Camsdcute’s Lair

Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Yahoo.com just recently published 10 weight loss tips that work in one minute or less. Two of the ten items listed are quite new to me:

4. Sip green tea before a walk
The caffeine frees fatty acids so that you burn fat more easily. And the polyphenols (antioxidant compounds) in green tea appear to work with caffeine to increase calorie burn. (If you have high blood pressure, skip this tip.)
7. Sprinkle flax on cereal
High-fiber ground flaxseed can help curb your appetite and eliminate calories. Add it to yogurt or muffin and bread mixes–it’s available in health food stores.
Source: http://health.yahoo.com/featured/83/10-weight-loss-tips-that-work-in-one-minute-or-less/
First, I didn’t know that caffeine and antioxidant compounds are found in green tea and are active elements when it comes to burning calories. In addition, I’m not sure why this is not recommended to those with high blood pressure. The other point is related to flaxseed which I didn’t know that helps restrain appetite. These are just two steps that may help anybody that wants to lose weight, though it may not be as effective as weight loss dietary supplements if done inconsistently. Note however that the key to proper weigh loss is discipline and hard work.

It’s the love month or month of the hearts as other people may call it, so it’s just the right time to discuss tips on taking care of the heart.

Here are some foods that may be consumed to prevent some heart diseases. These are taken from several health sites and magazines.

• Garlic
• Salmon, Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Berries and Cherries
• Quinoa
• Hot Cocoa
• Oatmeal / Oat Bran
• Walnuts, Almonds
• Foods Fortified with Plant Sterols or Stanols (margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks, fruits and vegetables)

The ones listed above are natural sources heart-loving substances. For some people though, their issue is not just on heart ailments but on their weight as well. Some best weight loss products are out there that may also benefit your heart. It’s highly recommended that you consult your doctor or physician prior to taking in any medications.

Detox is a buzz word nowadays especially for the health conscious. Some would engage in different actions like taking in detox pills, drinking teas claiming to have detoxifying benefits, and seeking natural colon cleansing and other detox programs in general.

Here are some ways to detoxify your body naturally and start living a healthier life.

• Eat healthy diet. Eliminate fat from your meals
• Increase fiber intake
• Drink enough water a day – 8 glasses minimum
• Exercise daily. Sweating is a need to excrete some body waste.
• Minimize toxins by eating organic food and avoiding food additives and other chemicals (drugs, food additives and preservatives, etc)
• Take some Vitamins

Christmas is over. New Year is next. That’s another week of dining sumptuous meals and drinking some wine. Soon afterwards, many people will be seeking ways to lose weight fast to eliminate all those calories gained during the holiday season.

MSN has provided a list of 50 ways to cut 500 calories a day and each could be effective in one way or another. Among the listed items, my favorites are as follows:

Don’t eat in front of the TV – Whenever I eat in front of a television, I end up eating more – slowly but continuous.
Use smaller plates – My mom and dad did this when I was young but did not see the impact since I was a kid then. Whenever I go home and see the same plate that we used years ago, I realize that it takes me 2-3 platefuls to satisfy my hunger. Note that to make this effective, discipline is still the key.
Play a game of touch football or basketball – Having any sport that helps burn fats and would require physical activity is a good alternative, as long as you keep those muscles moving.

For most people, fats have been generally considered as something bad. The truth is, fat doesn’t necessarily cause disease, and can actually play an important role in its prevention. That’s something weird especially to those seeking fast weight loss solution. The truth however is that there really are good fats that benefit us.
In order to better understand, it’s nice to know some good and bad fats found in most of our diet.

The Good Fats

Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). These are usually found in foods such as including peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pistachios, avocado, canola and olive oil are high in MUFAs.

Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and are found in seafood like salmon and fish oil, and others like corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils. Omega 3 fatty acids is also classified under this.

The Bad Fats

Saturated Fats
Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). These are typically found in animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil.

