A Dazzling Health Gem – Infrared Sauna Health

Posted on March 8, 2009
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Many people know that using an infrared sauna helps your health. But many don’t know that the benefits of this kind of sauna actually surpass the benefits of using a older sauna.

Improved blood circulation and oxygenation are perhaps the most often cited benefits of sauna therapy. In a sauna, the infrared energy penetrates deep into the muscle tissue. This penetration stimulates the cells and improves circulation. With increased circulation, the blood is better able to deliver oxygen throughout the body. Enhanced oxygenation can shorten the time to heal sprains and strains as well as alleviate some of the pain associated with those conditions.

The skin, our largest organ, also benefits from infrared sauna use. Up to 30% of the unwanted chemicals and compounds in our bodies are eliminated through the skin. Sweat increases this detoxification, so sweating has long been considered a good way to decrease the waste in our bodies. Infrared saunas enhance this process by heating the skin directly, which makes the user begin sweating more quickly than with a traditional sauna.

Saunas are also known to play some role in maintaining a healthy weight or in losing weight. While it is not used as a primary weight-loss method, sweating does remove water from the body and expends calories, the same way exercise does.

Don’t forget that rest and relaxation are also crucial benefits. In our fast-paced lives, we often don’t take time to allow our bodies to have a chance to recover. Giving ourselves an opportunity to relax in the sauna can combat stress, which is known to cause a wide variety of health problems. Taking a break is good for the mind.

Cardiovascular health is also increased by using a infrared sauna. The heat of the infrared saunas stimulates vasodilatation, a widening of the peripheral blood vessels. The heart rate also increases, which provides cardiovascular benefits similar to those attained by moderate exercise.

With the wide variety of soaps, creams, and other things we use everyday, our bodies are not able to sweat the way they were designed to. Chemicals from these products accumulate on the skin, blocking some of our sweat. The increased circulation that comes from sauna use brings more of our bodies’ nutrients to the surface, making the skin healthier (and making it look healthier as well).

Although there is proof that infrared saunas, there is not much scientific research about the health benefits of “taking a sauna”. But lot’s of experts of natural, homeopathic, and alternative medicine regularly advise their patients to take advantage of sauna use. Research into infrared sauna health is certain to continue.

What Your Doctors Want To Say To Some Of Their Patients

Posted on February 15, 2009
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Reader’s Digest recently asked two dozen doctors to discuss what’s on their minds. The result: a plethora of complaints, opinions and observations about patients and medicine.

Here is a couple of their thoughts:

I am extremely exhausted of being your mother. Every time I see you, I have to say the obligatory, You need to lose some weight. But you swear you don’t eat anything or the weight just doesn’t come off, and the subject is dropped. Then you come in here complaining about your knees hurting, your back is killing you, your feet ache and you can’t breathe when you walk up half a flight of stairs. So I’m supposed to hold your hand and talk you into backing away from that box of Twinkies. Oh, do I get tired of repeating the stuff most patients just don’t listen to.
Cardiologist, Brooklyn, N.Y.

A lot of times it’s easier for a doctor to write a script for a medicine than to explain why the patient doesn’t need it.
Cardiologist, Bangor, Me.

Twenty years ago, when I started my practice, my ear, nose and throat surgeries financially supported my facial plastic surgery practice. Today, my cosmetic practice is the only thing that allows me to continue to do ear, nose and throat work, which barely cover my overhead.
Ear, nose, throat and facial plastic surgeon, Dallas/Fort Worth

Don’t do Friday afternoon procedures. The day after surgery is when most problems happen. If the next day is Saturday, you’re flying by yourself without a safety net, because the units are understaffed and E.R.’s are cumbersome because doctors’ offices are closed.
Heart surgeon, New York City

In several hospitals, the length of the white coat is relative to the length of training. Medical students wear the shortest coats.
Pediatrician, Baltimore

Often the biggest names, the department chairmen, are not the best clinicians, because they spend most of their time being administrators. They no longer primarily focus on taking care of patients.
Heart surgeon, New York City

Most Everyone thinks all doctors know one another. But when we refer you to specialists, we often have no clue as to who those people are. Most of the time, we only know that they accept your insurance plan.
Pediatrician, Hartsdale, N.Y.

