Monday, November 29, 2010

Benefits Of An Electrical Hospital Bed



Electric hospital beds have made a huge impact in the way patients with mobility problems have found comfort and independence.  Whether they’ve had surgery, are recovering from an accident or illness, their ability to move may be greatly compromised.  An electrical hospital bed not only provides improved quality of life and comfort, but also provides an invaluable aid for both the individual and those caring for them.

There are many benefits to owning an electric hospital bed.  Here are a few more:

·      Superior neck and back support
·      Promotes better blood circulation
·      Helps prevent acid reflux, or heartburn by raising the head of the bed
·      Side rails, which not only helps prevent falls, but aids an individual in getting in and out of bed
·      Adjustable height, an indispensible feature for people confined to a wheel chair, or with limited mobility
·       Easy to move - Most hospital grade electric beds are on wheels
·      Musculoskeletal - Muscles and bones receive more added comfort when someone is resting on an electric adjustable bed

It’s quite clear that electric hospital beds have many more health benefits than a standard bed and mattress.  Although they might be more expensive, comfort and a good nights rest are priceless.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Healthtips - Dark Circles around Eyes

The main Causes of under Dark Circles around you eyes are:

1. Lack of adequate sleep.
2. Inherited condition having a family with the kind of skin that makes dark circles more likely.
3. Fluid retention which causes puffiness that may cast shadows.
4. Aging which thins and relaxes the skin around the eyes.

Here are some of the Common Home Remedies for Treating Dark Circles around Eyes:

Tomato and Lemon Juice - Apply a paste made from a teaspoon of tomato juice, half teaspoon lemon juice, a small amount of gram flour (atta) and just a pinch of turmeric powder. Stir the mixture properly and keep it for 10 minutes. Now apply this paste over your dark circles and it would surely help to reduce them.
Used Cold Tea Bag - Application of used cold tea bag will soothe the eyes and cure dark circles of the eyes.
Chilled Cucumber Slices - Cucumber provides a soothing effect to your body - they do the same work for your outside body as water does for your inside body. Keep think slices of cucumber over your eyes and also over the dark circles. Leave them for 10-15 minutes.
Water - Drink at least 10-15 glasses of water everyday.
Mint Leaves - Apply crushed mint leaves under the eyes for 20 minutes.
Cucumber - Grate cucumber and squeeze fresh juice out of gratings. Dip two cotton balls in it and keep these cotton balls on eyes. This relaxes eyes and relieves tiredness of eyes. Considered as the best remedy for under eye dark circles.
Almond Oil and Hot Compresses - Take alternate hot and cold compresses under your eyes for 10 -15 minutes. After this apply a small amount of (1 teaspoon) almond oil mixed with half teaspoon of lime juice on the dark surface every night before you sleep.
Sleep Well - Take adequate amount of proper sleep. At least 7-8 hrs daily.
Cotton Wool Dipped in Rose Water - Take a cotton wool and dip it in rose water and keep it for 5-10 minutes on your eyes. It will help to sooth your eyes.
Cotton Balls and Rose Water - Dip two cotton balls in rose water and place them on your eyes, covering dark circles.

Healthtips - FRuits and veg cut cancer risk

Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables every day can slash the risk of developing lungcancer by a quarter, a study has revealed.

According to the study, eating at least eight types of fruits and vegetables in a day is key and more beneficial than eating only four a day.

Smokers in particular can cut their risk, but it entirely depends on the variety they eat and not just the quantity of food, reports express.co.uk.

Those eating eight or more different types of fruit and veg can reduce their chances of developing epidermoid carcinoma of the lung by up to 23 percent.

"Apart from the amount consumed, a varied diet reduces the risk of developing this cancer - above all in smokers," said Maria Jose Sanchez Perez, the Spanish co-author of the study.
--IANS

Healthtips - Vinegar can boost your good cholesterol levels


 A spoonful or two of vinegar a day may boost your levels of good cholesterol.
Researchers believe that people who consume apple cider vinegar for eight weeks will have improved levels of good or HDL cholesterol compared with those given a placebo.

A clinical trial, conducted by the University of Minnesota, US, has been looking at 120 people, half of whom had the vinegar while the others were given a placebo ­containing a two percent balsamic vinegar solution in water, reports the Daily Mail.

Apple cider vinegar, a common kitchen remedy for arthritis and gout, has already been shown to lower blood sugar levels and reduce appetite, according to a Minnesota statement.

A separate study based on animals with diabetes, has already shown that apple cider vinegar lowered levels of bad cholesterol and improved good cholesterol.

It's thought that vinegar speeds up the processing of fats.--IANS

Monday, November 22, 2010

Healthtips - Patients with kidney disease benefit from a diet high in fruits, vegetables

A diet high in fruits and vegetables can benefit patients with kidney disease, suggests a new study.



