Some Healthy Tips

• Eat raw vegetables. They are high in nutrients , vitamin and enzymes. Make a big mixed salad for lunch and start  dinner with a green salad
•  Eat animal protein, including dairy, once a day. more is too acid forming : Your body should be slightly alkaline . Get protein from foods such as seeds, nuts, quinoa, millet and lentils.
• Watch the salt. Too much sodium can cause bloating. Add small amounts of good sea salt directly to food: avoid processed foods. Drink unsweetened cranberry concentrate with fresh water to help flush excessive fluids and salts.
• Try Kim's glowing green smoothie for breakfast . Blend two cups of water , one head of lettuce and a small bunch of spinach until smooth. Add three to four celery stalks, one apple, one pear, one banana, and the juice of a half lemon.
• Eat fruit only on a empty stomach and never for pudding . If you eat it after a meal it takes longer to digest - the fruit starts to ferment , leading to bloat.
• Avoid or eat less cheese. It is difficult to digest so it can lead to weight gain.
• Avoid fizzy drinks.The air bubble release carbon dioxide in the digestive tract, creating bloating. Excessive caffeine can also cause bloat. 
• Get to love raw apple cider vinegar . It act as a prebiotic to to feed the growth of bacteria in your gut that help with digestion. Sip one tablespoon full diluted in a cup of warm water 20 minutes before meals; Its great in salad dressing too.
• Don't drink and eat. It dilutes gastric juices and digestive enzymes and so impedes the digestive process. Just sip a little liquid when eating and chewing each mouth thoroughly. 

                                           

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Health Benefits of Eating Fish

It is generally known that individuals eat fish regularly or at a least twice a week reduce the risk of heart disease,stroke,depression and mental decline as.Eating fish may also ward off many chronic degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis.It has been shown that the main benefit of eating fish is lessening cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.A Harvard study found that the risk of death from coronary heart disease was 36% lower in people who eat regularly fatty fish.
This observation will disappoint our people in Sri Lanka because it is beyond the average man's income to eat fish regularly since the prices of fish are exorbitant.The people living along the coastal regions benefit much more from eating fish because they can buy fish cheaper than other people in the country.Fisherman seem to live longer healthily may be due to eating fish daily.
Tuna,salmon,or trout seems to have higher concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids than tilapia.No wonder tilapia is a cheaper fish than the aforementioned.Farmed tilapia is supposed to have higher concentration of omega-6 fatty acids,possibly because they are fed with omega 6 type of foods like corn,which contains omega 6 fatty acids.In srilanka this is not a problem as the thilapia fish is mostly caught from the sea.Omega-6 is required by the body,but most of the foods consumed in srilanka have more omega 6 type fatty acids such as vegetable oils taken for cooking.Too much of moega-6 may lead to unhealthy situations such as heart disease and lowering immune system.
No doubt the health benefits of eating fish are due to the high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the fish.There is more vitamin A and D in their liver.Other seafood like oysters,lobsters,crabs too have a moderate amount of omega 3 fatty acids.Though sea food contains high concentrations of cholesterol,it has no influence on the serum cholesterol levels.Forget cholesterol and eat plenty of sea food.
Omega 3 forms an essential fatty acid for our body because it cannot be formed within the body.The essential components of omega-3 fatty acids beneficial to the body are EPA and DHA which are particularly heart healthy and have cooling effects.Inflammation seems turning out to be at the base of many health problems including heart disease,diabetes,some types of cancers and arthritis.Omega-3 also helps prevent the blood clots which cause many strokes.
Recent studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have potential to help slow cognitive problems such as Alzheimer's disease and age related cognitive decline.It helps to control depression and suicidal tendencies.It is better for health to get the quota of omega-3 through eating fish capsules.If you cannot get enough omega-3 through diet especially for heart disease patients,you may consider takong fish oil supplementa.
The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fish per week..Another benefit of eating fish and other seafood like crabs,oysters,prawns,shellfish and others are low in fat and calories.The distribution of fats in fish is healthier as with proteins,Shellfish tend to have high proportions of polyunsaturated fat and lower proportion of saturated fat than beef or chicken.
Fish also have a good source of proteins.Shellfish,not actually fish,but another group of water-dwelling animals including prawns(crustaceans)and molluscs,scallops,lobsters are also a very rich source of protein.

Salmon Nutrition 

Salmon being a most expensive fish is not available in fish markets other than special supermarkets,Salmon is a highly nutritious food,high in protein and 'good fat'.A 4 oz of salmon provides a full day's requirement of vitamin D,It isone of the few foods that can make the claim..That same piece of fish contains over half of the necessary B12,niacin,and selenium and is an excellent source of B6 and magnesium . Canned salmon also contains large amounts of calcium  ( sue to the bones of the fish ).

