities.
"Just how important is sex to you and your partner?" asks Zager. If it is vital to your relationship, she advises finding a way to work it into your schedule and working on making yourself less stressed or tired.

Some recommendations include eliminating some activities from your busy life, delegating jobs to someone else (by giving it to a partner, or hiring someone to do it), and doing an across-the-board cut in time spent on each activity.

To unwind, Zager suggests taking 5 to 30 minutes either to walk, meditate, take a hot bath, do yoga, or sit by yourself. This time can help charge personal batteries and can help make transitions between your work, family, and sex life.

To Your Bedroom Health
Living healthy may, indeed, have its benefits. If you eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, sleep enough, and take time to relax, there's a good chance your life between the sheets will improve.

Of course, there is no guarantee. But, as Zager says, it all forms a really good foundation.

"If you've got a good foundation of stress management, and setting your priorities, and taking good care of yourself, then on top of that, you can build relationships with other people and an enjoyable sex life," she says.

Secrets to a Better Love Life.

2009-03-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

10 Secrets to a Better Love Life.

Too much boredom in your bedroom? Revitalize your sex life with these 10 tips.
By R. Morgan GriffinWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Most of us can remember the hot -- and frequent -- spicy moments when the romance was new with our partner. But eventually the fire of a good love life may die down. Over time, the sexy nightie languishes hidden in the sock drawer, the massage oil gathers dust next to the athlete's foot powder in the medicine cabinet, and you and your partner have what feels like a humdrum sexual life.

So what is the secret to a better love life that lasts? We asked for some suggestions from two experts on sexuality -- Michael Castleman, author of Great Sex: A Man's Guide to the Secret Principles of Total-Body Sex, and Louanne Cole Weston, PhD, a board certified sex therapist and resident expert for WebMD's "Sex Matters®" message boards.

Make Dates
Castleman and Weston are in firm agreement that couples that have been together for a while need to plan time for sex.

"Make a date for sex," says Castleman, a health journalist who previously answered questions about sexuality submitted to the Playboy advisor. "Don't let it be an afterthought," he tells WebMD. "Do whatever you like to do beforehand, go to a movie or dinner, take a walk, have a glass of wine by candlelight, whatever the couple likes to do as a couple. But set aside that time."

But, you might cry, isn't scheduling unromantic? Isn't sex supposed to be spontaneous? Rare is the lover with a daily planner fetish, after all.

But Castleman has a blunt response. "Grow up," he says. "What's the problem with making a date for sex? People make plans for other things they enjoy, like ski trips or dinners out."

Weston agrees. "I think most people, especially couples with kids, have to plan ahead because they already have so much jammed into their schedules," she says. "Sure there are times when things spontaneously fall together, but those are happy accidents."

Get Out of the House
One good suggestion for a better love life is to take regular nights away from home.

"For couples that have been together for a while, sex can become routine," says Castleman. "You're worn out by the end of the day, after the job, the laundry, the kids' soccer games, and the errands.

"And instead of champagne and oysters on the half shell with a sweeping view of Lake Tahoe as your reward, you've got your same old crummy house and peanut butter and jelly and that's about it," he says. It's not exactly conducive to an exciting sex life.

It can be hard to give into the moment when you're having sex in your all-too-familiar bedroom. Your mind wanders. Did I remember to set the alarm clock? How much will it cost to repair that water damage on the ceiling?

"Lovemaking is, fundamentally, a present moment experience," says Castleman. "The best sex comes when you're not thinking about the past or the future, but only the present. And that can be hard in a room where you've always got grandma's picture smiling down on you."

Castleman recommends getting away to a place that is stripped of these reminders of everyday life. It doesn't have to be a fabulous spot by the ocean, or at least it not every time. A non-descript place off the Interstate might be just fine.

Redecorate the Bedroom
Of course, having a sex life that's wholly dependent on trysts at hotels and overnight babysitters may be a problem if you're not fabulously wealthy, childless, and unemployed. So in addition to some trips away, make some changes at home.

"The bedroom does build up a lot of mundane associations," says Weston. "But if you can do anything to transform your bedroom into something new and different, that can make a big difference."

And a better love life doesn't require installing a revolving bed or ceiling mirrors. "You don't need to do something that will freak out the kids or the housekeeper," says Weston.

Lighting some candles is an obvious suggestion. But maybe getting a nicer set of sheets and a new bedspread will make a difference. Also, removing some of the junk -- the kids' toys, the piles of laundry -- that tends to accumulate in a bedroom out can have an effect. Think about ditching the bedroom TV, too, or at least trying life without it for a while.

Figure Out What You Really Want
Everyone's got sexual fantasies of one sort or another. But for some people, those fantasies can be buried pretty deep. If your partner were to turn to you tonight and say, "What's your ultimate sexual fantasy?" or "What do you want to change about how we have sex?" do you know what you'd say?

If you're not sure, you're not alone. "Some people have to do a little work at figuring out what really arouses them," says Weston. But figuring out what you want is key to having a better love life.

So give it a little effort. Weston observes that there are plenty of tools out there to help: books, magazines, videos, and so on. Once you've come up with some ideas, telling your partner about them could be fun for both of you.

Find Out What Your Partner Wants
And then there's the flip side: You need to ask your partner the same questions that you've asked yourself. What does your partner want from your love life?

According to Weston and Castleman, one of the most common complaints they hear is that one partner wants to have sex more than the other.

Some people may huffily assume that they just have higher sex drives than their partners do. But maybe your partner is looking for something different out of your love life but hasn't felt able to ask. So bring up the subject. Talking openly might bring you closer to one another, and that's likely to make sex more interesting for both of you.

Try Something New
Trying something new in the bedroom is a pretty obvious suggestion for attaining a better love life, but it's one that many people have trouble following.

"For a lot of couples, the longer they're together, the more they play it safe sexually," says Weston. "You think it would go the other way, that as people get more comfortable in a relationship they feel more secure to try new things. But that's not the case."

Castleman agrees. "People resist change, especially intimate change," he says. "If you're in an established relationship, you may feel like you have more to lose. You don't want to rock the boat."

But both Castleman and Weston recommend resisting the impulse to play it safe. This can mean all sorts of things -- maybe lingerie, massage, sex toys and so on -- and trying something new doesn't have to be outrageous.

"People have a lot of crazy notions about what a sexual fantasy should be," says Castleman. "They think it must mean S&M or sex on a Ferris wheel. But there are a lot less wild ways of experimenting with something new."

Weston agrees. "One small change that can have a big effect is to interrupt the pattern to how you usually have sex," says Weston. "If you're usually the shy one who waits for the other person to begin things, try starting it yourself. Just take a risk, even if it's a little one."

Don't Ignore Sexual Problems
Sexual problems are a much more open secret now than they once were. For instance, thanks to the efforts of pharmaceutical companies and late night comics, there aren't many people left in the country who aren't aware of medications for erectile dysfunction.

Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone who needs help is getting it."People who have sexual problems do often shy away from sexuality because they don't want to face failure," says Weston. "But these problems need to be addressed head on.

"Erectile dysfunction has received the most attention, but there are plenty of other issues too, such as premature ejaculation, a loss of libido, or difficulty reaching orgasm caused by medications or medical conditions

Weston reports that women are coming forward in larger numbers and reporting sexual problems too, such as pain during intercourse or an inability to orgasm. According to Castleman, many women complain about vaginal dryness during sex, which can be painful.

"Lubrication is important," says Weston. "Because in terms of how aroused a person is, lubrication for a woman is the equivalent of an erection for a man."

Some sexual problems may need medical attention, while others can be solved by trying different sexual techniques or buying a $5 bottle of lubricant. But the important thing is not to muddle through with problems that are making your sex life worse. Don't settle for a mediocre sex life.

And finally, Weston is quick to point out that no matter what you've heard, drugs for erectile dysfunction do nothing to increase a person's sex drive.

Go Slowly
Some couples find that, the longer they're together, the briefer and more businesslike their sexual encounters can become.

Castleman likens it to navigating a new neighborhood. When you move to a new place, you're always trying out different routes to get to the supermarket or the hardware store. But after time, you decide on the fastest route and only take that one. No more meandering. The same thing happens to couples as they become more familiar with each other sexually.

But the fastest, most efficient route is definitely not what you want in the bedroom. Focusing on the destination -- and only the obvious parts of the anatomy -- is the worst thing you can do, he says.

"The best sex emerges from whole body sensuality -- leisurely, playful, creative," says Castleman. "It has no real direction, a little of this, a little of that."

Castleman argues that men especially have a tendency to go too fast, something that's encouraged by the down-and-dirty efficiency of sex in pornography. But Castleman says that many men find that their sexual problems -- such as premature ejaculation -- subside when they learn to take their time.

"Leisurely love-making benefits everyone," says Castleman. "Women get more turned on and enjoy sex more, while men have fewer sexual problems and feel more confident about themselves in bed. Everybody wins."

Don't Worry About What Everyone Else Is Doing
According to Weston and Castleman, one of the most common questions they get is, "How much should we be doing it?" The question implies that the answer is obvious: more than I am now.

Feeling like you "should" be having a better love life is probably universal. It explains the vast number of titles about sex in the self-help section of the bookstore, and the constancy of articles about sex advertised on magazine covers at the checkout counter (or why so many people click on articles with titles like, say, "10 Secrets to a Better Love Life.")

