According to researchers those who involve themselves in regular meditation or exercise regularly have fewer colds and  the flu than those who participate in neither.

The study involved 149 participants.

In a randomized trail they were split into three groups:

1-Those who participated in mindless meditation

2-Those who had regular moderate-intensity exercise

3-A control group that did neither.

Group 1 had 257 days of the cold or flu
Group 2 had 241 days
The control group had 453 days.

The study ran from September 2009 to May 2010.

Read about the report in the spec.com.
TheSpec – Meditation, exercise may help limit cold, flu, study…

Both meditation and regular exercise are effective in controlling blood pressure and in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.  It is not surprising that they have a positive effect on the immune system.

According to a research study mammograms on young women who are BRCA mutation carriers may cause more harm than good. They are better waiting until they are  older.

Many young women develop breast cancer early, some of them are mutation carriers.  Mutation carriers are at increased risk for developing breast cancer, so mammograms starting as early as 25-29 years of age are recommended to screen for early detection.

A research involving 22 studies and 8,139 participants showed the risk of radiation-induced breast cancer is greater in this young age group. Researchers found annual mammograms in 25-29 year olds carried a lifetime risk of breast cancer due to radiation in 26: 10,000 women.

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It is recommended that all individuals engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week,  but according to this study even with this level of physical activity, sitting for six hours is a mortality risk.

The researchers found the strongest association was cardiovascular deaths.

Standing and walking at home or at work rather than sitting are health promoting efforts than contribute to reducing the level of physical inactivity. They can reduce sedentary time and to less than six hours per day.

Read more about the study.

There are ways to reduce sitting time for leisure and work without cutting into your time or adding hours to the day. I call them sedentary lifestyle modifiers. Click here to read about them.

Helping a family member or friend to quit smoking is giving for health’s sake. People who decide to quit are more successful with help and support from others. Smokers who want to quit may find it difficult to do so without help. There is plenty of help available many of them are free.

There are public health initiatives, self help support, products and even text messaging services. According to a recent study done in the United Kingdom giving extra help may not work and may not be necessary.

Offering free nicotine patches or intensive counseling to smokers calling the English NHS helpline does not help them quit, a study in the BMJ says.

The study involved 2,500 smokers who were followed for over a year. The participants received one of the following help:
1-The first received support such as NHS Stop Smoking Services advice, letters, emails, text messages and access to a helpline.
2-The second group received the same support plus free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
3- The third group received standard support plus extra counseling sessions and messages from helpline staff.
4-The fourth group received the same proactive support as the third group but with added free nicotine patches.

Click Here to read about the study.

Smoking is one of the five health risk factors used in our health program to communicate the prevention of diseases, Smoking cessation is supported to help people take responsibility for their health.

This post is about smoking and its effect on eye health. Tobacco smoke affects many areas of the body making it disease prone, one disease that has been overlooked is macular degeneration.

According to a 2011 research report tobacco users have an increased risk for age-related blindness.

Researchers in Japan found a significant link between smoking and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The disease causes blindness.

The study involved 279 women and men with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 143 without the disease.

Those who smoke had a much stronger affiliation with the disease. Seventy five % of them smoked compared to only 40% of those who didn’t have the disease.

After taking other factors into account, smokers still had a five times the risk for AMD.

The result of the study is an alert for those who have concerns about AMD to avoid tobacco use. Smoking is an avoidable health risk factor that can be eliminated.

For youths and young adults it’s a health warning that smoking can make them blind later in life

Our health program empowers and motivates others to quit smoking for their health’s sake.

Take a look at how our health program can help people protect their body from diseases, Click Here.

According to a research study. every hour spent watching  television puts you at risk for heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Researchers monitored 8.800 adults for six years. They found that each hour spent  watching TV increases the risks of:

•  Morbidity by 11%
• Cancer by 9 %
• Cardiovascular disease by 18%

It made no difference whether the person is of a healthy body weight or obese.

Read what researchers had to say.

At the workplace those who  sit for long periods, put their health at risk for non-communicable diseases, obesity and obesity related illnesses.  On return home watching TV for two hours or more increases their chances of dying prematurely.

Overweight people  who watch TV for two or more hours per day are especially at risk they can put on the pounds quite easily.

Here are some ways to reduce your sitting time at home and at work without giving up those cherished habits. Click here to see them.

Researchers have  found another good reason for preventing high blood pressure, they believe that low blood pressure may be the answer to preventing dementia.

Scarring known as white matter lesions were found in the brains of women with high blood pressure.  According to the  experts white matter acts as the brain telephone network,  but  a slightly raised blood pressure can damage the vessels that nourish it.

Researchers studied 1,403 women 65 years and older. They participated in a memory initiative that tracked post-menopausal health. They found that 8 years later those with high blood pressure had much more scarring .
The  higher the blood pressure the higher the volume  of white matter damage.

