Health With Jacee
Thank YOU for visiting Health With Jacee!
Your eyes:
Can process 36,000 bits of information every hour.
Having trouble with your portion size? Discourage overeating by placing only the appropiate servings of food on dinner plates, rather than putting serving bowls on the table.
Mysterious Diseases:
Alzheimer’s Disease: Not to be confused with the forgetfulness that affects most everyone in their later years, Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disorder that manifests differently in each of its sufferers. The exact cause isn’t understood and it can’t be effectively treated.
Pica: People diagnosed with Pica have an insatiable urge to eat non-food substances like dirt, paper, glue and clay. Though it is believed to be linked with mineral deficiency, health experts have found no real cause and no cure for the peculiar disorder.
Autoimmune diseases: A catchall term for a host of afflictions including Lupus and MS, autoimmune disorders treat the body’s organs and normal functions as enemy invaders. They’re usually chronic, always debilitating, and doctors can do little except ease their symptoms.
Morgellons Disease: This mysterious illness, which has cropped up again recently, displays almost sci-fi symptoms. Sufferers complain of intensely creepy-crawly skin and odd fibrous strands which protrude from open wounds. Some in the medical community blame the “disease” on psychotic delusion, but others say the symptoms are very real.
Everyday Habits that Hurt Your Back:
Your bike isn’t adjusted right. Try this quick test: When you straddle a road bike or hybrid, the bar should be about 1 to 2 inches from your crotch. On mountain bikes, allow 3 to 6 inches. As for your seat height, your down leg should be fully extended when the heel of that foot is on the pedal in the 6 o’clock position. Now put the ball of that foot on the pedal; there should be a slight bend in your knee in the down position. You should be able to keep a slight bend in your elbows and not feel stretched out when holding the handlebars. If your bike isn’t adjusted properly, check with a local bike shop or bike club to find someone who can properly fit it for you.
Another tweak that can help: Tilt the front tip of your saddle down about 10 to 15 degrees. This simple adjustment takes pressure off your lower spine and pelvis, research shows. When researchers made this adjustment for 40 recreational cyclists who had back pain, the pain went away in 72% of the group—and another 20% reported significant reduction in pain.
Your addicted to crunches. You don’t have to ditch crunches entirely, but you should do them slowly and use proper form. Include them as part of a broader core workout that also strengthens your transverse abdominus. This muscle is particularly important for a strong, steady core that supports your back, and the best way to strengthen it is with (noncrunch!) exercises like these. Added bonus: You’ll whittle your middle and beat hard-to-torch belly fat while improving posture and relieving back pain.
Boost Your Brain Power!
Take a you-tube timeout. You can counteract stress—and roll back psychological aging—with laughter. Even the anticipation of a good laugh decreases the stress chemicals cortisol and epinephrine by 39 percent and 70 percent, respectively, say researchers at Loma Linda University. Laughter is also great for the heart. When participants in a University of Maryland study watched stressful film clips, they experienced vasoconstriction—a narrowing of the blood vessels—while the blood vessels of those watching funny films expanded by 22 percent.
Hydrate your mind. In a 2006 University of South Florida study, people who drank three or more 4-ounce glasses of fruit or vegetable juice each week were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who drank less. The high levels of polyphenols—antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables—may protect brain cells from the damage that may be caused by the disease, says study author Amy Borenstein, Ph.D. Eight six-ounce glasses of water a day will do you good, too. “Your brain is 80 percent water, and if it’s not hydrated, your neurons can’t perform properly,” says Dr. Amen.
Crack some eggs. The ideal breakfast is an egg, according to Larry McCleary, M.D. The incredible edible contains B vitamins, which enable nerve cells to burn glucose, your brain’s major energy source; antioxidants, which protect neurons against damage; and omega-3 fatty acids, which keep nerve cells firing at optimal speed. Similarly, McCleary says that the best brain foods are those that would rot if the power went out. Pick fresh fruits, veggies, and lean proteins and avoid the dreaded duo, trans fats (“they diminish brain cells’ ability to communicate with each other”) and high-fructose corn syrup (“it can shrink the brain by damaging cells”).
Dance! Few activities stimulate as wide a variety of brain systems as dancing does. Dancing requires everything from coordination and organization to planning and judgment. “Both require you to position different parts of your body simultaneously and in synchronicity—and with dance, you’ve got to move along to music,” says John Ratey, M.D., “That’s a lot of mental stimulation.
Prevent Near-Sightedness- Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics. “It’s usually caused by near-point stress.” In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles — like the eyes — into relaxing as well.
