Fitness And Health Home

December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

Hair Loss can be caused under different situations. There is not just one single cause for hair loss but many that may be causing you to lose your hair. Some hair loss is genetic, but other hair loss can be caused by things such as stress, medication, illness, hormonal issues, or even environmental causes. Hair loss is also not confined to the male gender. Men and women can both experience hair loss. Just as there are many types of hair loss patterns and many reasons for hair loss, there are also many hair loss treatments. It is important to understand why you are losing your hair so that you can better investigate your hair loss treatment options.

Looking For A Personalized Hair Loss Treatment

As each of us are unique individuals, the reason for you losing your hair is unique to you. That is why some hair loss treatments work better for some individuals than they do for others. Before experimenting with every hair loss treatment on the market, take the time to investigate the reasons why you are losing your hair. The first thing you should do when considering hair loss treatments, is see your doctor and let him determine if you are losing your hair due to a health reason such as a vitamin deficiency. He can also determine if any of the medications you are taking have been known to contribute to hair loss.

When your doctor has ruled out health problems, then you should take a look at your family history and learn what patterns of baldness may have occurred. The type of balding pattern your hair follows can make a difference in the hair loss treatments that you choose.

Inexpensive Hair Loss Treatments

FLuckily, there are many great hair loss products on the market and most can be purchased without a prescription. If you are suffering from hair loss and you have ruled out health causes you might consider trying one of the following remedies.

- Rogaine can be purchased in local drug stores and shows promise in the increase of hair growth.

- -Propecia works to lower the production of DHT in your body. It has shown promise in helping men and women alike to slow the loss of hair as well as grow new hair. Please note that It is dangerous to take when pregnant, so if a woman is thinking about having a baby, she should avoid this drug.

- There are also several great hair loss shampoos on the market that help to thicken your existing hair. Most of these remedies are quite inexpensive and as a result much more affordable alternatives to expensive procedures such as plugs or implants.

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December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

Cholesterol is an essential substance to maintain your body working. This might come as a surprise, as all the literature out there seems to indicate that cholesterol is bad. There are two types of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol, which are better known as bad cholesterol. To ensure that you do not have bad cholesterol you need to have a test and to have the test you need to know how to prepare for a cholesterol blood test. 

Cholesterol testing can help conclude whether you have an sufficient level of good cholesterol, too much bad cholesterol, the total amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream, and the presence of triglyceride levels that can cause blockages in the arteries. Cholesterol testing is a simple blood test and will help you get a better picture of your state of health, and what you can do to be healthier.  

Who Should Have A Cholesterol Test? 

Cholesterol testing should be carried out every five years. You don’t have to be middle aged to take a cholesterol test. In fact it’s advisable to take one as soon as you reach the age of twenty. Waiting until your forties may be too late. The sooner you have a clear idea about your risks for heart disease the better. 

How To Prepare For A Cholesterol Blood Test  

To prepare for cholesterol blood test you should fast for fourteen hours before the test. This means no food or drink, with the exception of water, before you take the test. You should not drink alcohol for forty-eight hours before the test as well. Although the test can be carried out without a fast you can only use the results for total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels. It’s advisable that you do abstain from food so that you get a more accurate picture. 

The Procedure 

The next step on preparing for a cholesterol blood test is going to a hospital or to your doctors surgery where the  required  blood sample will be drawn the same way any other blood test is carried out. The actual procedure only takes a few minutes and doesn’t hurt much. You may feel minor discomfort when the needle used to draw blood is inserted into your vein.  

After the blood test you can start eating again as you would normally do. If you were asked to stop taking any medications then your doctor will advice you when you can resume taking said medication. After the test your doctor will send the blood sample for analysis and determine the likelihood that you might develop heart disease.  

Other factors such as family history, age, lifestyle and prior heart attacks will be taken into account when determining your risk of developing heart disease. If you do have less than desirable cholesterol levels then your doctor can advise you on the next step.

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December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

Is it really true that there are now very advanced hearing aids that can solve virtually any hearing problem? Well, that’s what most people say because those with the worst kinds of hearing problems have got some kind of relief or another. But unless you have a hearing trouble that has resisted all sort of hearing aids out there, who are you to question?

