Entries from August 2009 ↓

I read this article and it helped me learn what are the ways that fasting can improve someones health.Also on tv the sheik advises anyone with any health problem like high blood pressure ,diabetes,cholestrol to fast even during the fitr days .

1. Attitude About Juice Fasting: One key to juice fasting over water fasting is the ability to prevent ketosis (disrupted carbohydrate metabolism in response to chronic starvation) by continuously providing simple carbohydrates that are used by your body for energy and nutrition to the cells. Some individuals, however, believe that carb overload is the reason why Americans are fat.
2. Attitude about Skipping Meals: One study suggests that skipping a meal occasionally is not all that bad, especially if weight loss is a goal. However, be aware of changes in metabolic rate (see below).
3. Autonomic Nervous System: According to this article, fasting appears to have a normalizing effect on the overall tone of the autonomic nervous system. This normalization decreases possibilities for a number of issues ranging from digestive disturbances to anxiety disorders.
4. Awareness: Fasting can heighten awareness, depending upon the health of the individual, the goal for fasting and the ability to eliminate toxins from the system.
5. Back Pain: Back pains caused by muscular tightness and stress rather than from bone disease or osteoporosis may be alleviated with a lighter diet or juice fasting.
6. Bad Health Habits: In some people, fasting has helped break cravings for alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and some drug addictions.
7. Blood Pressure: Water fasting may correct your high blood pressure to a safe range within two weeks without drugs. This level of pressure can be maintained if the diet is changed rather than going back to old eating habits. This study was conducted in a controlled setting.
8. Cell Proliferation: This study, done on mice, showed that intermittent fasting slowed cell production, which also showed cancer development. Slowing down the rate of cell proliferation essentially buys time for the cells to repair genetic damage that may cause cancer.
9. Cholesterol: One study about a 30-day Muslim fast showed significant decrease in LDL (”bad” cholesterol), total serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides at the end of the fasting period. There also was a significant increase in “good” cholesterol (HDL) that showed at the end of the fast and continued to show for one month after the fast.
10. Chronic cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure: Fasting can reduce triglycerides, atheromas, total cholesterol and may increase HDL levels.
11. Energy Flow: Through this logic, fasting enables the body to slow down to the point where the individual can listen to the body through the mind. This ‘vital force’ is clouded when the body is filled with toxins. However, one study with flies showed that the value of diminished appetite to an animal’s survival may vary with the infecting microbe.
12. Fat Mobilization [PDF]: Fasting may move the body to mobilize fat stores from adipose tissue (the fat under your skin) to consume that fat as energy. Short fasts also may protect proteins in your body with the release of a growth hormone.
13. Heart Health: The day-long, once-a-month fast many Mormons undertake as a part of their faith may help explain the lower rates of coronary artery disease in this population, according to a study presented at the American Heart Assn.’s scientific sessions in Orlando, Florida, in 2007.
14. Homeostasis: Basically, your metabolic equilibrium, or ability to heal, could undergo a change during fasting. When fasting is employed as a therapeutic measure, it changes the playing field for disease and infection. This article quotes Louis Pasteur, “The pathogen is nothing, the terrain is everything” for an argument on why fasting can be used as a cure for injury or disease.
15. Insulin and Blood Sugars: A study from the National Institute on Aging found that skipping meals frequently can help mice maintain healthier glucose and insulin levels. The study provides insight into the possible effect of fasting on glucose metabolism.
16. Life Span: The point behind this list of articles and studies is that caloric reduction, overall, is one way to increase a life span. Lower metabolic rates, slower cell proliferation and less body fat that holds toxic matter all lead to a healthier life. This translates, for many people, into a longer life.
17. Lifestyle: If you want to change your life to feel healthier and more productive, this author believes that fasting provides the pivot for that change.
18. Mental Alertness: When toxins are removed from the lymphatic and blood systems, this change improves mental clarity. Eating less also results in energy conservation, which can be used by the brain for thinking tasks.
19. Metabolism: While many people believe that a fast metabolism is key to weight loss,
ramadan kareem
http://current.com/1ubgm4c

Ramadan Mubarak……..
thanks for the info……….