Mercury contamination

The American Medical Association says the health benefits of eating fish greatly outweigh the potential risk of mercury exposure or potential contaminants by dioxins . PCBs or other contaminants levels of chemicals in fish such as dioxins and PCBs are very low , comparable to the levels found in meat and diary products . The AMA says their potential presence " should not influence individual decisions about fish intake ".

                     The AMA seems thinking that it is a unclear that mercury exposure from typical levels of fish intake has any adverse effects for men and women who are not of child bearing age. Pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid fish that are high in mercury , particularly shark. swordfish and king mackerel. They can eat tuna instead, but they should limit it to 6 ounces per week.

Mercury in Fish and Heart disease

It is observed that higher levels of mercury concentration did not have a higher risk of cardiovascular events. The dietary Guidelines for Americans , 2010, suggest adults increase their relatively low intake of seafood, nothing that about eight ounces a week has been linked in some research with reductions in cardiac deaths in healthy people .
             Excessive levels of mercury in blood can cause side effects, such as   numbness of the fingers , toes and muscle weakness. but these side effects aren't typical with moderate consumption .
            Some seafood such as salmon , sardines , scallops and shrimps have low mercury levels and they are safe to eat.

Parasites and bacteria in fish 

Fish especially the big ones carry parasites in their gut and if fish is eaten raw or preserved,such as sashimi or ceviche,parasites become concern.The most common ones are nematodes(cod worms) and tapeworms.Nematodes can harm humans and cause limited digestive problems for a week or so.Tapeworms can live in the human gut for years growing up to a couple of yards long,causing severe pain,weight loss and anemia.Fortunately,these parasites are killed when fish is properly cooked to an internal temperature of at least 140 def.It is advisable to avoid eating raw fish unless they are well frozen.
Refrigerated smoked uncooked seafood should be avoided due to increase risk of a bacterial infection called listeriosis, especially by pregnant women,and other people.Smoked fish in a cooked recipe is always OK-as is canned or shelf stable smoked seafood.
Seafood also can be a source of food poisoning,especially when eaten raw.poorly cooked seafood can also cause food poisoning due to marine toxins.The most common are scombroid or histamine fish poisoning from bacteria in spoiled finfish such as tuna or mackerel, or ciguatera poisoning from toxins ingested by reef fish such as grouper,snapper ans sea bass.

Fried fish 
Fish should be broiled,cooked as a curry or baked and not fried.Harvard researchers found in a study of more than 4700 older people that eating fried fish or fish sandwiches was associated with a higher risk of stroke.Conversely,the study also found a direct relationship between consumption of broiled or baked fish and a reduce incidence of stroke,according to a report in the Jan.24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.The linked between the increased risk and fish sandwiches probably was due to the fact that those sandwiches tented to be fried-fish burgers from fast-food outlets,said Dr.Dariush.
Studies have revealed that the people live in the 'stroke belt' in the US which extends from the Carolinas to Arkansas and Louisaina, the stroke rates are among the highest in the country. They are less  likely to eat the recommended two servings of fish per week , and when they eat fish seems to be eating fried fish.


                                               

                                                  

Glycaemic Index -Key to Nutrition

Health is wealth,what is perceived healty today may not be so according to findings that emerge in new research.The Health Education Bureau,the Health and nutrition Ministry and UNICEF organised a media workshop to mark Nurtition mark in June,where many new concepts with regard to eating healthy and staying healthy were shared.
It is accepted that as youage total food intake needs to be reduced since the metabolism of the body slows down.
Thus exercisse is an important component to balancing food intake and output,besides seddentary lifestyle makes exercise even more important.
The elderly are expected to eat high nutrition value food,Although the energy requirement can decline with age if are physically inactive,the need for proteins,vitamins and minerals are the same for the elderly.
Thus the recommended food are those rich in nurtients and low in calories.
Doctors say infant and early childhood nutritional requirement is high due to rapid growth.In the case of children and adolescents,the nutritional requirement is high,after adolescent(10-19),the growth rate slows reducing the nutritional requirement.Excess nutrition intake without much utilisation makes a person obese.
It has been found that a major cause for childhood obesity is excessive sugar consumption.would you believe that 4-5 biscuits could give a child 275 kilo calories.
a child has to walk one hour,to burn 275 kcalories.After the age of one,a child's growth rate slows and with it  the appetite. However, children develops taste for certain food at an early age and eating habits and attitudes children learn are likely to last a life time. It is important to start healthy eating habits (less salt and less sugar ) early in life.
The easiest way to find nutritious food is to go by the Glycaemic Index(GI) and Glycaemic Load which offer information about how food affects blood sugar and insulin.
The lower the GI or Glycaemic Load,the less it affects blood sugar and insulin levels.Recent studies from the Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet.
GI is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they rise blood sugar levels after eating.Food with a high GI gets rapid digested and absorbed.It results in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.Low-GI foods,are slow to digest and gets absorbed gradually.so,there is only a gradual rise in blood sugar and insulin levels.They have proven benefits for health.According to the university of sydney,low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipids levels in people with diabetes(type 1 and type 2).They have benefits of weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger.Low GI is below 55 and high GI is over 60. 

