Health Blog

When you think about epilepsy, you may think of it as a single disorder. However, it is a group of related disorders that are characterized by recurrent seizures. Depending on the type of epilepsy involved, different types of them can occur. Generalized seizures can cause brief losses of consciousness or long periods of unconsciousness. There are sub-categories of generalized disorder for it and they include absence, atonic, myoclonic and generalized tonic-clonic. Medications are prescribed to help treat seizures and other symptoms associated with epilepsy. Surgery can be performed, but is considered a last resort, when less invasive treatments have failed.

There are several known and unknown causes of epilepsy; head trauma being an important known cause of epilepsy and seizures. Although it is commonly accepted that a prior injury can cause epilepsy, there is no agreement on what type or how extensive that injury must be. It is known however, that the risk for generalized seizures and epilepsy increases substantially if there are penetrating or open wounds present.

They can be further subdivided into four categories according to the nature of the medical symptoms: motor, sensory, autonomic and psychological. Motor symptoms can include movements such as stiffening and jerking. This is the type most people associate with epilepsy and is sometimes called generalized tonic-clonic seizures or grand mal epilepsy. This disorder affects most, if not all of the brain at once.

Its symptoms will vary, depending from where in the brain they originate. In most cases, a person with epilepsy will typically have the same type of episode each time. This means that the symptoms will tend to be very similar from episode to episode. However, there are some people who have many different types of epileptic seizures, with varied symptoms each time.

There are effective treatments available for dealing with the medical symptoms of epilepsy and seizure disorders. One treatment is surgical therapy or intervention. With recent advances in diagnostic technology and surgical practices, an increase in the use of surgical treatment for epilepsy has been noted. However, surgery is usually the last option, when medications have been tried and have failed to control symptoms.

There are alternative treatments available for those who don’t want to ingest medications to treat generalized seizures. Biofeedback, diet control and vitamins are just a few treatments currently being used. While several alternative treatments are widely promoted for epilepsy, their effectiveness is mostly unproven. Over a dozen medications are currently on the market and approved to treat epilepsy. As with any medication, each one has benefits and side effects. Different medications are appropriate for different types of epileptic seizure episodes.

You may know how miserable it is to die from Ovarian Cancer or Pheochromocytoma. While that is true, there is good news.

Nutritionists have known for lots of years that diet can help you avoid disease. In fact, it is now thought that about 38% of all cancer is associated with your diet. And it has also been proven that diet can help you avoid cancer.

Nutrients in some food can decrease your chance of cancer. You can also improve your chances of not getting cancer by avoiding some foods. You might have to cut out the Rocky Biscuits and milleens cheese.

The Power of Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits (like Hubbard squash (Cucurbita maxima) and Tangerine) and vegetables are proven to help prevent many cancers including cancer of the lung and colon. Currently, it is unknown if there are any specific nutrients in vegetables and fruit that provide the protection. There have been experiments on some of the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables like beta-carotene. However, isolating these substances from the original source have not been found to prevent cancer. In fact, some by themselves are found to be harmful. So remember – the whole fruit is many times better than some supplement taken from that food.

Current recommendations are to eat at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable with each meal. They can be fresh, canned or dried. But, they should not be fried like chips.

Whole Grains Keep You Moving

Whole grains like sorghum brown rice, cracked wheat and corn on the cob are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. These have especially been found to help prevent cancer of the colon. Despite being vital, just using a fiber supplement is not as effective because you need the other nutrients in the whole grain.

Nutritionists think that the high fiber content of the grain helps to keep the stool in the bowel moving right along. This prevents stagnation in the colon. That being said, there is no evidence that laxatives or any colon cleansing regimen is of any help. In fact they have often been shown to be harmful.

Foods to Avoid

Red meat is a proven contributor to cancer especially cancer of the colon and cancer of the prostate. The latest recommendations are that you limit your intake to less than three ounces a day. Cutting it out altogether is even better.

Any food with lots of oil and fat will have a similar effect. All of those corn dogs and corn chips that you have been eating? Well, they may contribute to your chance of getting cancer.

And now another bit of bad news for some of you, alcohol is another culprit. The latest research shows that any alcohol can increase your risk of getting cancer. But, it is especially a big risk if you have more than two drinks a day for men and one for women. Alcohol along with cigarettes contribute to cancer of the mouth, esophagus and larynx.

