by wildcherry on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

The most common causes of low back pain are:

• Injury or overuse of muscles, ligaments, facet joints, and the sacroiliac joints.
• Pressure on nerve roots in the spinal canal. Nerve root compression can be caused by:
• A herniated disc, often brought on by repeated vibration or motion (as during machine use or sport activity, or when lifting improperly), or by a sudden heavy strain or increased pressure to the lower back.
• Osteoarthritis (joint degeneration), which typically develops with age. When osteoarthritis affects the small facet joints in the spine, it can lead to back pain. Osteoarthritis in other joints, such as the hips, can cause you to limp or to change the way you walk. This can also lead to back pain.
• Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, vertebra defects that can allow a vertebra to slide over another when aggravated by certain activities.
• Spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spinal canal, which typically develops with age.
• Fractures of the vertebrae caused by significant force, such as from an auto or bicycle accident, a direct blow to the spine, or compressing the spine by falling onto the buttocks or head.
• Spinal deformities, including curvature problems such as severe scoliosis or kyphosis.
• Compression fractures. Compression fractures are more common among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, or in men or women after long-term corticosteroid use. In a person with osteoporosis, even a small amount of force put on the spine, as from a sneeze, may cause a compression fracture.

Less common spinal conditions that can cause low back pain include:

• Ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of joint inflammation (arthritis) that most often affects the spine.
• Bacterial infection. Bacteria are usually carried to the spine through the bloodstream from an infection somewhere else in the body or from IV drug use. But bacteria can enter the spine directly during surgery or injection treatments, or as the result of injury. Back pain may be the result of an infection in the bone (osteomyelitis), in the spinal discs, or in the spinal cord.
• Spinal tumors, or growths that develop on the bones and ligaments of the spine, on the spinal cord, or on nerve roots.
• Paget’s disease, which causes abnormal bone growth most often affecting the pelvis, spine, skull, chest, and legs.
• Scheuermann’s disease, in which one or more of the bones of the spine (vertebrae) develop wedge-shaped deformities. This causes curvature of the spine (rounding of the back, or kyphosis), most commonly in the chest region.

Other medical conditions that can cause pain that may be similar to low back pain include:

• Pelvic inflammatory disease.
• Aortic aneurysm.
• Peptic ulcers.
• Gallbladder disease.
• Pancreatitis.
• Urinary disorders such as kidney stones or urinary tract infections.
• Prostate disease.

Your state of mind also has an effect on your level of pain and whether it becomes long-lasting (chronic). People who are depressed, under stress, unhappy in their work, or seeking money for an injury are more likely to have chronic back pain.

Tags: Back Pain, causes of back pain, causes of low back pain, chronic back pain, common causes of low back pain, Lower Back Pain

by wildcherry on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

Layla Grace, the two year old little girl with cancer that has many followers on her Twitter account has died. Layla Grace known as @LaylaGrace, died this morning after battling stage 4 high risk neuroblastoma.

Here’s a last post on Twitter by Layla Grace.

@LaylaGrace: Layla went to play with the angels early this morning. Rest in peace precious Layla. 11/26/2007 – 3/9/2010

Layla Grace made such an impact on the Twitter community #RIPLaylaGrace is currenlty among the top three trending topics.

May she rest in peace.

What Is Neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a form of cancer that starts in certain types of very primitive nerve cells found in an embryo or fetus. (The term neuro refers to nerves, while blastoma refers to a cancer that affects immature or developing cells). This type of cancer occurs in infants and young children. It is rarely found in children older than 10 years.

Tags: layla grace, layla grace blog, layla grace cancer, layla grace death, layla grace marsh, layla grace twitter, layla grace wiki, neuroblastoma

by wildcherry on Friday, February 26th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

The F Factor diet (F for Fiber) makes a debut on the View show.

