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Having Low Cholesterol Can Ward Off Prostate Cancer

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

According to a recent report put out by MSNBC.com new studies show that many men may be able to lower their risk of acquiring the most aggressive form of prostate cancer if they keep their cholesterol levels in a healthy range.

The report states that men whose cholesterol was under 200 had less than half the risk of developing high-grade prostate tumors compared to men with high cholesterol. This information comes from about 6,000 men who participated in a federal cancer prevention study.

While having high cholesterol is typically a consequence of aging, young people are not in the clear either. Luckily there are preventive measures that anyone can do to help lower their cholesterol levels.

In fact, with simple lifestyle modifications — and, if necessary, drug therapy — people often see significant reductions in cholesterol within six weeks.

There are four basic ways to help maintain a healthy cholesterol level:

1. Eat a Healthy Diet- One of the first things to do when trying to lower cholesterol is to take in less saturated fat and eat more smart fats. Try substituting canola oil or olive oil for vegetable oil, butter, margarine and substitute meat for fish. Fruits and vegetables, including whole grains, are good sources of heart-healthy antioxidants but also cholesterol-lowering dietary fiber.

2. Exercise- In addition to lowering LDL or bad cholesterol, regular physical activity can raise HDL or good cholesterol by up to 10%. Even more benefits can be acquired with moderate exercise. Try getting a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. And try to at least fit in a regimen of brisk walking at least five days a week.

3. Quit Smoking- Smoking lowers levels of HDL or good cholesterol and is a major risk factor for heart disease. So if you haven’t already, try to stop this unhealthy habit.

4. Consider Medication- According to WebMD lifestyle modifications are important, but the benefits of medication, when appropriate, should also be considered. Several types of cholesterol-lowering medication are available, including niacin, bile acid resins, and fibrates. But statins are the treatment of choice for most individuals and can lower LDL cholesterol by 20% to 50%.

Some people will need to implement only one of these, while others may require a combination of these tips to help regulate their cholesterol.

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Back to School: Planning Healthy Lunches for Your Child

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Your child’s healthy lunch doesn’t begin at noon when they join their friends at the cafeteria and sit down to enjoy their meal. Instead, a healthy lunch begins with the trip to the grocery store to purchase the best foods to create a nutritious and well-balanced lunch.

Supermarkets are filled with nutritious choices nowadays and by enlisting the help of your child when shopping for their lunch foods, he or she can learn how to make the best choices as they grow up and create meals of their own. Be sure to check out the following areas of your supermarket and your child’s lunch will not only be filled with great tasting foods, but it will also create a healthy lunch.

• The Produce Section: The produce section is always a good place to start when it comes to a healthy lunch. Choosing fruits and vegetables that your child enjoys and even some they may have never tried is a great idea and is always a good place to find those important vitamins and minerals that every child needs.

• The Drink Aisle: While many children would love to enjoy a sugary soft drink with their lunch, a better option is a 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, low-fat milk, water or lightly sweetened tea instead. Be a label reader and avoid juices with high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and artificial flavors.

• The Bakery Section: According to Nutrition.about.com, sandwiches are a popular choice for school lunches but instead of white bread try whole grain bread, wraps or pitas. If your child resists whole grain breads, use bread that is made with whole grain but still has the flavor and texture of white bread.

• The Dairy Section: The dairy section is also an area where you can find some great foods. Try low-fat dairy options, like cottage cheese, string cheese and yogurt.

• The Snack Food Aisle: Many parents would avoid this aisle completely, but there are still some great lunch items that can be found in the snack food aisle. Be on the lookout for baked and not fried snacks, avoid Tran’s fats, choose whole-wheat over non-whole grain snacks, and grab some all natural granola bars that offer whole grains, nuts and pieces of fruit all in one snack.

