Take Care When lifting Heavy Objects

We take the lifting and carrying of objects very much for granted - until we injure our backs.

To minimize the risk of this happening, we should learn to do these movements correctly.

Lifting and carrying should be done in such a way that back strain is minimized. The back is designed for a variety of movements – but not for strenuous activity. For this reason, we should place the weight on parts of our body, which are better equipped for this – the muscles of the legs, arms, and stomach. 

When you are lifting a heavy object, you should never simply bend over and pick it up. You should always bend at the knees, until you are in a squatting position and as level as possible with the object you want to pick up. Use your arm muscles to lift the object and your leg muscles to help you straighten up again. 

Always lift objects of a weight you will capable to handle. It is always tempting to lift more weight than you’re able to handle. Test out a variety of heavy weights – and stop immediately when you begin to feel the strain in your back. 

This is especially important for people whose jobs entail lifting very heavy weights. Always observe the safety precautions that limit the weight carried at one time and the period for which this could be carried. Without doing so, the long-term carrying of heavy loads can cause severe back problems – leading to the loss of work time because of injury or recurrent pain. Later on in life, especially when you are getting old, people suffer severely with back problems and pain.

If strain does occur – and usually you will feel this in your lower back, the area of greatest sensitivity – it may be a sign of worn muscles or more serious conditions like lumbago and a slipped disc. The moment you feel any pain, you should stop immediately and lie flat on your back.  If the pain persists, see your doctor as soon as possible.

When you carry heavy objects, always hold them higher than chest level, keeping the back as straight as possible. Though it may take more time, you should carry heavy objects individually, not more than three of four together. If the load is extremely heavy and awkwardly shaped, share it with someone – or call in the professionals.  

If you have done a great deal of lifting and carrying during the day, your muscles may feel tense. To relax them, take a warm bath, then lie flat on a bed, or a hard surface, and press your spine into it. Stiffness can also be relieved by gentle massage, deep breathing and moderate bending and back arching exercises.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Chronic Sleep Apnea is a condition in which one actually quits breathing for short episodes during sleep.

The condition is easily diagnosed by doctors trained in sleep disorders, by simply going to a sleep clinic. Some signs and symptoms include; loud snoring with moments of complete silence; a “snorting” sound with abrupt wakening; feeling exhausted even after you have slept for several hours; lack of concentration; and even falling asleep during the day while driving or on the job. This condition can be life threatening and is treatable.

For more information check with your family doctor and you may check out the National Sleep Foundation's website.

How to stop a cold in its track

1. Take 3 g  of vitamin C immediately and then 2 g every four hours (or three times a day) until symptoms subside. Alternatively, mix 6 g of vitamin C powder in fruit juice diluted with water and drink throughout the day. Some people prefer to use calcium ascorbate, a less acidic from of vitamin C.

2. Supplement other immune-boosting nutrients, especially vitamins A and E, selenium and zinc.

3. Eat lightly, preferably relying mainly on fruits and vegetables, including foods rich in vitamins A and C, for example carrots, beetroot, green peppers and  citrus fruit. Avoid mucus- forming and fatty foods, i.e. meat, eggs, and milk products. These make your lymph limp - and lymphatic fluid is the main transport system for immune cells, which carry invading viruses to lymph nodes for future punishment.

4. Avoid all alcohol, cigarettes, tea, and coffee. Drink plenty of water and herb teas.

5. Boost your immunity with herbs. Drink two cups of cat’s claw tea a day, have 15 drops of Echinacea tincture twice a day, and , if you have flu or a severe cold, also have a dessertspoon of Sambucol (elderberry extract) four times a day.

6. Take it easy. Do everything slowly and avoid stress. Get some rest and plenty of sleep.

7.  If you think you have won the battle, wait at least 24 hours before reducing the vitamins down to 1 g of vitamin C three times a day, and one immune-boosting vitamin and mineral supplement in the morning. Once you have been well for three days, go back to your normal supplement programme.

Water – the great healer!

Water composes the major proportion of all living things, including the human body. The right water balance in the body is essential for the healthy circulation of blood, the function of every cell in the body, and the maintenance of correct osmotic pressure and electrolyte balance.

Water in food and drink is necessary to bulk out stools and prevent constipation, and to flush wastes and toxins out through the skin and urinary system. Plenty of water to drink is vital during a fever, or in diarrhoea and vomiting, to prevent dehydration. After a heavy drinking session, flush your system with as much water as possible to avoid a hangover. Hot water sipped slowly will often relieve hiccoughs, indigestion, and wind, and a drink of water when feeling faint can act as stimulant to the heart. “Hard” water, containing dissolved calcium and magnesium salts may protect against heart disease.

Bathing in varying temperatures of water, fresh or salt, is a stimulating experience for the whole body, improving the function of the skin and helping it to eliminate wastes via the pores. Cold baths stimulate the lungs and circulation, increase vitality, enhance resistance to infection by increasing the white blood cell count, an even aid fertility by raising sex hormone levels.