In patients with kidney disease, the Western diet produces an acidic environment in the body that has numerous negative effects and worsens with age as kidney function declines. 

Nimirit Goraya, MD (Texas A and M College of Medicine and Scott and White Healthcare) and her colleagues conducted a study to see if consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables that counteract this acidity might improve the kidney health of 40 patients who have moderately reduced kidney function due to high blood pressure. 

30 days of this diet reduced urine excretion of three indicators of kidney injury: albumin, transforming growth factor, and N-acetyl-ß-D- glucosaminidase. 

"These preliminary studies support the need for larger long-term studies to determine if this simple and relatively inexpensive intervention helps reduce the risk of subsequent worsening of kidney function in patients with hypertension-associated kidney disease," said Dr. Goraya.

Study co-authors include Jan Simoni, PhD (Texas Tech University Health Sciences); Kristine Broglio (Texas A and M University); and Donald E. Wesson, MD (Texas A and M College of Medicine and Scott and White Healthcare). 

The study abstract will be presented as a poster on Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM MT in Exhibit Halls A and F of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO.
ANI


Healthtips - Excess of TV watching may cause health hazards in teens

An Assocham survey today said that children between the age group of 6-17 years who watch television for more than 35 hours a week could severely generate a greater risk of health hazards like obesity, aggressive and violent behaviour. 



It reveals that about 90 per cent of parents say TV programmes are getting worse every year because of derogative language and adult themes in shows that air from 1900 hrs to 2200 hrs. 

About seven out of 10 parents said that they are ''very concerned'' about the amount of sexually explicit content their kids watch on TV. 

On the other hand, 54 per cent (ages 12 to 18) of kids say they watch something different when they're alone than with their parents. Seventy-six per cent choose reality show which airs at prime time. According to a study, an adult who watches three hours of TV a day is far more likely to be obese than an adult who watches less than one hour. 

The survey conducted by the industry body under its Social Development Foundation (SDF) involved more than 2,000 teenagers and 3,000 parents.

Major cities in which respondents were interviewed by Assocham-SDF include Delhi, Mumbai, GOA, Cochin, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna, Pune, Chandigarh and Dehradun and it was observed that majority (52 per cent) of kids have a TV in their bedroom and 56 per cent of Indian homes have three or more TV sets which indicates the need of the family. 

A majority of parents say they are "very" concerned about the amount of vulgar shows (71 per cent) and violence (58 per cent) their children are exposed to on TV. Nearly two-thirds of parents (63 per cent) say they favour new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours, when children are most likely to be watching. 

Most kids plug into the world of television long before they enter school, reveals the survey.

It also highlights that two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch screen an average of 2 hours a day, kids under age 6 watch an average of about 3-4 hours of screen media a day, primarily TVand videos or DVDs, kids and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4-6 hours a day in front of a TV screen

Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight, indicates the survey. 

76 per cent of the parents say that some shows encourage kids (ages 4-8) to disrespect parents and who would like to limit their children's TV watching. 

In the survey, 56 per cent of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their friends, preferred television. 

''Excessive television viewing among children has been linked to a greater risk of obesity and violent behaviour. The survey also reveals that the long-term effects of television on academic achievement have been less clear,'' said , Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat.

Mr Rawat also said that the government should play a proactive role to come down heavily on the content of TV channels which is highly aggressive, violating and harmful for impressionable mind.
--UNI

Healthtips - The most common myths about exercise

Sweating it out in the gym by doing those painful sit-ups for a six-pack? Well, it may not work out, say experts.

Among the many popular misconceptions about how to slim down or tone you body, Gillian Reeves, a fitness expert, has revealed some of the most common myths about exercise, reports the Daily Mail.

MYTH: Sit-ups are the best way to a flat tummy.

REALITY: Firstly, lots of sit-ups or crunches alone won't tone a flabby belly, you need to combine any exercise with an overall weight-loss programme: eat a balanced diet and take regular varied exercise. 

Sit-ups target the most superficial 'six-pack' core muscles, but too many of these will cause the tummy to bulge out, leading to a pot belly.

If you perform a dynamic movement such as a walking lunge while rotating the top half of your body at the same time, you target all the abdominal muscles as well as other large muscle groups that burn more calories and body fat-it is these kinds of moves that will help give you the tummy of your dreams.

MYTH: Reading will keep you entertained while you are doing a work-out.

REALITY: You may be entertained but doing this will ruin your posture, increasing the potential for injury, and will also probably distract you from working as hard as you need to. Rather than reading, listen to some music or watch a television screen.

MYTH: Weights are just for bodybuilders.

REALITY: Weights area of a gym may be a little intimidating but muscular strength and endurance are incredibly important for women too to keep the bones and joints strong.