Wake the Dead! If your hand falls asleep while you’re driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It’ll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don’t let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
Unstich your side! If you’re like most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.
Feel no pain! German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. The trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
Eat Healthy and Lose Weight: One or two meals a week, substitute beans or legumes for meat in salads, soups, or in the main dish.
Fight fire without water! Worried those wings will repeat on you tonight? “Sleep on your left side,” says Anthony A. Starpoli, M.D. Studies have shown that patients who sleep on their left sides are less likely to suffer from acid reflux. The esophagus and stomach connect at an angle. When you sleep on your right, the stomach is higher than the esophagus, allowing food and stomach acid to slide up your throat. When you’re on your left, the stomach is lower than the esophagus, so gravity’s in your favor.
Feeling a little hungry? Try drinking a sugar-free bevarge instead of eating. Thirst triggers the same reaction from your body as hunger, so the next time you’re feeling hunger pains, instead of nibbling try drinking some water, iced-tea or sugar free soda to help you get to your next scheduled meal or snack and to keep calories in check.
Want better balance? Good balance prevents falls and makes you more stable during all of your activities. Practice it every day by standing on one leg (you can lightly touch wall for support) while doing activites like washing the dishes, brushing your teeth, or watching tv.
Press here for relief: Pressing here relieves nervous tension and stiff necks; increases resistance to colds and flu. It is also good for the lungs. (see insert below)
Cough Relief - How to lose a bad cough:
Stay Hydrated: An upper respiratory tract infection like a cold or flu causes postnasal drip. Extra secretions trickle down the back of your throat, irritating it and sometimes causing a cough. Drinking fluids helps to thin out the mucus in postnasal drip and also keeps the mucus membranes moist.
Try Lozenges and Hot Drinks: Try a menthol cough drop. “It numbs the back of the throat and that will tend to decrease the cough reflex.” Drinking warm tea with honey can also soothe the throat. There is some clinical evidence to support this strategy.
Take Steamy Showers and Use a Humidifier: A hot shower can help a cough by loosening secretions in the nose. This steamy strategy can help ease coughs not only from colds, but also from allergies and asthma. Humidifiers may also help. In a dry home, nasal secretions can become desiccated and uncomfortable. Putting moisture back in the air can help your cough, but be careful not to overdo it. Make sure you clean your humidifier, as ones that are dirty pump bacteria and fungus into the air.
Remove Irritants in the Air: Perfumes and scented bathroom sprays may seem benign, but for some people they can cause chronic sinus irritation. This leads to chronic cough because of the production of excess mucus. Take control by avoiding such products. The worst irritant in the air, of course, is smoke. Almost all smokers eventually develop the “smoker’s cough.” Everyone around the smoker may suffer from some airway irritation.
Take Medications: Decongestants: Decongestants relieve nasal congestion by shrinking swollen nasal tissue and reducing mucus production. They dry up mucus in the lungs and open up the airway passages. Cough suppressants and expectorants: If you’re coughing so much that your chest hurts and you’re getting a bad night’s sleep, consider a cough suppressant, such as dextromethorphan (found in Robitussin-DM). It is recommended using cough suppressants only at night.
Top Ten Toxic Products You Don’t need:
Oil-based paints and finishes: There are 300 toxic chemicals and 150 carcinogens potentially present in oil-based paint. Still interested in coating your walls and furniture with this gunk? I hope not. Look for water-based options – ideally those that are low- or no-VOC. You could also explore natural finishes like milk paint and vegetable or wax based wood finishes.
Air Freshners: Most air fresheners mask odors with a synthetic fragrance or numb your sense of smell with chemical anesthetics. But, they do nothing to eliminate the source of the odor. Also, aerosol air fresheners spew out tiny droplets of chemicals that are easily inhaled into the lungs. Instead, ventilate well and choose natural deodorizers, such as zeolite or baking soda, which contain minerals that absorb odors. How to Freshen Indoor Air Naturally includes recipes for other homemade remedies. Plants are also helpful to purify indoor air.
Perfume and cologne: Mixed in with the colors and scents are a wide variety of unattractive chemicals. Perfumes and fragrances can consist of hundreds of chemicals. Testing of Calvin Klein’s Eternity by an independent lab, commissioned by Environmental Health Network (EHN), revealed that the perfume contained over 800 compounds. Among the chemicals of concern is diethyl phthalate (DEP) that is absorbed through the skin and can accumulate in human fat tissue. Phthalates are suspected carcinogens and hormone disrupters that are increasingly being linked to reproductive disorders.
