Grandmary

Archive for April, 2009

First of all, for all those who want to lose weight, here is the trump card: “Don’t starve!” Yes, it might sound surprising but crash diets are strict “No-No”. Also the high dose medications are not good at all ages and may lead to one or more side effects. This is the reason many experts stress on natural ways to reduce weight. They feel if one is consistent in his or her efforts, these natural ways surely give you much faster results than artificial sources.

Here we list some of the natural ways when exercised regularly give you amazing results to lose substantial kilos:

(1) Work to minimize stress in any form. When stress is relieved, your attitude towards your body modifies for better. Also you tend to eat far less than when you were stressed out.

(2) Have more number of smaller meals per day than two big meals.

(3) Reduce portions of your eatables. Yes, if you cannot avert eating sugary stuff, make sure that you eat just a small portion every time you eat it.

(4) Try not to keep sugary stuff in home if possible.

(5) Drink large quantities of water so that you get less frequent hunger spells and also your body metabolism runs well.

(6) Opt for honey instead of sugar wherever possible.

(7) Try inculcating habit of eating salads in main meals. This reduces your portion of other carbohydrate and fatty stuff.

(8) Try to inculcate different exercises in your day to day routine. Unless you vary your exercise skills, you will get bored to do same exercise daily.

(9) Set realistic goals for your weight loss regimen. Also don’t forget to reward yourself for positive outcomes at frequent intervals.

(10) Remind yourself every day that you can get thinner. The positive attitude that you build goes long way in establishing firmer rules for you and your weight loss regime.

Well, the above mentioned rules are not only for starters but also for those who have already set forth on the road to weight loss. Even those who are taking weight loss pills should exercise above mentioned rules in order to consistently lose weight and achieve healthy body parameters!

Thick hair is considered as one of the signs of beauty in ancient literature, which still holds true. The people with thick, healthy, and glowing hair always steal the show wherever they go. But the increasing stress and strain is making our lives miserable. We are always tight on schedule unable to pay attention to our hair care. This leads to early hair fall even in teenager boys and girls. Also in elderly the problem of hair fall is quite common and therefore treatment of hair fall is quite necessary.

However, the synthetic hair treatment products do not give long lasting results. Instead you can opt for herbal treatments that definitely give you wonderful results without creating any undue side effects. At least you are sure that the existing hair bunch is preserved without fail! Let’s see the top herbal treatments utilized for hair fall:

(1) Rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar and sage tea helps grow thick hair. If you suffer from itching scalp, use chamomile rinse along with this to get rid of itchiness and make your scalp tissue healthy.

(2) An oil containing marigold, arnica, and rosemary help rejuvenate your scalp tissue and enhance hair growth.

(3) Ginkyo biloba is a famous herb that is used for hair loss treatment. It is said to improve blood circulation to scalp and helps hair growth.

(4) He Shou Wu: This Chinese herb is used in tea or capsule form in many hair loss formulations that is said to reduce hair loss drastically.

(5) Add 1 tsp of marshmallow and 1tsp of burdock in hot water to prepare a tea. This is said to be very good for dry hair and dandruff scalp.

(6) It is often said that excess stress leads to hair loss. Therefore try using a mixture of jatamamsi and brahmi in equal proportions in a cup of hot water. This is said to be an excellent stress reliever.

(7) Many people use licorice extract to stop hair loss.

(8) Pure coconut oil when is massaged into scalp helps growth of healthy and glowing hair.

Yes, it’s true that you want to have positive effect on your hair without any side effects. It is better to give ample time for these herbal remedies to act. They will definitely give you good results in long run and never create any harmful reactions after using them!

Cervical cancer or cancer of cervix (the lower narrow uterine part) is one of the commonest cancers affecting women. The incidence is higher in African-American women than Caucasian women. However, the underdeveloped countries report the highest rate of cervical cancer due to lack of knowledge regarding effective screening facilities.