If you are curious about the primary components of hearing aids are, they are-- microphone, amplifier and receiver. The main function of the micro in the device is to serve as the one that captures or receives the sound waves. The amplifier, on the other hand, makes the sounds that are captured by the microphone louder. And lastly, the receiver serves the function of a speaker that converts the sound waves to electronic waves.

I understand the situation when those people with hearing problems refuse to believe that hearing aids can help them. You see, many of them have spent a long time and resources trying to solve their hearing problems, to no avail. Some of them have even used several types of hearing aids without success. If you are one of such people I want to assure you that the latest hearing aids today work far better than those in the past because of the advancement in technology.

Many people are now shifting from the use of analog hearing aids to the more advanced digital hearing aids. I don't blame them because the difference is very clear. Digital hearing aids not only perform better than analog hearing aids, but are far more convenient to use than analog hearing aids.

The hearing aids that most people are familiar with these days are the conventional hearing analog hearing aids. These types of hearing aids usually contain the exact same type of traditional telephone electronic circuitry.

If your kids have hearing aids, on of the better types of them they use are the bone conduction hearing aids. These are perfectively suited for children.

Note that it’s not every hearing problem that would demand wearing hearing aids. It’s the duty of the audiologist to examine your ear to determine whether you need to use hearing aids or not. Lots of people make the error of believing they need to use hearing aids because they are getting hearing loss. This is not right.

If you are considering you can not buy the costly types of hearing aids, do not be to concern about it. There are less expensive hearing aids that work very well, no matter how critical the hearing problem is. Such less expensive hearing aids include the disposable hearing aids. The shelf life of such disposable hearing aids is usually less than 40 days.

To find more information and tips about Hearing Aids, see Jon Ferriss site.

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December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

Do you know that you can burn 100 calories or more by adding something extra into your workout within spending more time? With 100 calories extra, in 35 sessions, you will be losing an extra one-pound of body fat on top of the total body fat that you will lose from your normal weight loss exercise routine.

This question became very popular because there are so many people out there that are hitting the weight loss plateau. They are exercising hard but yet they are not losing any more weight. This is very frustrating and sometimes can be very demoralizing. But you do not have to sweat it now, I will reveal to you the techniques that I teach my subscribers on how to burn more body fat during your workout.

Step one. Please get out of the fancy machine and hit the free weights and cables. There are many things that these machines cannot offer. Although they are highly engineered and are of latest technologies, they still do not train your muscle on balancing and coordination. The movement path is fixed and all you have to do is push. But with free weights, you need to balance the weights, focus on coordination, and focus on the power and speed of individual arm and also the movement path. This will burn more calories. Not only that, the muscle is worked more intensely. This will require more calories from the body for muscle recovery.

Step two, add in lunges into other exercises. Most of the time, people think that lunges is used only to work the butt, quads and hamstrings. But not many people know that lunges can be integrated into other exercises to make the exercise more complex and intense. A good example is dumbbell shoulder press with lunge. This exercise works the shoulders, the triceps, the core and the entire lower body. Rather than just sitting down on the bench and pressing the weights upwards, why not add in the lunges.

To perform this exercise, start by standing up with your feet side by side. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing forward. And with one fluid movement, step out your right leg and drop vertically downwards until your left knee almost touches the floor. Press the dumbbells all the way up as you lower the left knee. Then step back to original position and repeat with your left leg.

There are many other exercise that you can add lunges to. You can add lunges to your dumbbell bicep curls, to your oblique twist with fitball and many more.

Step 3. Add squats into your other exercise. This is a similar concept of the lunges. By adding leg movements into your upper body movements, you almost double up your calorie burn. This is because the more muscle you exercise, the more calories you burn.

An interesting way you can add squats into your exercise is doing squats with your cable rows. First, stand up straight with the bar in your hands. Take a step back so that the weight stack is up. Then, instead of just bringing the bar to your stomach, squat down first, hold the position then bring the bar to your stomach. Return to the original position by extending your arms fully and the stand back up.

Step 4. You can also add in unrelated exercises in between sets. This means that instead of just resting one minute between a set of pull downs, why not do a set of crunches or a set of triceps press downs. This sort of supersets really can increase the intensity of the exercise and your heart rate.

You can also do chest exercises superset with abs, shoulder exercises superset with leg exercise. To take it another level higher, superset the weight training sets with a 2-minute high intensity cardio like uphill running or the Stairmaster.