Castleman observes that the culture we live in -- and especially its films, whether Hollywood romances or pornography -- encourages us to think that we're not living up.

So how often "should" you have sex? "There's no answer to that," says Weston. "Stop trying to decide, how much sex you should have and decide how much you want."

Keep Trying
Having a better sex life will take some work. It's like this: for many people, life is an unremitting guerilla war with those extra 10 pounds that ambush you when you're not paying attention. In the same way, people can fall into a sexual rut, a "blah" love life, unless they're making an effort to keep things exciting.

You should expect that some attempts will fall flat. A stab at a sexual role-play may be rendered ridiculous by an ill-timed call and rambling answering machine message from your mother-in-law. Or maybe the aromatic candles make you sneeze violently. Trying something new is always putting you at risk of failure.

But the important thing is to keep trying anyway. Don't let self-consciousness make you play it safe. You should never accept a just average love life.

So there they are: the 10 secrets to a better love life. But, you may exclaim, I think I've heard some of these before. It's a fair point. For instance, upon reading that communication is important for a healthy love life, there is no person in America who will smack her forehead and say, "Golly, and all this time I thought not communicating was the right idea!"

Admittedly, these suggestions are not secrets. Or at least they aren't secrets like the purpose of Stonehenge or the fate of Amelia Earhart. We've read the magazines, and watched the daytime talk shows. Many of us know what we're supposed to do to have a better love life.

But if we already know this stuff, why do we keep buying the magazines and watching the TV shows that tell us what we already know? Ultimately, our good intentions fail and we lapse back into lazy habits. We let the other stuff in life take over.

So the most important suggestion for a better love life is probably the last one: Just keep trying. Making a consistent effort is the key.

"If someone says that they don't have time or energy for a good sex life, then they can't expect to have a good sex life," says Castleman. "It's that simple."

Healthy Aging - Sexual Vitality

2009-03-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Healthy Aging - Sexual Vitality

Because sexuality tends to be a private matter, it's likely that you've heard less about sexual change than any other element of aging. Fortunately, the news is good-for most healthy adults, pleasure and interest don't diminish with age. Most people are sexual throughout their lives, with or without a partner, and some feel greater sexual freedom in their later years. On the other hand, some men and women are content to be sexually inactive.

Around age 50, men and women typically begin to notice changes in their sexual drive, sexual response, or both. Like so many other physical changes that evolve over time, these aren't signs that you are losing your sexuality. Rather, these changes are simply something to adjust to and discuss openly with your partner and/or your doctor.

Normal sexual changes in men !

As you age beyond your 50s, you may find that:
· Male sex drive is minimally affected by age (although health problems, certain medicines, or relationship stress can lower sex drive).
· Erections become less firm and tend to take more time than when you were younger.
· You may be able to delay ejaculation for longer than when you were younger.

Normal sexual changes in women !

After menopause, estrogen and androgen levels drop, causing physical changes. You may find that:
· It can take longer to become sexually excited.
· Your skin may be more sensitive and easily irritated when caressed.
· Intercourse may be painful because of thinning vaginal walls (regular sex often helps prevent this from becoming severe). If a water-based lubricant (such as Astroglide or Replens) isn't enough, talk to your doctor about vaginal estrogen cream, which reverses thinning and sensitivity. For more information, see the topic Menopause and Perimenopause.
· You are less interested in sex.

If you have noticed sexual changes that don't seem to be linked to normal aging, talk to your doctor. There are a number of medicines that can cause sexual problems, as well as health conditions that can cause sexual problems.

Adjusting to age-related sexual changes.

With a little experimentation and patience, you can adjust to sexual changes and satisfy your sexual and intimacy needs. If you think your sexual interest might be affected by a medicine or health problem, work with your doctor to correct or treat it. Talk with your partner about any misgivings you might have so you can handle them together.

With your partner, take your time to set a relaxed mood and engage in foreplay. Use a lubricant if vaginal dryness or irritation is a barrier to enjoying sex. If you drink alcohol, remember that a small amount may relax you and increase your responsiveness, but too much alcohol is not likely to be helpful.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a risk no matter what age you are. Unless you and your partner have recently been tested or you are 100% sure that you both have been monogamous for many years without infection, make sure that you practice safe sex to prevent STDs.

Ways to Control Your Blood Pressure!

2009-03-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Ways to Control Your Blood Pressure.

Simple lifestyle changes make a difference.
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LDWebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

1. Lose weight. Get your BMI (body mass index, a measurement of weight in relation to height) into the range of 18.5-24.9, and you will be doing your heart and blood pressure a favor. Think of it this way: Extra weight you carry around is like bricks in a backpack, putting pressure on every part of your body.

2. Eat plenty of whole grains. Have seven to eight servings per day of grains and grain products (these can include breakfast cereal, whole grain bread, rice, pasta, etc.)

3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Having at least eight to 10 servings of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables will ensure you get all the healthy antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need.

4. Dairy up. Consuming two to three servings daily of low-fat or nonfat diary foods will also help build strong bones and teeth, and enhance weight loss.

5. Limit meat, fish, and poultry to two servings a day. Move the meat off the center of your plate, and enjoy more grains and produce. When you do have meats, fish, and poultry, always chose lean varieties.

6. Go nuts. Incorporate four to five servings a week of nuts, seeds, and legumes into your diet. They provide plenty of protein and healthful fats.

7. Limit fats and oil to two to three servings per day. Fats are the most concentrated source of calories. Limiting them will help you control your weight.

8. Hold the salt. Limit your sodium intake to approximately 2,400 milligrams a day (a moderate level). This means eating fewer canned and processed foods, and more fresh foods.

9. Get off the couch. Exercising at least 30 minutes per day can significantly reduce blood pressure. Any form of physical activity, done most days of the week, will do the trick.

10. Drink in moderation. If you do it at all time, but limit yourself to two drinks per day.

Antioxidants and Your Immune System: ..........

2009-03-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Antioxidants and Your Immune System: Super Foods for Optimal Health

One of the best ways to keep your immune system strong and prevent colds and flu might surprise you: Shop your supermarket’s produce aisle.
Experts say a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help you ward off infections like colds and flu. That’s because these super foods contain immune-boosting antioxidants.
What are antioxidants? They are vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that protect and repair cells from damage caused by free radicals. Many experts believe this damage plays a part in a number of chronic diseases, including hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), cancer, and arthritis. Free radicals can also interfere with your immune system. So fighting off damage with antioxidants helps keep your immune system strong, making you better able to ward off colds, flu, and other infections.

Antioxidants for Immunity: Where to Find Them

Adding more fruit and vegetables of any kind to your diet will improve your health. But some foods are higher in antioxidants than others. The three major antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. You’ll find them in colorful fruits and vegetables – especially those with purple, blue, red, orange, and yellow hues. To get the biggest benefits of antioxidants, eat these foods raw or lightly steamed; don’t overcook or boil.
Beta-carotene and other carotenoids: Apricots, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, green peppers, kale, mangoes, turnip and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.
Vitamin C: Berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, grapefruit, honeydew, kale, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, orange, papaya, red, green or yellow peppers, snow peas, sweet potato, strawberries, and tomatoes.
Vitamin E: Broccoli, carrots, chard, mustard and turnip greens, mangoes, nuts, papaya, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, and sunflower seeds.
Other super foods that are rich in antioxidants include:
· Prunes
· Apples
· Raisins
· All berries
· Plums
· Red grapes
· Alfalfa sprouts
· Onions
· Eggplant
· Beans

Vitamins aren’t the only antioxidants in food. Other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include
· Zinc: Found in oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, whole grains, fortified cereals, and dairy products
· Selenium: Found in Brazil nuts, tuna, beef, poultry and fortified breads, and other grain products

Antioxidant Super Foods: How Much Do You Need?

For optimal health and immune functioning, you should eat the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of the antioxidant vitamins and minerals. That’s the amount of a vitamin or nutrient that you need to stay healthy and avoid a deficiency.
Here are the RDAs for some antioxidants:
Zinc: 11 milligrams for men, 8 milligrams for women.
Selenium: 55 micrograms for men or women. If you are vegetarian, you may need to eat as much as 50% more. That’s because your body absorbs less zinc from plant foods.
Beta-carotene: There is no RDA for beta-carotene. But the Institute of Medicine says that if you get 3 milligrams to 6 milligrams of beta-carotene daily, your body will have the levels that may lower risk of chronic diseases.
Vitamin C: 90 milligrams for men, 75 milligrams for women. Smokers should get extra vitamin C: 125 milligrams for men and 110 milligrams for women.
Vitamin E: 15 milligrams for men and women.

