Archive for the ‘Fitness & Wellness’ Category

Treating Psoriatic Arthritis

Posted on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 2:54 pm


Psoriasis Arthritis is an illness that affects millions of people.  There is no cure yet for it.  It is known for the swelling of joints and scaly patches of skin.  This type of arthritis is related to the skin condition of psoriasis and it also affects millions of people around the world.  If you or someone that you know is dealing with psoriatic arthritis it is necessary to do the right research for this condition in order to completely understand its symptoms and treatment options that are out there for the pain. With learning all that you can about psoriatic arthritis and all the drugs that treat it you can get a better understanding of how to treat it.  Your doctor will be able to provide you with the right information so that you can read on it and use the different organizations that are located on the Internet and at the centers across the country.

There are a lot of people that are diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and experience swelling of the joints in the body.  This will include the wrists, knees, back, elbows, and fingers.  This condition will also bring gray areas of skin that are very dry around the knees, elbows and lower back.  The people that are suffering from the condition will often have fingers that appear sausage like and pitted nails or cuts around the fingernails.  The cause of the condition is not known but experts think that a combination of genetic predispositions and the environment play roles in the development of psoriatic arthritis.  You can find these problems at any age and with any gender or race.  The most common age for psoriatic arthritis will start between age 20 and 50.

This is a condition that is tricky because the patients are dealing with the two fused diseases.  One is of the skin and the one of the joints.  It is important to talk to your doctor or have another medical professional helping you with treatments.  There are many drugs that can have a negative reaction to it.  There are different options other than medication that you can use to treat this disease.  Some exercises will work well with those patients that have swelling in their joints.  You can also have skin therapy to treat psoriatic parts of the disease.  Heat and cold can be used to treat psoriatic arthritis. Rest is very important too. Using splints and surgery are not usually used but the options are available for more of the extreme conditions.  Cosmetically this is a disease that can be treated with laser surgery light treatment.  There are other corrective cosmetic surgeries too.  You can talk to our doctor to find out more on this disease and your options for treatments.

Curing Foot Arch Pain

Posted on Friday, August 5, 2011 at 7:42 am


Are you one of those people who are said to be flat footed? Having a flat foot is a condition where the foot does not have a normal arch. You may find it affects just one or both feet. The arch is the gap between the inner side of the foot and the ground when standing up. There are many people who have very low arches and some who have no arches and are termed flat-footed.

foot-arch-pain

There are various symptoms associated with the condition, with the number dependent on the severity of the condition. Some sufferers develop corns and hard skin under the sole of their feet and the arch area can also become tender. Most flat-footed individuals tend go through shoes pretty quickly. In extreme cases some patients may experience calf, knee, hip and back pains.

What causes flat feet?

Flat-footedness may be hereditary so check your family history. It may also be the result of abnormal walking conditions caused by incorrect development of the foot.

A ruptured tendon may also cause flat-footedness. Cerebral palsy, spina bifida and muscular dystrophy can also result in a flat foot condition. Suffering from flat feet can lead directly to arch pain.

Some ways to treat flat footedness include:

• Wearing wider size shoes
• Never self-treat secondary lesions
• Buy high quality insoles to take the pressure and pain away from the arch.

Traditionally, insoles (also called orthotics) are plastic inserts that are placed inside the shoe. The insert cups the heel as well supports the arch, but since they aren’t flexible they don’t extend along the full length of the foot. These types of insoles are uncomfortable and ineffective for most flat-footed persons.

Although, older style insoles forced the arch into its correct position they didn’t relieve the pressure that was forcing the arch to collapse. This is the reason why new and better flexible insoles were created. Theses new breed of insoles are incredibly supportive and provide a stable treatment for flat-footed patients. But before buying insoles it would be best to consult your doctor to discuss what type of insoles are right for your unique situation.

What is arch pain?

Arch pain refers to inflammation or a burning sensation right in the arch area of the foot. The plantar fascia, a broad band of fibrous tissue found at the bottom of the foot may become inflamed leading to arch pain.

The treatments for arch pain include avoiding high-heeled shoes, and trying some high quality insoles to remove pressure (and pain) from the arch.