The Four Rules of Diet

1. Choose most of the foods you eat from plant sources.

2. Limit your intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources.

3. Get moving: Keep your weight in line. Ok. So this one is not directly diet related – but, you should cut down to what you need to keep your weight within reason.

4. Cut back on the alcohol, if you drink at all.

Using these laws of health will dramatically decrease your chances of getting diet related cancer.

Throughout my college days I never really had a problem with being hung over. I tried not to drink too much, and I just used to say to myself “just have a beer with your meal”. I still live by this philosophy today.

This sometimes went out of the window if we had a race on that particular day. After the race we would get the bus back to the school, and of course go out and have a few beers more than we should.

A lot of times we ended up having a party on the night of a race, and once again we would end up drinking more than we thought we had.

The Sunday running session was always a case of “I know I have to get up early for my run so how do I avoid a hangover”?

It was always sleep in until about 7.00 or 7.35 then get up. Once we were dressed we would head off for the locker room and change into our running gear. By about 8.00 we would be out ready for our training session.

Some of the group would still be a little worse for wear in the morning. So firstly before we prepared for our run, we would have a drink of Gatorade or water. Also if you felt alright you would have a bagel to settle your stomach.

Then something strange occurred. By the time you had run about 7 or 8 miles, you no longer felt that you were hung over. How strange that it always happened around this distance.

The amazing thing about this was that by the time you realized that you did not have a hangover; you were over half way home. So you could get back quickly, have a nice shower and prepare for your large breakfast.

One of the most common complaints from auto accident victims is neck pain. In many cases, this pain results from the head snapping back and forth as a vehicle strikes an object head-on, or as a car is hit from the rear. This injury is called whiplash, and it can cause severe pain and suffering.

Whiplash can mostly be blamed on a sudden and unexpected change in your momentum. Normally, your head balances on your neck. However, if you are subjected to a sudden stop or start, your head can snap forward or backwards before you can adjust to the change in momentum. Because of the weight of your head, your neck is stretched past its normal limits as it tries to stabilize your head.

Because of the traumatic stretching of your neck’s muscles and ligaments, you can suffer from many different symptoms following an auto accident. These include:

• Neck stiffness
• Pain
• Dizziness
• Blurry vision
• Lethargy
• Headaches

In some cases, the nerves in the neck can also be damaged following a car accident. This can lead to problems such as pain in your shoulders and arms. Additionally, you may notice a tingling or numbness down your arms.For minor cases of whiplash, your symptoms may last for a few days and can be handled with ice compressions and anti-inflammatory medication. If your whiplashes lasts longer or causes you severe pain, you can turn to prescription painkillers as well as muscle-relaxing injections. Sometimes, whiplash can cause chronic pain that you may have to learn to manage through therapy.

Frequently, rear-end collisions result when the person behind you is not paying enough attention to the road. If you have suffered from whiplash or other injuries due to another driver’s carelessness, you should hold this person responsible for his or her negligence.

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What do you think is the single biggest issue today that people have?

I’d say not enough energy. Like time, energy is something most people wish they had more of. Demands on our energy are greater than ever before. A lot is occurring in life that uses up energy. But, just like a poorly insulated house loses energy, so does a poorly functioning body. What can you do? Plenty…

The number one way to increase your energy is to improve your posture.

Modern lifestyles are robbing us of valuable energy. We do repetitive movements or are hunched over a computer for hours. Hours of sitting in front of a computer, driving, talking on cell phones… over-utilizing our minds and under-utilizing our bodies creates a myriad of problems including major stiffness in the body. You can change this simply, easily, and once and for all. The whole idea is really simple… get some random movement to work the kinks out and fire up your human instinct to stretch. You know when you feel really happy and joyous, how your body becomes light and free – there is a way you move around. Do that! Let you body take over. Let it guide you instead of doing something forcefully to it.

Posture is the basis by which you physically do what you do each day. Walking is posture manifesting itself through motion. Show me a person with good posture and I’ll show you a person who moves like a young person. Ultimately youth is posture… all about moving freely and flexibly without pain. With age and technologically-based living come aches and pains, slower movement, and general body stiffness. It’s no fun to hurt all the time, especially if you spend your day in “computer posture,” or your job is physically repetitive in nature. Then you don’t move like you should. But now, when you come home and your neck, shoulders, and back are tight and painful, YOU can do something about it.

