Health benefits of walking barefoot

Walking without slippers and shoe results in some health benefits.

Wearing shoes weakens the muscles in the feet. Wearing flip flops with little support in the arch and heel strain and stretch the fascia and Achilles tendon, damaging them. Wearing silts causes the calf muscles to tighten up ht pull the ligaments and tendons, altering the gait. Walking barefoot on the other hand exercises the toes and arches and thereby improve shock absorption and balance, and possibly prevents injuries as well. Walking barefoot, especially on sand or grass, recruits more muscles that help stabilize the food.

Shoes that cover the feet prevents the feet from being in contact with the outside temperature and could cause the sweat to concentrate on the sin pores, causing sin damage and other negative effects. Walking barefoot provides the much needed air circulation for the feet. Worn out soles cause the additional risk of the skin contacting diseases like plantar fasciitis, caused by inflammation of the tissue band connecting the heel and the toes.

Walking barefoot however may cause serious side effects for those suffering from arthritis an diabetics, and such people should walk barefoot only after consultation with their medical practitioner.

It I always a good practice to walk barefoot at home, and in the office if possible.

Belly Bulge

Belly bulge of a puffy midsection is something that affects many individuals during their middle life, and is also common or women aged above 40. Recent research indicates that it is possible to beat such bloat by improving digestion by taking recourse to a few menu and lifestyle modification.

The best way to reduce belly bulge is through a healthy diet, starting from breakfast. It is important to consume cereal’s rich in fiber for breakfast. This helps kick start the basal metabolic rate of the body and help keep the system moving, pull water into the colon and aid digestion eliminating the storage of fat that contributes to the belly bulge.

Sodium intake retaining water in the body, adding to the bulge. People having belly bulge would do well to reduce sodium intake through less consumption of table salt. Alternative seasoning agents like mint and basil that do not contain sodium could be considered instead of salt.

Potassium helps remove excess water in the body and thereby help prevent bulge. Foods rich in potassium include bananas and potassium. Potassium also flushed out excess sodium, thereby contributing indirectly to reducing body bulge in another way. However, excessive potassium concentration in the body could cause heart attacks.

Food for skin - 1

The best type of skin is soft, supple, radiant, fresh, clear and smooth skin. Such skin, however are found only on babies. Most of human beings have oily, dry, or sensitive skins. Extreme forms of such skin types are a result of deficiency owing to unhealthy living, and a change of lifestyle, especially in dietary habits can help develop the skin from such retarded conditions.

The key to healthy skin is an adequate supply of Vitamin B and anti-oxidants such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, zinc and selenium. Vitamin B deficiency causes the skin to become dry and sensitive.

The presence of anti-oxidants help the skin copes better with infections and fight allergens. Foods that serve this purpose include wholegrain, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and oily fish.

Drinking plenty of water and consuming essential fats help moisturize the skin from within. Conversely, refined foods rich in sugar, caffeine and alcohol, and additives such as food dyes dehydrates the skin from within, and are best avoided. Especially harmful for the skin is smoking.

Moisturizing cream and other external supplements to rejuvenate the skin might yield short term and temporary results, but might also bring along with it harmful side effects. The best way to rejuvenate the skin is from within, and for this the best intervention is changes in dietary habits.

Get Immunity Up Naturally

Your immune system need to be in top condition in order to protect you from various illnesses and keep you feeling healthy and strong. There are several ways to get your immunity up. However, most may involve taking medicines to do so. I feel it is possible and easy enough to boost your immunity naturally, by following some simple steps and taking adequate measures.
Eating a healthy, wholesome diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes could increase natural protein and vitamin levels in the body, making you feel more energetic and healthy. Staying hydrated can prevent exhaustion and flush out toxins from the body. Exercising regualrly will increase stamina and boost health. Maintain good hygiene and wash your hands frequently to prevent spread of germs and infections. Take adequate rest and breaks from work and monotony to keep the mind alive and youthful. Practice meditation to relax and improve concentration and breathing patterns which could also, increase immunity.

Do read Natural Ways to Prevent Flu to learn more about boosting your immunity the natural way.

These are just some ways to get your immune system working better without resorting to medical aids. However, do not just ignore signs of weakness and tiredness, do consult a healthcare professional before taking any medical advice or supplements.

