Health and Fitness Center

What Is Crohn s Disease?
By Jeff Foster

It seems this disease is getting more attention these days particularly as a result of the more public attention and education on the matter.

With Crohn’s disease it is very important to completely understand the signs and symptoms of this disease and the best personal treatment management plan for you so that you have the most effective shot at managing this chronic disease. Everyone is different and the treatment plans vary.

Crohn s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease and is also called ileitis or enteritis. Crohn’s disease leads to chronic inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and con attack any area of the GI tract from the anus to the mouth. This can make it tough to manage and control. More often than not, this disease typically invades the lower portion of the small intestine, known as the ileum.

The pain from Crohn’s disease is caused by the swelling and inflammation that is a hallmark of this disease. In places it can burrow deeply into the GI tract lining. Not only does this edema cause the pain of Crohn’s it also causes the bowels to push to frequently empty its contents leading to explosive diarrhea.

Pain and hard to control diarrhea can negatively impact the daily lives of those who suffer. When you are so afraid that you are going to be in pain and perhaps unable to control the explosive diarrhea that may attack, you tend to be less social and choose to stay more homebound.

It is often known as a disease that is difficult to diagnose since its symptoms are rather similar to other intestinal conditions, like IBS or irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

At this time, research indicates that Crohn s attacks both men and women equally and is most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 30. There is some evidence that Crohn’s tends to run in the family genes. Those of Jewish decent seem to have an increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease while those of African-American decent seem to have a decreased risk for the development of this chronic disease.

Because of the life altering affects of this disease and the potential for long term GI tract damage, if you think it is possible that you have Crohn’s disease then you must contact your healthcare provider for a proper assessment. If you do indeed have Crohn’s disease, an aggressive and all inclusive treatment plan designed by your gastroenterologist is the best plan of all.

What is Crohn’s disease? This chronic and irritating disease invades the deep layers of the GI tract causing you pain and agony.

So do something about itand ignoring it should not be the answer!

For more important information on stomach pain visit a-stomach-pain.com There s information on stomach pain causes such as Crohn s disease and other articles at http://www.a-stomach-pain.com

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7 Things You Need to Know Before Purchasing Diabetes Supplies
By John Mancini

Have you been diagnosed with either type 1 or typ2 diabetes? If you have, you may be wondering where the best place is to purchase the diabetes supplies that you need. With today s technology, the avenues available to you are plentiful. However, you may still have questions as to which place is the best for your particular situation. These tips will help you answer those questions.

1- When you are beginning your search for a diabetic supply source, it is important to know what to look for. While you can purchase the needed supplies from your doctor, online or through a mail order company, some important questions need to be answered before you decide. You will need to know where they are located, what the hours of operation are, how qualified the staff is to answer questions and how they will ship the diabetes supplies to you.

2- First, do not deal with any diabetes supply company that is not based in the United States or in Canada. The reason for this is simple, if the supply company is not in North America, shipping tends to be less dependable and your supplies could be held in customs. Avoid supply sources that are located in South America, Asia or Mexico for these reasons.

3- While you are conducting your search, be sure go check that the companies you are considering have an actual address that isn t a P.O. Box. What you are looking for is that any diabetes supply company you are thinking of purchasing from is a real company, not someone who is, for instance, buying and reselling supplies.

4- Be sure to ask for a telephone number that you can use if something goes wrong with your order. The best option here is to use a company that has a 1-800 number that is answered 24 hours a day. It is also important to test that number before you decide to buy from that company. Don t just take their word that they have the number actually test it. Ask the person who answers the phone some basic questions about a specific diabetes supply you want to know that they have knowledgeable people answering questions.

5- While you are checking for a knowledgeable staff, ask if they have a pharmacist on staff. If they don t, find out if they have a certified diabetes educator on staff that can answer your questions. This will help to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable firm and not a fly by night company.

6- You also want to know who fills out the insurance or Medicare paperwork. Most larger, well-run diabetes supply companies will offer this service for you as an added benefit. They will know what the insurance companies require to process a claim. If they offer this to you, use the service to your advantage. It is also a good idea to contact your insurance company to verify that they work with a particular diabetes supply source.

7- Shipping is very important when purchasing diabetes supplies. Find out how they ship the products, this information could ensure that you get supplies that are good and that have not gone bad in transit. Insulin, for example needs to be kept cold to stay useable, ask how they ensure this. Ask about shipping charges also, some companies will offer free shipping as an incentive to buy from them. However, if they don t, the shipping can get expensive.

John Mancini has been writing about Diabetes online and offline for a long time. Visit http://diabetes-central.info or http://diabetes-central.net to read more about matters like diabetes and diabetes alternative medicine.