• Move in ANY way that you don’t normally. Try it for a minute right now and you’ll see.

Everyone has a unique, innate ability to stretch and keep their body’s structure aligned naturally, without having to rely on health care providers to do it for them. You can learn to make this a conscious act. So, when your body starts to feel uncomfortable, you can properly and effectively move it to release stress and restore correct alignment… yourself!

The truth is that in today’s technological society most people suffer from stiffness and pain brought about by not moving enough and doing repetitive movements when they do move. Sitting in front of computer screens all day… or in a cubicle… or driving… just isn’t what human beings are designed to do. This causes serious problems with posture, flexibility, movement… ultimately impacting your quality of life.

Your head is designed to balance directly on top of your neck. When held forward, for example, muscles must work harder to hold your head up rather than merely balancing it. Energy is consumed unnecessarily. Take a ten-pound weight. Hold it out at arm’s length. How long before your arm gives out? An improperly held head is putting a similar strain on the neck muscles. Many people are exhausted at the end of the day – just from holding their heads up. Holding a telephone between your shoulder and ear with your neck bent to one side is another example. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, if there are habitual postures, poor alignment can become permanent.

Your body assumes the shape of its most common positions. So change the position…

When your body stays in the same position for long periods of time, it takes on that shape. This allows the bones and overall alignment to do more of the work of supporting your body while your muscles do less. The problem is; your body is habitually positioned in a manner that creates poor alignment. This wastes energy. Slouching is a good example.

• Think of having balloons attached to your head and shoulders; gently, not forcefully, lifting you up towards the sky.
• Raise the monitor up on your desk so you are looking level and not down.
• Look up to the sky instead of always looking down.

Remember, good posture means efficient and energy saving movement, just like an athlete. Here’s to the athlete in everybody!

When winter comes we become more conscious of colds and the onset of the flu season – along with increased advertising of various brand name cough and cold medications in capsule or liquid form. It also brings up all those old sayings and wives tales of how to cure or reduce the effects of colds and flu.

And, let’s face it – when your head feels like its full of cotton wool, your nose drips like a faucet and your sinuses feel like they have nails driven into them – we all, at times, succumb to trying anything just to get some alleviation.

So what works and what doesn’t – what cold and flu myths can we believe and what are a complete waste of time?

“An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away”
Well, this isn’t as hoary as it may seem. Red apple skin has more anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects than berries and these may boost the immune system and help protect against flu.

The key here is ‘immune system’ – if we are keeping our bodies at optimal health levels then it is better able to combat the invasion of those nasty respiratory bugs.

The lesson: keep up those two fruits a day as part of good nutrition – and especially encourage the kids to do likewise.

“Surgical Masks”
Yes, they do have some benefit – if worn properly as they help prevent inhalation of expelled droplets when you are around people who carry the infection.

“Only Coughs and Sneezes Spread Disease”
Wrong! The most common way that flu and colds are spread is when hands are in contact with contaminated surfaces and you transfer the bug to your face etc.

Washing hands thoroughly and regularly is advised, especially if a family member has a bug already. It is the rubbing action of washing that removes bugs, more than any anti-bacterial soap. Also, keep the surfaces (kitchen benches etc) clean and disinfected.

Vitamins Can Help reduce the effects of a cold
Most medicos say there is no substantive evidence that taking vitamins will prevent or reduce the effects of a cold. My experience says otherwise – this is something you can test yourself.

However, just taking them when you get a cold isn’t much help – you need to be on a good regular intake for most benefit. See fruits above – that may be the answer

Chicken Soup
Well, this is a lot tastier than many over the counter syrups and probably more effective. Colds attack the upper respiratory tract and this becomes inflamed. Chicken soup possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It may also alleviate throat soreness and possibly prevent the movement of white blood cells that encourage the flow of mucous.

It could be a combination of the heat, the vegies and proteins and the anti-inflammatory properties.

Getting Caught in the Rain will Cause a Cold
No it doesn’t – nor does being stuck in wet clothes. Colds and flu are viral and if the virus is in your system then that’s how you get it. Just being cold and wet does not of itself ‘breed’ the virus.