The F-factor diet is designed and promoted by Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S. R.D. based in New York City and Miami Beach. This diet stresses the importance of inclusion of fiber in all meals. The theory behind the F-factor diet is that whatever you eat, if you eat enough fiber, you will feel full quickly and you will not over-eat your meal and get your weight under control.

F stands for fiber of course. According to the author of the book “the F Factor Diet”, fiber, which is the zero-calorie non digestible part of a carbohydrate, is the secret to losing weight without hunger. Zuckerbrot says on her website ffactordiet.com “the more fiber a food has, the fuller you will feel after eating, leading you to eat less throughout the day”

Many fad diets emphasize on other macro nutrients like fat in Atkins diet, protein in south beach diet. This F-factor-diet may be the first to emphasize on the use of fibrous foods.

The 200-plus page book gives out “more than 75 delicious recipes from appetizers through desserts and a complete set of guidelines for those who don’t want to cook - journal pages and helpful hints to keep dieters on track,” the publisher’s review says on Amzon.com about the book.

Tags: f factor diet, foods high in fiber, high fiber foods, joy philbin, the f factor diet

by nate on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Health, Knowledge, Life, Tips | No Comments

The authors of the best-selling weight-loss series Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide
have rounded up three of the worst orders of fries available at chain restaurants across the country.

Best Fast Food Fries in America
McDonald’s Small French Fries
230 calories
11 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
160 mg sodium

Worst Curly Fries
Arby’s Curly Fries (Large)
640 calories
34 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 g trans)
1,460 mg sodium

Arby’s is famous for its curly fries—too bad they’re overloaded with fat, calories and sodium. When one side dish accounts for nearly three-quarters of your daily allotment of salt, you know there’s a problem. As fun as these curli-Qs are, stick to the Homefry variety at Arby’s—downsizing to a small Curly Fries will still leave you with a 410-calorie side, which is more than many of Arby’s sandwiches!

Eat This Instead!
Homestyle Fries (Small)
350 calories
15 g fat (2 g saturated)
720 mg sodium

Worst Wedge Fries
Jack in the Box Bacon Cheddar Wedges
715 calories
45 g fat (13 g saturated, 1 g trans)
905 mg sodium

It doesn’t take a nutritionist to identify the hazards of a grease-soaked, cheese-slathered sack of deep-fried potatoes, but by appearance alone, nobody could guess what’s really at stake when you order this side from Jack’s. The American Heart Association recommends that people cap their trans fat intake at 1 percent of total calories. For people on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s about 2 grams per day. See the problem? Another issue, of course, is the overload in calories—about one-third your daily allotment!

Eat This Instead!
Grilled Chicken Strips (4) with Fire Roasted Salsa
185 calories
2 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
805 mg sodium

Worst Fries for Your Blood Pressure
Dairy Queen Chili Cheese Fries
1,240 calories
71 g fat (28 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
2,550 milligrams sodium

This one’s a no-brainer: Chili, cheese, fried potatoes. But even a savvy eater couldn’t possibly anticipate how bad these 3 ingredients could be when combined by one heavy-handed fast-food company. There’s as much sodium in this side dish as you’ll find in 15 strips of bacon. Stick with classic ketchup and recapture nearly a day’s worth of sodium and 930 calories.

Eat This Instead!
French Fries (regular)
310 calories
13 g fat (2 g saturated)
640 mg sodium

Worst Regular Order of Fries
Five Guys Fries (large)
1,464 calories
71 g fat (14 g saturated)
213 mg sodium

Unfortunately, Five Guys doesn’t offer anything but fries in the side department. Your safest bet, of course, is to skip the fries altogether (you’d be better off adding a second patty to your burger), but if you can’t bring yourself to eat a burger sans fries, then split a regular order. That will still add 310 calories to your meal, but it beats surrendering more than 75% of your day’s calories to a greasy paper bag.