Tepid baths, on the other hand, are used therapeutically for 30 minutes to raise low blood pressure and calm nerves. Warm baths relieve muscle tension, aching, and cystitis, and are very relaxing and restring. Avoid over-hot baths as they stress the heart and increase the pulse. Steam, however, when inhaled, is excellent for sore throats and laryngitis, and is often the best cure for croup.

Tip: A good way to wake yourself up in the morning is to take a cold bath. Then dry yourself vigorously and dress quickly, and you should feel a warm afterglow. Not recommended for the sick, old, or very young. 

Understanding women
Beautiful South Africa

Bulimia

The mighty carrot

Carrots are an excellent restorative food if you are feeling run down or convalescing, and for correcting nutritional deficiency, such as anaemia, and keeping tooth decay at bay. Highly nutritious, carrots are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, Beta-carotene, and in iron, calcium, potassium, and sodium.

Carrots have long been associated with sharp eyesight, but are also famed for regulating intestinal activity and relieving constipation and diarrhoea. Carrots stimulate the appetite and can relieve wind, colic, intestinal infections, peptic ulcers, and hemorrhoids.

A carrot juice fast for one or two days is a great detoxifying therapy for the liver. Carrots’ diuretic effect relieves fluid retention and soothes cystitis. They help counter the formation of kidney stones, and relieve arthritis and gout.

Their expectorant properties help expel mucus from the chest in coughs, bronchitis, and asthma, while the antiseptic effect helps resolve infections. Research has confirmed carrots’ folk use as a circulatory remedy, protecting against arterial and heart disease, preventing hardening of the arteries, an increasing haemoglobin and red blood cell counts. Eating two or three carrots, a day can lower blood cholesterol by more than 10 per cent. Beta-carotene has been shown to inhibit cancer, particularly that related to smoking, and the antioxidants hep to slow ageing.

You can use grated raw carrot in a poultice, as an antiseptic, and to speed healing of wounds, varicose ulcers, burns, whitlows, boils, abscesses, and styes. Carrot broth can heal chilblains and chapped skin, sooth itching from eczema, and treat impetigo and cold sores.

Here is a quick carrot soup recipe:

Boil 0.5 kg (1 lb.) of fresh carrots in 1 litre (1.75 pints) water until soft, and then blend.

Whale watching

I am wrong

Weight gain does not have to be a side effect of quitting smoking if you follow a few simple methods to keep you both slim and healthy. Here are some things you can do to prevent unnecessary weight gain, courtesy of the American Heart Association and Health Day:

Choose healthy foods for meals and snacks - low-fat and low-calorie foods, and plenty of fruits and vegetables;
Drink plenty of water; get regular exercise - it will keep you busy and reduce stress;
Snack if you feel the urge to have something in your mouth, but stick to crunchy fruits and vegetables or sugar-free gum;
Brush your teeth frequently so that you have a fresh, clean taste in your mouth that you do not want to ruin with smoke;
Stay busy - try knitting, crossword puzzles, writing letters, reading a book or playing a new sport. 
Remember, be strong, and do not give in to any cravings – even the craving for a few pull off a cigarette!

Woman, beautiful woman!

Romance

My Freelancer

People who are prone to back pain

There is several ‘high risk’ occupations associated with a painful back. If you fall into any of them, take extra care:

Manual Workers:  About 22 per cent of miners, furniture removers, construction workers, Dockers and other manual workers are regular sufferers.

Nurses:  About 17 per cent of nurses – who regularly have to lift bedridden patients, an vary an bend in their work- are stricken each year.

Office workers: Typists and computer operators are prone, because they often use badly designed chairs that do not give enough support to the small of the back, an so encourage the operatives to slouch.

Drivers: Long distance truck drivers, tractor drivers, and those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel are liable to get lower back pain due to poor posture and the vibration they experience in their vehicles.

Homemakers and mothers:  Bending to make beds, cleaning, lifting, and carrying babies and small children frequently cause back problems. Many women start getting back pain during pregnancy. 

Athletes: Any sport that involves vigorous activity (for example, football, tennis o squash), or one that makes great use of a particular set of muscles (for example, weightlifting or golf), can put undue strain on the back.

The elderly: The older you are, the less supple your joints and muscles are likely to be. Back pain and stiffness may result –and there is a risk of OSTEOPOROSIS developing.

Beauty

South Africa

Avoiding allergens

Avoidance is the most effective way to deal with an allergy, but it is not always easy. However, there are precautions:

Check food labels: Choose fresh, unprocessed foods; if you suspect food additives, read labels carefully, and avoid those additives as far as you can.

Choose household products with care: When using detergents, particularly biological detergents, take extra care. Rinse your washing thoroughly. Wear rubber gloves when using any household cleaners or chemicals. Keep notes of what you use, and a process of elimination may help.

Vacuum frequently: To get rid of dust mites and prevent a build-up of animal hairs, vacuum daily.

Change your garden: Few people are driven to such desperate lengths, but if your hay fever is troublesome, you could try paving over the lawn and growing non-flowering foliage plants. This will not, of course, prevent pollen drifting from your neighbours’ gardens, but some hay fever sufferers say that their weekends have been made bearable by such action.

