Tag: BMJ

Smoking

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EVERY SMOKER MUST KNOW : BY SMOKING HE OR SHE IS NOT ONLY DOING LOT OF HARM TO HIS OR HER OWN HEALTH BUT HARMING THE FAMILY,THE GENERATION AND THE SOCIETY. SO, SMOKERS SHOULD QUIT SMOKING AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE……….CLICK & SEE

IT IS A PROVED FACT THAT WITHIN ONE MONTH AFTER YOU QUIT SMOKING, YOU GET RID OF 90% OF YOUR PRESENT AILMENTS LIKE INDIGESTION,GAS,HEARTBURN,FATIGUE AND WEAKNESS ETC. AND THE RISK OF FUTURE SEVERE DISEASE.
It’s never too late to quit smoking, but unfortunately a tobacco addiction is one of the most difficult habits to overcome. A number of natural supplements can boost your chances of success by helping you cope with cravings and reducing the anxiety that often accompanies quitting.

Symptoms:

Persistent cough or recurring bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia.
Hoarseness, sore throat, bad breath, yellowed teeth.
Premature graying, balding, wrinkling of the skin.
Impotence and many additional complaints.

When to Call Your Doctor
If you develop symptoms of a serious smoking-related illness: pains in your chest or upper back; chronic wheezing or coughing; pink or blood-tinged mucus; or persistent sores or white patches on the mouth, tongue, or throat.
If you need help quitting.
Reminder: If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before taking supplements.

What It Is
Though not considered an illness per se, smoking is a habit with serious health consequences. Within minutes of lighting a cigarette or cigar, blood pressure and pulse rate rise, and oxygen levels in the body drop. After several months of smoking, cough, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath, and other symptoms can appear. Over the long term, smoking can lead to cancer, chronic lung disorders, heart disease, and stroke.

What Causes it
Why do so many people continue to smoke despite the health risks? Because smoking is an extremely powerful addiction. Not only does nicotine, the addictive drug in tobacco, cause physical effects throughout the body, but it goes almost straight to the brain, where it temporarily lifts spirits and soothes anxiety. The social rituals associated with lighting up also work to calm anxieties. When you stop smoking, nicotine levels drop, and jittery feelings accompany a range of physical complaints.

How Supplements Can Help
Various supplements may help soothe the frazzled nerves and powerful cravings that afflict those trying to kick the smoking habit. Used for several weeks or months, they can help smokers through this difficult time. All can be taken with other stop-smoking aids, such as a nicotine patch or gum, and under your doctor’s supervision, with antidepressant drugs.

What Else You Can Do
Consider nicotine gums or patches, the antidepressant drug bupropion, acupuncture treatment, or hypnosis. All can reduce cravings.
Exercise to cut down on stress. A brisk walk can also help overcome an intense craving, which usually lasts only a few minutes.
Eat a well-balanced diet and take a high-potency multivitamin daily. This can help boost your natural production of acetylcholine and reduce your need to smoke. The up feeling smoking produces comes from nicotine and other compounds that mimic the effects of the brain chemical acetylcholine, which plays a vital role in mental alertness and memory.
Many people put off quitting for fear of gaining weight. To help keep pounds off (and stay off cigarettes), exercise regularly and keep your hands busy. Try munching on healthy rabbit food — carrots, celery, cucumbers, and the like. In addition, pursue hobbies such as painting, knitting, or woodworking.
Reduce your intake of alcohol. Researchers have long known that drinkers tend to smoke more than nondrinkers and that drinking often serves as a social cue to smoke. Now, a Purdue University study shows that in smokers, alcohol can actually increase the craving to smoke.

Supplement Recommendations

Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin C
Baking Soda
Oat Extract
Kava
Niacinamide
Pantothenic Acid

Vitamin B Complex
Dosage: 1 pill twice a day with food.
Comments: Look for a B-50 complex with 50 mcg vitamin B12 and biotin; 400 mcg folic acid; and 50 mg all other B vitamins.

