Social Medical Revolution

Mental Health Tips For Surviving the Recession

Vazdot — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:18:18 +0000

: Image by Barack Obama via Flickr

Mental Health Tips For Surviving the Recession
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Kielty]Kevin Kielty

As more and more people are feeling the stress of the recession, it can be more important than ever to take care of your mental health. These tips can help you keep the recession blues at bay.

Take a time out

Prayer or meditation can be very relaxing. Take time out in the morning and in the evening to practice rituals that soothe your soul. Nature can have some powerful healing qualities as well. Visit a local park or lake or take a hike in the country. Take your dog along with you too. Pets can be very soothing, and studies have shown that they can bring a person’s anxiety level down.

Take it easy on yourself

This isn’t the time to beat yourself up. Many people are in the same boat, through no fault of their own. Be careful about the self-disparaging remarks, the one thing you can control is your attitude. Practice positive thinking to encourage your self every day.

Spend time with friends

Healthy positive relationships with friends and family can go a long way towards chasing away the blues. Human beings are social, and we require good relationships to be at our best. That doesn’t mean chatting with someone via e-mail or text message, we need personal contact with one another. So call up a friend or family member you have not seen in a while and make plans to get together.

Volunteering can be another way to get more social interaction. When you volunteer not only will you be helping yourself, you will get the good feeling of helping others.

Exercise

Exercise can invigorate you and make you feel better about yourself. Especially if you see a few extra pounds coming off in the process. Exercise is also a great stress reliever, so don’t let your exercise routine slip during this time. Try to find some activity that you enjoy so that your exercise routine can be fun as well. If your old routine is getting boring, sign-up for some classes, try yoga or tai chi for example.

Eat a healthy diet

Find out what the correct calorie intake is for your age, height and sex and try to eat the right amount of calories each day. Fill up first on healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Save the high calorie sweets for last and remember to drink plenty of water.

Get your rest

Get plenty of sleep. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep goes a long way towards improving mental health. Most people need around eight hours a night, some more and some less. Having an evening routine can help you to gear-down and get to sleep at night and avoid any caffeine after 2:00 p.m.

Seek help

If you have followed these tips and are still having difficulty coping, seek out professional help. Talk to your clergy or a trusted friend or seek out a qualified mental health professional. If finances are a problem, look for a local area mental health center where they have a sliding fee schedule.

Remember that we will eventually come out of the recession. To weather the storm however, a healthy outlook will be necessary. Taking care of yourself physically and emotionally during this rough time will ensure that you will be best able to weather the storm.

Kevin Kielty lives in North Carolina and writes articles on health insurance. If you are looking for rate quotes on health insurance in North Carolina, visit [http://www.ncinsuranceplan.com/]BCBSNC also known as [http://www.ncinsuranceplan.com/] Blue Cross NC

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Kielty http://EzineArticles.com/?Mental-Health-Tips-For-Surviving-the-Recession&id=2108396

Pudge Police Coming – Part Two (junkfoodscience.blogspot.com)
In Divide Over Health Care Overhaul, 2 Major Unions Withdraw From a Coalition (nytimes.com)
State-run health insurance plans (marginalrevolution.com)
Health-Care Overhaul May Cost $1.5 Trillion Dollars – Who’s Going to Pay? (ducknetweb.blogspot.com)
No one could have imagined (washingtonmonthly.com)
CQ’s Armstrong Discusses Budget Reconciliation, Coverage Proposal From Private Insurers, Sebelius Confirmation (medicalnewstoday.com)
Team Obama Keeps Up Heat on Touchy Health-Reform Issues (blogs.wsj.com)
Massachusetts Adds Mental Health Parity to Health Plan; Insurers Complain About Cost (crooksandliars.com)
Health care vs. health scare (washingtonmonthly.com)
Insurance Company ‘Reform’ Should Be Taken With Large Grain of Salt (crooksandliars.com)

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Proper Nutrition For Middle-Aged Men

Vazdot — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:21:34 +0000

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Proper Nutrition For Middle-Aged Men
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Kasch]Andrew Kasch

If you want to stay healthy, you need to make sure that you’re feeding your body properly. Unfortunately, most people have a somewhat skewed idea of what exactly eating the proper foods is. This is really a matter of misinformation, not only from people who are trying to sell you on their own particular type of eating but also from some of the people who should know better. A good example of this is the food pyramid.

