Health Topics for Youngsters

Now-a-days, living a healthy lifestyle is often the last priority for teenagers. Youngsters are living in indoor entertainment with technological advances such as video game systems, internet and television, and enjoying a convenient environment with advances such as vending machine and fast food. Such lifestyle prevents youngsters from getting and staying healthy. There are a wider range of health topics for youngsters.

Good health condition and positive thinking are must for youngsters if they really want to be successful. Youngsters must be aware of different health topics and self-management skills in order to thrive in the world of good health. The proper knowledge of health related topics such as relationships, depression, sex, drugs and alcohol brings out favorable and good results in the lifestyle of youngsters to lead much happier, more confident and more positive life.


Weight management is one of the main health topics for youngsters. Weight management begins with regular physical activity and healthy eating habits. The youngsters must discuss topics such as health and nutrition, types of physical activities, types of food, diet supplements, yoga, meditation, etc., which are means to be healthy. Youngsters must include sufficient amount of healthy items and avoid junk foods like pop and chips. They should not only be taught messages about good nutrition and physical activity, but they should also be provided a structure to support those things.

The importance of healthy lifestyle is also an important health topic for youngsters. Leading a healthy lifestyle in school, college, work place and life is very essential for youngsters to be successful. The topics discussing the adverse effects of smoking, alcohol and drug usage, and eating disorders, are important. All-day health and wellness forums are also conducted in the aim to educate youngsters about the means to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The sex related topic is another important health topic that most teenagers might hesitate to discuss with adults. But it is the role of parents and society to teach the importance of sex related issues such as abstinence, virginity, birth control, teen pregnancy
and sexually transmitted diseases.

The prevention and control of diseases is also an essential health topic for youngsters. The self confidence and self-management of youngsters facing health problems deteriorates. Living with health problems such as chronic disease during teenage can be a drastic experience. Teenagers with diseases such as asthma and diabetes feel uncomfortable for taking their medication in public places. The mental health problems among the youngsters have also witnessed a wide growth during these days. Youngsters are also facing chronic and age-related skin and other diseases now-a-days. Youngsters must be taught tips for preventing and controlling certain risks associated with vitamin deficiency, stress, depression, diseases such as asthma and diabetes, and skin diseases.

The health topics such as body changes, menstruation (for females only), contraception, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and eating disorders, must also be discussed among youngsters.

Youngsters obtain health care information from a wide variety of sources. It is important that parents and society must educate youngsters on making good choices related to health related issues. Youngsters must be taught the importance of health and wellness. Health services are there to provide general social work, counseling & support to youngsters. A number of health service programs are there to educate and help youngsters on issues related to different health topics. Educational programs related to health topics enable teenagers with chronic illnesses to manage their own condition while reducing their sense of isolation. Prevention and Wellness programs provide tips for preventing certain health problems and managing certain diseases. The health topic related workshops also help young people understand the importance of talking to health professionals rather than relying on their parents. Self-management programs for staying positive are designed for youngsters facing long-term health problems in order to improve their confidence and self-management skills.

About the Author:

Oz Zeldom is an expert author, who is presently working on the site about

medicine online,

medical encyclopedia. He has written many articles in various topics. For more information about medical reference. Visit our site www.healthon.com

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Diabetes, Smoking, and Foot Problems: Is It All Related?

I am of the opinion that each individual has a right to make their own personal decisions about their health and well-being. For example, I choose to compete in Ironman triathlon events as a part of my health maintenance routine. Some doctors think that this is excessive and dangerous.

In the same way that I believe I have the right to make a decision to compete in these events, I believe that any individual has the right to choose to smoke. I don't personally care if you choose to smoke. Please keep in mind that the arguments against smoking that make have nothing to do with moral issues, only biological ones.

Cigarette smoke contains numerous identified chemicals and toxins that have specific detrimental effects on the body. In many cases, these negative effects are compounded when you have diabetes. By discussing the various effects that smoking has on the symptoms of diabetes and specifically the lower extremity, you will be able to make a more informed decision about whether or not you choose to smoke.

