Psyllium Seed Husk, Your Body’s Clean Up Guy

May 31, 2009

Including psyllium seed husk in your diet helps the body in many ways.  First of all, it is one very good source of dietary fiber.  In fact, psyllium seed husk is used in cereals and health drinks to promote regular bowel movement.  But the benefit of including psyllium seed husk in your prudent diet does not end there.

Psyllium seed husk can aid the body further by lowering the cholesterol levels in the blood.  That is why it is very beneficial for people with cardiovascular diseases to include psyllium seed husk or food fortified with psyllium seed husk in their diet to help control the cholesterol levels in their blood.

As psyllium is a true dietary fiber,  it helps promote regular bowel movement because of its chemical properties.  Psyllium which is grown primarily for its mucilage properties aids digestion by attracting water molecules and raising its volume by almost ten times.  This adds the necessary bulk in a person’s stool.  Not only that, because a person will feel full in the small intestines quicker, regular bowel movement is promoted.  It is not absorbed by the small intestines and it passes through the digestive tract virtually unchanged because the body cannot digest the fiber that makes up the psyllium mucilage.  Like most fibers, the body does not have the necessary enzymes that can digest and take in as nutrients that is contained in the psyllium seed husk.

With the healthy benefits of psyllium seed husk, you can really include it  in your diet and garner the benefits that it all brings.

Why Your Feet Ache Feet during Pregnancy

May 28, 2009

Women’s bodies change a lot during pregnancy, your feet is one of them.  The most apparent reason is the additional weight gain.  As your pregnancy progresses, you will gain roughly around 25 pounds during the whole term.  This additional weight will add pressure to your feet, especially on the heel.

Pregnancy may also promote the swelling of your feet.  One side effect of pregnancy is the surge of hormones that course through your body.  This makes the muscles relax and slows down your circulation, because of this swelling in your feet may occur.

Another hormone released during pregnancy is relaxin, this cause your bones to relax as you prepare for birth, unfortunately, as this hormone prepares the birth canal, it causes some undesirable effect on your feet.  The hormone cause the connections of the bones in your feet, the ligaments, to expand.  This can misshapen your feet by making it larger and flatter compared when you were not pregnant.

A hot foot bath is one way to relax your tired, swollen, misshapen feet.  Soaking your feet in warm water with your favorite aromatherapeutic oil can help relieve those swollen , aching feet.

Thyme, Not Just for Cooking

May 24, 2009

Thyme is a spice that has been extensively used in many cuisines around the world.  Used in pasta, meat and fish dishes, the uses of thyme go beyond its culinary contributions to societies and cultures.  Prized for its ability to flavor food, thyme has many wonderful health benefits that have been extensively used in the past.

Thyme contains thymol.  Thymol is known to be an antiseptic and is the main ingredient of a very popular mouthwash.  In the past, before the rise of modern antibiotics, thyme is used to treat wounds because of the antiseptic properties of thymol.  Thymol is so abundant in thyme leaves that it comprises about 20~54% of the leaves.  Boiled thyme leaves and cooled when used three times a day as a gargle is effective in soothing inflammations in the mouth.

Medicinally, thyme has been used a treatment for lung diseases such as whooping cough.  A tea made from the leaves can be used to treat bronchitis.

Truly, thyme will find its way even outside the kitchen and into the medicine cabinets with its antiseptic properties.

Working out after 40

May 22, 2009

Better late than never, right?  This age-old adage applies to muscle-building as well.  Embarking on a new fitness regimen after 40 is possible with a few know-how and precautions.  Although starting earlier in life would surely help, getting started any time is better than not at all.

Being forty means that you are not as young as you are but with a few exercise, you can gain back some of the lost gait and strength of your younger years.  What is important is that you have a goal in mind and you are not going to lose focus.  Despite your flagging metabolism, getting in shape is still very possible and doable.

The first thing you should look at is your diet.  Because of your slowing metabolism, food that you have taken may take a longer time to be burned and converted to energy.  What happens is that the body overstocks on these stored energy which is fat.  Enjoying a high fat, low nutrient food will not help in your muscle building goals and will actually contribute to a growing pot belly.

Doing warm up exercises is a good way to start up and cool down from an exercise.  Doing warm ups is very important in raising your heartbeat prior to strenuous activities. This prepares the body, raising your core body temperature, stretching the muscles, and loosening up your joints prior to doing your muscle building exercises.  Allowing rest periods in your workout is also essential in  preventing muscle fatigue.

