World of Health

We all know that we should eat healthier and make wise food choices. We’ve been told the importance of eating a diet that has plenty of lean protein, is moderate in carbohydrates, is low in fat and cholesterol yet also includes the right fats. That is a lot of information to keep straight and sometimes we just want to reach for the first tasty thing we see regardless of whether or not it is good for our bodies. The good news is certain foods are not just tasty but actually quite indulgent and are full of health benefits.

Oysters might bring to mind holidays near the sea or special romantic occasions. Oysters are known for their aphrodisiac effect because they are rich in amino acids that can increase levels of sex hormones. Their high zinc content can also contribute to the production of testosterone but oysters can improve more than just your sex life. Oysters are rich in iron, calcium and vitamin A. Eating oysters can improve vision.

Oysters are low in fat, cholesterol and calories yet high in protein. Eating a diet that is high in protein helps a lot of people control their appetites helping them to control their weight. In addition, the protein in oysters is high in tyrosine, an amino acid that helps the brain handle stress and regulate mood. With so many benefits, it sounds like your doctor should write you a prescription for oysters but that won’t be necessary. Oysters are a wonderful addition to gourmet gift baskets and a delectable treat to share with your special someone.

Salmon is another delicious food that perfect for gourmet hampers or or a special occasion and also has many health benefits. Salmon is also a great source of protein and although it is higher in fat than other types of fish, the Omega-3 fatty acids are an important part of a healthy diet. Omega 3 fatty acids help the brain function properly and help combat depression bipolar disorders. Getting enough omega 3 fatty acids also helps protect against heart attack and strokes and reduces the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancer. Eating salmon is a delightful way to get a healthy dose of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Eating right can be quite enjoyable and your body will thank you.

When Marianne Talbot’s mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Marianne found it impossible to put her mum into a care home. Instead Marianne cared for her mum in her own home for five years, whilst chronicling her experiences in a blog for three of those years.

The blog has now been published into a book called ‘Keeping Mum’. Heartwarmingly funny, frank and at times emotionally tearing, this book is a record of what it is like to care for a beloved parent whose mind is fragmenting. It is written for anyone, anywhere, who has anything to do with dementia or with caring.

The book is released on 11 April 2011 and also includes some great tips on daily living, managing others’ finances and the social care system.

You can buy it here or clicking on image below.

For more info  visit: http://www.keepingmum.org.uk.

According to John Appleby, a professor and leading economist, the public’s satisfaction with the NHS has reached record highs he said writing on the BMJ website saying almost 2/3 of the people were either quite or very satisfied with the services of the NHS. With the public opinion at a high, some are questioning why the government is reorganizing the NHS.

The professor quoted from data from the British Social Attitudes Survey that shows that satisfaction is much higher than in 2001 when it was 39% and the highest since the survey started in 1983. Appleby of the King’s Fund think tank with the additional satisfaction by people, the NHS had to have done something right and some of that has to be because of the large rise in funding since 2000.

As part of healthcare reforms in England much of the NHS budget will be handed to GPs and satisfaction in the survey of GPs was also at a high of over 80% just under its peak of the 1990s. The Department of Health said they are happy and welcome the satisfaction by the public and said that the reforms will help empower the GPs and not the Bureaucrats.

The NHS needs to modernize now if it is to be sustained on the future was added as a called to halt the overhaul of the NHS came from the British Medical Association.

The Association stressing that you have to question as to why the government wants to embark on a costly and radical reorganization after these survey results have come out and taking into consideration the financial stress the NHS is under.

Appleby concluded that as the governments reforms are taking shape and the funding for NHS is squeezed Future British Social Attitudes surveys will reveal how satisfied the pubic is with the NHS and its services.

If you don’t suffer from a mental illness yourself, the chances are that you will know someone who does. This indicates just how many people now suffer from mental health issues. So why is it still something that the majority of us are reluctant to talk about? A nationwide campaign called ‘It’s Time to Talk, it’s time to change’ is being launched in May by the ‘Time for Change’ anti discrimination programme.

Their aim is to remove the stigma and to talk to sufferers without making them feel inferior. That may sound harsh, but many do feel inferior, and isolated, and different. Having a mental illness affects every single aspect of their lives. Families often find it difficult to accept that one of them has a mental illness. Friends may be awkward around them and be stuck for words, resulting in the sufferer feeling even worse.

Imagine what it’s like for them going for jobs. If they are happy to talk about their mental illness and aren’t ashamed of it, the chances are they won’t get the job. Many of these illnesses can be controlled by medication in the same way that Asthma is controlled by an inhaler or a nebuliser. There are no prizes for guessing between the asthmatic and the mental health sufferer who would get the job.

The stigma must be removed, and that is why so many celebrities are backing the campaign. Everybody thinks they are fine about mental illness, until they come into contact with it. Many sufferers report that before they succumbed to it, they didn’t realise how strangely people would react to it. They wished they had made the effort to accept it as part of society, as they now felt isolated and ashamed.