Eat This Instead!
Regular Fries (1/2 serving)
310 calories
15 g fat (3 g saturated)
45 mg sodium

Worst Fries in America
Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries w/Jalapeno Ranch
1,920 calories
147 g fat (63 g saturated)
3,580 mg sodium

The only thing that comes close to redeeming this cheesy mound of lard and grease is the fact that it’s ostensibly meant to be shared with a few friends. Even so, you’ll collectively be taking in an entire day’s worth of calories, three days’ allotment of saturated fat, and a day and a half’s allotment of sodium. What’s even scarier, if you can imagine, is that even if you try to order more sensibly and ask for the “half” order of Texas Cheese Fries, you’ll still receive a disastrous dish that packs in 1,400 calories. There’s one French fries side dish at Chili’s that’s acceptable, although even in its much-reduced form, you’d be better off splitting it.

Bonus Tip: See what other Chili’s items made our list of The 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America.

Eat This Instead!
Homestyle Fries
380 calories
23 g fat (4 g saturated)
230 mg sodium
source: health.yahoo.com

Tags: arby's, burger chains, Calories, Chili Cheese Fries, Dairy Queen, eat this, eating healthy, Five Guys Fries, french fries, fries, health conscious, healthiest fries, high calories food, Jack in the Box Wedges, junk food, McDonald, men health, tips of choosing fries, worst french fries, worst fries

by wildcherry on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

One thing in common we all have is that someday we all have some sort of lower back pain. Usually a bump, bruise or accident will cause the lower back pain. These are usually mild cases and only require treatment that is very easy to do.

Others will find they have back pain and don’t know what caused the pain and there is no way to control the occurrence of the pain. Spinal conditions are a reason for back pain and many are born with this condition. The sooner you can find the source of the pain, the sooner you and your doctor can treat that back pain and hopefully reduce or eliminate the back pain for good.

Consider these things if you are under 60 years old Age and lower back pain do play a role. Older people, usually those over 60, are categorized into a separate group. They often suffer from conditions such as arthritis and other degenerative conditions that are known to cause back pain.

For the people who are under sixty, there are really 3 main group or categories. These are characterized by some common symptoms:

Disc herniation - results in pain and numbness in the legs. Can get worse with long periods of sitting or standing. Degenerative disk disease - this is characterized with pain when making certain moves or specific positions. This can also become chronic and extremely painful. Stress fractures - pain when walking or standing and this can be very painful also. Information for the older people One common cause of pain for the elderly is osteoarthritis. This health condition leads to stiffness and usually is worse in morning or evening.

Another type or cause for the elderly is lumbar spinal stenosis. What happens is there is pressure put on the nerves of the spine and usually will cause pain in the legs. Low back pain by disc degeneration is also common.

Muscles around and supporting the discs go into a spasm causing chronic back pain. Mechanical pain is common because the disc that is degenerating is becoming inflamed. By replacing the bad disc with an artificial one you help relieve the pain associated with degenerative disc disease.

Less know conditions for low back pain Some of the lesser known conditions of low back pain make it more difficult to diagnose therefore making it more difficult to treat.

Causes of lower back pain:

Infection Spinal tumor Fibromygalia Sacroiliac joint syndrome Piriformis syndrome Sciatica Poly neuropathy All of these can be causes of low back pain, even though they are more uncommon. They still can be treated, when diagnosed correctly.

A reason to be happy By determining the cause of your low bac and hip pain, you can find relief and treatment to start toward recovery. Understanding how to prevent and treat the back pain can definitely make you happy.

Tags: Back Pain, causes lower back pain, hip pain, Lower Back and Hip Pain, Lower Back Pain

by wildcherry on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

Many people complain about upper back and chest pain, the problem may be caused by poor posture. while standing or working in a seated position the muscles in the upper back, connected to the shoulder blades becomes stressed and painful. When the pain begins suddenly it may be confused with a heart attack, since it begins mainly in the back and can feel like a spike being driven all the way through the chest cavity.