Bringing Home the Baby

May 17, 2009

The long nine months of wait is finally over and here comes the new person and the latest addition to the family.  Giving birth to your new child enables you to give him all the love and support you can possibly give him.  Now you can hold him and stare at his innocent angelic face all you want.

Smothering him with love is easy.  Although the first few days and the following weeks to come will not be without many challenges and frustrations for you and your newborn, the time you spend with him during this time is best time to get to know each other the best.

During this time you will learn what his little grunts and sounds and baby cries mean and you will eventually learn how to soothe your newborn before he breaks out into an ear splitting cry.  First thing to remember is that your newborn will have to be fed every two to three hours.  It is also wise to check frequently on his diapers and change whenever required.  Caring for his stump (from where the umbilical cord used to be) is also required, using 70% alcohol or tincture of iodine solution will be fine in keeping it clean and free from infection.  Be sure to leave it to dry after cleaning.

Most importantly, enjoy all the time with your newborn.  Parenting is one of the most rewarding experience any person can have so enjoy all moments of it.

The Importance of Hand Washing

May 15, 2009

Communicable diseases are diseases that are transmitted most commonly by physical contact, contaminated food, contaminated air, and body fluids.  With the recent outbreak of avian flu and now swine flu, the need to remain healthy by safeguarding ourselves with personal hygiene becomes even more important.  One of the best ways to avoid diseases is the simple means of hand washing.  Washing your hands with clean water and some soap is the best way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as swine flu.  Frequent hand washing will help clean our hands should we get in contact with contaminants that can cause diseases.  In cases where soap and water are not available, sanitizing with alcohol solution or with a hand sanitizer will do the job.

The simple means of hand washing will help deter the spread of communicable diseases, one person at a time.  If only everyone would wash their hands more often, then the spread of communicable diseases will be contained easier.  Germs are everywhere; one way to get rid of them is get them is when they get in contact with your body through your hands, before you pass them on to your nose or face.

Are You Pregnant?

May 9, 2009

Signs of pregnancy are distinct and distinguishable.  Although having one sign may confuse you with having contracted a disease, having two signs may validate a suspected pregnancy.  Unless you know what signs to watch out for, then your feelings of being sick may be a reason for joy than despair. Because pregnancy is different for each woman, a simple pregnancy test can almost ascertain your being pregnant, but how do you actually know when to open a kit and test?  Check out the list of signs below and compare how you feel.

A missed period will definitely send your alarm bells ringing and head for the nearest pharmacy to buy the first (or first of several) pregnancy test kit you see.  It can be difficult for some women to tell, if this is just a hunch or an actuality because some women are not regular or have late periods.   Other factors such as stress, illnesses, and contraceptives may hinder you from noticing the significance of a missed period.

Fatigue is also a good indicator of pregnancy.  Feeling sluggish because of a decrease in energy which is unrelated to stress or strenuous activity may also tell you that you may be pregnant.

Tenderness of the nipples.  Pregnancy is one of the few reasons why your breasts especially your nipples may be feeling tender.

Morning sickness.   Feeling nauseous and vomiting is a good sign of pregnancy.

Remember one sign can be telling one story, but a combination of two or more should prompt you to make a visit to the obstetrician.

Modern Lifestyle and Insomnia

May 5, 2009

To lead a healthy and productive lifestyle, we need a good eight hours of sleep every night.  The problem is, with our modern way of life, comes our modern problems, one of this is insomnia.  This has become a big problem so that one-third of the world’s population is already suffering from insomnia. None the wonder is it that the sleep aid market continues to grow quickly.

Insomnia can be a couple of things, one is not being able to fall asleep at all, the other one is waking up prematurely during your sleep in the night.  Insomnia can be cured only by putting back your sleep in the proper hours.  Without doing so, you will lose productivity and focus on your supposed work hours during the day, which in these tough times, the consequences can be catastrophic.

There are many reasons why people fall victim to insomnia, as earlier mentioned, this can be blamed to man’s modern lifestyle.  Incapacity to deal with stress, results to depression, anxiety and other psychosomatic illnesses.  Insomnia can also be caused by medication, alcohol or caffeine.

If your insomnia is due to stress or anxiety, it may wise to talk to a psychologist at the earliest possible time to address the issues earlier on.  Until the issues are resolved, it may be very difficult for you to go back to your usual sleep cycle.  Finding the best way to de-stress periodically may help you deal and manage your stress better.