A Fight Against Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity problem is rising. More and more children are suffering from it. Obesity could not just result to bullying at school because of not usual size of the child but also of health problems.

Some people throw this issue to food chains and junk food companies. Can we solely blame them? Parents should be responsible enough of the quality and quantity of food they are giving to their kids, right? They are the direct handlers of their kids and have the authority to tame their taste buds while kids are still young.

Excess weight could result to acquired diabetes (Type II Diabetes), high cholesterol level, hypertension and cancer. Obesity could also lead to low self-esteem and depression. Parents, is it fine with you that your children suffer all these things on their young age? If not, better give what is healthy and best for them. It does not mean that it is good you can give more of it because your child wants it. You also need to teach them about discipline. Always be aware of the quality and quantity of the food you give.

Physical activities should be promoted, your child need to move a lot to be physically healthy. Providing a computer with internet and lots of games to choose from, and a cabled television set for your children to stay at home is fine but they should need to have time for their studies and physical activities as well. Let them be involved in sports at school that suites to their age if they want. Providing a space in your yard for them to play like basketball, table tennis, badminton, and other sports that do not require a lot of space but could make them move a lot is great. Taking them to park for a walk or jog with you as form of exercise, or let them play with kids of their age are also great ideas for them to stay fit.

Healthy lifestyle is not just for adults but for everybody. Let us not allow unhealthy condition like obesity to threaten our family health. Let us all live a healthy lifestyle.

Health Benefits of Fish Oil

I love to eat oily fishes since childhood days. Tuna, salmon and mackerel are just some of my favorites. It tastes so favorably on my taste buds and love it even more since I learned that oily fishes are rich in omega-3 oil. But, some people are worried of contamination of fishes with toxic chemicals because of some illegal dumping of toxic materials into the seas thus they prefer to eat animal meat as their source of protein and could not avail the tremendous benefits of fish oil from oily fishes.

Thanks to fish oil manufacturing companies, because of them it is not necessary for us to eat oily fishes just to avail the health benefits of fish oil. Not just that, they make sure that fish oils they produce are of good quality and free from any possible contaminants from the ocean where oily fishes resides. Fish oil supplements are usually blended with vitamin E. Aside from being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin E prevents fish oil to become rancid.

The two components of omega-3 in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), provides notable health benefits. Aside from it could fill in nutritional gap, regular consumption of fish oil could lower cholesterol level, lower blood pressure, it improves cardiovascular health so as the liver. It could also help people who are suffering from asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis and cancer. Studies also showed that it could help those who are suffering from depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD.

We have no excuse for not availing the awesome health benefits of omega-3 from fish oil now. Whether you are like me who loves to eat oily fishes or not because there are fish oil supplements that are available now in the market. For pure vegetarians, flaxseed and flax oil are great alternative for fish oil when we talk about omega-3.

Know More About Chelation Therapy

Have you heard about chelation therapy? It uses EDTA to cleanse the arteries and veins for better blood circulation. As a Medical Technologist, I’ve known EDTA as one of the anticoagulating agents for the blood samples that we collect for laboratory examinations that needs an anticoagulated blood like whole blood and plasma.

The great benefits of EDTA chelation is not just for the cardiovascular system but on different organs of the body as well. It gives great hope to lots of people because it treats various illnesses. Since it promotes good circulation, it promotes good blood flow resulting to great amount supply of oxygen and nutrient to all parts of the body as our body demands it.

Aside from cardiovascular diseases like arteriosclerosis, hypertension, stroke and its common precursor the high blood cholesterol level, oral chelation is also best for those who are suffering from various diseases. Some of it are diabetes, gangrene, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Macular Degeneration and glaucoma (eyes), Peyronie’s Disease and erectile dysfunction (male sexual organ). It could even help with simple problems like age spots and hair loss.

Chelation therapy, particularly oral chelation, is a great alternative of cleansing your body from toxic substances that causes illnesses. It is not absorbed by the body, it just acts as sweeper of toxic substances that blocks your veins and arteries. So, why go for a medication that is just good for one particular health problem if you have a great alternative of irradicating the precursor of almost all your illnesses? Better talk to your doctor about this healthy alternative.

Weight Loss Pill for My Sister

My sister-in-law almost everyday says that she need to take weight loss pill. She has gained so much weight after giving birth. She is a little bit chubby. Actually, she is starting to change her diet now and find time to exercise. But, she said she really need the help of weight loss pill for her to trim down.

All of us in the family wants her to lose weight because weight gain could trigger lots of diseases including diabetes, high cholesterol level, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. We hope she’ll lose some weight soon and maintain her weight on an ideal range.

Relationship Between Exercise and Wellness

Make exercise your habit if you want to attain wellness or a higher level of physical functioning.
Exercising daily promotes weight loss, better posture, probable prevention from osteoporosis, lowers blood pressure, prevention against acquired diabetes mellitus, increased coronary efficiency, increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol. It is also a great stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue reduction technique. It improves your psychological well-being too. It surely improves your body awareness and self-esteem.

Exercise and other strenuous activities promotes a desirable weight maintenance thus controlling obesity. Overweight people are high risk from acquiring heart diseases such as hypertension, strokes and arteriosclerosis. Exercise increases your basal metabolic rate and burns more calories thus, promoting weight loss. But, if your target is to lose weight, you need to incorporate diet to your daily exercise. Healthy foods plus caloric restriction incorporated to your exercise activities promotes weight loss.