Canned Food: Food cans are lined with an epoxy resin that contains bisphenol-A (BPA). Most experts believe this is our main source of exposure to BPA, which has been linked to hormone disruption, obesity, heart disease, and much more. Eden Foods is currently the only company with BPA-free canned foods (other than the canned tomatoes, which they haven’t found an adequate substitute for given the acidity of the tomatoes). Opt for fresh, frozen, dried or jarred foods.
Drain, oven and toilet bowl cleaners: Yes, three products instead of one, but they all fit under the category of cleaners – and these are the three nastiest. Corrosive or caustic cleaners, such as the lye and acids found in drain cleaners, oven cleaners and acid-based toilet bowl cleaners, are the most dangerous cleaning products because they burn skin, eyes and internal tissue easily.
- To clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda, then add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. The next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; and rinse surfaces well.
- Prevent clogged drains by using hair and food traps.
- To de-grease and sweeten sink and tub drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15 minutes; rinse with hot water. You might have to repeat the whole procedure more than once. This same mixture can be used prior to scrubbing your toilet bowl to deodorize and scour away grime.
Jump-start your day by working out in the morning. To lose weight and get healthy you need to not only cut calories, but also burn them. Walking at 3.5 miles per hour (brisk but comfortable to most) can work off up to 277 calories per hour. So get out 20 to 30 minutes early in the morning to get your day going right.
Boost your energy now:
Try aromatherapy: Some people believe that the smells of certain essential oils — like peppermint, lime, and grapefruit — can boost energy. So take 10 minutes to close your eyes and breathe in the scent from the bottle. Or use a spray to spritz the room. Of course, check with your officemates before you start scenting up the place.
Listen to music: The right music can really change your mood, and doing some prep work can help. Come up with a list of the songs that always seem to psych you up, and then make a mix or playlist of three on your computer or MP3 player. Then you’ve got about 10 minutes worth of invigorating music ready to go when you need it.
Use Cold Water: The Romans used to invigorate themselves by plunging into the frigidarium, a cold water pool. Without being quite so drastic, you can get a quick energy boost by just splashing cold water on your face in the bathroom.
Make a smoothie: Beware the smoothie stand; Gerbstadt says that they tend to serve drinks that are packed with sugar. But if your at home take some time to make one. Gerbstadt’s recipe: 8 ounces of skim milk or soy milk, a bit of fruit, and some crushed ice to thicken it up. She also adds some fiber and a little healthy fat with one or two tablespoons of wheat germ or ground flax seed.
Do a crossword: When you’re feeling burned out, focusing on a different sort of mental task for a few minutes can help boost energy. Find a difficulty level you can usually complete in about 10 minutes. Plenty of Web sites have free crosswords, and some newspapers offer cheap monthly subscriptions for online versions of their puzzles.
Take the stairs. Going up and down stairs for awhile is a great way to get your heart pumping. If your in an office building use the stairwell, they are normally deserted since most use the elevator. This way you might be able to get ten minutes alone to trot up and down and boost your energy.
Get some sunshine! First of all getting outside is refreshing. Secondly, it has important benefits for your health: it helps the body produce vitamin D, which is important to health, and also boosts serotonin levels which can boost your mood and help you sleep better at night.
Sleep better tonight. Try to experimate with your room temperature. Most people sleep better in a cooler room with good ventilation. Check your windows and doors to make sure drafts aren’t interfering with your sleep. Reserve your bed for sleeping. If you associate your bed with work or errands it will make it harder to wind down at night. Use your bed for sleeping only.
Interesting habits to help you live to 100 years old:
-Don’t retire. According to research obesity and disease skyrocket when people in a society stop working abruptly. One way to combat this is to take up a little gardening. Another idea is to volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corp., a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week. Whatever you do, remain active!
-Be a creature of habit. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, eating the same kind of diet (perferrably a healthy one), and doing the same acitivites throughout your life give your body a constant equilibrium which becomes harder to maintain as you age. Missing a night or sleep or having a night on the town can weaken immune defenses, leaving you more susceptible to circulating flu viruses or bacterial infections.
-Consume whole foods, not supplements. Strong evidence suggests that people who have high blood levels of certain nutrients—selenium, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E—age much better and have a slower rate of cognitive decline. Unfortunately, there’s no evidence that taking pills with these nutrients provides those antiaging benefits. Avoid nutrient-lacking white foods (breads, flour, sugar) and go for all those colorful fruits and vegetables and dark whole-grain breads and cereals with their host of hidden nutrients.
Cold Hands? Here are some tips to help keep them warmer in the winter months.
