Healthy Tips For Better Live

Archive for January, 2009

We’re on hole #7 looking down at a 130 yard, tee to green shot with the pin tucked in the middle left. WE’VE made it six holes, coming off a birdie on the 407 YARD #6 with 3 holes to go, then suddenly the back tightens, tempo gets quick, turn gets short, shoulders over- compensate, and we get the pull, straight left into the water-BOGEY! It should have been another par.
Sometimes the mind is able, but the back is unable. Back pain of some sort is almost a guarantee in today’s world. The major reason for back pain is tight hip flexors.

From the golfer’s point of view, short tight hip flexors are a common cause for loss of distance off the tee, pulled drives, and poor posture at address. A combination of tight hamstrings and tight hip flexors, restricting your trunk rotation, account for the limitations in achieving a full backswing. Tight hip muscles will not only wreck your golf swing but, they are the most common cause of back pain. There are many reasons for weak back muscles, weak abdominals, tight hamstrings and so on. One of the biggest reasons, is a lot of people spend their days sitting. It may be sitting for long periods of time on an airplane, in a car, or at the computer. How can this hurt? Unfortunately, when we are in the seated position, the hip flexor muscles (in particular the Psoas) are contracted or shortened. When in this position for a long period of time the hip flexors want to stay this length, making it harder for them to return to their correct length. Why does this impact the lower back? Simple, even though the hip flexors attach to the front of the upper thigh bone, they run through the hip joint and attach to the lower back. When the hip flexors stay short and tight, they pull on the lower back.

Many times this can be misdiagnosed and the patient is told to stretch the low back and strengthen the abs, but the problem persists. One of the best ways to get rid of this low back pain is to simply stretch hip flexors and open up the pelvic region daily.

Try The Spider hip stretch to open up your hip area.

To start, get in a standard push-up position, with back flat, hands shoulder width apart and slightly separated. From the start position, begin by taking your left foot and placing it outside of your left hand. How far forward you go depends on your current flexibility.

After you move your left foot outside your left hand, hold it for a second or two then, slowly attempt to press your left forearm to the floor. This will create a greater stretch for the hips and hamstring, then return to the start position.

Repeat on right side. Do 10 to 15 repetitions, 3 times a side.

If lower back issues are affecting your ability to play your best golf, and you would like to play more rounds this year pain free, you owe it to yourself to seek out a professional golf fitness instructor to design a program for you. A professionally designed golf fitness program will focus on improving your flexibility along with a combination of strengthening exercises to further decrease the chance of injury to your back. It is imperative that you undergo an assessment to determine your needs, strengths and weaknesses prior to the design of your program. The great thing about an organized golf fitness program is that it can take less than 30 minutes a day to see dramatic improvements in your game. Not a bad price to pay for more consistency along with pain free golf is it?

True HGH doctors (human growth hormone doctors) are endocrinologists, also known as internal medicine specialists. These medical professionals have specialized in the study of endocrine glands in the body that produce hormones and other substances. The pituitary gland, which produces human growth hormone, is one of these glands. No one understands the function of the pituitary gland, the production of HGH, and the implications of abnormalities in growth hormone secretion better than an endocrinologist.

HGH therapy is appropriate and recommended in specific situations. The most obvious of these is growth hormone deficiency, a condition most obvious in children who experience arrested growth. Adults with growth hormone deficiency suffer from a more subtle group of symptoms: the hormone regulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism, blood sugar levels, fat deposition, muscle strength, emotional health and energy levels. When medical tests confirm an HGH deficiency, HGH doctors can provide hormone replacement therapy by injection.

It’s no surprise that thoughtful physicians and consumers have noticed that many of the typical signs of aging – increased body fat, muscle loss, weakness, declining energy levels, declining mental status and even an increased risk of abnormal blood sugar levels – correlate with symptoms of HGH deficiency. The association has lead to the investigation of HGH therapy not only for age-related illnesses but also for anti aging in general. The lack of solid supporting evidence and the difficulty of providing injected hormone therapy, in turn, have resulted in a split between endocrinologists and other medical specialists calling themselves HGH doctors.

The first issue is that medical trials, while they have shown positive effects of HGH therapy, have not provided evidence that hormone supplementation prolongs life or alleviates disease any better than other standard treatments. Nor have they proven that long term growth hormone injections are safe. There remain only a handful of medical conditions for which growth hormone injections are approved, and aging is not one of them. Anti aging HGH doctors continue to interpret the evidence as being supportive of hormone replacement for anti aging, and some even provide hormone injections for this purpose (expensive and, again, not an approved use for the therapy).

