Telltale Skin Symptoms You Should Notice

Skin, the body's largest organ, can reveal an awful lot more than just acne and wrinkles. In fact, it can actually reflect serious health issues like diabetes and cancer. Dr. Jeffrey Dover, an eminent dermatology expert associated with the Yale School of Medicine, points out that our skin faithfully mirrors the functioning of our internal organs. Obviously, we would do well to look out for telltale symptoms showing up on the skin so as to take the decision to seek medical help. If, for example, you notice red butterfly-shaped rash appearing on your face, what do you make of it? It may not mean you're necessarily embarrassed. A red, butterfly-shaped rash, typically spread out over the bridge of the nose and cheeks, strongly hints at the autoimmune disease Lupus. According to Dover, in cases of acute systemic Lupus, the rash brings on feelings of weakness, exhaustion and achy joints. Similarly, if otherwise normal-looking skin begins itching all over persistently for apparently no reason, it could be indicative of such conditions as lymphoma, kidney disease, or liver disease, according to Dover.

Click here

Slowing Down The Aging Process

Amazing though it might seem, it's really possible to control, to some extent, how quickly you age, says nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden. According to Bowden, who has produced a number of best-sellers, including his recently released The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer, applying a little forethought, it's possible to keep from ageing before our time. How soon we age depends, to a large extent, on how we treat our bodies - whether or not, like the light switch, we turn on the good genes and turn off the bad ones. Bowden claims that if we fight the four main factors responsible for ageing, it's possible to slow down the ageing process, keeping free of diseases brought on by aging such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. One such factor, which rushes us toward senility, is the presence of free radicals in the body. Free radicals have the ability to damage our DNA and accelerate ageing. While you cannot completely keep off free radicals, you can definitely limit your exposure by, for instance, avoiding cigarettes, trans fats, excessive exposure to the sun, and fruits and vegetables laced with pesticides and herbicides.

Click here

Common Diet Pitfalls

It's not enough to be fervently wishing to launch into a weight loss plan without taking appropriate precautions so you don’t fall prey to these common diet pitfalls. For example, you're not going to shed weight simply by skimping on protein or healthy fat. Many dieters go frugal on foods with sufficient protein and fat content. However, this strategy isn't recommended as an effective way to lose fat. Low calorie diets like toast and jam or a small salad with vinegar are simply not sufficiently filling and the craving for food some time later is motivating enough to binge, which might easily mean extra pounds gained. Instead, a better option is to plan meals and snacks that include more filling items such as eggs, cottage cheese, fish and chicken. Skipping meals, similarly, is also not the best way to lose flab. Starving yourself to the point of desperation almost always undermines your determination to continue with your dietary regimen and pretty soon it might be impossible to fight off the temptation to delve into appetizing delicacies with a vengeance. Diet pitfalls like these can almost always ensure you end up sorrier than when you first started out...

Click here

Finding The Right Motivational Niche For Lifelong Fitness

Most people find it considerably difficult to weather a long-term exercise program and need that extra slice of motivation to keep them from quitting, according to an expert deliberating at the American College of Sports Medicine's 14th-annual Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition. This motivation or "fitness desire" can be extrinsic or intrinsic, depending on the subject. For example, extrinsically, a physician could explain that physical activity can bring down blood pressure. Intrinsically, however, the motivation can come from simply wanting to stay and feel shipshape. The type of motivation, therefore, that a person warms up to is important for determining the kind of physical activity that can be prescribed by a health expert. Further, such a fitness program should also blend in with the individual's lifestyle and physical capabilities. For instance, recreational athlete fitness programs primarily focus on sport in order to keep participants motivated to exercise. Deciding correctly your motivational niche means you're going to stick with your fitness program long enough to give your life that much-needed facelift you desperately miss...

Click here

Exposure To Secondhand Smoke In Children Brings On Adult Emphysema

Colombian researchers found recently that people exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke during childhood were likely to develop emphysema as adults. This hardly comes as surprising because the body can't fully reject the toxic substances that get introduced as a result of harmful inhalations, including secondhand cigarette smoke. It might be informative to note that the best option for anyone already exposed to secondhand smoke, or who has been a previous smoker, is right away beginning the detoxification process to cleanse the body of contamination. Statistics indicate that 50 percent of regular smokers die from their addiction and 400,000 Americans die annually because of tobacco use. Additionally, millions more suffer serious ailments like emphysema, bronchitis, heart disease, artery problems, cancers, impotency, and vision problems, amongst others. Smoking parents, in particular, should view with serious concern the uncertain future to which they are exposing their kids as a result of their recklessness.

Click here

Quote of the Day

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Mother Teresa

Step Into Your Running Shoes For A Brighter You

Running might be a smarter pursuit than earlier imagined. Apart from improving cardiovascular fitness and overall physique, it actually might make you brighter, according to scientists reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It appears from experiments that running profoundly impacts the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls learning and memory. Studies conducted on mice showed that those voluntarily engaging in activities like running wheels did, in fact, manage to increase their number of brain cells and performed better at cognitive tests compared to non-exercising mice. Until the late 1990s, neuroscientists held the belief that new brain cells didn't grow after birth. However, that premise stands challenged in the face of mounting evidence suggesting exercise touches off significant physiological and structural changes in the brain conducive to enhanced cognitive functioning. Looks like a perfectly sound reason to get off the couch, slip on your running shoes and jog off to the neighboring park...

Click here