I have always been interested in anything to do with Health & Wellness so I will be discussing various health issues that I hope will be of interest to you.  Anything from scientific breakthroughs, weight loss, plastic surgery, herbal remedies, hormones, etc.  Anything and everything.  I know you will find it interesting and you may even learn something along the way.  I am not a health professional–just someone who is passionate about living a healthy life and sharing that information with others.   I encourage any feedback you may have.  So here goes…

TOP 10 HEALTH TRENDS

SHOULD YOU PASS THEM UP OR ARE THEY RIGHT FOR YOU??

#10.  THE ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE

It gives you nicotine but none of the other 4,000 chemicals that can give you cancer–among other problems.  You charge it, put in a cartridge and it creates a vapor that looks like smoke.  It’s $150 for a starter kit, $5-$10 for a replacement cartridge and it looks like you’re smoking.  If you are addicted to smoking this may be a way for you to quit.  It’s alot better than consuming all that tar, charcoal, carbon monoxide and all the other stuff that is in the smoke.  It’s only available in England.  It’s not FDA approved yet but they expect it to be available in the US within the next year or so.  It just might be a great alternative.

#9.  MAGGOT THERAPY

For many decades people have known the benefits of maggot therapy but only now are they considering doing this as an alternative option.  These things work but are a little frightening.  What they do is they clean the dead tissue that has bacteria in it and leaves the healthy tissue.  They produce enzymes that promote healing.  They are great tool if you can get past the fact that they are maggots.  For eg. if you have a diabetic ulcer on you foot and the infection goes down to the bone you may be faced with amputation.  Instead, you can use the maggots to get rid of the bone infection and totally heal the ulcer.  Heel ulcers in diabetics are one of the toughest problems to treat.  I should know as I have a diabetic brother who had the problem.

#8.  “MIRACLE FRUIT”  ACAI BERRY

This has been all over the news and has been flying off the shelves.  In fact, many health conscious celebrities swear by it.  It comes all the way from the Amazon rain forest.  It’s deep purple in color and it’s that rich color that holds all the antioxidant properties.  You’re suppose to drink 2 ounces in the morning and 1 ounce at night.  There’s alot of evidence that this berry and the blueberry too really helps prevent DNA damage which can eventually prevent cancer.  Promotes heart health.  It’s really expensive at $40 a bottle.  But it’s yummy–so bottoms up!

#7.   ANT-GRAVITY YOGA

It”s a combination of yoga, pilates, sculpting and aerial work.  It’s designed to defy gravity as you hang from the hammocks and you fly.  It was designed to to get you into shape while realigning you from the compression of gravity and relieve tension in the joints.  Looks interesting and fun!

#6.  BALLROOM DANCING

Ever since the hit shows like “Dancing With The Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance ” hit the airways, ballroom dancing has become all the rage.  I know how get you into great shape because I danced for about 10 years of my life.  My mother also taught Belly Dancing and she always looked great for her age.  She still dances at the age of 75.  We both still love to dance.  It’s a great workout–Too much fun!

#5.  VITAMINS BY PROFESSION

Vitamins designed for specific professions.  They are called Employee Vita.  4 different types right now.  They’ve got Firefighter Vita, Nurse Vita, Trucker Vita and Teachers Vita.  For eg. Trucker Vita is a multi-vitamin with joint support.  It has chondroitin and glucosamine.  Firefighter Vita is a multi-vitamin with Omega 3′s.  So it’s good for your heart as they have the highest incidence of heart disease.  Great idea but pretty over-priced for what you are getting.

#4.  EAR STAPLING

What the use is a surgical stapler.  It’s designed as a type of accupuncture that goes through the cartilage in the ear.  It affects a branch of the vegas nerve which we know we have in the ears that may actually curb eating.  Initially painful, but is suppose to decrease food cravings, painful endometriosis, stress and anxiety, pain management and also for addictions.  Sounds promising.

#3.  SWALLOWS NEST (FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH)

Actual birds nests that many people believe hold the secret to longevity, as well as, good health.  The birds eat the fish and then regurgitate this gelatinous goop to make the nests.  It’ really rich in amino acids which are the precursors to so many important things that your body needs.  Very popular in China but extremely expensive–a box for $600.  It has shown to decrease aging in mice and useful for the treatment of aids.  It actually tastes good–like coconut.  But is it for the birds?

