Heartburn or GERD can Kill

Heartburn is a common annoyance. The busy lifestyle, quick meals, fatty or spicy foods all contribute to the occasional need of a chewable pain reliever. The acceptance of heartburn as an inconvenient, but natural, part of the daily grind can blind you to the warning that a severe heartburn symptom can bring.

Heartburn as a Disorder

Heartburn can be a symptom as well as a disorder. Simple heartburn or GERD can be controlled and dealt with. However, heartburn can signal the presence of a much more serious problem. If it’s heartburn, you will have a burning sensation in the chest usually after eating. There may be a spread of the burning to the throat, sometimes accompanied by a bad taste, difficulty in swallowing, belching, coughing, hoarseness and/or wheezing.

It can become worse by lying down or bending over or by eating. Relief can come from an antacid. While the more severe heartburn symptoms may be mistaken for a heart attack, simple heartburn is usually not made worse by exercise. If there is any concern that the pain may signal a heart attack, get help quickly.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Why You Need to Stretch

By Sean Davids

Stretching routines are an easy, effective means of improving your fitness levels. A consistently performed stretching routine can provide you with many advantages. Many professionals recommend such a regime as a way to enhance or restore flexibility, and also to reduce your chances of injury during sporting events, workouts or simply everyday life.

One of the best benefits of stretching routines is that your mobility becomes greatly improved. With consistent stretching of your muscles, you'll keep up your current state of flexibility and also continue to improve on it. If you ever quit your stretching program, your muscles will tighten up once again and you'll become much less flexible; you'll be right back where you started.

For many people, total flexibility is the objective and they opt for stretching techniques that work all regions of their bodies during their workout. A well designed stretching program can be a big help in preventing a range of injuries that commonly take place in day to day life. If you're flexible, you're a lot less likely to sprain your ankle, strain a muscle, or pull a ligament. This happens because your muscles become skilled at moving in various directions.

If your stretching program becomes a regular habit, you are almost certain to have less pain in your joints, since you're continually loosening them up during this activity. As well, muscles that are stretched regularly are usually more healthy because they get better blood circulation. Better blood flow provides the muscles with the nutrients and oxygen that they require to become stronger.

A focused stretching routine, similar to those used in physical therapy, can enhance the strength of your muscles a great deal. And it will probably only take a few weeks if you're really determined to perform the movements.

However, a flexibility routine will be effective only if you are performing the moves properly. That's why it's so important to observe your motions carefully and make sure you're performing them properly. Therefore you're more likely to get the most benefit out of your workout.

A stretching routine will improve your sense of well being and boost your body image, whether your objective is muscle toning or an increase in strength. Performing a stretching routine at least three times a week is the best way to reap the benefits.

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How Much Protein Should I Eat

By Pierra Kierra

Thanks to rise of whey protein, extra protein consumption has become very popular. Bodybuilders have been taking extra protein for a long time now but it was never really this easy and painless to get so much protein into your system at will. But that begs the question, what quantity of protein should we eat each day? The answer depends on your body mass and diet but it can still be calculated easily.

Be aware of the fact that too many proteins can disrupt your digestion and can even cause aversion towards meat or other protein food or even provoke a lack of appetite. Too many proteins can lead to dehydration and also damage the kidneys. If you decide to eat a lot of proteins, make sure you drink a lot of water.

How much protein should I eat if I work out regularly?

Calculate the protein amount based on the calories quantity. If you work out this means you need to double the quantity of proteins because the muscles are worked harder and the proteins will help them grow. The recommendation is 1g protein for every 1lb of body mass. A man that has 150lb and 10% body fat needs 135g of protein each day. This is for people who work out at least three times a week.

What quantity of protein should i be eating when im on a diet?

Since you are not working out stick to the 35% of your daily calorie intake we previously mentioned and just limit your protein consumption to that. Any excess protein will just go out as waste.

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Reasons To Be Kind To Your Nerves or the Saturday Night Nerve Palsy

By Jonathan Blood Smyth

You may be familiar with the picture, either personally or from a story somebody told you. A young man goes out for the evening, all dressed up and smelling of aftershave. He meets his mates in the pub and has a few beers, starting off the process of intoxication which continues most of the night. After the pub there is the nightclub and more drinking until it's time to roll out and round to the kebab house to have a snack. After a bit more hanging about he goes home or to one of his mates' houses to watch television, chat and perhaps drink a little more.

He's going to have a hangover in the morning but there is no surprise there and he certainly won't be. The thing he doesn't expect is falling asleep for some time in the odd position he last happened to adopt whilst watching the TV. He's sitting sideways on a chair and has draped his arm over the back of the chair and that's how he has fallen asleep. Some hours later he wakes up and finds himself in the same position. The arm is numb but he shakes it about and rubs it to get it back to life like we often have to when we lie on our arm at night.

If we adopt an odd or stressful position when we sleep the increasing discomfort in the part wakes us up or we naturally just move to a better posture. When we are drunk however we may not do this and this was the problem which allowed the bodily structures in his armpit to suffer significantly increased stresses for perhaps some hours before he finally woke. The arm will hardly move at all and he becomes concerned when it does not respond to shaking and rubbing by recovering its movement.