Trans Fats
Trans fats are invented as scientists began to “hydrogenate” liquid oils so that they can withstand better in food production process and provide a better shelf life. As a result of hydrogenation, trans fatty acids are formed. Trans fatty acids are found in many commercially packaged foods, commercially fried food such as French Fries from some fast food chains, other packaged snacks such as microwaved popcorn as well as in vegetable shortening and hard stick margarine.

Source: HealthCastle.com.

Most companies now partner with different healthcare businesses to offer a good package to their employees. As an employee, it’s highly recommended that you avail of such because of its added benefits. Some of the benefits available include free medical check-up, discounted medicine prices, reimbursable medicine expenses, dental implants plano support, eyewear cost reimbursement, support for maternity expenses, and a lot more.

Each company’s healthcare plan actually depends on its partnership with these healthcare firms. There are those that offer limited coverage, but there are also platinum partnerships that provide complete set of package for anyone’s healthcare needs. In general, such benefit would mandate both salary deduction and a portion paid by the company. Remember that this is one item that you should ask from the human resources department when working for any company.

Nowadays, more and more people are becoming health conscious. This is true especially for those who had first hand experience of the effect of illnesses in themselves or their relative.

There are numerous ways in promoting a healthy lifestyle, and everything usually starts from a healthy diet. Taking in healthy foods promotes better fitness and longer life. It’s very much recommended that you select the healthy foods for you and your family. For example, when doing grocery, you need to be careful in choosing the right items. Try to choose healthy foods such as milk, cereals, fruits, vegetables and more. Stay away from the junk food section to stop you from being tempted to pick an item and drop in your cart. Remember that having a healthy diet is sometimes a lot better than being dependent on diet supplements. You don’t need to be very keen on the actual measure of each food you intake against its recommended daily allowance (RDA). Just eat normally but be conscious on the kind of food that you take in. Take away too much salt, fat or sugar from your diet. Couple this with enough physical and mental exercise. Remember that having a healthy lifestyle will be very beneficial to you in the long run.

A double chin and fat belly. These are signs that you need to lose some weight especially if you don’t have them before. There are lots of ways to do so. One would be controlling your diet – having ample food intake and without much carbohydrates and fats. For some, a diet supplement will help. In addition, regular exercise is highly recommended. You can hit the gym or engage in sports such as swimming, biking, basketball and more. The idea is to increase your physical activities. A healthy diet and constant exercise will surely help to stay fit and healthy.

Visiting your doctor at least twice a year is a must as part of caring for your teeth as advised by most health organizations, doctors, health and wellness seminars, and even science subjects in school. To accommodate this, some hospitals and clinics offer affordable or low cost dental care. Some even offer free dental care to some communities especially if these are sponsored by the government of other organizations. Sometimes, there’s even a need for emergency dental attention.

In order to find dental services around your area, it’s best to keep yourself aware of the events within your area. Some print and multimedia ads relates to this concern. Another way is to familiarize yourself with different dental clinics in your area. A southpark dentist might be near you that can address you concern. One good source this information is the online yellow pages.

As of this writing, links dental services in the following area are listed in the website.