Every woman should know some facts about cervical cancer as much as she should know about breast cancer. This puts her in positive frame of mind and also it is then possible to avert the danger in its inception. Let’s see the facts:

(1) If you have crossed forty years of age, the “pap-smear” testing must be done to diagnose any cervical problem much in advance.

(2) After the test is done, ask your healthcare professional to describe the problem to you properly. This will enable you to know the stage of cancer if prevailing. Mild dysplasia or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) is quite common and with early treatment, complete cure can be achieved.

(3) Know the risk factors for cervical cancer. They are:

- HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection. This is one of the precursors for development of cervical cancer. The high-risk group of HPVs causes cervical cancers and not all types.

- Early age of first sexual intercourse and more number of sexual partners make woman more prone to cervical cancer.

- Women who are smokers are about twice more likely to develop cervical cancer than non-smokers.

- If the mother of a woman is given the drug Diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy to avoid miscarriage, her daughter has high chances of developing cervical cancer.

(4) The HPV vaccine is a great way to tackle HPV infections in young girls who have not yet contacted the virus through sexual contact. Even the high risk women should be vaccinated for protection against cervical cancer.

(5) Early detection of cervical cancer is the key. Diagnosed early, the cancer has good prognosis. But in late stages nothing much can be done to prevent metastasis of the cancer to distant body parts.

Well, prevention is obviously better than cure. So, beware of your sexual activity. Also check yourself regularly by Pap test and keep yourself updated about your positive health status! It’s definitely worth it!

People resolve to numerous ways to have sleek and sexy figure. Well, not all can be ramp models but surely one should act to make oneself presentable and healthier in terms of body mass index and waist hip ratio. We should definitely strive for achieving balance. But those people who cannot do it must resolve to medicines to lose weight.

The whole world is fighting the obesity epidemic and trying to bring out newer medicines to fight this together. However, there are many companies that are coming up with harmful medicines that may lead to temporary weight loss but in long run lead to one or more side effects. Therefore, one should consult his or her doctor before finally deciding which medicine to opt for. Let’s see the top types of trustworthy medicines available in the market today:

(1) Appetite suppressants: This is one of the popular types of weight loss medications that lead to reduced appetite. It is true that however one strives to diet, may not be able to fight hunger spells. The medicines containing Hoodia Gordonii and some others lead to falsifying the full feeling and thus person experiences less hunger spells than earlier. Obviously these types of weight loss pills became popular and are still popular selling pills in the market.

(2) Fat burners: The fat burners like Xenical are also opted for by many people who desire quicker weight loss. The medicines attack fat cells directly and lead to enhanced body metabolism thus reducing weight in much shorter span of time.

(3) Multi-focal effects: The combination of above mentioned properties is observed in some prescription medicines like Acai Burn which combine the effectiveness of appetite suppressants and fat burners. These types of medications have gained enormous popularity recently due to their quicker and effective weight loss.

Well, you opt for any type of weight loss medicine; you cannot skip your diet plan and exercise. It is true that people who exercise and maintain their well-sketched diet plans are the people who benefit the most from weight loss medicines. The combined efforts definitely fit you in desired limits and health prevails!

Scientists throughout the world are considering the effects of weight gain upon human system. Yes, human system is like any other machine that has to be taken care of for running smoothly. Undue variations lead to some or the other problems in this system that heralds the onset of deadly diseases.

This is the reason obesity is included in the syndrome-X of twenty first century that comprises of diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Till recently it was thought that faulty nutrition leads to deviated immune responses and frequent allergies or infections. However, the recent studies and researches have made it clear that even excess weight is linked to reduce immune responses and recurrent infections. Though exact mechanism why it happens is still not clear, scientists are able to tell us some basic concepts about obesity and reduced immune responses. Let’s see what they are:

(1) Obesity leads to reduced cell-mediated and humoral immunity. They evidently show reduced resistance to bacterial as well as viral infections.

(2) Also it is evident that the severity of bacterial as well as viral infections is much higher in obese individuals and they take more time responding to treatment than their leaner counterparts.

