Tag: Optimum Health

What You Can do to Lower Your Cholesterol

Experts say that people who are over 20 years of age should pay more attention to their cholesterol level and advise them to do everything they can to lower their levels of bad cholesterol. Despite the so many claims that you can lower your cholesterol level through low cholesterol diet plans, lifestyle changes, and monitored medication, more and more people who suffer from this condition still fail to lower their cholesterol level.

Although it is sometimes hard to stick with the needed requirements to be able to lower your cholesterol levels, it is still possible to get the result that you want by following these easy ways to lower to cholesterol:

1. Make sure you know where you stand by getting your levels checked regularly. Visiting your doctor and getting your cholesterol levels checked regularly is very important to achieving optimum health for good. Since high cholesterol is related to cardiovascular disease, make sure that you know your numbers so you can rearrange your diet and change lifestyle habits as well. Knowing your cholesterol level will also help you decide what kind of diet plan you should follow and if you need medication and treatment already. Knowing your starting point will also help you monitor your progress toward healthy cholesterol levels. If you know your exact cholesterol status then you can also do something to combat it by learning to quit cigarette smoking and excessive eating of high cholesterol foods.

2. Understanding the basics and learning everything you can about the condition. If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels, the first thing to do is to understand the situation fully and acquire more information about the condition. By conducting your own personal research on the condition will also make you knowledgeable about initial lifestyle changes you can do to lessen the problem and you will also have an idea what other treatments options available. Knowing everything about cholesterol, its types, kinds, and health risks will also make you understand that the case is not really hopeless if you are in the right track.

Finding and getting more information about the condition will also make you realize that there are so many things that you can do. You can get more information from a registered dietician, local centers for nutrition, local hospital or public health department, and from a consultation with your attending physician or health care provider.

3. Watch your weight and get rid of extra pounds if needed. Monitoring your weight is one of the best ways to combat high levels of cholesterol. If you think you are overweight for your age and height, then you should be contemplating on slimming down to be able to decrease your high cholesterol level. Since being overweight disrupts a persons normal metabolism of dietary fat, experts say that people who weight more than they should shout start planning on a healthy lifestyle and diet to lose weight safely.

But, before having a drastic change in your diet and lifestyle, make sure that you visit your doctor first to access your overall health. Doing this may prevent further damage especially if you have to undergo certain medications.

4. Get physical, do regular physical activities and exercises more often. The wonders of exercise are indeed very essential in lowering high cholesterol levels. Doing regular physical activities can also help raise the good cholesterol levels and lose weight as well. Theres really no need for high-intensity workouts, regular brisk walking or jogging can help the body boost HDL cholesterol and also beneficial for the heart.

5. Make a commitment and stick to that commitment. The best way to lower cholesterol levels is to be able to develop the discipline to stick to your goal. You can also lower your cholesterol level by acquainting yourself what are the good and the bad fat and its sources, by discovering the wonders of fiber in cutting down cholesterol, by taking in good multivitamins, by freeing yourself from lots of stress, and by exploring and considering treatment options when all else fails.

How can health drinks help you get better sleep

Nowadays, more and more experts agree that taking vitamins and mineral supplements in liquid form can be quite effective in achieving optimum health. This is because in this form, the body can absorb the nutrients it needs easily. For this reason alone why may companies decided to come with health drinks in liquid form such as those in juices while others come up with powder form which should be consumed along with liquid. And also for this reason why more and more people who are having trouble to get better sleep are hooked into these drinks.

Experts agree that people, these days, are very lucky because there is a continuous research and science experiment that aim to provide healthier and better tasting health drinks. In fact, health drinks come with variations of fruits, vegetables, enzyme grains, nuts, seeds, and other herbs to make them more appetizing and also contain ingredients that can help people get better sleep.

Other benefits of health drinks

These days, health drinks are reported to react differently to people who are using them. These also react depending on the purpose of the person using it. Experts say that the health drinks available in the market today can be categorized depending on the need of the consumers. There are those that are made to just deliver essential mineral and vitamins in the body. And, there are also those that are aimed towards increasing energy levels or increasing the muscle reaction to certain activities.

No matter which one you choose, rest assured that you can benefit from it once used in moderation. Aside from delivering essential vitamins and minerals and increasing energy that help a person get better sleep, the following are other benefits of health drinks:

– It satisfies the hunger and gives a sense of fullness. In a fast-paced, busy environment people are living in today, it is a must to have a source of energy at all times. One of the reasons why more and more people are into health drinks is to make up for the lost vitamins and minerals when they need to skip meal due to busy schedule.

– It improves overall health. Since most health drinks are packed with vitamins and minerals, it can help you fight off common diseases by consuming it regularly.

– It helps enhance mental stability. The nutrients in most health drinks are aimed to produce oxygen that keeps the blood vessels clear. Once a person takes in these nutrients regularly, it can help them have greater focus in the things that they do either at work or at home.

Although many health drinks are available in the market today, not all of these can give you the nutrients that you need. Before you buy or consume a health drink, try to ask your doctor first which are the ones he or she can recommend that would best suit your needs. If you prefer to buy on your own, make sure that these do not contain ingredients that can be harmful to you such as phosphoric acid, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and sweeteners, artificial dyes and coloring, processed vitamins, and modified food starches.

Make sure that the health drink that you are about to consume is not liquefied or pasteurized, have live enzymes from chlorophyll to aid better absorption. It should also has natural antioxidants that can help combat free radicals and are made whole food ingredients to be safe and will not cause any problems for you get better sleep.

Detox- Cleansing the Body Inside Out

Detoxification has been a lengthy discussion ever since. Whether to detox or not, is up to you.