Step 5. Stick to large muscle groups and do only compound exercises. Large muscle groups like legs, back, chest and shoulders burns a lot if calories during a session of weight training. This because the size of these muscle groups are far larger than biceps and triceps. Use compound exercises to hammer these muscle groups. Compound exercises like squats, dead lift, chin-ups, barbell bench press and barbell shoulder press utilizes a lot of calories because lots of muscles are being worked at one time.

Use these tips to burn more calories in your workout session. We all could use additional helpful information to help us get our dream body faster.

Tony Leong reveals his 5 secrets to losing weight in his Weight Loss system. He is giving it away for free for a limited time only. Go to http://www.tonyleongweightloss.com/topweightlosssecrets to download it now. Click here to get your free stuff

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December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

Think of it this way, would you feel good if you have to kiss your date who has stinky breath? I should think not. Fresh breath is essential if you are going on a date. If you have bad breath or halitosis, you should clean your mouth out before going on that next blind date.

Maintaining the kissable freshness of breath is not always easy, especially if you are predisposed to halitosis. Some people are actually more prone to getting bad breath than others, particularly those who don’t practice regular dental hygiene. Failure to brush or floss consistently is the number one cause of bad breath in individuals all over the country.

This is when even flossing and brushing won't help you much. If you are taking drugs for certain internal illnesses like diabetes or liver disorders, your breath will ultimately turn foul. Smokers and habitual drinkers have this same high probability of developing bad breath.

These illnesses and unhealthy habits are not the causes of bad breath directly. What happens is because of these habits and disorders, oral bacteria thrive in the mouth and the back of the throat. These are the ones who produce the offensive smell that is pretty much like that of rotten eggs.

When you go out on a date, do whatever you need to have good smellying breath throughout your romantic dinner. Therefore, it is crucial that you seek treatment for your bad breath as soon as you notice it. But what if you don’t know that you do have bad breath? Hopefully, at least one of your friends will step up and warn you, because surely, they will notice it before you do. You will probably agree that telling your friend that they have bad breath is not as easy as telling them that their shirt's on backwards or that their fly's open.

Because of this difficulty, there’s a very real possibility that no one will tell you the truth and you’ll excitedly head out to meet your date. When your date mysteriously makes an excuse not to kiss you or worse, takes off before you even finish dinner, you’ll just be left wondering if you did or said anything wrong. Do you know that you are likely to be left alone due to your sinky breath.

When you get home, you dejectedly replay the date in your mind, trying to figure out why your companion left, when things looked so promising at the start of the evening. In the face of such mysterious circumstances, you should definitely consider the possibility that you might actually have bad breath.

It’s time to find out the truth once and for all. Very simply, this is what you have to do. Cup one of your hands, hold it in front of your mouth and exhale. After 3 seconds, smell your hand. Bad eggs? There you have it. You weren’t a lousy date after all. You just have bad breath.

Before you get mad at your friends for not telling you this right away, remember that it’s really not a very simple task. If you reverse the situation and you know that your friend has bad breath, can you really just say straight out, “your breath stinks“? Perhaps, if you’re that close. But in most situations, letting your friend know the smelly truth will take some amount of planning and waiting for the appropriate moment.

The best way of doing it would be the direct method, which as mentioned, will only work if you have the kind of closeness and familiarity that can tolerate such candor. If you try doing that to someone you've just met, you can forget having a relationship with them after that. The embarrassment and awkwardness will just be too much to handle. To avoid upsetting your friend or making them feel uncomfortable, tell it to them privately and in as a nice manner as humanly possible.

If your type of relationship with them allows it, you can say it in a lighthearted way but let them know that you’re serious. However, don’t give them the impression that you’re judging them for it. You can even turn it into a private joke between the two of you eventually. Afterwards, you can even help them in seeking treatment for their bad breath. If you find a way to let them know the truth in a nice way, it can even make for a stronger friendship.

There’s no question that having bad breath can certainly dissuade some people from nurturing a close friendship with you. It will be harder as well to find and keep dates if you don’t remedy the situation quickly enough. For 90% of the time, brushing and flossing on a regular basis would do. Others may require more intensive solutions. At any rate, it is always good if you’re surrounded with honest and candid friends who can warn you whenever your breath starts to stink again.

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December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

There are many different methods that you can use for meditation.