The best preventative? A well balanced and nutritious diet – incorporating 5 veg and two fruits, plus regular exercise. Plus, if applicable, no tobacco. BTW, flu vaccines do not give you the flu as they do not contain any live virus.

Should I let my gallstone be dissolved?

During the earlier years, even before keyhole surgery development for treatment of gallstones, there had been so much excitement on the chances of gallstones dissolving. There’s a big hope that when effective medicines are come to arise and people can be saved from the expense, complication of surgery and discomfort. There are many companies who spent too much on finances to develop excellent medical solutions for gallbladder problems, however their promises only lead on further disappointments.

There are 2 drugs that was developed and was called ursodeoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids. The Chenodeoxycholic drug was sold as Chendol, which is at Australia. This is suitable to people having small sized stones, which moves around the gallbladder to function normally in the oral cholecystogram tests & did not contain large amount of calcium because it prevents this drug to work.

The Extracorporeal biliary lithotripsy

A person who has gallstones are asking of the chance if their gallstones can be shattered inside their gallbladder to replace the surgery. Its a very well known study during the 1980, however there’s a lesser enthusiasm ever since start of the keyhole type of surgery. There are so many moments already that doctors used the technique known as lithotripsy in shattering the stones in a patient with kidney stone. A high shocking wave will be used in smashing the stones in the kidney turning it to fragments, which is smaller size already to let it pass your ureter and then your bladder and goes out your body as you urine. It’s hoping that with the same technique might be used on patients who have gallstones, it successfully workout, the gallstone really shatter.

How To Perform Lithotripsy?

A patient who have gallstones are positioned carefully in water baths in order to aim perfectly to your gallbladder stones. But, there are a lot of medical treatment in order to have that stone fragments in that particular size allowing your stones sizes safe and secured passing your bile duct and then your bowel area. When your gallstones particle are very big and it block up your ducts, causing a jaundice/pancreatic inflammations. Having this type of situation its necessary operating it in order to get that fragments to your ducts. There are patients being treated of the drug known as ursodeoxycholic acid.

Juicing, quite simply put, is using a machine to pulverize fresh fruits and vegetables, separating the liquid from the pulp and drinking it. This method of feeding yourself falls under the banner of a raw food diet because there is no cooking involved.

Proponents of juicing tout the benefits of using only organic produce because today’s farmers use an overabundance of dangerous pesticides and chemicals on their mass produced crops. It is these chemicals and pesticides that while successful at prolonging the shelf life of food, is actually slowly killing the consumer who eats it. Organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides and chemicals and therefore doesn’t last as long as regular produce. That’s a good thing. You really don’t want to eat anything that won’t eventually die, according to most food experts.

So when juicing for health, it is best to drink your freshly made concoction first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This will ensure quick absorption of all nutrients. Now when starting out, choose to juice the fruits that you like, maybe apples, oranges or watermelon. Once you get used to the fruits then try adding a vegetable into the mix. Juice a carrot or two with your apple juice. Later you can add other vegetables. Veggies take a bit more getting used to because of taste, as some of them are not naturally sweet and because they have a tendency to cause gas and stomach upset. This upset only lasts for a few days, until your body gets used to the change.

While many people use juicing as a means of fasting to cleanse their bodies of toxins, many others simply combine juicing with the consumption of solid foods. Replacing a cooked or prepared meal is a great way to lose weight. Replacing all solid meals with fresh fruit and vegetable juices for a week or two will cause immediate and dramatic weight loss. Care should be taken not to prolong the fast, or you can actually weaken your body sending it into malnutrition. Remember, two day out of a week or one week a month for a couple of months can produce the kind of healthy weight loss that you want without going overboard.

A good rule of thumb with veggies is that the greener the veggie, the more nutrient rich it is. So using leafy greens like spinach, cabbage or endive really do pack a nutritional wallop. The taste however, is an acquired taste. But hang with it. You can grow to like it. There is also a bit of preparation needed for your produce if you didn’t initially buy organic. You can still use regular store-bought produce. You will need to remove the pesticide and chemicals.

