Nearly 2 million Britons could soon be “easing off” of their beta blockers. And for some very good reasons.
U.K.’s National Institute For Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) researchers have recently reported that Atenolol, the most frequently used beta blocker, increased the risk of heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes. The new guidelines advise patients to ease off the drugs and switch to other “therapies.”
Of course the news release was couched in terms much more acceptable to the pharmaceutical companies. It stated, “The decision not to recommend beta-blockers for first-line therapy was based on evidence that suggested they performed less well than other drugs – particularly in the elderly.” That’s like saying that people who have heart attacks are less well than those who don’t.
During the past several years several doctors have recommended that I include a beta blocker in my “preventive medicine” regimen. I have respectfully declined their well meaning advice. In most people beta blockers slow down the heart rate…which makes it more difficult for them to improve their physical fitness and to lose weight.
I’m in some very good company in believing that the beta blocker “cure” is worse than the disease.
In a recent interview with WebMD’s HeartWire, Dr. Norman Kaplan, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas voiced his concerns about beta blockers.
“Beta blockers slow you down, but we want to make our hypertensive patients more active. In addition, they have a whole panoply of adverse metabolic effects–lowering HDL (cholesterol) and insulin sensitivity.”
It’s important to point out that HDL cholesterol is protective against heart disease. It acts like a guardian angel to remove plaque that has been accumulating in the arteries of your heart and brain.
And lowering insulin sensitivity is the first step down the path to devastating type 2 diabetes.
The Texas Heart Institute, http://texasheart.org, provides an impressive list of beta blocker side effects, including cold hands and feet, weakness, dizziness, dry mouth and skin, shortness of breath, memory loss, confusion, depression and impotence.
They also provide a list of “cautions.” If you have any of the following conditions you have some additional reasons to move away from beta blockers:
?Heart disease or poor circulation to your hands or feet.
?A slow heart rate or heart block.
?Asthma. Beta-blockers may make your condition worse.
?Hay fever symptoms, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema.
?Diabetes or hypoglycemia. Beta-blockers may hide these symptoms.
?Kidney or liver disease.
Dr. Franz Messerli, St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, New York, who has previously reported on the ineffectiveness of beta blockers, describes the new British guidelines as “dawn breaking in the UK,” and he is urging the US to follow suit.
He told HeartWire, “In the US, millions of patients are still exposed to the cost, inconvenience, and side effects of beta blockers without harvesting any benefits. Beta blockers as a class have never been shown to reduce heart attacks or strokes in hypertension. This is particularly true for Atenolol, the most common beta blocker.”
I don’t know about you but I would be reaching for the phone to schedule an appointment with my doctor if I were taking a beta blocker. Experts tell us that it’s dangerous to go “cold turkey” when going off of this drug.
By: Gene D. Millen
There was a time when I was grossly overweight. At that time, I had no clue about the acai berry. I was fat, ugly, sloppy and laden with a negative attitude. This is when I saw Dr. Oz explaining about the acai berry on CNN. I was impressed and decided to try the acai berry myself. This is what it did to me.
It Was Easy To Follow
The biggest advantage of opting for this program was that it was simple and straightforward and I never had to beat around the bush to get there. All I had to do was to choose the site of my choice, place an order and get started-it was that simple. So, I had no hesitation on staring off with this product.
It Was Completely Natural
The second advantage of following this program was that it was completely natural. While most weight loss programs are infected with some or other kinds of chemicals, this is one method which has been proven completely natural and free from any harmful side effects.
It Worked From Day one
The moment I started to use this miracle formula, I was certain that it was going to work for me. This is so as it started to show results from day ONE. By the end of the month, I had lost a mind blowing 29.80 pounds. It was unbelievable and it took a while for the news to sink in. I even tried different weighing scales to cross check and was happy with the results.
By: Hilary Smith
The Tabata protocol is a high-intensity training regimen that produces remarkable results. A Tabata workout (also called a Tabata sequence) is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of four minutes. In a group context, you can keep score by counting how many lifts/jumps/whatever you do in each of the 20 second rounds. The round with the smallest number is your score.
Credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Their groundbreaking 1996 study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, provided documented evidence concerning the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity intermittent training. After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted a 28% increase in anaerobic capacity in his subjects, along with a 14% increase in their ability to consume oxygen (V02Max). These results were witnessed in already physically fit athletes. The conclusion was that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.