An best insole for arch pain is one that offers foot support and helps correct posture and body mechanics. These types of soles are intended to prevent foot strain and injury. It also keeps feet from rolling inward, which can result in the entire lower body being out of alignment. Moreover, these types of soles cure the underlying cause of arch pain and help to restore the natural arch of the foot.

If you think you have any of the foot problems discussed here, consult your own doctor for the treatments that will be best for your unique situation.

Weight Lifting – What Every Beginner Should Know!

Posted on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 2:53 pm


Here are a few things that beginners should know about weight lifting.

First you put good strain on your joints as well as your bones when you lift weights. This strengthens your bones. Strong bones protect our bodies against breakage and osteoporosis.

Another important point about weight lifting is that as your muscles increase in size your body becomes more shapely and firm – more attractive.

Weight lifting also helps you more vigorously perform your aerobic exercise, which in turn will increase your cardiovascular endurance and help your heart. The reason you are able to perform at a higher level is the weight lifting has increased your muscular strength, and therefore your ability to tolerate more intense exercise.

Weight lifting also gives you nice after effects to your metabolism. By adding muscle to your body through weight lifting, you likely will increase your metabolic rate.  If you increase your metabolism you increase the amount of fat burning enzymes in your body. This means you’ll burn more body fat even at rest! What a great bonus!

When you lift weights you should find the right weight that allows you to do 8-12 repetitions of the same movement with the same weight. If you are able to repeat it more than 12 times the weight is too light for you. If you can’t do at least 8 reps the weight is too heavy.

This 8-12 repetition practice is called a set. A beginning weight lifter should only be doing one or two sets of any weight lifting movement at one time.

Beginners often forget to breathe when they lift weights, which is dangerous because it can elevate your blood pressure. You should concentrate on inhaling on the eccentric or lowering phase of the lift and exhale on the concentric or lifting phase of the lift.

When weight lifting, you should always work your largest muscles first. Smaller muscles get tired faster. If they tire too quickly they can’t help you work your large muscles. The first things you are going to work are your chest, back, shoulders and thighs. Then you do weight lifting exercises for your arms, abdominals and calves last. If you’re new to weight lifting, I would suggest picking 6-8 exercises that covers all the major body parts above. Perform these exercises 2-3 times per week making sure you allow at least 48 hours between workout sessions, so your body has time to recover.

Good Luck!

Tantric Massage

Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 5:29 am


Almost everyone knows about relaxation achieved through massage. Normally, people love getting body or head massage in order to overcome mental or physical fatigue. However, Tantric massage differs a little in the concept. While many traditional massages follow a set of rules to the techniques of movements during massage, tantric massage is completely different in the output.

In a broader sense, it is a sensuous way of massaging entire body along with sexual organs, be it a male or female. It does not matter if you are looking for tantric massage London or any other place, the techniques and movements may differ but the bottom-line remains the same. The main idea of this type of massage is to enhance overall health and stability for better mind and body co-operation and working. Scholars believe that it is done so that a person feels complete in every way and performs better in his day-to-day chores.

If you think that it can only be a part of Asia then think again. Tantra in Manchester is becoming common with every passing day. People love the effects of tantric massage on their body and their output too. This massage consists of stokes and traditional massage movements on your body including your sex organs. You can even end up with a nice orgasm! Relaxation is not the only reason why people seek this massage. Many times, couples find it as a turning point in their boring sexual life. They can add it in their foreplay too!

The benefits are tremendous. May be that is why, with every passing day, New York sensual massage centers/spas are looking packed. The advantage of this massage over a traditional one is mainly that your entire body is treated as one and no organ is left out. Furthermore, it is scientifically proven that a person or couple who is physically satisfied and happy can give better performance in every field. They are also known to be more active, energetic, healthy, optimistic and possess higher rate of stamina.

Tantric massage works on this concept and therefore, the strokes included are sensuous in every manner. Additionally, you can also experience different massage strokes every time you opt for tantric massage. The reason is that there is no hard and fast rules guide to be followed here. The idea is to relax and enjoy the senses of your body. It can be achieved in any way.

Exercise to Avoid Flu, But Don’t Overdo it!

Posted on Monday, December 6, 2010 at 3:45 pm


Exercising to avoid the seasonal flu is amongst some of the top preventative measures to take during the cold season.