@ batman, it doesn’t need proving, medicine proves it ask doctors & they will say that too… it relaxes the stomach.
actually fasting is in all religions, not only islam…. the other prophets did it, just the months or day was different….

What are some ways to prevent or help reduce high blood pressure, other than the medication when it becomes necessary? I am referring to borderline high blood pressure that appears to only occur each time pregnant. What can done to prevent it from getting so bad as to need medication? Thanks!

Get a good OB/GYN that knows how to take care of patients with this. I had untreated high BP during my pregnancy and ended up having a child with Cerebral Palsy. My doc was dumb and kept telling me "You’re fine". Now my son is left with a lifetime of problems that he shouldn’t have. PLEASE get good medical care with an educated and experienced doc. If you have a good doc, they will know exactly what to tell you to do.

I’m 41 & had a total hysterectomy May 18, 2009. I’m now fighting high blood pressure. I’m wondering if it is hormonal or if it is totally genetic. High blood pressure does run in my family, but mine seems to have come on quickly, almost overnight.
Any info. would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

it could be hormonal the doc may need to draw blood and check your levels and you don’t mention your weight. Remember high blood pressure is not a disease it is a symptom..good luck.

I’ve tried to find online what the physical symptoms are of high blood pressure, what causes it & some home remedies to treat it. All I’ve read is that there are no physical signs of high blood pressure. But I’ve heard many people say they’ve felt bad & their BP must be up. I’m only 30. I don’t have health insurance. I went to the doctor Monday (had to pay) & for the 1st time in my life, I was told my BP was high, 140/90. The nurse askd if I’d been under a lot of stress, that answr is YES. So nthing else was said about it. I was worried about what they were going to tell me about something else, so she figured that’s what caused it to be high. I felt funny that day. Dizzy, weak, heart feeling like its racing & beating in my throat. Felt like I may pass out. I’ve felt like that every day since. So I’m worrying. Is that how high BP makes u feel? Can stress cause it? Can it be treated @ home? I don’t have ins. Any info is appreciated, thanks!

SOmetimes you can feel dizzy when your blood pressure is up, but more likely it’s anxiety. Any time your blood pressure is elevated, your heartrate will be elevated too. Feeling like you may pass out, is probably also anxiety, because generally speaking. LOW blood pressure make you pass out. It can’t really be treated at home, if it is true hypertension. You can reduce your salt intake. Drink alot of water. Those things could help. Also, there are studies that say if you eat a teaspoon of cinnamon everyday (I sprinkle it in my coffee) that it drastically reduces blood pressure. And, definitely, stress can cause high blood pressure. But, you also may have white-coat hypertension (you were nervous at the appointment and therfore your BP was higher). Hope this helps. Good Luck!

This person is over 70 years old.

Hi, This is Counselor,

I have a private practice called Steps To Success Counseling
and 1 of the topics I counsel on is Mental Health.

Being in my position demands knowledge of pharmacuticles and their contraindications. I have also work in Emergency Medical Services for over 4 years.

Yes increasing the med’s can cause the low blood pressure
( Hypotension ) and with this the insufficiant blood flow does not allow the brain cells to get enough oxygen.

Pssst, want to positively do something about your High Blood Pressure? Get yourself a pooch and walk it!

Seriously, this is not a wind up nor is it a reverse promotion for the Canine Defence League (or whatever). It is genuine recommendation for those who suffer with High Blood Pressure and want to do something positive about it in a natural manner.

I suffer from High Blood Pressure. I keep banging on about it in a number of articles because in a great many ways (mine probably included if I am brutally honest), something can be done about and it may (note MAY, not DEFINITELY) have been avoidable.