Although we don’t cry in front of you, we sometimes do cry about you at home.
Pediatrician, Chicago

Effects of Pollution

Posted on December 15, 2008
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Pollution doesn’t only affect human health directly. It also has a tremendous impact on the natural environment and the organisms that inhabit it. This is especially true for endangered and threatened species that rely heavily upon specialized environments or lie high upon the food chain. Whether as a consequence of habitat destruction, direct poisoning that kills outright or the invasion of invasive species, pollution is directly or indirectly responsible for exterminating and creating endangered species.

By the onset of the 21st century, there were no parts of the Earth free from some type of chemical pollution. Furthermore, the threat posed by atmospheric pollution and climate change threatens to degrade and destroy habitats for creatures from polar bears to plankton.

Were that not enough, these threats tend to multiply. Amphibians are one example: pesticide poisoning of the water weakened their natural immunity to fungus that has already wiped out several species and critically endangered many others.

Pollution is found not only in the natural environment, but also in your own home and work, regardless of where you live or what you do for a living. But how does one gage their own personal exposure to these pollutants and toxins?

The only way to quantify your exposure to known toxins is to have a wide-spectrum blood test done. This has been done for people who suffer cases of acute exposure as well as by journalists investigating the pervasiveness of chemical exposure. However, these tests are very expensive – more than $10,000 in 2005 dollars as reported by National Geographic.

What such tests don’t tell you is how these chemical interact together in your body, since no one actually knows. You can, however, get a general idea of the sources of contamination by taking stock of all the places where you encounter pollution, including air, water, soil, food, toxins, fragrances, additives, and drugs.

How To Deal With Anxiety In Children?

Posted on December 4, 2008
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Cases of anxiety in children are on the rise in today’s modern world .People who tend to assume that children are carefree and living in the best times of their lives, have no worries, no reason to fret, nothing to be concerned about other than where to hang out after school have to think again.

Anxiety In Class Or College

Nowadays children have schedules. For instance,Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday are hockey and Tuesdays the Math tutor comes over. Thursday is a day where science group meets to work on the year long project the teacher assigned. Do not forget that there are hours of homework to be done, the older sibling that is out to get them to worry about, and the boyfriend to figure out how to keep. As children get older they have to think about getting into university and getting the right high school job that in the future will give them valuable job experience . Being a young isn’t what it used to be. Anxiety in children is no longer uncommon and parents don’t know how to help because they are often unfamiliar with it.

Parents can learn about the various ways to cope with anxiety disorder in children or teenagers . Anxiety in children is treatable and there are many options to consider and choose from. The first thing that comes to the mind is medication but there are many natural remedies for treating anxiety attacks in children that should be considered as well. Take the time to do some research and find out what your options are before settling into one kind of treatment.

Treating anxiety in children is as simple as following the suggestions of their family doctor. However, it has been pointed out that doctors are too quick to prescribe medication for conditions that can just as easily be treated with natural methods. It is not necessary to be living in a commune to try out a natural remedy – A wide variety of people are considering natural treatment for anxiety in children more acceptable option among a wide variety of people. These are sold at a drugstore or may be as simple as changing the type of food that your child consumes. Natural remedies for anxiety disorder in children may include a balance of diet and exercise or the learning of tools that can be used to moderate anxiety disorder in children. Once children have tools to moderate their feelings and behavior , they can learn when to apply it to a specific situation.

Several Causes Of Depression

Posted on November 30, 2008
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Medical professionals recognize the real mental problem of depression. It’s often a matter of years, or at least months, to control or cure it. Every year, millions of Americans feel the symptoms of depression. Only about a third of them will seek treatment, and that makes it worse.

