What is stress?

Stress is simply a fact of nature — forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment. Hence, all living creatures are in a constant interchange with their surroundings (the ecosystem), both physically and behaviorally. This interplay of forces, or energy, is of course present in the relationships between all matter in the universe, whether it is living (animate) or not living (inanimate). However, there are critical differences in how different living creatures relate to their environment. These differences have far-reaching consequences for survival. Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience.

In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you’re confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body’s ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get.

Stress has driven evolutionary change (the development and natural selection of species over time). Thus, the species that adapted best to the causes of stress (stressors) have survived and evolved into the plant and animal kingdoms we now observe. Man is the most adaptive creature on the planet because of the evolution of the human brain, especially the part called the neo-cortex. This adaptability is largely due to the changes and stressors that we have faced and mastered. Therefore, we, unlike other animals, can live in any climate or ecosystem, at various altitudes, and avoid the danger of predators. Moreover, most recently, we have learned to live in the air, under the sea, and even in space, where no living creatures that we know of have ever survived.

Stress Management

How to Reduce, prevent, and Cope with Stress

It may seem that there’s nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills aren’t going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management.

Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.

Identify the sources of stress in your life

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.

To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

* Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather?
* Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”).
* Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?

Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control.

Start a stress journal

A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down:

* What caused your stress (make a guess if you’re unsure).
* How you felt, both physically and emotionally.
* How you acted in response.
* What you did to make yourself feel better.

Look at how you currently cope with stress

Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem.

Unhealthy ways of coping with stress

These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run:

* Smoking
* Drinking too much
* Overeating or undereating
* Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer
* Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities
* Using pills or drugs to relax
* Sleeping too much
* Procrastinating
* Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems
* Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence)

Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress

Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

* Learn how to say “no” – Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.
* Avoid people who stress you out – If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.
* Take control of your environment – If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.
* Avoid hot-button topics – If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.
* Pare down your to-do list – Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation

If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

* Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same.
* Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, you’ll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground.
* Be more assertive. Don’t take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If you’ve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk.
* Manage your time better. Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you don’t overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress you’re under.

Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor

If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

* Reframe problems. Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time.
* Look at the big picture. Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere.
* Adjust your standards. Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with “good enough.”
* Focus on the positive. When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective.

Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t change

Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.

* Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems.
* Look for the upside. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes.
* Share your feelings. Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very cathartic, even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
* Learn to forgive. Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation

Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors when they inevitably come.
Healthy ways to relax and recharge

* Go for a walk.
* Spend time in nature.
* Call a good friend.
* Sweat out tension with a good workout.
* Write in your journal.
* Take a long bath.
* Light scented candles
* Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea.
* Play with a pet.
* Work in your garden.
* Get a massage.
* Curl up with a good book.
* Listen to music.
* Watch a comedy

Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury.

* Set aside relaxation time. Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.
* Connect with others. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress.
* Do something you enjoy every day. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
* Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.

Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle

You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.

* Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.
* Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.
* Reduce caffeine and sugar. The temporary “highs” caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.
* Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Don’t avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind.
* Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

What is Gout?

Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis. Gout attack can strike without warning with intense pain usually in the joint of the big toe. But, it may also include the ankles, heels, instep, knees, elbows, hips, thumbs, or fingers.

Gout develops when too much uric acid builds up in your body. Sharp needle-like urate crystals form around your joints beginning in your big toe. Gout does not happen overnight. It is the result of a build-up process that may take months or years. When it reaches a critical level, you get a painful gout attack.

History of Gout

The first written description of gout dates from 2,600 BC, when Egyptians noted gouty arthritis of the big toe. Around 400 BC, the Greekphysician Hippocrates also commented on gout. Writing ca. 30 AD, Aulus Cornelius Celsus appeared to recognize many of the features of gout, including its link with a urinary solute, late onset in women, linkage with alcohol, and perhaps even prevention by dairy products:

“Again thick urine, the sediment from which is white, indicates that pain and disease are to be apprehended in the region of joints or viscera. … Joint troubles in the hands and feet are very frequent and persistent, such as occur in cases of podagra and cheiragra. These seldom attack eunuchs or boys before coition with a woman, or women except those in whom the menses have become suppressed. Upon the commencement of pain blood should be let; for when this is carried out at once in the first stages it ensures health, often for a year, sometimes for always. Some also, when they have washed themselves out by drinking asses’ milk, evade this disease in perpetuity; some have obtained lifelong security by refraining from wine, mead and venery for a whole year; indeed this course should be adopted especially after the primary attack, even although it has subsided.^“

Colchicum was described for treatment of rheumatism and swelling in the Ebers Papyrus, ca. 1500 B.C. The use of Colchicum corm for gout probably traces back to ca. 550 A.D., as the “hermodactyl” recommended by Alexander of Tralles. Colchicum corm was used by Ibn Sina and other Islamic physicians, was recommended by Ambroise PAre in the sixteenth century, and appeared in the London. In 1833 P.L. Geiger purified an active ingredient, which he named Colchicine. Colchicum was brought to America by Benjamin Franklin; Franklin suffered from gout himself and had written humorous doggerel about the disease during his stint as Envoy to France. As a drug predating the FDA, colchicine was sold as a generic in the United States for many years. In 2009 the FDA approved colchicine for gout flares, awarding Colcrys a three year term of market exclusivity, prohibiting generic sales, and increasing the price of the drug from $9 to $485 per bottle.

Around 200 AD, the Roman gladiatorial surgeon Galen described gout as a discharge of the four humors of the body in unbalanced amounts into the joints. The word “gout” was initially used by Randolphus of Bocking, around 1200 AD. It is derived from the Latin word “gutta”, meaning “a drop” (of liquid)^.

Historical treatments for gout include gin and numerous medications that have since been found to be not effective. Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) is a traditional remedy, thought to work by raising blood pH (lowering blood acidity). However, the added sodium may be inappropriate for some people.

What Causes Gout?

Gout is caused by too much uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia). Hyperuricemia is caused by a combination of several factors. You are more likely to get hyperuricemia and gout if you:

• Have family members with the disease
• Are a male over 30 years
• Are overweight
• Drink 2 or more alcoholic drinks (especially beer) a day
• Drink 2 or more sweetened soft drinks per day
• Eat excessive amounts of red meats, internal organs, yeast, poultry or seafood
• Smoke 2 or more cigarettes per day
• Regularly use some medicines such as diuretics, aspirin, cyclosporine, or levodopa.

Hyperuricemia is the underlying cause of gout. This can occur for a number of reasons including dietary, genetic, or underexcretion of urate^. About 10% of people with hyperuricemia develop gout.

Gout Treatments

The first thing a doctor gives you is a strong pain killer. This provides only short term relief of pain, and it does not really solve the problem. Various prescription drugs are available for treating gout. These are harsh synthetic chemicals that may have harmful side effects if taken for long periods.

Highly toxic Colchicine is sometimes prescribed for gout. Colchicine is natural poison that may cause vomiting, diarhea, abdominal cramps, kidney failure and in high concentration even death.

Because of the harmful side effects of drugs, many people are choosing an alternative natural cures.

Sign And Symptoms

Tophi of the knee.

Gout usually presents as recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis (a red, tender, hot, swollen joint). The joint that is most commonly affected is the first metatarsalphalangeal joint at the base of the big toe (approximately 75 percent of first attacks) and when this occurs it is known as podagra. The reason gout usually presents in the feet is in part due to the lower temperature^.

People with long-standing hyperuricemia can form tophi (uric acid crystal deposits) in tissues. These are usually hard, non-painful deposits. Extensive tophi that invade bone are associated with arthritis due to bone erosion.

Elevated levels of urine uric acid can lead to uric-acid crystals precipitating in the kidneys which may form kidney stones and lead to urate nephropathy^.

Lifestyle

About 12% of gout is attributed to dietary causes. This includes a strong association with the consumption of alcohol, sugar, and meat and seafood. The intake of dairy products, vegetables, and the total protein intake do not affect the occurrence of gout.

A sedentary lifestyle also increases the risk of developing the disease.

Medical Condition

Gout may present as a complication of other medical conditions.