Research demonstrates that a certain amount of exercise each week will help strengthen the immune system against viruses that attack during cold season. The general consensus is that 30 minutes a day/3 or 4 times a week is a perfect amount of exercise for most people. This includes things like:

Aerobics

Weight-lifting

Running

Cycling

Treadmills

Ellipticals

Home gyms

exercise_to_avoid_flu

For some people, they take on more challenging activities like intramural sports (i.e. – soccer). Athletes find enjoyment in athletic competition, and through this enjoyment they’re typically able to double the normal workout of the average gym visitor. Keep in mind, entertaining intramural sports can sometimes be the equivalent to two workouts combined; people should keep this in mind when frequenting the gym 3 or 4 times a week. Letting the body rest with a maximum of 2 or 3 days can eventually offset this. This brings me to my next point.

There’s also a great deal of research that shows how too much fitness can be detrimental to one’s immune system. Grueling endurance training has been known to affect the immune system negatively – This would involve running more than 40/50 miles a week. For athletes required to perform at such high levels, it’s recommended that they get immediate rest and warmth following their long sessions. Typically, this would encompass marathon and long-distance runners.

Technically speaking, during an vigorous cardio routine, the body will react with a temporary decrease in immune system function, producing certain hormones that definitively lower immunity. Otherwise known as Cortisol and Adrenaline, these stress hormones can raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels, further suppressing the immune system. This can ultimately lead to overtraining syndrome, which can include any of the following symptoms:

Drop in performance

Insomnia

Depression

Headaches

Muscle Pain

Joint Pain

Decreased appetite

Increase Injury

But moderation is the key to achieving a successful workout while avoiding sickness. Again, working your body for a solid 30 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week will effectively help safe-guard your body from disease. Conjunctively, rest and recovery days are essential to allow your immune system to “catch up.” If you’re already ill, it’s highly recommended to avoid the gym altogether, until you’ve had a chance to get well.

Is Your Cardio Routine Doing More Harm Than Good?

Posted on Monday, November 22, 2010 at 5:11 am


Before you start wasting hours upon hours on those boring treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines, let’s examine if low-moderate intensity, long duration cardio exercise is really doing your body any good, or if it is mostly a waste of time. I hope you will concede upon finishing this article that there is a better way to get in great shape, and it doesn’t have to involve endless hours on boring cardio machines.

It is common to hear fitness professionals and medical doctors prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations constitute something along the lines of “perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level”. Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the “hamster on the wheel” doing endless hours of boring cardio, I’d like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

First, realize that our bodies are designed to perform physical activity in bursts of exertion followed by recovery, or stop-and-go movement instead of steady state movement. Recent research is suggesting that physical variability is one of the most important aspects to consider in your training. This tendency can be seen throughout nature as all animals demonstrate stop-and-go motion instead of steady state motion. In fact, humans are the only creatures in nature that attempt to do “endurance” type physical activities.

Most competitive sports (with the exception of endurance running or cycling) are also based on stop-and-go movement or short bursts of exertion followed by recovery. To examine an example of the different effects of endurance or steady state training versus stop-and-go training, consider the physiques of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters carry a physique that is very lean, muscular, and powerful looking, while the typical dedicated marathoner is more often emaciated and sickly looking. Now which would you rather resemble?

Another factor to keep in mind regarding the benefits of physical variability is the internal effect of various forms of exercise on our body. Scientists have known that excessive steady state endurance exercise (different for everyone, but sometimes defined as greater than 60 minutes per session most days of the week) increases free radical production in the body, can degenerate joints, reduces immune function, causes muscle wasting, and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can potentially lead to chronic diseases. On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training has been linked to increased anti-oxidant production in the body and an anti-inflammatory response, a more efficient nitric oxide response (which can encourage a healthy cardiovascular system), and an increased metabolic rate response (which can assist with weight loss).

Furthermore, steady state endurance training only trains the heart at one specific heart rate range and doesn’t train it to respond to various every day stressors. On the other hand, highly variable cyclic training teaches the heart to respond to and recover from a variety of demands making it less likely to fail when you need it. Think about it this way — Exercise that trains your heart to rapidly increase and rapidly decrease will make your heart more capable of handling everyday stress. Stress can cause your blood pressure and heart rate to increase rapidly. Steady state jogging and other endurance training does not train your heart to be able to handle rapid changes in heart rate or blood pressure.