How Foods Boost Immunity

Can’t you get antioxidants from taking a vitamin or a supplement? Yes, but you may be missing out on other nutrients that could strengthen the immune system. Foods contain many different nutrients that work together to promote health. For example, researchers delving into the mysteries of fruits and vegetables and the complex antioxidants they contain have discovered benefits of:
· Quercetin: a plant-based chemical (phytochemical) found in apples, onions, teas, red wines, and other foods. It fights inflammation and may help reduce allergies.
· Luteolin: a flavonoid found in abundance in celery and green peppers. It also fights inflammation and one study showed it may help protect against inflammatory brain conditions like Alzheimer’s.
· Catechins: a type of flavonoid found in tea. Catechins in tea may help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
If you can’t get enough antioxidants in your diet by eating fresh produce, some experts recommend taking a multivitamin that contains minerals, too. But be cautious about taking individual immune system supplements to boost immunity. With antioxidants, as with most anything, moderation is best. Vitamins A and E, for example, are stored in the body and eliminated slowly. Getting too much can be toxic.

6 Serious Medical Symptoms!

2009-03-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

6 Serious Medical Symptoms!

Some medical symptoms are warnings that you need immediate care. Learn to recognize these six.
By Jeanie Lerche DavisWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Like red-light warnings on the dashboard, the human body sends out a flare when something's awry. Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness -- those are some familiar medical symptoms.
But other problems can creep up on you, too -- aches and pains, lumps and bumps. When are they important, when are they not?

In his book, Your Body's Red Light Warning Signals, Neil Shulman, MD, provides a head-to-toe owner's manual for the human body. His book lists hundreds of medical symptoms that could mean life or death, or serious disability.

Shulman, a professor of internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has authored numerous medical books and scientific papers.

It's serious stuff, stuff he likens to "terrorists inside our bodies," he tells WebMD. The symptoms are "killing way too many people. There's tremendous suffering and horrible death which could be avoided, but people don't know that something's wrong."

In fact, it happens all the time, a symptom is missed -- and it leads to a tragic ending. Or it's caught just in time, and a life is saved. Quite literally, it's that dramatic, Shulman tells WebMD.
Here are "six flags" -- six medical symptoms -- you should keep in mind:

1. If you have unexplained weight loss and/or loss of appetite , you may have a serious underlying medical illness.

"If you're on a diet, you're expecting this to happen. But if you're eating the same way -- and now have to adjust your belt a few notches tighter -- you could have a serious problem," Shulman says.

"With ovarian cancer , the opposite is true," he says. "Fluid builds in the abdomen, and women think they are gaining weight. But if you have been at the same weight range for years, and doing nothing different, see a doctor."

2. Slurred speech, paralysis, weakness, tingling, burning pains, numbness, and confusion are signs of a stroke , and you should get to an appropriate emergency center immediately. Early treatment may prevent permanent damage to the brain or even save your life.

Slurred speech can often go unnoticed, says Shulman. However, you might have a blood clot in a blood vessel in the brain or bleeding of a blood vessel.

3. Black, tarry stools may indicate a hemorrhage from an ulcer of the stomach or the small intestine. It is important to stop the bleeding and to rule out cancer as a cause.

What you eat changes the color of stools. But black, tarry stools mean there may be bleeding higher in the digestive tract, says Shulman. It could be a sign of a bleeding ulcer or cancer.

4. A headache accompanied by a stiff neck and fever is an indicator of a serious infection called meningitis .

In fact, if you can't put your chin on your chest, that's a sign you may have bacterial meningitis, says Shulman. With bacterial meningitis, you need antibiotics immediately to kill the bacteria before it infects and scars the brain.

5. A sudden, agonizing headache, more severe than any you have felt before, could mean you are bleeding in the brain. Go to an emergency room immediately.

A brain aneurysm is rare, but it can happen -- even in people under 40. "It can be very disastrous if it's not treated," says Shulman. If you have a severe, crushing headache, you may have an aneurysm, which is a blood-filled pouch bulging out from a weak spot in the wall of a brain artery. If treated before it bursts, it could save your life.

6a. For women: Vaginal bleeding after menopause is a warning sign of possible cancer.
Some women are in denial when they discover postmenopausal bleeding. "Others think it's a little cut, or something in their urine," says Shulman. But bleeding after menopause is a symptom of uterine cancer , which is treatable if caught early.

6b. For men: A lump in your testicle with or without a small lump in the groin could be serious. Testicular cancer is more commonly found in testicles that did not naturally descend from the abdomen to the scrotum.

Guys, when you take a shower, check yourself, says Shulman. "That doesn't mean you have to do it every day, but once in awhile. It's so simple, simpler than washing your hair. It becomes an automatic thing, then it's easier to remember. If you know what 'normal' feels like, then you'll know when it feels abnormal."

'Squeaky Wheel' Works

It's an old, old saying: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But it's vitally important in medicine, says Shulman. If you know something's not right with your body -- if you've got that severe, crushing headache, but doctors aren't taking it seriously -- stand up for yourself.

Tell doctors you know it could be a problem -- "I want you to rule this out," you should say. If they balk, here's your line: "I want you to write on the chart that you refused to do proper tests." Doctors are human; they get tired and distracted. It helps to get extreme, to get their attention, says Shulman.

"Sometimes you have to make a scene," he tells WebMD. "The one person most likely to be concerned about whether you live or not is you. You have the greatest empathy for yourself."
All adults -- from senior year of high school and up -- should be familiar with standard medical symptoms, to help them preserve their good health.

When the Thrill Is Gone

2009-03-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

When the Thrill Is Gone

You can still rekindle passion and improve your sex life in a low-sex marriage.
By Sean ElderWebMD Feature
Reviewed by Amal Chakraburtty, MD

Generally speaking, magazine articles about how to improve your sex life -- especially in marriage or a long-term relationship -- contain the same advice: candles, hot baths and soft music are often invoked.

That may be because these “better sex” stories are a staple of women’s magazines. I don’t know about you, but candles always make me think of church, baths are something my mother made me take, and soft music reminds me of going to the dentist. Definite turn-offs all.

But how do you regain the passion in your relationship when you feel it's slipping away? Is it possible? Or when that train has left the station, is it too late to bring it back?

“A lot of people get to that point and have to decide what to do about it,” says Louanne Cole Weston, PhD, a marriage and family therapist and board-certified sex therapist in Fair Oaks, California. “Novelty is sexually interesting to most people -- not always to the point that they will act on it, but the idea has a little bit of a thrill to it, for men or women.”

Does Novelty or Predictability Make a Sex Life Better?
In dealing with people who have been married or together for a while, she has found that familiarity breeds -- if not contempt -- then at least too much familiarity. “Sometimes with a long-term partner, a person feels like they know every freckle on that other person’s body,” she says. The solution may lie in exploring the unfamiliar -- though not necessarily.

“For some people, predictability is very exciting,” cautions Weston. “You have to figure out if you’re a ‘surprise’ or ‘predictability’ person. If you’re a surprise person, asking your partner to surprise you is a good first step. If you’re a predictability person, and there is something predictably bad or neutral about your sexual experience, getting some changes in there can be a positive thing.”

Too Much Togetherness Can Kill Passion in Marriage
Those same darn women’s magazines often offer intimacy as the tonic to save the foundering sex life. You’ve drifted apart, the logic goes. Take interest in his life, his work, his recreation -- even if it’s watching retired athletes yelling at each other on cable. But there is a fine line between being cared for and being crowded -- and the latter is definitely a buzz kill.

“Sometimes too much closeness stifles desire,” says Esther Perel, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Manhattan and author of Mating in Captivity: Reconciling the Erotic and the Domestic. “Separateness is a precondition for connection. When intimacy collapses into fusion, it is not a lack of closeness but too much closeness that impedes desire," she tells WebMD.
Don’t call each other ten times a day, she cautions, and don’t ask each other about every little thing. “These questions turn intimacy into surveillance.”

Dealing with Alienation and Anger in a Low-Sex Marriage
Sometimes a man’s lack of desire is really about something else. “In those situations there is often something going on that is unexpressed or unknown, says Mark Epstein, MD, a psychiatrist in private practice in Manhattan and the author of Open To Desire: Embracing a Lust for Life.

Most often, Epstein says, that lack of attraction stems from anger. Perhaps your anger is misplaced; perhaps you are angry at her because you are not attracted to her. You can get to the source of your anger and beyond in therapy. But getting down to getting down is the relationship equivalent of advanced physics.

“You have to be able to experience conflicting feelings, or difficult feelings,” says Epstein of the rapprochement process. “If you are holding yourself back all the time, you don’t have to face what you might be feeling. But if you get close to her in bed, if you get aroused, there might be a lot of conflicting stuff that comes up. You want to be with her, you want to make her happy -- but you are angry with her.” To get past the anger, and on to the fun part, you have to be willing to let down your guard, and let love in.

Improving Your Sex Life: Anticipation Instead of Spontaneity
There’s nothing wrong with candles and baths -- or, for that matter, lingerie and scented oils. “Those are all stand-ins for the little signals most couples have,” says Epstein. “Most couples’ signals are subtler: being in bed and awake at the same time, reaching out to one another on a weekend morning, making some gesture.”

You may pine for the days of spontaneity that you enjoyed when your relationship was young -- making love at odd hours, in the least likely places, just because you felt like it. But if you have small children, and two careers, and the usual laundry list of responsibilities, the chances of you spontaneously hooking up without some planning are about like the chance of your playing in the NBA -- when you’re over 40. And white. It takes a little doing to have a passion in marriage.
There is nothing wrong with planning to have sex, is there? Thinking about it ahead of time might just get you in the mood, just as thinking about what you’re going to eat before you go to a good restaurant only whets the appetite.