Use weights that you can easily lift 15 to 20 times before starting to feel exhausted-this will tone and strengthen without building bulk.

MYTH: I go running three times a week for an hour, and that means I must be fit.

REALITY: If you run three times a week, your body will be fit for running. This does not mean you will be able to jump into any other activity.
Your cardiovascular system will be strong but it is recommended that some kind of weight-bearing exercise is performed two to three times a week.

MYTH: The longer and harder my exercise sessions are, the more weight I will lose.

REALITY: If you exercise hard for a long time, the body starts producing excessive amounts of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which begin to break down muscle tissue. It is very important that after you exercise intensely you rest your body for at least a day and eat well to aid recovery.

High-intensity exercise is good for heart health, but not effective for fat loss

MYTH: Doing stretches after exercise is pointless.

REALITY: Stretching at the end of a workout session is beneficial as it returns the muscles back to the pre-exercise length. This prevents them from shortening over time.
--ANI

Healthtips - Stem cells from diseased hearts can treat cardiac failure

Cardiac stem cells, even those derived from ageing or diseased hearts, could yield new muscle and tissues to treat heart failure.

Scientists surgically removed tissue from the muscular wall of the heart's chambers in a group of male and female patients. They then isolated and multiplied the cardiac stem cells found there. 

Most of the patients had ischemic cardiomyopathy - enlarged and weakened muscle due to coronary artery disease. Some also had diabetes. The average age of patients was about 65.

"Regardless of the gender or age of the patient, or of diabetes, we were able to isolate in all of them a pool of functional cardiac stem cells that we can potentially use to rescue the decompensated human heart," study author Domenico D'Amario was quoted as saying in a Harvard statement. 

D'Amario is a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Harvard, Boston, US. 

Among the patients' group, researchers obtained 20 percent more cardiac stem cells from the hearts of the women than the men. Age or diabetes status didn't affect the number of cells harvested.

These findings were presented at the American HeartAssociation's Scientific Sessions 2010.

Women have a longer life span than men, and even with heart failure their hearts generally show more resilience -- possibly explaining the researchers' finding, D'Amario said.

The heart's cardiac stem cells reserve is present regardless of patient differences in ethnicity, background, diet and other factors, he added.
--IANS

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Healthtips - Bad breadth

Bad breadth

Bad breadth"s medical term is Halitosis. It is caused by the bacterias in the mouth. Halitosis has a significant impact  personally and socially on those who suffer from it or believe they do  and is estimated to be the third-most-frequent reason for seeking dental aid, following tooth decay and periodontal disease.
Millions of bacteria live in the mouth, particularly on the back of the tongue. In many people, they are the primary causes of bad breath. The mouth's warm, moist conditions are ideal for the growth of these bacteria. Most bad breath is caused by something in the mouth.
Some types of bad breath are considered to be fairly normal. They usually are not health concerns. One example is "morning mouth." This occurs because of changes in your mouth while you sleep. During the day, saliva washes away decaying food and odors. The body makes less saliva at night. Your mouth becomes dry, and dead cells stick to your tongue and to the inside of your cheeks. When bacteria use these cells for food, they produce a foul odor.  
Causes

Bad breath can be caused by poor oral hygiene , respiratory track diseases, diabetes, sinus, liver and kidney diseases and many other. 

How to test our own breadth
Some of your friends or relatives should have hinted you about this.Now Hold your hand near your mouthand blow through your mouth and try to smell. You can easily find it.
 Lick your wrist, wait about five seconds while the saliva dries , and then smell it. What do you think? That is the way you smell.


Home remedies for badbreadth
 1.Brush your teeth, tongue and gums after meals and floss daily. This is the      important factor if your bad breath is caused by dental problems.
 2.Rinse with a mouthwash .
 3.Drinking plenty of water every day to help your body to make saliva.
 4.Sugar-free gum or sugar-free breath mints can help you keep breath fresh and prevent plaque from forming.
5.Other herbs and spices in your kitchen are natural breath enhancers. Carry a tiny plastic bag of cloves, fennel, or anise seeds to chew after odoriferous meals. 

6.While brushing, gently sweep the top of your tongue, too, so that you don't leave food and bacteria behind to breed bad breath.
7.All fruit and vegetable juices are good in the treatment of halitosis and should be taken liberally.
8.Take a glass of water and add a pinch of baking soda, mix it with a spoon. Now goggle with this water. You can do twice.
9.Fennel is a good mouth refresher. Pop some fennel after every meal.
10.Take 3 cups of water and add fenugreek seeds. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Take this twice daily. This is an excellent remedy for bad breadth.
11.Eat apples daily. It is a good remedy as it removes the bacteria causing bad breadth.
12.Chewing cardamom seed also refresh your breadth.