• Metabolic Syndrome(the combination of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, truncal obesity, increased cardiovascular disease risk)
• Leukemia

Gout also can develop as a co-morbidity of other diseases, including polycythemia, intake of cytotoxics,obesity, diabetes, hypertension, renal disorders, and hemolytic anemia. Gout is an important complication in a minority of solid organ transplants^.

Gout may occur as a result of renal failure^.

Some studies have established a statistical connection between gout and lead poisoning, and a significant correlation between levels of lead in the body, urate excretion and gout. It is known that lead sugar was formerly used to sweeten wine. This condition is then known as saturnine gout, as saturnus is the alchemical term for metallic lead.

Uric Acid

Gout occurs when crystals of uric acid, in the form of monosodium urate, precipitate on the articular cartilage of joints, on tendons, and in the surrounding tissues. Uric acid is a normal component of  blood serum. Uric acid is more likely to form into crystals when there is hyperuricemia, although hyperuricemia is 10 times more common without clinical gout than with it. Gout can also occur when serum uric acid is normal, and when it is abnormally low (hypouricemia). Paradoxically, acute attacks of gout can occur together with a sudden decrease in serum uric acid, such as due to use of drugs (uricosurics, xanthine oxidase inhibitors), or total parental nutrition. However, the sudden decrease may be a consequence of abrupt formation of crystals (removing uric acid from the serum), rather than a cause.Regardless of the serum concentration of uric acid, precipitation of uric acid is markedly enhanced when the blood pH is low (acidosis). A similar pH-sensitive effect occurs in urine, contributing to uric acid nephrolithiasis (kidney stones).

Uric acid is a product of purine metabolism, and in humans is normally excreted in the urine. Purines are generated by the body via breakdown of cells in normal cellular turnover, and also are ingested as part of a normal diet. The kidneys are responsible for approximately two-thirds of uric acid excretion, with the liver responsible for the rest.

Prevention

Both lifestyle modifications and medication can decrease uric acid levels. Medications however are not usually started until one to two weeks after an acute attack has resolved due to theoretical concerns of worsening the attack. They are often not recommended until after a second attack of gout has occurred, unless destructive joint changes, tophi, or urate nephropathy exists^. It is not until this point that medications have been found to be cost effective. Urate lowering measures should be titrated to decrease serum uric acid levels below 360 µmol/L (6 mg/dL)^.

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism.The term ‘vitamin’ first became popular in the early 1800s as a portmanteau of the words ‘vital’ and ‘mineral’, though the actual meaning of the word has developed somewhat since that time. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on the circumstances and the particular organism. For example, ascorbic acid functions as vitamin C for some animals but not others, and vitamins D, K and biotin are required in the human diet only in certain circumstances.The term vitamin does not include other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids, nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote health but are otherwise required less often.

There are two types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble. When you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are stored in the fat tissues in your body and in your liver. They wait around in your body fat until your body needs them.

Fat-soluble vitamins are happy to stay stored in your body for awhile — some stay for a few days, some for up to 6 months! Then, when it’s time for them to be used, special carriers in your body take them to where they’re needed. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.

Water-soluble vitamins are different. When you eat foods that have water-soluble vitamins, the vitamins don’t get stored as much in your body. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream. Whatever your body doesn’t use comes out when you urinate (pee).

So these kinds of vitamins need to be replaced often because they don’t stick around! This crowd of vitamins includes vitamin C and the big group of B vitamins — B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), niacin, B6 (pyridoxine), folic acid, B12 (cobalamine), biotin, and pantothenic acid.

Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity, not their structure. Thus, each “vitamin” may refer to several vitamer compounds that all show the biological activity associated with a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals are grouped under an alphabetized vitamin “generic descriptor” title, such as “vitamin A”, which includes the compounds retinal, retinol, and four known carotenoids. Vitamers by definition are convertable to the active form of the vitamin in the body, and are sometimes inter-convertable to one another as well.

Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions. Some have hormone-like functions as regulators of mineral metabolism (e.g. vitamin D), or regulators of cell and tissue growth and differentiation (e.g. some forms of vitamin A). Others function as antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E and sometimes vitamin C). The largest number of vitamins (e.g. B complex vitamins) function as precursors for enzyme cofactor bio-molecules (coenzymes), that help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism. When acting as part of a catalyst, vitamins may be tightly bound to enzymes as part of prosthetic groups: for example, biotin is part of enzymes involved in making fatty acids. Vitamins may also be less tightly bound to enzyme catalysts as coenzymes, detachable molecules which function to carry chemical groups or electrons between molecules. For example, folic acid carries various forms of carbon group – methyl, formyl and methylene – in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme reactions are vitamins’ best-known function, the other vitamin functions are equally important.

Until the 1900s, vitamins were obtained solely through food intake, and changes in diet (which, for example, could occur during a particular growing season) can alter the types and amounts of vitamins ingested. Vitamins have been produced as commodity chemicals and made widely available as inexpensive pills for several decades, allowing supplementation of the dietary intake.

Vitamin A

Benefits:
Vitamin A prevents eye problems, promotes a healthy immune system, is essential for the growth and development of cells, and keeps skin healthy.

Sources:
Good sources of vitamin A are milk, eggs, liver, fortified cereals, darkly colored orange or green vegetables (such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and kale), and orange fruits such as cantaloupe, apricots, peaches, papayas, and mangos.

Quantity:
Teen guys need 900 micrograms of vitamin A each day.
Teen girls need 700 micrograms each day. It is possible to get too much vitamin A, so be careful with supplements. Don’t take vitamin A supplements If you’re taking isotretinoin (such as Accutane) for acne or other skin problems.
Oral acne medicines are vitamin A supplements, and a continued excess of vitamin A can build up in the body, causing headaches, skin changes, or even liver damage.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

Benefits:
Thiamin helps the body convert carbohydrates into energy and is necessary for the heart, muscles, and nervous system to function properly.

Sources:
People get thiamin from many different foods, including fortified breads, cereals, and pasta; meat and fish; dried beans, soy foods, and peas; and whole grains like wheat germ.

Quantity:
Teen guys need 1.2 mg of thiamin each day; teen girls need 1 mg.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Benefits:
Riboflavin is essential for turning carbohydrates into energy and producing red blood cells. It is also important for vision.

Sources:
Some of the best sources of riboflavin are meat, eggs, legumes (like peas and lentils), nuts, dairy products, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, and fortified cereals.

Quantity:
Teen guys need 1.3 mg of riboflavin per day and teen girls need 1 mg.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Benefits:
Niacin helps the body turn food into energy. It helps maintain healthy skin and is important for nerve function.

Sources:
You’ll find niacin in red meat, poultry, fish, fortified hot and cold cereals, and peanuts.

Quantity:
Teen guys need 16 mg of niacin daily. Teen girls need 14 mg a day.

Vitamin B6

Benefits:
Vitamin B6 is important for normal brain and nerve function. It also helps the body break down proteins and make red blood cells.

Sources:
A wide variety of foods contain vitamin B6, including potatoes, bananas, beans, seeds, nuts, red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, spinach, and fortified cereals.

Quantity:
Teen guys need 1.3 mg of vitamin B6 daily and teen girls need 1.2 mg.

Vitamin B9 (Folate)

Benefits:
Folate helps the body make red blood cells. It is also needed to make DNA.

Sources:
Liver, dried beans and other legumes, green leafy vegetables, asparagus, and orange juice are good sources of this vitamin. So are fortified bread, rice, and cereals.

Quantity:
Teen girls and guys need 400 micrograms of folate daily.

Vitamin B12

Benefits:
Vitamin B12 helps to make red blood cells, and is important for nerve cell function.

Sources:
Vitamin B12 is found naturally in fish, red meat, poultry, milk, cheese, and eggs. It’s also added to some breakfast cereals.

Quantity:
Teens should get 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily.

Vitamin C

Benefits:
Vitamin C is needed to form collagen, a tissue that helps to hold cells together. It’s essential for healthy bones, teeth, gums, and blood vessels. It helps the body absorb iron and calcium, aids in wound healing, and contributes to brain function.

