Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Sarah Comeau on Unsplash Whether you wear contacts for medical reasons or just to make a fashion statement, it’s pretty common knowledge that regular care for your contacts is important. Germs and other forms of bacteria can do permanent damage to your eyes, and even …
Good dental hygiene, especially in today’s society, is very important. Scientists say the health of your teeth depends on a combination of your genetics and dental hygiene. What’s interesting, though, is that 60% of oral health factors depend on genetics, so just because you brush, …
Studies show that moderate consumption of alcohol may lower your risk of having a heart attack, getting an aneurysm in the aorta, or suffering other heart conditions.
In a recent study, researchers focused on drinking patterns and the risk of experiencing an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), or a “ballooning” of the heart’s main blood vessel that delivers blood to the trunk and lower body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this condition kills about 11,000 Americans each year and contributes to the death of 17,000 more. Men, especially those over the age of 60, are most likely to suffer AAA. For this particular heart health study, researchers used data from 52 countries to compare 12,000 cases of the subjects’ first heart attack, with 15,500 similar people who did not have a heart attack. Researchers concluded that a safe amount of alcohol that may help your heart is one drink for women and two for men every day.
New Study says 7 Alchohol Drinks a Week May Protect you from Heart Failure. Click here to read more!
Don’t be too quick to start drinking, though! Research is still being performed on what types of alcohol have the best heart-health benefits. What research has concluded is that health risks increase drastically when the level of alcohol consumption goes from “moderate” to “heavy”.
The good news is that most individuals can safely have small amounts of alcohol, remain healthy, and possibly improve their heart health while doing so. The American Heart Association supports these theories.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/evidence-moderate-drinking-heart-article-1.1852166
Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash If the safety factor of vaccines is something you’ve debated about in the past, here is your answer – vaccinations for children have been deemed 100% safe and totally recommended, according to a study that screened over 20,000 scientific …
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash New research shows that highly painful kidney stones seem to increase during the summer months. For those who haven’t suffered from kidney stones, this might not be a major concern, but they can develop very suddenly and at any …
Let’s face it – it’s normal to get a little stressed and overwhelmed sometimes. But overwhelming anxiety and constant worry can take a major toll on your body and mind. Anxiety currently affects roughly seven million people in the US. Those with diagnosed startle easily, have trouble focusing, sleeping and eating, and may suffer from sudden, debilitating panic attacks. Other symptoms of anxiety can include insomnia, fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, irritability, sweating, nausea, light-headedness, and more.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic mental illness characterized by excessive, long-lasting anxiety and worry about nonspecific life events, objects, and situations. GAD sufferers often feel afraid and constantly worry about health, money, family, and work but they have trouble identifying the specific fear as well as controlling their worry.
Meditation
The basics of the meditation, such as listening to your breath or paying close attention to specific parts of your body, are great for relieving anxiety. Meditation can be easily introduced into your daily routine – even just a few minutes of deep breathing can be very beneficial.
Yoga
Through stretching, relaxation exercises, and controlled breathing techniques, yoga can be a major tool to help relieve physical and mental stress. A study at the Boston University School of Medicine found that doing yoga can help regulate brain levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is responsible for your body and brain’s response to stress, worry, and anxiety.
How to Thrive (Not Just Survive!) With Stress By Nicole Crane, B.S., NTP
Exercise
On average, patients who exercised regularly reported a 20 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise. Jerry Hickey, R.Ph, Scientific Director at InVite Health reports, “Exercise has many-many benefits; helping to burn belly fat, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve glucose sensitivity. Exercise is also an excellent antidote for stress and anxiety; aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety by up to 50% according to research. Exercise also improves sleep disorders. This is important because adequate rest improves the ability to respond to stress properly. The correct amount of sleep each night for most healthy adults averages 7 to 8 hours.”
Natural Supplements
Omega-3 supplements such as fish oil can reduce anxiety symptoms long-term, if taken on a regular basis. Other supplements that help with anxiety include calcium, zinc and magnesium.
New Study: Fish Oil Capsules Help Major Depression
Eliminate Caffeine, Smoking, and Alcohol
Caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes can all over-stimulate your body, making your anxiety symptoms worse. All of these unhealthy lifestyle factors also affect your sleep, which is further linked to higher anxiety levels.
Jerry Hickey, R. Ph reports, “Decrease the amount of caffeine you consume; 2 cups of coffee doubles the amount of epinephrine (a stress hormone) your adrenal glands release. Epinephrine is a “fight or flight” hormone, and it plays a central role in the short-term reaction to stress. It is released from the adrenal glands when danger threatens or in an emergency, or if you are stressed out. When secreted into the bloodstream, epinephrine rapidly prepares the body for action in emergency situations. The hormone boosts the supply of oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles, while suppressing other non-emergency bodily processes such as digestion of food. Epinephrine increases your heart rate, dilates your pupils, and constricts the small blood vessels in the skin and gastrointestinal tract while dilating those in muscle improving the supply of blood and energy to muscle. Epinephrine elevates your blood sugar level. Like some other stress hormones, epinephrine has a suppressive effect on your immune system increasing your risk of upper respiratory tract infection (usually a flu or cold infection).”