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preventive points of tension headache

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:38:22 +0000

Through identifying and avoiding tension headache triggers, you can help reduce the frequency and severity of your headaches. While some triggers may be out of your control, others are easily avoidable. The following points can help you prevent a tension headache:

Keep a headache diary to identify your tension headache triggers.
Manage stress.
Seek treatment for any underlying depression or anxiety.
Sleep, exercise, and eat on a regular schedule.
Practice good posture to reduce neck strain.
Reduce eyestrain from computers at work and at home.
Stop clenching your jaw to reduce muscle tension in your face.

Stress Interrupt your Memory?

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:17:42 +0000

When you get really busy, you tend to blank on names and sometimes forget important stuff. Is it just stressed or you are losing your mind?

Will, it’s a fact that stress inhibits the brain’s ability to learn new things and remember old ones, so your blanking is normal. You can fix that, though. Ever notice that when you try to remember something, you can’t, but if you “give up,” it pops back into your mind?

This is because the part of your brain that is trying hard to focus and get stuff done is also blocking access to all of your memories so you can concentrate. The best thing you can do is say, “Oh well, it’ll come back,” and relax.

On a more practical level, keeping track of everything in your head creates extra pressure that only makes things worse. So it’s a good idea to use a tracking system, whether it’s a day planner, BlackBerry, or Outlook reminder.

As for names, just say to the person you’re speaking with, “I’m so sorry, I’m not good with names. Can you tell me yours again?” Then repeat the name to yourself a few times, and picture the person’s face with the name. If you suddenly can’t recall the name of someone you know, just give a warm, “Hi! Great to see you.” Chances are she won’t even notice.

Don’t stretch before Exercising

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:29:17 +0000

According to some experts, if you want a better workout? Then don’t stretch beforehand. Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretching on the spot, perhaps hoping it will loosen them up for their workout. Most fitness experts now agree this kind of static stretching before exercise is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes or stretch their legs on a fence, often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax — exactly the opposite of what is needed for physical activity. Experts say it is like extending a rubber band to its limit. When people stretch to the maximum, they are more likely to pull a muscle.

“We have developed this idea of static stretching at exactly the wrong time,” said Kieran O’Sullivan, an exercise expert at the University of Limerick in Ireland, who has studied various types of stretching and their impact on athletes.

When you stretch before exercising, your body may think it’s at risk of being overstretched. It compensates by contracting and becoming more tense. That means you aren’t able to move as fast or as freely, making you more likely to get hurt.

O’Sullivan said stretching helps with flexibility, but people should only do it when they aren’t about to exercise, like after a workout, or at the end of the day.

Smoking is Early Risk from Death

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:22:03 +0000

If you continue to smoke, you have a 50% chance of dying early because of your smoking. On average, people who smoke die nearly 7 years earlier than people who do not smoke.

Quitting smoking will add time to your life no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been smoking, because quitting smoking reduces your risk for developing life-threatening health problems. The amount of time you will gain depends on how long you’ve been smoking, how many cigarettes you smoke each day, and whether you already have other health problems when you quit.

For those who quit smoking before age 35, almost all of the disease risk from smoking is eliminated.
If you quit smoking before you turn 50, your risk of dying in the next 15 years is half that of a person who continues to smoke after age 50.1
Even men and women who quit at age 65 to 69 increase their life expectancy.

People who have become seriously ill because they smoke have a chance to live longer and are less likely to develop dangerous infections, such as pneumonia, if they quit.

Causes & Risks of Flu

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:57:28 +0000

For the most part of temperate climates, influenza A is usually arrives between early winter and early spring. Influenza B can appear at any time of the year. The most common way to catch the flu is by breathing in droplets from coughs or sneezes. Less often, it is spread when you touch a surface such as a faucet handle or phone that has the virus on it, and then touch your own mouth, nose, or eyes.

Symptoms appear 1 – 7 days later (usually within 2 – 3 days). Because the flu spreads through the air and is very contagious, it often strikes a community all at once, causing an epidemic illness. This creates a cluster of school and work absences. Many students become sick within 2 or 3 weeks of the flu’s arrival in a school.

Sometimes people confuse colds and flu, which share some of the same symptoms and typically occur at the same time of the year. However, the two diseases are very different. Most people get a cold several times each year, and the flu only once every few years.

People often use the term “stomach flu” to describe a viral illness where vomiting or diarrhea is the main symptom. This is incorrect, as the stomach symptoms are not caused by the flu virus. Flu infections are primarily respiratory infections.

Common Prevention of Asthma

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:59:41 +0000

Asthma symptoms can be substantially reduced by avoiding known triggers and substances that irritate the airways. Bedding can be covered with “allergy proof” casings to reduce exposure to dust mites. Removing carpets from bedrooms and vacuuming regularly is also helpful. Detergents and cleaning materials in the home should be unscented.

Keeping humidity levels low and fixing leaks can reduce growth of organisms such as mold. Keep the house clean and keep food in containers and out of bedrooms – this helps reduce the possibility of cockroaches, which can trigger asthma attacks in some people.

If a person is allergic to an animal that cannot be removed from the home, the animal should be kept out of the patient’s bedroom. Filtering material can be placed over the heating outlets to trap animal dander.