But I digress; this article is about what can be done about High Blood Pressure (HBP or Hypertension) not about how I managed to get it.

There are two options to consider when you are diagnosed with High Blood Pressure.

Firstly you can sit there and go “Woe is me, how many tablets do I have to take and at what part in the proceedings will impotence hit me?” Us guys like to get our priorities right ?

Secondly you can sit up, re evaluate how you got into that position in the first place and then try and see if you can do something about it. The latter path is the one yours truly decided upon and hence we find ourselves discussing the merits and relative advantages of getting a mutt!

In my case the BP readings were fairly high (try 216 over 160! 120 over 80, god how I used to fantasise about that) and as such Drug therapy was the immediate no brainer in the first instance but once that came under control and the levels dropped it was possible to look at other complimentary measures to run alongside the tablets.

One year down the line from my initial diagnosis and the BP levels were manageable, I had managed to lose some weight. I could have lost the weight sooner but my self discipline for diets has always been awful but again, I digress.

Increased exercise was the next part of the rehabilitation plan and though I had always been keen on walking and getting outside for exercise, again my lousy self discipline always managed to get in the way of any constructive resolution.

This whole narrative might sound like the immediate problem was my own lack of self will and discipline and in many ways that is true. I admire those fanatical enthusiasts who can be seen pounding the streets at 6.30 am every day before they go off to work. My own view on this has always been to try and incorporate some form of longer lasting therapy that in my case was more self sustainable allowing for my own weaknesses.

Now the question may be asked at this point is how serious was I about getting my HBP down and under manageable levels? I have never been more serious about anything else in my life as to be totally honest I am not too wild about departing this mortal coil well before my anointed time.

My own view on this whole exercise was that my “anti HBP regime” had to be able to be sustainable AND scaleable therefore meaning that the lifestyle / approach would still be on track if I found myself laid up with any form of illness and /or accident.

So, increased exercise as well as change of diet, eating, work habits etc was the order of the day.

Hence we find our self with the situation with a dog. Having lived with dogs all throughout my childhood, I was aware of the companionship that my son would feel if we had one for our family but also I was keenly aware of the responsibility that comes along with having a dog!

They need feeding, looking after and……plenty of exercise.

Now we are the proud owners of a Black Labrador / Border collie first cross 50 lbs of fun, fur and mayhem called Elmo. He specialises in all of the things that dogs do best. He eats as much as he can get his paws on, he then makes sure that as much as possible is then manufactured out the other end as often as possible and in the most inconsiderate of places! He chews anything and everything he can get his jaws round, nothing is safe, nothing is sacred and one of these days my eight year old son will get the message not to leave toys lying around the place unattended.

Lastly he is demanding about being taken out and this is where we find the missing link in my Anti HBP Therapy! As the day goes by his whole demeanour and attitude becomes more intense until finally if you haven’t got the hint by evening time he enters into what can only be described by US Sports Commentators as his “Hurry up Offence”. He comes and sits in front of you, rests his head on your legs and doesn’t move. He just looks at you with that expression that makes it perfectly clear that either it is exercise time or he is going to leave large amounts of canine saliva all over your trousers, shorts, anything in fact that you happen to be wearing at the time!

With a persuasive argument like that it is difficult to refuse and hence I find my High Blood Pressure reducing to manageable proportions, my weight dropping and I am also now in the position of being able to review and reduce (in certain cases) the level of medication that I need to help control my blood pressure.

All by and large down to getting a pooch!

Now if I could do something about the chewing….next time he destroys the Satellite remote (again), he gets it……..