Each method has approximately the same end result. Merely a different route to get to that result. Much the same as you can probably change your route to work - you’ll reach your destination, maybe faster or slower, but you’ll still reach your destination. Examine these simple methods of meditation. Then decide on one method to try out.

Walking meditation

This is a very simple way to meditate. Of course, you’ll be aware of what’s close by and what is going on around you. The joy of using walking meditation is that you can do it pretty much anywhere. Also there’s no necessity for anyone else to know that you’re meditating, which can be a plus point when you’re beginning. When you carry out a walking meditation, you will pay attention to your feelings and what’s around you. If you have a regular walk that’s around 15 to 20 minutes, that’s great. And if you can keep away from the distraction of traffic noise, even better, although if you’re in a large city that may be easier said than done. If there’s a local park, choose that. Or you may find that there’s a local river or canal you can use. Then take yourself for a gentle stroll. Make sure that you notice the noises and smells. And, naturally, start to notice and pay attention to the things you see. It’s possible that you will notice the vibrant colors that have always been present around you.

Breathing meditation

Breathing meditations can be as simple or they can get as difficult as you want. at its simplest, just find a quiet place where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Begin to take deeper breaths than normal. Make each in-breath long, slow and deep. If you feel comfortable, hold in your breath for a short while before releasing it. After that, breathe slowly out. Repeat the process several times - start with 5 or so repetitions and build up to more. This is a simple meditation that can be performed almost any place {and will leave your body more relaxed} and looking forward to the remainder of the day.

Binaural beats meditation

Binaural beat meditations operate by playing two slightly different tones - one for each ear. The beats are often covered up by things like new age music, nature sounds, and so on. When your brain receives the two tones, each slightly different, it goes into a state of meditation. The exact state will depend on the frequency of the binaural beats. So long as you know that the science going on in the background “works”, you don’t need to think much more about this. It’s fantastically simple and is the method I use personally to drop into a very deep meditative state just by listening to an MP3 file for 30 or 60 minutes.

Cosmic meditation

This has become popular in the UK as broadcaster Noel Edmonds attributes his recent come-back to the process. It’s also similar to the “Law of Attraction”, which in turn was made popular by “The Secret”. Cosmic meditation involves reaching a meditative state and then sending a request to the universe (or cosmos) to send something into your life. You put the intention out to the cosmos and then - a lot more often than you’d think - you receive your intention back into your life. Cosmic meditation is normally performed with a guided meditation. It is also known as Cosmic Ordering.

Guided meditation

Your guided meditation can be “live” or it can be stored on an MP3 or CD. There are lots of pre-recorded guided meditations available on the internet and places like Amazon. They cover all sorts of topics from general relaxation through to healing and contacting your higher self. Guided meditations typically last between 20 and 60 minutes. It will normally begin with a relaxation period to help you get the best from your meditation session and it will then go on to whatever subject you’ve decided for this particular meditation. So if you’ve chosen a guided meditation to help heal your body, you’ll maybe be guided to fill your body with a bright white light or maybe some healing sand (which then drains out of your body, cleaning your body as it leaves). Every guided meditation is different - find someone who’s voice is good for you to listen to and follow them!

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December 5th, 2008 by FitGuy

Cholesterol, what is it and why is this a problem?

High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. About 17% of adult Americans have high blood cholesterol (240 mg/dL or more total cholesterol).

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in your body. In fact, it is needed for the body to function normally. Your body makes enough cholesterol for its needs. When there is too much cholesterol in your body, it is deposited in arteries, including those of the heart, which can lead to narrowing of the arteries and to heart disease.

High blood cholesterol does not produce symptoms, so many people may not know that their blood cholesterol is too high. However, blood cholesterol can be easily checked and can be controlled. Also, there are things that you can do to help keep your blood cholesterol levels in the normal range.

About High Blood Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in your body. It is needed for the body to function normally and is found in all cells of the body. Your body makes enough cholesterol for its needs.

Cholesterol is carried in the blood in particles called lipoproteins. These particles are made up of cholesterol on the inside and protein on the outside. There are two kinds of lipoproteins:

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL): These are the major type of lipoprotein that carries cholesterol in the bloodstream to the body. These are the type that can lead to a buildup of cholesterol in the arteries and lead to heart disease.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL): These particles carry cholesterol back to the liver to remove it from the body. Higher levels of HDL are considered good.