Even though you are ‘healthy’ this does not mean that you don’t need to detox. Sure our body does this on a continual basis, our kidneys and livers are constantly working by cleaning out all the pollutants (smoke, caffeine, chemical-based products etc) in our body. Detox strengthen our organs back to optimal function.

Basically, this is done through fasting, therefore resting the organs and stimulating the liver by pushing away the toxins from the body. Nourishing the body with healthy nutrients is also done to maintain optimum health. It has been practiced for centuries around the world by different cultures.

Although a lot of people want whole body detoxification, some wants to have a detox on a particular organ only, such as the kidney, liver or colon. During kidney cleansing, herbal supplements and juices are used to dissolve and wash out kidney stones; particular foods are consumed in liver cleansing causing the gall bladder and liver to remove fatty deposits and toxins out of the body. Colon cleansing on the other hand, gently flushes the colon with water providing a pathway for the release of toxins.

There are also techniques used in whole body cleansing such as:

Fasting. Water or juice fasting is applied for a period of time to lessen toxic loads in the body causing the body to heal itself and nourish inside out.

Parasite cleaning. Right amount of pills or tinctures made out of bitter herbs are consumed to build an unreceptive environment for the parasites inside the body.

Contrast Shower. The contrast among hot and cold water enhances circulation, helps in detoxifying thus having a stronger immune system. This also helps by bringing oxygen, nutrients and immune cells towards damaged and stressed tissue and flushes metabolic waste and other toxins.

Sauna, yoga, exercise, raw food dieting and dry skin brushing also enhance the body’s natural cleansing process.

Other Detoxifying aids

There are a number of safe products that helps in the cleansing process such as cleansing supplement packages (with easy-to-follow instructions), detox foot patches, commercially prepared detox teas, Epsom salts, high-class multivitamins for daily intake and antioxidants like Q10 and E that can be found at health food stores.

Before and after side effects:

As the procedures differ, so do the benefits.

During the detox, you’ll most likely feel the side effects that take place during the first few days such as headaches, feeling weak, sore muscles, cranky moods and unable to sleep soundly.

There are also a number of positive side effects days after the cleansing process. You will feel energetic, mental clarity improved, skin is clearer, improved sleep, and have a positive attitude in life for a fresh start.

Detoxification is safe and beneficial for our health. It is suggested that each one should at least have a short detoxification program yearly. However, children, nursing mothers, and patients with cancer, chronic degenerative illness and tuberculosis should consult their physician first for approval and supervision or find someone who is familiar with detox.

If you decide to award your body with holiday, find a nutritional therapist who is familiar with detox.

Here’s how:

You can call your friends who are into health foods and alternative medicines, ask them for a person who they can refer. Another way is to search in the yellow pages under nutrition or by looking for ads in health publication in your locality. Get the name of someone you found whose name appears in more than one place and check for his profile, like from which school he/she attended the training and if it’s an accredited one. Also ask how long he’s been in practice.

Sinus Infections

Modern living has its consequences. There are now complex health conditions and problems that arise like sinus infections. But because of todays modern world, there are also lots of medications and treatments for different kinds of illnesses or diseases.

Achieving optimum health is not as easy as you think. People are already used to bad diets, polluted areas, and unhealthy lifestyles. Because of this, they are more prone to chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sinus problems, and many other health conditions.

Antibiotics are overused these days. People tend to use them in inappropriate conditions and so it complicates thing further. There are even times when sinus infections dont react or respond to antibiotics especially if the root cause is fungus. Antibiotics can be narrow or broad spectrum.

The right antibiotic should be prescribed at the right health condition or problem. This is to prevent resistance to the medicine. Are you aware that improper use of antibiotic can cause side effects? Thats true and if there is no improvement in your sinusitis, it only means two things the wrong antibiotic was prescribed or you need a new treatment.

For instance, if the sinus infection did not respond to the antibiotic prescribed by the doctor, you can turn to alternative treatments like Chinese herbal remedies, acupuncture, and Ayurveda. However, the effectiveness of these alternative treatments vary from one individual to another; so you still need to find a suitable treatment that can work for your current condition.

Some people afflicted with sinus infections tend to have white or clear mucus in their sinuses. This indicates that the antibiotics wont work. Other symptoms include fatigue, loose stool, and lowered appetite. The doctor must be informed of the symptoms youre feeling.

The usual symptoms of sinusitis are greenish nasal discharge, nasal congestion, dental or facial pain, headache, eye pain, and frequent coughing during the night. Other people feel ill, have sore throat, bad breathe, and fever. Chronic sinus infections are hard to diagnose. If you have the symptoms for over two months now, then you have chronic sinusitis; but still, only the doctor can properly diagnose your true condition.

Fungal sinusitis is also possible and antibiotics wont work for this kind of infection. It can be caused by molds and other irritants. You can use alternative treatments for this kind of infection and according to some individuals, some of these treatments can work miracles. You can drink a warm cup of apple cider vinegar (disregard the taste even if its nasty), use a saline solution, or you can also regularly take garlic capsules. There are still other ways to treat fungal sinusitis and you can easily obtain the needed information online.

Maintaining a healthy and physically fit body can prevent future sinus infections. A healthy body will also have a strong immune system which can easily fight off infections. If the sinusitis is caused by bacteria, then a certain kind of antibiotic might work for it but the doctor should consider the severity of the infection, and age/weight of the patient.

Sinus infections can be cured although there are times when the infection returns. A serious dialogue with your doctor is needed so that the two of you can come up with an effective solution to address your condition.

If you want, you can also join yoga practices and use other herbal treatments in conjunction with your medical prescriptions. Always talk to your doctor first before trying any medicine or treatment.