Sources:
You’ll find high levels of vitamin C in red berries, kiwi, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and juices made from guava, grapefruit, and orange.

Quantity:
Teen guys need 75 mg (milligrams; 1 milligram equals 1,000 micrograms) and girls need 65 mg of vitamin C a day.

Vitamin D

Benefits:
Vitamin D strengthens bones because it helps the body absorb bone-building calcium.

Sources:
This vitamin is unique — your body manufactures it when you get sunlight on your skin! You can also get vitamin D from egg yolks, fish oils, and fortified foods like milk.

Quantity:
Teens need 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D from food or supplements every day. Ask your doctor if supplements are right for you.

Vitamin E

Benefits:
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps protect cells from damage. It is also important for the health of red blood cells.

Sources:
Vitamin E is found in many foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables. Avocados, wheat germ, and whole grains are also good sources.

Quantity:
Teen guys and girls need 15 mg of vitamin E every day.

Your heart needs care for life. A healthy heart is about enjoying a healthy lifestyle and making this a part of your every day life. It is also about taking positive steps to improve or remove risk factors.
Everyone can do something to help prevent heart disease, including people who already have heart disease or who have had a heart event.
The good news is that if you lead a healthy lifestyle you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease.


Heart Attack
A heart attack is an emergency. Getting to hospital quickly can reduce the damage to the heart and increase the chance of survival. A heart attack occurs when there is a sudden, complete blockage of an artery that supplies an area of the heart. As a result, a portion of the heart muscle begins to die. Without early medical treatment, this damage can be permanent.

Know the warning signs of heart attack. These warning signs vary and usually last for at least 10
minutes. You may experience more than one of these:
• Tightness, fullness, pressure, squeezing, heaviness or pain in your chest, shoulders, neck,
arms, back, jaw or throat.
• You may also have difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, a cold sweat, a feeling of being
dizzy or light-headed. If you experience these heart attack warning signs, immediately stop what you are doing and rest. If you are with someone, tell them what you are experiencing. If your symptoms are severe, get worse quickly or last for 10 minutes (even if they are mild), this is an emergency. Get help fast. Call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance. Don’t hang up. The operator will give you advice before the ambulance arrives. (If calling 000 does not work on your mobile phone, try 112).

Angina

Angina is temporary chest pain or discomfort. It happens because part of the heart is temporarily unable to get enough blood and oxygen to meet its needs, due to a narrowed artery in the heart. Pain or discomfort develops in the chest and can spread into the shoulder, arm or neck. Angina may come on during exercise, but usually goes away with rest, although medication is often required. Angina does not damage the heart muscle so it is not the same as a heart attack. People with angina are more at risk of a heart attack.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when an artery supplying blood to a part of the brain becomes blocked or bursts. This means that part of the brain is damaged because it is suddenly deprived of its blood supply. This blood supply normally carries oxygen and sugar to the brain so that it can function.
Different parts of the brain control different functions of the body, such as movement, speech and sight. Damage to the brain will lead to a loss of the functions that part of the brain controls. Just like a heart attack, a stroke can be mild or severe.

Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease refers to the failure of the coronary circulation to supply adequate circulation to cardiac muscle and surrounding tissue. Coronary artery disease is a disease of the artery caused by the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply the myocardium. Angina pectoris (chest pain) and myocardial infarction (heart attack) are symptoms of and conditions caused by coronary heart disease.

Over 459,000 Americans die of coronary heart disease every year. In the United Kingdom, 101,000 deaths annually are due to coronary heart disease.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy literally means “heart muscle disease” (Myo= muscle, pathy= disease) It is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium (i.e., the actual heart muscle) for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrythmia and/or sudden cardiac death.