It is well known that smoking is a risk factor for heart disease. So is diabetes. But when you smoke, your blood pressure and heart rate both increase. This forces the heart to work much harder. In addition, the blood vessels in the heart itself are actually constricted as a result of smoking. This places you at increased risk of a heart attack.

In a very similar fashion, smoking can reduce the amount of blood circulation in the feet and legs. This also is already a problem with diabetes. But instead of causing a heart attack, smoking puts you at higher risk for poor circulation, which can lead to slow wound healing, painful cramping, and even gangrene that can lead to a diabetic foot amputation.

Not only does smoking slow down the blood flow, but it also so decreases the amount of oxygen delivered to the tissues. Toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, specifically carbon monoxide, permanently block oxygen transfer sites on the red blood cells that actually carry the oxygen down to the tissues in your feet. Think of a red blood cell as a car that holds four passengers. If three out of the four seats are occupied by carbon monoxide molecules, there is only one spot left for an oxygen molecule. And it stays this way until that red blood cell dies.

Any time a bone is fractured or has surgery, the healing process in the bone is dramatically reduced. We know that if a patient smokes, they have a 2.7 times higher risk of not healing after bone surgery or fractures as compared to non-smokers. For this reason, I never perform elective foot surgery on a smoker.

Anyone with diabetes is at risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers or open wounds. Smoking simply slows wound healing dramatically. When you develop an open diabetic foot ulcer, the white blood cells are the part of the immune system that fight off infection and the fibroblasts are the cells to grow new tissue to close the wound. Both have to work properly in order for a wound to heal. Smoking directly affects the function of the healing cells known as fibroblasts. Smoking also weakens the immune system.

Smoking also decreases the rate at which new blood vessels can form in an area surrounding a wound. The growth of new blood vessels is necessary in order to allow tissue to heal. Simply put, no new blood flow equals no wound healing. The longer a wound stays open, the more likely it will become infected and lead to an amputation.

Now that it is clear that cigarette smoking and slow wound healing and make it more likely that you will have a diabetic foot amputation, what should you do? The obvious answer is to quit smoking. However, we all know that quitting smoking is very difficult.

The good news in all of this is that you might not have to tell yourself you are courting forever. In one study of patients that had surgery, it was shown that if a person had quit smoking for four weeks, the wound infection rates were the same in those that stopped smoking as those that had never smoked.

Another study showed that quitting smoking two weeks before surgery was effective in reducing the risk of postoperative problems to the same level as those that had never smoked.

There was also a study that evaluated bone healing and quitting smoking. In the study smokers were instructed to stop smoking one week before surgery and continue to abstain from smoking until the bone surgery healed. When they quit only one week before surgery, their bones healed just as quickly as people that had never smoked at all.

You should know that nicotine is harmful to bone healing, wound healing, as well as diabetic foot circulation. Nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine gum and patches are certainly better than smoking, because they contain fewer chemicals and toxins. But if possible, you should avoid smoking as well as nicotine substitutes, while healing is taking place.

You should realize that even if you have tried to stop smoking before and found it difficult, you only need to stop for a period of time to allow healing to take place. This may make it easier for you to realize that you don't have to stop smoking forever just to avoid a diabetic foot amputation.
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About the Author:

Dr. Christopher Segler is an award winning diabetic foot specialist. He believes that diabetic foot amputations result from a faulty health care system. He thinks doctors should take the time to provide patient education that can prevent amputations. You can learn more by requesting your FREE report "No Leg Left To Stand On: The Secrets Insurance Companies Don't Want You To Know About Diabetic Foot Amputation" at http://www.ineedmyfeet.com.

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Swine H1N1 Flu:2009

Swine flu , now known as the 2009 H1N1 flu, is caused by the orthomyxovirus which usually affects pigs but viral mutations allows the virus to cross species to other hosts like humans. The swine influenza virus (SIV) is another example of cross species viral infection which was previously seen with other Zoonotic infections like in civets to humans SARS or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome and from birds to humans as seen with avian (bird) flu.