“People have to get in the habit of making time to be sexual in the same way they make time for everything else that’s good in life,” says Weston. “Some people will just sit and let the hours wash over them in front of the TV rather than do something that takes a bit of energy and a bit of intention. You have to kind of get conscious about what you’re doing.”

Rediscovering Your What Makes Your Partner Tick -- or Hum, or Buzz, or Flutter
And don’t be so sure that you know that woman that you’re with. In her work with couples, Weston has found that people don’t always know what creates sexual arousal in their long-term partner.

“I try and lay out their own idiosyncrasies -- what 'does it' for them or what did it for them when they were younger and first dating,” she says. “There is often a moment of revelation: ‘I always thought you liked that!’ Or, ‘I always thought you hated that!’ And it’s often based on something the other person said 18 years ago when you tried something once. So they closed off one portion of sexual experimentation or behavior because of one errant comment.”
A lot can happen in those intervening years. Isn’t it time you found out what’s going on beneath the surface?

The 7 Steps to Happily Ever After !!!

2009-03-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

The 7 Steps to Happily Ever After

WebMD Feature from "Redbook" Magazine
By Marjorie Ingall

What makes love last a lifetime? Affection? Yep. Respect? Sure. But a great marriage is not just about what you have. It's about what you do to make a relationship stronger, safer, more caring and committed. Here's how to make your "forever" fantastic.
Marriage is a home, a refuge against the outside storms. And like any house, it requires a strong, lasting foundation. To build one, every couple needs to take certain steps — seven, to be precise — that turn the two of you into not just you and me but we. You may not move through all the steps in order, and you may circle back to complete certain steps again (and again and again). But if you make it through them all, you'll be well on your way toward creating a marriage that will be your shelter as long as you both shall live.

Step 1: Find a shared dream for your life together.
It's easy to get caught up in the small stuff of married life: What's for dinner tonight? Whose turn is it to clean the litter box? Did you pay the electric bill? But the best partners never lose sight of the fact that they're working together to achieve the same big dreams. "Successful couples quickly develop a mindfulness of 'us,' of being coupled," says REDBOOK Love Network expert Jane Greer, Ph.D., a marriage and family therapist in New York City. "They have a shared vision, saying things like, 'We want to plan to buy a house, we want to take a vacation to such-and-such a place, we like to do X, we think we want to start a family at Y time.'"This kind of dream-sharing starts early. "Couples love to tell the story of how they met," points out Julie Holland, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. "It's like telling a fairy tale. But happy couples will go on creating folklore and history, with the meet-cute forming the bedrock of the narrative." As you write and rewrite your love story ("our hardest challenge was X, our dream for retirement is Y"), you continually remind yourselves and each other that you're a team with shared values and goals. And P.S.: When you share a dream, you're a heck of a lot more likely to make that dream come true.

Step 2: Ignite (and reignite) a sexual connection.
In any good relationship, sex is way more than just a physical act. It's crucial for the health of your emotional connection, too: It's something only the two of you share; it makes you both feel warm and loved; it draws you back together when you're drifting apart. And did I mention that it's a whole lot of fun?Striking up those sparks when you first meet is easy. Nurturing a strong, steady flame? That's the hard part. When you've got a mortgage, a potbelly, and a decade or two of togetherness under your belts, it can be hard to muster up the fire you felt when you first got together. That's when it's even more important to protect your sex life and make it a priority. "You have to keep working to create allure and seduction for each other or your sex life will become lackluster," Greer points out. "Who wants the same turkey sandwich over and over? You want it on whole wheat! On toast! As turkey salad! On a roll!" (And now I will imagine my husband covered with Russian dressing. Thanks, Dr. Greer.)As the years go by, you'll keep revisiting and realigning and reimagining the passion you have for each other. And if you keep at it, you'll have a sex life that transcends your marriage's lack of newness, the stresses of family and work, the physical changes that come with aging. Now that's something worth holding on to.

Step 3: Choose each other as your first family.
For years, you were primarily a member of one family: the one in which you grew up. Then you got married, and suddenly you became the foundation of a new family, one in which husband and wife are the A-team. It can be tough to shift your identity like this, but it's also an important part of building your self-image as a duo (and maybe, eventually, as three or four or...).For me, making this transition meant stopping the incessant bitching to my mom when I was mad at my husband — my behavior was disloyal, and I had to learn to talk to Jonathan, not about him. My friend Lynn tells the story of her mother's reaction to a trip to the Middle East she and her then-boyfriend (now husband) had planned. Her mother hit the roof, calling incessantly to urge Lynn not to go. Eventually, Lynn's boyfriend got on the phone with Mom and explained why they were excited to share this experience. "It was clear then that we were the team," Lynn says now. "Not teaming up against my mother, but teaming up together to deal with her issues."Whatever your challenges — an overprotective mom? an overly critical father-in-law? — you have to outline together the boundaries between you and all of the families connected to you. Not only will you feel stronger as a united front but when you stick to your shared rules, all that family baggage will weigh on you a lot less.

Step 4: Learn how to fight right.
I'm embarrassed to think of how I coped with conflict early in my relationship with Jonathan. I stormed out — a lot. I once threw an apple at his head. Hard. (Don't worry, I missed — on purpose.) I had a terrible habit of threatening divorce at the slightest provocation. But eventually I figured that this was pretty moronic. I didn't want out, and I knew that pelting someone with fruit was not a long-term marital strategy."Fighting is the big problem every couple has to deal with," says Daniel B. Wile, Ph.D., a psychologist and couples therapist in Oakland, CA, and author of After the Fight. That's because fights will always come up, so every couple needs to learn how to fight without tearing each other apart.Fighting right doesn't just mean not throwing produce; it means staying focused on the issue at hand and respecting each other's perspective. Couples that fight right also find ways to defuse the tension, says Wile — often with humor. "Whenever one of us wants the other to listen up, we mime hitting the TV remote, a thumb pressing down on an invisible mute button," says Nancy, 52, an event producer in San Francisco. "It cracks us up, in part because it must look insane to others." Even if you fight a lot, when you can find a way to turn fights toward the positive — with a smile, a quick apology, an expression of appreciation for the other person — the storm blows away fast, and that's what matters.

Step 5: Find a balance between time for two and time for you.
Jonathan and I both work at home. This frequently leads to murderous impulses. Though I'm typing away in the bedroom and he's talking to his consulting clients in our small home office, most days it really feels like too much intimacy for me.But that's my bias. When it comes to togetherness, every couple has its own unique sweet spot. "There are couples that are never apart and there are couples that see each other only on weekends," Greer says. With the right balance, neither partner feels slighted or smothered. You have enough non-shared experiences to fire you up and help you maintain a sense of yourself outside the relationship — not to mention give you something to talk about at the dinner table. But you also have enough time together to feel your connection as a strong tie rather than as a loose thread.Your togetherness needs will also change over time, so you'll have to shift your balance accordingly. "My husband and I spend a lot of time together, but it's almost all family time," says Katie, 40, a mom of two in San Leandro, CA. "We realized a few months ago that we hadn't had a conversation that didn't involve the kids or our to-do lists in ages, so we committed to a weekly date. We were so happy just to go to the movies and hold hands, something we hadn't done in ages. It felt like we were dating again!"

Step 6: Build a best friendship.
Think about the things that make your closest friendships irreplaceable: the trust that comes with true intimacy, the willingness to be vulnerable, the confidence that the friendship can withstand some conflict. Don't those sound like good things to have in your marriage, too?"Happy couples are each other's haven," says Holland. "They can count on the other person to listen and try to meet their needs." Greer adds, "When you're true friends, you acknowledge and respect what the other person is; you don't try to control or change them. This creates a sense of safety and security when you're together — you know you're valued for who you are and you see the value in your partner."Then there's the way, when you've been with someone a while, that you become almost a mind reader. You have a shared history and inside jokes. Your guy knows what you'll find funny, you forward him links to articles you know he'll enjoy, and best of all, you two can make eye contact at a given moment and say volumes without opening your mouths. And is there anything more pleasurable than sharing the newspaper with someone? Sitting in companionable silence, absorbed in your respective reading, sipping coffee, occasionally reading something out loud, but mostly just lazing happily together, communing without needing to speak? Ahh....

Step 7: Face down a major challenge together.
You're sailing along through life, and suddenly you hit a huge bump. A serious illness. Unemployment. The loss of a home. A death in the family. How do you cope?The truth is, you never know how strong your relationship is until it's tested. All too often, the stress of a crisis can pull a couple apart. But the good news is, when you do make it through in one piece, you might just find yourselves tighter than ever."What didn't happen to us?" says Daryl, 28, a preschool teacher in Harrisburg, PA. "My husband lost his job and took a minimum-wage job he was way overqualified for just to make ends meet. He was offered a better job in a mountain town outside San Diego, so we moved. Then during the California wildfires several years ago, our house burned down and we lost everything. We were living in a one-room converted garage with no running water and a newborn. But we found that this chaos somehow brought us even closer together. We took turns losing it. We really kept each other sane."Hey, marriage is no roll in the hay. It's tough, real work. But the reward, the edifice you build together that will shelter you through years of tough times, is more than worth the effort. The small, friendly cottage you build — decorated with your shared history and stories, filled with color and laughter — will be the warmest and safest retreat you can imagine.
Originally published on September 1, 2008

Home Exercises for the Stiff Shoulder.

