Health Tips

Gardening can be enjoyable, productive, and great exercise.  Growing your own organic vegetables can ease grocery bills too. Even in a small urban plot, it’s remarkable what can be grown. But getting a garden off to a good start is important. Farmers markets, community gardens, and your local library can be great places for novice gardeners to learn. Studies have shown that getting your hands in the dirt improves mood. Being outside provides exposure to a source of vitamin D. Gardening is good for maintaining bone strength and offers balance exercise too.

Whether it is a cold you catch or an allergy, the first line of defence should be your natural immune system. Sneezing, watery eyes, a sore throat and headaches — all these things can be eased by natural remedies. The benefits also include cost effectiveness and ready accessibility. And don’t forget, natural remedies are not just natural products, but also natural approaches.  This means, for some simple health problems, activities like sleep, can be just as powerful a cure as anything else.  For a sore throat, try herbal tea with a little milk and honey.

These are the foods high in magnesium that can help you avoid being among the two-thirds or more of North Americans who are deficient in this essential mineral. Have you been eating them? Sure, there are other sources too, like beet greens, kale, and lentils. Brown rice too. But if this doesn’t appetize you, then wait, because there are bigger problems. The quality of soil isn’t what it used to be, with repeated usage and fabricated fertilizer. Even the plants we like to eat that offer magnesium aren’t packing the nutritional punch they once did. And that’s before we put them through processing. It may not be the preferred source, but getting magnesium through supplementation is a sound alternative. Without enough of it, there’s a long list of health problems that ensue, from fatigue and migraines to muscle cramps, emotional trouble, and irregular heart rate.

Soyfoods are high-quality proteins that protect again prostate cancer in men. A little soy is protective for young girls against breast cancer later in life. Soyfoods have also been shown to reduce the risk of recurrance of breast cancer by 25%.  Just don’t overdo it if you get your soy in soy sauce, for example, as it has a very high salt content. It’s better to opt for unfermented soyfoods like tofu, soymilk, edamame, soy nuts and sprouts. Good fermented soy products include miso and natto, two staples of Japanese cuisine.

Twenty-five years ago, doctors told Dr. W. Gifford-Jones that it was “sheer madness” for him to refuse taking cholesterol-lowering drugs following his coronary attack. But he stuck with his decision to take high doses of vitamin C plus lysine instead. Now, at 100 years of age, he’s still here to remind us to keep our minds open about alternative treatments.

Replacing animal products with plant foods significantly reduces the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that vegetarians and vegans have a lower body mass index (BMI) and maintain healthier weights as compared to meateaters. They also have lower blood pressure and lower rates of diabetes and cancer. People on a strict plant-based diet should take a vitamin B12 supplement, a vitamin that comes from micro-organisms and is found in fortified foods or animal products. It’s possible for a vegan diet to provide enough B12 to avoid anemia and nervous system damage, but possibly not enough to avoid a deficiency that could lead to potential risk of heart disease or pregnancy complications.

Orange, red, yellow and green veggies and fruit contain the organic pigments lutein and zeaxanthin. These two substances go to work in the macula of the eye, filtering and protecting against damage from blue light in cells that allow fine-pattern vision. Without eating enough of these foods, age-related macular degeneration can eventually occur. Good sources are cantaloupe, corn, carrots, and orange and yellow peppers.

Most people sit too much. Don’t make it worse by crossing your legs all the time. Crossed legs create pressure that hinders blood flow. Over time, it can lead to vein inflammation and place you at greater risk for a blood clot, higher blood pressure and varicose (spider) veins. It might seem strange to those who haven’t tried it, but sitting can be a good time for doing a little exercise. No one will know if you work in several sets of Kegel exercises. Keeping small weights nearby for use two or three times a day can also turn one of the laziest pastimes into a new health routine.

Too much sodium in the diet can lead to many problems, including the increased chance of kidney stones. A high sodium diet increases the amount of calcium excretion in the urine. This calcium is removed from bone and increases the possibility of bone fractures. But one problem often leads to another. And the more calcium excreted in the urine, the greater the risk of kidney stones.

Moderate consumption of beer will furnish some of your daily nutritional needs. Depending on how much and what type, you’ll get some calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, chloride, and sodium. You’ll also get several B vitamins, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pryidoxine, and folic acid. Beer used to be the third most consumed beverage in the world, after water and tea. Now soft drinks have displaced beer to a lower rank, and unfortunately, they are loaded with sugar.

People with high levels of omega-3 in their blood have a lower risk of stroke. For people who have had an event — heart attack or stroke — supplementing with omega-3 has been shown to reduce the risk of a second event. Unless you are eating a lot of fish rich in omega-3, supplementing is advisable.

Moliere, the French actor and playwright, once remarked that, “Nearly all men die of their medicines, not their diseases.” This was a realistic statement four hundred years ago.  But even today, in this enlightened age, many people suffer serious and sometimes lethal ends, due to medication.  Take drugs the way porcupines make love.  Very, very carefully.

Moderate drinkers can relax, quite literally. An alcoholic pre-dinner drink increases “good” cholesterol.  It also lubricates the blood so there’s a decreased chance of a blood clot.  The relaxing effect of a small amount of alcohol does no harm, and the commitment of an easygoing social connection with loved ones at the work day’s end would be a world of good to many.

