The Healthy Blog for the Healthy People

Posts Tagged ‘Diseases and Conditions’

Getting well when you’re in the hospital can a very stressful and disruptive experience. It’s a time filled with uncertainty doubt and fear. As a physician, I’ve seen on a first hand basis how illness can disrupt the. Frequently, patients don’t know what to do, during the hospitalization, and are left with long intervals of time, often resulting in watching television in between hospital staff interactions, diagnostic tests and receiving visitors.

Here’s a few simple and powerful techniques that fan help you to improve you recovery and hospital stay.

1. Make the decision to get well. This is very crucial. In order to improve your health, you must shift your mindset from illness and begin to focus on getting well. Typically, the vast majority of patients concentrate on not wanting to be sick, rather than getting well. This difference may seem subtle but it is very important. If you focus on your health, you are literally activating your cells and organs that will help your body to heal. Your intention to get well, assists your body in ways that modern medicine is finally beginning to acknowledge.

2. Ignore all dire predictions -Use them as a catalyst, as a challenge to overcome whatever disease you are facing. Despite the odds, others have lived and you can, too! I’ve witnessed many patients defy their doctor’s predictions. Unfortunately, doctors are trained not to give “false hope,” and often give patients dire predictions - that appear to be credible predictions based on statistics involving other patients. Of course such bleak predictions will have a very negative impact on recovery and health.

More patients than I can recall have demonstrated to me over and over again that all of us have the capacity no only to survive, but to thrive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Look around you, there are miracles everywhere! Regardless of the diagnosis and prognosis you are facing, please know all is not lost. Men and women like you have faced the challenges of living with and overcoming serious and potentially fatal diseases. These experiences led me to believe that you, too, can get well, too!

Usually predictions are based on statistics that reflect the experience of other people. The will to live, the desire to get well, exert a tremendous positive impact on our bodies and can mean the difference, literally between recovery and illness, health and disease and life and death. They can’t accurately predict how long you will live. Remember: all statistics reflect the experience of others and may not necessarily predict yours.

3. Explore you inner, secret thoughts and emotions. How do you feel about this experience called “disease”? Does it create fear, anxiety, denial, and constant thoughts? That’s normal. All of these emotions are a part of the disease process. You can work your way through all of them, with awareness and patience.

Pay attention to your feelings and emotions, honestly allow yourself to experience them. Sometimes you’re frightened, anxious, distressed. Also, lonely, pain, fatigues That’s very normal. Acknowledge them as they arise.

4. Stay informed- Ask your doctor questions about your condition. Write them down, or designate a trusted family member and friend to be your advocate.

5. Surround yourself with positive things. Turn off the news (any type, unless you just watch the weather)! Don’t watch violent, depressing television programs. Watch inspiring comedy and educational programs Use the resources that are available to you via the Internet, books, CDs, DVDs, and other formats.

6. Share your thoughts and feelings with a kind person and a good listening ear. It doesn’t matter who that person is. A health professional, family member, spouse, friend or someone else can be a great well-being coach, a valuable asset.

7. Cultivate optimism. Medical research demonstrates optimists are healthier and recover faster than pessimists. Every crisis can be viewed as an opportunity. Your cup isn’t necessarily half empty, it’s half full. Face every crisis as an opportunity. Pessimism can be redirected.

8. Finds ways to relax. This is a very important thing to do. Most illnesses are stress related. When your body is relaxed it has the opportunity to regenerate and heal.

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You are what you eat. I’ve heard that from countless health professionals and even my own mother. Do you believe that or not? These words exist in every culture but what do they mean?

As I trained to be a raw chef I came to understand that food either supports you or takes away your life. In ancient texts food was referred to as one path to enlightenment. Depending on what you ate, you were either supported energetically or not. When we arrive on the planet we have a very high vibration. We are innocent in the fact that we haven’t been exposed to environmental or emotional toxins yet. Think about a baby and you’ll see what I mean. As time passes, our environment lowers that vibration.

The food we eat is one part of that environment. There are high vibration foods and low vibration foods. High vibration foods support us and low vibration foods basically kills us.