For example, lets say you jog trying to maintain the same pace for a good 45-minute run. As long as you didn’t encounter any big hills along the way, you probably maintained approximately the same heart rate the entire time – let’s say it was 135 beats/minute. Now, let’s contrast that with a much more effective workout of doing 20 minutes of alternating all-out wind sprints with walking for a minute or two in between sprints to recover. With this more effective workout, you’re rapidly changing your heart rate up and down on a much larger scale, forcing it to grow stronger to be able to handle varied demands. Your heart rate would probably alternate from 110-115 during the recovery walks all the way up to 160 bpm or more during the sprints. This doesn’t mean that sprints are the only way to take advantage of this style of training. Any style of training that incorporates highly variable intensity will give you these improved results.

The important aspect of variable cyclic training that makes it superior over steady state cardio is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. That recovery period is crucially important for the body to elicit a healthy response to an exercise stimulus. Another benefit of variable cyclic training is that it is much more interesting and has lower drop-out rates than long boring steady state cardio programs.

To summarize, some of the potential benefits of variable cyclic training compared to steady state endurance training are as follows: improved cardiovascular health, increased anti-oxidant protection, improved immune function, reduced risk for joint wear and tear, reduced muscle wasting, increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life’s every day stressors. There are many ways you can reap the benefits of stop-and-go or variable intensity physical training.

In addition to the previously mentioned wind sprints, most competitive sports such as football, basketball, racquetball, tennis, hockey, etc. are naturally comprised of highly variable stop-and-go motion. In addition, weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery periods. High intensity interval training (varying between high and low intensity intervals on any piece of cardio equipment) is yet another training method that utilizes exertion and recovery periods. For example, an interval training session on the treadmill could look something like this:

Warm-up for 3-4 minutes at a fast walk or light jog;
Interval 1 – run at 8.0 mi/hr for 1 minute;
Interval 2 – walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes;
Interval 3 – run at 10.0 mi/hr for 1 minute;
Interval 4 – walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1.5 minutes;
Repeat those 4 intervals 4 times for a very intense 20-minute workout.

The take-away message from this article is to try to train your body at highly variable intensity rates for the majority of your workouts to get the most beneficial response in terms of heart health, fat loss, and a strong, lean body.

Ways of finding a wellness center near your home

Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 6:11 am


Ways of finding a wellness center near your home

The concept of complete wellness is catching up with today’s individuals. Visiting your doctor would only give you ways to attain physical health. For overall wellness, however, you need to visit a center especially meant to serve this purpose. The question is how you locate a wellness center in your vicinity.

Here are a few ways to find such a center that suits your requirements.

Ask your family and friends about any such centers they have gone to and can recommend. Find out about their experiences. Enquire whether they achieved desired results from the treatments.

Choose a local directory that has listings of such centers. Get the address, contact number of one in your locality, and get in touch with them to know the aspects covered and the treatments available.

Go online and conduct a search of the local centers offering such programs. Look for center listings on the Internet. You are sure to get the details of the centers located in close proximity to your home.

Go online and register with a wellness forum. People share their experiences on these forums. You are sure to find a good center that offers varied programs to achieve wholesome wellness.

If your employer offers a wellness program at the workplace, opt for it. Corporate programs are quite popular and many employers offer this kind of programs for employees as well as their families.

Whatever way you choose to find a center, you need to keep in mind one important thing – whether it fits your requirements or not. If you want comprehensive treatment, you need a center that offers variety of medical and alternative as well as complimentary treatments for achieving wellness of the body, mind and soul.

Choose at least three centers at the initial stage. Enquire about the treatments on offer, the team of professionals involved, and the approach taken. If you feel satisfied, get the details of the treatments you want and begin your journey towards complete wellness.

Getting the right supplies to test blood glucose levels

Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 6:04 am


For every diabetic, checking the blood glucose level on a regular basis is a part of the daily routine. To make this task easy and effective, various things have come to use. The diabetic testing supplies make it a hassle free experience. It is especially helpful in avoiding problems like hypoglycemia (extremely low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (extremely high blood sugar).

