Health Watch

7 HABITS YOU MUST BREAK FOR GREAT SKIN

2012-03-11T01:30:00.001-08:00

Drinking too little water: This skincare mantra cannot be overemphasized. Water makes a great difference
Touching your face: This often happens when one has a pimple. This habit is one the major causes of fungal rashes and breakouts as germs are transferred
Ignoring the unseen areas: Some parts of the body do not receive much attention until it is too late. We mainly discover how grey and rough the backs of our ankles or elbows look when we wear short sleeves or sandals.
Sleeping with make up on: Take it all of no matter how tired you may be. This gives your skin a chance to benefit from your body's natural restoration process while you sleep.
Using large quantities of greasy hair products: These tend to run down the face and case breakouts.
Using steroid creams for every problem: It is common to rush to the nearest chemist for a quick-acting cream whenever a breakout happens. While steroid creams have their place in treating the skin, they are not a panacea for every condition. It is best to see a professional for advice.
A poor diet: No eating several servings of fruit and vegetables make the skin sluggish. Increase your intake to protect the skin cells by neutralizing damaging and ageing free radicals

13 Ways To Improve Your Skin Through Nutrition

2012-03-11T01:27:00.002-08:00

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
Avoid fried food. When using oils, try cold-pressed oils. Oils should be refrigerated.
Avoid margarine
Eat minimal sugar, chocolate and potato chips, otherwise known as junk foods, which have little nutritional value
Smoking is always a losing choice. It gives you wrinkles and depletes your vitamin C supply
Watch your salt intake. Too much salt can lead to temporary swelling and puffiness
Eat cooked egg whites, these provide pure albumin protein, perfect for skin repair
Drink minimal amounts of alcohol and soft drinks
Increase intake of raw vegetables. Not only are they high in fibre, they are naturally higher in vitamins, phytonutrients, and enzymes than cooked, processed ones.
Have a cup of warm water with lemon juice each morning.
Cut down on your sugar intake, gradually cutting it out together. Sugar has no benefit to the body
The sulphur found in garlic, onions, and asparagus aids in keeping the skin and hair naturally soft
The following nutrient-rich foods are perfect for the skin:

Asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, greens, mango, pawpaw, pumpkin, red pepper, spinach, sweet potato, tomato, winter squash.

THE BENEFITS OF BREAST MASSAGE(women's health)

2012-03-10T23:44:00.001-08:00

Knowing how to give oneself a breast massage is something every woman should learn. Gentle breast massage is of great benefit and lessens the risk of breast cancer, by draining the lymphatic nodes of toxins. Gentle to moderate kneading, rubbing and squeezing strokes with the hands are sufficient to induce increased lymph and blood flow to the breast.

First, use your fingers and gently smooth away form the nipple. These movements should travel form the nipple and directly away using no more pressure than what you would apply to your eyelid. Any more pressure would flatten the lymphatic vessel and stop the flow of toxins and fluids.

Also, make this stroke slow, not fast, for it to be effective. Secondly, gently massage the breast with a kneading-like motion, using lifting and pressing movements.

Thirdly, slowly and carefully use your hands to twist the breast in a clockwise and anticlockwise direction, being careful not to put too much tension on the breast. This procedure should be done at least twice a week.

It can be done on bare skin, but you may find that using some vegetable oil may be more comfortable. Do not use mineral-based or scented oils

Managing cancer through nutrition therapy

2012-03-07T07:24:00.002-08:00

Over the years, research has linked various lifestyle choices to the risk of getting cancer. However, there are still several unknown causes of the disease. The lifestyle factors that are linked to cancer risk are easy to prevent with a few behavior modifications. The lifestyle factors that are attributed to cancer risk include:

· Low level of physicals activity
· High intake of fat in the diet especially saturated fat.
·Obesity or excessive weight gain, especially post-menopause

There are two important aspects to consider when addressing cancer related issues. The first aspect is prevention through addressing environmental factors and through the body’s defense system. The second aspect is nutrition support during medical treatment.

However, one of the most common problems related to the disease is feeding difficulties. Appetite change is the most common problem that affects cancer management. Lack of appetite or anorexia, or even depression, can affect ones eating habits.

Poor nutrition, however, causes a negative nitrogen balance in the body, which causes a breakdown of body tissue and the body begins to waste away. With diminished appetite and increased nutrient requirements, weight loss can be drastic if dietary needs are not addressed early.

