How Is Depression Treated?
September 30, 2007
How Is Depression Treated?
by: Gray Rollins
More than eleven million people in the United States suffer from depression each year. This medical condition that affects the mind can have lasting effects such as a feeling of hopelessness, lack of ambition and an inability to focus. Depression can affect all age groups and genders, but is more prevalent in women. Consulting a mental help professional such as a psychiatrist is beneficial to obtain proper diagnosis and treatment. This condition can adversely affect school, home life and employment.
Most treatments will involve a combination of drug therapy and natural remedies for a fully balanced physical and emotional state. Medications will likely involve some form of antidepressant drug. The most commonly used types are: tricyclic, Monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOI’s, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI’s. SSRI’s have become the most popular form for treating depression because of the lower risk of side effects. These drugs include names such as Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft.
Adopting A Low Carb Diet
September 29, 2007
Adopting A Low Carb Diet
by: Dana Goldberg
Diets have appeared in many different forms, especially fad diets. Among the problems with these fad diets is that as well as often leaving you feeling very hungry they can also be unhealthy and only work for a short space of time. Research has indicated that the most effective diets are those that can be adhered to over long periods of time. In the case of fad diets, weight tends to be very erratic and while you may lose weight initially it is not unusual to put that weight back on and eventually increase your weight.
One of the huge benefits of a low carb diet is that you do not need to feel hungry. This may seem like it avoids the point of a diet, but it doesn’t. The aim of dieting is not to eat less but to lose weight or eat more healthily. The most famous of all low carb diets is the Atkins diet and this remains popular because it allows you to eat good-sized meals and is proven to help you lose weight.
Lawsuits on Foods and Diets
September 28, 2007
The dangers of processed foods and diets
Why is that the business of food processing is not strictly regulated by law so as to prevent health problems generated by an inadequate diet? Unhealthy products encourage an unhealthy diet.They appeal to the consumer by their availability and invasive advertising. If food producers are controlled by health officials, then regulations must be too lax in as far as marketed foods are concerned.
It is well-known that hydrogenated oils and partially hydrogenated oils, for instance, are extremely unhealthy. Vast volumes of research papers, studies and informative material have been published. Yet a proportion of the population still falls into the trap of believing that margarine is a “healthier alternative to butter, full of vitamins”. In fact, the trans-fatty acids it contains surpass the “healthy benefits” it offers. In this particular case, all foods containing hydrogentated oils should have a health hazard warning. Indeed, the law should prevent production of these foods. The health warning should resemble those on the cigarette packs, stating “This product contains trans-fatty acids that increase the risk of heart disease”. In this way, people would be constantly reminded of the negative effects of such products on health.
What Happens During Pacemaker Surgery?
September 27, 2007
What Happens During Pacemaker Surgery?
by: Gray Rollins
Individuals who require an internal artificial pacemaker to regulate their heartbeat will need to undergo pacemaker surgery to have the device implanted in the body. The procedure is performed under local anesthetic, though patients are generally hospitalized overnight for careful monitoring. Patients are given a mild sedative to keep them calm and relaxed but are otherwise awake and alert throughout the procedure.
To insert the pacemaker, the surgeon makes a two to three inch incision just below the patient’s collarbone. An electrode lead is inserted into a nearby vein and slowly advanced towards the heart. A fluoroscope is used to guide the doctor as he advances the lead, providing him with a detailed image of the interior of the vein. Once the lead enters into the heart, it is attached to the tissue so that the positioning of the lead may be tested. To test positioning, the surgeon sends small electrical signals down the lead and evaluates the heart’s response to the impulses. A suitable position is one that allows the full strength of the signal to reach the heart, thereby signaling the heart to contract and beat. It may be necessary to reseat the lead within the vein several times before an ideal position is achieved.
How Is Leukemia Treated?
September 27, 2007
How Is Leukemia Treated?
by: Gray Rollins
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. There are two types of leukemia, chronic and acute, which are treated differently and have different symptoms. Acute leukemia rapidly progresses and needs immediate, aggressive treatment. Chronic leukemia can take months or years to show symptoms and may not need immediate treatment but will require ongoing monitoring.
Chemotherapy utilizes chemicals to treat the cancer. It causes many side effects such as hair loss, nausea and decline of the immune system. The complete course of therapy can be from two to five years including maintenance. This is the most common form of treatment for leukemia with the desired result being total remission. Even without symptoms, ongoing monitoring must occur to guard against relapse.