Unlike SARS and bird flu, swine flu has mutated to the point where the virus can now spread from human-to-human. This current mutation is the cause of the global scare of the recent 2009 outbreak which is feared to become a pandemic. With the popularity of air travel, infected passengers from one region can easily travel to other nations and result in new outbreaks occurring in regions that were not prone to swine flu.



The current human-to-human transmission of swine flu is caused by droplet spread through the contact with infected body fluids as in saliva or mucus when sneezing.



How is Swine Flu H1N1 Spread?





The incubation period (time between exposure and onset of symptoms) is still uncertain, but it appears to be 3-4 days.

All flus are spread by droplets that spray out as a person sneezes or coughs. You can catch Swine Flu H1N1 or any flu virus if:

1. You are standing within three feet of an uncovered cough or sneeze and droplets make contact with you or if you inhale them.
2. The droplets land on hard surfaces, like a desk top or keyboard. Even after the droplet dries a flu virus could live for over an hour. You can catch the virus by touching an infected surface then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
3. You can give to the flu to somebody else by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth if the virus is on your hand.
4. Somebody coughs sneezes or blows their nose into a tissue, and the wet tissue makes contact with their hand or the tissue tears and the contents make contact with their hand. If they touch hard surfaces or shake hands before they wash their hands then they could spread a virus. Flu viruses can also be spread by handling a contaminated cloth handkerchief then touching people or surfaces.
5. An infected person touches their eyes, nose or mouth then touches other surfaces, objects or people before washing their hands.



This is not the same Swine Flu virus people were immunized against in the 1970's. There is a vaccine for the 2009 Swine Flu Influenza A H1N1 virus under development but even with fast tracking it will take months before it is ready for human trial.

Swine Flu H1N1 is not spread by pigs and you cannot catch Swine Flu H1N1 by eating pork or using medications that are derived from pigs (porcine).



Symptoms of Swine Flu



Swine flu infection causes symptoms that are similar to the symptoms of influenza infection as seen during the annual ‘flu’ season. This may result in many cases of swine flu being misdiagnosed as a common cold or the ‘flu’ and if infected persons do not seek professional medical treatment, the infection can spread further in the general population.



The general symptoms of swine flu include:



1. Fever with or without chills.
2. Sore throat.
3. Respiratory symptoms, usually a cough or less frequently as dyspnoea (difficulty breathing) or pneumonia.
4. Fatigue and lethargy
5. Myalgia (general body aches)
6. Headaches
7. Diarrhea
8. Vomiting

The current swine flu epidemic has seen gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting that are more severe than previous swine flu outbreaks. Unfortunately these gastrointestinal symptoms may often be misdiagnosed as a ‘gastric flu’ and it is important to consult with your medical practitioner if your symptoms persist.











Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu H1N1





According to the CDC, proper hand washing is the most effective means of preventing the spread of disease.

1. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also considered effective.
2. Use disposable tissues, clean your hands after every use.
3. Cough into your elbow or shoulder if you do not have a tissue.
4. Preventative treatments (such as Tamiflu) are not recommended for healthy people as this could potentially lead to resistance. Only seek treatment if you have symptoms.
5. People with flu- like symptoms should avoid public places. If your child's school is closed do not place your child in group settings such as daycare.
6. If there are confirmed cases in your area, limit exposure by avoiding public places and clean your hands often while out and upon returning home.
7. An infected person is contagious about 1 day before they have symptoms so follow proper hand washing guidelines or use alcohol based hand sanitizers often to prevent the accidental spread of the flu.
8. The contagious period lasts for about 7 days after symptoms start, probably longer in children.
About the Author:

Senior Vet.Officer,Central Veterinary Laboratory Kathmandu Nepal M.V.St. Preventive Veterinary Mrdicine

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Five Tips on How to do Meditation

Meditation is a great way to relax yourself, but meditation also has many other benefits to enhance your life. Meditation means to take a break away from your daily life, from your job, from your concerns, and so on. It means to turn off your mobile phone, turn off may be your telephone and really practice meditation by yourself. Let your computer and your e-mails wait for a minute. And really give yourself some time to do meditation.

