Category Archive: General Health

The most important things you can do for your own nutrition is to know what you’re eating.  In recent years, food labels have become much more user friendly and you really can know exactly what you’re putting in your body.

How we think about food is very important.  What you eat can help to give you energy, improve your immunity, and allow you to combat many diseases.  But it can also do the opposite – leave you feeling weak and even cause disease. 

But if you’ve never given your food much thought, reading food labels can be intimidating.  There’s a lot of information there.  Deciding which information is important and which isn’t can be challenging.  Once you know the basics, though, you’ll read those labels with confidence.

Know Your Serving Size

Look at the serving size on the label.  Sometimes people miss this part of the label and then have an inaccurate idea of what’s actually in the food.   For example, if you have a can of soup and the label says it’s 2 servings, that means that the information on the label would be doubled if you ate the whole can. Continue reading “Lets Learn How To Read A Food Label” »

Here is a fascinating minor surgical procedure to remove a worm that had gotten imbedded in this patient's eye.

Some people suffer from allergies and intolerances to wheat and/or gluten. These allergies and intolerances can cause symptoms that are fairly mild to life threatening.  What is the difference between wheat and gluten?

It seems that sometimes the words are used almost interchangeably in ingredient lists and conversations about what ails us, but there is, in fact, a difference!

• Wheat is a grain. We all know that. Gluten is the sticky protein that is found in wheat and other grains such as barley, rye, malt, and – to some extent – oats. Wheat and gluten are related – they come together in a package.
• Gluten is what binds the dough in breads and baked goods. So if wheat and gluten are not the same thing, but are so closely related, is it possible to have an allergy or intolerance to one and not the other?

Continue reading “Wheat and Gluten – Have You Ever Wondered What’s the Difference?” »

For many people, pain is a chronic condition – or at least one that occurs frequently enough that they feel they have to seek out on-going relief for it when it rears its ugly head.

There is no one size fits all pain management tool. Everyone is different in terms of what we find effective. You have to find a tool that’s right for you – and that means understanding all of your options as well as taking precautions for safety purposes.

Understand that with long-term pain management, you might have to switch things up over time. Sometimes, with pain, a certain treatment will become less effective and you’ll need to give your body a break and try something different.

One thing you need to know as you navigate this journey is that you’re certainly not alone. The American Academy of Pain Management offers statistics that more than 50 million Americans have chronic pain. It hinders your ability to work.

If you’re having recurring arthritis pain, you already know how severe it can be. You also know how much you struggle to find solace from all of the pain. This disease has yet to have a formal cure, but luckily, there are some tips that can help you achieve some much needed arthritis pain relief.

A great form of pain relief that will warm you right up is moist heat. You can buy hot packs and heating pads for around $10 – $30. You could also make a homemade heating pad – they both work in the same way.

Get yourself a towel!  What you want to do with the towel is dampen it with warm water. Then you can do one of two things: you can either heat it up in your microwave from 10 seconds to a minute (depending on the wattage of your microwave) or heat it in an oven. Continue reading “Tips For Relieving Arthritis Pain” »

One thing you should do is have blood tests done on a regular basis to keep a watch on your cholesterol readings. You especially want to know what your LDL cholesterol is, since it’s considered the bad cholesterol – the one that can gang up on your heart and lead you to have a heart attack.

No need to automatically have to reach for a pill to get your levels down to an optimal reading. Your doctor should always suggest both diet and exercise as the first line of defense in fighting back against numbers that are too high. The first step to follow is always to change your diet.

You might be surprised at some of the foods you need to add to your diet that can naturally help bring your cholesterol under control. Eating nuts (especially almonds or peanuts) can lower your cholesterol. But be careful that you don’t overdo it. Continue reading “Have You Ever Wondered How you Can Naturally Lower LDL Cholesterol” »

Are you frustrated when you put on a bathing suit and see the belly fat around your middle? Do you see a lumpy, bumpy silhouette when you put on a new dress? When you look in the mirror, do you see a spare tire hanging over your belt? If this sounds familiar, you may be ready to lose belly fat.

Here are a few questions to decide if you’re ready to take the steps you need to lose belly fat. First, how do you feel about your situation? Are you frustrated by your body? What are the reasons you want to lose belly fat? Is it so you can wear a bikini this summer? Is it to make your clothes feel better?

Have you been thinking about how to lose belly fat for some time, it’s time to take the next step. You’ll need to gather as much information as you can so that you can make a plan. There are many sources of information including books, the internet, weight loss centers, and information from friends and family members. Continue reading “Let’s Talk About Losing Belly Fat” »

Did you know that tea started its debut in the medicinal world in the ancient times of China and Japan. Tea was popular – not only for the delightful taste it offered – but for offering health benefits as well.

It was commonly used for ailments such as headaches, depression-like symptoms, boosting energy for those who were fatigued, and even to aid in improving eyesight.

As legend has it, an emperor was presented with a cup of hot water that had turned brown from a leaf that had dropped into a pot of boiling water. Continue reading “Do You Know The Health Benefits of Tea” »