• Extrinsic cardiomyopathies – cardiomyopathies where the primary pathology is outside the myocardium itself. Most cardiomyopathies are extrinsic, because by far the most common cause of a cardiomyopathy is ischemia.
• Intrinsic cardiomyopathies – weakness in the muscle of the heart that is not due to an identifiable external cause.
  • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) – most common form, and one of the leading indications for heart transplantation. In DCM the heart (especially the left ventricle) is enlarged and the pumping function is diminished.
  • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy(HCM or HOCM) – genetic disorder caused by various mutations in genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. In HCM the heart muscle is thickened, which can obstruct blood flow and prevent the heart from functioning properly.
  • Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) – arises from an electrical disturbance of the heart in which heart muscle is replaced by fibrous scar tissue. The right ventricle is generally most affected.
  • Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM) – least common cardiomyopathy. The walls of the ventricles are stiff, but may not be thickened, and resist the normal filling of the heart with blood.
  • Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy– the left ventricle wall has failed to properly grow from birth and such has a spongy appearance when viewed during an echocardiogram.

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is any of a number of specific diseases that affect the heart itself and/or the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries leading to and from the heart. Research on disease dimorphism suggests that women who suffer with cardiovascular disease usually suffer from forms that affect the blood vessels while men usually suffer from forms that affect the heart muscle itself. Known or associated causes of cardiovascular disease include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperhomocysteinemia and hypercholesterolemia.

Ischaemic Heart Disease

• Another disease of the heart itself, characterized by reduced blood supply to the organs.

Heart Failure

Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure (or CHF), and congestive cardiac failure (CCF), is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of th heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. Therefore leading to the heart and body’s failure.

• Cor Pulmonale, a failure of the right side of the heart.

Valvular Heart Disease

Valvular heart disease is disease process that affects one or more valves of the heart. There are four major heart valve which may be affected by valvular heart disease, including the tricuspid and aortic valves in the right side of the heart, as well as the mitral and aortic valves in the left side of the heart.

Risk Factors

‘Risk factors’ for heart disease are characteristics that increase your chance of developing heart
disease.
These include:
• Smoking;
• A high blood cholesterol;
• Physical inactivity;
• Diabetes;
• High blood pressure;
• Being overweight.

Being male, increasing age and having a family history of early death from heart disease are also risk factors for developing heart disease, but are much more difficult to control or change!
The best ways to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and to help prevent it getting worse if it already exists, are to improve or remove the risk factors over which we have some control, and take all medications as prescribed by the doctor.

Do you Care About OBESITY..? If  ‘yap’…Make some perfect care for yourself.

1. Eggs. Skip the bagel this morning. Eggs, which are full of protein, will help you feel fuller longer-a lot longer. A multicenter study of 30 overweight or obese women found that those who ate two scrambled eggs (with two slices of toast and a reduced-calorie fruit spread) consumed less for the next 36 hours than women who had a bagel breakfast of equal calories. Other research has shown that protein may also prevent spikes in blood sugar, which can lead to food cravings.

2. Green tea. The slimming ingredient isn’t caffeine. Antioxidants called catechins are what help speed metabolism and fat burning. In a recent Japanese study, 35 men who drank a bottle of oolong tea mixed with green tea catechins lost weight, boosted their metabolism, and had a significant drop in their body mass index. Health bonus: The participants also lowered their (bad) LDL cholesterol.l.

3. Salad. Do you tend to stuff yourself at meals? Control that calorie intake by starting with a large salad (but hold the creamy dressing). In a study of 42 women at Penn State University, those who ate a big, low-cal salad consumed 12 percent less pasta afterward-even though they were offered as much as they wanted. The secret, say researchers, is the sheer volume of a salad, which makes you feel too full to pig out. Health bonus: A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that people who ate one salad a day with dressing had higher levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and carotenoids-all disease fighters-than those who didn’t add salad to their daily menu.

4.Beans. You’ve probably never heard of cholecystokinin, but it’s one of your best weight-loss pals. This digestive hormone is a natural appetite suppressant. So how do you get more cholecystokinin? One way, report researchers at the University of California at Davis, is by eating beans: A study of eight men found that their levels of the hormone (which may work by keeping food in your stomach longer) were twice as high after a meal containing beans than after a low-fiber meal containing rice and dry milk. There’s also some evidence that beans keep blood sugar on an even keel, so you can stave off hunger longer. Heart-health bonus: High-fiber beans can lower your cholesterol.

5. Soup. A cup of chicken soup is as appetite blunting as a piece of chicken: That was the finding of a Purdue University study with 18 women and 13 men. Why? Researchers speculate that even the simplest soup satisfies hunger because your brain perceives it as filling.

