Category “Health”

A Sweet Tooth And Glucose Levels

A sweet tooth can be the downfall for many people and this is probably because those people don’t have a corresponding exercise tooth to burn up all of the sweets that they crave. As the years go by and the pounds get added to the middle, health problems can crop up and those foods a person loves to eat can actually do more damage than good to their health.
Most of that damage is caused by glucose levels that stay in the elevated range and these can cause circulation and other inflammation problems for a good many people. Getting those glucose levels back to normal ranges can take some time and effort, but the effort spent will be well worth the benefits paid in better health and a longer life.

Normal blood sugar levels are those that fluctuate within a fairly narrow range, rising and falling as food is eaten and digested and passes through our bodies. A fasting blood sugar level should be between 80 mg/dL and 100 mg/dl and then it will rise to 180-200 mg/dl depending on what is eaten at the meal. After 2-3 hours blood glucose levels should be back to near the fasting level and ready for the next meal. People who have chronic high blood sugar have a normal range for them that starts higher in fasting state and then carries that elevated state all throughout the process. It is this chronic elevated state that causes the health problems.

Denying a sweet tooth is very difficult for most of us, but a necessary step to take to get things back to normal levels. Adding additional exercise can help, but it really takes diet modification and exercise to do the trick and keep those levels in normal ranges. Cut down on the sugar, ramp up on the exercise and get those glucose levels back to operating in normal ranges.

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What Can Be Done with Tennis Elbow?

As defined, tennis elbow is an injury which occurs due to the repetitive movements of the forearm and wrist. It is particularly common amongst tennis players, more specially, if the individual or the player has poor technique when performing a back hand swing. But then again, tennis elbow or also lateral epicondylitis is not only exclusive to players of the said sport as it can also affect manual laborers (i.e. carpenters, plumbers, painters, construction workers etc.). Listed below are some of the most common tennis elbow symptoms that you need to be on the look out for.

- Pain along the elbow and rest of the forearm which gradually worsens

- Pain that increases whenever you try holding/grasping onto things or performing twisting movements

- Weakening of the hand and wrist

- Stiffening of the elbow joint and arm, especially upon waking up in the morning

- Inflammation or swelling of the elbow area (the bony part)

Now, by far one of the best forms of treatment for tennis elbow is with the use of what is referred to as the R.I.C.E. method. This is basically the first aid measure for this type of injury, or any type of injury for that matter. Such method was created in order to minimize the damage along the specified area as well as speed up the entire recovery process. The method involves Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

- You will need to rest from strenuous activities which brings on pain and hinders you from reducing the inflammation or swelling. Modify the kind of activity you follow and switch to non-weight bearing actions like for instance biking or swimming so you still get to maintain your level of fitness.

- Apply ice packs in order to curb the pain as well as initially restrict the flow of blood along the affected area so as to reduce further damage.

- Compress the injured area by wrapping it with support bandages. This will not only help hasten the healing of your injured arm, but prevent further injury as well.

- The afflicted arm needs to be elevated at about heart level as much as possible. This way, you get to bring down the swelling and at the same time address the pain.

The following are a couple of basic steps that you can take in order to prevent re-injuring yourself;

- Wear tennis elbow braces. This helps cushion the tendons and muscles of the elbow from the strain or pressure of hitting a tennis ball with a racket.

- Seek the guidance of a pro tennis coach and have him assess your style of playing.

- Always make it a point that you properly warm up before you play or exercise and then cool down afterwards.

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High Potency Fish Oil – What Should You Look for to Buy the Best

We should all know or no doubt been told that fish oil has numerous positive benefits as regards our health. The problem is do we really know what we are buying when we go to the store and purchase some high potency fish oil. How many of us look at the labels on the fish oil supplements we buy? How many of us even understand what the label is telling us. The fact is that many people see a new report about the benefits of fish oil and will go out and blindly buy whatever is the cheapest. That could be a problem if that particular brand is of a low quality. However, one thing people need to understand is that price has no determining factor on the quality of these omega 3 fish oil supplements. Just as people have the misconception that the cheapest is of low quality, the most expensive won’t always be the high quality.

The most important thing is that we look at the label specifically at the nutrients section and see how much of the contents contain the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These are very important nutrients which our bodies don’t produce; therefore we can only obtain them from food sources or supplements.