An excess of either total or LDL cholesterol in the blood is a risk for heart disease and atherosclerosis. People can have an excess of cholesterol because of diet and because of the rate at which cholesterol is processed in the body. Most of the excess cholesterol comes from diet. Cholesterol can build up on the artery walls of your body. This buildup is called plaque. Over time, plaque can cause the arteries to become narrow, which is called atherosclerosis. As a result, less oxygen–rich blood can pass through. When the arteries that carry blood to the heart are affected, coronary artery disease can result. A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery becomes completely blocked. A coronary artery can become blocked either by plaque buildup or by a plaque that ruptures or bursts which causes a clot. Angina can also develop because of plaque buildup. Angina happens when the heart does not receive enough oxygen–rich blood.

High blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms, so many people may not know that their cholesterol level is too high. Simple blood tests can be done to check your total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels and other types of fats in the blood (such as triglycerides). If it is found that your cholesterol is high, your doctor may prescribe various treatments depending on your risk for developing heart disease. These include lifestyle changes such as diet, weight control, and physical activity. Certain drugs can also be prescribed to manage your cholesterol. Lifestyle changes are usually still recommended with medications. All people can do things to help keep cholesterol within the normal range.

To maintain healthy Cholesterol levels get some help Hypercet

Facts and Statistics about Cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease.

About 17% of adult Americans aged 20 years and older have high total cholesterol (240 mg/dL or above).

The average blood cholesterol level in adult Americans is about 203 mg/dL.

In 2004, there were 6.5 million visits to doctors’ offices that included a cholesterol test being done or ordered.2

Among African Americans, about 16.6% of women and 12.5% of men have high total cholesterol.

Among Mexican Americans, about 12.7% of women and 17.6% of men have high total cholesterol.

Among whites, 17.4% of women and 17.0% of men have high cholesterol.

The percentage of persons aged 20–74 years with high cholesterol dropped from 33% in 1960–1962 to 17% in 1999–2002. During that same time period, the average blood cholesterol levels in adults dropped from 222 mg/dL to 203 mg/dL.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that all adults have their cholesterol checked once every 5 years.

In 2005, 73% of adults reported that that they had their cholesterol checked within the previous 5 years, according to data from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Some 23% reported that they never had their cholesterol checked.

According to data from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2005), 75.7% of whites, 73.7% of African Americans, and 52% of Hispanics reported having had their cholesterol checked within the previous 5 years.

To maintain healthy Cholesterol levels get some help Hypercet

High Blood Cholesterol Prevention

High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. There are a number of things that can be done to maintain normal cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. All people at any age can take steps to keep normal cholesterol levels. People with high total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol, or low HDL cholesterol should talk with their doctor about the best way to control or improve their cholesterol.

What affects cholesterol levels?

A number of things can affect the cholesterol levels in your blood. These include the following:

Diet. Certain foods have types of fat that raise your cholesterol level. These types of fats include saturated fat, trans fatty acids or trans fats, and dietary cholesterol. Saturated fats come largely from animal fat in the diet, but also some vegetable oils such as palm oil. Trans fats are made when vegetable oil is hydrogenated to harden it. Research suggests that trans fatty acids can raise cholesterol levels. Dietary cholesterol is found in foods that come from animal sources such as egg yolks, meat, and dairy products.

Weight. Being overweight tends to increase LDL levels, lowers HDL levels, and increases total cholesterol level.

Physical Inactivity. Lack of regular physical activity can lead to weight gain, which could raise your LDL cholesterol level.

Heredity. High blood cholesterol can run in families. An inherited genetic condition results in very high LDL cholesterol levels. This condition is called familial hypercholesterolemia.

Age and Sex. As people get older, their LDL cholesterol levels tend to rise. Men tend to have lower HDL levels than women. Younger women tend to have lower LDL levels than men, but higher levels at older ages (after age 55 years).

What can you do?

Have your cholesterol checked. There are usually no signs or symptoms of high blood cholesterol, so it is important to have your blood cholesterol checked. A simple blood test can be done by your doctor to check your blood cholesterol level. A lipoprotein profile can be done to measure several different kinds of cholesterol as well as triglycerides (another kind of fat found in the blood).

Desirable or optimal levels for adults with or without existing heart disease are

Total cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL.

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (”bad” cholesterol): Less than 100 mg/dL.

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (”good” cholesterol): 40 mg/dL or higher.

Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL.

If a full lipoprotein panel is not done, you doctor may check your total and HDL cholesterol with a simpler blood test. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that healthy adults have their cholesterol levels checked once every 5 years.

Maintain a Healthy Diet. An overall healthy diet can help to maintain normal blood cholesterol levels. Saturated fat, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol tend to raise blood cholesterol levels. Other types of fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Getting enough soluble fiber in the diet can also help to lower cholesterol. For some people, a diet that has too many carbohydrates can lower HDL (the good cholesterol) and raise triglycerides. Alcohol can also raise triglycerides, and excessive alcohol use can lead to high blood pressure, another risk factor for heart disease and stroke. For more information on healthy diet and nutrition, see CDC’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Program Web site.

Maintain a Healthy Weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your bad cholesterol levels. Losing weight can help you lower your blood cholesterol levels. Healthy weight status in adults is usually assessed by using weight and height to compute a number called the “body mass index” (BMI). BMI is used because it relates to the amount of body fat for most people. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered to be obese. Overweight is a BMI between 25 and 29.9. Normal weight is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Proper diet and regular physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight. Other measures of excess body fat may include waist measurements or waist and hip measurements. If you know your weight and height, you can compute your BMI at the CDC’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Program Web site.

Be Active. Physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight and lower blood cholesterol levels. The Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate–level physical activities for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. For more information, see the CDC’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Program Web site.

No Tobacco. Smoking injures blood vessels and speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries. Further, smoking is a major risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Quitting smoking lowers one’s risk of heart attack and stroke. Your doctor can suggest programs to help you quit smoking. For more information about tobacco use and quitting, see CDC’s Tobacco Intervention and Prevention Source Web site.

Medications. If you are found to have high blood cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medications, in addition to lifestyle changes, to help bring it under control. The primary focus of treatment is to get LDL cholesterol under control. Your treatment plan and goal will depend on your LDL level and your level of risk for heart disease and stroke. Your risk for heart disease and stroke will be based on whether you also have other risk factors and may include your blood pressure level or high blood pressure treatment, smoking status, age, HDL level, family history of early heart disease, and existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes. People with existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes are considered high risk. You can compute your 10-year risk for heart disease by using the 10-year risk calculator of the National Cholesterol Education Program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Web site.*

Several types of medicines help to lower cholesterol:

Statin drugs lower LDL cholesterol by slowing down the production of cholesterol and by increasing the liver’s ability to remove the LDL–cholesterol already in the blood.

Bile acid sequestrants help to lower LDL cholesterol by binding with cholesterol-containing bile acids in the intestines, and are then eliminated in the stool.

Niacin, or nicotinic acid, is a B vitamin that can improve all lipoproteins. Nicotinic acid lowers total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while raising HDL-cholesterol levels. Because the levels needed are well above recommended dietary intake levels, niacin treatment for cholesterol should only be done only under medical supervision because of possible adverse side effects.

Fibrates are used mainly to lower triglycerides and, to a lesser extent, to increase HDL levels.

All drugs may have adverse side effects, so their use needs to be checked by your doctor on a usual basis. Once your blood cholesterol level is controlled, your doctor will want to monitor it. The lifestyle changes that your doctor recommends are just as important as taking your medicines as prescribed.

Genetic Factors. Genes can play a role in high blood cholesterol. Very high blood cholesterol levels can be related to a condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia. It is also possible that high blood cholesterol levels within a family are due to factors such as common diet.

To maintain healthy Cholesterol levels get some help Hypercet

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December 4th, 2008 by TotallyFit

No matter who you are every now and then you need to have a bit of a make over. When the time is right or if you have the money available, then why not look into the sort of clothing and products you would like. Winter is upon us so you could buy some fashionable clothes that will keep the cold out during the winter months or you may want to sort out your complexion and your teeth. With so many choices here are a few tips for a new look this winter.

When you are looking for a winter look then you ahould go for the simple combo of a jacket, hat and scarf. The main question is what sort of style to go for? If you are going for a streetwear or sporting look then you could go for Volcom Stone clothing. Volcom Snow coats are designed to keep the wearer warm in winter conditions while also providing other technical uses. These sort of coats go well with a wool beanie and Volcom have a great range to suit. If you want a more stylish look then you could go for a long wool jacket. These types of jacket go well with a scarf which compliments the colour and style of the jacket and these are often worn with a suit or tuxedo.