Many Americans don’t want to be considered crazy, so because depression is considered a mental affliction they avoid diagnosis. They would rather deal with the problem on their own than risk being stereotyped should they seek assistance. Depression is more common- place than you might think and it will not go away on its own.

Causes of Depression
So, what causes depression? There are many factors to consider, so the answer isn’t simple. The list is quite long.

Lets examine some of the most notorious. Many medical professionals believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. This may be the case, but what causes that imbalance? Typically the causes stem from biological, genetic, physical, mental and environmental implications.

Doctors sometimes don’t find the root cause, which is true for many patients. Depression often follows diagnosis of other medical conditions, particularly those that result in imminent death or are chronic.

Another cause of depression can be the emotional pain felt after losing a loved one. In many cases the loss can be very traumatic. Depression often follows sexual or physical abuse, or emotional attacks. Substance abuse, either drug or alcohol, can also cause depression.

People’s mental states are fragile. If exposed to the wrong pressures, depression can result. Depression is often passed along in the DNA. People who have a strong background of depression in the family are at a high risk . There are even some prescribed medications that can bring on depression. It has been clinically proven that some high blood pressure medication can cause depression.

Depression can result from stress. Stress itself is a complex subject with many different causes. Even positive events such as a marriage, a new baby or winning an award can cause stress.

People tend to stress when they face the unknown, like a new job or new financial obligations. In addition, many are stressed from personal conflicts with their loved ones, associates in employment or friends. Just trying to make ends meet is stressful for some people. By determining the cause, medical professionals have a much better chance of administering a treatment. It’s important that those who suffer depression get medical help at once.

Pycnogenol and Pine Bark for Improved Health

Posted on November 7, 2008
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Pycnogenol is the name given to one of the chemical constituents of pine bark, but has also been trademarked by Horphag Research Ltd. This trademark refers only to pycnogenols extracted from the Maritime Pine, however, the extract from another pine bark, Pinus massonia Lamb, contains exactly the same compounds.

Pine Bark Extract has a high content of compounds known as OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins). OPCs has been declared a potent antioxidant, is non-toxic, non-mutagenic, non-carcinogenic, and free of side effects. OPCs has an antioxidant power 20 times stronger than Vitamin C and 50 times stronger than Vitamin E and has the ability to neutralize free radicals.

Cardiovascular Diseases

OPCs helps strengthen capillaries, arteries and veins, and has the ability to stabilize the walls of blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and generally support tissues containing collagen and elastin.

Atherosclerosis

It has been proved that the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol) plays an important role in atherosclerosis. OPC eliminates damages that free radicals do to the arteries, thus preventing or reversing atherosclerosis.

Venous Insufficiency (Varicose Veins)

Varicose veins appear when blood pools in the legs, causing pain, heaviness, swelling, fatigue, and unsightly visible veins. By strengthening capillary walls and reducing capillary osmosis, OPCs can relieve the pain and swelling of venous insufficiency. Similarly, OPCs is recommended as a treatment for haemorrhoids. There is also some evidence that OPCs can be useful in reducing swelling that often follows injuries or surgery. OPCs appears to speed the disappearance of such swelling by strengthening damaged blood and lymph vessels that are leaking fluid.

A double-blind placebo-controlled study of 92 subjects found that OPCs, taken at a dose of 100mg 3 times daily, significantly improved major symptoms, including heaviness, swelling, and leg discomfort. Over a period of 1 month, 75% of the participants treated with OPCs improved substantially.

Retinopathy/Vision Improvement

The capacity of OPCs in strengthening capillaries and reducing capillary osmosis is effective for patients suffering from stroke and retinopathy. OPCs has been proved to improve retinopathy caused by diabetes, atherosclerosis, inflammation and ageing. It has also been reported that OPCs can improve the visual acuity of those who suffer from eye fatigue because of excessive computer use.