Recent research has shown that meditating twice per day for about 10 minutes can reduce stress and other bad side effects of having a hectic life style.


Here are 5 great tips on how to do meditation. Using these tips can help you greatly in starting to meditate. Here are the 5 tips!

1. Where should I meditate?
You should have special place or corner or room in your house or in the place where you meditate. You might want to furnish those areas with special objects that have a spiritual meaning for you that will help you to do your meditation.

Make sure that the place where you do your meditation is quiet, where you have no disturbances such as telephone or other noises. Also make sure that other people know that this is the place where you spend time with yourself, where you do your meditation so you do not get disturbed when you are in this area.

A great way to enhance your meditation is to make sure that the smells are nice. That may be some aroma, incense or some candles to really give that special effect and enhance the feeling of spirituality. Another great place to meditate is in nature. For example you might have a place near a beach or in the woods where you can be quiet and undisturbed and really enjoy nature together with your meditation. Great experiences can be achieved when you meditate in nature. So if you have the opportunity please do it!

2. How should I sit when I do my meditation?
The classic posture is to sit with legs folded and hands resting quietly on the lap or on your knees. This is the classic way but to really do meditation effectively you need to find your own posture to do your meditation. The posture needs to give you a sense of concentration. And at the same time it needs to be comfortable enough.

Now make sure that the balance is right between being concentrated and being comfortable. If you are too concentrated it might be painful which will prevent you from doing more and more meditation. If the posture is too comfortable chances are that you will fall asleep and do no meditation at all. So keep the balance between the two, find a position that is comfortable enough but not too comfortable so you will fall asleep.

This is your meditation so there is no right or wrong way to how to sit or stand to do meditation. But practice and find out which posture is the best for you? You might just want to sit on a chair, cross your legs and sit on the floor or walk around gently in a room. It is up to you, try a few different postures and see which one gives you the greatest benefit.

3. Should my eyes be open or closed?
Some meditations will tell you to close your eyes, other meditations will tell you to open your eyes. Again what is important is what are you comfortable with and what give you the best results. That is the key, what gives you the best benefits when you do your meditation. Some people will keep their eyes closed, and will have great meditation.

Other people will not have good experience when they close their eyes and will fall asleep. For some people it is better to keep their eyes open and do meditation that way. If you keep your eyes closed the biggest danger is to fall sleep. It is very easy when you get some feelings and experiences in meditation to dose off and fall asleep.

So if you keep your eyes closed make sure that you sit in an alert position. This could be on the chair or with your legs folded on the floor. The main thing is to sit up straight, do not be too comfortable because you will fall asleep.

The same goes for when you close your eyes to do your meditation, meditating with your eyes open means to keep your eyes slightly open, it is really like day dreaming. So again there is a slight danger that you will fall asleep. It is easier not to fall asleep when you keep your eyes open during your meditation. But you still need to sit in an alert position. So be comfortable but be alert to sit up straight.

4. How long should I meditate?
Most people will say you need to meditate between 10 and 20 minutes twice a day. That is a very good routine, again it is up to you or you are comfortable with what give you the best results.

If it is 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes to maintain is that you get benefits. Some people will take more benefit by meditating 10 minutes. Other people just need 5 minutes to do their meditation and get great results. Other people want meditate for 20 minutes.

The time is not the most important. The most important is that you do your meditation on a regular basis. Twice a day is very much a good routine. So if you meditate twice a day for five minutes or if you meditate twice a day for ten minutes or for twenty minutes.

The key is that you do your meditation on a regular basis. What will happen is when you do meditation for example for ten minutes a day you really feel the benefit, you will keep it up and you will keep doing it. And you might increase the duration of your meditation from ten minutes to fifteen minutes or twenty minutes. So start off gently but keep a daily routine.

5. Should I have music or not?
Some people like to have some gentle relaxing music in the background when they do their meditation, other people just like to have pure quietness. You need to try it out, do some meditation with some gentle relaxation music in the back ground and see the results. Then do a meditation with just silence and again see the results. The best way is actually to have a balance, start off your meditation with some gentle relaxation music in the background. Then have some nice silence to really enjoy your meditation. And again have some gentle relaxation music now and then to enhance your meditation.