2009-03-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Home Exercises for the Stiff Shoulder.

Introduction
Stiff shoulders are usually uncomfortable, even if the degree of stiffness is not great. That's the bad news. The good news is that most stiff shoulders can be managed successfully by a simple exercise program conducted by the patient in the home.

Getting the shoulder moving
It is basically a question of gently and progressively getting the shoulder moving again. This program is the safest of all treatments for frozen shoulders. Although months of these specific exercises may be required, persistence almost always pays off. Even if arthritis is present, this program may help preserve and even improve the shoulder's range and comfort. Before beginning these exercises you should consult with your physician.

There are two components to the home program for stiff shoulders. The first is a series of stretching exercises and the second relates to regular participation in a fitness program.

Stretching
Your opposite arm is a great therapist for your stiff shoulder. Your "therapist arm" is always available to apply a gentle stretch in any direction of tightness. Each of these gentle stretches needs to be held up to a count of 100.
Stretching exercises

The basic program includes the exercises illustrated here:
 Getting the arm up overhead while lying down
 Getting the arm up overhead while sitting
 Getting the arm up overhead with a pulley
 Getting the arm to externally rotate while lying down and while standing
 Getting the arm up the back  Getting the arm across the body

If other directions of stiffness are identified, they can be stretched with a similar approach. An important principle of the stretching exercises is to allow your muscles to relax so that the stretch can be applied to the soft tissues without muscle interference. Tissues of a tight shoulder do not like to be stretched suddenly, roughly, or with a lot of force. Thus the strategy is to apply a gentle stretch so that at most minimal soreness results. Any soreness should go away within 15 minutes after you stop the exercises.

You should carry out this shoulder stretching sequence three times a day. As much as possible, these sessions should be performed after the shoulder has been relaxed by a hot shower, bath, or aerobic exercise. For each stretch, make a note of the maximum range obtained with each session. Try to establish a new "bench mark" each time you do them, so that you can see your progress each time.

The beauty of this exercise program is that you are in control. You can adjust the vigor of the stretching to do what is most easily tolerated by your shoulder. The exercise program is totally portable and can be performed in your home, office, car, the bus, the airplane, or wherever you happen to be. This is important because consistency in this exercise program pays off. If pain results from the exercise program, do not stop or change the frequency of your exercise sessions, just reduce the vigor of the stretches so that they become comfortable.

Fitness
Regular fitness exercise helps keep your joints supple. This "lubricating" effect is optimized if you perform a half-hour of aerobic exercise each day.
Many types of fitness exercise

This exercise may take a variety of forms including brisk walking, jogging, riding a stationary or mobile bicycle, rowing, climbing stairs, or using a cross-country skiing simulator. If you have concerns about your ability to carry out such an exercise program, you should consult your general physician. It is not important that these exercises be carried out vigorously, it is only important that in addition to the stretching program, a half an hour of your day be devoted toward some form of aerobic exercise. A guideline for someone with a healthy heart, lungs and blood pressure is to work up to 30 minutes of exercise at a target of two-thirds of his or her maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is estimated by subtracting your age from 220. If you are over 35 and have not been exercising much, or if you are not sure of your health, you should consult your doctor before starting this aspect of the program.

Many patients are reluctant to try this stretching and aerobic program because they have already "had therapy." Our repeated observation is that many patients who have not responded to formal therapy sessions can improve their shoulder function using this home program. Remember that your shoulder stiffness has been present for quite a while. Improvement in your range of motion and comfort may not begin until six weeks of persistence with the program. You should not stop these exercises until your shoulder has regained normal motion and comfort.

We have found that medication is not very helpful in managing stiff shoulders. Mild analgesics (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen) may be used in conjunction with this program if desired. Narcotic medications, "muscle relaxants" and sleeping pills have not proved helpful to our patients.

You may be able to use the shoulder actively within the range of comfort. For example, if you can do some water exercises or swimming without aggravating the shoulder, please do so. On the other hand, activities which produce shoulder pain should be avoided.

If you have any questions about your shoulder or the proper treatment,let your doctor know.

Disclaimer
This resource has been provided by the University of Washington Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine as general information only. This information may not apply to a specific patient. Additional information may be found at http://www.orthop.washington.edu or by contacting the UW Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

What Is Frozen Shoulder?

2009-03-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

What Is Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder is a condition that causes loss of motion in the shoulder joint. The diagnosis of frozen shoulder is often used for any painful shoulder condition associated with a loss of motion.

What Are The Symptoms Of Frozen Shoulder?
Frozen shoulder is characterized by a decrease in motion, primarily seen in lifting the arm and turning it inwards. A frozen shoulder is most common in the 40 - 60 year old age group and it is twice as common in women as men. Most cases of frozen shoulder follow a specific pattern. Initially, there is an acute phase that is characterized by significant pain, difficulty sleeping, and significant functional impairment. This is followed by a progressive stiffening phase when the shoulder motion worsens. The final phase is the resolution or thawing phase identified by the gradual return of both motion and function. The overall course is variable but can last 12 - 36 months.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder?
The most common causes of frozen shoulders are:
· Hyperthyroidism (excessive production of thyroid hormones)
· Diabetes
· Heart/ circulatory diseases
· A fracture or other arm injury
· Shoulder injury/ surgery
· Cervical disk disease
· Degenerative arthritis

While these common causes seem quite different, they all lead to any of the following two fundamental causes of frozen shoulder:

· High density of impurities in the blood. The accumulation of impurities can settle near the shoulder joints, muscle joints, and the belt of muscles and block the normal blood circulation in these areas, which in turn can lead to shoulder pain and loss of motion in the shoulder joint. Common causes such as hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and heart/ circulatory diseases can all lead to such a high density of impurities in the blood.

· Inflammation in the shoulder joint capsule. The capsule of a shoulder joint includes the ligaments that attach the shoulder bones to each other. When inflammation occurs within the capsule, there is less ability for the shoulder bones to freely move within the joint. For this reason a frozen shoulder is also called an adhesive (scarred) capsulitis (inflamed joint capsule). Common causes such as a fracture or other arm injury, shoulder injury/ surgery, cervical disk disease, and degenerative arthritis can all lead to inflammation in the shoulder joint capsule.

The Best Natural Solution To Cure Any Type Of Frozen Shoulder- Herbal Patch Plus
Now for the first time there is a natural herbal patch called Herbal Patch Plus (HP+) which can cure frozen shoulder in as little as 15 minutes. Herbal Patch Plus is the best solution for frozen shoulder because it aims to eliminate the fundamental causes of a frozen shoulder by cleaning the impurities in your blood and diminishing the inflammation in your shoulder joint capsule. Herbal Patch Plus is an award-winning herbal patch and the leader of herbal medicine in the 21st century. US Patent & Trademark Office granted the patent license to Herbal Patch Plus in August 1999. This was a big breakthrough in herbal biological medicine because this patent was the FIRST one granted by US Patent & Trademark Office in the biological field since 1800! The following images show the actual photos of this ground-breaking patent:

How Does Herbal Patch Plus Work?
Your feet can be seen as mirror images of your entire body, and the reference points or reflex areas in the feet correspond to all the major tissues, organs, and glands in your body. The following image on the left is a quick look at how your entire body matches to the soles of your feet. Studies have also shown that the curve of an individual's foot matches the curve of his/ her spinal column with mathematical precision. The following image on the right shows that the spinal column is reflected in the inside curve of the foot. Notice how the shape and curve of your feet match the shape and curve of your body.

Herbal Patch Plus is an herbal patch that can be pasted on the sole of your foot, releasing a lot of biological energies into your blood. These energies in turn transfer into the tissues, organs, and glands that correspond to the reflex areas in your foot, stimulating their activities and improving their functions. Herbal Patch Plus can also be pasted on any part of your body where the most serious symptoms of the illness occur - to directly deliver more biological energies to these ill parts of the body and also withdraw toxins and impurities from them. In the case of curing frozen shoulder, the specific applications of Herbal Patch Plus include:

· Offering enzyme for dissolving toxins and impurities in your body and then withdrawing them out of your body (when blood passes through the soles of the feet, the toxins and impurities will be absorbed by Herbal Patch Plus).

· Delivering biological energies to your shoulder joint capsule to diminish the inflammation.
With the help of Herbal Patch Plus the symptoms of frozen shoulder can be relieved in as little as 15 minutes.While the blood in the main blood vessels is considered as the outer part, the blood in the mini or micro blood vessels is considered as the inner part. Herbal Patch Plus cleans the blood and delivers biological energies following the order from outside to inside. Thus, the relief of frozen shoulder will happen from outside to inside in a short time.

Herbal Patch Plus Does NOT Cause Any Side Effects
Herbal Patch Plus is refined from precious herbal medicines, which penetrate into the skin to cure naturally from outside to inside. Unlike when taking any western medicine or therapy, you do NOT have to worry about the left over toxins in your body after using Herbal Patch Plus. Therefore, Herbal Patch Plus has absolutely NO side effects of any kind. After wearing the patch for 8 hours and removing it, it will still feel cool and comfortable for at least 2 hours, while the medicine continues to work inside your body.