A six-week controlled (but not blinded) study evaluated the ability of OPCs to improve night vision in normal subjects. In this trial of 100 healthy volunteers, those who received 200mg per day of OPCs showed improvements in night vision and glare recovery as compared to untreated subjects.

Aging/Alzheimer Disease

Because OPCs can easily pass the Blood-Brain Barrier, it can effectively inhibit the damage that free radicals do to the brain, so that Alzheimer Disease may be prevented and reversed.

Skin Care

Because of its antioxidant activity, OPCs is thought to protect the skin from excessive ultraviolet radiation and free radicals. Considerable evidence indicates that OPCs protects and strengthens the collagen and elastin of the skin.

Anti-Cancer, Anti-Inflammation and Anti-Allergic Activity

Since free radicals play a vital role in tumour formation, OPCs is also used for its anti-cancer activity. OPCs is also helpful for all kinds of arthritis. The anti-allergic activity of OPCs is thought to be the result of its anti-histamine content. Compared with other anti-allergic drugs, OPCs has the same efficacy and does not have the side effects such as drowsiness.

Pine Bark extract is so effective that it has been approved as an additive for foods and beverages include baked goods, breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, processed fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, soups, sweets, chewing gum, margarine, sauces, fats and oils, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Bowtrol Colon Cleanser – Healthy For The Whole Body

Posted on October 12, 2008
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Doctors agree that keeping your colon clean and healthy will prevent many of today’s serious health issues. An all natural colon cleansing formula called Bowtrol promotes colon health by providing relief and prevention for digestive problems including constipation, diarrhea, and colon cancer.

Bowtrol Colon Cleanse

The build up of unhealthy toxins in our colons are caused by the foods we eat that are filled with additives. These toxins linger in our body and can result many health problems such as obesity and digestive disorders. A colon cleanse is recommended for males once they reach 40 years old, but it is very important to maintain a clean colon long before that.

If you would like to decrease your chances of getting colon cancer or other intestinal illness wouldn’t it be a good idea to try Bowtrol colon cleanse? Smoother digestion helps to fight the feeling of constantly needing to go to the bathroom and Bowtrol colon cleanse promotes smoother digestion allowing us to carry on our normal routines.

Bowtrol is a safe and effective preventative product for Colon cancer, which is more prevalent than ever. Manage a healthier colon by researching on colon health and taking proper steps towards it.

Detox Your Kidneys

Posted on October 1, 2008
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How often you become sick depends on your individual immune system. And our immune system would depend on how well our organs are functioning. You can improve your immune system and detox your body with various herbs. herbs can help your immune system to become stronger and they have the liability to remove and eliminate toxins in your body.

Certain foods can help or hurt your body. In fact, some foods will cause you to gain weight while others can make you sick.

On the other hand, certain foods can give you energy, elevate your mood and help you lose weight. You can use foods that cleanse your body to help you stay on top of and control your health.

We are learning that we have to help our bodies stay healthy. We live in an industrial age of chemical pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and toxins that leak into our food from plastics and other packaging.

Removing the toxins in our kidneys is required in order for our kidneys to function normally. However, if this is not happening as often and frequently as it should it indicates that a kidney detox is essential. A healing diet of fresh raw vegetables, fruits, plenty of water and other fluids and also bowel cleansing is good for kidney detox. If this does not help or it develops into a serious problem then a kidney dialysis becomes essential.

Everything You Want to Know About Sauna History

Posted on September 25, 2008
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Sauna is an ancient practice and quite popular in the modern times as well. Let’s explore the sauna history and find out various related aspects.

A sauna is a small room or an abode specifically designed to let sauna bathers experience wet or dry heat sessions. A typical sauna session could be a social situation in which the bathers get undressed and sit or lie down in temperatures greater than 80 ?C. A sauna bath not only provides relaxation to the bathers but also make them sweat profusely. In fact its popularity can be attributed to numerous health benefits such as stress reduction, detoxification of the body, improved immunity system and lots more to its bathers.

