What you need to know about dehydration

What you need to know about dehydration

Dehydration is a condition that occurs when the body loses more fluids (mostly water) that it takes in. Dehydration causes more water to leave our bodies than we take in through water consumption. It is normal for us as humans to excrete a certain amount of water each day.

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Winter brings more heart problems

Winter brings more heart problems

t turns out that winter brings more than just cold temperatures, ice, and snow. We know that cold weather can cause influenza, frost bite, and even Raynaud’s disease. The winter also comes with a lack of sunshine and vitamin D which can lead to depression. But heart problems? Many people may not know that cold weather can actually have an impact on your heart health and lead to heart problems. This is significant because heart disease in the number one killer of men and women in the United States.

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Health Benefits of Ginko Biloba

Health Benefits of Ginko Biloba

Ginkgo biloba has been used medicinally for over 5000 years. Originally extracts were used to treat pulmonary diseases, such as bronchitis and asthma. More recently, however, ginkgo has been favored to prevent memory loss and dementia.  It is believed that flavonoids within the plant are responsible for its proposed medicinal effects, with over 40 different flavonoids have been isolated from leaves from the ginkgo tree.

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Tips to improve your immune system

Tips to improve your immune system

Tips to improve your immune system  Relax more. Research shows that more stress can weaken your immune system.  Try to avoid stress when you can. Make it a priority to find ways to relax and more things you enjoy.

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Suffering from back pain?

Suffering from back pain?

Back pain is one of the most common complaints. Fortunately, most back pain can be resolved. On the other hand, back pain can also be one of the most difficult and frustrating problems to treat. It is important to understand what causes back pain to get the proper treatment.

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Benefits of Arginine

Benefits of Arginine

Arginine is an amino acid (L-arginine) that is made by the body and obtained from diet; necessary for the body to make proteins. It is found in many foods that have protein – therefore, deficiencies are rare. Arginine-rich foods include red meat, fish, poultry, wheat germ, grains, nuts and seeds, and dairy products. As a natural dietary supplement, arginine has received a lot of attention lately for its potential heart benefits.

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Long Term Effects of Sleep Apnea

Long Term Effects of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea refers to repeated episodes of complete or partial blockage of the upper airways while you are sleeping. When the airways get blocked, your body and the muscles of your diaphragm and chest, work harder to pull air into your lungs.  Sleep apnea is characterized by a stopping and starting of breathing.  And this stop, start can happen up to 30 times or sometimes even more per hour. For most suffering from sleep apnea, breathing stops when the airway collapses, blocking the flow of air to and from the lungs.  This disorder is potentially serious, and can interfere with sound sleep. 

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The not so sweet scoop on sugar and chronic disease

The not so sweet scoop on sugar and chronic disease

  In the United States, the average person consumes 80 grams or 20 teaspoons each day.  In 2012, this averaged out to be about 130 pounds of sugar per person consumed a year.  Over the years, our love affair with everything sweet has become a bitter pill to swallow with respect in how it’s harming our health.

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Tips to prepare for having surgery

Know the facts. Discuss and learn everything about your surgery with your medical team. Talk to your surgeon and everyone who manages your care during the operation. Ask any and every question until you feel comfortable.

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Benefits of Biotin

Vitamin B7, or biotin is one of the most celebrated of the B vitamins, not only for our health but in beauty circles as well.  But before we get into biotin, what are the B vitamins?  Quite simply, there are eight different B vitamins with their own name and function.  B1 is involved in numerous body functions including nervous system and muscle functioning and carbohydrate metabolism. B2 and B3 both aid in digestion; B2 is additionally responsible for helping make oxygen available for use by your body while B3 has implications in the health of your nerves and skin.  B5 and B7 are necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and amino acids.  B6 is necessary for the synthesis of serotonin and norepinephrine and myelin formation.  B9 aids the body in making healthy new cells and is imperative for women of childbearing age to consume to prevent neural tube defects.  Finally, B12 is a key player in red blood cell formation and protein and DNA synthesis.  B vitamins are primarily found in high-protein foods such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.  Some leafy, green vegetables, beans and peas are also high in B vitamins. 