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Weight Loss for Brides - How to Drop at Least One Dress Size Before Your Wedding
By Gail Young

The stress and anxiety that most brides experience as their wedding day approaches can be overwhelming for them. The amount of preparation involved and the countless number of details needing attention can make it very difficult to eat sensibly and maintain even a modest level of good nutrition. I can recall countless conversations with brides who are so stressed out in the month or so before their wedding that they abandon all good eating habits and either starve themselves or binge on junk food to handle the stress.

Many are genuinely terrified that they’ll be overweight and unattractive on their wedding day or even worse won’t be able to fit into their dream wedding gown.

I have been working with a personal trainer for the past 10 years who continually reminds me how just a few simple changes to your daily routine can make a huge difference. The four basic principles I outline below really do work. I’ve had personal success using these strategies and continue to follow them on a daily basis. Many of my clients who have requested my help and followed this advice have had remarkable results. Start this program at least 3-4 weeks before your wedding day and see for yourself.

1. Water, Water and more Water

Hydration is critical. While the benefits are countless this is one of the hardest things to implement into your daily routine. Whenever I would neglect this item my trainer would recite how water lowers body fat, flushes cellulite, improves digestion, gets rid of dark circles under the eyes, and makes you feel full. These are just a few of the benefits of drinking the required 2.5 litres of water per day.

This may seem like a lot but I found the easiest way to get into the habit is to break the amounts down into manageable amounts:

Keep a bottle of water beside your bed. Before you go to sleep drink 1/2 the bottle and as soon as you wake up (before your feet touch the floor) drink the remaining 1/2 bottle

Before each meal drink a half a bottle of water

Carry water with you and sip it throughout the day

I can’t overemphasize how important this step is.

2. Go for a 10 minute Walk Every Day

Start with this…you can always increase later after it becomes routine. It’s enough to gently boost your metabolism and keep you active.

3. Eat Often but Only in Small Portions

Before I started this method of eating I would starve myself for a couple of days whenever I wanted to lose weight. It seemed logical to me at the time. When I started personal training I had to modify many of my bad eating habits. I had to start eating 6 meals a day. Don’t panic, it’s easier than it sounds. Every 3-4 hours from the time you wake up eat a little something. Your digestive system is far more efficient at handling a series of small meals than it is at tackling one large meal.

I usually eat at 7am, 10 am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10 pm

Your meal portions (meat, veggies, carbs) should be no larger than the palm of your hand and no thicker than the palm of your hand.

4. Eat Healthy

I could spend days offering suggestions on meal variations but there are many excellent books that have been written to give you ideas. I will share my recommendations in another upcoming article.

So to make it simple a typical meal should be a protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable or fruit.

Here is a sample daily meal plan that I eat to get you started:

Meal one: Protein shake with 1% milk (I like whey protein drinks such as IsoPro)
Meal two: 1/2 an apple and cottage cheese or yogurt
Meal three: Piece of chicken (no skin) and a small salad
Meal four: Cheese and the balance of the apple
Meal five: Piece of lean meat, rice or potatoes, vegetables
Meal six: Low fat chocolate pudding mixed with protein powder

5. The Best Part - Reward Yourself!

Choose one day a week as your reward day and eat whatever you want and as much as you want. Whether you like pasta, cookies, ice cream or my personal favorite chocolate.
Enjoy!

Don’t worry, you won’t gain fat if you do this because for the past six days your body has been used to eating what I term ‘clean’ food. On the seventh day your body thinks you are going to do the same and when you don t it gets fooled and eliminates the effects of the ‘junk’ food. In essence you are tricking your body that day but you must eat cleanly on the following day.

I have told many upcoming brides about this method of eating and almost all of them have emailed me back to let me know how thrilled they were at reaching their target goal of weight loss. I hope it works for you too.

As a final note of encouragement, my daughter used this method of eating and in 1 year she went from a size 18 to a size 2. This was four years ago and she has still maintained her weight to this day.

These simple techniques will not only help you quickly, safely and effectively lose at least one dress size but they will also help you feel more energetic, vibrant and healthy. Not to mention the positive effect it will have on your skin texture and overall appearance.

Stay on track and you’ll be amazed at your results. Eat well, drink plenty of water and as you progress, simply imagine your groom seeing you for the first time in your wedding gown and watching his jaw drop in speechless silence.

Gail Young is a co-founder of The Bridal Chalet, an online bridal boutique selling designer style couture and traditional wedding gowns and bridal accessories. She has extensive background in fitness and nutrition as a former amateur body sculptor and combines this with her knowledge and passion for designing bridal fashion.