That is it! Those are some great tips to get you on your way to do some great meditation. Enjoy!
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About the Author:

For more info : http://www.improveyourselftoday.com/Meditation.html or click here : Learn How To Meditate

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Meditation for a Better Life

Are you one of those unlucky people that dread turning the light off at night due to a constant struggle to get to sleep? Meditation aids in quieting and clearing the mind. When your mind is quiet, you feel peaceful and have a better chance of experiencing a good night's sleep as well as a more balanced life.

Anyone can apply meditation to their daily lives to achieve a calmer and more relaxed state of mind, even during stressful periods in their lives. Meditation has been described by many as a state of “restful alertness” which means that although your metabolism slows down like it would when you are sleeping; you are still awake and conscious. This allows your mind to remain clear from your usual continuous thoughts.

Meditation trains the mind and with repeated practice of the art a greater sense of control is experienced. In some cases meditation can aid in bringing to surface dormant tensions. By identifying these tensions and becoming more aware of them one is able to take control of them as well as other external pressures. If focus is kept on the present, less emphasis is placed on past and future worries, and success and self fulfillment is more achievable.

Furthermore, meditation has been proven to keep you feeling younger. With repeated meditation, a person's metabolism is enhanced and the probability of falling ill from certain life threatening disorders is less likely. There is however a variety of meditation forms, and one needs to find the meditation style that suits them the best. You should notice the difference that meditation plays in your life as soon as you have found a meditation type that complements you.

Breath awareness is one of the most important and usually the first steps in your journey to meditation. To practice breath awareness you can follow the following easy steps:

1. Sit down in a comfortable position on a flat surface with your legs crossed and your hands resting on your knees.

2. Close your eyes and relax. Slowly focus all your attention on your natural breathing. Notice how it feels, sounds, how fast you are breathing as well as any pauses and changes that you feel in your breathing. The main point here is to focus completely on your breathing only.

3. If you feel that you start thinking about something else, slowly move your focus back to your breathing. It will become easier to keep focus through time and practice.

4. Complete these steps for a few minutes, and then slowly increase the time in your next meditation session.

5. Do not end the meditation session abruptly but rather stay relaxed with your eyes closed for a couple of minutes and slowly reflect on how you are feeling. You should feel calmer than when you started your meditation process.

Practice this simple meditation process on a daily basis and you should notice positive changes occurring in both your daily life and within your precious sleeping patterns.

Find spas and more wellness related information at: http://healthspaguru.com
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About the Author:

Writer for Health Spa Guru: Spas at Health Spa Guru

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How to Live a Natural and Healthful Life

Today's world is chaotic and busy. But that doesn't mean we can't take the time to make our daily living as healthful as possible. Here are some small things you can do to have a more natural and balanced life, even on a tight schedule or budget.

1. Relax. Whether it's five minutes of deep breathing or making the time for a favorite hobby, relaxation is the most important step toward total wellness. We are not designed for prolonged, excessive stress. It compromises our immune systems, tampers with our emotional centers, and exacerbates our illnesses. Our bodies need down time. So, however you can manage it, it is imperative to take time for yourself and relax.

2. Eat well, and often. Give your body the best possible fuel for the best possible performance. Our moods, energy levels, and internal functions are dependent on a steady blood sugar level. 4-5 small daily meals provide this constancy, as opposed to three large, spaced-out meals. Also, a diet filled with a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins, is the most natural and satisfying diet for the human body.

3. Stay positive. An optimistic outlook can make all the difference in your physical and emotional well-being. Make a mental list every morning of all of the positive things in your life, including even the smallest points. Reflect on them throughout the day.

5. Stay close to nature. As human beings, connecting to nature makes us feel whole and satisfied. So plant a garden, find a favorite park, or take up hiking. The closer you feel to the natural world, the better you will identify with your own natural needs.

For more information on healthy living, visit http://www.healthyliving.asia.