So what should we be looking for in high potency fish oil? The main properties to look for are the mg value of both EPA and DHA. The higher the potency the higher the combined value of the 2 omega 3 fatty acids. While there is no official recommendation on the daily dosage of fish oil, most people agree that to receive the health benefits you need to consume at least 1000mg of EPA and DHA combined per day. For high potency fish oils this is usually the equivalent of 2 soft gel capsules per day. If you are using fish oil capsules for certain conditions you may need to take a much higher dosage, however I recommended you consult your Doctor before taking more than 2000 mg per day.

Here are a few recommended pure fish oil supplements you can try out:

Pure OmegaBrite Advanced Omega 3 formula – One OmegaBrite 500mg softgel capsule supplies you with 350mg of EPA and 50mg of DHA. OmegaBrite undergoes an advanced distillation & extraction process to ensure purity and potency, resulting in the maximum concentration of pure EPA and omega-3. Recommended you start with 3 capsules a day.

Carlson Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil (Lemon Flavor) – One teaspoon of this liquid fish oil contains 800mg of EPA and 500mg of DHA. The Very Finest Fish Oil finds its way to us from the deep, cold, ocean-water fish. It is processed and bottled in Norway to ensure maximum freshness. Take by the teaspoonful, mix with foods, and try it on salads! It has a refreshing lemon taste.

Hopefully you will have a better understanding when it comes to omega 3 supplements and you will have a better understanding as to what to look for when you go to buy high potency fish oil.

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Liquid Fish Oil – Learn the Truth and Enjoy the Health Benefits

Liquid fish oil is something which provides us with some fantastic health benefits. It is the one supplement which both Doctors and alternate medicine practitioners agree has benefits to a person’s health. Most of us have most likely come across fish oil at some point in our lives most likely someone we know is taking fish oil supplements or our parents forcing it on us when we were young. We should thank our parents, as even though the taste was disguising the benefits of taking fish oil supplements was in the best interest of our health.

Fish oil is taken from the tissues of oily fish and contains the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA which have been proven to reduce inflammation throughout the body. While fish don’t produce the omega-3 fatty acids, instead the fatty acids build from the fish eating microalgae. As for the fish predators of the sea, they accumulate the omega 3 from eating fish who have already built up the omega 3 fatty acids.

The omega 3 fatty acids are widely considered to be one of the most important nutrients missing from our diets, which is why it is essential we find ways to consume these nutrients. One way is by eating more fresh fish, however eating large amounts of fish is not recommended. The reason is due to the toxic contaminants such as mercury found in certain fish species. Also fresh fish can be very expensive which makes it an unavailable choice for a lot of people.

That leaves us with taking fish oil supplements, which can be things like omega 3 fish oil softgels or pure omega 3 liquid fish oil. One of the most popular liquid fish oils available is Carlson liquid fish oil which comes from the cold water fish located in Norwegian waters. This fish oil is extracted from the fishes tissue using molecular distillation which ensures the fish oil is free from contaminates. This ensures us customers get the purest form of liquid fish oil. To make the fish oil easier to consume it is made with lemon taking away the taste that many people hate.  A bottle of 200 ml Carlson liquid fish oil (40 servings) will cost you around $20.

The amount of research that has been put into finding out the benefits of fish oil is extremely extensive and even continues today as scientists learn more about the wonders of fish oil.

Here are some of the benefits of omega 3 fish oil:

  • Heart Disease – according to the American Heart Association fish oil helps reduce the chances of heart disease and also helps with high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
  • Healthy Joints – the omega 3 fatty acids posses a powerful anti-inflammatory effect helping with stiff joints and arthritis and the pain associated with these conditions.
  • Brain development and metal focus – omega 3’s mainly DHA are highly concentrated within the brain. Therefore the fish oil is a way to feed our brains and helping maintain its development. Studies have also shown that it is very important for pregnant women to get enough DHA to ensure proper development of the fetus.
  • Positive mood – studies have shown that fish oil supplements can help with depression and bipolar disorder.
  • Fish oil helps weight loss – the omega 3’s are said to send signals to your brain which prevent hunger signals. Volunteers who had a fish oil diet while on an exercise program showed greater weight loss.
  • Lower risk of cancer – while more research as regards fish oils effect on cancer is urgently needed there are some positive signs as regards testicular, prostate, breast and ovarian cancers.
  • Helps with acne and other skin conditions

Hopefully the future will bring to light many more positive health benefits which omega 3 fatty acids are responsible for.
In the meantime we should look to use liquid fish oil so we receive the maximum health benefits and keep our health in optimum condition.

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