Another group of HGH doctors, made up of physicians, naturopaths, homeopaths, and other health care professionals have tackled the problems of HGH treatment by attempting to provide hormone replacement without injections. Products available on the market include dietary supplements that are supposed to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more natural HGH, and supplements meant to actually mimic the action of HGH in the body, producing the same beneficial effect. While these products may do as they claim, at least in some people, and be as safe as any vitamin, mineral, or dietary supplement, the bottom line is that scientific evidence doesn’t (or at least doesn’t yet) support this type of HGH therapy for human anti aging. For now, the consumer must decide for herself or himself whether the published studies and testimonials support HGH supplements sufficiently to try them.

It’s true that you can have your dentistry costs dramatically reduced from prices charged in Europe or the USA.

You can enjoy world-class treatment for a wide variety if dental problems and with the savings enjoy a fantastic holiday in India, with its diverse culture and stunning scenery.

This is the age of affordable international travel and with it has come the rise of medical tourism and healthcare.

Patients can now get the same quality of dental treatments that they receive at home at a fraction of the cost, and enjoy a holiday with the savings and maybe even have some money left over.

Low Dentistry Costs in India

India has always been renowned for the quality of its private medical and dentistry care and this is due to the expertise and professionalism of its dentists as well as its facilities.

With airfares more affordable than ever before, many packages are available, that includes treatments and a holiday at the same time.

The medical tourism industry in India is worth over US $2 billion per annum, and dental treatment is a significant and growing proportion of this figure.

Many dentists of Indian origin work in the USA and Europe. This has given many people the confidence to seek out the lower costs of dental treatment in India rather than pay the high price of dental treatment in their country of residence.

Low Dentistry Costs and Quality Treatment

In India, the clinics promoted by medical tour operators have stringent requirements in terms of hygiene, cleanliness, and ambience, which are of a similar or higher standard than private dentistry facilities in the Europe or the US.

In India, dentists have training to a high standard and they are very professional.

Various Dental Procedures Available:

Every time you turn on your television, open a newspaper or magazine or even listen to the radio you are bound to hear about people having insomnia. The problem – most of the information is coming from pharmaceutical and biotech companies determined to take advantage of the sleepless masses.

The market for insomnia drugs in the U.S. reached $4.6 billion in 2006 alone. No wonder many pharmaceutical companies are treating this phenomenon as the “new gold rush”. These companies are in a race to capture market share.

How big is this market?

An estimated 30-50% of the general population is affected by insomnia. According to the National Institute of Health, more than 70 million Americans experience insomnia. However, only 15% seek treatment for their insomnia. The number one reason most people refuse to take insomnia drugs are because of the side effects.

Some of those side effects include:

o Drug dependence
o Withdrawal symptoms
o Grogginess
o Physical side effects
o Serious interactions with other drugs or chemicals in the body

Now that the pharmaceutical companies realize they have the medical profession behind them the advertising has reached an all time high. It is understandable that the medical profession would agree that insomnia is a problem. They believe treating insomnia is important because a lack of sleep can lead to serious disorders.

But, the trend of enticing an entire nation to believe that sleeping pills are some how a magical quick fix is erroneous. Many of the successful treatments for insomnia are time-intensive and require a lot of work by the insomniac. So, with all of this hard work and the insomniac being bombarded with ads, all of a sudden the thought of a pill that can solve your sleeping problem quickly sounds like a winning proposition.

Listed below are a few of the more prevalent sleep drug treatments:

o Benzodiazepines, which are included in a class of drugs called hypnotics. Some types of benzodiazepines include Klonopin, Valium, Restoril, Xanax, and Ativan.

o Non-benzodiazepine hypnotics such Ambien, Sonata and Lunesta treat short-term insomnia.

o Opiates, such as codeine, oxycodone, methadone, dihydromorphone, and propoxyphene. These drugs may be used to treat restless legs syndrome.

Pick up a newspaper, tune into the television or surf Google AdWords on any given day, and you’re likely to find at least a dozen ads related to insomnia. One thing is for sure, trends come and go, but consumers are pretty savvy. They seek products that are safe, natural and cost-effective.