For more information on all natural living, visit http://www.allnatural.asia.
...

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Emotional Health: Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

Just what is emotional health? How can I have good emotional health?

1. Take care of yourself.
Believe it or not taking care of your body also helps take care of your mental health. Watch your diet! Eating too much of one food, having too much caffeine or having too little protein can have a negative influence on your emotional health. Exercising your body also gives you a stronger, confident sense of self. The simple act of walking has been proven to be connected to your mental health. Get up and move!

Don't forget to sleep! Sleep is an integral part of mental health and may even be more important that what you eat. Not getting enough sleep can actually change your personality, so work on saving that time. Take 8 hours just for your sleep so you can approach the day with better emotional/mental health.

2. Develop good relationships with friends and family.
Feeling alone is worse than being alone when you know there are people out there who love you. Part of not feeling alone is taking it upon yourself to create and maintain good relationships with others. This is just one way in which you maintain a support system.

Having a support system is like having a wall with people standing on either side to keep it standing. Sometimes we want to be that to others, but we need to be able to allow others to be our support as well.

3. Follow the Doctor's orders!
It may be that you take some medication. If you take medication, don't stop taking it without asking the doctor for permission. Sometimes medicine has two purposes. Some Epilepsy medications may also act as a mood stabilizer, so going off of it may impair your mental and physical health.

Also, if you do not take the medicine you need, your health may become worse. If you are taking medicine to maintain your mental health, remember that it works because you are feeling OK and it is not that you don't need the medicine.

4. Set Goals
When you look towards the future, what do you see yourself doing in the near one year down the road. How about 5 years, 10 years? Setting a goal gives you something to work towards, it allows you to see what can be if you want it bad enough!

5. Do something for others! Do something for you!
Many times you will hear, you need to take 5 minutes and do something just for you. Try doing for others instead. Unselfish acts of caring and generosity can provide you with an emotional charge that will "kick start" you through the week.

If you seem to be spending a lot of time doing for others and still have a high stress level, try doing something for just you. If doing something for you means you need to take a nap, have some alone time, take a vacation, these actions for you are important. They are opportunities to recharge your batteries and prepare for the next adventure in life.
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About the Author:
Visit the site of author Mark D. Houston - Drug and Alcohol Recovery for more information.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Emotional Health: Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

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Cooperating In Our Health Care

Funny thing pain, if you’ve never had a severe pain then the suggestion of taking simple analgesia and resting the affected area all seems quite reasonable. I was reminded of this when I read recently of a doctor’s advice to someone who was suffering from sciatica. Having personally experienced sciatica, it’s a condition I would not recommend to anyone who wishes to walk, sit, laugh, sleep, or to just simply pull up your trousers. It’s a bit like a dentist drilling your teeth without an anaesthetic, but it affects your whole leg. In other words the pain is consuming, exhausting and without respite. Clinical studies do show that in the majority of cases the pain will eventually subside and surgery may not be necessary, but in the meantime the patient has to deal with the pain or deal with the medication required to dull the pain. Remember, pain-killers are not selective to the area affected. They affect the whole of the nervous system and elsewhere so there may be significant side-effects from these medications.

Dealing with severe pain can be a complex issue, but I suggest that you have to treat this sort of pain fairly aggressively as acute severe pain is relatively easier to treat than chronic severe pain. In the early stages of an injury or insult to an area of the body, most of the pathological processes are happening at the site of the injury or insult. Throughout time the brain begins to modulate this pain and so no only do you have the injured area to deal with, but you also have complex neural pathways within the brain to deal with as well. This often means a far more complex management plan and a far more protracted recovery time. Specialists are very skilled at dealing with these issues but they do rely heavily on the stories their patients give them. That means being honest in answering their questions and not being heroic with a grin and bear it grimace! Often the use of a pain scale is helpful with zero being no pain at all and a 10 being the worse pain you have ever experienced.