Here are some other ideas for healthy snacks that you can easily send your child to school with:

• Send a salad in a small plastic container. Keep the dressing on the side in a separate smaller container.
• Cheese sticks go well with sandwiches and are a good source of calcium.
• Whole grain snack crackers add a nice crunch and lots of healthy fiber.
• Make a fruit salad with grapes, melons chunks, and blueberries.
• Dried fruit, like raisins, dried cranberries or banana chips
• Nuts like almonds, cashews, or walnuts
• Pack a cold pasta salad, cole slaw, or potato salad.
• Baby carrots with a small container of vegetable dip
• Crunchy raw green beans with a small container of ranch or French onion dip
• Prepackaged, flavored low-fat yogurt

Just by paying some attention to the labels and what is going into your child’s lunch each day; your child will have the nutrition and energy necessary to get through his or her day, the healthy way.

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Back to School and Back to Sleep: How to Get Your Child Back on a School Sleeping Schedule

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

As parents and their children enjoy their last few weeks of summer, school is looming right around the corner. Now is the time to get back into a school sleeping schedule, after having such a lax sleeping schedule over the summer months. According to the Federal Citizen Information Center, adequate sleep will boost your child’s energy and enthusiasm and can also help your child learn more easily and may reduce behavioral problems. Children between the ages of 6 and 9 require at least 10 hours of sleep per night and older children require at least 9 hours.

Here are a few ways to get your child in the school sleeping schedule:

• Create a regular bed time and make sure you and your child stick to it.
• Make sure your child avoids eating a heavy meal before their bed time.
• Make sure your child avoids caffeine at least 6 hours before their bed time.
• Allow for play and relaxation time before their bed time. However, make sure this a calm and relaxing time, meaning no TV or video games
• Set up a bedtime routine possibly including a bath, a snack, or a bedtime story. According to healthcentral.com, laying out the next day’s wardrobe could also be a part of the routine.

It’s also helpful to realize that each child’s approach to sleep is different. Some take extra time to fall asleep, while others may wake more during the night. After a little trial and error you should be able to successfully find the sleep routine that best suits your child and family.

All of these pieces of advice will help to make the transition to a school sleeping schedule a smooth one for you and your child.

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Straight from the Headlines…New Cancer Warnings for Tanning Beds

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

For years and years, experts have been warning us of the dangers of using tanning beds, but it seemed that many people still chose to ignore those warnings … that is until recently.

In a report published in the May 2010 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, people who use tanning beds to keep that year-round glow are dramatically increasing their risk for developing melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers.

According to health.msn.com, a new study shows that the more you tan and the longer you tan, the more the risk increases. Researchers found that the risk of melanoma was 74 percent higher in persons who tanned indoors than in persons who did not. In addition, they also found that people who tanned indoors a lot (a total of at least 50 hours of tanning bed exposure, or more than 100 sessions, or at least 10 years of regular tanning bed use) were 2.5 to 3 times more likely to develop melanoma than people who had never tanned indoors.

In the study among 1,167 people with melanoma, almost two-thirds (63 percent) had used tanning beds and among those who used tanning beds, the risk for developing melanoma rose 74 percent.

Lead researcher DeAnn Lazovich, an associate professor at the division of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota was amazed at how consistent the results of the tests were and noted that the danger is particularly acute amongst young women who seem to have a penchant for indoor tanning.

“Indoor tanning is an underappreciated problem, especially among young women. More young women tan indoors than smoke cigarettes, and melanoma is the second most common cancer diagnosed in young women,” she said. “And there is evidence that the incidence of melanoma is increasing in young women. It’s time to pay a little more attention to this as a risk factor that is avoidable.”

In March, international cancer experts reported that the ultraviolet radiation from tanning beds is now among the top cancer risks – ranking as high and lethal as arsenic, cigarettes and mustard gas. As a result, an advisory panel to the U.S Food and Drug Administration recommended that the agency add bolder warning labels to tanning beds, change how they are regulated by the FDA and require parental consent for users aged 18 and under

Since the study has been announced, a number of tanning salons have noticed a decline in memberships and many young people have decided to forego using tanning beds on a regular basis.