Foods such as organic fruits, vegetables and sprouted grains have high vibrations. Because our cells are alive we need these live foods to energize and sustain us. They provide living nutrition to us. Our body has about 35 years of natural enzyme production. If you’re wondering why that’s important, it’s because we need enzymes to assist in digesting and absorbing foods. They are the life force or energy of foods. If you eat mostly cooked, processed or high sugar foods you will not receive the life force that you need. You will also not receive the enzymes to break down the nutrition. Your body will start to pillage enzymes from your organs causing burn out, illness and disease. Your vibration will drop.

Your bodies only concern becomes survival. You may feel weak, have low energy, brain fog, become ill. Many illnesses are connected to processed foods and sugar, which are lower vibrations.

Coming back to the phrase, you are what you eat. Depending on what you ingest, your energy level (vibration) is high or low. If you eat livings foods, you’re more alive. If you eat mostly dead foods, your vibration might be very low. Food for thought .

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Breast cancer really is a huge challenge which brings with it far reaching consequences and implications. The issues and problems that show themselves in the context of the breast cancer journey can be far reaching. The fear and tension associated with coping can cause psychological and emotional damage both for actual patient, her spouse as well as her extended family. Close friends as well as workmates often find things change dramatically and this can often be hard to adapt to.

Breast cancer is definitely getting much more prevalent - there must scarcely exist a household within the United states or even United kingdom that has missed been affected by cancer in some manner. And in men too the number of cases of breast cancer goes on consistently rising. It’s not only women. We learned just recently of a couple in Birmingham, United kingdom when both husband and wife were found to have cancer of the breast.

Around the world too there are countless organizations and charitable bodies who have the goal of raising money to support breast cancer research. Every year they bring in millions of dollars in cash and pour it steadily towards the doctors and hospitals who specialize in cancer care. Some of them work on a purely local basis, others function on a national scale or beyond. All of them need large amounts of income to maintain their role and are always striving for new ways to keep the funding levels high and growing. They seem to constantly seek innovative ways to raise the capital required.

Susan G Komen was a breast cancer sufferer who formed what was to begin with a small scale fund raising project. It has now grown to become one of the biggest and most important medical charities in the world. The Komen foundation is probably best known for their races that they organize in every major city in the USA and in other countries too. Race For Life in the UK is a similar concept.

The Komen races cover a wide range of challenges and distances - from short fun runs to the longest ultra marathon. You can choose the one that suits you best. The main thing is that you get yourself out there and take part. These events earn the charity millions of dollars annually and bring great attention and media interest too. The celebrities who take part bring the media circus with them - and everyone benefits.

Can’t manage a run? No problem - just walk instead. Komen and other charities also offer long distance and short distance sponsored walks and often many thousands of people take part. One of these walks in the United Kingdom is takes place in the dark of the night and is called the Moon Walk. Those who take part - both women and men - wear extravagant brightly colored and decorated bras.

Individuals generate cash for breast cancer both separately as well as within teams. You may merely donate funds in your area or even get involved with a fund raising event and convince all your own pals to sponsor you. The most important thing is that you go ahead and do it.

Please contribute to breast cancer fund raising if you can. You could be making an enormous difference to peoples lives.

Marjory Cameron is one of life’s Breast Cancer Survivors. She has shared her own experiences and supported thousands of women on issues like choosing a mastectomy bra and other similar topics

In the history of man and his relationship with many bodily diseases and conditions, gout is probably one of the most frequently experienced diseases on record. Though coming from a wide variety of different reasons, both external and internal, the end result is still very much the same. Gout occurs when the body has a surplus influx and supply of uric acid from either too much introduction of purine in the system from gout causing foods and drinks that it cannot easily break down and get rid of. It can also be in part due to a person’s genetic make up that predisposes them to the disease even with the introduction of normal amounts of purine rich food and drink sources. This is a very dangerous disease which can do kidney damage, temporary or permanent.

Because gout is a type of arthritic disease, its symptoms are very painful for anyone to bear. Some signs of the disease to watch out for are redness, swelling, heat on the affected part, and sensitivity of the skin to even at the slightest brush or touch, as well difficulty in moving the joint. The formation of uric acids and its eventual hardening in the areas it has deposited itself are in greater part due to the continuous influx of foods and drinks rich in purines, exposure to cold environments, and hereditary factors.