Another health issue we commonly down play is influenza. Over the years I have frequently heard people say that they would not have the flu vaccine because either they never get the flu or that they had it last week for a couple of days and then it was all over! Influenza is a serious debilitating disease that will usually last from 10 days to two weeks and often leave you flat on your back exhausted. It’s not a happy 10 days either as patients do not have the energy to read a magazine or even watch a DVD. You will literally feel ancient with every movement being a real challenge and that doesn’t include the aching all over or the fevers and sleepless nights. The influenza virus is also extremely contagious and most people are unaware that if you spread it to someone who is more frail than yourself that you may actually be putting their life at risk.

With the ‘flu the big challenge is to vaccinate as many people in the community as possible, including children, those employed and unemployed, the elderly and the infirm, to reduce the chance of an epidemic occurring. Recent research has also showed that vaccinating pregnant women in the last trimester of their pregnancy will help protect their new born infants born during the ‘flu season.

Medicine has evolved over the last 40 years, but the change has been fairly slow with doctors by nature being very cautious and conservative people. But we can’t leave the doctors to take all the initiatives. As patients we need to be good listeners in our approach to health by heeding all the great health messages that keep being given to us about vaccinations, smoking, alcohol, exercise and healthy eating. We also need to be good communicators and tell our doctors how we are feeling with conditions such as pain. If the team treating you doesn’t have the best information then it may be that you will not end up getting the best treatment!

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Tips For Walking For Health

Everyone knows that exercise is essential for good health. Our bodies require both physical and mental exercise to maintain good health. There are many ways to exercise, but only a few low stress ways to exercise.

A low physical stress activity that is easily available to all is walking. A brisk 30 minute walk on a daily basis will improve our blood circulation as well as our lung function. Walking also burns calories and helps us to maintain an optimum weight. Walking is usually not harsh on the body's joints or any other body parts.

When walking, try to exercise in an area with relatively clean air and try to avoid hard pavement when possible. Grass or dirt is preferable to concrete or asphalt.

The idea is to walk fast enough for one's heartbeat to achieve between 50% and 75% of the maximum. When first starting a walking exercise program it is best to establish a goal of 50% of one's maximum heartbeat and then gradually work up to 75% .

It is easy to determine the maximum heartbeat for a healthy person. It is 220 minus your age. A healthy 30 year-old person's maximum heartbeat would be 220-30 = 190. In this example, of a 30 year-old person just starting a walking for health program, the goal is to maintain a heartbeat of 50% of maximum or 95 beats per minute.

To check your heartbeat, stop momentarily and place two fingers on your carotid artery located on your neck on either side of the center (Adams apple). You then simply count the beats for 10 seconds and multiply by six. If the heartbeat is too fast, it would be prudent to slow down a bit or if it is too slow then one should increase their walking pace.

The idea with any walking for health program is to start slowly and then gradually increase the pace or duration of the walk. The positive health benefits of a walking program, in addition to the obvious improvements in heart and lung health, are that one will sleep more restfully and be able to more effectively engage in activities that require concentration. The benefits of walking for better health are well documented and it is an activity that can be done individually or with family and friends. Have fun and achieve better health!

Tips For Making Walking More Enjoyable

Walk with friends. Find an exercise buddy that will go walking with you. This allows you to talk and enjoy good company while you are walking.

Listen to music. Find some great music to listen to while you walk, and put it on your MP3 player or portable CD player.

Find scenic walking trails. You likely have some parks or trails near you that would offer you great scenery while you walk. Walking alongside a river or stream can be particularly enjoyable.

Walk your pet. If you have a dog, take he or she for walks with you when you go for a walk. You can enjoy a bit of companionship and play with your dog while you walk.

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Emotional Health: Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

Just what is emotional health? How can I have good emotional health?

1. Take care of yourself.
Believe it or not taking care of your body also helps take care of your mental health. Watch your diet! Eating too much of one food, having too much caffeine or having too little protein can have a negative influence on your emotional health. Exercising your body also gives you a stronger, confident sense of self. The simple act of walking has been proven to be connected to your mental health. Get up and move!

