Health tips 01/22/2010
 
I like to read on health and are always looking for some helpful tips.  This is not a habit for me when I' m younger.  Now it is different as I am trying to keep all sorts of medical problem from "knocking at my door". 

Someone send some wonderful articles to me - Health Tips from The Editors of Practical Health Guides.  I would like to share some of the items/tips here.

3. Care for your heart while you sleep
In which position do you sleep?
If you sleep on your stomach or on your left side, you are putting pressure on your heart with the extra body weight, while the heart has to continue pumping blood as usual.
This additional burden wears the heart out more quickly. Think about it - you spend more than one third of your life sleeping! To reduce the strain on your heart, sleep on your right side, or on your back. This simple technique will add years to your life.

This is something to sleep on.  I have been sleeping on my left, right and back all along.  My life line shows I have a long life - so my life is well balanced.

6. How to beat asthma
Asthma partially obstructs the bronchial tubes, making breathing difficult. The cause of asthma is still not known. But if you are an
asthma sufferer, you can, through natural means, considerably reduce the number of asthma attacks you get. A placebo study has shown that asthmatics who consume 1 gram
of vitamin C per day had 4 times fewer attacks. When they stopped taking vitamin C, the attacks resumed with the same frequency as before (Trop. and Geog. Med., Vol. 32, Mo. 2, 1980).
As for magnesium, it also works wonders! Dr. Zack H. Haddad of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southern California
conducted a study on thirty children suffering from asthma associated with allergies.
Twenty of them drank a daily amount of mineral water rich in magnesium, while the others received no magnesium supplement.
After three months, the first group had a higher level of magnesium in their blood, and they were able to breathe more easily.
So taking vitamin C and magnesium is an excellent way to prevent asthma attacks.
But what can you do to breathe more easily during an attack?
Simply drink 2 or 3 cups of strong coffee. By activating blood circulation, it eases respiratory blockage.

Ahhh..good strong coffee.

10. How to get rid of liver spots
If you have liver spots, it is up to you to get rid of them.
May be you took too much sun, without using the proper precautions like sunscreen, gradual exposure, etc. If you continue ignoring your skin in this way, you might end up looking like a lizard!
Liver spots can also result from a thyroid deficiency. The thyroid gland must therefore be stimulated through a variety of means. For
example, brown seaweed tablets: take one a day every morning, for fifteen days a month.
Or apply a cream composed of 1 teaspoon oxygenated water and 4 1/2 tablespoons lanovaseline every morning and night.
Aloe vera (see previous chapter) is very effective in treating skin disorders. Daily application of aloe vera over a period of time can eliminate liver spots completely.
Also take a look at your nutrition: the real problem might lie in what you do or don’t eat, like a diet too high in fat.

22. Use heat to cure
Everyone has heard about how good a sauna feels, and of the relaxing effect of a steam bath which bathes you in hot vapor.
But there are other heat treatments which are equally beneficial.
Heat relaxes the muscles and ligaments. When applied locally, for example, with hot towels, it can ease muscle spasms. It can also reduce arthritic pain. Heat dilates the blood vessels, which in turn activates circulation.
Applied to a wound, it can prevent infection by helping white blood corpuscles and fresh oxygen surround the area more quickly

21. Stop catching colds
As much as possible, avoid coming into close contact with infected persons, especially if they cough or sneeze.
A person with a cold is extremely contagious: he or she fills the air with fine particles of saliva or mucous which transport the virus
microbe. Even if the person is careful to wipe his nose with tissue or a handkerchief, the microbes will be transported to his hands.
And studies have shown that these viruses are transmitted through hand contact. So if you have to shake hands with someone who has a
cold, you would better wash soon after!
What can you do if you do catch a cold?
It is useless to take antibiotics: they have no effect on viruses.
However, there are certain substances found in alcohol which help decongest sinuses, that is why a good hot toddy can work wonders.
But take care of your liver: a toddy is just as good with a little rum as with a lot.
You don’t have to get drunk to get better. You don’t even have to drink it - just sniff some strong alcohol like cognac or brandy and
breathe in the fumes.

Natural remedy is better but a pill works wonders.  Sometimes after a prolong working in the garden my back feels like being hit by a hammer.  Pop a pill and there goes the pain.  Anyway, I do not make this a habit now - age is catching up and work is slowing down.



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One thing for sure old people do have lots of problem.  Health, finance, family, coping with technology, etc.

How old is old?   My late father-in-law was 90 over years old and do not need assistance in his daily routine which included walking a few kilometers around the neighbourhood.  My sister-in-law's husband, on the other hand, is in his early 70s but cannot do much on his own since passing the 60 year mark.

When we are young we do not bother much about our health.  Health will be our main problem when we are old.  Where finance is concerned the young knows how to take care of their old age, but not their health.  Only the old can understand the saying "health is wealth".  Senior citizens have all types of pain - pain in the legs, neck pain, back pain, etc.  Other than pain, many are also suffering from high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes thereby complicating the process of medication.  I have known some people who spend thousands monthly on medicine and doctors' fees.

It is no fun growing old.  Although sometimes old age can be an advantage, like 50% discount, the pain and suffering plus a number of other problems outstrips the advantages.  Everything slows down - your whole body system is affected every year you aged.  You have to keep adjusting yourself on how you do things.  Your memory  starts to  play  tricks on you. This is the time to be scared of advancing technology which even some of the younger generation has difficulty in catching up.  Well, just like the saying "the show must go on", we have to keep our brain going and not to let it "shut down"  due to old age and less usage.   Gain some knowledge on IT - don't have to be an expert on computers or become a master in photography and the workings of all cameras.

I cannot stop myself from growing old but I do try to keep myself fit and healthy with less worry for my family.  I keep my brain busy and try to update myself on what's going on in the world.  Thus, you can find me on MyShutterspace.com a networking site for those interested in photography.  I also upload my photos on Flickr and Photobucket and Weebly of course.  On social networking, I'm a member of StumbleUpon.com.

I feel lucky to have my good health and intent to keep it this way for a long time.  Mentally I'm in no danger of "losing my mind"  due to lack of use.  My brain is fully occupied when I'm awake.


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