The Health Blog

A new study finds out. This study was a follow up on previous researchers on the effects of coffee, caffeine particularly, on expectant mothers. Previous studies suggest that drinking just a couple cups of coffee a day doesn’t pose much of a threat. However, the latest research proves this these findings wrong.

The study founds out that women who said they drank more than two cups of coffee per day had nearly double the risk of miscarriage compared with women who consumed no caffeine.

One of the approach to treatment of essential hypertension is lifestyle change. Here are the easy ways on changing your lifestyle:

1. Stop smoking. It has been emphasized in various health articles that smoking can cause hypertension. About 30% of all deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are directly related to cigarette smoking. That’s because smoking is a major cause of coronary artery disease especially in younger people.

How Does Smoking Increase Heart Disease Risk?

The nicotine present in smoke causes:

* Decreased oxygen to the heart.
* Increased blood pressure and heart rate.
* Increase in blood clotting.
* Damage to cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels.

2. Lose weight if overweight. Maintain body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2. For every 10 kilogram weight loss, BP drops by approximately 5-20 mmHg.

3. Reduce sodium intake (<2 g of sodium or approximately <6 g of sodium chloride).

I got this from an e-mail which provides information about the health benefits of some common foods.

Food as Medicine:

1. HEADACHE? EAT FISH! Eat plenty of fish — fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

2. HAVE FEVER? EAT YOGURT! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season. Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.

3. TO PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA! Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading….Green tea is great for our immune system)!

4. INSOMNIA (CAN’T SLEEP?) HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.

5. ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS!!!! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (when I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).

6. ARTHRITIS? EAT FISH, TOO!! Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)

Although, it feels miserable to experience it, nausea and vomiting are usually part of a healthy pregnancy. These presumptive symptoms of pregnancy usually appears in early pregnancy and typically disappears during the middle third of second trimester.

Reduce the symptoms by trying these home remedies:

1. Diet Modification:
- Eat small amounts of food frequently.
- Avoid spicy and fatty foods, and foods with odors that bother you.
- Try eating simple carbohydrates, such as saltine crackers, unbuttered toast, plain baked potatoes, white rice, gelatin desserts, broth, pretzels, popsicles, herbal or decaffeinated tea with sugar, or non–diet ginger ale.
- Combine these simple carbohydrates with a serving of protein, especially right before bed to minimize swings in blood sugar that may contribute to nausea.
- Drink liquids between meals and not during meals to minimize nausea and vomiting.
- Keep crackers at the bedside table to help with nausea in the morning.

A recent study found out that too much stress may not only spoil your mood, it may also spoil your smile.

57% of recent studies reviewed showed a positive relationship between gum disease and stress and related psychological symptoms like distress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

The elevated levels of cortisol, referred to as the “stress hormone” is said to play a role in these negative effects of stress on gums. Further, stress may make people more lax about their oral health habits.

We already have known some proven benefits of coffee. An additional benefit was found out in a recent report.

Participants reported their coffee-drinking habits. The data show that coffee drinkers were 41% less likely to have been diagnosed with liver cancer than people who don’t drink coffee.

For every daily cup of coffee people drank, their odds of having been diagnosed with liver cancer dropped by 23%, compared with people who never drink coffee.

People who drank a lot of coffee were 55% less likely to have been diagnosed with liver cancer than those who didn’t drink any coffee.

Eating lots of sugary, starchy foods may make eyes more vulnerable to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), America’s top cause of vision loss - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

AMD typically starts late in life. It affects the retina, located in the center of the eye. AMD can cause vision loss. Previous research shows that diets rich in antioxidants might help prevent AMD.

The new study adds one more diet tip: Go for carbohydrates that don’t make your blood sugar spike quickly.

Doing so might help prevent AMD, note the researchers. They included Chung-Jung Chiu, DDS, Ph.D., and Allen Taylor, Ph.D.. They work in Boston at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

WebMD reports about the recent food poisoning incident at this year’s Tase of Chicago Food Festival held from June 29 to July 2, which sent at least 10 people to the hospital and sickened more than 100 others. At least nine festival-goers were infected with salmonella, presenting as fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody.

Most people recover from salmonella infection within a week. But some cases may be severe and even life-threatening. Babies, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems are more likely to experience severe illness from salmonella infection.

Food poisoning incidents can happen everywhere, at a family reunion, at a festival, at a restaurant or even at home. The good news is, it can be avoided if people were cautious enough. Experts suggested ways to prevent food poising:

Incredibly, there are also indications that EPA might increase brain size. Scans have revealed regeneration in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for memory, reason and processing information. This direct impact on the brain could be why EPA has demonstrated such a profound effect on mental functioning and on mood.

Numerous other studies have shown that EPA reduces the risk of sudden death in heart attack patients and possibly plays a significant role in reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. It lowers bad cholesterol and reduces triglyceride levels; it thins the blood and lessens the risk of atherosclerosis. It can improve skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne and eczema, and helps to alleviate the inflammation and pain associated with arthritis and the list just goes on and on.

Product Details
Book Publisher: McGraw-Hill (10 February, 2005)
ISBN: 0071444815
Book author: Mason W. Freeman, Christine E. Junge
Amazon Rating: 5.0

Book Description:
From the experts at one of the world’s most respected medical schools–your complete guide to managing cholesterol and staying healthy for life. Everybody knows that high cholesterol is something to be concerned about. But what does it really mean when your doctor tells you that your cholesterol levels are high, and what should you do about it? If you’re worried about your cholesterol, here’s your chance to get the answers you need from a top expert at the Harvard Medical School.

Women’s Health Magazine lists 100 simple ways to burn calories. Do five of them a day and you can lose a pound a week. The list shows us that it is possible to lose weight from simple daily activities.

1. Slather on lip balm 765 times.

2. Relive the ’80s. Lip sync George Michael’s Faith 16 times.

3. DVR an episode of Arrested Development and watch it commercial free. (Ten straight minutes of laughter can burn 40 calories–no joke.)

4. Watch the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. (Serious stuff doesn’t scorch as many.)

5. Wiggle while you watch for 40 minutes: Fidgeters burn up to 350 more calories a day than couch potatoes.