Why Is Herbal Patch Plus TheBest Way To Cure Frozen Shoulder?
If you or someone you know has frozen shoulder, Herbal Patch Plus is definitely the best remedy because:

· Herbal Patch Plus is absolutely safe to use. Herbal Patch Plus is refined from precious herbal medicines, which penetrate into the skin to cure naturally from outside to inside. Unlike when taking any western medicine or therapy, you do NOT have to worry about the left over toxins in your body after using Herbal Patch Plus. Therefore, Herbal Patch Plus has absolutely NO side effects of any kind.

· Herbal Patch Plus is highly effective in curing frozen shoulder. If you apply Herbal Patch Plus to both your feet and your shoulder at the same time, the symptoms of frozen shoulder can be relieved in as little as 15 minutes.

· Herbal Patch Plus is easy and convenient to use. All you need to do is to paste one large patch of Herbal Patch Plus on each of your feet and/ or paste three small patches of Herbal Patch Plus on your shoulders. After wearing the patches for 8 hours and removing them, it will still feel cool and comfortable for at least 2 hours, while the medicine continues to work inside your body.

· Herbal Patch Plus is inexpensive and affordable. We offer flexible packages to accommodate the needs of different people. No matter your gout is severe or mild, you can always find the best package that is suitable to yourself based on your budget.

Other Health Benefits OfHerbal Patch Plus & Internal Massager
Aside from curing frozen shoulder, Herbal Patch Plus can also bring you the following health benefits:

· give you more flexible joints and discs
· better body mobility
· improve blood circulation
· enable better digestion
· provide deeper and more relaxing sleep
· reduce tiredness
· ensure smoother breathing
· balance metabolism
· stabilize weight at normal level
· strengthen immune system
· promote general good health
· delay aging

Best ways to loosen a stiff neck or shoulder!

2009-03-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Best ways to loosen a stiff neck or shoulder!
By Marisa Wright

A stiff neck can be very painful

Neck and shoulder pain can be caused by something as simple as sleeping the wrong way, or as serious as a herniated disk - and one can be just as agonizing as the other! To be safe, it's important to take things gently when trying to loosen and stretch the area, to ensure you don't make any injuries worse.

If the pain is the result of injury, you should always start with an ice pack. The aim is to stop inflammation in its tracks - otherwise it will be even more painful tomorrow! Once the injury has settled down, or if your pain is due to muscle spasm, then a heat pack will ease pain more effectively. However, do bear in mind that heat can make inflammation worse, so if you suspect an injury, don't risk it no matter how tempting that soothing heat may sound!

Shoulder pain is often not really in the shoulder at all - it's what is called "referred pain" from the neck. So if your problem is shoulder pain, it's worth trying some of the neck exercises as well, to see if they help.

Basic Neck Stretches

Begin with the gentlest neck stretch.
Lie down on the bed. Now slide the back of your head away from your shoulders - think about lengthening the back of your neck. Your head will tilt forward slightly and your chin will tuck into your neck. Pull your chin in as far as you can and press the back of your neck into the mattress for 10 seconds, then relax. Do 3 sets of 10.

You may want to make sure you're alone when you do this exercise - if you do it right, it will make you look like you have a really attractive double chin (if not several)!

Next, still lying on the bed, roll your head from side to side. Don't try to force it or control it, just let your head turn gently and rhythmically from one shoulder to the other. You could even play some music to keep time to! Keep this up as long as you can manage - you'll find your range gradually increases, the longer you keep rolling.

If this is easy, you can do the "chin tuck" exercise sitting or standing in front of a mirror. Looking straight ahead, tuck your chin into your neck (there are those gorgeous double chins again) and push backwards, stretching the back of your neck. To make this stretch stronger, you can put both hands on your chin and push back. Don't drop your head - if you keep looking in the mirror, that will help you hold the right posture.

These exercises can be done several times a day, whenever you remember.

More Advanced Neck Stretches
If you can do the basic exercises without exacerbating your pain, it's time to move on to more advanced versions.

These are basically the same neck exercises you'll find at any fitness class - dropping your chin to your chest and turning it side to side - but there are important differences.
Sit on a hard chair with your back straight. Tuck your chin in (as for the basic exercise above), then lower your head forward. Move your head only, don't drop your shoulders or round your back, and keep pulling your chin in. Now place your hands gently on the top of your head - don't press down, just let them rest there. Hold for 10 seconds and release. Do 3 sets of 10.

Do the same thing to the side. Hold the edge of the chair with your right hand, to prevent you lifting your right shoulder. Keeping your chin tucked in, lower your left ear to your left shoulder. Lift your left hand and rest it gently over your head, fingers touching your right ear. Don't press down, just feel the weight. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat the whole exercise on the other side.
The third exercise is simply to turn your head from side to side. Keep your your head upright, and turn to look as far as you can over each shoulder without forcing it.
You'll notice I don't suggest an exercise to tilt your head back. That's because tilting the head back can pinch the nerves at the back of the neck, so it's best avoided unless you have been given the all-clear to do so by a professional.

Shoulder Swings
For the shoulder exercise, you'll need a long thin bolster. If you have a cervical roll, you could use that - otherwise roll up a towel tightly into a tube shape.

Lie down on your back on the floor, and position the roll so it runs along your spine, from just below your neck to your waist (this can take a bit of adjustment!). Let your arms fall out to the side, palms up. Feel your shoulder blades dropping down each side of the roll and your chest opening up. You can put a thin pillow under your head if you're feeling uncomfortable in this position.

If your shoulder is very sore, just relaxing in this position may be enough. If you're ready to go further:

Bring your arms to your sides, palms facing your thighs. Now, keeping your arms relaxed and slightly bent, lift them straight up and take them as far over your head as you can. Your goal, eventually, is to touch the floor above your head - but don't force it!
Do this exercise quite fast, swinging your arms loosely over your head and back down to your thighs. Aim to do at least 100 of these swings. As you do it, you should feel your shoulder blades dropping more and more either side of the roll. Don't worry if you can't get far over your head at first, and don't force it - it should be a very relaxed movement.

Prevention
None of these exercises will help much if you're doing things in your daily life to make your neck sore again!

One of the biggest culprits is your sleeping position. If your head is turned sideways to your body while you're sleeping, or scrunched into your shoulder, you're almost guaranteeing you'll have neck pain one day. Your head and shoulders need to be in alignment while you sleep. Many people skimp on a good pillow, because it seems ludicrous to pay seventy or eighty dollars for a simple cube of latex. Think of it this way - it's not an investment in a pillow, it's an investment in your neck!

The other major source of neck pain is the computer. Check out your work set-up. Sit in your chair and reach forward with your hand. If you can't touch your monitor with your fingertips, it's too far away - your head has to move forward slightly to see it, putting huge pressure on our neck.

If you fix the things that are causing your problem, and keep doing the simple exercises for a week or so after the pain has cleared, you can beat neck and shoulder pain. As with all things, if pain persists, see your doctor.

Frozen Shoulder

2009-03-18T01:34:00.000-07:00

Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis)

Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Medical Editor: Dennis Lee, MD

What is a frozen shoulder?
A frozen shoulder is a shoulder joint with significant loss of its range of motion in all directions. The range of motion is limited not only when the patient attempts motion, but also when the doctor attempts to move the joint fully while the patient relaxes. A frozen shoulder is also referred to as adhesive capsulitis.

What causes a frozen shoulder?
Frozen shoulder is the result of inflammation, scarring, thickening, and shrinkage of the capsule that surrounds the normal shoulder joint. Any injury to the shoulder can lead to frozen shoulder, including tendinitis, bursitis, and rotator cuff injury. Frozen shoulders occur more frequently in patients with diabetes, chronic inflammatory arthritis of the shoulder, or after chest or breast surgery. Long-term immobility of the shoulder joint can put people at risk to develop a frozen shoulder.

How is a frozen shoulder diagnosed?
A frozen shoulder is suggested during examination when the shoulder range of motion is significantly limited, with either the patient or the examiner attempting the movement. Underlying diseases involving the shoulder can be diagnosed with the history, examination, blood testing, and x-ray examination of the shoulder.

If necessary, the diagnosis can be confirmed when an x-ray contrast dye is injected into the shoulder joint to demonstrate the characteristic shrunken shoulder capsule of a frozen shoulder. This x-ray test is called arthrography. The tissues of the shoulder can also be evaluated with an MRI scan.

What conditions can mimic a frozen shoulder?
Inflammation of the shoulder joint (arthritis) or the muscles around the shoulder can cause swelling, pain, or stiffness of the joint that can mimic the range of motion limitation of a frozen shoulder.

Injury to individual tendons around the shoulder (tendons of the rotator cuff) can limit shoulder-joint range of motion, but usually not in all directions. Often during the examination of a shoulder with tendon injury (tendinitis or tendon tear), the doctor is able to move the joint with the patient relaxed beyond the range that the patient can on their own.
How is a frozen shoulder treated?

The treatment of a frozen shoulder usually requires an aggressive combination of anti-inflammatory medication, cortisone injection(s) into the shoulder, and physical therapy. Without aggressive treatment, a frozen shoulder can be permanent.