6. Grapefruit. It’s back! A 2006 study of 91 obese people conducted at the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic found that eating half a grapefruit before each meal or drinking a serving of the juice three times a day helped people drop more than three pounds over 12 weeks. The fruit’s phytochemicals reduce insulin levels, a process that may force your body to convert calories into energy rather than flab.

7. Tofu. It seems too light to be filling, but a study at Louisiana State University showed that tofu does the job. Researchers tested it against chicken as a pre-meal appetizer for 42 overweight women-and the participants who had tofu ate less food during the meal. The secret: Tofu is an appetite-quashing protein.

8. Nuts. Yes, they are fattening: A handful of peanuts is about 165 calories. But research shows that people who snack on nuts tend to be slimmer than those who don’t. A study from Purdue University found that when a group of 15 normal-weight people added about 500 calories worth of peanuts to their regular diet, they consumed less at subsequent meals. The participants also revved up their resting metabolism by 11 percent, which means they burned more calories even when relaxing. Health bonus: Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids. And researchers at Loma Linda University recently found that eating 10 to 20 whole pecans daily can reduce heart disease risks.

9. High-fiber cereal. Studies show that you can curb your appetite by eating a bowl for breakfast. But how well does it really work? Researchers at the VA Medical Center and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis tested the theory against the ultimate diet challenge: the buffet table. They gave 14 volunteers one of five cereals before sending them out to the smorgasbord. Those who’d had the highest-fiber cereal ate less than those who didn’t have as much fiber in the morning. Try General Mills Fiber One (14 grams per serving) or Kellogg’s All Bran With Extra Fiber (13 grams per serving).

10. Hot red pepper. Eating a bowl of spicy chili regularly can help you lose weight. In a Japanese study, 13 women who ate breakfast foods with red pepper (think southwestern omelet) ate less than they normally did at lunch. The magic ingredient may be capsaicin, which helps suppress appetite.

Acupuncture for Weight Control

Are you a holistic practitioner experienced in acupuncture? Then you are surely the one that many are looking for. Acupuncture is a traditional energy healing technique which believes that every state of disease or illness in the human body is caused due to an imbalance in the bioenergy in the body and this balance is brought about by certain corrective measures using needles, seeds, magnets, etc. and many people around the world today believe in its ability to treat pain, nausea, vomiting, arthritis, stress, etc. Acupuncture is also used as a holistic health care measure to help in weight control. With all these pros, the place you need to be is at The Alternative Health Connection. Many individuals suffering from obesity and over-weight are searching for the right holistic practitioner to help them reduce and maintain their weight with acupuncture.

Weight control is never an easy thing. It involves a lot of strenuous work along with a permanent change in eating habits and regular workouts. In spite of all this hard work, weight control might not be permanent because habits have not been changed. There is also the risk of side effects from many types of treatments. But acupuncture is a form of holistic medicine which helps in bringing about weight loss easily and has no side effects what so ever. So the number of people seeking help from practitioners of holistic medicine is increasing by the day. Every single day, hundreds of people scan through the databases to find an experienced acupuncturist in their locality. With this form of holistic health care you could also help people deal with stress, frustration and other ailments. It is the most perfect form of holistic medicine to assist the fat burning metabolism of the body.

How to Lose the Weight and Keep It Off with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

Weight loss comes under the topic of “Weight Control”, because we are concerned with the loss and MAINTENANCE of loss of weight. This is a multi-faceted problem, and a good program involves diet, exercise and stress reduction techniques. Chinese acupressure and digestive aid exercises are also useful tools in the battle with weight loss.

Acupuncture is an ADJUNCT therapy. It is not a panacea or a wonder cure in the treatment of weight control. But, acupuncture is effective in making it easier to lose and maintain that loss if the patient is willing to change their lifestyle. The exact mechanism by which acupuncture works is unknown but we know that acupuncture needles inserted into specific points on the body and in the ear release endorphins which have a calming and relaxing effect that makes it easier to deal with stress, frustration and anxiety that can trigger overeating and bingeing on fattening foods. Also endorphins affect the digestive and hormonal systems so acupuncture can help rebalance the organ systems that are running too fast- or in this case too slow—i.e., the metabolism and the will power.

