A Healthy Breakfast, For A Healthy Heart


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Did you know that what you eat for breakfast could help you live longer? New research shows that eating whole-grain cereal may provide extra protection for your heart.

Researchers analyzed results from the Physicians' Health Study, a study involving more than 10,000 men. They found that those who ate whole-grain cereal at least seven times a week were 28 percent less likely to develop heart failure than those that didn't. Eating whole-grain cereal even two to six times per week decreased the risk to 22 percent.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to effectively pump blood to the rest of the body. Some causes of heart failure include high blood pressure and previous heart attacks.

The study adds to growing research that a diet rich in whole grains is good for the heart-lowering bloob pressure, LDL or bad cholesterol, and reducing the risk of heart disease. This fiber - and nutrient-rich food also has been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes and certain cancers, decrease constipation, and help maintain a healthy body weight.
To reap the benefits, most experts recommend Americans eat at least three servings of whole-grain foods each day. This can come from:

• Whole-grain cereals
• Whole wheat bread
• Whole-grain pasta
• Brown rice
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn
• Wild rice
  
  Copyright © Neil Harper
  http://theluckyberry.com

Three Steps Toward Healthy Eating


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Most people know that eating healthier involves having more of what's good for you and less of what's not. But experts claim that Americans still struggle to eat right. Here's a simple three-step plan to help.

1. Focus on fruits and vegetables.
Only about 11 percent of Americans eat the recommended 2 cups of fruits and2.5 cups of vetables a day, according to an American Journal of Preventive Medicine study. One simple fix is to add fruits and vegetables to foods you already eat. For example, try topping pizza with peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms.

2. Make half your grains whole.
Substitute whole grains for refined ones to get the daily 3-ounce serving advised by U.S. dietary guidelines. One slice of bread equals about a 1-ounce serving. Try whole grain rolls, bagels, or pitas instead of white bread.

3. Cut back on the culprits.
Saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and salt can derail your diet. Look for low fat, reduced sodium, and sugar free versions of your favorite foods. Here are a few more tips to help:

• If you eat beef, get a lean cut and eat less of it. Each day, you only need about 5 t0 6 ounces of food from protein sources.
• Keep the chicken but lose the fat by trimming the skin and choosing broiled or grilled.
• Switch to low or nonfat frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Eating healthier, coupled with a regular exercise program, can help to improve your overall health. It can also help to reduce and or maintain your weight and cholesterol levels.

Copyright © Neil Harper
http://theluckyberry.com

How Can Physiotherapy Help Women's Health?


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The subject of women's health encompasses a range of issues that can be treated by physiotherapy. From pregnancy back pain to incontinence problems faced by older women, physiotherapy is there to help.


Bladder incontinence is a problem for 13 million Americans on any given day. Although some men have this problem, it is present in much greater numbers in the area of women's health.


There are several different kinds of incontinence. Stress incontinence happens when the person coughs or sneezes and urge incontinence means the person has sudden urges to use the restroom, for example. Organ prolapse, such as a tilted uterus, can lead to incontinence, as well as sexual dysfunction. This is another area of women's health physiotherapy can help.


Physiotherapists who work in the field of women's health can correct nearly 70% of incontinence problems. The major exercise used is the Kegel. It is a very specialized exercise, and at least half the people who try to do it on their own fail miserably. It takes biofeedback for many to get it right.


Many of the problems of women's health can be traced to the pelvic floor. The Kegel is the exercise that addresses this part of the anatomy. However, other therapies are used as well. Electrical stimulation is only one of the methods used. Soft tissue manipulation is another treatment that has been tried.


Pelvic pain affects many women's health. It may come from a variety of sources. It can be due to vulvodynia or abdominal surgeries, for example. One can have pelvic pain after falling, especially if one lands on the tailbone. These conditions often curtail sexual activities and lead to an overall deterioration in women's psychological health. Physiotherapy offers many treatments to help these problems.


No discussion of how physiotherapy helps with women's health would be complete without a word about pregnancy. Women who are pregnant know that their bodies go through various changes that can be painful. Low back pain is only one of them.


Physiotherapists can help with this. Gentle exercises can be taught to relieve tension in the back. One is to lie on the floor with the knees up and press the small of the back to the floor. This gives a great feeling of relief. Other exercises strengthen the woman's back, but few people besides physiotherapists know how far to go with exercising when pregnant. Women's health is important at this time, and so is the baby's.


Physiotherapists can also give instructions on what amount of exercise is best for pregnant women. After delivery, physiotherapy is a boon to women's health. It can help get women back into shape and instruct them in taking care of their new child while preventing back problems. Another area of postpartum women's health is the treatment of women who have had cesarean sections.


Physiotherapy can help women's health because there are so many conditions that women suffer. Many of these conditions will respond to physiotherapy. It is only natural that women would turn to a tried and true method for relief.