(3) Obesity is also a factor that causes delayed wound healing. This is also attributed to reduced immunocompetence of obese individuals.

(4) Even the obese individuals show poor antibody response to hepatitis B vaccinations.

(5) Not only obesity is related to impaired immune function but certain diets also lead to altered immune responses. It is seen that short term low-calorie diets enhance immune responses; however, low-calorie diets over longer period result in impaired lymphocyte and phagocytic functions.

(6) It is seen that gum diseases or tooth decays are also observed more in obese individuals due to their reduced immune responses to oral bacteria.

(7) Weight reduction surgery enhances the immune responses positively in the initial period.

Thus, from the above mentioned data from scientific researches says that obesity is related to impaired immunity in people of all ages. We obviously require more studies in this regard to substantiate these claims!

For millions of men on this planet, hair loss and baldness have become parts of life. This doesn’t mean alopecia doesn’t hurt them. Rather, many men suffer in silence from the critical remarks and piercing looks that hurt right inside. But not many men know that their androgenic hair loss has solution. Despite the hair loss being attributed to genetic make up of most of these men, they can find solutions in hair restoration treatment that is available in many hair treatment centers nowadays. Well, not always you need to go for surgical option. There are medical options as well.

What are the steps for male hair restoration treatment?

(1) First the expert evaluates your scalp and your general condition. It helps them decide your candidacy for hair restoration therapy.

(2) Thereafter the expert decides whether you are fit for medical hair restoration therapy or surgical restoration. The people who are experiencing the recent hairline recession are usually the candidates for non-surgical hair restoration techniques. However, those with total baldness are candidates for surgical restoration.

(3) Currently, we have got two drugs that are FDA approved for hair loss in men. They are Propecia® and Rogaine®. Propecia is a strictly male tablet that controls the hormone causing male pattern baldness. Rogaine is however useful for both men and women that is available as the topical application.

(4) Some experts for faster results however opt for hair transplant surgery along with the medical treatment to accentuate the thickening of new grafts.

(5) Follicular unit transplantation is done during hair transplant surgery that helps give you a natural and thick look.

(6) The indistinguishable look that will deceive onlookers is the specialty of hair transplant restoration therapy.

It is true that people with thick hair almost always have greater flirting quotient than those with receding hairline. If you want to impress your colleagues and friends, now the hair restoration therapy is there to help you out. Just make sure that you select the authorized hair restoration center and follow all the guidelines by the experts. This will surely start a new chapter in your life, full of promises and happiness!

If you think that for your hair fall, only solution is spending fortune in beauty parlors and hair clinics, you might be wrong. Well, it is true that you are quite desperate to stop your hair fall once and for all. But you are unable to find the right way to do this without creating any undue hassles for you and in an affordable manner.

The hair fall is the result of a combination of factors that range from hormones to heredity. It is true that while setting your goals for growing hair, you should be realistic and do not fall prey to hefty advertisements that boast to grow your hair beyond waist! If you ask the experts, almost all point out that proper application of coconut oil helps a great deal in stopping the hair loss and growing them nutritiously. Cannot believe? Let’s see how coconut oil is helpful for hair loss and how should it be applied:

(1) Warm up the coconut oil little and apply it aplenty on scalp and massage it smoothly and thoroughly. It is better if you apply it at night just before sleeping and wash it off the next day morning.

(2) The coconut oil when massaged into the scalp tissue heals the dried up scalp and provides nutrition. It enhances circulation to the scalp and provides ample moisturizing effect.

(3) Such application wards of any dandruff when massaged regularly at least twice a week.

(4)Avoid coconut oil to be applied during the day. This is the mistake most commit. You should never apply coconut oil or any oil for that matter during the day. It attracts more dust and you succumb to more dandruff that in turn leads to hair fall.

(5) Remember that the coconut oil application has to be coupled with mild shampoo bath the next day. Always use mild herbal shampoo that does not take away your moisture in the scalp.

