Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

Foods to Avoid

You need to make sure that the calcium to phosphorus ratio in any of the foods you eat is as low as possible – this is because excess phosphorus will increase the loss of calcium from the body and worsen the condition. The more phosphorous-containing foods you eat, the more you need to supplement with a good source of calcium.

Reduce your intake of:

• red meat, red-fleshed fish

• most grains, especially wheat.

Eliminate:

• soft drinks – high in phosphoric acid

• organ meat (liver, kidney), processed meat – especially high in phosphorus

• caffeine - increases the rate of loss of minerals and nutrients

• fried foods and vegetable oil - a high intake of fried foods and omega 6 from vegetable oil can make the inflammation worse

• sugar – results in poor absorption of nutrients

• antacids – neutralize stomach acid and result in poor absorption of calcium (heartburn and indigestion are caused by poor eating habits and NOT ENOUGH stomach acid!)

It’s a sad fact, but many people who look into the eyes of their faithful old dogs don’t realize that their pets are suffering inside from the pains of arthritis. They just aren’t able to tell you, so you need to watch for the signs. Have you noticed him slowing down from his younger frantic pace? Does he pass on the active play he used to love? It just could be that he’s suffering from the very common doggie malady, arthritis. Larger dogs are more prone to get arthritis, and it’s more likely to debilitate them than it is smaller dogs. However, any dog can get it.

Dogs experience the same progression of arthritis that people do. It starts with mild pain and swelling and then worsens over time. The joints are inflamed, and the cushions that once padded them have been destroyed. At this point, it’s become a challenge for your dog to get around at all. He also suffers from damaged nerve endings which exacerbate his pain. He wants to frolic and play with you like always, but he isn’t able to any longer.

Helping Your Dog Cope with Arthritis

Hair loss and menopause are often times directly related in women. The most common of the reasons for why this would happen is that the thyroid gland is not working properly during menopause causing the hair loss.

The thyroid is not the only culprit for why a woman would start to lose her hair. You may see that your hair is falling out because of hormone levels that have begun to change, having it either increase or decrease. For others it may have something to do with being under an extreme pressure and having elevated stress levels due to that.

Another reason as to why a woman would start to loss hair during menopause would be that she is taking a medication, this may well affect the way the body functions. The medications may be causing increases or decreases in certain hormones, thus making the hair more apt to fall out.

However, the actual cause of hair loss during menopause is still not yet well defined. If you do experience a sudden onset of hair loss, you should look closely over what has transpired over the past couple of months.

Detoxification diets are those diets which help the body in restoring its condition by way of eliminating the toxic and harmful substances that got accumulated over a period of a few years. These detoxification diets have fast picked up with people belonging to all walks of life and are believed to endow great results for those who follow the process in a stringent manner. Detoxification diets are also popular as detox diets in its short form and help in evacuating the wastes from the body. Usually, these diets do not last for longer periods of time and are found to give favorable results if done for short duration only in terms of days.

Here are the benefits that one can derive out of going on a detox diet:

• One feels rejuvenated just a few days after being on the detox program as it helps in eliminating the impurities out of the body. There is an increase in the levels of energy.

• During the detox process, one has to consume a lot of water. And water has a terrific cleansing effect on the skin and the skin gets a new sheen as the cells get revitalized with increased intake of water levels into the body. Toxins are expelled out of the body in the form of urine and sweat.

Can autism be prevented? Unfortunately, no, it cannot be prevented or cured. Early diagnosis is critical and may help maximize an autistic child’s ability to speak, learn and function. Regular visits to a pediatrician can help with early signs and detection. The earlier treatments can begin, the more effective they will be.

Autism is a pervasive development disorder. It is actually a group of illnesses that cause delays in the development of many basic skills, such as, the ability to form relationships and socialize with others, the ability to communicate and use imagination. Many children with autism are confused in their thinking a have problems with the world around them. They usually have a limited range of interest and are unable to bond with their parents or siblings.

Symptoms of autism will usually appear before age 3, but will last throughout life. Some of the symptoms are difficulty with communication, including using and understanding language, difficulty in using non-verbal communication, such as, gestures and facial expressions and the inability to make friends and even preferring to play alone. An autistic child may have a distinct lack of imagination and be unable to adjust to any change in routines or surroundings. They may exhibit an unusual insistence on following daily routines in exact detail.

Birth control is something that needs to be effective. In choosing their oral contraceptives, women have a large array of medications to choose from. Is choosing a generic contraceptive as good as choosing a brand name?

The FDA has different rules for generic drugs than for the originals. When first introduced to the market, drugs have to undergo a series of tests to make sure that they not only do what they allege, but also to make sure that they don’t have unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Generic drugs do not undergo such stringent testing procedures.

The FDA requires that generic drugs prove that they are therapeutically equivalent to the originator drug. This means that generic drugs have to prove pharmaceutical equivalency and bioequivalency. Pharmaceutical equivalency means that the drugs have the same active ingredient, in the same dosages, and delivered in the same way. Bioequivalency means that it is not absorbed at a different rate or strength than the originator drug. To prove pharmaceutical equivalency and bioequivalency, often a study is carried out with only 20 or 30 women.

Arthritis is meant by ‘Inflammation of the joints’. There are various types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the main arthritic disorder among human population. Rheumatoid arthritis, JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), Gouty arthritis is the other prominent forms of arthritis.

The cause varies from one disease to the other. OA occurs when the defensive, cushion like articular cartilage wrapping the facing bones of a joint get destroyed, resulting into the bones rubbing against each other. This friction causes pain in the joint and swelling. As a result of this bone rubbing most medical examiners think there is no Arthritis Cures.

OA gets worse as the cartilage breaks down further bringing more and more bony surfaces into the rubbing process. The cause of Rheumatoid arthritis is miscalculation of body’s natural defense system. This gives raise the joint lining to swell and pain. It also spreads to the surrounding tissues. Uric acid deposition in the joint spaces causes inflammation and pain in the joint.

JRA is genetically determined.

The modern concept of treating arthritis is to control the pain as to maintain a healthy, normal life and management of the deformity if any. It is important to understand the specific arthritis symptoms.