What are the various things on this list? Here is a quick glance at these.

Meters – This is the most important object among the supplies. You can use a small blood sample to get an accurate reading of your blood glucose level. Choose an easy to use meter that offers advantages like alternative site testing, wide result range, battery life, memory capacity, etc.

Note: Individuals suffering from visual impairment because of diabetes can opt for talking meters that read out the results instead of displaying them.

Test strips – You need to put the blood sample on a test strip and place it in the device to get a reading. Only when you use good strips, it provides accurate results. Moreover, certain strips are compatible to particular device models while others work with all blood sugar meters. Know which strips work for your meter before you buy any.

Lancets – These are necessary to pierce through skin and get the blood sample necessary for testing.

Alcohol swabs – Before you pierce your skin for a blood sample, you can effectively make the area numb with the help of these swabs.

Syringes – These are useful in getting insulin shots regularly.

If you travel a lot and are worried about how to carry all these around, here is an easy solution. Just buy a carrying case to hold all these – the meter, test strips, syringes, lancets, swabs, et al. You can take your insulin shots as well. Opt for the insulated variety and you need not bother about ruining your expensive medication.

How to Tackle Over-Perspiration?

Posted on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 4:07 am


Excessive Sweating is a physical disorder and you will have to be more careful while suffering from over sweating. You need special care to stop perspiration excessively. When a gentleman perspires throughout the day, he feels dejected due to constant dripping of salty water drops from different areas of the body. His shirt is dotted with dark spots of dirt. At the same time, over-sweating can cause damage to the skin texture. The pores on the skin surface get clogged with unwanted chemical elements owing to the nonstop perspiration. There will be series of skin scars on the body if proper medical treatment is not taken in right time.

Though there are numerous medications and antiperspirant sprays in the market on how to stop excessive sweating, you should take proper decision by choosing the natural treatment process. Herbal products are always cost effective, environment friendly and competent to cure the hyperhidrosis in more scientific way. At home you can easily follow some simple steps to cure your long lasting over-perspiration hazard. Drink water to cool your body and mind. It will make your body more energetic and fresh. Sage tea is the herbal product which boosts up your mind and at the same time, it will work as a powerful anti-oxidant to detoxify the body. Your body will be more flexible and the severity of over-sweating will be low comparatively.

Medicated herbs are conducive to the betterment of the condition of hyperhidrosis. It will wipe out risk factors of excessive perspiration. St Johns Wort and valerian are some of highly competent and powerful herbs which can be utilized to remove over-perspiration. In this connection, you will have to contact a professional herbalist who has experience and efficiency to cure patients who suffer from hyperhidrosis disorder. However, many persons have been benefited by opting for result oriented acupuncture treatment which provides excellent impact on the victims who have to bear the over-sweating problem.

Keep Fit – Check Truth About Abs

Posted on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 4:03 am


If you open any newspaper or journal, you will see a number of colorful photos, dietary programs, diagrams and short write ups about weight loss programs. These commercial ads are published by different companies to sell their products in the market. Now, if you believe their assurance blindly, you will be duped or cheated because major portion of these cheap ads are not authentic in functionality. There is no such medication in the world which can squeeze your spacious structure overnight. In addition, these fat burning pills and weight loss dietary plans are worthless without providing any permanent solution to the problem. Therefore, you should seek for the authentic training programs which will really assist you to become lean and physically competent person.

Truth About Abs will help you to build up your muscles more conveniently. You need not take fat burning pills and complicated weight loss diets. Mike has designed very easy to handle dietary program which is flexible and cost effective. Mike has also given some important basic guidelines to those who are vegetarians. They should gather protein and vitamins from vegetables and nutritious food items. As they don’t like animal based food and products, they will have to take some specially prepared food which will be packed with different proteins and vitamins.

Truth About Abs Review program has been tested a number of times before it has been launched into the market. According to Mike Geary, you will have to do Six Pack Abs workouts for a span of 30-50 minutes and you will have to do practice for three to four days a week. Therefore, you should place the order for this original e-book via online service. You can even watch online demos in which Mike has shown some practical Six Pack Abs workouts so that viewers can get some clear conception about his nutritious dietary plans and physical wellness program.

Recent Entries

Popular Posts