Although Dr. Tabata used a mechanically braked exercise cycle machine, you can apply this protocol to almost any exercise. For example, a basic Tabata workout can be performed with sit-ups. The more muscles used the better, so use full knees-bent sit-ups. Sit-up non-stop for 20-second intervals, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of 8 cycles.
How effective can just 4 minutes of exercise be? … Very. You will be amazed at how intense the four minutes of exercise will feel. The intervals tax both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. To be clear, this isn’t “eight sets of eight,” although the goal of doing eight reps in each of the 20-second clusters is about right. Instead it’s “as many reps as I can get in” during the twenty seconds, followed by ten seconds rest.
It helps to be able to see a wall clock with a second hand during your four minutes of fun. Stop at twenty seconds, rest ten seconds, and go again. Watching the clock helps with your focus and also in keeping count of the eight cycles…
Here is a longer Tabata workout example. This workout consists of 4 separate Tabata Intervals, each 4 minutes. The total workout will last 16 minutes. Always begin with a moderate warm-up and cool down session. And if you are not already in good shape, check with a doctor before trying.
* Jump Rope
* Pushups
* Squats
* Chin-ups or Pull-ups
Note the 10-second rest periods in the Tabata workout are important, both physically and mentally. Not only do they allow partial recovery, they also provide psychological relief. Switching back and forth from work to rest makes the workout go quickly. Plus, it allows you to train at a higher level of intensity, which what intervals are all about.
Another good exercise for Tabatas is the “squat thruster.” The squat thruster is one of the great lifts being made popular by organizations such as CrossFit. Take two dumbbells and hold them at shoulder height. Squat down, pushing your rear-end back, keeping the dumbbells on the shoulders. As you rise up, press the bells to the overhead lockout position. You can either press as you rise or use the momentum to help “kick” the bells overhead. Keep your weight in your heals and go light! A 25 pound dumbbell in each hand is a very difficult thruster workout!
Pretty much any form of cardiovascular exercise that uses a large number of muscles can be tailored to fit Tabata interval workouts, so feel free to be creative. In addition to the exercises mentioned above, use them with sprints, burpees, a jump rope, the heavy bag, treadmill or rowing machine. Lessen the likelihood of injury by choosing a rate of intensity suited to your level of conditioning – be conservative. Incorporate variety into your Tabata workouts. A few sessions per week will offer plenty of intensity.
By: John Harker
Mental health professionals are always looking for ways to expand their sources of knowledge. Today, this often means finding online psychology continuing education courses they can use to not only broaden their own study, but earn credits that could aid them in their careers in a number of ways. Professional development past the point of a base education is a concept growing in popularity not only in the world of mental health, but in fields as diverse as teaching and stock trading. Further learning can lead to higher pay, better strategies, and advancements in your chosen field. There is a wealth of information to be had on the Internet; while not all sources are legitimate, of course, a reputable website can be an even better resource than a textbook, as it is continually updated with new information and debates. Here are some of the methods you can use to further your own betterment.
Online psychology continuing education courses are some of the easiest and most popular ways for a mental health professional to further their studies. These courses offer the busy professional a chance to earn credits and learn at their own leisure, rather than being at the behest of a difficult class schedule. This can make all the difference when it comes to being successful in such a program. These web based classes aren’t limited to any particular area, either. Many community and full universities offer online classes and many will allow enrollment from out of state (though it will probably cost quite a lot more). There are also websites entirely devoted to offering e-courses, which provide another level of home-based learning. Many people find that the schedule-free aspect of this method of learning helps them to pursue knowledge based on personal interest instead of fear of academic penalty, helping them attain a much wider and more solid knowledge base in the field.
One of the most exciting opportunities these days for mental health professionals is the proliferation of online lectures and webinars. These videos and courses allow you to learn at the feet of the giants in the field, without spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars to fly to a big city and see them live. Often, these seminars are at least partially interactive and they provide a good opportunity to network with other interested parties, perhaps offering an additional way to further your career goals and aspirations.
Finally, don’t overlook the importance of furthering your technical knowledge. Online psychology, continuing education courses included, is not immune to advancements in the way people use technology. Keeping up with the latest software and hardware innovations – particularly those which are specifically developed with the mental health field in mind – is essential to developing a thriving practice. There are many forms of software that can help anyone in any form of business streamline their tasks and free up their time. Any automated processes you can put into practice will give you that much more time to develop your professional career.
By: Andrew Stratton
Research studies show fish oil benefits are down right amazing.
And knowing this is the second most important thing you can do for your health. (We’ll get to #1 in importance soon.)