Vitamin C
Dosage: 2,000 mg 3 times a day.
Comments: Will likely loosen stools at this dosage. Use buffered powder form for reduced stomach irritation and for convenience.

Baking Soda
Dosage: 1 tsp. in a glass of water twice a day.

Oat Extract
Dosage: 1/2 tsp. tincture 4 times a day.

Kava
Dosage: 250 mg 3 times a day.
Comments: Standardized to contain at least 30% kavalactones.

Niacinamide
Dosage: 500 mg twice a day between meals.
Comments: Long-term use can cause liver damage and other serious side effects; physician monitoring is necessary during treatment.

Pantothenic Acid
Dosage: 500 mg twice a day.
Comments: Use calcium pantothenate, the least expensive form.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

Source: Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs

Tags Angioplasty, Antidepressant, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, BMJ, Cardiology, Chest pain, Peter C. Gøtzsche, Psychoactive drug, Smoking cessation, United States

Ayurvedic Healthy Tips

Herbs That Can Help Ease Stress

Post author By Mukul
Post date November 28, 2006
No Comments on Herbs That Can Help Ease Stress

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Both Siberian and Panax ginseng, which bolster the adrenal glands, may also be effective in coping with stress. These stress-fighting herbs are sometimes called “adaptogens” (because they help the body “adapt” to challenges) or “tonics” (because they “tone” the body, making it more resilient). All can be safely taken together.

Other herbs and nutritional supplements, used singly or together or combined with the supplements above, may be of value in special circumstances. For stress-induced anxiety, try kava, which is best reserved for high-stress periods lasting up to three months. Take melatonin if worry is keeping you up at night, and St. John’s wort if stress is accompanied by mild depression.

Siberian Ginseng:
——————–

Dosage: 100-300 mg 3 times a day.

Comments: Standardized to contain at least 0.8% eleutherosides.

Warnings: Siberian ginseng may interfere with heart medications. Check with your doctor if you’re taking blood pressure or heart medications. Siberian ginseng may cause mild diarrhea and restlessness.

Panax Ginseng :
—————

Dosage: 100-250 mg twice a day.

Comments: Standardized to contain at least 7% ginsenosides.

Warnings: Don’t take Panax ginseng if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or a heart rhythm irregularity. Don’t use Panax ginseng if you are pregnant. Consult your doctor if you’re using blood pressure medications. Panax ginseng increases the risk of overstimulation and stomach upset when taken with neurology drugs such as Ritalin. Don’t use Panax ginseng if you take MAO inhibitor drugs. Long-term use of Panax ginseng may require a change in insulin or other diabetes medications. If you’re taking the diuretic furosemide, Panax ginseng may intensify the blood pressure-lowering effects of the drug.

Kava:
——

Dosage: 250 mg 3 times a day as needed.

Comments: Look for standardized extracts in pill or tincture form that contain at least 30% kavalactones.

Warnings: Pregnant or breast-feeding women should not use kava. Don’t take kava if you have Parkinson’s disease. Possible kava side effects include stomach upset, yellow skin, loss of appetite, labored breathing, blurred vision, bloodshot eyes, walking difficulties, intoxication, and skin rashes. Kava may cause excessive drowsiness if taken with antidepressants, antihistamines, muscle relaxants, narcotic pain relievers, psychiatric drugs (antipsychotics, buspirone), sedatives, or tranquilizers.

Melatonin:
———-

Dosage: 1-3 mg before bedtime.

Comments: Start with the lower dose and increase as needed.

Warnings: Affects hormone levels and the brain. Caution is advised in those using drugs with similar effects, including antidepressants and hormone drugs. May cause excessive drowsiness if taken with sedatives or drugs that have a sedative effect such as antihistamines, muscle relaxants, and narcotic pain relievers. May cause adverse interactions if taken with steroids.

St.John’s Wort:
—————–

Dosage: 300 mg 3 times a day.

Comments: Should be standardized to contain 0.3% hypericin.

Warnings: If you’re taking conventional antidepressant drugs, consult you doctor before adding or switching to St. John’s wort. If you develop a rash or have difficult breathing, get immediate help. Side effects can include constipation, upset stomach, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness, and increased sensitivity to the sun.

