LivingHealthyBlog.com

As our bodies age, our metabolism tends to slow as our activity levels reduce and it is not uncommon to get a bit of a tummy. Stomach acid and saliva production are reduced making it more difficult for the body to process food. As a result, we are less able to obtain the nutrition from the foods we eat. In particular, we can easily become deficient in vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid. As well, many enzymes and coenzymes that are essential building blocks of the body or digestive aids, are produced in far fewer numbers or in some cases are not produced at all. This can all sound a bit too scary, but don’t worry. There are some simple steps you can follow to keep you healthy and your body functioning at optimal level.

You know that it is essential to eat a healthy and balanced breakfast but it is easy to forget to look after yourself the way you have looked after others. A light healthy breakfast including fresh fruit, whole grain cereal such as oatmeal, toast and juice (or a cup of tea or coffee) can give you a healthy and enjoyable start to the day.

For a mid-morning snack, enjoy more fruit perhaps alongside some cheese. If you want to get creative you can create a kebab made of strawberries, cheese and grapes. As you get older, your digestion will thank you if you eat smaller meals more frequently. This not only increases metabolism and helps the absorption of nutrition, it also evens out blood sugar and stops you from getting hungry.

A good, healthy lunch can include salads, healthy wraps, or soups. However, it might be a good idea to avoid creamy soups since milk products can cause flatulence as we age. The reason for this is likely to be because of a reduction in the production of lactase as we age so we are less able to digest milk sugar. Undigested lactose can cause diarrhea as well as flatulence. When cheese is aged more than sixty days, it contains very little lactose, so you may be able to tolerate it and obtain needed calcium if you otherwise cannot consume dairy products.

As you age, if you begin to show signs of food allergies that you never had before, they may not be food allergies at all. If your body is not able to properly digest certain foods, the symptoms can mimic those of some allergies. For example, gluten intolerance can cause real health problems that can often go undetected unless a physician asks the right questions. Wheat and many grain products contain gluten.

To make sure your body is supplied with all the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to properly function, it is important to take a good quality daily supplement. Many companies sell combination of vitamins and minerals designed specifically for older people. Capsules are more easily absorbed than tablets. You can also purchase enzymes and coenzymes. CoQ10 is a coenzyme that is usually made by the human body and has been found to benefit people with damaged hearts, the onset of Alzheimer’s or taking cholesterol lowering medication.

As you get older, try to keep your intake of processed sugar to a minimum. This means sugar in tea or coffee, cakes, cookies, and sweets. Satisfy your craving for sweets with fruit and you will be rewarded with good health and improved fitness. If you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, you will have more energy and feel a great deal better. Exercise can be as simple as going for a walk or having a swim.

More than anything, it is important to be positive, happy and enjoy life. Maintain an active life and stay interested in people and life in general. By simply changing your approach to healthy diet, you can develop a new outlook to life. You can learn new healthier recipes, create interesting healthy menus and begin to enjoy food in a different way. baby boomers changed the way youth was viewed and experienced. Are you ready to change the future of aging with great nutrition?

It’s amazing when you think about it. 10% of us suffer from night time teeth grinding, but it is a medical condition that we hear almost nothing about. Can you think of any other medical condition that is suffered by so many that you never hear about?

So what is it?

The condition of night time teeth grinding (also known as Bruxism) is where the upper and lower teeth are subconsciously ground together. It usually happens during sleep, although some sufferers notice themselves grinding during the day.

Because it is subconscious behavior, a lot of sufferers are unaware they are doing it until problems resulting from the behavior arises.

As stated earlier night time teeth grinding occurs in about 10% of adults. It occurs in about 50% of children, but fortunately for most children it is a ordinary part of growing up and not something to be worried about.

What problems can it cause?

There are numerous difficulties it can cause ranging from headaches, arthritis of the TMJ (part of the jaw) and severe tooth damage.

What causes it?

There are a number of things that can cause the problem. Stress, alcohol or drug abuse can be causes. It can also be inherited or linked to sleep disorders along with other factors.

What treatments options are there?

Treatment options include wearing a mouth guard, taking medication, hypnosis, Botox, counseling and making lifestyle changes. Muscle relaxant may also help.

The thing to remember is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Everybody should select a treatment that is right for them individually.

What should I do if you think you have a problem?

Like most things, you really need to get more information. A visit to your health care professional (such as your dentist or a doctor) is a good idea. If you want to find out more right now then click here to find out more about night time teeth grinding.

laser hair removal side effects are uncommon, but prospective clients should be aware of them. Following is a brief discussion about various laser hair removal side effects, their prevention and treatment.