Studies are published almost daily as the scientific community discovers more and more of the many extraordinary omega 3 fish oil benefits.
If you haven’t already been swept up in the net yet, here are 7 proven omega 3 benefits you should know about.
1. Less Pain and Inflammation. Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly EPA, have a very positive effect on your inflammatory response. Through several mechanisms, they regulate your body’s inflammation cycle, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis and anything else ending in “itis.”
2. Cardiovascular Health. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been proven to work wonders for your heart and the miles and miles of arteries and veins that make up your cardiovascular system. They help to lower cholesterol, tryglicerides, LDLs and blood pressure, while at the same time increasing good HDL cholesterol. This adds years to your life expectancy.
3. Protection from Stroke and Heart Attack. When plaque builds up on arterial walls and then breaks loose, it causes what’s known as a thrombosis, which is a fancy way of saying clot. If a clot gets stuck in the brain, it causes a stroke and when it plugs an artery, it causes a heart attack. Research shows omega 3 fatty acids break up clots before they can cause any damage.
4. Better Brain Function and Higher Intelligence. Pregnant and nursing mothers can have a great impact on the intelligence and happiness of their babies by supplementing with fish oil. For adults, omega 3 improves memory, recall, reasoning and focus. You’ll swear you’re getting younger and smarter.
5. Less Depression and Psychosis. Making you smarter is not all omega 3 does for your brain. Psychiatry department researchers at the University of Sheffield, along with many other research studies, found that omega 3 fish oil supplements “alleviate” the symptoms of depression, bipolar and psychosis (Journal of Affective Disorder Vol. 48(2-3);149-55).
6. Lower Incidence of Childhood Disorders. Just to show how fish oil fatty acids leave nobody out, studies show that children (and adults) with ADD and ADHD experience a greatly improved quality of life. And those with dyslexia, dyspraxia and compulsive disorders have gotten a new lease on life thanks to omega 3 oils.
7. Reduction of Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer. And finally, omega 3 fish oil has been shown to help prevent three of the most common forms of cancer – breast, colon and prostate. Science tells us that omega 3s accomplish this in three ways. They stop the alteration from a normal healthy cell to a cancerous mass, inhibiting unwanted cellular growth and causing apoptosis, or cellular death, of cancer cells.
So you can see why knowing these benefits is the second most important thing you can do for your health. Can you guess what number one is?
That’s right! Now it’s time to put your knowledge to work. Eat more cold water oily fish and start taking good quality pure omega 3 fish oil supplements regularly.
Copyright by Michael Byrd. All Rights Reserved.
By: Michael Byrd
Sperm taste is affected by what you eat, as are all secretions from the body.
It is a fact that your sperms taste can be improved and making your semen taste better, can be done with a few simple diet changes.
Diet has A major influence on sperm taste as it’s a secretion from the body like any other.
Just as your sweat can smell strongly after eating a heavily spiced meal your sperm will also reflect the spices in its taste.
The make up of sperm
Semen is made up of ninety percent (90%) seminal fluids including fructose (sugar) protein, and various trace minerals and nutrients.
The PH of semen is 7 and scientifically neutral, yet it tastes slightly acidic. Let’s take a look at the actual ingredients of semen.
A man’s ejaculate is actually only 1% sperm.
The rest is composed of various proteins, vitamins, sugars, salts, cholesterol, and water. All the extras are what protect, feeds, fuels the sperm in its journey.
As you can see in terms of semen’s composition, it’s fairly obvious that what you eat will make it taste better or worse!
Getting a sweeter taste
With sperm taste, the aim is to make it taste sweeter.
All men have a semen taste that is exclusive to them, but the major complaint on sperm taste is normally always the same:
It tastes bitter or salty; let’s look at how to make semen taste sweeter
10 Tips for better semen taste
Here then are 10 simple do’s and don’ts to improve the taste of your sperm and make your semen taste better and sweeter:
1. Cut out alcohol, caffeine, recreational drugs and nicotine- they’re all pollutants.
2. Drink lots of water 1 – 2 liters a day to flush out body toxins.
3. Fruit get plenty each day and sweeten your sperm taste
Pineapple, papaya cranberry, melons, mangos, apples grapes are all good choices. These fruits are high in natural sugars and offset the bitter taste.