For those of you that are more concerned with your looks then you may be interested in some body care products. Teeth Whitening has become popular as the bad celebrity teeth are being made over. Laser teeth whitening solutions are now reasonably priced and easy to use. Not only this but white teeth tend to make you look younger and healthy. You may also want to look at other teeth whitening solutions like crest whitening strips and teeth whitening pens.

If you are more interested in keeping your teeth clean and free of plaque then you might be interested in an electric toothbrush. Oral B and Philips Sonicare toothbrushes are some of the best electric toothbrushes available today. There are a range of different priced brushes but all are proven to give cleaner teeth than regular brushing. They also have ranges of various brush heads that all have different angled bristles to clean those difficult to reach places between your teeth. They also recommend changing the brush heads every three months to stop reduction of effectiveness and to reduce the build up of germs on the brush head.

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December 4th, 2008 by TotallyFit

When trying to understand more about memory and how to improve memory, it pays to first consider what the nature of memory is and also its various functions, as too the ways and means in which it can be used in our daily lives. Memory is a process by which a human being or other living organism can store and retain as well as subsequently retrieve or recollect pieces of information, and, in addition, it also pays to understand the working of memory and learn its various classifications that themselves are based on type of information, duration and also the methods by which they are retrieved.

Recall From A Few Seconds Ago

Among the different forms of memory known to us, there is short term memory that is distinct from long term memory and also sensory memory. Short term memory is that type of memory that allows us to recall things from just a few seconds ago, or even from as long as a minute back, and it is also normal for short term memory to allow storage of just four or five objects, though this number may go up depending on what is known as ‘chunking’. Thus, with chunking, when you see a group of letters ordered in rows rather in scrambled form, it allows us to remember those groups of letters a lot longer than in the case of merely scrambled letters.

When estimating the duration of time that short term memory can hold information and how to remember better, it is necessary to understand that there could only are three to four elements such as words, letters or digits that can be stored, though it could even increase to as many as nine elements, which is in stark contrast to long term memory in which information is stored and recalled over years, and the amount of information recalled can also be almost unlimited.

In other words, it would not be wrong to describe short term memory as being the capacity for retaining in the mind which is in an active state a tiny amount of data or information that include things such as recently processed sensory contribution, information or items that were recently retrieved from long term memory and finally, they could be results of some mental processing that just took place, though this form of information may better by processed by working memory.

Furthermore, it has been found that all memories actually pass from short term memory to long term memory after the passage of a certain amount of time, though there is as yet no definite knowledge available as to how the mechanism that transfers information from short term memory to long term memory actually functions for improving memory. Thus, it is safe to say that any tiny piece of information that remains in your mind immediately after you first encountered such information, is stored in short term memory, and all others are either stored in working memory, or in long term memory, or even in sensory memory.

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December 4th, 2008 by FitGuy

A very interesting article appeared in todays Sunday Times. Basically the Newspaper is supporting the Woodland Trust and it’s planned new wood of 600,000 native trees which will cover 850 acres near St Albans in Hertfordshire.

Woodland therapy takes disturbed and troubled teenagers andintroduces them to nature. The gentleman who drives the project had this to say

“They ( the teenagers) arrive often angry and confused. The wood is an alien environment for them and they are completely out of their depths.Eventually it has an incredibly calming effect”.

The therapy has spread widely in America where it has been championed by Richard louv, author of

“Last child in the woods”…he also suggested the condition known as “nature deficit disorder” to describe the psychological problems which could be caused by children spending their lives cut off from the natural world.

So what do they do? Well in the UK at Hill Holt they help make environmentally friendly buildings as well as learning about woodland management techniques and the environmental importance of trees.

But it could just as well be any number of useful conservation projects. The basic underlying objective being to get them out of their normal environment into one where they will be mentally challenged but within a more natural world.

And who sponsors this? Well the Woodland Trust, a charity that helps to protect and manage Britain’s ancient treescape actively supports the scheme.

If you are thinking of venturing into the wilderness with ( or without) your children then the folks at Lakeland Bushcraft

have a wide range of equipment and tools to help you take advantage of your trip. Although they are based up in the Lake District in Cumbria they are more than happy to supply your requirements by mail order.

For example you could contact them to buy a Karrimor SF sack.

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