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Healthy Considerations » Archive for April 2007

Why Muscles Get Sore

April 27th, 2007 | Add a Comment

As people age, they begin to complain more of pains in their muscles and joints. They seem to stiffen up with age, and such commonplace activities as bending over for the morning paper can make them wince. Such pain can grip so fiercely that they are sure it begins deep in their bones. But the real cause of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or bones, according to research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but in the muscles and connective tissues that move the joints. The frictional resistance generated by the two rubbing surfaces of bones in the joints is negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis. Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the range of a joint’s motion from full movement in one direction to full movement … Read entire article »

Filed under: Health Tips

Benefits of Liquid Vitamins

April 21st, 2007 | 1 Comment

Vitamins and minerals can be absorbed by the body in a number of ways. Primarily, they enter your body through the foods you eat. However, you can also take vitamin supplements. One of the most common methods of taking supplements is by a liquid form. Although liquid vitamins may taste worse than vitamins in flavored, chewable tablet forms, they’re easier to absorb. Because of its form, liquid vitamins can be assimilated immediately and nearly completely into the blood stream. Its average absorption rate is approximately 90% to 98%. It’s also three to five times more concentrated than vitamin pills and this leads to higher bio-activity and greater therapeutic benefits. How about antioxidants and liquid vitamins? The most important of all antioxidants – Vitamins A, C and E – are not internally produced by … Read entire article »

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Stroke Basics

April 16th, 2007 | Add a Comment

A stroke occurs when an artery carrying blood to the brain gets clogged or bursts disrupting blood supply. The brain, deprived of oxygen, begins to die. The majority of strokes result from clogging of arteries; artery bursts account for less than 20% of strokes. A stroke that damages the right brain can cause paralysis in the left side of the body. It can also affect vision or lead to memory loss. When the stroke damages the left part of the brain, the results are different. The victim’s right body can be paralyzed. Also, the victim can suffer speech problems or memory loss. Some of the common symptoms of stroke are: sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden problems in speaking; sudden blurring of … Read entire article »

Filed under: Stroke

Calcium Plaque Build-up Leads To Coronary Heart Disease

April 10th, 2007 | Add a Comment

Having a build-up of calcium plaque in the arteries means increased risk of heart attacks and death from heart disease in multiple ethnic groups, according to new findings from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Previous studies have shown that increased coronary artery calcium is linked to greater risk of heart disease events and deaths in Caucasians. This study shows that this is true in other ethnic groups – blacks, Hispanics and Chinese – even though the amount of calcium build-up in these populations is low relative to Caucasians. MESA evaluated 6,814 men and women with no prior heart disease for coronary calcium using CT scanning, and followed them for an average of 3.5 years. “Coronary Artery … Read entire article »

Filed under: Heart Health

Understanding Botox

April 5th, 2007 | Add a Comment

Botox is a beauty product produced from Botulin, one of the most poisonous substances known to mankind. However, medical researchers found a way of using Botox to enhance beauty by injecting small amounts of the toxin to arrest the formation of wrinkles. Most would consider the physiology behind the process morbid. But patients don’t seem to mind the idea of injecting Botox into their facial muscles, and paralyzing them. Since Botox is a neurotoxin, it attaches itself to nerve endings, and stops them from functioning. The muscles become helpless, and paralyzed. This process may take two to three days, depending upon the dose. First, the muscle movement slows down, and then it stops altogether. Since the muscles cannot move, wrinkles cannot be formed. The patient can look young and youthful for three … Read entire article »

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Study On Treatment Options For Bipolar Disorder

April 1st, 2007 | Add a Comment

For depressed people with bipolar disorder who are taking a mood stabilizer, adding an antidepressant medication is no more effective than a placebo (sugar pill), according to results published online on March 28, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results are part of the large-scale, multi-site Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD), a $26.8 million clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Bipolar disorder, a sometimes debilitating illness marked by severe mood swings between depression and mania, is usually treated with mood stabilizers such as lithium, valproate, carbamazepine or other medications that reduce mania. However, depression is more common than mania in bipolar disorder, and depressive episodes tend to last longer than episodes of mania. Antidepressant medications are … Read entire article »

Filed under: Mental Health