4. Eat plenty of vegetables which are generally good for improving sperm taste.
5. While it is true vegetarians generally have better tasting sperm there are vegetables to avoid:
Any vegetables from the cabbage family big offenders also include Cauliflower, broccoli, or asparagus:
5. Cut red meat consumption this is one pf the main offenders when it comes to making sperm taste salty. Dairy produce such as milk and cheese also make sperm taste salty.
Make sure when you eat protein you get good quality lean protein such as chicken and turkey.
Fish is claimed by some to be an offender in terms of taste, but this seems to vary between individuals. Try it and see the affects before cutting it out, fish is a major part of a healthy diet, so don’t cut it out!
6. Avoid heavy spices such as Garlic and onions, they’re big offenders when it comes to sperm taste, as they have a high sulfur content.
7. Do not buy products that claim to make your semen taste better there is no evidence that they work.
Your semen can be made to taste better by overall changes in diet and lifestyle, it’s a complex formula and a good healthy diet has the biggest affect.
8. Parsley, wheatgrass, and celery are particularly recommended for sweeter semen taste, because of their high chlorophyll content.
9. Cinnamon, cardamom, peppermint and lemon are particularly recommended for making semen taste sweeter.
10. Avoid junk food, they’re loaded with chemicals and preservatives that pollute your body and your semen’s taste.
Try and eat food “from the earth” i.e. as naturally as possible. Also consider taking a zinc and selenium supplement, both are needed for healthy sperm and can make the taste better.
Finally, strong smelling semen may indicate an infection, so if your semen taste doesn’t change when you change your diet, you should consider a visit to the doctor.
Your aim with your diet is to eat one that helps your overall health and the above recommendations will not only make your semen taste better you will also feel fitter and healthier as well.
Keep in mind that you can eat some of the foods we don’t recommend for sperm taste.
You can enjoy red meat and the occasional spiced curry just keep in mind the following when considering sperm taste:
What you put into your body takes between 12 and 24 hours to secrete out and you should simply keep this in mind before eating and deciding whether you want a better sperm taste on that particular day or not!
By: Sacha Tarkovsky
Continuing education in any field is a great boost to one’s value. To have that same continuing education offered online is a godsend. Not only does online education offer the chance to enhance one’s knowledge, but it offers to have you learn at home. Enter – physical therapy continuing education online. Physical therapists everywhere rejoice! A chance to further their knowledge, at home, with different online institutions to choose from, a godsend indeed for physical therapy.
Physical therapy continuing education online is a growing boon for the industry. What with thousands of physical therapists seeking quality education, but have been hampered by time, money, or simply being too far away, physical therapy continuing education online is proving to be a very good way to further physical therapy studies. One of these online institutions offering continuing education is OnlineCE. One of the industry’s leaders, OnlineCE offers students a variety of courses which include introduction to hand therapy, sports and hand injuries, topics in shoulder rehabilitation, upper extremity anatomy, wound management and a host of other courses for health professionals especially physical therapists. Another accredited corporation that provides physical therapy continuing education online is Care2learn.com. Care2Learn.com is a Florida based corporation and is provided by onlineHealthNow,Inc. Online courses offered include: A Physical Therapist’s Guide to Documenting for Medicare, Assessment And Documentation Of Wounds, On the Frontier With HIPAA-What HealthCare Professionals Need to Know and Do, Contract vs. In House Therapy: Making the Decision under PPS, to name a few.
Depending on your preference of courses, there are a slew of other sites that offer physical therapy continuing education online, giving you the chance to choose. Some sites offer courses not offered by others, so choose carefully which site you would enroll in. Choose the site which best suits your preference. Other sites to check out are CEUWORLD.com, Texas Physical Therapy Association and American Physical Therapy Association. Of course you are not limited to these sites, you can check out other sites to help you find the site for you.
In all, physical therapy continuing education online is a fast growing industry. Choose which site you’d want to join and know the courses offered. Know all you can about the various sites and know what courses you would like to enroll in. Physical therapy continuing education online is here to stay, which is a good thing for physical therapists. Be careful though of bogus sites; be sure the site you choose is accredited. Physical therapists rejoice indeed.
By: Milos Pesic
In this article I am going to say what’s my opinion about the book Acne No More, by Mike Walden. I am a customer of this book and most important – this book made me get rid of the acne once and for all!
So, I want to tell you what makes this book so successful and if it’s worth to buy it or not.
First of all, I loved the way the book is structured. It says some words about the acne – what is it, what causes it -some basic stuff. But the thing I liked most was the holistic approach of the book. That holistic approach means that, according to the author, the acne is not a problem of the skin. It’s a problem that comes from the inside of the body and shows up on the outside. It also says that if you want to cure your acne, you have to treat your body, not your skin.