Copyright © Neil Harper
http://theluckyberry.com/

Physiotherapy After Cardiac Surgery


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One may feel fatigued and sore after cardiac surgery; it is only natural. On the other hand, it seems altogether strange to think of embarking on a course of physiotherapy afterwards instead of just resting. Yet, that is just what is recommended.


Types of cardiac surgery include bypass surgeries, angioplasty, stents, heart valve replacements, and even heart transplants. Patients having all of these surgeries can benefit from physiotherapy. Patients who have other cardiac problems can use the help too; they include victims of heart attacks, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, chest pain, and cardiomyopathy.


Physiotherapy will usually begin within a couple of weeks of cardiac surgery, if not sooner. The first step is for nurses or doctors to administer a stress test to determine how much exercise one can handle. This involves walking on a treadmill or riding on a stationary bike while having one's vital signs monitored.


When the data is gathered and analyzed, a program of physical therapy will be put into place. For safety's sake, it is often the routine to bring cardiac surgery patients into the hospital or an outpatient clinic for their exercise at first.


Under the watchful eyes of nurses and physiotherapy personnel, cardiac surgery patients will be looked after as they perform their exercises. This way the professionals will be alerted if the cardiac surgery patient is having troublesome symptoms. The exercises done are cardiovascular exercises like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike.


After the initial period of the monitored physiotherapy has passed, cardiac surgery patients will be sent to do their exercising at home. Before they go, though, they will have been taught warm-up and stretching exercises, and when to stop. Generally, they should exercise three to five times a week unless they are having problems.


Swimming is another form of exercise that is especially good for cardiac surgery patients. It is a cardiovascular exercise that is not hard on the joints, so it will often be kept up longer. The only thing to remember is that all wounds must be completely healed first.


Physiotherapy for cardiac surgery patients is often not carried out by physiotherapy staff. Nurses in hospitals and clinics who are trained to deal with these areas of rehabilitation for cardiac surgery will do the work. However, physiotherapists sometimes help, and the principles are the same.


The physiotherapist will instruct the patient about what activities are acceptable in the weeks and months after surgery. During the first six weeks, there will only be a few activities allowed, such as light housekeeping or going to movies, for example. From then until the third month, more activities will be added. You may be able to return to work, at least part-time, you may be able to drive. After this time, your physiotherapist will work with you to ease you back into all your old activities.


If a patient has cardiac surgery and then does nothing to regain strength, that patient will soon weaken. Physiotherapy offers a means to stay in shape, or get into shape. It lends more purpose to the cardiac surgery by making the patient much healthier than before the surgery ever took place.

Copyright © Neil Harper
http://theluckyberry.com/

What Is Physiotherapy?


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If you have a musculo-skeletal problem or injury, you might be given a referral to a physiotherapy clinic. If you have gone to one before, you know what to expect. If you are new to this service, you might ask, what is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy is also known as physical therapy. That answers the question of what is physiotherapy for many people. However, if you have not had any dealings with this form of treatment, you need to know more.

A type of health care, physiotherapy concerns itself with providing physical healing methods for many different kinds of injuries and illnesses. Some of these techniques are done in a hands-on manner, by using massage or manipulation of the musculo-skeletal system. Knowing about physiotherapy is crucial to getting this kind of help.

Education is a part of what physiotherapy is. A physiotherapist will teach a patient how to care for their injuries. They will teach exercises to do at home so that therapy can continue beyond the walls of the clinic or hospital. They will teach ways to overcome difficulties that cannot be cured.

Another part of what is physiotherapy is rehabilitation. Patients have injuries from sports, car accidents, or assault. These injuries can be treated through physiotherapy. Given the right treatments and an injury that will respond to treatment, much progress can be made. Full functioning may be regained. It may even be possible for them to go back to work rather than being laid up at home.

An answer to what is physiotherapy is what kinds of treatments physiotherapists use. Heat, ice, and ultrasound are used to relieve pain and stiffness. Massage, chiropractic, and other hands-on methods are important. All these methods tend to promote better health, both physical and psychological.

Equipment for helping patients regain their strength and mobility are a part of what is physiotherapy. This equipment may allow a person who is partially paralyzed to get the most exercise possible. This is crucial in maintaining the integrity of their spines and muscles.

What is physiotherapy? It is a carefully planned and executed treatment strategy. It is based upon assessments of the conditions that patients suffer. If all goes well, the patient will return to their original condition. If this is not possible, the goal for the patient is to reach a point that provides the best movement and lack of pain that is possible.

People who are referred to a clinic may ask, what is physiotherapy? However, they will be given quick answers to this question. After an initial evaluation, they will be scheduled for treatments like ultrasound or acupuncture. They will be assigned exercises to do at home. A good physiotherapist will begin treatment right away.

People, who ask what is physiotherapy, often do not consider the preventative side of the field. It is a part of the work of practitioners of physiotherapy to encourage exercises and postures that will help patients avoid physical injuries and conditions requiring their services. An excellent physiotherapist will have fewer return patients, but the flow of people needing physiotherapy continues.

