Massage Therapy Findings

The massaged muscle tissue showed significantly lower amounts of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, a protein that causes inflammation. The biopsied tissue that had been massaged also showed increased enzymes that the biopsied, non-massaged tissue did not have.

The biopsies were repeated after 2.5 hours. The massaged muscle tissue showed a decrease in interlukin-6, another protein associated with inflammation. There were also increased amounts of PGC1-alpha, which has a part in muscle support and cellular metabolism.

These tests also indicated that massage was increasing the rate of growth for mitochondria. Mitochondrion, as any cells energy factory, facilitates cellular healing.

Neither the massaged muscle, nor the muscle that had not been massaged, showed any difference in Lactic acid levels. Lactic acid buildup after exercise has been the primary reason to have a massage, but now we have even better reasons.

Muscle Health

There are many who doubt the benefits of massage and other alternative therapies. These scientific medical studies may change all that.

This is great news, not just for athletes, but also for those who are increasing their exercise level for their healthy lifestyle plan.

People tend to give up once muscles become sore and inflamed. Even those who enjoy exercise don’t enjoy the pain of overworked muscles. Including an appointment with a masseuse after exercise can reduce pain and keep you on track.

This study indicates that massage can increase your overall health. This is just one small study, but the possible health benefits shown are surprising.

BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measurement attained by calculating a person’s weight and dividing it by the square of their height. This does not actually measure fat, just where your weight falls on a chart as it pertains to your height. The categories that you may fall into on the chart are underweight, normal, overweight, and obese. These categories are further divided, for instance if you are underweight or obese, you may find your weight classified as mild, moderate, or severe. A BMI calculator simplifies the whole process.

Doctors sometimes use this calculation to help diagnosis eating disorders, but your BMI is not a true indicator of body fat.

Those who are very tall, have large bones, or are very muscular may have a BMI number that indicates being overweight or even obese when that is not the case. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat obviously weigh the same, but they look a lot different on your body. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat.

If you use a BMI calculator, you may consider using it in conjunction with other methods to put your numbers into perspective.

Using a BMR Calculator

A BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator tells you how many calories are burned while you are doing nothing. Once you figure out how many calories you burn in a day if you just stayed in bed, you have a good indication of the calorie count you need to adhere to in order to lose weight, or gain weight. Lowering your calorie count by 100 calories a day and increasing exercise for 30 minutes a day above your norm can produce results in just a few weeks.

The heavier you are, the faster the weight comes off during exercise. This is because of the extra weight. If you are 100 pounds overweight, and you walk for 30 minutes, it’s like a person that has a normal weight carrying 100 pounds of weights with them on that 30 minute walk. The weights add significantly to the calories burned.

Using BMR and BMI calculators can help you plan a healthy lifestyle. Formulating a plan to meet your goals is much easier when you know just what your starting point is.

Paying for the lifestyle

According to the Forbes magazine, Americans spent $76 billion on heart conditions, $42 billion on high blood pressure and $34 billion type 2 diabetes. Medical costs linked to obesity cost Americans $147 billion, or about 9% of total medical costs. All of these expensive medical conditions are directly linked to our lifestyle. So, let’s change it. Instead of waiting for the government to decide the future of our health care and worrying if we are going to be able to pay for the doctor when we get sick, let’s do everything in our power so that we do not get sick. That means changing our diet, becoming more physically active and taking care of our mental and emotional needs.  You can take the HealthStatus Health Risk Assessment to find out what specific lifestyle changes you should make to live a healthier life.

Go slowly

Changing to a healthy lifestyle takes time. If you were a couch potato your entire life, joining the gym only means that you will have another bill to pay and will probably use it once or twice. If your grandmother and mother deep fried everything, or if you think that the height of culinary delights is a quarter pounder with cheese, you will need to start with small changes if you want them to stick.

Before you start making big changes in your nutrition and lifestyle, you have to convince yourself that the changes are possible and that you can do it. It is in your power. Slowly but surely, one day by one, you can change life-long habits and start living healthy life.

Changing diet

If you are obese, this is going to be your most important change. Obesity affects every organ in our body, it causes many chronic disease including heart condition, diabetes and stroke. It makes you depressed, too heavy to move, too unhappy to socialize. Forget all radical diets that force you to starve yourself. Make sure that your nutrition is balanced and that it contains a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Choose lean meats, drink water and fruit juice instead of sodas, yoghurt instead of ice cream. Try to prepare your meals at home so that you know exactly what is it you are eating. Buy smaller plates so that your portions look bigger. Drink a lot of water. And do not forget that it takes time for any changes to start showing. Be persistent and believe in yourself.

Get out

Starting exercising if you have never done it can be overwhelming, if you go to the gym and watch all those lean bodies pumping away. Think of exercising as Karate Kid did: turn your household chores into aerobics. Vacuum with music on, dust while dancing, run around with your kids, walk your dog around the block three times a day. Walk everywhere. Use stairs instead of elevators. Don’t forget sex, it can be a great calorie burner.