Vitamin B7, aka biotin, is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and amino acids.  All these are used as energy within our body.  Biotin is often recommended as a dietary supplement for strengthening hair and nails, this is why it is often found in hair care products and dubbed “vitamin H”.  Because biotin plays an integral part of a healthy metabolism and creating important enzymes, may systems within the body benefit from it.  Aside from the metabolism, biotin benefits the skin, nerves, digestive tract and the body’s cells.

Biotin can be found in various foods such as liver, cauliflower, salmon, carrots, bananas, yeast, wheat germ, whole-grain cereals, whole wheat bread, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and chicken.  Biotin is also said to be made by bacteria in the small intestines. It is recommended that adolescents and adults get between 30 and 100 mcg of biotin per day.  Although most can get enough biotin by eating a heathy diet, if you are taking biotin supplements, any extra biotin will pass though the body when you urinate because it is water soluble.  It is important to know that biotin deficiencies are rare.   But when they do occur, symptoms include hair loss, scaly red rashes, and nails that are brittle. 

U.S. Researchers Engineer Smart Capsule to Target Colon Diseases

U.S. Researchers Engineer Smart Capsule to Target Colon Diseases

A new electronic drug capsule engineered to deliver medications directly to the colon could potentially offer a more effective and cheaper option for treating people with gastrointestinal conditions, according to researchers at Purdue University in Indiana. 

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Heart Effects of Saturated Fats May Depend on Overall Diet

Heart Effects of Saturated Fats May Depend on Overall Diet

A new U.S. study suggests its link to heart disease depends on what else a person eats. Over time, cutting back on saturated fat was tied to a drop of up to 25 percent in heart disease risk - unless people used refined carbohydrates like white bread or pasta as replacements. In that case, there was no benefit.

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Adult Obesity Rates Top 30% in Half of States

Adult Obesity Rates Top 30% in Half of States

Obesity still plagues millions of Americans, as rates remain high in most states, a new report finds. The South and Midwest have the highest adult obesity rates, making up 23 of the 25 states with rates now topping 30 percent. In 42 states, blacks have obesity rates of 30 percent or more, as do Hispanics in 30 states.  Obesity rates of 30 percent or more among whites are found in 13 states, the findings showed. The obesity epidemic is one of the nation's most serious health crises

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New Study Says Fungi Could Lead to Cheaper Cancer Treatment

New Study Says Fungi Could Lead to Cheaper Cancer Treatment

Cheaper anti-cancer drugs for humans might ultimately stem from a new study. Scientists have developed a kind of microbial 'bandage' that protects yew trees from disease-causing fungi. The researchers found that naturally occurring fungi in the yew's vascular system act like an immune system to swarm a wound site and protect against invading pathogens.

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CDC Better Prepared for Flu Season This Year

CDC Better Prepared for Flu Season This Year

Health officials expect to avoid a repeat of last winter, when immunizations weren't a good match for a surprise strain. Manufacturers project that more than 170 million doses of influenza vaccine will be available this season. Options range from traditional shots, a nasal spray, a high-dose version for seniors and even a needle-free injection for the squeamish.

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The Obesity Map of America Released

The Obesity Map of America Released

The best way to reduce your risk for obesity, prevent obesity, or get your obesity under control is to exercise regularly, eating a healthy diet, knowing your triggers that make you want to eat more than you should, checking your weight on a regular basis, and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle that lasts for the rest of your life instead of just temporarily. But now staggering new statistics about the obesity rates in America by state have been released. Read on. 

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Kids Are Getting Drunk Using Hand Sanitizer

Kids Are Getting Drunk Using Hand Sanitizer

Six-year-old Nhaijah Russell swallowed three or four squirts of seemingly innocuous liquid hand sanitizer at school. It tasted good, she said, like strawberry. It also contained enough alcohol to make her dangerously drunk. She arrived at the emergency room slurring her words and unable to walk. Many poison control center hotlines across the US has seen a nearly 500% increase in calls related to children younger than 12 ingesting hand sanitizer, according to new analysis by the Georgia Poison Center, which has been going on for awhile. 

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