Copyright © Neil Harper
http://theluckyberry.com

Organic Skin Care


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If it can be done naturally, why go for artificial means - this is the basic premise on which organic skin care works. Organic skin care is the most natural way of skin care. In fact, organic skin care was probably the first one to be used by man when it first woke-up to the needs of his skin. Organic skin care is not only friendlier to skin, but also inexpensive. If exercised in the right way, organic skin care can prevent the occurrence of a lot of skin disorders and can help keep your skin healthy and young-looking for a much longer time.

Organic fruits and vegetables are the most popular things on organic skin care routines e.g. cucumber is very common in organic skin care routines. Turmeric, apple, papaya, and ginger are others that find a wide use in organic skin care routines. These organic materials have a very refreshing and vitalizing effect on your skin. Almost every skin care book or guide has section on organic skin care (including the actions of various fruits and vegetables on skin). So choose the ones that are more suitable for your skin type and start experimenting with them until you finally select the ones that are most suitable for inclusion in your organic skin care routine. It’s important that you use fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Don’t try to utilise the rotten ones for your skin, their only place is the garbage bin.

Milk is known to posses good cleansing properties; in fact, the name of some skin care products contains the word milk in them. A combination of milk with ground oatmeal acts as a wonderful cleanser.

Ground oatmeal is especially good for oily skins and is a popular ingredient in an organic skin care regimen. It is used in various combinations with egg, honey, milk and fruits, for preparation of organic facial packs.

Wheat germ is another ingredient in organic skin care procedures. It is rich in vitamin E and is known for its exfoliation as well as moisturising properties. Wheat germ, in various combinations with other organic materials, is used to prepare facial masks for normal and dry skin types. Wheat germ oil is another way in which wheat germ is used for organic skin care.

Yogurt and sour cream are other organic materials that are popular for their exfoliation and moisturising properties. Use of organic honey is also popular in organic skin care procedures. It helps in retention of moisture and helps impart a glowing look to skin. Rose water takes its place as a toner in organic skin care routines. Lavender water is popular too.

Organic skin care uses combinations of various organic materials that complement each other and enhance each other’s effectiveness. Moreover, these combinations are also helpful in over-riding the harmful effects (if any) of various organic materials that form them.

Organic skin care is really an art that, once perfected, it can give wonderful results in a very cost effective manner.

Copyright © Neil Harper
http://theluckyberry.com

Herbal Skin Care


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Skin care is not a topic of recent times; it has been in practice since ancient times, when herbal skin care was probably the only way to take care of skin. However, skin care has transformed in a big way. Herbal skin care routines have been replaced by synthetic/chemical-based skin care routines. The herbal skin care recipes which once used to be common place are not so popular today (and even unknown to a large population). This transformation from herbal skin care to synthetic, can probably be attributed to two things – our laziness (or just the fast pace of lives) and the commercialisation of skin care. Even herbal skin care products have been commercialised. These commercial herbal skin care products have to be mixed with preservatives in order to increase their shelf-life, hence making them less effective than the fresh ones made at home. However, it seems that things are changing fast and more people are now opting for natural and herbal skin care routines. But still, none want to make them at home and hence the commercial market of herbal skin care products is on the rise.

So what are these herbs or herbal skin care mechanisms?

Aloe vera, which is an extract from Aloe plant, is one of the best examples of herbal skin care product. Freshly extracted aloe vera is a natural hydrant that helps in soothing skin. It also helps in healing cuts and treating sun burns.

A number of herbs are known to possess cleansing properties. Dandelion, chamomile, lime flowers and rosemary herbs, are a few examples of such cleansers. Their herbal skin care properties get invoked when they are combined with other herbs like tea.

Antiseptics are another important part of Herbal skin care. Lavender, marigold, thyme and fennel are good examples of herbs that are known to possess antiseptic properties. Lavender water and rose water also form good toners.

Tea plays an important part in herbal skin care. Tea extracts are used for treatment of skin that has been damaged by UV radiation.

Oils prepared from herbal extracts present another means of herbal skin care. Tea tree oil, Lavender oil, borage oil and primrose oil are some popular oils used in herbal skin care. Some fruit oils (e.g. extracts from fruits like banana, apple and melon) find use in shower gels (as a hydrating mix)

Homeopathic treatments and aromatherapies also come under the umbrella of herbal skin care remedies.

Herbal skin care is good not only for the routine nourishing of skin but also for treatment of skin disorders like eczema and psorasis. Most herbal skin care products don’t have any side effects (the most important reason for preferring them over synthetic products) Moreover, herbal skin care products can be easily made at home, hence making them even more attractive. So, herbal skin care is the way to go. However, this does not mean that you totally discard the synthetic products. Some people go to the extent of debating with their dermatologist, if he/she suggests a synthetic product. You should accept the fact that some skin orders might need usage of clinically proven non-herbal skin care products.

Copyright © Neil Harper
http://theluckyberry.com