Stephen Morgan
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/want-to-lower-your-high-blood-pressure-get-yourself-a-dog-73035.html

Preparation for Pregnancy

I can imagine that you are probably thinking about having a baby at this time (that is why you are reading this article, isn’t it?). As a mother I can tell you right away that pregnancy is a very exciting time in a woman’s life. But it can also be a time filled with questions and concerns. You may ask, “Why it is important to be ready for pregnancy?” and, “What is the big reason for doing this?” Well, read on to find out. Conception occurs about 2 weeks before your period is due. That means that you may be more than 3 weeks pregnant and not even know that you’re pregnant! This is important because your baby is most sensitive to harm in the period from two to eight weeks after conception. This is when your baby’s facial features and organs, such as the heart and kidneys, begin to form. Anything that you eat, drink, smoke or are exposed to can affect your baby. That’s why it’s best to start acting as if you’re pregnant before you are sure that you have conceived, if you have been trying to get pregnant.

Your First Visit to Your Doctor about a Pregnancy?

It is better to see your doctor when you’re just thinking about getting pregnant. You can talk about your diet, bowel habits, lifestyle, weight control and any concerns that you have. Try to visit your doctor in the year before you want to get pregnant. A thorough physical examination performed at this time may reveal unknown factors in your health that might have a significant effect on your ability to fall pregnant or successfully carry a child through to birth. High blood pressure, diabetes, back disease and gynecological problems are examples of some that can be found. A Pap smear test should be performed if you are due for one. A blood test for, and a check of your family history of, Rubella (German measles) infection will be arranged and a vaccination given if necessary. You and your partner (father-to-be) will be asked about your medical history because that is very important for the progress of your pregnancy and your future baby. Some medical problems, including genetic diseases such as Cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, run in the family. These problems aren’t caused by anything you do. Talk with your doctor about your risk factors and whether screening tests are needed. If you are over 35 years of age, a talk with your doctor is highly recommended. You’ll both also have the chance to ask your doctor any questions you may have at this exciting time. Conception, when life begins, is a miraculous process. Today, we know more than we ever have about its wondrous ways, but many aspects still remain a challenging mystery. Once fertilized, the egg has seven days to get down the fallopian tube, enter the cavity of the uterus and burrow into the lining so that it is covered by nutrient-rich blood of its mother. This is probably the most hazardous journey any of us will ever take. Failing to complete the trip leads to certain death. To begin the trip, but be delayed means either death or an ectopic pregnancy. Getting to the uterus too quickly probably also results in failure and death. Even if this developing new person makes it to the stage of implantation into the lining of the uterus, 50% will miscarry in the very early stages.

Shettles’s System to Increase The Odds of Having a Boy or a Girl in Your Favor.

What can you do to improve your chances of having a girl next time, if you already have two sons and you want to have a girl? Is there any way to increase the odds in your favor of having a boy or a girl? There is no simple way in which the sex of a child can be guaranteed, but the following system (known as Shettle’s System) may help. Using this system is free; it absolutely does not cost you any money, only your determination and desire. At best, this system increases the chances of a child of a particular sex from 50% to 75%. It is definitely NOT a guarantee of success, but it is currently the most well-known method for influencing gender without the use of medical procedures. The method is based on the premise that men produce two types of sperm, the X (female) and Y (male). The Y sperms are smaller and more delicate, but faster, than the X sperms (which are bigger, tougher and slower), the system is based on providing an environment which is more likely to help the type of sperm that matches your preference to get to the egg first.

There are 6 basic recommendations to follow:

1) Timing – the most critical aspect of the Shettle’s method is to time when you have intercourse. The closer to ovulation that you have sex, the better your chances of having a boy, because ovulation provides the most optimal time for conceiving, and male sperm are faster. If you have intercourse about 3 days prior to ovulation, you may maximize the chances for the slower but tougher female sperm, which are able to survive until the egg appears.

2) The pH of the woman’s tract is also important. A more alkaline environment is generally favorable to fertility and, therefore, favors the quicker, but more delicate, male sperm. For a girl, a douche of very diluted water and vinegar is done just before intercourse. For a boy, a douche of very diluted water and baking soda just before intercourse is indicated.