Happy Thanksgiving 2006

Barbara’s continued Ovarian Cancer Story:

It’s been two years since my last article and I have a lot to share with you. Presently, I’m sitting in my cozy little office/guest room, in my cozy house on Whidbey Island, Washington. Rosie-the-cat is reclining on the windowsill and we’re both staring out at the wind-whipped trees and billowing, dark clouds being blown across the sky. It’s very beautiful and I’m very grateful to be here!

At my last writing, I had just completed eight cycles of heavy-duty chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer and was in remission, ready to celebrate a very special Thanksgiving with my family. (See articles 1 and 2 on the “articles” page at http://www.dstress.com.) Those holidays were wonderful. I felt healthy, had hair, was working and exercising and planning my retirement date, (September 2005), and subsequent move to our home in Washington. Being an inveterate planner/list-maker and worrier, I organized the retirement and move to within an inch of its life. I knew when my last day of work would be; how much vacation time I had on the books and what day we’d be packing up. John made his plans to close his office and relocate his business. We were done with cancer and ready to move on! Well, as we all know, life has a way of not always going according to plan. We were about to be thrown a real curve-ball.

In March, we took a great trip to Arizona to celebrate my birthday. On the drive from Phoenix to Bisbee to visit friends, we marveled at the lush green desert, abloom with flowers after recent rains. Locals told us that this beauty lasted about two weeks before fading to gold and brown, and people had learned not to take it for granted. Well, that’s true about anything, isn’t it?

The day after we returned from our vacation, a message on the answering machine said a new suspicious mass had been found on my most recent CT scan, the one I had done before we left for Arizona. I was devastated and furious and terrified! I ranted and I raved and I screamed, scaring John and the cat. What about my plans? My retirement? Moving to my new home? What about my life? I don’t want more surgery, more chemo! I don’t want to lose my hair again! I feel fine and healthy- how can this be happening AGAIN? I had taken for granted that the first surgery and chemo had worked and I was cured. But in fact, 70-90% of people have recurrence at some point in time. I just didn’t think I would be one of them. I had to completely let go of my carefully orchestrated master-plan and face this challenge head on.

June found me back at UCSF for major surgery for removal of a tumor that was very close, but not on, the liver. Because ovarian cancer cells tend to migrate to the spleen and gallbladder, they also removed those organs. I was lucky to have access to one of the best surgeons in the country and post-op reports stated that they had completely removed all the cancer! I used all the same tools to prepare pre op and postoperatively as I had for my first surgery and my recovery was good. I was home in five days and back to work in five weeks. I started chemo in July.

On December 1, 2005, I had my last chemo cycle. Other than a very low blood count (I was very anemic and my white count was very low), I tolerated the treatments fairly well. Acupuncture, visualization, exercise and supplements all played an important part in my work to stay as strong and healthy as possible. My hair thinned considerably, but I didn’t have to wear wigs or cover-ups. With the particular drug regimen I was on, there is a 60% chance of hair loss. Before treatments started, I researched the web for any products that might minimize this side effect. I found a product called E.V.P.3 Chemaid. The website is:www.evp3.com. It provides good information and research so I decided to give it a try. I don’t know if it was the chemaid, the different type of drugs regimen and dosage, supplements or all of the above, but I kept the majority of my hair. Seems like such a minor thing when you are fighting for your life. Yet sometimes those small things make a difference in quality of life. I felt that I looked healthier and “normal” and that translated into not feeling like a cancer patient.

The new year brought new resolution to finally make our plans to retire and move. My labs were good, my scans were clear and we moved to Whidbey Island in May. We’ve been involved in projects ever since.