If your efforts to avoid or eliminate the allergen have failed or are impracticable, the solution is to treat the symptoms. Remember that most allergens are, in themselves, harmless. It is your body’s response, not the allergen that does the damage, so coming into contact with the offending substance will not hurt you a ling a you can control your reaction to it.

Activities to improve your health

How to care for your breasts

Here are some simple steps to maintain beautiful and well-formed breasts:

Whilst showering, direct a stream of fresh water on your breasts for a minute or two. It is a magical tonic for your breasts’ tissues. The cold water stimulates blood circulation and metabolism. Remember that repeated warm baths may loosen the skin.

Keep the skin of your breasts moisturized and hydrated since it is rather poor in sebaceous glands. Once a week, exfoliate the skin with a tender scrub, like the one you would use for your face. A mixture of sugar and sweet oil also works well.

Maintain a healthy weight. A fluctuation in weight can stretch the breast tissue and cause unwanted sagging!

Beware of the sun, as it dries the skin reducing its elasticity.

Alternative ways to deal with household insects

Reasons for Extreme Exhaustion

Many people suffer from extreme exhaustion, which may have something to do with your diet. If you are chronically exhausted, keep in mind that there are many different physical and psychological factors, and it is vital to have a full medical examination as a first step in trying to counteract this debilitating condition.

Some of the physical causes that may underlie chronic tiredness and the role that dietary changes can bring about are:

·         Malfunction of the thyroid gland

·         Malfunction of other glands– such as menopause

·         Anaemia’s

·         Blood sugar level problems– such as diabetes, reactive hypoglycaemia (a tendency to produce too much insulin)

Patients who suffer from any one of the above-mentioned blood sugar level problems may constantly feel tired because their brains and body tissues are starved of glucose.

Quick Toasted snacks

Headache and Your Bra?

They may look sexy and slip in just right under your slinkiest evening dresses, but bras with thin straps could cause headaches and lead to serious nerve damage.

Physicians at UT South-western Medical Centre at Dallas say wearing thin bra straps too tightly is dangerous for women. If a strap is so tight that it digs into the shoulder, it puts downward pressure on the cervical nerve. The cervical nerve runs from the neck to the shoulder and is an important component of the nerve system. Damaging it can cause frequent headaches, neck pain or numbness. Over time, it can cause pain that radiates from the shoulder all the way down the arms and into the hands.

Tight bra straps are especially hazardous for full-busted women, but all women are susceptible. Swimsuits with spaghetti straps and shoulder-strap purses worn for several hours at a time are other culprits.

The solution is to find a good-fitting undergarment, say UT South-western physicians. Shop for support bras with wide straps. This distributes the weight more evenly.

So the next time you get a headache -- check your bra.

Greener cleaners

Benefits of honey

Magic Chamomile

Avoid these exercises during pregnancy

If you were active before your pregnancy, here's the good news: there's no reason why you should stop exercising now. A moderate amount of exercise is good for both you and your baby. Note, however, that certain physical activities should be avoided.

Avoid the following: being too active during hot weather; steam rooms, hot tubs and saunas; physical activities that call for you to lie flat on your back, such as certain yoga poses; contact sports such as football and boxing; and activities that make you jump or change direction quickly, such as tennis or netball.

Glorious Food For U

Failing erections may indicate heart problems

Impotence could be a harbinger of heart disease in some men, according to a meta-analysis published .

But another study out today suggests heart-healthy lifestyle changes or cholesterol-lowering drugs could have a positive effect on men's sexual health.

Scientists have known about the link between erectile dysfunction and heart health for years. Although unproven, a common theory is that arteries supplying the penis with blood during erections may become clogged earlier than those in the heart, thus providing an early warning of possible coronary artery disease.

To investigate the connection between the two, Jia-Yi Dong of Soochow University in Suzhou, China, and colleagues pooled data from 12 studies of impotence and heart disease involving nearly 37,000 men.

They found that men with erectile problems had a 48% increase in their risk of developing heart disease. Those men also had higher mortality rates than men who didn't have sexual problems.

Traditional risk factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure didn't explain the link, the Chinese team reports in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

That strengthens the case that impotence, when it isn't due to partnership problems or other psychological issues, is a risk factor for heart disease in its own right.

Lifestyle changes improve problems

In the other study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a review of earlier work found that both lifestyle changes and statins appeared to improve men's erectile problems – although only a little.

Men who exercised more or were put on a Mediterranean diet rich in whole grain, fruits, vegetables, nuts and olive oil, for instance, reported a 2.4-point improvement on a 25-point scale of erectile problems.

Those taking statins saw a similar improvement of 3.1 points, according to Dr Bhanu Gupta and colleagues of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The results are based on six trials with 740 participants.

While that improvement might not be meaningful for all men, the researchers say, their findings "strengthen existing knowledge that healthy dietary habits and increased physical activity are important components of health to improve quality of life in men by improving sexual health".

They add that lifestyle changes appear to work, regardless of whether men are taking sildenafil (Viagra) or not.

(Reuters Health, September 2011)