• Alabama – Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery
• Alaska – Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau
• Arizona – Chandler, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Glendale, Kingman, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson
• Arkansas – Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Little Rock
• California – Anaheim, Antioch, Bakersfield, Berkeley, Burbank, Chula Vista, Concord, Corona, Costa Mesa, Daly City, Downey, El Monte, Elk Grove, Escondido, Fairfield, Fontana, Fremont, Fresno, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Glendale, Hayward, Huntington Beach, Inglewood, Irvine, Lake Tahoe, Lancaster, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Modesto, Moreno Valley, Norwalk, Oakland, Oceanside, Ontario, Orange, Orange County, Oxnard, Palm Springs, Palmdale, Pasadena, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, Redding, Richmond, Riverside, Roseville, Sacramento, Salinas, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Clarita, Santa Rosa, Simi Valley, Stockton, Sunnyvale, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Vallejo, Ventura, Victorville, Visalia, West Covina,
• Colorado – Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Lakewood, Pueblo, Thornton, Westminster
• Connecticut – Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury,
• Washington DC
• Delaware – Dover, Wilmington
• Florida – Boca Raton, Cape Coral, Clearwater, Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Gainesville, Hialeah, Hollywood, Jacksonville, Miami, Miami Gardens, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Bay, Pembroke Pines, Pensacola, Pompano Beach, Port St. Lucie, Saint Petersburg, Tallahassee, Tampa,
• Georgia – Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Marietta, Savannah,
• Hawaii – Honolulu, Kailua Kona
• Idaho – Boise, Lewiston, Pocatello,
• Illinois – Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, Joliet, Naperville, Peoria, Rockford, Schaumburg, Springfield,
• Indiana – Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, South Bend,
• Iowa – Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Sioux City
• Kansas – Dodge City, Kansas City, Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee Mission, Topeka, Wichita
• Kentucky – Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville
• Louisiana – Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Metairie, New Orleans, Shreveport
• Maine – Bangor, Portland
• Maryland – Baltimore, Bethesda, Columbia, Cumberland, Rockville, Salisbury, St. Charles
• Massachusetts – Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, New Bedford, Newton, Springfield, Worcester
• Michigan – Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Marquette, Petoskey, Saginaw, Sterling Heights, Traverse City, Troy, Warren
• Minnesota – Duluth, Mankato, Minneapolis, Moorhead, Rochester, Saint Paul, St. Cloud, Young America
• Mississippi – Biloxi, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Tupelo
• Missouri – Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Independence, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis
• Montana – Billings, Great Falls, Missoula
• Nebraska – Lincoln, North Platte, Omaha
• Nevada – Henderson, Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Reno
• New Hampshire – Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, Salem
• New Jersey – Atlantic City, Edison, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Princeton, Trenton
• New Mexico – Albuquerque, Clovis, Gallup, Las Cruces, Roswell, Santa Fe
• New York – Albany, Bronx, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Long Island, New York, New York City, Rochester, Staten Island, Syracuse, Yonkers
• North Carolina – Cary, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh, Wilmington, Winston Salem
• North Dakota – Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot
• Ohio – Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown
• Oklahoma – Enid, Lawton, Muskogee, Norman, Oklahoma City, Tulsa,
• Oregon – Beaverton, Eugene, Gresham, Pendleton, Portland, Salem
• Pennsylvania – Allentown, Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Wilkes Barre
• Rhode Island – Providence
• South Carolina – Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Greenville, Myrtle Beach
• South Dakota – Aberdeen, Rapid City, Sioux Falls
• Tennessee – Chattanooga, Clarksville, Knoxville, Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville
• Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Carrollton, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Fort Worth, Garland, Grand Prairie, Houston, Irving, Killeen
• Laredo, Lewisville, Lubbock, McAllen, McKinney, Mesquite, Midland, Pasadena, Plano, Richardson, Round Rock, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls
• Utah – Provo, Salt Lake, West Jordan, West Valley City
• Vermont – Burlington, Montpelier, White River Junction
• Virginia – Alexandria, Arlington, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach
• Washington – Bellevue, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Yakima
• West Virginia – Charleston, Clarksburg, Huntington
• Wisconsin – Appleton, Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee
• Wyoming – Casper, Cheyenne, Rock Springs

Visit the yellow pages here.

One of the latest and hottest issues nowadays is Obama’s healthcare law. It can be remembered that the healthcare is one of the topic that was always brought up during the campaign period. During the first days of Obama, it is one of the issues that he wants to address. So far, there is no bill signed yet but many are hoping that it will benefit the majority.

In most industrialized countries, health care is one of the benefits that most people are availing of. Most businesses specifically include this in the compensation and benefits packages offered to employees. In some cases however, such benefits are not enough to cover all expenses. That is why some medical and health institutions such as BCBSNC offer private packages to individuals who want to increase their medical coverage. Local companies like Medicard and Maxicare offer comparable products. The general purpose is similar across all industry players, and that is to provide the best health care plan available.

A good healthcare plan is one of the things that people must consider, especially those who have dependents relying on them. Sure, this entail costs, but the benefit far outweighs that especially when an illness hits you. Just choose the right package suitable to your needs and your financial capability.