3) A woman’s tract is more acidic, the closer to the entrance of the vagina that the measurement is taken. Therefore, intercourse with shallow penetration may favor the conception of a girl, and intercourse with deeper penetration is believed to favor a boy being the result.

4) Orgasms in females produce a hormone which makes their vaginal tract more alkaline and therefore more favorable for boys.

5) A high sperm count favors boys. To increase sperm count, Shettle’s method recommends that you abstain from intercourse for up to three to four days before ovulation. Also, men should wear boxers rather than tight underpants. To reduce the sperm count, men should take a hot bath just before intercourse and couples should have as much intercourse as possible until 3 days before ovulation.

6) Drinking a cup of coffee just prior to intercourse tends to favor a boy.

To sum up all of the above:

To Increase the Chance of Having a Girl:

Use a vaginal douche, consisting of 20 ml white vinegar in 500 ml of water, ten minutes before having sex. Have sex frequently in the seven to ten days before you ovulate. Have no sex from one day before ovulation until ten days after ovulation. Your partner should ejaculate just inside the vagina, and not deeply inside. Your partner should withdraw immediately after ejaculation. It is better for the woman not to have an orgasm.

To Increase the Chance of Having a Boy:

Ten minutes before sex, use a vaginal douche consisting of 5 g of baking soda in 500 mg of water. Have no sex from the end of your period until the day ovulation occurs. Have sex twice daily from the day of ovulation until four days afterward. Your partner should ejaculate deep inside the vagina. Your partner should withdraw immediately after ejaculation. It is better for woman to have an orgasm; ideally just before ejaculation.

Good luck!

Symptoms of Early Pregnancy

These are some of the first signs of impending motherhood. You may experience all, some, or none of these symptoms during the early stages of your pregnancy:

1 )Tender, swollen breasts: If you’re pregnant, your breasts will probably become increasingly tender to the touch, similar to the way they feel before your period. A tingling sensation will be felt in the nipples. Once your body grows accustomed to the hormone surge, the pain will subside.

2) Darkening of your areolas: If the skin around your nipples gets darker and the small lubricating glands become more prominent with small bumps appearing, you may have successfully conceived. But, this may also signal a hormonal imbalance that is unrelated to pregnancy or be a left-over effect from a previous pregnancy. It can even be related to the consumption of oral contraceptive pills.

3) Frequent urination: Once the embryo implants and begins producing the hormone ‘human chorionic gonadotropin’ (HCG), pregnant women start to urinate more frequently. This settles down after the twelfth week. But, later in pregnancy, the increased size of the womb puts more pressure on the bladder and frequent urination occurs again.

4) Dark patches on forehead and cheeks: These patches are caused by hormonal changes that affect the pigment cells in the skin (they are called ‘chloasma’). Such changes may be also be a side-effect of the contraceptive pills. The navel and a line down the center of the woman’s belly may also darken. These pigment changes fade somewhat after the pregnancy but those areas will probably always remain darker than before.

5) Food cravings: Food cravings can, sometimes, be a sign of pregnancy. Don’t rely on them as a sure symptom (it may be all in your head, or even a sign that your body is low on a particular nutrient), but if the cravings are accompanied by some of the other symptoms on this list, the chance is that you are pregnant.

6) Implantation bleeding or cramping: You may experience implantation spotting, a slight staining of a pink or brown color, as well as some cramping about eight days after ovulation. You might also see some spotting around the time you expect your period; this is caused by the egg burrowing into the endometrial lining. 7) Fatigue: High levels of the hormone progesterone can make you feel tired; as if you’ve run a marathon, when all you’ve done is to put in a day at the office. Tiredness is a hallmark of early pregnancy, though probably not a sure symptom on its own.
Morning sickness: Normally, morning sickness won’t hit you until a few weeks after conception. A lucky few escape it altogether. But, you may begin feeling nauseated and queasy as early as a couple of days following conception. This may not just occur in the morning; pregnancy-related nausea can be a problem morning, noon, or night. You may also notice that your sense of taste changes. Some women say they have a metallic taste in their mouth, others that they cannot stand the taste of coffee, tea or a food they usually like.

