Daily Health News Blog

Eating to Lose! Your body need nutrition each and every day so you can perform at your best. You need to consume calories or your body can’t function at its best. We gain weight because we take in too many calories that don’t have the nutrition that our body needs so we store this as fat. Eating the Right Foods Our diet needs to be high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, nuts, and seeds so we get the nutrition that we need. The main problem is that we have gone away from wholesome eating and instead rely on a diet of heavily processed and unnatural foods. These foods cause us to gain weight as we don’t get too many calories that lack nutrition. When we consume foods that are nutrient dense they give us the energy we need to get through the day and they also tend to be lower in calories. You actually east more food but still lose weight because you’re eating good nutritious food and not garbage processed food that is high in calories but very low in nutrition.

It happens every holiday season. You have to buy a present for someone who’s fussy or has everything. It’s never easy, but it can be manageable, if you follow some simple steps. For example: 1. Psyche out your friend. Is the friend practical or flighty? Is eclectic your friend’s middle name? Buy for the personality. 2. Figure out in advance what you are prepared to spend. This focuses you and helps prevent last-minute panic buying, which can be expensive. 3. What’s changed? Has your friend moved or signed up for an exciting trip? A travel diary or a housecleaning service gift certificate might be appreciated. 4. Give the gift of you. Offer to sew curtains or cook a special dinner. A photo album with pictures of the two of you or a special event or trip is thoughtful. 5. Don’t overlook donations. Many people with everything would appreciate a donation in their name to a favorite charity.

Brushing your teeth, buttoning your shirt, opening a jar -- these are routine daily activities that most people take for granted. But if you have arthritis and it affects your hands, performing these and other basic tasks can be challenging. Fortunately, "exercising" your hands can help reduce the pain, improve your range of motion and, ultimately, enable you to perform more easily the various tasks of daily living.   Where does it hurt?  Arthritis of the hands manifests differently depending on what kind of arthritis you have.  Osteoarthritis.  The most common cause of hand arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA). In osteoarthritis, the protective cartilage that covers the ends of your bones gradually deteriorates due to wear and tear or, in some cases, to injury. If your hand pain is caused by osteoarthritis, the affected joints are painful and may swell or develop hard bony nodules. The joints most likely to be affected in hand osteoarthritis are the trapezio-metacarpal (ba