History The word sauna is an ancient Finnish word which means the traditional Finnish bath. The oldest known saunas were basically lowest points dug in a slope in the ground and mainly used as dwellings during winters. At that time the sauna comprised a fireside where stones were heated up to a very high temperature. Thereafter water was thrown on to the hot stones that lead to the production of steam and heat. The increased heat would raise the temperature so high that people used to take off their clothes.

With time the sauna developed and it featured a metal woodstove along with a chimney. Air temperatures were set at 70 to 80 degrees Celsius but at times exceeded up to 90 degrees Celsius in a traditional Finnish sauna. Also, steam vapor was produced by spraying water onto the heated rocks.

The steam vapor and high heat made bathers to perspire a lot. The Finns also used a vihta which is a bundle of birch branches with small and fresh leaves. They used to bind the branches together and gently swat themselves and other bathers with it. This process is still being practiced by many sauna bathers as vihta stimulates the pores and cells, that is, it improves blood circulation. Also, the pleasing birch odour helps in relaxation.

In Finland sauna baths are done on a regular basis as Finns considered saunas to be a natural and the best way to cleanse the mind and revitalize and refresh the spirit. The sauna was and it is still an important part of their daily life. Families there used to bathe together in the home sauna. It will be interesting for you to know that Finnish women used to give birth in the sauna.

When the Finns migrated to the different parts of the globe they disseminated the know how of the sauna designs and customs. They introduced health benefits of the sauna to the other cultures. This helped sauna to evolve further and then electric sauna stoves and far infrared saunas came in which became quite popular. Since then different cultures in every corner of the world have been recognizing, adopting and improvising the sauna.

Hopefully, now you have sufficient information about the sauna history and how it worked.

7 Simple Healthy Habits

Posted on September 22, 2008
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There are things in life that are not easy to do, but getting healthy isn’t one of them! Here are 7 easy healthy habits that you can adopt today!

1. Never skip your breakfast. Yup! mom was right to yell at you for skipping! Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Still, many of us skip it thinking that it will help us lose pounds. When you skip breakfast your blood sugar levels, as well as other nutrient levels drop, depriving you of the required nutrition and energy for the rest of the day. Breakfast eaters have a more positive attitude toward school and work, and they perform better.

2. Mmmm… Fruits and Veggies! Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits are cool and juicy, so they get you the water you need to stay hydrated and they also provide the vitamins and nutrients that fat-free snack foods don’t. They’re good and they taste sweet – and some contain antioxidants that help prevent aging. Healthy habits include eating a lot of fruits.

3. Eat meals regularly. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you’re very hungry, it’s also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don’t eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal. If it’s possible, try to work 5 small meals into your day.

4. Spin smoking. Now, studies show that when you quit smoking, you can restore your heart function back to that of a non-smoker within a few years. You’ll breathe easier, cut down your chances for heart disease, cancer, and more. But you knew that, right? Also, if you’re not a smoker, stay away from those who do. Secondhand smoke is a major killer – don’t be afraid to tell people gently that you’d prefer it if they didn’t smoke around you.

5. Exercise Daily! You don’t have to be a professional athlete – just make time for 15-20 minutes of exercise daily. Take a walk, dance crazily to music, go for a jog, play volleyball on the beach, whatever it takes to get your heart pumping for a little while.

6. Get your sleep. Getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night can extend your life. Your body has time to recharge every night so it’s fresh and ready to face the onslaught of the next day.

7. Invest in some “Me” time. Take some time out of your “busy” schedule. First, eliminate all forms of intrusion. Then close your eyes, breathe deeply and let your thoughts float downstream like a log carried by the river. You can practice meditation or relax in a hot bath with aromatherapy. When a thought comes up, just watch it float away.

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