Visit her website at: http://www.bridalchalet.com

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The Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss
By James Mefford

Introduction

Whether weight loss pills, liposuction, fad diets and drinks, or a number of other unreliable alternatives, we want to shed pounds quickly with little effort. The great news is you can get it fast and you can get it easily, but short of sucking the fat out of you through risky and expensive procedures, you re going to have to put in a bit work.

While exercise will greatly increase the effectiveness of your weight loss program and comes with the highest recommendations, it s not necessary, and for those with an extremely busy life style, not even an option. First, forget anything you ve ever heard from a company trying to sell you a weight loss program, be it a pill, surgery, a drink, anything. Weight fluctuation comes from one thing and one thing alone: taking in more calories than your body expends in a day. In this guide, I ll take a look at where calories come from, what to avoid, tips for lowering your intake and some tricks to help you control your metabolism and lose weight more easily.

It s All about the Calories

For humans, caloric intake comes from four primary sources: fat, carbohydrates, protein, and alcohol. First, let’s take a look at each source so we know how to focus our diet.

Fats: Fats are the worse type of calorie you can consume, bar none. One thing to keep in the back of your head at all times is that fat is very high in calories. Every gram of fat consumed contains 9 calories. Compare this to the 4 calories per gram in carbohydrates and protein. If you ate a slab of pure fat, in comparison to a slab of pure sugar, you d be consuming 2.25 times more calories for an equal weight portion. Although a bit gross, it illustrates an important pointthat with other sources of energy you can eat more and take in equal or fewer calories. That s only one of the benefits of staying away from fat, but since we re focusing on calories for now, I ll spare you the lecture on cholesterol and cardiovascular health.

Fats were probably great for humans once upon a time during the good ole days of cavemen who hunted for food and weren t afforded the luxury to consume regular meals. For them, fat was an important source of prolonged energy output during periods with no food source.

For today s average American, this feature of fat no longer plays a critical role, and although some fats are essential to our survival, saturated fats are the norm in our society and through this plan we ll get plenty of the essentials from some recommended food items. So for our purposes, I would recommend consuming as little fat as possible beyond those items.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates, as stated before, contain 4 calories per gram. However, carbs, just like fats, come in a number of varieties from the very simple to complex. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for human function as they are converted to glucose in our bloodstream. That glucose is used up in our every bodily function and movement. From the basic beating of our heart to the complex processes involved in lifting heavy weights, carbs represent our primary source of energy for work output.

Carbohydrates exist on a continuum of complexity based on the ease with which they are broken down through our saliva, stomach and other bodily processes. Simple carbs are quickly and easily converted to glucose, while the more complex carbs remain in our stomach longer as they are broken down.

The human body has evolved to know that it only needs a certain amount of glucose in most situations, so carbs which are simple and easy to convert accumulate in the blood stream quickly and cause a spike in insulin production. Insulin is a hormone that encourages the excess glucose to be quickly converted into stored energy, or fat. In this way, simple carbohydrates can be a killer for those on a weight loss program because even though they may not represent a ton of calories, eating them often results in the production of more glucose than our bodies need at that particular moment.

Simple carbohydrates are mainly sugars, such as sucrose, fructose and maltodextrin and are commonly found in sodas, sugary sweets and other tantalizing items. Unfortunately, they only provide a quick “sugar fix” and result in lower average energy levels.

For optimal weight loss it is important to focus your diet on complex carbohydrates like those found in vegetables and whole grains. If you’re interested in finding out how simple or complex a carbohydrate may be, many are ranked on the glycemic index, a resource for hypoglycemic and diabetic individuals who must carefully monitor their blood sugar throughout the day.

By consuming more complex carbs, energy is converted slowly over the course of several hours rather than minutes, resulting in longer, more sustained energy and reduced appetite. As an extra benefit, many complex carbohydrates can be found in foods that contain a large volume of non-caloric material, which helps to satiate an individual for a longer period of time. Take for example green beans, of which a typical 80 gram sample contains a mere 25 calories, versus an equal weight in a simple sugar which contains 320 calories.

Here’s an excellent resource on the glycemic index and how various foods fit into the spectrum. http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/articles/glycemic-index/

Protein: Proteins, like carbohydrates, contain 4 calories per gram. They serve many functions in the body, but the most important for our purposes is producing muscle tissue and being converted into energy. When muscles fail, be it through lifting weights or running, they need to be rebuilt and that process requires protein. If the conditions are ideal, these muscles rebuild stronger and bigger than their previous state. As muscle mass increases, so too does your basal metabolic rate. In other words, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. In fact, for every extra pound of muscle you gain, you burn roughly 50 calories more per day. This means that by building muscle through careful use of protein supplementation in your diet, you can increase your muscle mass and train your body to burn more calories. However, don’t take in too much protein, or you’ll risk storing it as fat as well. Your best bet is to focus on lean protein laden foods such as turkey and chicken breast. Like green beans, these foods provide a great weight-to-calorie ratio and will fill you up for extended periods of time.