Be happy

It is easy to be miserable. We often have too many responsibilities, we feel completely out of control of our own lives and it feels like there is no way out. The result is depression, abuse of drugs and alcohol and general sense of unhappiness. Our mental and emotional balance is as important as our physical health for our overall sense of well-being. And just like making changes with our physical health, changes in our emotional and mental lives should be small and gradual. Start by watching funny movies and hanging out with happy, positive people. If you hate your job, go back to school and then look for the job you always wanted to do. If you are miserable in your marriage, go see a marriage counselor. A good one will tell you that there are marriages that are not worth saving. Go to the park and look at flowers and trees. Catch a sunset. Volunteer at the shelter and do something nice for someone else. It will make you feel great about yourself.

However strange it sounds, one important part of your program of cutting your medical bills is going to see a doctor once a year for a general check-up. A check-up can catch a problem early on before it becomes serious or chronic. Many diseases can be prevented if caught early. Many cancers can be cured if detected early. And there is not price for the peace of mind you will have when the doctor gives you a clean bill of health.

Suicide is a problem for many bipolar patients when they come down from a “happy” high into the pits of depression and hopelessness. Another problem is that they tend to be non-compliant with their medications. Though Bipolar disorder is usually a life-long illness, patients frequently stop taking their medications when they “feel better”.

The highs and lows of Bipolar disorder may last for hours, days, or months. It is sometimes confused with schizophrenia, making it more difficult to diagnose.

Symptoms of a Manic Phase

• Extreme mood changes: feelings of extreme euphoria, outgoing, inappropriately happy, irritable, agitated, nervous
• Behavior Changes (usually sudden): short attention span, complaints of thoughts racing, restlessness, sleeping disorders, believing that they have super powers or other unrealistic expectations, impulsive spending or sexual encounters
• Mood change: Long episodes of anxiety, feeling worried, empty, tired, no interest in normal daily activities
• Behavior changes: poor concentration, memory loss, trouble making even simple decisions, irritable, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, thoughts of suicide

Symptoms of a Depressive Phase

The most dangerous time for a suicide attempt is when the patient is on their way into or out of a depressive episode. When the patient is in the despair of total depression, she/he is too tired to plan or even contemplate the energy it would require to carry out the deed. When the patient is at the pinnacle of the happy “high”, they feel that everything is right with the world. It’s that in-between time that they are most prone to planning and implementing suicide.

This fact makes it very hard for the patient’s family and friends to realize the danger. Just when they think the patient is better is usually when disaster strikes.

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

Scientists are not certain what caused this disorder. The prevalent belief is that a combination of factors is responsible. It does seem to have some genetic basis, as it can be linked through family members at a higher rate than the general population.

Treatment

Patients go through psychotherapy and take medications that stabilize moods. Most of the medications are also anticonvulsants. The other drug used with a good success rate is Lithium. Patients must take these medications as prescribed, even when they are feeling fine to keep their mood stable and stop the extreme behaviors.

With proper medications and psychotherapies, those with Bipolar disorder can live a normal, healthy life.

In the last few years, coconut water hit the web, as well as jogging trails, as the latest super-drink, natural low calorie beverage, with perfectly balanced electrolytes. It is being advertised as the natural answer to power drinks, a vital part of the life of any athlete or fitness-conscious person.

Before we accept coconut water as the new answer to great health, super figure, perfect skin and long life, it might be a good idea to find out what is, really, in the coconut water.

Goodness off the tree

Coconut trees thrive in the hot, humid atmosphere of tropical countries, from the Pacific to Asia to Central America. They grow prolifically along the beach coasts all over the tropical world. Coconuts are mature seeds, not fruits, of coconut trees, cocos nucifera.

Coconuts are, in fact, mostly water (95 percents.) Coconut water also contains potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, sugar, iron, protein and many other elements in smaller quantities. What is most interesting about coconut water is that all these elements exist in coconut water in the same proportion as in our bodies. This is so important, that coconut water has been utilized intravenously, instead of blood transfusion, as plasma replacement, during the 2dn World War.

 Coconut water instead of Gatorade?

Coconut water’s biggest claim to fame, as far as athletes go, is its high content of potassium, which is necessary for normal body functioning, especially heart function and blood pressure. But, nutritionists caution that coconut water, while wonderfully refreshing drink and an excellent re-hydrator, does not have enough carbohydrates, protein and sodium, which have to be replenished after an arduous exercise.

Maybe athletes should be a bit more careful before completely giving up on their energy drinks, but the rest of us can happily enjoy coconut water’s benefits. Coconut water is great for replenishing liquids after a jog or light exercise. Brazilian scientists found that this tasty juice is excellent for kids with mild diarrhea or vomiting. It quickly replenishes lost liquid and kids like it more than the regular re-hydration mixes.