All these are remedies. One cant follow all of these. Try everything and choose the one which suits you. If one use these remedies daily  it is easy to get rid of this problem.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Eating a variety of fruit cuts lung cancer risk by up to 23 per cent


Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables per day is one of the means that experts most frequently recommend for preventing cancer. 

Now, the European EPIC study carried out by researchers from 10 countries has shown that, in the case of lung cancer, the important thing is not just the quantity but also the variety of fruit consumed, which can reduce the risk.

"This research looks more deeply into the relationship between diet and lung cancer," said María Jose Sanchez Perez, co-author of the study and director of the Granada Cancer Registry at the Andalusian School of Public Health.

"Aside from the amount consumed, it''s also important to take into account the variety. A varied diet reduces the risk of developing this cancer, above all in smokers," she added. 


The results of this study show that eating "more than eight sub-groups" of vegetables cuts this risk by 23 percent compared with eating "less than four sub-groups".

In addition, this risk falls by a further 4 percent for each unit added to the diet from another sub-group. 

"A significant link was only found in smokers. For every two additional units of different kinds of fruits and vegetables in the diet, the risk of lung cancer falls significantly by 3 percent. So if smokers increase the variety of fruit they eat they could have a lower risk of developing this type of cancer," the researcher said.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) involves 23 centres from 10 European countries (Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Greece, Holland, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden, working with a sample of 500,000 European subjects (41,000 of whom live in the Spanish regions of Asturias, Granada, Guipúzcoa, Murcia and Navarre). 

The study has been published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.--ANI

BABY FOOD RECIPES

BABY FOOD RECIPES - CHICKEN HEARTS APPLE
Baby food recipes

Material:
250 grams of chicken liver
2 apples, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces
3 pieces potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 tablespoons green peas

Directions:
1. Cook all ingredients until cooked.
2. Drain and puree (or chopped finely for children ages 8 months and up)

BABY FOOD RECIPES - FISH APPLE
Baby food recipes

Material:
2 pieces of fish fillets
2 apples, peeled, cut into pieces

Directions:
1. Boil the ingredients until cooked. Drain and puree.

Note:
For children 8 months, the food should not be crushed but only finely chopped. It is good to stimulate the growth of teeth and to train the muscles of the mouth and gums to bite.

BABY FOOD RECIPES - CARAPPEAR
Baby food recipes

Material:
2 stalks carrots, peeled, cut into pieces
2 apples, peeled, cut into pieces
2 pieces of pear, peeled and cut into pieces

Directions:
1. Kl Boil carrots for 10 minutes, then amsukkan apple and pear. Cook until soft.
2. Drain and puree (or chopped finely for children ages 8 months and up)

BABY FOOD RECIPES - steamed fish
Baby food recipes

Material:
1 snapper fillet (or other fish species, according to taste)

Directions:
1. Steam the fish until cooked and then mashed.
2. Can be mixed with pureed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc.).

BABY FOOD RECIPES - Broccoli POTATO
Baby food recipes

Material:
7 broccoli florets, discarding the stem
2 potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces
Chicken broth / meat taste (only boiled water chicken / meat, without salt or other seasonings)

Directions:
1. Steam the broccoli and potatoes until cooked.
2. Blend the two ingredients with the processor / blender.
3. Give the broth to taste.

BABY FOOD RECIPES - VEGETABLE INTERFERENCE
Baby food recipes

Material:
1 carrot, peeled, cut into pieces
1 piece of potato, peeled, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons green peas (can be replaced other green vegetables, eg broccoli,
zuchini, celery, etc.)
Chicken broth / meat taste (only boiled water chicken / meat, without garammaupun other seasonings)

Directions:
1. Boiled / steamed until cooked all the ingredients and puree.
2. Give the chicken broth / meat taste.

BABY FOOD RECIPES - CHICKEN SOUP
Baby food recipes

Material:
1 piece of chicken thighs, remove skin, cut meat into pieces (bones were not removed)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces
1 stick carrot, peeled, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons green peas
500 ml water

Directions:
1. Cook all ingredients until cooked.
2. Discard the chicken bones, then puree all ingredients

BABY FOOD RECIPES - puree CARROT
Baby food recipes

Material:
2 medium carrots, peeled
Boiled water to taste

Directions:
1. Steam the carrots until tender then puree. Add water as needed.
2. Presentation: Give the carrot puree as single or mixed foods
with pulp POTATO / SWEET POTATOES porridge.

BABY FOOD RECIPES - pea puree
Baby food recipes

Material:
250 grams of fresh or frozen peas

Directions:
1. Boil peas until cooked and then mashed.
2. Strain the rough skin so do not take part inedible.
3. Presentation: Give peas puree as a single food or
mixed with porridge POTATO / SWEET POTATOES porridge.