Daily Health News Blog

by Nancy Wile The ability of yoga to reduce muscle tension, slow your heart rate and calm a racing mind provides the perfect recipe for a good night’s sleep. There is growing evidence that small behavioral changes in the evening can make a big difference in getting a restful sleep. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that participants who made modifications, like learning relaxation techniques, improved their sleep more than those who took drugs. Yoga Exercises for Better Sleep Certain yoga exercises will help your body and your mind relax more and prepare for sleep. Here are a few postures and exercises that are particularly helpful: 1) Supported Standing Forward Bend This gentle yoga posture helps relieve tension in your neck and shoulders while quieting your nervous system. Steps: • Fold a blanket and place it on a chair • Stand facing the chair (about 1 to 2 feet away) with your feet parallel and a little wider than hip w...

by Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S. According to U.S. General Surgeon, heart attacks and strokes are highly preventable. Thus, if more people die from heart disease than from any other illness, we need to give a serious consideration to what we are doing wrong. In this article you will find the 7 main reasons why we may end up being part of the American Heart Association’s statistics. 1. We smoke. The risk of dying of a heart attack is about four times higher in people who smoke than in those who don’t smoke. Many of us are under the impression that the major danger from smoking is cancer but that is not quite true; smoking is the major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. In fact, about 40% of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease are due to smoking. Smoking contributes to heart disease in the following manner: • Increases blood pressure, a risk for heart attacks and strokes. • The carcinogen components in tobacco damage the walls of the arteries...

  by Rudy Silva Changes in weather from cold to hot and then back again can causes headaches. Headaches can also be activated from stress, lack of sleep, skipping meals, and unhealthy lifestyle. They can also be caused by diseases, such as hypertension, bacterial infections, meningitis, pharyngitis and sinusitis.   Sinusitis is very common, but not a severe affliction. If left untreated it can become serious because of bacterial growth in the sinus. The cause of sinusitis is the inflammation of any of the Para nasal sinuses, the frontal or ethmoidal sinuses. If you wake up with a headache, feeling congested, and have fluffy and swelling around your eye, then you have sinus headache. Usually the cause of a sinus headache is a virus or bacterial infection causing sinusitis. This type of headache can also be caused by allergens in the air. In his book, Quick Headache Relief Without Drugs, 1977, Howard D. Kurland, M.D. tells of a lady that ignored medical treatment and used only...

Once the brain was thought to be fully grown after puberty. Now, research shows it is still evolving into its adult shape well into a person's third decade. It discards unused connections and strengthens others. It's one reason many 20-somethings haven't chosen a career path, married or become financially independent. While the brain hasn't fully matured, young people are expected to make important decisions about education, who to marry or whether to go into the military, says neuroscientist Jay Giedd at the National Institute of Mental Health. Postponing those decisions makes sense biologically. Giedd says the 20s are known as a time for self-discovery. The findings are part of a new wave of research into emerging adulthood from ages 18 to 29, which neuroscientists, psychologists and sociologists are now seeing as a distinct life stage. For young adults, this decade is a stressful time with a high rate of anxiety, depression, motor-vehicle accidents and alcoho...

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is designed to protect patient health information and guard medical privacy. Only you, your insurance company and your doctors can access your records. You may want to have a copy of your records to check for mistakes or to recall your medication history. Talk to your doctor's office about how to access your records online. Different services require different procedures. Some doctors require you to fill out a form. Do it at the doctor's office in case you need help. Write down specific information you want, such as blood pressure, scans, blood and urine tests, cholesterol levels, and history of surgery or other procedures. Pay any fee. When you receive the records, check to see that all the information you requested is included. Check the records for mistakes. If you find anything you don't understand, call the health-care provider's office and ask for an explanation. If it is a mistake, ask the provider...

Everyone knows the foods to eat that improve health, although how we cook the food can be just as important. With there being so many oils and butter products claiming to be the best, it can be quite difficult to know which ones to use and which ones to avoid. 1.  Canola oil Canola oil is a popular oil, with many physicians claiming that it has the ability to lower the risk of heart disease.  The oil is low in saturated fat, high in monounsaturated fat, and offers the best fatty acid composition when compared to other oils. You can use canola oil in sauting, as a marinade and even in low temperature stir frying.  It has a bland flavor, which makes it a great oil for foods that contain many spices.  Unlike other oils, this one won't interfere with the taste of your meal. 2.  Olive oil olive oil offers a very distinct flavor with plenty of heart healthy ingedients.  The oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, helps to lower cholesterol levels and reduce risk of c...

If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live? You can buy a new car or a new house, but this is the only body you get. Take care of your body and you'll live longer, look younger and feel better while you're here.  1. Reduce Your Fat Intake. Research shows it's best to keep your fat calories between 20 to 30%. The national average is 42%.   2. Eat More Nutritious Fiber Foods. Increase your complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains, beans and especially fresh fruits and vegetables.   3. Drink Plenty Of Pure Water. Water is an essential nutrient. Eight glasses a day helps you digest food, transport nutrients and get rid of toxins.  4. Exercise Sensibly. A daily walk is better than strenuous high impact aerobics. Also, light weight training helps keep your bones strong.  5. Increase Your Micronutrients. Studies prove that optimum amounts (higher than the RDA's) of essential nutritionals, fatty acids and phytonutrients...