Alcohol: Oh alcohol, how we love to hate you. Alcohol, unlike carbs or protein, contains 7 calories per gram. As you might imagine, the main source of alcohol calories comes through beer, wine and distilled spirits such as vodka. There are very few recommendations needed for alcohol consumption. The main rule to follow is this: consume alcohol in moderation. If you drink a lot of alcohol, not only are you more likely to binge eat due to lowered inhibitions and increased appetite as a direct result of intoxication, you are also putting your body in a state of natural catabolism, where it will convert protein from which your muscles are composed, into glucose for energy. This protein conversion leaves you with less muscle, and a lower level of inherent calorie burning, or a lower basal metabolic rate. If you’re a binge drinker and can’t live without alcohol, then I would recommend clear distilled spirits, as they are virtually absent of any other carbohydrate and are the lowest overall in terms of calories.

However, don’t mix these with sugary drinks or you’ll completely remove their main attraction. The problem with heavy beers and sugary liquors is their high simple carbohydrate content. Compare the typical shot of vodka, which contains roughly 70 calories, and a typical heavy beer, which can contain as much as 170 calories, for an equal amount of ‘get you drunk’ alcohol.

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Pain Killer Addiction - Don t Be Overwhelmed - Get Help Now
By Helen Hecker

There are many side effects and adverse reactions that can occur with the use of opioids as pain killers. Patients can innocently start taking pain killers after a moderate injury or because of a severe injury in an automobile accident, fall or for post surgical pain. More than 10% of high school seniors have started taking Vicodin for reasons other than reducing pain.

If you are addicted to pain killers or other drugs or think you may be, you can start working to increase the body s endorphin production naturally some ways are laughing, touching, massage, acupuncture, acupressure, walking, anything that makes you feel good that s natural. More than 415,000 people received treatment for pain killer abuse or addiction this past year. Treatment options for pain killer addiction include: medications, such as methadone and LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol), and behavioral counseling usually, the patient is medically detoxified before any treatment approach is begun.

Addiction is both a biological and psychological condition. 2.2 million people aged 12 and up first abused painkillers within the past year this is more than the number of people who started using marijuana and has overtaken the use of cocaine. Less common side effects and adverse reactions of pain killers are: confusion, hallucinations, delirium, hives, itching, hypothermia, bradycardia (slow heart rate), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), raised intracranial pressure, ureteric or biliary spasm, muscle rigidity and flushing.

When you re addicted physically to a drug, like pain killers or alcohol, etc., it s because you ve suppressed or shut down your body s production of endorphins, which are natural opiate pain killers when this happens you start craving the drug that you replaced the endorphins with whether it s alcohol, any of a number of drugs or pain killers. Pain killer addiction includes: opiate dependency, opiate addiction, narcotic dependency, narcotic addiction, and pain killer dependency or painkiller dependency. Chronic pain affects one out of three or four adults millions of people suffer from severe disabling pain.

Physical dependence on a drug suggests that sudden stopping of the drug may result in negative consequences. Opioids used as the doctor has prescribed are supposedly not dangerous according to some well-established medical groups but if this is the case, why are so many people addicted to them? If you think you are addicted and want to get off pain killers or other drugs, it s best to get detoxified as fast as you can and then go through some type of rehabilitation it s important to have others to lean on and learn from and offer support to you.

Taking the time to spend in a treatment center, detoxing, is of the utmost priority. If you don t have insurance, check with your local mental health agencies to see what is available that s free. It s important to get help and not to try getting off pain killers on your own.

All other demands of children, a job, school, or any other responsibilities may make inpatient treatment seem like an intrusion but it s not. If you can t do an in-patient rehab, find out how you can do outpatient rehab and pay for it under your insurance plan check your insurance policy to see if it s covered. It s important to go through rehab following your detox stay: make it a part of your plan of action.

Knowing some of these facts and understanding endorphin production will help get you on the road to pain killer addiction recovery fast start working on it today and hopefully you ll notice changes tomorrow. The many problems that are associated with pain killer addiction and abuse have experts, doctors and authorities searching for solutions. Experts say that only a small segment of patients with a medical need for using narcotic pain medications ever become addicted.

For more information on pain killer addiction symptoms and pain killer treatments go to http://www.Pain-Killer-Addiction.info specializing in pain killer addiction with nurse s tips, help, quiz, blog and resources including information on pain killer treatment centers and natural addiction treatment

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