Nobody should ever feel ashamed of suffering from an illness over which they have no control, but those with mental health issues do. This is due to the attitude of everyone around them, and their reluctance to really talk to the sufferer and try to understand. These are the same person they have always been; they just now have an illness. Would they treat a Diabetic like this?

We all need to support this campaign and make the effort. If you know someone with a mental illness talk to them, listen to what they have to say.  Learn what you can about the various types of mental illness and what the sufferers are going through. Above all don’t make them feel like outcasts, embrace them and accept them. The difference you can make to their lives by doing this is phenomenal.

In our never ending quest for physical perfection, the kinds of cosmetic procedures that were once only favoured by the rich and famous are now being sought by all. Nose job, boob lifts, tummy tucks, facelifts, they are all now terms we are familiar with, and the majority of us will know at least one person who has had some kind of procedure done .

Inevitably, as the popularity for these procedures scored, so did the costs. The saying goes that as one door closes another one opens, and in this case as the cost of surgery in the western countries meant that a large debt was inevitable, the door to the East opened and Thailand has become a cosmetic surgery hotspot for those seeking to regain their youth or just feel better about themselves.

Clinics have sprung up in all the major cities of Thailand, with qualified professionals at the helm. As with everything else in Thailand, the cost of the procedures there, are a world apart. For example, in the US you are looking at nearly $8000 for a full tummy tuck, at Clinics in Bangkok and Phuket they are around $3000, and this includes accommodation.

With cheap flights also available, and the fact that you are going to be recuperating in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, it is no wonder that more and more foreigners are combining a trip to Thailand with a cosmetic procedure. There are some things that a covering of make-up won’t hide, and whilst some may call it vanity, why shouldn’t we do what we can to preserve our looks for as long as possible?

There are those who, for no apparent reason, age quicker than others. For a woman in her 40’s to look 10 years older is both disparaging and shatters her self-confidence. By taking a trip to Thailand and paying little more than you would for an ordinary holiday, you can erase those extra years and more.

If you are seriously considering cosmetic surgery but prices are way beyond your means, check out the clinics in Thailand. Input the phrase cosmetic surgery Thailand into a search engine to do your research, and make a few none obligatory enquiries to see what packages are available for the kind of surgery you require. Surgery is daunting enough without feeling you have also been mugged in the process.

We moan about the cost of a pint being around £4 these days, but the true cost of alcohol is much greater. We forget about the cost to society, which is estimated at a staggering £25 billion every year, made up of the cost to the health service, violence at home and on the streets, plus alcohol-related accidents.

Good news is on the horizon, the Government is about to act, with its new deal for alcohol responsibility, however, a number of key organisations and individuals are not satisfied with it. The British Medical Association (BMA) and other medical organisations have not felt themselves able to sign up to the deal.

The World Health Organisation said that any action taken on alcohol should fall into three areas – the promotion, availability and affordability of alcohol, which is a view supported by other health organisations, including the BMA. A more connected approach is called for. The BMA feels that the Government is not going far enough with its reforms, in particular that the limit for drink-driving should be lowered and the police allowed to do breath-testing randomly at the roadside.

Other organisations have a key role to play – retailers that sell alcohol and the drinks industry, for instance. Action must be taken to limit alcohol availability by changing licensing laws to reduce the number of places that are able to sell it. Public health and the prevention of street crime should be the prime considerations. Legislation must also consider the impact of price, i.e. the availability of cheap alcohol.

Better labelling also has a role to play. Most people have no real idea of the harmful effects of alcohol and improved labelling that includes the number of units in the container, the legal safe number and warnings about exceeding the limit should be prominently on display. Education and better research also can feature.

The BMA also says that the healthcare sector must be better-prepared to deal with the effects of alcohol, including cutting down waiting times and improving specialist services. Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, is making the right noises, saying that it is up to all Ministers and not just him to take action, but this needs to be backed up with firm action, legislation. We need to follow the example of France, which has taken action and the industry has not suffered as a result.

One yoga instructor who is helping her students to ‘listen to their own bodies’ as she puts it, is Linda Consalvo.  She says that people have a pre-conceived idea of what they believe yoga is and they don’t think that they can do it because they believe it to involve positions such as standing on their head. Today however, it is Linda who is taking Stacy Rinz’s yoga therapy class to help her own back pain.

Yoga is a non-aggressive form of exercise, that can help strengthen core muscles and is excellent for many people who suffer from back pain.  Linda explained that ‘I began having back problems 25 years ago after herniating a disk in my back.  I received chiropractic care for many years and did ok with this, then ruptured a disc and was back in excruciating pain’.  She then went on to explain how yoga saved her, and that she’s even got back to her active lifestyle doing cardio and working out with weights.

Dr Sara Rizk is a firm believer in the use of non-aggressive exercise such as Tai Chi and Yoga to work on the back and strengthen core muscles.  Core muscles are the muscle groups that stabilise the spine and pelvis.  And when you strengthen them, these muscles take the pressure off your spine reducing the pain.  Research has shown that strengthening these core muscles is one of the best treatments for back pain.  It also helps posture, balance and alignment, as well as helping with relaxation because it helps to alleviate stress too.