Although it is a good idea to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables and it never hurts to have enough protein in your diet, the food pyramid is considered by many to be inadequate for individuals who are trying to maintain their optimum health. One of the reasons why this is the case is because it tells you to eat a certain amount of meat on a daily basis but it is not necessary for you to do this. Yes, you need to have some protein in order to maintain your muscle mass but this protein can be found in a number of different sources, including vegetables. The fact of the matter is, most of the meat that is available on the open market today is so loaded down with chemicals that it is really not fit to eat. You might also be surprised to learn that supermarkets are now permitted to spray meat so that it appears to be fresh, even after it is turning brown because of age.

You should also make sure that you’re getting more vegetables on a daily basis than what is recommended on the food pyramid. One of the easiest ways for you to do this is by drinking a green smoothie every day. Although it may not sound very appetizing, it is not only one of the most nutritious drinks that you can have, it is also rather delicious. Choose two of your favorite fruits and blend them with a handful or two of greens in a blender. Mix in a little bit of water and some ice and you will have a delicious smoothie that we’ll give you all of your greens for the day in one easy serving. Not only that, the greens are already totally broken down so it is easy for your body to be able to assimilate them.

There is also some thought that you need to eat five or six small meals every day in order to keep your metabolism going strong. Although this can help in some ways, if you’re eating the proper foods you will only need to eat three times every day. The reason why this is the case is because it will give your body the opportunity to digest the food that you have already taken in, instead of always working on the digestive process. This will help your body to totally use all of the food that you put into it, even though you are eating a somewhat reduced calorie diet.

For more mens health tips including advice on how to lose your man boobs please visit http://www.allaboutmanboobs.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Kasch http://EzineArticles.com/?Proper-Nutrition-For-Middle-Aged-Men&id=1438270

Hey Fat Head, You’ve Been Fed a Load of Bologna! (naturalbias.com)
Strategies for eating well and saving money at the grocery store. (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Parents’ Healthy Eating Has Little Influence on Children (diet-blog.com)
NutritionData.com (dropthescale.blogspot.com)
USDA – UNhealthy School Lunch & Commodity Food (chefann.com)
Healthy Rainbow Foods for Kids (thindependence.com)
Seven common mistakes that occur on raw foods (rawlivingfoods.typepad.com)
Feeding Our Kids: Affordability versus Health (svmoms.com)
Are Smoothies Healthy? (dietriffic.com)
Task 2.3. Food Security (nabuur.com)

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Is Benzoyl Peroxide a Safe Long Term Treatment For Acne?

Vazdot — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:00:25 +0000

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Is Benzoyl Peroxide a Safe Long Term Treatment For Acne?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Janet_Ashby]Janet Ashby

Although we would always recommend natural cures acne in preference to harsher chemical treatments or medications, especially if you have only mild or moderate acne, sometimes these methods do not work effectively. In this case you may want to try other treatments such as over-the-counter remedies containing benzoyl peroxide. Acne may last a long time and can even persist through the 20s and into the 30s so you need to be sure that any treatment you are using does not have long-term side effects. We will look at one of the most popular cures acne, benzoyl peroxide to see if it should be used for a long time.

Benzoyl peroxide does have some short-term side effects including irritation of the skin, dryness, reddening, burning and stinging. It also tends to bleach things it comes into contact with such as your hair or clothes. It works by increasing the oxygen level in the pores which kills the acne causing bacteria Propionibacterium acne. It does not however give you any resistance to this bacteria so you need to continue using it even after the outbreaks have died down. You will not see immediate, overnight improvement but you should see the effects over the course of two or three weeks.

It is available in many over the counter preparations which contain different concentrations including 2.5%, 5% and 10%. We recommend starting with a very low concentration so that your skin can become used to it after which you can increase the concentration slowly. Some prescription medications that contain benzoyl chloride include Duac, BenzaClin and Benzamycin. Some people experience an allergic reaction to it and in this case you should stop using it immediately.

What are the long-term effects?

As we have said benzoyl peroxide does have some short-term side effects but if you are going to be using it for very long time you need to know that there are no severe long-term side effects. It produces free radicals in the skin and there have been concerns that this may lead to skin cancer. Studies done by the University of Miami however show that there was no increased risk of skin cancer from the use of benzoyl peroxide. There have not been any other long-term side effects shown apart from and increased sensitivity to sunlight. if you’re using benzyl peroxide for any length of time you should be using a good sunblock.

Conclusion

Although it is always recommended to use milder, natural cures for acne if you have very severe acne or these cures do not work for you, benzoyl peroxide is a safe alternative. Although it does have some short-term side effects they tend disappear once your skin is used to the treatment and there do not appear to be any serious long-term side effects.