Don't forget to sleep! Sleep is an integral part of mental health and may even be more important that what you eat. Not getting enough sleep can actually change your personality, so work on saving that time. Take 8 hours just for your sleep so you can approach the day with better emotional/mental health..............

About the Author:
Visit the site of author Mark D. Houston - Drug and Alcohol Recovery for more information.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Emotional Health: Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

2. Develop good relationships with friends and family.
Feeling alone is worse than being alone when you know there are people out there who love you. Part of not feeling alone is taking it upon yourself to create and maintain good relationships with others. This is just one way in which you maintain a support system.

Having a support system is like having a wall with people standing on either side to keep it standing. Sometimes we want to be that to others, but we need to be able to allow others to be our support as well.

3. Follow the Doctor's orders!
It may be that you take some medication. If you take medication, don't stop taking it without asking the doctor for permission. Sometimes medicine has two purposes. Some Epilepsy medications may also act as a mood stabilizer, so going off of it may impair your mental and physical health.

Also, if you do not take the medicine you need, your health may become worse. If you are taking medicine to maintain your mental health, remember that it works because you are feeling OK and it is not that you don't need the medicine.

4. Set Goals
When you look towards the future, what do you see yourself doing in the near one year down the road. How about 5 years, 10 years? Setting a goal gives you something to work towards, it allows you to see what can be if you want it bad enough!

5. Do something for others! Do something for you!
Many times you will hear, you need to take 5 minutes and do something just for you. Try doing for others instead. Unselfish acts of caring and generosity can provide you with an emotional charge that will "kick start" you through the week.

If you seem to be spending a lot of time doing for others and still have a high stress level, try doing something for just you. If doing something for you means you need to take a nap, have some alone time, take a vacation, these actions for you are important. They are opportunities to recharge your batteries and prepare for the next adventure in life.

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The Yoga Way to Health and Well Being

Yoga is not a recent practice. It is a practice which through time, has developed and increased in significance and appeal worldwide. The rationale behind the appeal is greatly to do with the physical and psychological benefits experienced when integrating yoga into one's daily schedule. Yoga can be viewed as a breath of fresh air in this fast paced lifestyle that we live in.

The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language and means “to integrate”. Yoga promotes a harmonious working together of the body's components leading to both physical and mental training. Despite the fact that there are numerous forms of yoga; Hatha Yoga is still presently seen as one of the more commonly practiced yoga styles. Hatha Yoga consists of non strenuous physical exercise which aids in strengthening, stretching and balancing the body's joints. Regular breathing is performed at the same time which aids in providing oxygen to the muscles, and in turn positively affects bodily structures and organs. The awareness required during yoga practice, ensures that mind and body have to work together to create a mind-body harmony which in turn promotes healing.

Yoga will not be a quick fix for all your aches, worries and pains. However, with regular yoga practice your body will rebalance slowly and steadily, leaving you discovering the results for yourself. Physical benefits which you can anticipate are improved efficiency of the lungs, better use of your respiratory muscles, improved flexibility of the joints, improved coordination and muscle tone, maintenance of bone density, reduced risk of injury as well as the prevention of weight gain. Psychological benefits can also include an increase in self-confidence, decreased cravings for tobacco and food, better sleep, an increased ability to relax, improved concentration as well as a reduced likelihood of depression. Yoga differentiates itself from other exercises as it draws on the entire person as a whole.

Half an hour of yoga a day, or 15 minutes of yoga twice a day, can easily be incorporated into any daily schedule. Some breathing techniques can even be practiced while working or driving home after a long day. A short routine for those of you spending hours staring at a computer screen is to take a few moments every day to glance at a distant object. This allows your eyes a moments rest from glare and a change of focus. Look left and right, up and down at least 5 times, blink at least 8 times to moisten your eyes and if it is at all possible, rest your elbows on a comfortable surface and close your eyes whilst covering them with the palm of your hands. If you can incorporate this with or without some breathing exercises, you will already be on the way to a healthier and possibly more focused lifestyle.

Baby steps everyone...no one expects you to transform overnight.

Find spas and more wellness related information at: http://healthspaguru.com

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - The Yoga Way to Health and Well Being

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