To determine if the pain is heart related,ask the person to take a deep breath.If the pain becomes worse while inhaling, there are chances of posture causing the upper back and chest pain. However, it is always better to have any pains in the chest investigated by a doctor.A wrong diagnosis by an unqualified person can be deadly.

People sit in front of a computer for extended periods with their arms held slightly up, are putting a lot of strain on the shoulder muscles, especially if their elbows are not supported. This can cause upper back and chest pain.

Severe upper back and chest pain can be relieved through pinpoint massage at the central point of the pain between the shoulders. An exercise that can help to reduce this type of pain is called a shoulder raise. Standing in an upright position with arms hanging straight down, lift the shoulder as his as they will go and without dropping them down, rotate them towards the back, then allow them to be lowered. Be repeating this exercise 10 or more times twice a day, it can help alleviate and prevent upper back and chest pain.

Swimming can also help to eliminate upper back and chest pain.With the head raised to stay out of the water, the body naturally extends itself to help the muscles to become more relaxed. While seated, constant reminders to sit up straight and maintaining good posture can do wonders to relieve the causes of upper back and chest pain.

Tags: Arthritis, chest pain, Pain Relief, upper back pain

by nate on Monday, February 15th, 2010 | Beauty, Health, Inspiration, Knowledge, Life, Tips | No Comments

Despite the way it feels, losing weight isn’t a mysterious process. It’s a simple matter of burning more calories than you eat. But, if it were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem, would we? Weight loss can be such a struggle that we start thinking we have to do something drastic to see results – diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. The true secret to weight loss is this: Make small changes each and every day and you’ll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

1) Weigh yourself daily

Why It Works: Weekly weigh-ins are a staple of many popular weight loss programs, but some studies show that daily weighing can be key to lasting weight loss. When researchers at the University of Minnesota monitored the scale habits of 1,800 dieting adults, they found that those who stepped on every day lost an average of 12 pounds over 2 years (weekly scale watchers lost only 6) and were less likely to regain lost weight. Step on the scale first thing every morning, when you weigh the least. Expect small day-to-day fluctuations because of bloating or dehydration, but if your weight creeps up by 2% (that’s just 3 pounds if you weigh 150), it’s time to skip dessert.

2) Keep TV viewing under 2 hours a day

Why It Works: TV junkies miss out on calorie-burning activities like backyard tag with the kids; instead, they become sitting ducks for junk-food ads. One study found that adults who watch more than 2 hours of TV per day take in 7% more calories and consume more sugary snacks than those who watch less than an hour a day. Wean yourself off the tube by introducing other activities into your life. Eliminate the temptation to watch between-show filler by recording your must-see programs so you can fast-forward through the ads. Or subscribe to a mail-order DVD service like Netflix, and make a movie the only thing you watch all day.

3) Eat 4 g of fiber at every meal

Why It Works: A high-fiber diet can lower your caloric intake without making you feel deprived. In a Tufts University study, women who ate 13 g of fiber or less per day were five times as likely to be overweight as those who ate more fiber. Experts see a number of mechanisms through which fiber promotes weight loss: It may slow down eating because it requires more chewing, speed the passage of food through the digestive tract, and boost satiety hormones. To get 25 g of fiber a day, make sure you eat six meals or snacks, each of which contains about 4 g of fiber. For to-go snacks, buy a piece of fruit; it’s handier than vegetables, so it’s an easy way to up your fiber intake. One large apple has just as much fiber (5 g) as a cup of raw broccoli.

4) Sleep at least 7 hours a night

Why It Works: A University of Chicago study found that people deprived of Zzzs had lower levels of the hormones that control appetite. “The research suggested that short sleep durations could be a risk factor for obesity,” says James Gangwisch, Ph.D., an epidemiologist from Columbia University Medical Center. Sure enough, his follow-up study of 9,588 Americans found that women who slept 4 hours or less per night were 234% more likely to be obese. The key number for most people is 7 hours or more a night, he says, so set an early bedtime and stick to it.