-Keep your neck and wrists covered. Primary blood vessels come close to the skin in your neck and wrists.
-Avoid: Tight clothing, smoking, and fear! Tight clothing restricts blood flow to the extremeties and smoking clogs your arteries. When you are afraid your adrenal glands produce adrenaline and our physical responses change, this process is called “fight or flight syndrome”. All the effects adrenaline have on our body may make us have faster responses and better equiped in situations but it can wear out the body in other areas and leave it tense. Due to some peoples personalities they walk around in a constant state of anxiety and they suffer some of the effects of fight or flight syndrome. Some ways to reduce these symptons are: physcotherapy, hypnosis, or plain or will power.
-Breathe deeper. The more oxygen your bring into your body the more that is put into the bloodstream. The responsibility of this oxygen is to transfer heat throughout the body.
-See your chiropracter. Even if you don’t have back pain your spine could be out of alignment which can affect the proper functioning of your liver and other internal organs. Your liver, among other things, is a heat producer for your body. A chiropracter can see if your organs are being affected by your back and correct it in one visit.
Thought of the day: Floss and be your body’s boss. Recent studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing, though nobody know’s exactly why. This might be because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than those who don’t.
Bring more plants into your home and workplace. We all know that plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. But did you know plants can also purify the air, removing harmful pollutants? Not only will the air you breathe be fresher, plants also naturally humidify the air reducing allergies and sinusitis. Plants have psychological benefits as well. We are happier, less stressed and more productive in a greener, more natural environment. If you don’t have a little plant at your workstation, get one or two!
5 foods you should eat every day:
-Winter Squash: It provides 170% of your daily vitamin A needs.
-Apples: They contain both insoluble and soluble fiber, which not only make them filling, but also work double time to reduce cholesterol.
-Blueberries: #1 antioxident among the 60 fruit and vegetables analyzed.
-Eggs: Contains all eight amino acids essential for staying full and engergized.
-Spinach: Reduces the risk of developing osteoporis, can help lower cholosterol, and raise your I.Q. Also good source of vitamin K, calcium, and magnesium which help you stay healthy in the winter and un-clog your arteries reducing heart disease. Can help prevent breast, stomach, skin, and ovarian cancer. Spinach contains antioxidants that neutralize free radicals in the brain, thereby preventing the effects of aging on mental activity.
Blondes have more fun. Ok, so maybe they don’t but it is proven blondes have more hair. The average person has over 100,000 hair follicles which are capable of producing over 20 individual hairs in a lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles while people with black hair average around 110,000, burnettes with 100,000, and red heads come in with the least dense hair with 86,000 follicles.
Did you know? The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb. The cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb even when you’re sleeping.
Say NO to crossing your legs. Even though about 75% of women cross their legs when they sit this is bad for them. Crossing them greatly reduces the blood flow from your legs to your heart which increases the pressure inside your leg veins and will expand the veins in your lower leg and ankle. Also some doctors say the since it is not natural for the hips to sit this way it causes wear and tear on the joint. And lastly, most people shift their weight when they cross their legs putting their back out of ailment and sometimes causing back pain.
What protects your body? Macrophages are the bouncers of your body, getting rid of harmful elements that don’t belong. Some of the things they get rid of are: proteins, parasites, cancer cells, or bacteria.
Sing your heart out! Singings seems to be both mentally and physically healthy; research suggests that is can increase immune function and decrease the need of visits to the doctor. Why you ask? It seems it produces endorphins and the feel-good hormone dopamine.
Stay Healthy or Stay at Home. Nobody likes to come down with the flu, so here are a few no-nonesense tips to help you stay healthy.
-Sneeze or cough into your elbow, not your hand.
-Throw used tissues away.
-Within a day of becoming sick ask your doctor for an anitviral which can shorten your time of sickness.
-Eat your fruits and vegetables and get your eight hours of sleep a night!
It’s a fact nobody likes to deal with achy deteriorating joints. Posture is the number one cause of this. Remember these points for good posture: shoulders back, head up, chin in, and spine straight. Changing your posture can release some of the joint pain in your neck making a world of difference.
Want a surprising way to reduce snoring? Exercise your tongue. The following exercises strengthen the tongue shaping it to fit better in the oral cavity and trainging it to lay on the top of the mouth and not fall back into your airway.
- Making a t-t-t-t-t sound like you are scolding someone strengthens the tip of the tongue.
-”Tense and relax” to strengthen the sides.
Sources: www.health.msn.com, Reader’s Digest, Web MD (online), www.usnews.com
Comments or questions? email jakershaw@hcfalcons.org