9) Your basal body temperature stays high: You will notice this only if you’ve been charting your basal body temperature. If your basal body temperature has stayed above the cover line for 18 days in a row, you’re probably pregnant. Basal body temperature is your temperature taken the first thing every the morning before you get up, usually about 6 a.m. It is important to keep taking it at the same time. The temperature can be taken orally, vaginally or rectally – just stay with the same method for the entire cycle. On the picture, you can see the graph of basal temperature taken during one cycle. It shows the effect of an ovulation; the temperature rise in the middle of cycle. If you are pregnant, the temperature rise should last for 18 days in a row.

10) A missed period: This is the surest sign of pregnancy in a woman of childbearing age who usually has regular periods. If you’re usually pretty regular and your period is late, it’s worth trying a home pregnancy test.

11) A positive home pregnancy test: Now, you should make an appointment with your doctor to confirm the good news.

Congratulations!

What every WOMAN needs to know about this precious time we call PREGNANCY, you can visit: http://www.visionones.com/salespages/sp_pregnancy.htm

Linda Jap
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/precious-time-call-pregnancy-133297.html

Knowing a few basics facts about blood pressure can help you deal with any serious effects of high blood pressure.

Blood pressure is measured by a combination of two factors; how much blood is pumped, along with a measure of the resistance in the arterioles. If you have determined that you have high blood pressure, you’ve taken the first step toward making lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure. Because of increased public awareness about risk factors and unhealthy eating habits, deaths resulting from coronary heart disease have been reduced significantly over recent years.

There are five immediate goals to pursue when trying to lower blood pressure.

1. Lose weight. Try to start by losing at least 10 pounds.
2. Reduce salt consumption to less than one-tenth of an ounce per day.
3. Consume no more than two alcoholic drinks per day.
4. Try to exercise 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Walking is one of the best ways to achieve this goal.
5. Stick to a low fat diet approved by the American Heart Association.

Of course, one of the main causes of high blood pressure is being overweight. Just a 10 pound reduction can reduce blood pressure enough to be able to stop taking medication upon approval of your doctor. Don’t crash diet; just eat three healthy, low fat, higher carbohydrate meals plus healthy snacks. Employ good eating habits such as eating slowly, carefully measuring portions, and leaving a little food on you plate at the end of a meal. Try to eat smaller portions at dinner instead of using that time for binge eating.

Regular exercise helps to protect you from diabetes, arthritis, stroke, and osteoporosis, as well as high blood pressure. Those who do not exercise have up to a 50 percent increased risk of high blood pressure, so regular exercise is well worth the time investment. The most perfect workout is a brisk walk for 30 to 45 minutes, three to five times a week.

Make mental notes about foods that you should avoid. Steer clear of saturated fats found in meat, egg yolks, whole mild, butter, whole cheeses, and shortenings. Stay with safe oils such as olive oil and canola oil.

Another nutritional factor is the addition of fiber to your diet. Include whole grains, oatmeal and plenty of fruits and vegetables for a great way to prevent high blood pressure. Apples and prunes will add pectin, which can help with lowering cholesterol.

Learn to enjoy the true taste of foods by seriously reducing salt in your diet. This is one of the most basic ways to lower blood pressure and you will learn to enjoy the natural flavors of vegetables and other foods.

All of these changes won’t happen overnight, but slowly start eating healthier, adding exercise and monitoring your blood pressure. Together with your doctor, you can lower blood pressure, live healthier, and reduce your risk of heart diseases.

Helen Christa
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/facts-your-should-know-about-blood-pressure-92036.html

Episode 31 English Subs

Duration : 24 min 24 sec

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Episode 45 English Subs

Duration : 24 min 23 sec

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