Posts Tagged wellness
Children and Athletic Ankle Supports
Posted by Kenneth Elliott in Health on March 11, 2009
Sporting activities and athletic ankle supports are a good combination for children in sports. They help to keep children out of danger from major leg injuries that are common. Children are still growing and bone injuries can slow down bone growth on occasion, especially if the injury occurs on a growth plate. Athletic ankle supports can help to prevent major accidents from children landing in the wrong positions. They make sure that key ankle positions are maintained as to not allowing ankle injuries. There are still is a chance that a major ankle injury can happen but wearing athletic ankle supports are there for preventative measures.
When deciding on an ankle brace for your child it is important answer two questions in your mind. What is the brace made from and does the brace allow for total range of motion. In terms of total range of motion, for those children who have not had any previous ankle problems you would not want to purchase a brace that immobilizes the ankle. You would just want a brace that are designed to just provide pressure in key areas and keep the ankle in fairly the same place. Immobilizing ankle braces are a hindrance rather than a benefit if you were to purchase this kind of brace. A lightweight athletic elastic ankle support should be just fine for a child athlete.
So what is the best ankle brace to purchase? The best ankle supports are made of neoprene and they not only support your ankle but increase your bounce, make your landings softer and keep your muscles warm. Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. It is used in a wide variety of environments, such as in wetsuits, laptop sleeves, electrical insulation, and car fan belts. It is also a synthetic rubber that is resistant to oils and aging.
Are you still thinking that you may not need ankle supports for you child. Maybe you are thinking that the high top sneakers that you brought yesterday are enough support needed. Yes, high top ankle sneakers do provide ankle support, but they just have the minimum support needed. Step up your security for your child and get the maximum support needed. Athletic ankle supports will provide what you need.
Where Are Acupuncture Meridians & What Purpose Do They Serve
Posted by Deborah Lindholm in Health on March 6, 2009
Dating back to 3000BC or perhaps as far back as the Stone Age, there has been said that acupuncture is in fact one of the oldest means of medical care on the planet. Acupuncture and meridians being confusing enough, trying to figure out the reason why they contribute to better health can be quite the task. We will take a look at the exact nature of this practice by asking and answering some questions, specifically those surrounding acupuncture meridians.
The Meaning of Acupuncture
Acupuncture is used to balance energy levels and eliminate blockages, which may be preventing your health from achieving its optimum state. The energy system of the body can be manipulated with the use of very fine acupuncture needles. This energy system flows through the body, and can be accessed via a variety of 500 specific acupuncture points found along what is called the acupuncture meridians. These points are related to every system and function of the body, housing both positive and negative energy.
The Meridians
There are twelve main meridians which connect the 500 acupuncture points, and they are found along your legs and arms. With balance they provide optimal health and happiness. When unbalance they result in life and health being unbalanced as well. The Yin and Yang can be compared to the flip sides of the same coin. This is where the balance needs to be in order for all aspects to be positive and aligned.
When making the association between Yin and Yang, picture the two sides of a coin as mentioned above. On the one side, the Yin holds responsibility for negative aspects, such as darkness, passivity, coldness, wetness and the feminine. The other side would be the Yang, which holds responsibility for all positive aspects such as brightness, activeness, dryness, heat and masculine. You will also find that each of the main meridians house their own elements of Yin and Yang.
These twelve meridians are located:
At the inside of your arms, body to fingertips – Yin
Along the outside of your arm from your fingertips to your face – Yang
Along the outside of your leg from your face to your feet – Yang
And along the inside of your leg from your feet to your body – Yin
The following organs are affected by the 12 main meridians:
1. Lungs
2. Large Intestine
3. Stomach
4. Spleen
5. Heart
6. Small Intestine
7. Urinary Bladder
8. Kidney
9. Pericardium
10. Triple Warmer – This meridian affects the thyroid and the adrenal glands which regulate your metabolism and affect your immune system and has a profound affect on your stress reaction.
11. Gall Bladder
12. Liver
The Yin side includes lungs, heart and pericardium with the arm meridians, while the Yang side of the arm houses the meridians for the small intestine, triple warmer and the large intestine. As for the leg meridians, the Yin side covers spleen, kidney and liver, while the Yang side covers stomach, gall bladder and bladder.
Each of your organs, as you probably already know, play a valuable and essential function in the effectiveness of your overall health and the optimal functioning of your body. When one is out of balance, blocked, or not functioning optimally your entire body and even your emotional state can be significantly affected.
There is a reason why this practice of acupuncture and the balancing of the body’s energy through accessing meridians is still practiced today – it works.
How To Prevent Hand Wart
Posted by Anthony Galz in Medicine on March 6, 2009
Hand warts can be very discomfiting, itchy and irritating. Don’t wait till you catch it. Read on and know more about how you can avoid getting your hands into a mess like this (pun intended).
Being in direct skin to skin contact with a person with hand wart can give you hand warts. You can also catch hand wart from using towels or clothing and other personal items recently used by another person infected with hand wart. Beware of communal areas and public places like the gym and the gym shower room, the areas around the public pool, among others. A warm and moist environment is the ideal environment for hand wart to spread, be careful when you do visit these places.
Avoid spreading hand warts by following these tips:
- Don’t trust public areas to perform your grooming habits in. You may get infected, or carry the hand wart infection with you out of that area.