Dr Rizk believes so strongly in the use of Yoga and Tai Chi that she even writes her patients’ prescriptions for them, and has classes for them at her place of work.  She explains that by monitoring patients they can see who is benefiting from these forms of exercise, and who would be better served by waiting until they have healed more first.  She explains that patients are monitored to make sure that they do not deteriorate and are actually getting better.

Tai Chi and Yoga are widely available in many locations around the country, but before you attend a class, and especially if you suffer from back pain for any reason, you should make sure firstly that your instructor is fully trained and knows what they are doing.  Secondly you should seek consultation with your doctor before you take the class to make sure that it is appropriate for you to be undertaking this form of exercise at this time.

In addition to trying Tai Chi or Yoga you could try the Dynaspine Back Support, which was created specifically to help keep the back muscles active as we lead sedentary lifestyles.  The back support plates on Dynaspine are built on a special spring mechanism that allows the plates to provide the back with support throughout changes in posture such as whilst driving, at the office or even whilst eating lunch!

According to reports, research has shown that putting cigarettes and other tobacco products into plain packaging makes them less attractive to the young.  ASH has been campaigning for this move for years, and their argument is strengthened by the results of their recent polls. These indicate that 80& of people who took the poll supported plain packaging, and anything that made smoking seem less glamorous to the young had their support. Whether plain packaging will actually deter youngsters from buying cigarettes remain to be seen, but the chief executive of ASH, Debbie Arnott, certainly seems to think so.

She said that although ASH had been disappointed by the delay in proceeding, they were extremely pleased that the Governement was refusing to ‘cave in’ to the tobacco industry who were lobbying to keep tobacco displayed and packaged as it now. This plan of action was actually part of a strategy that the last government put into place. She added that the Governement were finally getting across to health and wellbeing councils that tackling smoking was top priority, and they were standing firm.

If, and when, these planned proposals go ahead, Britain will be the first country in Europe to sell tobacco products in plain packaging. It remains to be seen whether or not it will have the desired effect, and discourage youngsters from starting to smoke. Although it has widespread public support, we shall eventually find out whether it affects the ones it is specifically targeted at.

How do you fancy a free health assessment done completely online? You can now do just that, thanks to Bupa International.

They have added a new section based on health to their website, and it is in this section you will find the assessments. There are more than 50 fact sheets available to view and a whole series of health themed pages including videos and articles giving full explanations into all kinds of medical issues.

The online health assessments have been designed to be user friendly and easily allow people to find the answers quickly to any health related questions.

These new  health assessments will firstly ask a series of questions to determine the risk factors of their lifestyle. Once the assessment is finished, the user will get a report based on the answers they have given and tips on how to improve their lifestyle, if need be. It takes less that 10 minutes to complete the assessment, and could end up saving your life.
The health assessments on the site include maternity, diet, stress, fitness, heart disease risk and breast cancer risk.

First time users are asked to register so that Bupa can get some very basic personal information, which is important for the quality of the assessments. This also means that returning users won’t have to enter the same information again the next time they visit. First time users will have to register an email address and a chosen password, which is a different login from the one currently used by Bupa International Members for Membersworld.

On the main ‘Health Information’ page users can find links to Bupa’s A-Z list of factsheets and the health theme pages. All the content has been written by Bupa’s medical team and reviewed by doctors or clinical professionals.

Research into the biggest killer in Britain has uncovered a landmark answers to heart disease and its link to a few rogue genes and choices in lifestyle. These 18 genes have been detected, in three studies that have included hundreds of scientists worldwide, to increase the risk of cardiac problems from hardening of arteries to heart attacks.

Preventing heart disease, blamed for over 12% of death worldwide, now can be better treated and even possibly prevented, possibly lowering the over 90,000 deaths annually in the UK, costing the economy over 9 billion pounds and killing a Briton every six minutes.

Researchers are saying that heart disease could be eliminated within 50 years with the discovery of these genes that increasing the number of known genes that can cause heart disease by 50%. What many of the genes do to effect the heart is still unknown but ones that are include; blood pressure, cholesterol and other processes of the heart.

Scientists are pleased knowing that causes of the disease are yet to be found and drugs to fight against the genes can one day be found and the result will be much improvement to health. With the identification of many genes, this has become a landmark result since most of the genes operate using mechanisms unknown to us now and the job now is to understand how they work and develop new drugs to fight them and also identify the people most benefit by their use.

In three studies the 18 genes were discovered by some 300 scientists from all over the world including Britons analyzing over 200,000 people. Narrowing of the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to genetic links was focused on by the scientists. The narrowing is caused by fatty deposits that build up raised the percentages of many illnesses ranging from heart attacks, to heart failure angina and irregular heartbeats and drugs that were made to stop vessels from clogging would reduce profoundly the risk of having a heart attack.

It is thought that in under a decade the first new drugs could be available in the market said Oxford University Professor Hugh Watkins, that co-led the studies.