Dental Procedures that Need and Do not Need Preventive Antibiotics

The following dental procedures that need preventive antibiotics because they involve a high risk of producing bacteria in your blood are, as follows:

1. Dental extractions
2. Periodontal procedures
3. Dental implant placement and replantation of teeth that were knocked out
4. Some root canal work
5. Initial placement of orthodontic bands (not brackets or braces)
6. Certain specialized local anesthetic injections
7. Regular dental cleanings or oral prophylaxis (if bleeding is anticipated)

On the other hand, the following are dental procedures that do not need preventive antibiotics:

1. routine anesthetic injections through noninfected tissue
2. taking dental radiographs
3. placement of removable dentures or orthodontic appliances
4. adjustment of orthodontic appliances
5. placement of orthodontic brackets
6. shedding of baby teeth
7. bleeding from trauma to the lips or gums

Lastly, the following are the responsibilities of the patients:

1. Establish and maintain a healthy mouth. Practice good oral hygiene and visit your dentist regularly. These are more important than taking preventive antibiotics to reduce the risk of infective endocarditis.
2. Make sure your dentist knows you have a heart problem.
3. Carefully follow your physician’s and dentist’s instructions when they prescribe special medications such as antibiotics.

Infective Endocarditis - a condition, also known as bacterial endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner linings of the heart, or the heart’s valves. It is a rare, serious illness and can run a fatal course.

Common-sense Remedies to Common Cold

There is really no cure for the common cold and there’s no way you can be sure of not getting one (unless you live as hermit on some distant island), but here are some common-sense remedies that may help you:

* Rest and relax. Extra rest enables you to put all your energy into getting well. It can also help you avoid complications like bronchitis and pneumonia. Take a day or two off from work if you’re felling really bad. At the very least, slow down in your everyday activities and reschedule your time. Trying to keep up with your regular routine can be draining because when you’re not feeling we4ll, your concentration is down and you’ll probably need to double the amount of time it’s going to take you to do things.

* Warm up. Keep up bundled against the cold. This keeps your immune system cozily focused on fighting your cold infection of displacing energy to protect you from the cold.

* Don’t like in bed feeling sorry for yourself. Light exercise and fresh air are more likely to lead to a speedy recovery. Jump on a gentle rebounder indoors for 15 minutes or take a brisk half-hour walk. But refrain from strenuous exercise which could wear you out.

* Medicate at night. Numerous medications for cold are available without a prescription. Some treat specific symptoms. Others contain a combination of drugs - plus alcohol, in some cases - aimed at treating a wide range of symptoms. These combination drugs, however, can have many uncomfortable side effects like nausea and drowsiness. These medicines should be taken only at night, since you won’t feel the side effects while you’re sleeping.

* When the worst is over, change your toothbrush. The virus could be lurking between the bristles. When you’re sick with a cold, try to be extra-vigilant about keeping the virus to yourself by covering up coughs and sneezes. Teach children to do the same. It may not seem as if you’re doing much but if everyone took simple hygienic measures, the results would be dramatic. In fact, the common cold would no longer be so common.

It Could be More than a Cold

If one or more of the following symptoms accompanies your cold, see your doctor. Your problem may be a more serious disorder than the common cold:

* Fevers that remain above 101 degrees Fahrenheit for more than three days, or any fever above 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Children with high fevers should see a doctor within 24 hours.
* Any hot, extreme pain, such as earache, swollen tonsils, sinus pain, or aching lungs or chest.
* Excessively large amounts of sputum, or sputum that is greenish or bloody.
* Extreme difficulty swallowing
* Excessive loss of appetite
* Wheezing
* Shortness of breath

There is really no cure for the common cold and there is no way you can be sure of not getting one (unless you live as hermit on some distant island). But here are some common-sense remedies that may help you:

*Wash your hands as often as you can. The cold virus can survive for up to two hours on such surfaces as door handles and telephones. Once it is on your fingers and you rub your eyes or nose, the virus will zap your body.

* Take Vitamin C. Vitamin C works in the body as a scavenger, picking up all sorts of trash, including virus trash. It can shorten the length of a cold from seven days to maybe two or three days. In addition, Vitamin C may also cut back on coughing, sneezing, and other symptoms.