(6) If you have excess dandruff, follow the hair massage with warm towel wrap. In this procedure, you soak the towel in warm to hot water and wrap it around the head. This helps you get rid of dandruff and nourishes scalp tissue.

Well, coconut oil obviously doesn’t cost you a lot and you can indulge into this habit twice a week without any inhibitions!

You will find that relationship between our physicality and mentality is unquestionable. Optimal health is termed as a combination of physical, mental, and emotional well-being of an individual. Obviously therefore when one aspect is faulty, the effect is seen on other as well. No wonder the term “psychosomatic” is applied to varied diseases these days. And cancer is no exception. Many theories suggest that there is a close relation between stress and cancer.

The scientists have found that individual when goes through the saddest phase of his or her life, his approach to it decides his fate. For example, if the person gets too stressed out and depressed due to certain mis-happening in life, he is more prone to developing the dreaded cancers that the person who maintains the positive attitude even through the lean period.

Let’s see some of the theories or postulates that point towards close relationship between cancer and stress:

(1) Scientists have proved in some studies that there is a relation between stress and certain virus-related tumors.

(2) There is a theory that suggests that chronic stress weakens the person’s immune system and the person is no more capable of resisting foreign probes on to his body. This might explain the occurrence of certain virus related tumors too like Kaposi’s sarcoma and other lymphomas.

(3) Stress alters body’s neuro-endocrine response to protect the body against the development of cancer. This also alters DNA repair and cell growth regulation, thus resulting in cancer.

(4) It is seen in some studies that women with breast cancer who endure some traumatic life events report early recurrence of breast cancer than other women.

(5) It is also evident that people with positive attitude and those who can handle stress better respond to cancer treatments better and the prognosis is obviously good in them than those tensed and stressed out people.

Well, all these are still in postulate stage and no definitive conclusion has been derived. But from these theories and studies, it can be said that there is a relationship between stress, trauma, and cancer. Obviously being stress free gives you many more benefits on health front. May be you can prevent cancers! How wonderful it is!

Any cancer victim needs rehabilitative programs as much as they need treatment for cancer. The breast cancer victim is no different and needs special rehabilitation programs to cater their post-surgical, post-radiotherapy, or post-chemotherapy needs. No wonder almost all good breast cancer centers have inbuilt rehabilitation centers for putting these people on the path of further recovery.

Apart from mental and psychological rehabilitation, they need physical rehabilitation. A full spectrum of rehabilitation is required for these patients in a supportive environment. When the patient undergoes surgical removal of breast and lymph nodes, usually she suffers from lack of strength and movement ability of shoulder on that particular side. The rehabilitation should comprise of:

• Occupational and physical post-op therapy
• General fitness and exercise
• Lymphedema (swollen arm) management

The rehabilitation treatment includes following:

(1) Manual lymphatic therapy
(2) Compression bandaging of the limb
(3) Exercise for general fitness and mobility
(4) Posture and breathing exercises
(5) Compression pump treatment if required
(6) Exercise for frozen shoulder or limited motion of the joint
(7) Exercises for correcting muscular imbalances resulting due to reconstructive surgeries
(8) Fitness programs to restore normalcy in overall activities
(9) Pain management with or without acupuncture
(10) Psychological counseling
(11) Nutrition counseling and planning of post-op diet
(12) Stress management and personality grooming

Apart from the above mentioned points, good center almost always give counseling sessions for the family members because they are the pillars of strength for the patient and their support means the world for her!

Depending upon the current stage of cancer and its treatment, the rehabilitation program is coined for the benefit of the patient. The patient’s physician is the active participant even in her fitness and rehabilitation program. It is him who directs and guides the rehabilitation therapist about the accurate staging of her rehabilitation program.

The woman who undergoes any kind of treatment for breast cancer is always apprehensive about further recurrence of the same. If she gets ample rehabilitation and support from her hospital and family, she recovers much faster and her mental balance is achieved sooner. She deserves better life, doesn’t she?