Read More

Ways to Keep Your Blood Pressure Down

• Eat a healthy diet
• Limit salt intake 1 teaspoon per day is recommended
• Avoid trans fat and limit saturated fat
• Keep physically active -150 minutes of moderate-intensity per week
• Maintain a healthy weight- a body mass index of 18-24.9 is healthy
• Know your blood pressure numbers

To workout  a healthy eating plan for your self, Click Here.

To develop a personal health plan for your self, Click Here,

The World Health Organization defines obesity as “an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that presents a risk to health.”

When we consume more calories than our body burns, the body store the excess as fat. This  eventually leads to excessive weight gain and obesity.

Being overweight is a major health risk factor for many diseases and for premature death. Individuals of all ages can become obese; the health of children. adolescents and adults are  all affected by the  excess body weight.

The approved method for assessing weight health is the body mass index ( BMI).  The BMI uses the individual’s weight and height to compare the ratio of body fat  to total body mass.

Overweight is a BMI of 25-30, obesity is a BMI of 30 and over.  A person with  a healthy weight has a BMI of 18-24.9.

Another measure used to assess weight help is the waist circumference. A healthy waist circumference is below 35 for women and below 40 for men.

Causes-The main cause of overweight/obesity is an energy imbalance, eating too much and exercising too little. This leads to a calorie surplus. Childhood obesity, existing disease, drugs and hereditary factors play a role in adult obesity.  Formula feeding predisposes a child to childhood obesity. Binge and emotional can cause an individual to become morbidly obese.

Effects of Overweight/Obesity on Health- Overweight/obesity is a health risk factor for many physical and psychological problems. They are major risk factors for non-communicable disease(NCD’s).

• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancers
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Arthritis & joint pains
• Strokes
• Depression
• Unhealthy lifestyle
• Low self-esteem

Prevention

The risk of being overweight/obese starts as early as during development in the womb. Maternal obesity can cause a large baby; formula feeding can result in an overweight infant.  Maternal diseases such as diabetes or gestational diabetes affect an infant’s birth weight. These factors can cause childhood obesity.

Prevention therefore starts a early as during family planning. Mothers who are planning on starting a family can prevent childhood obesity by losing any excess weight before pregnancy. Other ways to prevent obesity are: Keeping physically active,  avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and developing healthy eating habits. Breast feeding can prevent childhood obesity.

Treatment of Overweight/Obesity

Overweight/obese people can lose excess body weight by focusing on weight control. There are several approaches to  eliminating overweight/obesity as a  health risk factor, they are diet, exercise, behaviour modifcation/counselling, surgery and medication.

This blog  is about diet and exercise to prevent and treat excess body weight.  Many weight loss programs  are diet plans, but diet and exercise must be combined for effective weight control and must be used with the other treatment methods.

Reading Material

World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity.

Facts About Obesity.

Article on Obesity.

Watch this Video.

Our weight loss program helps individuals lose weight and control weight gain. It is a self-developed weight loss program that focuses on diseases prevention.

Click here for more information on it. or to subscribe.

They are called  ‘e-Patients,’ people like you and I who use the Internet to manage their health online

According to a survey, people who search online for health information, do so to:

• Seek  health information
• Make informed decisons
• Access health services and resources

In the last twenty years there has been a surge in health information websites, with information from the common cold to cancer and heart disease.

Health education online and not just information is taking health care to a new level.  Health information obtained online is doing more than informing. it is being used to teach, coach and prepare individuals to be expert in their own health. This is accomplished by self-care at home to prevent disease.

According to researchers 61%  of women and 47% of men turn to the Internet for health information.  It would therefore,  make sense that health care begins there.

This blog like many other websites is a reflection of health education online, places where people can learn to take care of their health at home.

Individuals are no longer waiting for symptoms of disease to develop or a physician’s appointment to be health conscious.  More and more people are turning to lifestyle changes for their health care. The Internet is the place where they go to implement and maintain it.

Here is one example  of online health education, this  program prepares people to take care of their health at home.  Click here to view.

“Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. It is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease,” World Health Organization(WHO).

This makes tuberculosis a communicable disease.

There is evidence that tobacco smoking is associated with increased risk of developing tuberculosis (TB).

Researchers did a systematic review and meta analysis of several observational studies for evidence that smoking is associated with tuberculosis. They identified:
1-33 papers on tobacco smoking and TB
2-5 papers on passive smoking and TB
3-5 papers on indoor pollution and TB

They selected studies done in english, russian and chinese.

According to the report when compared to nonsmokers, smokers have an increased risk of:
1-A positive tuberculin skin test
2-Active TB
3-Dying of tuberculosis

Smoking is also a major health risk factor for non-communicable diseases, for this smoking cessation is a universal initiative to prevent diseases and premature death.

Facts about tuberculosis(TB).

Smoking is one of the health risk factors used in this health program to communicate the importance of good health and to encourage smoking cessation.