Scarring of the Surface of the Skin
Laser scarring has been the most feared side effect of laser hair removal but thanks to the new technology of Q switched and pulsed lasers, the incidence of scarring is now minimal.

Post Operative Crusting
10% of clients treated for laser hair reduction with long-pulsed ruby and alexandrite lasers may suffer from crusting. This is often as a result of repeatedly over treating an area with laser. For these clients, appropriate postoperative care is highly recommended in order to avoid further problems.

Wound Infection
Wound infection is uncommon after laser treatment. If by chance any wounds can be seen on the skin after laser hair reduction, infection can be controlled with antibiotic and anti viral materials.

Tattoo Darkening
If there are tattoos in the area being treated, bear in mind that darkening may happen and discuss this with your medical professional before undergoing laser treatment.

Injury to Eye
Laser eye safety is extremely important during any treatment involving lasers. To safeguard yourself from any damage to your eyes, wavelength-specific laser safety eye protection must be used by both operators and clients.

Hyper Pigmentation
Regardless of the type of laser used, there may be hyper pigmentation of skin after applying lasers. In this reaction the skin is darkened as a result of increased pigment deposition. Usually darker skin has a greater chance to suffer from this. On the plus side is that it can be easily treated with the use of bleaching materials and is only temporary.

Lightening of the Skin
Lightening of the skin, or hypo pigmentation, can happen, mainly in darker skin types and where there are multiple exposures to laser treatment. It normally is only temporary; permanent hypo pigmentation is hardly ever seen. This problem is mostly experienced with use of alexandrite, Q-switched ruby and Nd:YAG lasers.

Reddening of the Skin
The skin may be briefly reddened after significant laser exposure. It is one of the minor laser hair removal side effects. Efficient cooling and the use of proper exposure time during the treatment minimizes this problem.

Blistering of the Surface of the Skin
With the introduction of new and efficient cooling devices, blistering has been mostly eliminated as a laser hair removal side effect. Tissue cooling can be carried out through a contact chill tip or freezing spray to safeguard the skin. These measures serve to safeguard the skin from getting too hot.

Conclusion
Assuming that you pick a professional laser hair removal clinic, then in the hands of a fully trained medical professional with all the necessary safety precautions you are unlikely to experience any of the above laser hair removal side effects.

Ingrid Preube
laser hair removal treatment

There is an overwhelming number of individuals who are over weight and their desire and motivation behind wanting to lose the excess weight varies from person to person. Although it may be fabulous to fit back into your jeans from fifteen years ago or to get back to your pre pregnancy weight, we should all be aware of the health implications of carrying the extra pounds.

The instances of health issues associated with being overweight or obese are on the rise. We hear over and over again that being overweight is unhealthy but many of us do not heed the warnings until have already developed some health issues. Of all the areas on our bodies that fat manages to stick to and accumulate the abdominal area is the most dangerous.

Most of us are only aware of the layer of fat that sits directly under the skin of our bellies hiding our fabulous six pack that we know is under there somewhere, this layer of fat is known as subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous meaning under the skin. Another layer which is far more dangerous is the visceral layer of fat which is the fat that is internal and surrounding our organs. Part of this visceral fat includes the organ introduced to many by Dr. Oz on the Oprah show. The visual he gave was very effective in demonstrating what many of us are carrying around inside our bodies.

The medical profession has known for decades that those individuals who have the “apple” shape (top heavy) are at much greater risk then the “pears” (bottom heavy) among us. There is of course the fact that when we are packing extra weight our hearts have to work that much harder but there is definitely more to the equation.

The visceral fat that we carry around is has a direct correlation between the development of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, heart attacks, sleep apnea, various cancers, and high cholesterol just to name a few. Although the precise details are not completely understood it is widely agreed that visceral fat is the most dangerous fat in the body because it functions as an active organ and is capable of releasing hormones and chemicals some which are harmful to the body and/or surrounding organs.

To get an idea of whether or not you are carrying around a large amount of harmful visceral fat you simply need to measure your waist. The generally accepted determinant is that your “ideal” waist size should be no more than half your height. Therefore if you are 5’6” that would be 66 inches making your “ideal” waist size no more than 33 inches. When you are measuring the most agreed upon position is at the level of your belly button and make sure that your tape measure is level.

No great surprise here, the best way to lose the fat is through a healthy balanced diet and exercise. There is really no way around this fact. Diet pills do not work. Exercise contraptions and equipment that states that “targets” the abdominal area may indeed work out your abdominal muscles but they will not help in removing the fat in just that area, that is not how weight loss works. Fat accumulates all over your body and it comes off the same way, generally the areas that you put weight on first will be the last to come off.