Eliminating tobacco smoke from the home is the single most important thing a family can do to help a child with asthma. Smoking outside the house is not enough. Family members and visitors who smoke outside carry smoke residue inside on their clothes and hair – this can trigger asthma symptoms. They should also avoid air pollution, industrial dusts, and other irritating fumes, as much as possible.

Whipping out Neck, Back and Shoulder Pain

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:28:02 +0000

Suffering from neck, back and shoulder pain? If you are, you’re in good company. Millions of people wake up every morning and endure every day experiencing pain in their necks, backs and shoulders. While neck, back and shoulder pain used to be thought of as conditions affecting only adults, due to more parents scheduling routine doctors visits for their kids, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that children and teenagers are also suffering from the symptoms. So if it’s not age that causes this severe discomfort, what is it? Believe it or not, the culprit may be your sleep habits and the position you sleep in.

Each and everyday, you are putting stress on your spine, which directly impacts the tension in your neck, shoulders and back. Even simple, everyday tasks like sitting at a desk, driving, and bending over can contribute to wear on these sensitive parts of your body. Your sleep time is supposed to be the time of day when these areas of your body are allowed to relax and regenerate. However, if your neck isn’t properly supported while you’re sleeping, your body doesn’t have a chance to recover from the stress it endured throughout the day. Improper neck support while sleeping can cause increasingly severe neck, back and shoulder pain over the years, to a point where it becomes unbearable.

Neck, back and shoulder pain can actually begin a vicious cycle. You’re in pain, so you can’t sleep, but you need to sleep (and sleep right), to be able to get rid of the pain. A continuous lack of sleep can even lead to further problems like depression, chronic fatigue, and believe it or not, even weight gain has been linked to a severe lack of proper sleep. Fortunately, scientists and health professionals take the causes of neck, back and shoulder pain seriously, and have consistently worked towards finding methods and remedies that will alleviate the wretched symptoms.

The first step towards eliminating the discomfort of these symptoms is to correct your sleep habits, and the most important part of this step is to get a pillow that properly supports your neck. Try to find one that is made to be tailored to the position you sleep in, as not all pillows are created equal. Memory foam pillows have been increasing in popularity, and rightfully so. They’ve actually been quite beneficial in relieving neck, back and shoulder pain for a number of people who have been enduring it for years. Massage, yoga, and proper exercise are also methods that have been found to reduce pain in these regions of the body. By incorporating small change like these into your lifestyle, you should have no problem overcoming your ailments.

If a quality visco-elastic pillow doesn’t solve your neck, back and shoulder pain, you might want to schedule an appointment with your doctor as your pain may be a symptom of a more severe underlying condition. Pain is something that affects your entire being, and remedying it quickly is vitally important to your quality of life.

yo yo dieting is a bad weight loss method

admin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:43:26 +0000

Recent research stressed constant dieters have the most trouble when it comes to keeping the weight off after the diet is over. However, according to experts cited by FitSugar, that is not the only challenge people who are struggling with their weight face since yo-yo dieting also makes keeping the weight off very hard. It’s a vicious circle and it takes a lot of discipline to break it.

We were also telling you a while back that people who had lost a lot of weight and had a history of an unhealthy relationship with food faced their biggest challenge months after going on a diet – namely, when they were done with it. Keeping the weight off can be quite tricky – and downright impossible for some, especially if they’re caught in the loop known as yo-yo dieting, experts point out. This happens because of the way the body learns to react to a new diet.

Good thing, I’m I don’t go on diet. I just let exercise burn the excess fat I have. But, I’m now changing my diet to fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods.

Iphone 4 my ideal future phone

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:48:08 +0000

It turns out that I will be buying a new cellphone in the next few months. I already have an ideal phone to replace my four year old Nokia N73 and that is the iPhone 4.

This phone has stainless steel case, two cameras, and improved display and is 24% thinner than the most recent version. It also features FaceTime video calling, the all-new Retina Display with a remarkable 960-by-640 resolution in a 3.5-inch screen, HD video recording, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, iBooks, iMovie applications and more.

Weighing in on the 3.5-inch Retina display, Apple claims it has 960 x 640 pixels – four times as many pixels as the iPhone 3GS, and 78 percent of the pixels on an iPad, for comparison. Going great with the improved screen is the improved camera with 5-megapixel autofocus, 5x digital zoom, a backside illuminated sensor, and built-in LED flash for shooting in dark environments. The built-in Photos app has also been enhanced, while users will be able to enhance and edit the videos taken with iPhone 4 thanks to the new iMovie app.

I really love its features and its look too. So, even if it’s not out in the market yet, I will wait for it. Actually, I will start saving now for me to get hold on this phone in the future.

New Discovered Treatment for Blindness

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:27:40 +0000

World’s first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness has been developed by British researchers. The research team believes that the procedure, which can tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), will become a routine, one-hour method that will be generally available in six or seven years’ time.

The treatment was pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital, and involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells. In the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells.

They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina. Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: “This is a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely pleased that the big guns have become involved, because, once this treatment is validated, it will be made available to a huge volume of patients.”

Laboratory trials completed by the British team, led by Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness, have demonstrated that stem cells can prevent blindness in rats with a similar disease to AMD. Coffey said the treatment would take “less than an hour, so it really could be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to get it out as a common therapy”.