Why We Consider Junk Food an Unhealthy Food

“Why we consider junk food an unhealthy food and why it is called junk Aunt Midas?” my niece asked me yesterday afternoon while we are buying some stuff at the supermarket. I simply answered her that junk foods are bad foods especially those that are preserved, they are not good for the body. Junk food is an unhealthy food, not fit for eating. But she insisted that there are healthy junk foods too because of some nutritional value you could find on its packs that is why eating junk foods is fine. She made me smile that time, yes, all foods have some value but it does not mean that it has a little nutritional value you could categorize it as healthy or nutritious food. I explained to her that junk foods effects, could not be seen immediately, that it takes time before she could see its bad effects.

Why we categorize junk foods as unhealthy foods? Not just because of its low nutritional value that it was called unhealthy food but because of junk foods effects, the hazards it could cause to one’s health. Junk foods are usually high in fats. As we could see on the back label of a junk food, the fats they mostly use are hydrogenated oils, the common term for trans fatty acids or trans fats (could cause cancer). Manufacturers hydrogenate the healthy unsaturated fats so that it will last long. Unfortunately, hydrogenation causes the healthy unsaturated fats to become unhealthy saturated fats which could result to clogged arteries and heart problems. That is just one reason why eating junk foods is not advisable.

And what are some of the junk food effects why junk foods were called an unhealthy foods? High level of salt in a junk food could cause hypertension and, or kidney problems because of its sodium content. If it is a sweet junk food, too much sugar could not only ruin the teeth but could cause obesity and diabetes in the long run. Other junk foods uses aspartame or saccharin as sweetener. These  sweeteners has been linked with other health problems including certain cancers in laboratory animals. Have you seen monosodium glutamate (MSG) listed on the junk food content? This additive is flavor enhancer, as we all know it has bad reputation and been controversial that it could cause cancer. Antioxidants such as Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and  Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) that are widely use in oils of junk food has been linked with certain cancers in laboratory animals too. Now, tell me, is eating junk foods good for the health? Is there such thing as healthy junk foods or you will consider junk foods now as a group of bad foods? Yes, junk food may contain low nutritional value but junk foods effects are so hazardous to ones health.

Television advertising, greatly affects child’s desire for food, especially on unhealthy foods like junk food. Relatives and friends that gives food to the children is another great factor that influences the child’s choice of food. Parents, just bear in mind that your influence in choosing the right food for your kids is still the greatest influence of all. Though it is a little bit difficult to have complete control over what your children are taking in (especially when they are with friends or relatives) but you can and should control the foods that are available at your home. If junk food or any high sugar, high fat, high salt, low nutrient and preserved foods are not available at your home, the child would be force to eat the nutritious food available. So, the best thing is do not keep foods that you do not want your child to consume, those you consider unhealthy foods for your family like junk food.

Get Rid of That Excess Abdominal Fat

Lots of people nowadays have excess abdominal fat. Most of them become self-conscious, especially women, they tend to hide it with the help of stylistic clothing.

They did not realized that excess abdominal fat is not just hideous but is also a threatening risk factor to their health. Generally, it is unhealthy to have excess body fat in all parts of your body. Nevertheless,  did you know that where that fat appear on your body has an implication? And, what is the most dangerous part to have excess fat? It is in the abdominal area.

If you have pear-shaped body, larger around the hips than round around the abdomen, you are harboring subcutaneous fat. These fats covers up your abdomen from being obvious, and positioned directly underneath the skin and on the top of the abdominal muscle.

More over, possessing an apple-shaped body is harboring visceral fat. These fats rest deeper in the abdomen, underneath your muscles and surrounding your organs. Have you noticed some men with “beer belly” appearance, with their abdomen protruding and if you push it, it is somewhat kind of hard? It is visceral fat!

To be pear-shaped is healthier than to be apple-shaped. However, having any of these shape is a serious health risk factor. Having excess abdominal fat increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, sleep apnea, variety of cancers and other degenerative diseases.

If you possessed excess abdominal fat now it is not too late yet. Right diet, healthy lifestyle with much stress on exercise, some help from health specialist and a determination to get rid of that unwanted baggage will help you achieve your goal.

High Blood Pressure or Hypertension

hypertension

My father died of hypertension at the age of thirty seven and  my first degree cousin at thirty five. They’re just some of our relatives who died of hypertension. Yes, there case may be of hereditary caused, but  lifestyle does its contribution too.

Hypertension is also called high blood pressure, is an increasingly important medical and public health issue. Worldwide prevalence estimates for hypertension is about 1 billion and about 7.1 million death per year may be attributable to hypertension.

Because of the new data on lifetime risk of hypertension and the striking increase in the risk of cardiovascular complications associated with levels of blood pressure previously considered to be normal, the current Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) report has introduced a new classification that includes the term “prehypertention” for those with BP ranging from 120-139 mmHg systolic and, or 80-89 mmHg diastolic. This new designation is intended to identify those individuals in whom early intervention by ADOPTION OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLE could reduce blood pressure, decrease the rate of progression of blood pressure to hypertensive levels with age, or prevent hypertension entirely.

If the rise in Blood Pressure with age could be prevented or reduced, much of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke might be prevented.

Embracing healthy lifestyle is critical for prevention of high blood pressure. Reduced physical activity; excess dietary sodium intake; excess body weight; excess alcohol intake; inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables,and potassium are some of the underlying factors of  hypertension.