One good handful of almonds everyday could be the start of something good. Almonds contain fiber, healthy fats, protein, magnesium, and vitamin E. Eating almonds helps lower blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. It might surprise you how just a handful of almonds can reduce your hunger. If you are trying to lose weight, a quarter cup of almonds should help you skip a meal. If you only want salty almonds, try mixing just a few salted almonds with a handful of unsalted ones. You may find that the salt of a few is more than enough to satisfy the need.

It’s straight up common sense. Children who are inactive will suffer the consequences. Without burning off energy, they can gain too much weight, a compounding strike against their health that will lead to other problems. Without aerobic and strength exercises, they will not develop the bone mass that will help sustain them in older ages. And here’s the kicker, without getting regular exercise, they are missing a proven ticket to a happier outlook. Clinical research has shown that regular exercise significantly improves depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.

What’s one way to check on the health of your thyroid gland? It’s called the neck test and it can help you detect potentially malignant lumps and bumps With early diagnosis and treatment, you could save your life. Thyroid nodules are very common and for the most part, non-cancerous. But it’s good to find them and get them looked at by a doctor. To do the neck test, hold a mirror in your hand, focusing on the areas of the neck just above the collar bone. This is the location of the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland. Tip your head back. Take a drink of water and swallow, ignoring your Adam’s Apple. Look for any bulges or protrusions. You can repeat this process as many times as you wish. If you see a bump, make a doctor’s appointment. This test will only take a minute, but it’s a minute well-spent.

It’s one of the easiest things you can do. Take the decision that leads to a little more exercise. But few people do it. Just watch the crowds in shopping malls or anywhere else that you’ll find an escalator. People will line up for the ride rather than walk up or down the stairs. Architects are partially to blame, hiding stairs and making them unattractive options in office buildings and public spaces. A sign at the bottom of every escalator should read, “Only for parents carrying infants, those needing assistance, and people who want to develop osteoporosis.”

Dog ownership provides opportunities for people to make firends. An Emglish study showed that people in neighbourhoods where redidents were way of one another feel safer when a stronger is with a dog. And if you want others to love you, have your picture taken with a dog. Politicians have long known of the benefit. One thing is incontrovertable. Your dog will love you unconditionally depite what your circumstances. For such a gift, be good to your dog.

You can sit on a fence and let others figure out the tough questions. Or you can inform yourself about the facts and try to figure out the grey areas. When you take a stand on the issues, let’s hope it’s not because it’s the popular thing to do. Too many people frivolously following a crowd is how societies fall apart. And it’s a bad strategy for your health. This week’s tip? Don’t sit on the fence when it comes to your health. And don’t blindly follow the crowd. Get into the details and make informed decisions with your doctor.

Whether it’s a scalpel in the hand of a surgeon or a surgical robot performing microscopic moves with a laparoscopic instrument, patients should never take the occasion lightly. Surgery involves calculated risks, and you should do everything possible to minimize them. That means, find out who is the best surgeon for the job and don’t agree to anyone with lesser skills. Do you own part to prepare. Lose weight if you need to. Stop smoking in advance. And follow all the instructions provided by the surgeon.

Sex can help to relieve the pain of arthritis, whiplash and other injuries.  During sex, levels of the hormone oxcytocin surges to five times its normal level. This in turn releases endorphins, the body’s own morphine. So for those who say they have a headache, have sex and the pain may be gone after it.

Doctors and patients should take a few cues from the practices of a good general. First, know your objectives and plan, plan, plan. Do you want to live to be 100? Does every ailment need treatment? Map out the course towards key goals, know the terrain, and make decisions about how to procede. Second, fight the good fight, which means, in life as is battle, using the tools that help advance to goals. Use screening tests to identify problems, stay in top physical and mental shape, and minimize risks. Finally, know when to retreat. It may be better to stop fighting. When the battle is not winable, it may be better to stop trying and instead to enjoy the remains of the day.

This winter, millions of skiers will ascend the slopes.  And hundreds of thousands will descend in ski patrol toboggans. One study revealed that 75% of those injured had not received any ski instruction. Prepare before you head onto the mountain to make sure you have the strength for the sport. Know your limitations, and don’t engage in speeds or take on terrain beyond your capabilities.  Falls when skiing commonly result in fractures, torn ligaments, and head injuries. And this occurs, unfortunately, from an outting that was supposed to be fun.

Enjoying a midday snack is normal. But why do so many reach day in and day out for the least nutritious food one can find? Garbage food and drinks, high in sugars, salt, fat, and additives, take their toll day by day, slowly chipping away at the foundation of health. If it helps, put a notch in a column on a sheet of paper every time you choose a healthy snack and another notch in another column when you give in to temptation. Maybe the visualization will help you establish a new habit of healthy choices.

There’s a story about a drunk who throws insults but is too inebriated to fight. Nothing happens to you if you ignore the person. But if you prepare to fight, you discharge hormones that increase heart rate and blood pressure, and the nervous system becomes on high alert. If you have coronary heart disease, you may suffer a fatal attack. Who then is the murderer? The drunk who never laid a hand on you?  Or did you commit biological suicide? The moral of the story is that if you have poor cardio health, then you should think hard about how you react to stress.