5) Drink 8 glasses of water per day

Why It Works: Water is not just a thirst quencher–it may also speed the body’s metabolism. Researchers in Germany found that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of cold water increased their subjects’ metabolic rate by 30%, and the effect persisted for 90 minutes. One-third of the boost came from the body’s efforts to warm the water, but the rest was due to the work the body did to absorb it. “When drinking water, no calories are ingested but calories are used, unlike when drinking sodas, where additional calories are ingested and possibly stored,” explains the lead researcher, Michael Boschmann, M.D., of University Medicine Berlin. Increasing water consumption to 8 glasses per day may help you lose about 8 pounds in a year, he says, so try drinking a glass before meals and snacks and before consuming sweetened drinks or juices.

6) Stick to an 8-hour workday

Why It Works: A University of Helsinki study of 7,000 adults found that those who’d packed on pounds in the previous year were more likely to have logged overtime hours. Lack of time for diet and exercise is most likely the cause, but it’s also possible that work stress has a direct effect on weight gain through changes in hormones like cortisol. Set firm limits on your workday so that when you’re done, you still have the oomph to take a bike ride and cook a healthy dinner. To help you stay productive enough to finish on time, set an hourly alarm; when it goes off, deal with your most pressing duties.

source: health.yahoo

Tags: diet program, dieting, easy steps for losing weight, good body shape, good shape, how to lose weight, self confident, slim, slimming down, tips to losing weight, weight loss programs

by nate on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 | Health, Knowledge, Life, Tips | No Comments

You know smoking is bad for you. You know inhaling someone else’s smoke is bad for you. Now a US study says third-hand smoke – tobacco residue clinging to surfaces – is also bad for you.

When a cigarette burns, nicotine is released in the form of a vapor that collects and condenses on indoor surfaces such as walls, carpeting, drapes and furniture, where it can linger for months, said the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

“Our study shows that when this residual nicotine reacts with ambient nitrous acid it forms carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines, or TSNAs,” said Hugo Destaillats, a corresponding author of the study.

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory led the study, which they say is the first to quantify the reactions of third-hand smoke with nitrous acid.

source: health.yahoo.com

Tags: bad smoker, Berkeley National Laboratory, do not smoke, health worry, infant, no smoking, smoker, Smoking, third hand smoker, toddler, why smoking is bad

by wildcherry on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

Louisa Ball is 15 years old and when she sleeps, she sleeps for days and cannot be awaken. That’s because the has somnophilia or the sleeping beauty syndrome. Somnophilia is a sleep-inducing disease that makes the person affected by it sleep more often.

Watch the news report right below about the story of Real Life Sleeping Beauty Syndrome: Louisa Ball.

According to doctors, this is a sickness that is without a cure. They say that it simply clears up after 8-12 years of suffering from it. Now that is such a bother. Louisa Ball’s longest sleep lasted for 13 days. It must be very troublesome for her to lose a lot of days or weeks of exposure to schools and birthday parties. Her parents wake her up by shaking her, and they force food down to her throat to and have her go to the bathroom first before letting her sleep again. Just check out the interview video right below.

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by wildcherry on Monday, February 8th, 2010 | Health, Life | No Comments

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet — one rich in olive oil, whole grains, fish and fruit – may protect aging brains from damage linked to cognitive problems, a new study finds.

Other studies have already found that such diets also lower risks for depression, cancer, heart disease and premature death.

The latest study was led by Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center, New York City, and involved 712 men and women averaging 80 years of age. All of the participants had no history of stroke and received MRIs to look for brain infarcts — tissues that have died because of reduced or cut-off blood supply.

Though the infarcts are true strokes, Scarmeas said, they are so small that they escape notice.

In all, 238 people had at least one area of brain damage, he said.

Full Story: Business Week

Tags: mediterranean diet, mediterranean diet meal plan, mediterranean diet recipes, the mediterranean diet, turbo atkins, turbo atkins diet