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Back to School 101: Ten Back to School Health Tips

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

It’s already that time of year again when your children will be heading back to school. While it may be a time of relief for parents, it can also be a time of stress when you are dealing with all of the illnesses and germs that children are susceptible to at school.

So, how can you help keep your child healthy throughout the school year? Follow these tips to keep your child in school and out of the doctor’s office:

1. Remind your child of the importance of washing their hands, not only before lunch and after using the rest room, but also when they get home from school.

2. Remind your child to keep their fingers and hands out of their mouth. So many germs are spread this way and infections could ensue.

3. According to an article found at AssociatedContent.com, make sure you child is up to date on all shots. Review your child’s shot records as there are several immunizations that are elective that a parent should look into getting for their child. One such elective is the Hepatitis A vaccination.

4. Make sure your child gets a physical before the school year starts. This will help to target any health problems prior to the start of the school year.

5. Give your child a daily vitamin. This will help them to build their immune systems and fight infections better.

6. Remind your child not to drink from other children’s cups or use their utensils.

7. Instruct your child not to use other people’s combs/brushes. While sharing is a great concept to be taught, children should not use their friends’ combs or brushes as this can cause the spread of head lice.

8. Do not send your child to school with a fever. Even if your child is feeling fine, a fever is an indicator that their immune system is trying to fight something off and they are at their most contagious when running a fever. This puts all children and adults around your child at risk.

9. Make sure that your child gets 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is important to keeping your child healthy.

10. Make sure to feed your child a nutritious and balanced diet each day. Getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals in their diet will also aid in building their immune systems and will lead to an overall healthier child.

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Backpack Safety: Take a Load off Your Child’s Back with the Right Backpack

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

It’s almost that time of year again….back to school! As the new school year approaches, parents and students shopping for back to school supplies are urged to keep backpack safety in mind.

As a child I remember lugging a backpack full of books as well as my cello six blocks to and from school (up-hill both ways of course) without even realizing that this type of weight and stress could have resulted in back-related injuries spanning my entire life.

According to health.msn.com, each year about 6,000 children in the United States experience back-pack related injuries.

At the start of the school year last year, the popular magazine Consumer Reports sent a survey team to a number of schools to find out how much weight kids were lifting … in their backpacks. Parents were shocked to learn that of the students surveyed, the average weight hauled by second-graders was 5.3 pounds, fourth-graders carried 4.6 pounds and sixth-graders averaged a whopping 18.4 pounds.

To help alleviate some of the back pain and stress on your child, health.msn.com suggests that instead of going the “cheap route” or choosing a backpack by the character on it, parents should instead keep the following factors in mind when choosing a backpack:

• Choose a lightweight backpack that doesn’t add too much to your child’s load. The pack should have two wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back that will improve comfort and protect your child from being poked by the sharp points and edges of pencils, pens, rulers and other objects they need to carry.

• Shoulder straps anchors should be about 1- to 2- inches below the top of the shoulder and the bottom of the backpack should go along the curve of the lower back. The backpack itself should not fall more than 4 inches below the waist.

• Check for good stitching that is able to hold a decent amount of weight.

• Select the proper size backpack for your child. It should cover no more than three-quarters of the length of your child’s back.

• Load backpacks carefully. The maximum weight of a loaded pack should not be more than 15 percent of a child’s body weight. Place the heaviest books closest to the back as they require the most body support. If a child has to lean forward to carry a pack, it’s too heavy.

• Have your child wear the pack correctly. He or she should use both shoulder straps. Carrying a backpack on one shoulder puts too much strain on one side of the upper body. The straps should be snug, but not too tight. If a backpack has a waist strap, use it to help better support the load.

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Spruce Up Your Exercise Routine: What to Get and What to Ditch for a Switch in Your Regimen

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Now is the perfect time to change up some of those old worn-out items and routines that you have been stuck with for so long in exchange for a spruced up exercise routine. Changing things up not only keeps them fresh for you (which in turn helps you stick to them) but also benefits your body.