Radiation therapy is another form of treatment. It is painless and in low doses causes very few side effects. Where the radiation is concentrated and the exposure levels will determine the side effects, if any, and the severity of them. Damage to the skin, swelling and infertility are among the possible side effects.
Oxygenated Water Supplements
September 26, 2007
Oxygenated Water Supplements
by: Chester Ku-Lea
Oxygen and water are essential elements for the proper functioning of the body. Water usually contains anywhere between 1 to 10 ppm (parts per million) of dissolved oxygen. Ponds usually contain the lowest amount. Streams and rivers usually have the highest amount. Tap water in most large cities is usually around 5-7 ppm of dissolved oxygen. Oxygenated water contains approximately 200,000 ppm.
The air you breathe is 15% to 20% oxygen. In some major cities, the oxygen content can be as low as 9%. An inadequate supply of oxygen is called “hypoxia” and may cause symptoms such as:
• lack of energy
• shortness of breath
• reduced mental clarity
• suppressed immune system
• joint and muscle aches and pains
Failure to breathe with the whole lung (shallow breathing) can reduce the volume of air and oxygen we take in.
Pollution and lack of vegetation can reduce the oxygen content of the air we breathe. Emotional stress and physical trauma can also deplete your body of oxygen.
About The Author
Chester Ku-Lea is a health nutrition consultant and is the owner of
Which Vitamins The Best?
September 25, 2007
Which Vitamins The Best?
by: Jerrick Foo
Pharmacies throughout the world have been going through growing pains over the last several decades. When our grandparents went to the pharmacy, they chose from only a handful of different vitamins to supplement their diet. For children, there were a few chewable vitamins to pick from and for adults, even fewer choices existed. Most of these multivitamins were taken on the advice of their doctor who told them they “would feel better” if they took them. Today, your pharmacy likely has an entire aisle devoted to vitamins. The sheer number of vitamin options makes for confusion in even the most savvy customers.
To choose a vitamin or vitamins that are best for you, it helps to be clear on the reasons why you want to take them. Think about your situation and explore these possibilities:
• Do you have a specific vitamin deficiency that your doctor wants you to correct?
• Do you have a particular illness and your doctor has recommended a vitamin supplement to treat that illness?
• Are you planning to take vitamins in the hopes of improving your general wellbeing?
Twins Pregnancy?A Father?s Point of View
September 24, 2007
So you’re expecting twins. Congratulations!
Are you still in shock? I sure was. The thought of bringing two babies into the world at one time scared the heck out of me, especially since I was already the father of two boys (ages five and three). I remembered how much work the first year was with both of them, with all of the diapers, the bottles, the sleepless nights, etc? I wondered how in the world we were going to do it with two babies? I immediately started stressing out about all of things that we were going to go through once the babies were born. Little did I know at the time that the most stressful part of having twins was already upon us?the pregnancy.
I did not know at the time that a twin pregnancy is not at all like a single pregnancy. With our first two pregnancies, it was relatively low impact for me (I know, all of the women reading this are rolling their eyes, especially my wife). But to my wife’s credit, it’s true. I figured I had about eight months to play as much golf as I could before the birth of the twins, and that’s when I would really have to become involved. After all, my work was already done for the time being, right? Boy, was I wrong!
Enzymes to Help With Digestion
September 23, 2007
Enzymes to Help With Digestion
by: Chester Ku-Lea
Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 116 degrees, they start to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can break down are enzymes. Enzymes help us digest our food. Enzymes are proteins though, and they have a very specific 3-dimensional structure in space. Once they are heated much above 118 degrees, this structure can change.
Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.
Water, The Magical Drink
September 22, 2007
Glowing skin comes free of charge to you. Our simple water does it effectively. The effect of water is immediate, say overnight. Your skin not only glows but you also feel a lot better after having a glass of water. Your wrinkles will seem less pronounced and your body will work most effectively as the waste and toxins are washed away. This is what our free of cost renewable source of energy does to us.
Tip: Drink a glass or two of water if you are watching your diet. Dehydration triggers false feelings of hunger so its easy to confuse thirst with hunger.
Natural spring water, whether its fizzy or still, is full of natural minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium, which are so important for our growth and healthy skin, along with iodine copper and iron .Fizzy water is believed to be absorbed much quicker in body and is thought by some beauticians to aggravate cellulite.
Tip: People who drink a lot of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and aerated drinks tend to have tired-looking skin and have greasy skin and spots.This is because these drinks contain caffeine which prevents your body from making efficient use of minerals and vitamins.Try not to drink more than 3 cups of tea or coffee a day.
