Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Fitness’

Did You Know: The Seven Great Medical Myths

December 24th, 2007

We always here hear, even from medical professionals, that, reading in dim light damage your eyes; you need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and shaving your legs make the hair grow back faster. A group of researchers delved on scientific bases to prove these common beliefs but it turned out there were none.

Here are the seven common “medical myths”:

- Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight

The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it may make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.

- Shaving makes hair grow back faster or coarser

It has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair regrowth, studies say. But stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness.
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The Eight-step Plan to Prevent Cancer

November 2nd, 2007

The American Institute for Cancer Research has released these eight guidelines for avoiding cancer. The last six are eating related:

  • Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight
  • Be physically active as part of everyday life
  • Limit consumption of “energy-dense foods,” foods that are high in calories, fat and sugar. Avoid sugary drinks.
  • Eat mostly foods of plant origin, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans
  • Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat
  • Limit alcoholic drinks to one per day for women, two per day for men
  • Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy grains or legumes
  • Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone, without dietary supplement.

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Four ways to lower your blood cholesterol

June 27th, 2007

It has been proven that exercise is the best way to lower your blood cholesterol. However, not many of people have ample time to hit the gym. The Harvard HealthBeat Newsletter provided tips on how to lower your blood cholesterol through dietary techniques.

  • Cut down on saturated fat in cooking. You can use of liquid cooking oils rather than butter or margarine. Use nonstick pans. Instead of frying, bake, broil, roast, steam, or stew. Discard drippings.
  • Avoid trans fats. Because trans fats increase your LDL and decrease your HDL, the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board says there’s no safe level of trans fat intake, and the National Cholesterol Education Program urges people to eat as little as possible. Avoid or eat only very small quantities of foods that list shortening, partially hydrogenated oil, or hydrogenated oil among their first ingredients.
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Food supplements that lower blood pressure

June 27th, 2007

Lifestyle and diet modifications are vital to management of hypertension, defined as a consistent elevation in blood pressure. Researchers, in an effort to stop and prevent this pandemic, which kills millions of people worldwide, continuously find diets or foods that may lower blood pressure.

Some foods and supplements have been suggested to have beneficial effects on high blood pressure. These include fish oils, olive oils, Vitamin C, and potassium.

Fish Oils: Several studies have shown that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat in the diet can help lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals. Fish oils containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), for example, have been found quite effective in lowering both blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
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The new ‘plastic’ blood

June 24th, 2007

Scientists continue to find ways to deliver better health care to patients; one new innovation is the availability of artificial blood, so called because it is made up of plastic molecules that have an iron atom at their core, like hemoglobin, that can carry oxygen through the body. This new discovery could help to substitute for blood, which is not always readily available in cases of emergencies, especially pointed out was its huge advantage in war zones.

Besides its storage advantage; it is light to carry, does not need to be kept cool, it can be sterilized, and can be kept for longer, the new artificial blood has its advantages over human blood as pointed out in this WikiPedia article.
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Eat in a Restaurant and Stay Healthy!

June 18th, 2007
healthy diet plan

D. W. Brooks, MD wrote 25 easy & healthy tips for eating at restaurants. We are all aware that fast food and restaurant meals are rich in calories, in fact it was said that an average restaurant meal has over 1,000 calories. It’s enough to blow your diet.

Good news! You can actually continue to eat at your favorite fast food chains and restaurants without gaining any weight. Just follow these simple ways to prevent weight gain:us

1. If you know the menu from the restaurant you’re going to, plan what you’re going to have ahead of time. This will help save you from making a last minute decision that could result in high-calorie choices.

2. Drink at least one full-glass of water or iced tea before eating your meal. This helps your digestive process, and, because you’ll feel full sooner, you will eat less.
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