Doctor HealthHealth Tips

Health Tips :
If you smoke and you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, it’s especially important to kick the habit now. The toxic chemicals inhaled when you smoke are easily passed to the unborn baby.

The American Pregnancy Association offers these suggestions to help you stop smoking during pregnancy:

* Make a list of all of the health benefits of quitting for yourself and your baby.
* Replace smoking with healthier habits, such as having a snack or a cup of tea with your newspaper, instead of a cigarette.
* Surround yourself with nonsmokers.
* Have a friend or family member ready to call when you need support.
* Ask your doctor for ways to help you quit, including tips on which smoking cessation aids are safe for you and baby.
* Set a goal date for quitting.
By Healthday

Everybody has heard about the great benefits of green tea, but still we drink beer! Green tea has a lot of great benefits and contains a lot of medicinal and nutritional properties. These really deserve to be known because it can save your life one day!

For thousands of years, the Chinese have been drinking green tea and enjoying excellent health benefits. They even used to drink green tea for its medicinal properties, as the Chinese were able to avoid and even treat different kinds of illnesses. It is also linked to the long life that the Chinese have enjoyed and became renown for. They have the highest rate for people living over the age of a hundred. That should be enough proof! Although the Chinese have been drinking this kind of tea for centuries, it was only recently that green tea has been introduced and became popular throughout the planet. I have to through the blame on Coke on this one!

Scientists and nutritionists have found that this incredible drink does indeed have medicinal properties that can help prevent several types of illnesses including this age’s plague, cancer. In fact, there are even doctors who recommend green tea for any kind of illness and insist that drinking it regularly plays a great role in maintaining good health. What is it exactly that makes this magical drink such a miracle that it even perplexed health professionals from all over the world?

First, this tea contains high levels of antioxidants, which are called Polyphenols or Flavonoids. Why do we need antioxidants anyway? We need to understand that the body does millions of processes that are happening at all times. Even when you are asleep, the brain, cells, organs and every part of our body is active building and repairing. This magnificent building operation requires oxygen in order to be done properly. Somebody might ask, what’s wrong with Oxygen? The oxygen that we breathe isn’t hundred percent pure and clean and can contain a lot of oxidants like dust particles, smoke, pollutions, germs, viruses and all kind of harmful micro particles. These oxidants or commonly known as free radicals and are penetrating our system every single day. These free radicals are known to be one of the main stimuli in the growth of cancer cells.

So, in order to fight or reduce the effect of oxidants or free radicals, we will need to introduce antioxidants in our body, very powerful ones in the case of some people! And guess what, green tea has a lot of them. Although some other natural herbs and fruits do have antioxidants, you will see that green tea has a lot more. In fact, the antioxidants found on green tea are much higher than that found in grape juice and red wine.

Second, this amazing drink also contains vitamins, such as vitamin B6, which plays a vital role in the metabolism of the body. That’s why everybody drinks green tea to lose fat and weight. Additionally, vitamins B1 and B2, which are essential for releasing energy from food, which is actually good because it converts directly into energy that you can use in your daily exercises and your work. Another great thing about this tea is that it has key minerals such as magnesium, which is essential for bone growth and body development as well as potassium, which helps in keeping the heart pumping normally and maintain the body’s fluid levels. I thought only milk has such minerals and bone supporting nutrition!

Green tea has caffeine though just like coffee. You may put it as a “disadvantage” but compared to coffee and other teas, it is the best caffeine you can put into your body system! Let me explain, the caffeine that we get from coffee and regular teas has immediate effects on our nervous system. It can raise blood pressure and make our heart beats faster than normal due to its instant stimulating effects. Surprisingly, caffeine in green tea is more beneficial than the caffeine taken from coffee. It works through the body in a different mechanism. It alerts our system, but in a prolonged kind of and effect so we don’t experience sudden spikes in blood pressure, heart beat rate and nervousness. And again, it helps you lose that extra fat in your body, without the harmful caffeine effects!

