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Archive for October, 2007

Understanding herniated disc symptoms

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Have you ever experience weakness or numbness in the arm or leg.As you know one of the most common herniated disc symptoms is sharp, shooting pain that radiates down an arm or leg, often accompanied by neck or back pain.

The signs and symptoms of a herniated disc vary greatly depending on the position of the herniated disc and the size of the herniation. If the ruptured disc is not pressing on a nerve, you may experience a low backache or no pain at all. There may be pain, numbness, or weakness in the area of the body to which the nerve travels,if it is pressing on a nerve,. Typically,bulged discs symptoms are preceded by an episode of low back pain or a long history of intermittent episodes of low back pain.

If you are experiencing lower back pain…is it herniated disc symptoms or another type of lower back pain? The very first thing you should do is to try examine how the pain is distributed throughout your body. In order to be diagnosed correctly,your back pain symptoms should be carefully examined as back pain can sometimes be caused by a large number of conditions or injuries thus making a proper diagnosis both difficult and critical.

You can have symptoms of incontinence,motor weakness, or sensory changes if the herniation is very large . So,there can be different herniated disk symptoms depending on how large the disc is and where it is . But the majority of back pain sufferers have pain down the leg.

Herniated disk symptoms in the lower back are slightly different from symptoms in the cervical or thoracic parts of the spine. The spinal cord ends near the top lumbar vertebrae but the lumbar and sacral nerve roots continue through these spinal bones. A lumbar disc herniation may cause:

Lower back pain
Pain, weakness or tingling in the legs, buttocks and feet
Difficulty moving your lower back
Other bulged discs symptoms are problems with bowel, bladder or erectile function, in severe cases

Lumbar herniated disc symptoms
Lumbar spine (lower back)or sciatica frequently results from a lower back disc herniation. Pressure applied on one or several nerves that contribute to the sciatic nerve can cause pain, tingling,burning, and numbness that radiates from the buttock into the leg and sometimes into the foot. One side (left or right) is usually affected. This pain ,most of the time is described as sharp and electric shock-like. It can get more severe with walking,standing or sitting.
More on back pain relief

Here Is What Tanita Body Fat Analyzer Can Do For You

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

For individuals who would like to measure body fat in the privacy of their own home, the Tanita body fat analyzer is easy to use, and one of the first and best analyzers available for private use. An individual does not have to be technologically-savvy to use a Tanita body fat analyzer, and people can take measurements alone and in private if they are too uncomfortable or embarrassed to see a health care professional.

Many people – whether on a weight loss program or not – are unaware of the need for a body fat tester and do not know the difference between body fat testers and a conventional bathroom scale. A body fat tester differentiates between fat and weight composed of other body parts such as muscle and bone. A person’s measurement of the fat in their body is a more accurate indicator of health than a person’s total weight, because it is possible to be of normal weight and still have a dangerously high fat level.

Whether you are on a weight loss diet or not, knowing the percentage of fat within your body is important because you could be carrying an unhealthy amount of fat and not even think you weigh much. On the other hand, you could be overweight for your age and height, but your body fat levels might not be very harmful. Whichever the situation, the Tanita body fat analyzer can certainly come in handy for more precise numbers.

If you visit your doctor, you may have the opportunity of using a device that will accurately tell you your body fat percentage. More often than not, however, your doctor will simply use a set of body fat calipers to get a general idea of your body fat. In most cases the equipment larger medical facilities use for analysis of body fat is simply too expensive to utilize. Many of the facilities aren’t even equipped with the tools needed to measure your body fat.

The Tanita body fat analyzer equipment can bring the quality of the medical facilities right to your home at a fraction of the cost. Simply set up a Tanita body fat analyzer in your home and use it like a bathroom scale. You will first input some information, such as your height and your age range, and the machine will be ready to use immediately. Your reading will be precise and will provide you with the tools you need to start making improvements in your life.