This is done by soaking the produce in a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide, which can be purchased at any drugstore. Add a cap full of the hydrogen peroxide to the water and allow the produce to soak for about ten minutes, or until you can smell the water. That smell is the toxin coming off the produce. Remove the produce, dry it off, and store it in the refrigerator. You should use it within three day after purchase.

Asparagus, or Asparagus officinalis, is one of nature’s very nutritionally dense vegetables. It provides high levels of folic acid, Vitamin B6, A, C, E, and K, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, and other really important vitamins. Six spears of asparagus provides half the adult RDI of Folacin, which is essential for blood cell formation and growth. Folacin is also crucial for the prevention of liver disease, as well as neural tube defects in infants. Its high levels of potassium prevents calcium from leeching out of the body. Vitamin C assists the body in its production and maintenance of collagen, as well as being a good immune booster.

In the 1st century AD, Asparagus was used as a diuretic and used for the treatment of kidney issues, jaundice, and sciatica. Now it is more commonly used as a diuretic for urinary issues, as well as cystitis.

As I was researching the benefits of Asparagus, I came across an abstract from the 2003 Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, stating that Asparagus is referred to in Ayurvedic books as a preventative for the treatment of gastric ulcers, dyspepsia, nervous disorders, inflammation, liver diseases and certain infectious diseases.

Another article entitled Asparagus for Cancer was published in the Cancer News Journal in Dec 1979 and has been circulated around the web. In this article 2 clinical studies was said to have been conducted with patients using the normal green asparagus.

In case no. 1, a man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin’s disease (cancer of the lymph glands) was completely incapacitated. However within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise.

In case no. 2, a successful businessman, 68 years old, who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years, and didn’t improve in spite of years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement. After 3 months on the asparagus treatment, examinations revealed that his bladder tumour had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal.

These are only some of the research on the benefits of the asparagus plant. I hope that you start to incorporate asparagus even more into your diet.

Work related stress, unfavorable lifestyle, unhealthy habits is the order of the day. No wonder people tend to catch on to stress and lifestyle related diseases at very young ages. Moreover, busy work schedules and tight competition has made it more difficult for people spare time for spirituality and health care. At such a juncture wellness retreats are a possible way out of the vicious cycle.

Wellness retreats are places or centers offering training programmes for ensuring better health. They offer alternative training programmes for health and spirituality like yoga, Ayurveda etc to fight lifestyle and stress related diseases. Since they are retreats, they usually are places offering overnight stays where people usually go for vacationing and in the course of the vacation also embark on spirituality and health nourishment training.

Programmes included in such retreats are:

• Yoga training: Combinations of several mental and physical disciplines through meditative practices of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, brought together in a comprehensive health and fitness programme for fighting lifestyle diseases.
• Meditation and healing arts: The best way of putting mind and body together, relive stress and proceed towards spirituality is through meditation and pranayam. Alternative healing methods like reiki, acupuncture, shamanism, music therapy etc are included in the retreats.
• Healthy gourmet food: Ayurvedic and vegetarian food prepared from essential and gourmet herbs and spices to revolutionize your diet and change lifestyle patterns for better and healthy living. Tips for cooking the wellness food are also provided.
• Ayurveda/ Ayurvedic medication: Ayurvedic consultation, Ayurvedic massages and medication for fighting stress and lifestyle diseases like blood sugar, blood pressure, heart problems, hypertension, headache, body ache, Spondylitis etc.
• Spa facilities: For pampering your body and skin one can choose from an exciting mix of spa treatment services. Therapeutic massages, energizing massage, aromatherapy massage and enriching treatments are usually included in the programme
• Stress reduction: Several techniques like Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction or MBSR are directed at combination of mind strength and physical abilities to release stress. It works on the mind’s ability to be aware.
• Workouts and exercises: Combinations of aerobics, state-of-art gym and other physical training programmes like pilates, i.e. a full body workout for building muscles through a sequence of controlled and precise movements.

Wellness retreats are often designed specifically for either sexes for ensuring convenience and privacy. Wellness retreat Victoria, Brisbane, Ontario, California, Kerala, Agstri is famous throughout the world. People across continents flock to these places for treatment, meditation and well being. This if you have been suffering from any stress or lifestyle diseases or just seeking a relaxed and healthy holiday wellness retreats could be your next destination.