For more information on acne, natural cures and treatments visit [http://natural-cures-for-acne.com]Natural Cures Acne or read [http://natural-cures-for-acne.com/2009/04/09/side-effects-of-acne-treatments-benzoyl-peroxide/]Natural Acne Cures.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Ashby http://EzineArticles.com/?Is-Benzoyl-Peroxide-a-Safe-Long-Term-Treatment-For-Acne?&id=2202629

Advances in Acne Treatments (health.yahoo.com)
Save Money: Know Your Skin Type (health.yahoo.com)
FAQ About Pimple (healthlifestyleforever.com)
Eliminating Acne as a Rite of Passage (dailystrength.org)
Favorite Excuse Not to Wear Sunscreen: I Break Out (fitsugar.com)
Acne is another bump from the recession (ctv.ca)
Acne: another bump from the recession (thestar.com)
Benzylic Brominations with N-Bromosuccinimide in (Trifluoromethyl)benzene (kmistry.info)
Can controlling immune system curb Type 1 diabetes? (ctv.ca)
How-To: Homemade sunscreen (makezine.com)
Acne Therapy: Yesterday vs. Today (medicineandtechnology.com)
Looking Good = Feeling Good (informationonhealth.blogspot.com)
Acne. why do you have it? (informationonhealth.blogspot.com)
Really?: The Claim: Sunscreens Can Increase the Risk of Melanoma. (nytimes.com)
There’s no such thing as the perfect tan (nationalpost.com)
Acne is another bump from the recession (ctv.ca)

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Post tags: Acne, Acne vulgaris, Benzoyl peroxide, Conditions and Diseases, Duac, Health, Shopping, University of Miami

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Four Health Tips to Enhancing Your Brain

Vazdot — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:17:40 +0000

: Garbage via last.fm

Four Health Tips to Enhancing Your Brain
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Leon_Edward]Leon Edward

Long thought to be the soul of the human psyche, the human brain weighs in at about 3 pounds or 1300-1400g. What we know about the brain expands almost daily as new science finds more and more nuances that control our perception of life around us. We know that it controls what keeps us alive: respiration, digestion, heartbeat and a number of other involuntary or automatic functions of the body. Without our brain constantly working in the background, we wouldn’t be able to live.

It also controls what we call “Our Higher Functions” or things we are consciously doing day-to-day – abstract thinking, reasoning, dreaming and thought. Considered superior to any other species, our brain is responsible for our culture, advancements and higher level thinking including reading, speech and extrapolation. Things like creativity and personality are associated with the brain. We make decisions, define colors and smells and that is just the tip of the iceberg. This very special organ perceives the world around us and our activity in it.

The human brain is strong and some may consider it invincible; however, many times as we age, we realize isn’t going to stay that way forever. Like any other part of our body, the brain is subject to the ravages of time, and our lifestyles affect it to a greater or lesser degree. As we age, the brain becomes slower in its functioning and its ability to rejuvenate itself. But, through science, we’ve also discovered that this doesn’t have to be the end of things. There are many ways to enhance and improve our brain power and forestall the slowing down that comes with aging. This article gives you four excellent tips to get your started in reversing the damages that time causes.

Tip #1: Healthy lifestyles are the key

Integral to our overall anatomy, the brain is probably the most important organ in our bodies because without it, we could not function. So, we need to treat it like the special organ that it is. For the person who drinks heavily, they are damaging their brain more than the person who is a modest drinker. We have long known that alcohol and other substances like drug use destroy brain cells. Most alcoholics will argue that since we only use 10% of our overall brainpower, we have plenty of spare brain cells to call on. This is more myth than reality. Drinking does nothing to activate the other 90% of our brain’s capacity, and this fallacy will cause alcoholism to destroy our organ faster than believed. As a result, if you think of that 10% we’re using as a lifetime organ, we should go to great lengths to preserve and protect it.

Tip #2: Eat well and your brain will thank you.

You know the saying: “ Garbage in; Garbage Out”. This applies to healthy eating to keep the brain operating at peak efficiency. Consuming the correct sets of food definitely benefits the brain. Consider this: the brain is the most active part of the body. In order to keep the brain vibrant and alive, we must give it the best fuel available. The brain is always on even when we’re sleeping, so having an abundance of good fuel will keep the brain fit and thriving. Good foods will be greatly appreciated by your brain, and in return it will deliver excellent computing and reasoning powers. Never underestimate the power of a balanced diet, exercise and adequate sleep when it comes to staying focused and alert.