To experience the utmost health benefits, green tea is preferably brewed rather than fermented. Fermentation is most likely used in black tea but never in green tea. There are basically three important reasons why brewing is used in green tea.

Reason # 1 – Brewing doesn’t eliminate the important nutrients, vitamins and components that comprise green tea. On the other hand, fermentation wastes a lot of the nutritional tea components leaving more and less an enjoyable beverage.

Reason # 2 – Brewing can bring out the best in Catechin and Theanin, the two elements that contribute to a lower level of caffeine in your green tea.

Reason # 3 – Brewing enhances taste and aroma. Indeed, brewing has a very enticing smell that can’t be found in fermented beverages.

Brewing green tea is easier contrary to what people might think. Here are the tips for the best brewed green tea:-

Tip 1 – The type of water Choosing what kind of water to use is a very important detail that you have to take note of. Ideally, manufacturers would prefer brewing green tea using soft mineral water or natural water. If you can’t afford purchasing bottled water daily, you can take into consideration tap water. If you’re planning to use European bottled water, don’t. It’s because this kind of water is considered hard water that is not suitable for brewing green tea.

Tip 2 – Chlorine free water Chlorine must not be mixed with the process. To remove it, just leave your water in your pot for a couple of hours before finally boiling it.

Tip 3 – The boiling process Depending on how much water you have put, it will be the time that you have to boil. Whenever the water starts to boil, take off the lid of the pot and let it boil continuously for a few more minutes.

Tip 4 – Temperature It is said that correct temperature of boiling water will vary on the kind of tea that you are about to use. This is the moment when the extraction of Polyphenols takes place. When you buy green tea, usually there will be there some instructions on the temperature to use.

Tip 5 – Steep Let your tea steep for about three to five minutes. With longer steeping time, the Polyphenol level increases while if steeping time takes only a couple of seconds, it will result in more caffeine content in the tea.

Tip 6 - Tea leaves Research shows that it is better to brew green tea leaves that are smaller because of the fast infusion. Choosing large leaves or ones that are tightly curved can have a longer infusion time.

Tip 7 - Teabags or loose leaves? It is more advisable to use loose green tea than green tea teabags. Loose green tea enables Polyphenols to freely float inside your cup of green tea instead of locking them inside teabags.
by YOUSEF JULAIDAN

Hoping that anti-obesity drugs will help achieve dramatic weight loss? Not likely, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. At best, the weight loss will be modest, while many patients will remain significantly obese or overweight. The study reviewed the effectiveness of three drugs—orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant—for long term weight loss, and found that weight loss totaled less than 5 kg (11 pounds), or less than 5% of total body weight. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that use of anti-obesity drugs be stopped if 5% of body weight has not been lost after 3 months. Changing lifestyle and diet are the recommended initial treatment for obesity, but estimates for anti-obesity drug use in 2005 total $1.2 billion. In the UK, guidelines recommend lifestyle changes combined with drug therapy if a patient’s body mass index is greater than 30. The findings from 30 placebo-controlled trials were analyzed by the Canadian researchers, with volunteers taking anti-obesity drugs for a year or longer. Their mean weight was 100 kg (15.7 stone), and their mean BMI levels were 35-36. Prof. Raj Padwal and colleagues found orlistat lowered weight by 2.9 kg, sibutramine by 4.2 kg and rimonabant by 4.7 kg. In addition, it was found that patients on weight loss pills were more likely to achieve a 5% — 10% weight loss, than those who took the placebo. Health benefits linked to drug usage varied. In one trial, orlistat reduced the incidence of diabetes, and all three drugs reduced levels of certain types of cholesterol. Rimonabant increased the risk of depression or anxiety, while adverse effects were noted with all three drugs. The authors recommended trials to examine the incidence of death or disease as a result of taking anti-obesity pills, since none existed at present. Professor Gareth Williams issued a warning of potential danger if anti-obesity drugs are licensed for sale without prescription, as they already are in the US: “Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill and could further undermine the efforts to promote healthy living, which is the only long term escape from obesity.” Source: British Medical Journal,

In United States, too much weight is the most common medical condition of childhood.The problem has doubled over the past two decades. In 2004, about 15 percent were considered overweight or obese. The overall cause is both too much food and too little exercise.