Diligent physical therapy is often key and can include ultrasound, electric stimulation, range-of-motion exercise maneuvers, ice packs, and eventually strengthening exercises. Physical therapy can take weeks to months for recovery, depending on the severity of the scarring of the tissues around the shoulder.

It is very important for people with a frozen shoulder to avoid reinjuring the shoulder tissues during the rehabilitation period. These individuals should avoid sudden, jerking motions of or heavy lifting with the affected shoulder.

Sometimes frozen shoulders are resistant to treatment. Patients with resistant frozen shoulders can be considered for release of the scar tissue by arthroscopic surgery or manipulation of the scarred shoulder under anesthesia. This manipulation is performed to physically break up the scar tissue of the joint capsule. It carries the risk of breaking the arm bone (humerus fracture). It is very important for patients that undergo manipulation to partake in an active exercise program for the shoulder after the procedure. It is only with continued exercise of the shoulder that mobility and function is optimized.

Frozen Shoulder At A Glance
Frozen shoulder is the result of scarring, thickening, and shrinkage of the joint capsule.
Any injury to the shoulder can lead to frozen shoulder.
A frozen shoulder is usually diagnosed during an examination.
A frozen shoulder usually requires aggressive treatment.

References: Clinical Primer of Rheumatology, Lippincott Williams & Wilkens, edited by William Koopman, et al., 2003.Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, W B Saunders Co, edited by Shaun Ruddy, et al., 2000.

Slipped Disc.

2009-03-18T01:33:00.000-07:00

Slipped Disc

To discuss what slipped disc means, it would be best to, first, define what disc is. Disc is what is inside the vertebrae. Inside the discs are the tissues with central portion that is soft-gel in texture.

This gel-like property of this part is what promotes flexibility of the spine. When this soft-gel portion bulges its way out to the spinal cord is when the so-called slipped disc occurs. Slipped disc occurs more often in the back part (in the lower back, specifically) and very seldom in the chest and neck parts.

There are various sources of slipped disc. Aging is one. Degenerating discs can be very painful for some cases and yes, aging is the natural process that promotes stiffness in the spinal discs. Slipped disc can also be acquired from physical injuries affecting spinal section, chest, or neck. Hard labor is one of the most common sources of slipped disc for men doing hard, physical labor such as civil construction and the like. This is so since much pressure in the disc causes it to bulge. Bulged discs are sometimes called herniated discs. You may not even believe that sneezing and coughing, when much, can cause the having of slipped discs. Unlike other illnesses, however, presence of slipped disc does not usually have apparent symptoms. Luckily enough, there are still breakthroughs in technology that are capable of detective which among the discs are slipped discs. Of these breakthroughs, CT Scan and MRI scan are the most popular.
Although symptoms of slipped disc are not always visible, there are serious symptoms which are experienced by some. These serious slipped disc symptoms include incontrollable bladder habit and numbness of the limbs. These symptoms, when present, should be consulted with the experts at once. Urgent treatments are highly encouraged due to the severity of pain slipped discs cause the patient. It is said, however, that pain experienced by people with slipped discs is often affected by the psychological factors associated with having this ailment.

Slipped disc is one of the cases where severe pain is experienced by the patient and yet surgical operation is not usually required. Primary treatments basically involve bed rest (i.e., flat bed rest) with minimum movement. Surgical treatments to slipped discs are taken when the case is repetitive and is becoming a threat to permanent malfunction of spinal column. Removal of pain in slipped discs cases can be a very gradual process that it may even take years. This, thus, apparently affects the patient’s relationship with family, especially in cases where getting along does not seem to be an easy task at all.

Having slipped discs is a serious matter. Whether severe or not, any case of this should be promptly treated to avoid further pain – both in the patient and in the family.
Slipped Disc Causes
Slipped Disc Symptoms
Slipped Disc Treatment
Exercises for Slipped Disc
Slipped Disc Surgery

What is Sciatica?

2009-03-18T01:29:00.000-07:00

What is Sciatica?

To know the definition of Sciatica, this is characterized by lower back and hip pain that is either burning or “shocked”; Sciatica pain goes down the buttocks, leg, knee and at times, the foot.

Large nerves in the body, called the Sciatic nerves, (which are aptly described as big as the finger) is pinpointed as the cause of the pain in this medical condition. Consisting of a bunch of small nerves coming from the lower back portion of the spinal cord, the sciatic nerves travel from the inside of the buttock area to the back part of the leg; thus, explaining the pain trail of this condition. In this article you shall find more information on Sciatica

What causes it?
Usually, this condition is related to slipped discs; sciatica happens when the herniated disc has pinched on the Sciatic nerve or gets irritated in the course of inflammation caused by the bulged disc. Sometimes, it is also caused by passageways narrowed by sprained ligaments, swelling or arthritis in the surrounding area. This too makes the nerve tender or irritated. On extremely rare cases, blood clots, abscess or any abnormal growth may induce pressure on the nerve. Degeneration of the nerve is also seen as a probable cause.
Symptoms of Sciatica Back Pain

Lower back pain accompanied with posterior thigh, leg and foot pain is the most common indication of Sciatica. The pain is most prevalent on just one side of the body, where the affected sciatic nerve is located. Most patients describe the pain as burning, tingling or having a needles-and-pins feel. Extreme case sufferers account that the pain shoots excruciatingly on the affected areas that movement as simple as standing up is an agonizing task. Numbness may also be experienced by some, which is attributed to the loss of nerve signals to the affected area, such as the leg. At times, this situation may lead to inability to control the involved area.

Often times, the sufferer has long suffered lower back pain before it develops further down to the leg and foot areas. After which, the pain becomes more concentrated on the leg and foot; in some cases the back pain disintegrates. Long-term Sciatica patients attest that the inflammation is usually felt on the buttocks area and back part of the leg. In most cases, the pain of Sciatica is further aggravated by simple movements like sneezing, coughing, sitting, standing and lifting medium to heavy weights, as well as bowel movement.

Rare but extreme symptoms such as paresthesias, weakness and failure of the bowel / bladder functions may accompany the condition.

Diagnosing and treating Sciatica
Usually misdiagnosed for the common leg and back pain, physicians must determined if the cause is a referred pain (musculoskeletal strains) or radicular (nerve root inflammation) one. Certified experts conduct a thorough examination of the condition by way of looking for the pain in certain manipulation of body parts. Legs are part of the manipulated body parts; and if pain is detected in certain movements that cause the sciatic nerve to extend, then Sciatica is the most likely cause of pain.

In treating Sciatica, most medical experts recommend conservative treatments such as physical therapy (mostly stretching and strengthening calisthenics), proper rest coupled with painkillers or anti-inflammatory prescriptions. However, pain caused by slipped discs or other neurological structure problems may require patients to undergo surgery.
Back pain and Sciatica
Chiropractic Sciatica
Sciatica and Pregnancy
Sciatica Causes
Sciatica Exercises
Sciatica Leg Pain
Sciatica Pain Relief
Sciatica Physical Therapy
Sciatica Problem
Sciatica Remedy
Sciatica Surgery
Sciatica Symptoms
Sciatica Treatment
Yoga for Sciatica

6. Lower Back Pain

2009-03-18T01:27:00.000-07:00

Lower Back Pain

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, lower back pain is the second most common ailment in the United States.

It is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work. While low back pain is often an irritating and discomforting experience, more often than not it can be prevented and improved with proper exercise and diet.

A patient would either experience acute back pain or chronic lower back pain. Acute or shorter-term back pain often lasts within a very brief period of a few days to a few weeks. Acute lower back pain can be also be caused by injury or trauma. Common causes of acute lower back trauma are sports injury, improper lifting of heavy materials at home or at work, and accidents. Muscle ache, limited flexibility, and shooting or stabbing low back pain are the common symptoms of acute back pain. On the other hand, a chronic lower back pain is distinguished by its longer duration. This means if the low back pain persist for more than 3 months the symptom is consider to be chronic. Generally, chronic lower back pains are progressive and do not occur overnight. Moreover, the cause of the chronic lower back pain is much difficult to pinpoint as disability may have developed through time.

Patients often complain on experiencing pain in the lumbar region of the spinal cord or lower back. This region supports the whole weight of body and assists in maintaining balance throughout the body. Strain or stress in the lower back often causes the discomfort and may aggravate further the condition of the lumbar region. Most often that not, patients complain on lower back pain while lifting a heavy object or overstretching. Improper lifting of heavy objects causes stress in the lower back particularly in muscles or ligaments in the lumbar region. When the spine is overly strained and compressed, a disc may be ruptured and budge outward. The rupture may place unnecessary pressure to the nerves in the spine, which trigger signals to the brain and in turn is perceived as pain.

Depending on the physician’s diagnosis, pain in the lower back occasionally may require surgical treatment in cases where the diagnosis indicates a serious medical problem. An example would be an injury or trauma to the lower back caused a blunt blow in a sport activity such as football. This type of injury may cause permanent disability as nerve roots protected by the spinal column could be damaged by the blow.