That’s the part that touched me! You know, if you have acne you try everything to cure it – lotions, creams, even pills. You know that they are bad for your health, but who cares if they cut off the acne of your face! Eventually you understand how bad they are and you want to find some natural way to get rid of the acne. And that’s where Acne No More comes – with this holistic approach of the book all you need to do is to change your eating habits. You may need to cut out some foods and make some sacrifices, but what you want more – your precious foods or to get rid of acne?
Of course you want to get rid of acne! And at the end – I like the book of Mike Walden – Acne no more, because it does not promise you some overnight success like some “magical” pill or cream. What it promises you is that if you make some effort and stick to its methods, you will eventually find the success.
By: Tsvetan Ivanov
Ancient records tell us that exercises were used as a means of penis enlargement thousands of years ago. However, only recently serious medical studies and clinical trials proved that penis exercises can indeed increase penis length and girth. Moreover, the same studies found out that the increase in penis size is not the only benefit of penis exercises.
Some of the benefits of these exercises (also called male enhancement exercises) are increasing your ability to maintain harder and longer erections (making you able to last longer in bed), increasing the amount of semen you produce when ejaculate, improving your overall sexual control and performance, and, of course, making your penis larger. All of these effects can greatly improve your life: just imagine how confident you would be if you knew that your penis is longer than average and your can last enough time in bed to make your partner happy. This is possible to achieve if you follow to the penis exercise program.
How penis exercises work? The specific mechanism depends on the exercise in question but basically what makes exercises effective is the ability of our organisms to adapt to environment. For example, when a bodybuilder lifts weights, his or her body tries to adapt to the weights growing stronger muscles.
The following is an explanation how different penis exercises work:
Jelqing. Jelqing is probably the most ancient male enhancement technique (it was used by nomadic Arabian tribes.) It involves movements similar to “milking” your penis to increase the amount of blood, which fills Corpora Covernosa (the part of your penis that is filled with blood and enlarged during erections) thus making your penis visibly larger. The important fact is that jelqing, if performed regularly, can permanently increase the size of Corpora Covernosa and thus your penis size (both length and girth). Penis Stretching. There are several types of penis stretching exercises but their basic principle is the same: stretching the tissues of your penis. Stretching makes cells composing your penis grow increasing the length and girth (lesser effect) of your penis. Kegel Exercises. These exercises are not targeted at the penis itself but rather at the pubococcygeus muscle, which is used to delay erections. Thus, if you train this muscle, you will be able to prolong your erections.
By: Peter Davidoff
Health administration degrees are available for you if you choose to have a career in the healthcare industry. This is quite a rewarding and lucrative career owing to its high demand. It is where the industry relies heavily on manpower and human resources. With a degree in health administration, you can get enough skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the industry, and all you need to do is to choose the specific course that you deem would fit your requirements the most.
Going to school is never an easy decision, especially when you are pondering in taking up your education over the Internet. Browsing over the different learning institutions offering the course makes for even harder decisions. When considering health administration degrees, primary consideration has to be made in regard to the education costs and tuition payments, scholarship grants, and other credit requirements.
The next thing to consider is determining exactly which course you would want to take. There are certainly many different fields and specializations when it comes to the healthcare industry alone, and these include health information management, medical office administration, medical photography, medical transcription and interpretation, and medical coding among others. After selecting the specific course to take, you then move onto the next decision-making process of selecting a school for you to enroll in.
It is important to remember that there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a school to take your online healthcare administration degree. A primary consideration would be to verify if the school has proper accreditation from government and private agencies which are publicly recognized.
With the different accredited schools, you then have to choose which of them offer genuine health administration degrees. Before applying on a specific program, you should research well on the school’s integrity and make sure that it is not one of the typical diploma mills which produce fake graduates.
Some of the best schools are renowned internationally, including the likes of Kaplan University, University of Phoenix, and DeVry University, which are sure fire schools at the simple drop of their names. But there are also specific information that you need to find out for yourself, like the specific software programs given to the modules of each school to find out which specific computer skills you need to have.
You would also have to determine the different health administration degrees for their qualifications to meet government licensure and accreditation. You would also need to verify the qualifications of the instructors of the school to find out if they have extensive and valid experience in teaching the different modules in the field. These different checks and verification are needed to assure you that you are going into a good school that gives you the best education.
By: Robart Alex