                        Food with a high GI gets rapid digested and absorbed.It results in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels.Low GI foods,are slow to digest and gets absorbed gradually,so,there is only a gradual rise in blood sugar and insulin levels.They have proven benefits for health.

                                     We should really eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day(400-500g) per day.One serving is equivalent to one orange,mango,banana,apple or one inch thick piece of papaya,half inch thick slice of pineapple three tablespoons of cooked vegetables(1/2 cup) or one cup of raw salad(200ml) and this is the magic answer to good health and well-being.But sharp contrast a sri lankan adult only consumes an average of 2 fruits and just 2 vegetable servings per day. 


                                      

     

Healthy Life

                                         
                                   Visual warning signs for Cataracts 


A cataract occurs  when the eye's lens  become cloudy.
                     The US National  Library of Medicine says these visual warning signs could indicate cataracts .
- Seeing Double
- Having increased sensitivity to glaring light.
- Seeing a  halo that surrounds light
- Having vision that appears cloudy, blurring or seeing as if your eye were covered in a film
-  Having trouble seeing in the dark or without bright light
- Not seeing colours sharply
- Having difficulty differentiation shapes and colours from a background.




                                  Coping with hearing  loss

Hearing loss effects many people specially seniors  and can make socializing and communicating difficult.

                                  The Cleveland Clinic offers these suggestions for someone with  hearing loss

- Make sure you tell friends and loved ones about your hearing loss. Don't try to keep it a secret.

- Encourage people to look directly when they speak at you.

- Tell your loved ones that you need them to speak a bit more loudly and clearly.  But they don't  need to shout or to speak slowly.
- Turn off background  noise such as radio or TV when possible 
- Pat attention to background noise in public places. Avoid sitting near the kitchen at a restaurant or infront of live music.

                                  Help prevent COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a general term for the narrowing of the small bronchi, the  smaller airways that carry air into the lungs . The two prime diseases that make COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema 

                        The American Lung Association suggest these steps to prevent you  from COPD :

- Don't smoke, and quit if you currently smoke .

- Stay away from secondhand smoke, and don't allow other people to smoke in your home.

- Avoid exposure to lung- damaging chemicals.

- Take steps to help promote clean air in your community.

- Schedule a visit with your home doctor if you suspect that you may have COPD, particularly if  you are 45 older and have a history of smoking. 

                                        Choose Heart-healthy Foods

   A hearty healthy diet can help keep blood vessels clear of plaque, and help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

          Womenshealth. gov offers these guidelines for a hearty healthy diet:

- Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits

- Making at lest half of your daily grain consumption whole grains. These may include whole grain corn and oatmeal.

- Eating low -fat diary foods, such as yoghurt , cheese and milk

- Getting lots of nuts and dry beans, lean meat, fish and poultry without skin.

- Favouring polyunsaturated and monounsaturated  fats via vegetable oils, fish and nuts.
- Avoiding : saturated and trans fats , sodium (salt), cholesterol and added sugars


                       Classic symptoms of a broken collarbone  


The collarbone doesn't completely harden until about age 20 years . This make younger people especially participants in contact sports more susceptible to a broken collarbone, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says 
                           The academy says common symptoms of a broken collarbone include :
- Having a shoulder that droops 
- Being in too much pain to lift both arms
- Feeling a grinding as you  try to lift an arm
- Feeling pain when touching the collarbone.
-  Detecting an abnormal bump or swelling on the collarbone  

 Not all Birthmarks are Harmless

Because of size and potential growth pattern,some may need dermatologist's assessment,expert says

About one in 10 infants develops a vascular birthmark at birth or soon after.Though typically harmless,some may need treatment because of location and growth patterns, a dermatologist suggests.
    ''There are several different types of birthmarks,so it is important to determine the type of birthmark before considering any possible treatments'',Dermatologist Dr.Sheila Fallon Friedlander,a professor of clinical pediatrics and medicine at the university of california San Diego,said in a news release from the American Academy of Dermatology.
   '' Most birthmarks pose no risks to infants and are best left untreated,''she noted ,''but some can grow and potentially cause complications,

Healthy Life

                        When Muscle  Cramps  Become worrisome




                                     

While a muscle in spasm can be extremely painful, it  usually doesn't indicate  a serious condition.
But that's  not always the case. The American  Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says the  following warnings signs should  prompt a call to your doctors office : 
- If the3 cramps become severe
- It the cramps occur frequently
- If the cramps don't respond to treatment
- If the cramp don't seem related to n obvious cause, such as  an exercise 


                     Start Migraine care immediately 

                                             

Migraines are severe headaches that may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.