Reacting to stimuli is what nervous tissues are designed to do but they can react in negative fashion if the applied stimulus is too large or lasts too long. Pressure applied for a long period or a direct blow to an area can both cause nerve trauma, with honeymooners' palsy being the term for nerve damage caused by one partner using the other's arm as a pillow during sleep. Longer term nerve pressure can disrupt the blood supply to the nerve and compromise the function of the nerve, a condition called neurapraxia.

A neurapraxia is the mildest form of the classification categories of nerve injuries which also includes axonotmesis and neurotmesis. In a neurapraxia the nerve is damaged but there is no mechanical disruption of the structure of the nerve sheath or the axon within, so regeneration does not need to occur as in the more severe syndromes. The conduction of impulses is interrupted by the trauma, leading to a loss of motor power with a variable amount of sensory change. There may be a lack of local blood supply from compression which leads to local biochemical changes in the nerve.

The paralysis which leads to loss of function of the arm is temporary and can resolve in hours. However, in even average cases it can be six to eight weeks before the slow improvement occurs and normal strength returns to the arm. There is mostly a greater interruption of muscle power with feeling and sweating/circulation control of the arm less affected. As this can be serious the person should be examined by a doctor, for although there may be little to be done but wait, the sufferer needs to have the problem explained and be instructed how to look after their arm until it recovers.

Once the paralysis has occurred the arm will need to be supported by a sling to prevent shoulder problems and the person taught to check the arm regularly if there is any sensory loss. Sensory loss means that the arm can be damaged without the person realising it, so they have to be vigilant in looking after the limb until it recovers. Other ways of getting this kind of nerve trauma is in sport, by leaning against a solid edge for a long time or by falling asleep on the toilet for some hours.

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The Modern Juicer and How To Buy The Best One

By Mike Riley

Buying a juicer for the home can be very confusing and mind boggling sometimes, considering the fact that there are so many of them available these days. I first became aware of the the benefits of juicing after purchasing a Lalanne Power Juicer. There are many available and a lot of people end up purchasing an unsuitable one.

It is important to first realize the reason for buying a machine and then go ahead looking for one. As fruit and vegetable juicing machines are different from wheatgrass juicers it is advisable to know the differences. Before going out and making a purchase, making a list of features you desire is a useful exercise.

There are many different power juicers around in the shops. It can be confusing trying to choose between a centrifugal juicer, a masticating machine, and a twin gear juicer. Centrifugal machines are the most common and more affordable than the other juicers.

Due to the high speed of the centrifugal juicers they are most suitable for juicing vegetables and fruit. They are, however, not particularly suitable for foods like spinach, wheatgrass and lettuce. In order to prevent any of the juice going to waste it is often advisable to buy a single or twin blade machine. There are special types of juicing machines on the market for these types of foods. One of the most suitable types is the Miracle-mj 500 Juicer. They have the advantage of usually being quite cheap and contain no aluminium parts and are particularly easy to operate. With Masticating machines, the low speed units help produce high quality juice as a result of reduced oxidation.

I would advise checking the guarantee of any machine prior to purchasing. A good juicer will have a guarantee range of 5- 10 years. Also it is advisable check the blades and the quality of the blades as a lot will need replacing after two to four months of normal use. It is important to consider the yield that the juicer produces because this factor determines the output. Ideally you want less waste and more juice. A motor rating of about four hundred and twenty watts is recommended as heat produced from using a much higher power motor can often destroy the juice due to oxidation.

A branded machine such as the Jack Lalanne Power Fruit Juicer is often a better investment than a non branded machine. The reason is that replacement parts are more readily avaialble and often a lot cheaper.

Other than making fruit and vegetable juicers, many more modern machines can be used for different functions. Surprisingly, they can be used to make many products including ice cream, nut butters and pasta. The modern juicer is truly a versatile machine.

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Exercise, A Way To A Healthy Diet

By Dennis Miller

Exercise is always associated with good healthy diet. It is by far one of the most important factors for one to have an effective and healthy diet.

To be victorious with exercise"especially if it's not normally part of your routine, is to look for ways to integrate it into your daily lifestyle, instead of just getting exercise whenever you have a free time. Integration is the key. Look for any chance to get more exercise like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from your office and walk, as long as you're actively moving around, you'll be burning off more calories than if you were sitting. A helpful tip is to schedule your exercise as you would other activities during the day"put it in your calendar, work it into your routine as a planned activity"or it will get pushed aside.

As has been said, one of the most helpful and healthy diet tips is through exercising. Why does exercise always get linked with diet? Primarily because it helps you reach your goals of losing fat and looking great in a healthy way. But first let us define the meaning of exercise. Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health. It is performed for many different reasons.

These include strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance and for enjoyment. Frequent and regular physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the "diseases of affluence" such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

It also improves mental health and helps prevent depression. Childhood obesity is a growing global concern and physical exercise may help decrease the effects of childhood obesity in developed countries (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia). Regular exercise helps to improve how well your heart and lungs work, maintain a healthy weight or help you lose weight, improve balance, muscle tone and joint flexibility, relieve stress and tension and improve your mood, and reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and diabetes.

Indeed, the benefits of exercising are awesome! It is in fact the best diet advice one could ever have and could ever give.

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