Nutrition therapy in cancer patients helps meet the body’s increased metabolic demands and prevent the breaking down of body tissue as much as possible. Aggressive and early nutrition intervention complements the medical treatment of cancer

THE BENEFITS OF GENETIC COUNSELLING

2012-02-28T23:06:00.001-08:00

It is estimated that about 3% of babies are born with genetic defects annually. It is, therefore, important for you to seek genetic counseling before becoming pregnant. You may also seek the service after conception.

A visit to a genetic counsellor will:

Help you identify and interpret the risks of an inherited disorder
Explain to you inheritance patterns
Suggest specific tests depending on your family history
Explain to you the meaning of the medical report and provide support
Give you the way forward in regard to you ensuring that you have a healthy baby

Genetic Counselling will help you:

Understand the options you have in case you are found to have a chance of passing on a disease to your baby so that you are able to adjust to any uncertainty you could face.
Hear out safer options of bringing forth your baby, for instance, implantation or if it is a serious case, adoption.
Prepare psychological for the challenges you might face during pregnancy
Be put on medication that could help protect you and your baby.

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT QUICKLY? HAVE EGGS FOR BREAKFAST.

2012-02-28T07:55:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, in the name of being adventurous cooks or staying healthy, we forget the most basic of ingredients: eggs - and tend to ignore the most essential meal of the day: breakfast.

As we try to come up with quick and easy meals that look divine and sound snazzy, we forget nutrition and the basic wholesomeness discovered by our ancestors and passed on diligently down the generations.

The key to losing weight could be as simple as having two eggs for breakfast. Scientists have shown that those who start their day with poached, boiled or scrambled eggs can lose up to two-thirds more weight than those on a diet.

This may come as a surprise to us as we all know that egg yolk is extremely calorific. However, the secret of the egg's success lies in it's ability to make us fell full for longer than many other foods. It is thought their high protein content could play a large part.

Despite equal energy content and weight, an egg breakfast has a greater satiating effect compared to a breakfast with bread. This translates into lower energy intake at lunch. The resulting decrease in energy consumption lasts for at least 24hrs after an egg breakfast.

Eggs are an integral part of part of breakfast in numerous cultures and the satiating effect of eggs may be useful in promoting weight management.

Nutrition Information

Egg are an important source of protein, essential vitamins and minerals and can make a significant contribution to a healthy diet. Nutritional requirements can vary considerably between men, women and children and can also vary in individuals from time to time.

Energy value of eggs
A medium egg has an energy value of 78kilo-calories (324 kilojoules) and the consumption of one egg daily would contribute only around 3% of the average energy requirement of an adult man and 4% for an adult woman. With their significant protein, vitamin and mineral content and relatively low saturated fat content, eggs are a valuable component in a healthy diet.

Protein
Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Egg protein is of high biological value as it contains all the essential amino acids needed by the human body. Eggs therefore complement other food proteins of lower biological value by providing the amino acids that are in short supply in those foods.

Protein accounts for 12.5% of the weight of an egg and it's found in both the yolk and albumen. Although protein is more concentrated around the yolk, there is in fact more protein in the albumen.

On the evaluation scale most commonly used for assessing protein, egg is at the highest point, 100, and is used as the reference standard against which all other foods are assessed.

Vitamins
Eggs contain most of the recognized vitamins with the exception of vitamin C. They are a good source of all of all the B vitamins, plus the fat soluble vitamin A. They also provide useful amounts of vitamin D as well as some vitamin E.

Minerals
Eggs contain most of the minerals that the human body requires for health. In particular, eggs are an excellent source of iodine, required to make the thyroid hormone, and phosphorus, required for the bone health.

The egg provides significant amounts of zinc, important for wound healing, growth and fighting infection; selenium, an important antioxidant; and calcium, needed for bone and growth structure and nervous functions.

Eggs also contain significant amounts of Iron, the vital ingredient of red blood cells, but the availability of this iron to the body is uncertain.

Carbohydrate and dietary fiber
Eggs contain only traces of carbohydrate and no dietary fiber

Fat
Fat accounts for 11.2% of the egg content. The fat of an egg is found almost entirely in the yolk; there is less than 0.05% in the albumen. Approximately 17% of an egg's fatty acids are polyunsaturated, 44% monounsaturated and only 32% saturated.

Cholesterol
Eggs are both bad and good for cholesterol. The egg yolks are definitely not good and may raise cholesterol levels. The egg whites are considered safe.

However, research has found that eggs whites contain a substance that counteracts the harmful effects of egg yolk on your cholesterol level to a big extent anyway. So eating a whole egg appears to be somewhat safe, even for someone on a low cholesterol diet.