 The US National Women's Health Information Center offers these suggestions of what to do as soon as migraine symptoms being :

- Promptly take migraine medication that your doctor has prescribed .

- Drink plenty of fluids as long as you feel nauseated.

- Lie down and relax in a room that's quiet and dark.

- Gently massage the area of  your head that's painful 

- Drape a cool cloth across your forehead.


                                      Signs that may have hand arthritis 

  

                                                

Arthritis, the medical term for joint inflammation , commonly affects the relatively small joints of the hands .
 The American   Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says warming signs of hand arthritis may include : 
- Pain the hands and fingers, especially after firmly holding an object for a long period . 
- Stiffness and pain that are more noticeable in the morning.
- Swollen or disfigured joints
- A feeling of warmth in the joints 
- A feeling that the bones in the joint are rubbing together or that  a joint is loose
- Cysts near the joints at the ends of the fingers.


                                 Healing Heel Pain



                                               

Heel pain  is usually caused by  the activities that continually around the heel. such injuries include Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis   
                     What ever the cause these suggestions from the US National library of Medicine may help ease  your heel pain : 
- Rest your feet for at lest a week
- Apply ice on the sore heel twice a day for about 10-15 minutes at a time
- Take over the counter medication such as ibuprofen to ease inflammation and pain 
- Wear shoes that fit correctly
- Place an orthotic , heel cup or felt padding in the heel of your shoes 
- Work with a physician therapist help prevent the injury from recurring

Stroke

Paralysis or numbness ( lack of sensation ) on one side of the body ..... pick up the major hospital as soon as possible.
             Think of the brain immediately, is the advice of consultant neurologist Dr. Padma Gunaratne  not only for those who  suspect that they may  have  suffered a stroke but also to loved ones who may notice something different .
                              One in six  is the theme of the world Stroke Organization, Dr.Gunaratne,  President of the collage of Physicians and President  of  the National  Stroke of Sri lanka. is  quick to point out  which means that one in every six persons develops a stroke.

The other signs  and  symptoms of a stoke are :

A speech disturbance

Slurring when talking or a problem with a language which may be manifested in the form an inability to recognize what   someone is saying or being  unable to express oneself

Vision Impairment

Either in one eye or loss of half of the visual  field or  having double vision. Usually when looking straight  the visual field is 180 degrees

Development giddiness such as in a vertigo attack : -  Difficulty in swallowing 

                                                                                       - Difficulty in walking and acquiring a drunken gait 

                                                                                       - Inability to control the passing of urine and faeces

                                Early  identification is important because stroke is one of the most devastating medical conditions which can leave a person crippled for life, stresses Dr. Gunaratne pointing out  that it is second leading cause of death , next to  cardio-vascular disease , among those who are over 50  years old.

                            Explaining that the majority of strokes are  preventable, this Neurologist who has been campaigning for  the setting up of  dedicated stroke units in major  hospitals to provide  maximum all round care for  stroke victims under  a muti-disciplinary team states categorically that " strokes are curable"

The multi - disciplinary team which will  get into  action not only to  cure the stroke  victim but also rehabilitate him will comprise doctors, nurses, physiotherapists,occupational therapist, speech therapist, counselors and social workers.

                               There is a lot that can be done if you bring the  stroke  victim to  a major hospital  immediately, MediScene  understands.

Another warning that she  delivers is don't ignore the symptoms if they pass within 24 hours because a Transient Ischaemic Attack ( TIA) could very well be  a precursor for a stroke.

A stroke is caused  by diseased blood vessels  rather than a disease of brain, says Dr. Gunaratne , explaining that the brain , like every other part of the body needs a good blood supply function. With age , however , the blood vessels become  thicker  with fat and cholesterol being deposited on them and ulceration occuring

                                                          THE VITAL SIX

Six important points to remember in the prevention and cure of  strokes are :

1. Avoid smoking

2. Eat a healthy diet

3. Do exercises 

4. Limit alcohol

5. Be aware of your risks factors such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes

6. Be familiar with the  symptoms of stroke and seek medical dealing with the risk factors,  Dr. Gunaratne says they include high  blood pressure , smoking , diabetes, high-cholesterol , being over weight , lack of exercise ,  having a heart attack and a previous stroke. The minor risks factors  are stress and for women the use of contraceptive pills.