Many people are enjoying the Tanita body fat analyzer because it is an affordable and easy way to get the type of medical care that many facilities simply do not offer because of the cost. Also, individuals avoid the embarrassment of discussing weight and having doctors use body calipers to measure fat, and they enjoy having the privacy to know body fat measurement in their own home. Pick up a Tanita body fat tester today and see what you’re missing!

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Symptoms of Chronic Heartburn

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Chronic heartburn is a problem that millions of people face each day. In fact, some people even begin dreading meals in fear of the chronic heartburn they may experience after they finish eating. Unfortunately, many of the people do not realize that chronic heartburn is not simply caused by the foods you eat. Heartburn occurs when stomach acid travels up into the esophagus and sometimes the windpipe. This happens most often when you lie down or bend over although, it can happen when you are sitting in an upright position or standing as well. Chronic heartburn can cause a lot of discomfort. It can make you feel like you are choking, cause chest pains and even wake you dramatically from a sound sleep.

Foods that make chronic heartburn worse include fatty foods, fried foods, chocolate and tomatoes. Beverages that can increase the symptoms include alcohol, caffeine and citrus juices. These foods and beverages can relax the esophageal sphincter muscles and increase the risk of the acid traveling back up the tube. Other things that can cause chronic heartburn symptoms is overeating and skipping meals. When you skip a meal you are more likely to overeat when you do have a meal. The more food you eat the more acid your stomach has to create and this puts you at a higher risk of suffering from heartburn. It is also best not to eat within a few hours of going to bed to help reduce these symptoms.

Other conditions that contribute to chronic heartburn include smoking tobacco, being overweight and wearing tight clothing. Anything that puts pressure on the abdomen, such as tight clothing, can press the contents in your stomach upward towards your esophagus. Being overweight puts a lot of pressure around the stomach area and losing a few pounds can greatly ease your symptoms. If you smoke and suffer from chronic heartburn it is advised that you quit or cut back as much as possible to relieve these symptoms. You can also try sleeping with your head elevated to relieve some of the pressure at night.

It is important that you learn what conditions trigger your chronic heartburn and that you take measures to avoid these things. Try the tips and suggestions above to see if you can get relief from this condition, but if the symptoms persist then you need to seek professional help. Do not leave chronic heartburn untreated because over time it can cause more serious problems to develop and do serious damage to your esophagus. The sooner you get it under control the better off you will be.

Sleep well and lose weight!

Friday, October 26th, 2007

One of the most common complaints that health professional now hear from their patient is that they are tired. Sleep deprivation is a growing and worrying trend in a nation that now averages 7 hours of sleep a day compared to the 8 hours back in the 50s. As a result of this, we do not perform our jobs as well as we could, and as a result, when job performance diminishes, so do production outputs. The economy as a whole then suffers the consequences.

But it is not just the economy that is a victim of our lack of sleep. Indeed, new evidence brought forward in recent research studies indicates that millions of chronically sleep-deprived Americans put their very own health at risk. There is a definite link between sleep and health on the one hand, bad sleep and disease on the other. High Blood pressure for example, a major factor in heart attack risks increases with lack of sleep. After all blood pressure and heart rate are at their lowest during sleep and so people who sleep less are more likely to see an increase in their hypertension. This link can also explain other findings putting lack of sleep with an increased risk of diabetes, weight gain and other problems.

Yes! Weight Gain! And if this correlation between weight and sleep surprises you, let me remind you that as the duration of our sleep has diminished over time, this trend has also coincided with an increase in obesity. In fact, recent research indicates that people who do sleep enough are more like to gain weight. There is simple and powerful evidence behind this to suggest that sleep deprivation causes a reduction in metabolism and at the same time an increase in appetite.

Indeed, inadequate sleep duration increases the levels of grehlin, a hormone responsible for making us hungry and decreases the levels of leptin, the hormone responsible for making us feel full! Sleep deprivation is also a factor in our choice of food making us crave for food that is high in carbohydrate and sugar. This is caused from the fact that sleep loss decreases insulin sensitivity increasing our risks of developing type 2 diabetes.

How about that then for all of us doing our best to achieve weight loss! It would seem that if you want to lose weight and lose fat, start by making sure you have a good night sleep!