Several reports in recent years have shown health benefits from dairy products, despite of their fat content. One research has nonetheless shown an unusually striking effect on weight as children go through their teens. Youngsters who skimp on milk and other dairy food to avoid calories actually appear to substantially increase their risk of becoming overweight.

2 servings of dairy food a day are linked to a substantial reduction in adolescent fatness. This was the finding revealed in 2004 by a research, based on the Framingham Children’s Study and conducted by Boston University of Medicine.

Childhood dairy intake has been falling for the last 20 years partly as youngsters have switched their preferences from milk to soft drinks. Youngsters consume less and less as they get older. Adolescent girls, in particular, are concerned about eating dairy because they think it will make them fat. But the research found that the opposite is true.

The researchers did frequent dietary surveys on 106 families with children and followed them an average of 12 years. They judged body fat by measuring the skin thickness on 4 parts of their bodies. They found that those who consumed less than 2 servings a day averaged about an extra inch of fat in a fold of skin, a surprisingly large amount. The children’s average skin fold thickness was 75 mm, while those who ate little dairy were 25 mm greater.

Other findings from the research were:

- Youngsters who ate moderate amounts of fat, between 30 to 35 percent of total calories, weighed less than those who ate either more or less. - Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables was also associated with lower weight. - Contrary to one popular theory, the glycemic index of children’s diet, the amount of fast-burning carbohydrates, had no bearing on their eventual weight gain.

However, how dairy food might moderate weight gain is a mystery, at least for the time being. It is suspected that calcium or some other nutrient in milk might help influence the way the body stores energy in fat cells. Or perhaps dairy foods simply make children feel less hungry.

The research, including several other studies, also showed that children and adults who consume adequate amounts of dairy foods have lower blood pressure. Some researchers have even put adults on diets with increased dairy and found, to their surprise, that they also seem to lose weight.

Obesity and high blood pressure are known to be two risk factors for heart disease. Perhaps, you might want to persuade your children or even yourself drinking moderate amount of milk on a daily basis just to keep the heart healthy.

by : Dr-Rabert

For most people who are overweight or obese, the safest and most effective way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. If you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. Simple as that. There are no magic pills. Diets that sound too good to be true are just that.

Effective weight loss plans include several parts. You will find tips for achieving these goals in the next sections.

• Eating less: Unless you eat fewer calories than your body uses, you will not lose weight.
• Physical activity: Any good diet plan will include physical activity. Physical activity burns calories and is one less opportunity to eat during the day. You should exercise for at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week. Regular exercise also has many other health benefits.
• Change in habits and attitudes: Most people have enough willpower to lose weight for a few weeks. To lose enough weight to improve your health and keep it off, you will need to change the way you think about food and exercise. As you eat, try to understand some of the hidden reasons you eat. You can learn to spot situations in which you overeat and head off the overeating. You can learn to enjoy eating less and being active.
• Support: Many people find that enlisting friends, family, and coworkers for support is helpful in losing weight. Others prefer groups such as Weight Watchers or Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) to keep them motivated. The important thing is to seek the support you need to achieve your goals.

Drastic changes in eating habits, such as not eating at all (fasting), are usually unsuccessful. Eating too few calories causes your metabolism to slow down, meaning the body burns fewer calories.

Don’t believe claims about losing weight while you sleep or watch TV, or plans that claim to cause weight loss without dieting or exercise. Such gimmicks just don’t work. They may even be unsafe or unhealthy.

Of special interest to women who have gained weight during pregnancy is that breastfeeding helps you shed some extra pounds. It is good for your baby too.