If the body is bombardment constantly with an overabundant supply of gout causing purines from foods and drinks, combined with a body that has a compromised bodily function due to a sedentary lifestyle, or from having a predisposition to the disease through hereditary factors, then the disease has a greater chance of affecting a person of such nature, compared to one who eats a balanced and healthy diet, regularly exercises, observes moderation in eating and drinking food and drinks high in purine.

Those who have the disease know how much unbearable the pain is. As it affects the joints, being mobile will become quite restricted or may at more times be impossible to do, and also disrupt normal day to day activities like resting or sleeping. So, it’s in the best interest for all concerned to observe precautionary measures like watching ones diet, take the prescribed medicines regularly, and to adhere to the diet recommended by their physicians. Doing this help lessen its harmful and degenerating effects on the joints, and to impede its progression into becoming a grave and untreatable condition.

Although, at present, there is no cure yet for gout, there are still many ways and options available to lessen its impact and stop it from doing permanent damage on those who already have it. Adopting a healthy lifestyle by observing a healthy and balanced diet, and adhering to the doctor’s advice are just some tips to follow to keep gout from wrecking havoc on anyone’s life.

Want to learn more about chronic gout? We can not only define gout but we have a cure for it, as well. Gout is a painful but treatable disease.

Every time you visit your doctor, one of the things that is being done to you in order to determine your condition is check your blood pressure. To measure your blood pressure, your upper arm will be wrapped with an inflatable cuff. The cuff will then be inflated to temporarily cut off blood circulation and allow the blood to slowly flow back. This lets the person taking your blood pressure monitor the sounds as the blood flows through the arteries. Although your blood pressure changes from time to time, it is important to always maintain a good blood pressure. In other words, maintain a blood pressure reading below 120/80 for those in their 20s and above.

To some people, a blood pressure is just numbers. But for those who are health conscious, it is helpful if you understand what the numbers mean and why it’ is very important to regularly monitor it. By knowing your blood pressure and knowing what good blood pressure is, you will be able to prevent future and more serious heart-related diseases along with other complications of high blood pressure. Fatty deposits build-up in the arteries can cause an abnormal increase in your blood pressure, which causes the heart to extra work by pumping harder in order to supply enough blood to other parts of the body. This extra work will cause the heart muscle to enlarge and weaken. High blood pressure if left untreated will result to heart failure, even death.

So how do we make sense of these numbers? A good blood pressure reading is usually given out like a fraction number. The top number refers to the systolic pressure, which basically denotes the pressure inside a person’s blood vessel, while the figure on the bottom is known as the diastolic pressure, which basically measures the blood pressure when the heart is at rest in between heart beats. As mentioned earlier, the good blood pressure is 120/80, and if the range goes up between 120/80 to 139/89, it is then considered as a prehypertension state.

However, it doesn’t actually mean that if your blood pressure result is over 120/80, you are already hypertensive. Usually, you doctor will monitor your blood pressure within a given period of time. This is done to effectively determine your average blood pressure. Also, this is to consider the fact that blood pressure is affected by several factors such as body posture, tension, sleeping patterns, physical activities, smoking, etc…

It has been known that one of the leading causes of death is related to heart diseases, including high blood pressure. Not to mention that this condition is a silent killer. Therefore, if you think you have or are diagnosed with this high blood pressure, seek immediate medical advice to maintain a good blood pressure. There are actually available treatments to regulate high blood pressure. A change of lifestyle, regular exercise, and keeping a healthy diet can greatly help in regulating your blood pressure.

Adults in their 30s and 40s should make sure their blood pressures are checked regularly. As they say, early prevention is always better that cure. This is definitely the case if you look forward to enjoying life to the fullest and maintaining good blood pressure.

Julie Wilkinson writes about health-related conditions. To learn more about blood pressure remedies, visit her website to get additional helpful information on high blood pressure.

Anxiety can be frightening. There are several critical things to remember when you suffer the pain of anxiety. First of all, it’s normal to feel nervousness, and secondly, the majority will suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives. Anxiety is sometimes described as the result of caring, and none of us desire to go through life without caring or being cared for.