* Zap it with zinc. Sucking on zinc lozenges can cut colds short, to an average of four days. Zinc can also dramatically reduce symptoms such as dry, irritated throat. It does not work for everyone, but when it works, it works.

* Sip chicken soup. A long-time folk remedy is now a proven fact. A cup of hot chicken soup can help unclog your nasal passages. It is found out that hot chicken soup, either because of its aroma or its taste, appears to possess an additional substance for increasing the flow of nasal mucus. These secretions - what comes out when you blow your nose or sneeze - serve a first line of defense in removing germs from your system.

* Drink plenty of fluids. Experts recommend six to eight glasses of water, juice, tea, and other mostly clear liquids daily. This will replace important fluids lost during a cold and help flush out impurities that may be preying on your system.

Boosting immunity through diet - 2

A healthy diet entails intelligent consumption of beneficial foods more than the avoidance of harmful foods. Consumption of good protein sources such as fatty fish, poultry, lean meat, low fat milk, diary products, nuts and seeds, pulses and legumes helps the body produce antibodies that boost immunity. Consumption of foods rich in Vitamin C such as citrus foods, tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries and green leafy vegetables boost immunity, for Vitamin C acts as an anti oxidant.

Food rich in Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, and Vitamin E help maintain the health of the membranes lining the skin and internal organs, and these membranes act as the first line of defense against bacteria, parasite, and virus attacks. Carrots, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, butter, egg yolk, cheese and fish liver oils are some foods rich in Vitamin A and Beta carotene. Wheatgerm, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, apples and green leafy vegetables are some foods rich in Vitamin E.

Other substances that play major role in boosting the body’s immunity include Zinc and Omega-3. Good sources of zinc include Nuts, seeds and wholegrains, whereas good sources of Omega-3 include cold pressed nuts, seeds, fatty fish and sea food.

An optimal combination of the above substances would make the diet a healthy diet and help boost the immunity system and ward off diseases.

Boosting immunity through diet - 1

Building a strong immunity system entails a multi-prolonged approach that includes a healthy, balanced diet, regular exercises, stress management, and sound sleep. Among all these factors, diet is of critical importance, and without a healthy diet, efforts in other areas are likely to come to naught.

The optimal diet to boost immunity is one that is light, low on fat and easily digestible. Liquid foods such as soups, broths, milk, tea and even water provide relief to infections and help fight them. Foods rich in refined flour and sugar, such as most bakery products on the contrary actually aid the infection for the bacteria that cause the infection thrive on them.

Probiotics and prebiotics boosts the immunity system by rejuvenating the digestive system and enabling better absorption of nutrients. Yogurt, bananas and onions are foods that provide a healthy source of Probiotics and prebiotics.

The use of medication such as Vitamin C tablets to boost immunity is a last minute and artificial approach, and while it may help as a stopgap measure to ward off an imminent disease, such measures are not the long-term solution. Natural remedies such as ginger and honey, turmeric boiled in milk, crushed garlic and the like provide a far effective cure for common ailments such as flu and cold rather than conventional medical supplements.

Trans fat

Trans fat are harmful substances that increases “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides by replacing good HDL cholesterols. They increase systemic inflammation that lead to deadly consequences such as heart attacks.

The occurrence of trans fat is a result of attempts to create a longer shelf life for foods and prevent rancidity. A chemical process was invented that broke the double bond between two carbon atoms that made them “unsaturated” and re[place dit with more hydrogen. The resultant fat yielded similar texture with longer shelf life and better resistance to rancidity. However, the process also resulted in the formation of trans ft as a deadly by product.

Trans fat is deadly even in small quantities and as such the ideal amount of trans fat in a food intake is zero. This entails that hydrogenated fats, the source for trans fat needs to be avoided at all costs. Many countries have regulated against the presence of trans fat in foods, but the reality is that trans fat is unfortunately found in many brands of cooking oil and processed and packaged foods. The use of healthy oil for frying eliminates trans fat and leads to better health benefits. Purchasing baked foods instead of fried food also eliminates the risk of consumption of trans fat through external sources.

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