- Do not allow borrowing of personal items. Do not share socks, shoes, razors, nail cutters and files, hand towels, or towels and other articles of clothing with other people in the risk of catching a hand wart infection from any of these items. Most hand wart symptoms are externally visible, but other symptoms are notoriously small and inconspicuous as to be nearly invisible. It’s better safe than sorry.
- Be wary of where you put your hands down in communal places like the gym, in public showers, at areas around pools, and in restrooms and toilets, locker rooms and waiting areas. Wear shoes or sandals in these places to avoid catching hand wart. Avoid warm, moist areas in these places; those are ideal for the hand wart infection to multiply and spread.
- Do not touch any wart on anyone else’s hands. Touching it even so slightly can infect you. Do not be tempted by your curiosity to ask to touch your friend’s hand wart. That’s a disgusting and embarrassing thing to ask of someone who may be humiliated by his or her wart infection. Don’t make the situation even worse by asking to see his or her hand wart and then touching it.
- Remember to keep your hands clean and dry at all times. Hand wart can spread more easily when your hands are wet and come in contact with an infected person, or an area where hand wart may be. Dry your hands well so you can reduce the chances of catching hand wart (remember to use your own towel). If you have sweaty hands, carry a handkerchief — and if possible, talcum powder.
- As much as possible, try to take care of your hands and avoid injuring especially the palms. Hand wart grows and spreads more easily when you have a wound, or even small scratches that break the skin.
The hand wart is caused by a viral infection called the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). It is a skin infection so common nearly forty percent of all people have caught it at one point or another. There are many subtypes of the HPV virus and all of these are highly contagious. Your hand wart, in particular, is caused by one or two of these viral strains.
To protect yourself from hand wart infection, the best way is still to maintain a healthy body and a good hygiene habit. This will, in turn, develop your immune system. It is your can that resist the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), so take care of your health, and don’t stick your hands just about anywhere.
Weight Loss Products for Wedding and Proactol
Posted by Ricardo daryans in Health on February 24, 2009
No matter how long you have until your wedding day will might be struck by how much weight you want to lose in time. Regardless of your goal, these are a couple of points to remember.
People often turn to dietary supplements and one that is quite propular is Proactol. What are the details of this supplement and does it do everything it says it will?
Basically, Proactol was developed for use as a dietary additive that can boost your ability to lose pounds. When looking at the packaging, it proposes to help you reduce your food craving and to burn off 28% of your fat intake. The benefits of taking proactol is multifold; including weight loss and higher energy levels as well as better flexibility and lower cholesterol levels.
The prickly pear or Optuntia Ficus India Cactus is one of the most often and well known ingredients in Proatctol, it is sometimes listed as Neopuntia. Neopuntia is a plant fiber taken from the prickly pear.
When you are thinking about figuring out whether Proactol is something that might work for you, it is important to understand how this supplement works. The main gist of its effectiveness is the prickly pear, which is known to be rich in vitamins B1 and B2, as well as pathothenic acids and niacin. Prickly pear is known to stimulate weight loss, and this is considered a positive for this supplement.
On the other hand, it is important to consider the possible negitives of taking this supplement. Those who take prickly pear too often can have stomach problems, it can also be problematic fot those with kidney problems or elevated cholesterol. It is strongly recommended that women avoid it if they are breast feeding.
Keeping that in mind, it can be a tricky decision to decide if you want to take Proactol or not. But, should you give your body something that may be difficult for you to handle just as you are entering a very stressful time?
Remember, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is proper diet and execise. Dietary supplements can give you a boost, but only a good diet and exercise will get you the results you desire.
Think it twice before using Proactol and decide on your needs before the big day!
Apnea and Dieting: How to Make Weight Loss Easier
Posted by Parker Millstone in Fitness on February 17, 2009
Struggling with weight loss can be frustrating, but it is miserable when youre also tired all the time. For people with apnea, there is a scientific connection between weight gain and sleep loss.
Yes, sleep is necessary for not only mental focus and physical stamina but is essential to regulate your weight!
If you find it practically impossible to stop gaining weight then you might have a hidden sleep problem, such as apnea that is harming your body’s hormone levels and causing your weight gain.
Sleep apnea related weight gain is all too common. It is estimated that 80 million Americans live with undiagnosed sleep apnea today.
Trying to lose weight without treating your apnea is a losing battle. Your body needs deep sleep night after night to regulate healthy functions, maintain your metabolism and to lose weight.
If you have apnea and are not regularly using CPAP, then you are almost certainly going to gain weight.
Here’s some things to understand about the connection between apnea and weight gain:
1. When your body feels tired it automatically craves fuel in the form of sugar, carbohydrates and other foods with a high glycemic index. In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, people with the most severe cases of sleep disorders also had the highest intake of calories, protein, cholesterol and saturated fat.
2. In a report from the Quebec Family Study, people who regularly only get five to six hours of sleep per night are 35% more likely to gain up to 11-pounds of fat over six years compared to a person who sleeps between seven to eight hours per night.
3. It turns out that the best appetite suppressant is a good night’s sleep. Poor quality sleep causes levels of the hormone ghrelin to severely increase in your gastrointestinal tract. This hormone is in charge of making you feel hungry. You increase your levels of ghrelin every time you get a bad night’s sleep.