Natural cures for anxiety are about managing your physical and emotional reactions to specific circumstances and situations.

Even though there’s mediations available, there isn’t any cure for anxiety. Anxiety is about the way you live your life. For many people it’s impossible to remove anxiety from our lives. Now with a few simple techniques one can control the consequences of the stress.

Below are our top 3 tips for taking back control.

1. Breathing exercises. To function your body needs oxygen, as a result you need to breath correctly. When you find yourself anxious you may find your breathing is affected, either you hold your breath or you breath frequent, quick, shallow breaths. Both of these will increase your anxiety. If you focus on your breathing and make sure that you are breathing in and exhaling for the same length of time, and not holding your breath you’ll start to calm down. You may find that it will help to count to 3 as you breath in and also as you breath out.

2. Yoga. Yoga isn’t about tying your self in knots. Yoga is a type of meditations where you are taking the time to work together with your body. Small daily amounts of yoga will assist your stress management. During traumatic times we have a tendency to get tense muscles. Yoga helps to relax the tense muscles and it will improve your circulation. This increased circulation will help one’s body repair and will also make you feel better. Restricted blood flow may be responsible for aches and pains which we get so accustomed to that we take for granted. Removing these niggles will give the body more resources to deal with the essential things. As you become physically more comfortable you can soon find you can take care of other concerns more calmly.

3. Exercise regime. Humans were not designed to sit down at desks all day. You should exercise on a regular basis. Regular exercise will keep your blood well oxygenated and will help one’s body to thrive. If possible try and exercise outside, where there are less artificial stimuli. Take a stroll or cycle ride somewhere peaceful.

Natural cures for anxiety are one of the best long term methods to manage anxiety. It’s about being as comfortable, both mentally and physically, as possible in your daily life. Then when a demanding situation arises you will have the capacity to deal with it calmly.

Find out more about natural cures for anxiety and learn useful tips for remaining in control at http://thepanicattacksite.com

Being a smoker is more fun. This widespread myth has now been busted by British scientists. The survey, which included 880 ex-smokers, showed that roughly 70% of the ex-smokers found themselves to be happier after the smoking cessation. The fear of losing life quality is why many smokers don’t want to quit smoking, but after the initial difficult time with withdrawal symptoms, it seems that life a a non smoker by no means is worse than life as a smoker. Quite the opposite actually, a study shows, which was recently published in the journal “Nicotine & Tobacco Research”. No ex-smokers regrets having stopped smoking, but what is important is to “survive” the first difficult time with withdrawal symptoms.

Out of the 879 ex-smokers, who took part in the survey, almost 70% felt that they were happier after they had quit smoking. Less than 4% were less happy and about 26% felt no change in their mood.

The results of the study fits with my experience: It is hard to find ex-smokers who regretted that they quit. It is rather easy to find smokers who regretted that they started in the first place.

It is a widespread myth, that if you quit smoking you will lose some life quality in return of a prolonged life. But for those smokers that fight through the withdrawal symptoms, the reward is actually two fold: sure, their life is prolonged, but they also feel free of dependence, feel more confident, have a lot more energy and receives recognition from their surrounding for their accomplishment. Ex-smokers are winners.

Focus on life quality rather than health

Shift the focus from all the harmful consequences of smoking to all the positive benefits of being a non-smoker is far more efficient, when trying to motivate people. It is not fear and pointing fingers that motivates people.

Instead, we are developing new methods in which we dont to focus on diseases and health, but rather on the improved life quality, which freedom from smoke brings. The methods were developed from experiments with advice on smoking cessation for cancer patients. They were excited, partly because they felt that with a smoking cessation they themselves made a difference. Rather than being part of the problem, they were now part of the solution instead.

Better in time

The increased satisfaction is more pronounced, the longer the time that has passed since they stopped smoking. But even with ex-smokers, where the smoking stop was quite new, it was still the majority who feel happier now. Younger ex-smokers was more excited after their cessation than older people. However it did not matter whether they were heavy smokers or only smoked a few cigarettes a day.

Quitting smoking is difficult, but Ingolf Ymer provides lots of tips on how to quit smoking - visit his website and download the free ebook: Quit Smoking Now.