While injuries or trauma may occur while part-taking a physical activity, it also important to understand that back pain may occur over time. Inactivity may also cause lower back pain and discomfort over time if not properly address. Therefore it is always important to stay fit and undergo a regular exercise regimen to prevent injuries and improve health.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms
Lower Back Pain Causes
Lower Back Pain Relief
Lower Back Pain in Women
Lower Back Pain and Pregnancy
Lower Back Pain Kidney
Lower Back Pain Prevention
Lower Back Pain Treatment

5. Upper Back Pain

2009-03-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain is a common spinal disorder. It causes considerable pain and distress for those who experience it.

Muscular irritation (Myofascial pain) and joint dysfunction are the most common causes that can trigger extreme upper back pain. Rare injuries can also cause pain in the upper back such as a herniated disc or degenerated disc.

The thoracic spine (which is also called the upper back, middle back or mid-back) varies in form and function from the cervical spine (which is the neck) or the lumbar spine (which is the lower back). The thoracic spine is intended to be very sturdy and stable for us to stand upright and to keep vital organs in the chest intact. There is usually low risk of injury or degeneration in the upper back due to the stability and limited movement of the thoracic spine. Also, because there is little movement and stability all through the thoracic spine or the upper back. This part of the spine is not likely to build up common spinal disorders, such as spinal instability, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, or herniated disc. These disorders can bring about upper back pain but are extremely uncommon in the upper back. MRI scan or CT scan will hardly show the an anatomic problem that could be solved by surgery for the upper back pain, this is because of the thoracic spine’s stability and lack of movement.

In the middle of the spine, there are twelve vertebrae with the ribs connected to it. This is the framework of the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine is concave when seen from the side. Each of the rib that is attached to the twelve vertebrae curves goes around the side of the body and is connected to the breastbone that forms the thoracic cage that protects the heart, lungs and liver.
There are lots of causes or upper back pain. Upper back pain can take place as a cause of a traumatic experience or injury, also from strain or poor posture in a long period of time. For example, upper back pain has been a common complaint from people who work in front of computers all day. Aside from upper back pain, complaints also includes neck pain and shoulder pain. As mentioned earlier, upper back pain are caused by muscular irritation (myosfascial pain) or ligament problems, also called joint dysfunction.

Oftentimes, upper back muscle pain is caused by either de-conditioning (lack of strength) or overuse injuries (like repetitive movements). This kind of upper back pain can be treated manually, such as upper back pain exercise or upper back pain therapy, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, massage therapy and acupuncture. Joint dysfunction can also be treated with manual manipulation. Also, pain medications can help such as anti-flammatory medications (such as ibuprofen or COX-2 inhibitors), since joint dysfunction creates inflammation. Epidural steroid injections are oftentimes not necessary for thoracic pain except for local trigger point infusion.
Upper Back Pain Symptoms
Upper Back Pain Treatments

4. Left Side Back Pain

2009-03-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

Left Side Back Pain

Most of us would think that left side back pain or any back pain in general, may simply be a symptom or a part of growing old or aging.

This may actually hold true with the fact that most adults would experience back pain at one point or another. In the United States alone, almost nine out of every ten adults even before reaching the age of fifty would say that they have experienced back pain before. There have been no researches on whether majority of this is left side back pain or right side back pain however.

When back pain like left back rib pain has been a staple in your life, you might be tempted to just shake it off. There are cases when this left back pain may just be because of a muscle spasm or nerve. You may simply need to rest and take some anti-inflammatory medicine for left side back pain in such cases. If for example you would engage in lifting weights as an exercise regimen without the proper training, left side back pain or left back rib pain will not be unlikely. You should consult experts in exercise or body conditioning as well as doctors so that you would be prepared adequately for such left back pain.

Exercises can be used to strengthen the abdominal muscles so that left back pain due to muscle imbalance may be avoided. These can include heel raises and ankle pumps. Once again, for an individual to get the best benefits and proper level of exercise, you should first turn to your doctor or a fitness expert. They will be able to properly guide you with the rate of your progression and exercise intensity. This will help you avoid aggravating your back pain further.
Left back pain can be excruciatingly painful. Women may experience this as a part of the premenstrual syndrome. This left back pain may be treated through dietary and vitamin intake changes. Also, old women may have left side back pain because of osteoporosis. This left side back pain can be prevented early on with the help of proper diet during the pregnancy period, and the right intake of calcium.

You should take note if the left back pain is focused on your kidney area. When this is accompanied by a burning sensation and blood when you urinate, this could be a symptom of kidney stones. Individuals with diabetes may be more prone to suffer from such complications. Proper diet for this left back pain is necessary as well as the accompanying changes in lifestyle. You should avoid alcohol, salty and fatty food – especially if your family has a history of hypertension and diabetes.

3. Middle Back Pain

2009-03-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

Middle Back Pain

While upper or mid back pain is not too common a spinal disorder, it can create significant discomfort if it does occurs.

It is important to note that our middle back (i.e. thoracic spine) has a very different structure or form as our lower back (i.e. lumbar spine). While our lower back is designed to provide us with mobility, our upper or middle back is designed to be strong to permit us to hold an upright position and protect our vital internal organs. Unlike our lower back, the thoracic spine has a great deal of stability and very limited movement. In effect, it is generally not prone to acquire known spinal dysfunction, including herniated disc or degenerative disc disease.

Mid back pain causes are generally injury or trauma or through strain over time such as poor posture. Most cases reporting on middle back pain are caused by muscular irritation or joint dysfunction. In some cases, mid back pain is caused by both.

These large muscles spanning our shoulder blades to our thoraric rib cage can be very prone to irritation or mid back pain that can cause significant discomfort and hard to deal with. In most cases, middle back pain is caused by lack of strength or overuse injuries such as repetitive motions.

Generally, deep massage or massage therapy, and acupuncture would provide a good middle back pain relief to patients. More often, massage therapy and acupuncture targets the very “tender” areas causing pain in the middle back. These areas may be a source of active “trigger points”. Trigger points are targeted to reduce soreness or inflammation and to provide middle back pain relief to most patients. In addition, because mid back pain is related to the large muscles in the shoulder blades, general rehabilitation programs include stretching and strength training program. Aerobic conditioning is also very important activity to be included in the general strength training program to maintain middle back pain relief.

Depending on the physician’s diagnosis and the level of severe ness of middle back pain Training programs will vary and are very different. Therapists have been trained to develop an exercise program and provide instruction on the correct form and technique.

Stretching helps improve flexibility, mobility, and elasticity in the disc muscles ligaments, and tendons. In general, any form of inactivity can is associate to progressive stiffness and consequently to middle back pain. Therefore, stretching is necessary in to push the range of motion as far as can be tolerated (in a controlled manner). Stretching helps increase mobility of the spine and soft tissue; in effect, the increase in motion provides a meaningful and sustained relief to the patient’s middle back pain. In addition, it is crucial to consider that our body does not work in isolation. This means it is important to activate and strengthen muscles not directly involve with the injured area such as shoulders and neck.

While middle back pain is not as common disorder problem as lower back pain, the best course of action in addressing such discomfort has always been proactive preventive measures such as engaging in proper exercise and diet. Healthy living is always best.

2. Right Side Back Pain

2009-03-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

Right Side Back Pain

Right sided back pains have always been associated with old age. While more and more people are suffering from right side back pain we grow older, many do not realize the cause of the back pain (for example on the right side) and that such pain can be relieved by proper exercise, diet, and posture.

Many therapists may be content in dealing with the symptoms of the right sided back pain to provide patients with short term relief from low back and spine discomfort. While it is possible to provide therapy for a period of time, the most optimal way to deal with right side back pain is finding its root cause.

When we feel pain, our body sends out reaction signals from the pain source (sore lower back on the right side), through our nerves, into our spinal cord, and to our brain, where we perceive the soreness as pain. There are many types of pain ranging from chronic to acute lower back discomfort. Most patients would generally complain about their lower-back pain on the right side, left side or middle of the lower back.

Lower back right side pain can be attributed to different origins such as improper posture, excess weight, muscles imbalance and injury or trauma. In addition, a person’s psychological state such as depression, anxiety, stress, and anger can also contribute to lower back discomfort. In most cases, right side back pain can be addressed with proper exercise, diet, and posture.
Exercise seems to the best and preferred non-surgical option in addressing right side back pains. Proper exercise targeting the lower back on the right side muscles will help improve strength in the muscle area but also would also improve your overall balance. Exercising regularly is critical in keeping a healthy back. In fact, most therapists would agree that exercise is important for recovery for patients with chronic lower right side back pain.

Unfortunately, our fast-paced lifestyle and long hours of work, we become less active. As an outcome the muscles that support the spinal column become less supple and have less endurance. This decreases muscle tone; consequently, muscles can shrink, contract and tighten. Hence, your back feels tight most of the time and lower back pain on the right side is felt. Over time, as a patient feels more pain, the more patients are reluctant to exercise; thus, decreasing the opportunity to break the cycle.

Commitment to physical training and conditioning is therefore a must in order to address chronic right side back pain. It is prudent to ask your doctor before carrying out any strenuous exercise as it may aggravate the right side back pain problem further than help. For instance, improper weight training targeting the lower back muscles may lead to injury or trauma which may cause further harm. It is also imperative to get a physical trainer to assist you with proper exercise program. An exercise program would therefore help you not only address your current lower back problems, but also overall development program. While back pain on the right side, left side, or middle seems to be most prevalent cause of disability, simple preventive measures such as proper exercise would be a great solution.