This is a handy list of “what to ditch” to make the exercise switch:

Get rid of that cheap pedometer- Instead buy a good $20 one that counts accurate steps; cheaper pedometers are highly inaccurate.

Ditch the old running shoes- Instead opt for a new pair and keep track of how much “mileage” you get out of them. Typically if you run/walk 10 miles per week then shoes can last for 12 months (15 miles – 8 months, 20 miles – 6 months, 30 miles – 4 months).

Throw out the old cotton workout t-shirt- Instead invest in some shirts that are made of wicking fabrics. Wicking fabrics (like synthetics) do a better job of keeping you drier and cooler when you are exercising.

Get an exercise ball- According to fitnessmagazine.com, exercise balls are good for developing balance and stability while making it easier to target specific trouble spots. It may be hard to not roll off at first, but once you get the hang of it there are a number of exercises that you can do on a fitness ball including pushups, squats and sit-ups.

Toss the lightweight dumbbells- Instead try heavier dumbbells that are more challenging in your workout. Making small changes and gradual increases in weight may not seem like a big deal but will make a difference in the effectiveness of your workouts.

Try a resistance band- Work out your chest, biceps, triceps, abs, and shoulders better by using resistance bands. With their varying levels of resistance and their extreme versatility, resistance bands are suited to most fitness programs and people of most ages. They add resistance and challenge to a normal fitness routine.

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Great Summertime Fruits: Get Them While they Last!

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Summer is a great season to partake in the numerous delicious seasonal fruits. Not only do these summertime fruits taste great, but they also give you many nutritional benefits. According to MSNBC, electrolytes and water are readily available in foods such as fresh fruits. Summer offers a wider selection of yummy and juicy fruits than any other season making it super easy to get your daily helping of fresh produce.

Some fruits to enjoy before the season ends include:

Berries- Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries and more are high in fiber and vitamin C. In addition, the phytochemicals in blueberries, strawberries and blackberries all boost immunity, and protect against heart diseases and circulatory problems. Cherries are another summer ripe fruit that contain these wholesome nutrients as well.

Peaches and plums- Full of vitamin C and beta carotene, peaches and plums help to eliminate free radicals from the body. Purple and red plums also contain fiber and the skins contain anthocyanidins, potent antioxidant phytochemicals.

Papayas and mangoes- Irresistibly mouth-watering summer fruits, both papayas and mangoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, beta carotene and fiber. Papayas also contain potassium and folate. Folate prevents developmental defects in fetuses and supports cardiovascular health.

Figs- Summer is the season for fresh figs. Fresh or dried, sweet figs are one of the highest fruit sources of fiber, and they also contain significant amounts of minerals potassium (great for replenishing losses in sweat), calcium and iron.

Melons- You can’t forget about ice-cold, refreshing watermelon! All the melons, including cantaloupe, casaba, and honeydew, are summer fruits. Cantaloupe with its peachy-orange flesh is rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C. Juicy watermelon is a rich source of beta-carotene and vitamin C, and a good source of lycopene. Lycopene, most popularized in tomato products, is an antioxidant carotenoid that has been shown to prevent prostate cancer.

There’s nothing quite as tasty or nutritious as beating the heat with the thirst-quenching and nutritious fruits of summer- make your summer a savory experience.

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Quick Fitness Fixes: Easy Ways to Fit Fitness In

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Tired of feeling like the path to health and wellness is a long, drawn out path? Then start small! Use these quick five minute fixes to boost your health and to reach your goals one step at a time!

• Wear a pedometer to determine the distance you walk each day. Shoot for 10,000 steps per day. If you aren’t reaching that goal, add an extra mile to your routine or take the steps instead of the escalator whenever possible.

• Add jumping to your exercise routine – also known as plyometric moves – to build muscle and improve your bone density. Try jump squats or scissor lunges in your next routine.