The Acupuncture Treatment

In order for the acupuncturist to choose the correct points for you, you must first come in for a consultation to discuss your particular pattern of overeating, and let the practitioner know in your intake form if there are any real digestive difficulties. Then the acupuncturist would check your pulse to discern the general state of your energy and measure the health of your stomach energy in particular, and then they would look at your tongue to check for cracks, peeling or puffiness on the stomach area, or a suspicious yellow or thick white coating that might indicate troublesome heat or coldness in the stomach and would provide some clues as to why the person was gaining weight.

The Acupuncture Points

Then, armed with this information, the acupuncturist would devise a treatment protocol using a combination of ear and body points. Although the Chinese developed the system of auricular (ear) acupuncture a long time ago, as one of the various Microsystems of the body containing all the points relating to the major organs and body parts, a Frenchman by the name of Nogier, discovered many more acupuncture points on the ear that pertain to Western medicine such as points called “Adrenal”, “Pituitary”, “FSH”, “Ovary”, “Thyroid”, etc.

Many of the points from both ear acupuncture systems that are important for weight loss treatments are:

* Mouth - for the impulsive eater who may also smoke a lot and talk a lot
* Stomach – for the person who eats even after they’re full or who’s constantly nibbling
* Hungry – for general appetite control
* Lung – for food addicts, and people who love chocolate, sweets
* Shenmen - a calming point, for the psychology overlay for anxiety, anger, frustration,
insecurity
* Endocrine – for water retention that’s responsible for some of the weight gain
* Adrenal and Ovary – if weight gain is due to menopause or P.M.S.
* Spleen – for sugar imbalances and hormonal disturbances
* Kidney – for water retention, and nervous system and hormonal imbalances
* Thyroid – for slow metabolism

The practitioner chooses two or more of these points for each treatment depending upon the patient’s problem and personality profile regarding overeating.

Next, body points would be selected.

During the first few treatments, most likely the “Four Gate” points (LI 4, Liver3) would be used to circulate the energy throughout the body and calm the nervous system. Ren 12, the front collecting point of the stomach energy would be chosen for many treatments, as would Stomach 36, three inches distal to the eye of the knee that tonifies the energy and helps circulate oxygen and blood of the whole body and of the stomach in particular. Then, based on the diagnosis, the practitioner may add Stomach, 40, the master point for mucous, or Kidney 7 or 10 for edema or water retention.

The acupuncturist may use electro stimulation on some of these acupuncture points to increase the endorphin release and stimulate the metabolism. The needles would be kept in place for around thirty to forty-five minutes depending on how much support was needed for the patient, and after the needles are removed, ear tacs with adhesive on them are often placed in the same spots on the ear to continue the stimulation between treatments. The way it works is this: when the patient feels an urge to eat, s/he applies mild pressure to the point or rubs it back and forth for about 20 seconds. This type of acupressure stimulates the point, causes a mild endorphin release, relaxes the patient and helps them to regain their willpower or resolve about resisting the temptation to eat. The patient removes the tacs at home after three days and throws them away or takes them out sooner if there is any irritation or discomfort. It is a good idea to also remove oneself from the location, person or food that triggers the resistance to the diet or contributes to the breakdown of willpower. For example, one might want to stay away from the kitchen and refrigerator between meals.

The Treatment Plan

The number of acupuncture treatments necessary depends on the patient’s goals for losing weight, the speed at which they want to lose, and their commitment to keeping the weight off. If the overeating is severe, a treatment every day for the first five days is appropriate and can then taper off the second week to every other day and the third week to every three days. For the average patient who wants to lose between five to ten pounds, one treatment every three days or twice a week until they reach their goal is appropriate, and then a booster treatment once every two weeks is optimal. After a few booster treatments, the patient and practitioner will mutually decide when to terminate frequent treatments and then can aim to meet approximately four times a year at the change of seasons when energy levels are unstable and tonification and harmonizing of one’s system is appropriate for everyone.