#2.  OXYGEN IN A CAN

There’s alot of theories out there that oxygen makes you healthier and lets you breathe and think easier.  The idea is that you spray it.  Don’t hold your breathe.  Just breathe normally.  If you do need oxygen it’s not a very effective delivery of it and probably more psychological than anything.  Probably not going to help your health much.

AND NOW…………

IT’S SO NEW, SO CUTTING EDGE, YOU PROBABLY MIGHT NOT BELIEVE IT’S  ACTUALLY REAL…………

#1.  “DESIGNER BABIES”

It’s a new technology that can help parents select from 6,000 different traits:  sex, eye color, hair color; as well as; 1,000′s of others.  It’s revolutionary.  They have all the information about the human genome, practically, to help people assure that they get healthy babies, babies of the gender they like and now babies with the eye, hair and complexion characteristics that they might be interested in. The process gets results in 12 hours.  With that, they don’t have to freeze embryos or store embryos and decrease the pregnancy rate.  It’s a 5 fold increase and of course the disease rate falls to essentially zero.  Really controversial–I’m sure alot of people will have issues with this.  Costs $18,000–But the technology is truly PHENOMENAL!

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STRESS TEST

This test is designed to create some anxiety, but most importantly, to stress the heart and try to identify any abnormalities that wouldn’t be obvious in a resting situation.  They will hook you up to the monitors while you walk on on a treadmill in an incline.  You will get your heart rate up to 85% of your maximum heart rate.  If you have a history of borderline high blood pressure you might want to get this test to rule out any heart problems.

ECHOCARDIOGRAM

It’s essentially an ultrasound test that you do on your heart that uses sound waves to produce images of your heart muscle and valves and allows you to see how your heart is beating and pumping blood.  If your exam is normal, no further testing is needed.  If not, you may be referred to a heart specialist for further assessment.

MAMMOGRAM

This is a really important test for women especially if you have a history of cancer in your family (mom or sister was diagnosed at an early age)and just in general if you are over 40 (and once a year after) because it is our only screening tool. Early detection is the key to curing  breast cancer.  1 in 8 women are affected by breast cancer which means it’s likely you know someone that has been affected by this.  You should have this test starting at an earlier age if you are at a higher risk.  The sooner you pick the disease up the better and you will be able to treat it and live a long life.

PROSTATE EXAM

Men age 50 and over should get a digital rectal prostate exam once a year, as well as, their PSA.  Prostate cancer is one of the biggest killers of men.  Once again, early detection is the key.  It is very common and affects 1 in 7 men.  If it’s a slow growing tumor and you wait til you have symptoms to do anything it will be too late.  African American men are at a higher risk and need to be screened starting at 40.  The ultrasonic probe is used when the PSA is abnormal or the digital rectal exam is abnormal or the PSA is rising too quickly over time.  If this is the case you should be followed to see if there are any changes with regard to a cystic structure, calcifications, the size or PSA then you should do a biopsy.

FLOUROSCEIN ANGIOGRAM

This test looks at the micro circulation in the retina and the condition of the back of the eye.  They inject a special dye (flouroscein) into your arm that travels up to your eye which can detect any circulatory problems, swelling, leaking or abnormal blood vessels.

AND HERE IS THE TOP 3 MEDICAL EXAMS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED  ( AND NEED ONCE A YEAR )

1.  This is an exam that just about everyone forgets to get.  You should go to a Dermatologist to get a Head-To-Toe skin exam.  Most people don’t now they should get a dermatologist to check your skin for any lumps and bumps or suspicious looking moles.

The ABC’s of moles:

A–ASSYMETRCAL–look for moles that are not symmetrical.

B–BORDERS that are irregular.

C–COLOR Variations.

Also, if something appears out of the blue or if bleeds then it needs to checked by a skin doctor.

2.  Go for a Full Dental Exam.  3  things they cover.  First, A digital xray is taken of your teeth to see any infections like an abscess, cavities, etc.  People have died from abscesses.  Then they do a perio-probing which measures to see how deep your pockets are around the gums.  3mm and less is good–anything over and you have Periodontal Disease.  Finally, Oral Cancer Screening–the dentist will look in your mouth to check for any cancer.

3. Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam.  They will check the health of your eyes to make sure there is no  evidence of glaucoma, cataracts and eye diseases like macular degeneration.

PREVENTION IS THE KEY!!

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