First on the agenda was painting the inside and the outside of the house. Just as John and I have been a good team in my healing process, we’ve made a good team in working on our home. And it’s been fun! We dug a garden using picks and shovels. We built planter boxes and created a Zen rock garden; we yanked out a huge juniper bush and planted roses and dahlias. At the end of the day we collapsed into recliners with such a good feeling of accomplishment. I’ve never used my muscles like that before. I’d be exhausted by 8pm-it was such a good kind of tired. One of my favorite activities was sitting in the dirt, pulling weeds. The sun on my shoulders, eagles soaring overhead, the smell of earth and flowers and growing things became a huge part of my healing process. I visualized my immune system plucking out and “disappearing” any unhealthy cells from my body with each weed I pulled. Working in the garden has become a wonderful meditation for me. I clear my mind and totally focus on the task at hand. Learning how to live in the moment is an ongoing lesson, and I have to continually find a balance between artful planning and my natural tendency to organize the future. I’ve learned a greater appreciation of each sunrise and sunset. I notice the rhythm of my breathing and muscle movement when I walk and hike. I take time to pick up interesting bits of wood from the beach and decorate my garden with them. I revel in the love of my family and dear friends. I consciously practice NOT taking anything for granted and I try to live each moment joyfully. I have a favorite mantra that I recite to myself on my daily walks. “thank you for all the blessings I enjoy; thank you for my health today; thank you for my family and friends; thank you for allowing me to spend time in this beautiful place; thank you for the gift of life! And wouldn’t it be very, very nice if abundance cascades into my life and into those I love-abundance of health-physical, emotional and spiritual; and financial abundance.

I wish I could say that with all the meditation and mantras, I now lead a joyful, positive life. The truth is that I have my ups and downs; my incredibly joyful moments along with times of fear, sadness and anger. I go into worry-mode when it’s time for lab work and waiting for results. I get fearful about any new ache or pain (does this mean the cancer is back?) I vacillate between should I go ahead and spend money on redoing the kitchen now or keep that money in savings a little longer. Sometimes I feel caught between living in the moment and wanting to plan future projects for next year, two years from now, five years from now. And I still get angry that this happened to me, even though I’ve learned many lessons in the past few years. One of the main lessons I’m starting to grasp is that life is an act of faith. When I was planting the garden, I mostly put in vegetables and flowers that would reward me with bouquets and crops right away. My act of faith in the future was planting a cherry tree. My daily prayer is that I’ll be around to enjoy the blossoms and pluck the cherries.

This year we will celebrate Thanksgiving in our new home. We’ll share our gratitude with friends and family; we’ll feast and watch football; and we’ll toast to health, happiness and prosperity. The garden hibernates now beneath a blanket of red and gold leaves. The tulips, daffodils and hyacinths I planted last week rest and wait until it’s their time to burst forth into colorful splendor. And I rest, write, clean closets and enjoy indoor projects as I wait for spring, when I’ll burst out to nurture and be nurtured in my garden.

Here’s to rainy days and warm fires NOW and digging in the dirt in the FUTURE.

Happy Thanksgiving

Barbara Ehlers-Mason
Whidbey Island, WA

A deficiency in B vitamins and magnesium means that the liver is less productive at breaking down o-estrogen and an excess starts to build up which upsets the brain chemicals which are thought to be the cause of the PMS-A symptoms of anxiety, irritability and insomnia. It will relieve tension in the spine and neck and help to relieve headaches, insomnia, lower back pain and sciatica. Many chronic insomnia sufferers have reported benefits from homeopathy but you must have a full assessment by a trained practitioner, you can not buy these remedies over the counter.

Some of these distressing withdrawal symptoms that may be experienced are: anger, anxiety, bowel changes, lack of concentration, emotional disturbance, depression, coordination difficulties, vertigo, sensitivity to light, head pressure, muscle and joint pain, numbness, paranoia, agitation, shaking, insomnia, and feelings of unreality or dissociation. Short-time symptoms of insomnia are bearable, although frustrating, but night after night for months or years, the most serious issues of insomnia accumulate and can cause serious health problems. If you do, you might suffer from insomnia.

An infomercial for an alternative insomnia treatment beckons you. People with insomnia should give themselves a chance not to sleep at all in the day. Home Remedies For over thousands of years, many popular remedies have been used to cure insomnia.

Calcium deficiency may result in insomnia, the metabolic disorder tetany, strong premenstrual cramps and miscarriages, hypertension, types of kidney stones, periodontal diseases Calcium deficiency can also a major cause of skeletal disorders, including osteomalacia, rickets, and bone) deformities. Nicotine is a central nervous system stimulant that can cause insomnia. If you’ve never had insomnia, this scenario is guaranteed to cause it.

Today, in America, families suffer a laundry list of ailments:- ranging from insomnia, allergies, asthma, to high blood pressure, obesity, deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals, back, joint pain and migraines. Herbal medicines can help treat a wide spectrum of conditions and can act as anything from a natural weight loss, to the treatment of insomnia. Insomnia – Valerian root acts as a natural sedative and may be just enough to help induce sleep.