Tip #3: Exercise Makes the Brain Grow Stronger

Taking the time to get proper exercise is an excellent way for the body and brain to operate at maximum effectiveness. Leading a well-balanced lifestyle goes a long way towards having a brain that’s alive, fit and ready to tackle any problem that the world throws at it.

Tip #4: Relieving Stress is Essential

Exercise also releases stress which can cloud and slow the brain’s functioning and create a good mood and a sense of well being.

The brain is an organ that should be respected, cared for and cherished. We only have one, and it allows us to make choices, and live our lives to the fullest. A well-cared for brain will deliver healthy perceptions, and result in a more active and fulfilled existence.

Get Your Free Brain Food and Nutrition report and download Leon’s IQ Mind Brain Library at http://www.IQMindBrainLibrary.com where Leon Edward helps people improve IQ, focus, memory, concentration, creativity, speed reading while reducing harmful stress.

Also visit Leon’s Personal development website for online training video and audio access with the Awesome Success University Business Opportunity . Leon helps people in Career Development, Leadership, Goal Setting, Success, Motivation, Self-Improvement, Happiness and more at http://www.AwesomeSuccess.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leon_Edward http://EzineArticles.com/?Four-Health-Tips-to-Enhancing-Your-Brain&id=1415610

Alcohol goes to the head in six minutes scientists say (telegraph.co.uk)
When Shopping is not Shopping (scienceblog.com)
Hard work is the only way to succeed in life (respiratorytherapycave.blogspot.com)
Can Diet Help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? (dietriffic.com)
Dialog Boxes, Habituation, and Single Threaded Thought (java.sys-con.com)
Parents’ Healthy Eating Has Little Influence on Children (diet-blog.com)
Do you have enough brain power? (deanhunt.com)
Implications of Poverty on the Brain (scienceblog.com)
Events, Perception, Truth, and Subjective Reality (stevepavlina.com)
Press button brian tuner. (using-spiritual-energy.blogspot.com)
Alcohol goes to the head in six minutes scientists say (telegraph.co.uk)

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Post tags: Alcoholism, Health, Healthy diet, Human, Human brain, Intelligence quotient, Nutrition, Speed reading

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How to Create a Women’s Muscle Building Workout Program

Vazdot — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:20:08 +0000

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How to Create a Women’s Muscle Building Workout Program
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Clark]Shannon Clark

If you’re looking to create a women’s muscle building workout program, there are some key points that you need to know. Many women are scared about approach any type of weight training for fear they will get too big and bulky. They feel that if they lift the heavy weights, they’re going to start looking more masculine and will see the scale number go up.

But, how realistic is this?

Here is what you need to know about a women’s muscle building workout program.

Women Need Less Volume

The first thing you must know about creating a female workout program is that it should likely have less total volume than that of a males. Many women don’t realize this and go out doing workout programs that take far too long for them to recover from, thus they don’t make progress.

While you can get some females who are incredibly in shape, they likely will still not be able to handle quite the same degree of muscle mass as a male could.

Women Do Not Have As Much Testosterone

Another issue that females should make themselves aware of is the fact that they don’t have the same amount of testosterone in their body as males do. Because of this, they aren’t going to develop near the degree of musculature as a male would and won’t see themselves growing nearly as rapidly.

While a natural male might be able to build one or two pounds of lean body weight a month, a female will build half that amount.

Women Need A Different Calorie Intake

Finally, it’s important to realize when constructing a woman’s muscle building diet program that calorie intake should be lower. Women typically have a lower level of body mass thus it makes sense that they would require fewer total calories.

Making sure your calorie intake is in alignment with where it needs to be is the primary thing you can do to prevent yourself from building muscle too quickly (if that’s something you’re concerned with) due to the fact that your body cannot build new tissue if not enough calories are being taken in.

So, keep these points in mind. If you’re a female who is looking for a women’s muscle building workout, you need to make sure you’re doing certain things correctly. If you overlook these elements, there is a much higher chance that you won’t see results and will just spin your wheels in the gym.

For more help with this concept, please see this article on [http://www.fitnessuncovered.com/womens-muscle-building-whats-different]women’s muscle building workouts.

Don’t forget to also pick up your FREE report on [http://www.fitnessuncovered.com]Supercharging Your Metabolism.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Clark http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Create-a-Womens-Muscle-Building-Workout-Program&id=2496628