• Spend the extra money to purchase good work out necessities – clothing, shoes, bras, supports, etc. Purchasing the better brands versus going the cheaper route will ensure that you use them and that they are the best for your workout.

• Edgeboston.com says to break up your workouts into 10 minute spurts. Daily recommendation is at least 30 minutes a day of moderately intense exercise, but it doesn’t have to all be done at once. Any sort of physical activity counts as exercise, and little bits of it throughout the day really add up.

• Don’t be a creature of habit. Switch up your routines, walking routes, gym machines and even what days you do specific workouts. Change is good when it comes to exercise and fitness.

• Consider the other ways that you can lose weight without really trying – clean the house and burn 200 calories or work in the garden and burn 272 calories.

• Even if you have to travel or spend all day in a car or on a plane, still try to fit in physical activity. Take advantage of bathroom breaks by stretching and doing some light exercise. Walk briskly through the airport in between flights if traveling by plane.

• Use downtime- Readersdigest.com suggests that anytime you’re cooling your heels during the day-waiting to meet a companion at the mall or staring at the download bar- look for opportunities to take a short walk, do toe raises or perform some other physical movement.

• Yoga has many healthy benefits for your body and your mind. Even if you are a novice, take a class and try something different.

• Work out with your significant other or a friend or family member. This allows you to be a spotting partner for one another or just spend some quality time together working out.

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Managing Stress by Choosing Stress-Fighting Foods

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

STRESS. We all deal with it at some point in our lives. But having too much stress in your life can be very harmful to your health and can make you more vulnerable to everything from colds to high blood pressure and even heart disease.

Stress management is a valuable tool to learn when it comes to your overall wellness. While there are many ways to cope with stress, eating stress-fighting foods is one good way to start. From boosting serotonin levels to lowering stress hormones, there are a number of foods that actually counteract the impact of stress on our lives.
According to MSNBC, there are three nutrients that have the ability to soothe your nerves including Folic acid, a B vitamin that enhances mood; Vitamin B-12, which boosts your energy; antioxidants such as Vitamins C, E, and the mineral selenium, which help to repair damage to cells caused by stress.

The following foods should be part of your diet for stress management:

Complex Carbohydrates: All carbohydrates give a signal to the brain to produce that “feel good” chemical, serotonin. To keep a steady flow of serotonin, dieticians suggest complex carbs like whole grain cereals, breads and pastas and oatmeal.

Oranges: Because they are a wealth of vitamin C, studies show that oranges are great stress-busting foods, as well as a great immune system strengthener. Experts suggest taking 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C before a stressful event.

Spinach: It’s the magnesium in spinach that helps to regulate cortisol levels that particularly get depleted when we are in stressful situations. Not enough magnesium can trigger headaches, adding to stressful situations. One cup of spinach is the recommended amount, as the magnesium goes a long way. Can’t do spinach? Try cooked soy beans or salmon instead, for the same effects.

Fatty Fish: Omega-3 fatty acids are important to prevent surges in stress hormones, as well as protect against heart disease. Try fatty fish like salmon or tuna for your Omega-3’s.

Black Tea: Good for lowering levels of cortisol following stressful events, many experts swear by the healing powers of black tea. Black tea helps you to recover quickly following stresses and helps you to remain calm.

Pistachios: Chosen for their ability to soften the pre- and post-effects of stress, experts suggest eating a handful of pistachios every day to help lower blood pressure so it won’t spike when faced with stressful situations.

Avocados: Another great high blood pressure reducing food is avocados, due to their potassium content. Half of an avocado has more potassium than a medium-sized banana. Additionally, avocados, in guacamole form, are a great and nutritious treat when stress has you craving snack foods.

Almonds: Chock full of vitamins, like vitamin E and a range of B vitamins, almonds are a great treat to eat that help with resiliency when dealing with stress.

Raw Vegetables: In a purely mechanical way, crunching on raw vegetables can help to alleviate stress. By releasing your clenched jaw and possibly warding off headaches, chomping your carrots, celery and other veggies is beneficial on many levels.

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