From: The Healing Power Of Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs.

Tags Allan Young, Antidepressant, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, BMJ, Parkinson's disease, Peter C. Gøtzsche, Psychiatric medication, Psychoactive drug, United Kingdom, United States

Healthy Tips

Walking is a very good exercise

Post author By Mukul
Post date July 11, 2006
2 Comments on Walking is a very good exercise

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Walking is a very good exercise…. this advice should be given to those who are above 30 years old or who may have some heart problem or other physical problems or are totally unable to do other exercises .But some times I find young people specially, young girls taking brisk walk in the park instead of playing in the field. They might think that they are doing lot of exercises by walking a long distances.According to me, walking is definitely good, it is refreshing,soothing and pleasant but it is not at all a full exercise for young people.They should rather play in the field, or swim or do other form of exercise which will really burn the required calories to be burnt by exercises.

But it is the best form of exercise for the people who doesnot get proper time or interest for doing any other exercise to keep the body fit.

BENEFITS OF WALKING:

5 surprising benefits of walking:
The next time you have a check-up, don’t be surprised if your doctor hands you a prescription to walk. Yes, this simple activity that you’ve been doing since you were about a year old is now being touted as “the closest thing we have to a wonder drug,” in the words of Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of course, you probably know that any physical activity, including walking, is a boon to your overall health. But walking in particular comes with a host of benefits. Here’s a list of five that may surprise you.

1. It counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes. Harvard researchers looked at 32 obesity-promoting genes in over 12,000 people to determine how much these genes actually contribute to body weight. They then discovered that, among the study participants who walked briskly for about an hour a day, the effects of those genes were cut in half.

2. It helps tame a sweet tooth. A pair of studies from the University of Exeter found that a 15-minute walk can curb cravings for chocolate and even reduce the amount of chocolate you eat in stressful situations. And the latest research confirms that walking can reduce cravings and intake of a variety of sugary snacks.

3. It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers already know that any kind of physical activity blunts the risk of breast cancer. But an American Cancer Society study that zeroed in on walking found that women who walked seven or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked three hours or fewer per week. And walking provided this protection even for the women with breast cancer risk factors, such as being overweight or using supplemental hormones.

4. It eases joint pain. Several studies have found that walking reduces arthritis-related pain, and that walking five to six miles a week can even prevent arthritis from forming in the first place. Walking protects the joints — especially the knees and hips, which are most susceptible to osteoarthritis — by lubricating them and strengthening the muscles that support them.

5. It boosts immune function. Walking can help protect you during cold and flu season. A study of over 1,000 men and women found that those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, had 43% fewer sick days than those who exercised once a week or less. And if they did get sick, it was for a shorter duration, and their symptoms were milder.

To learn more about the numerous benefits of walking, as well as easy ways to incorporate a walk into your daily routine, buy Walking for Health, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School

_________________
You carry your own body weight when you walk. This is sometimes called weight bearingâ exercise. Some of the benefits include:

Increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness
Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
Improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes
Stronger bones and improved balance
Increased muscle strength and endurance
Reduced body fat.

WALK 30 MINUTES A DAY

_____________________
To get the health benefits, try to walk for at least 30 minutes as briskly as you can most days of the week. ˜Brisk means that you can still talk but not sing, and you may be puffing slightly. Moderate activities such as walking pose little health risk but, if you have a medical condition, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program of physical activity.

BUILD PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN YOUR LIFE ALSO

________________________________

If it’s too difficult to walk for 30 minutes at one time, do regular small bouts (10 minutes) three times per day. If you want to lose weight, you will need to do physical activity for longer than 30 minutes each day. You can achieve this by starting with smaller bouts of activity throughout the day, as suggested above, and eventually building up to sessions of more than 30 minutes.

Physical activity built into a daily lifestyle plan is also one of the most effective ways to assist with weight loss and keep weight off once itâ€™s lost. Here are some ways to build walking into your daily routine: