Arthritis

Have You Bought Into These Arthritis Myths?

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Have You Bought Into These Arthritis Myths?
David Silva

Myth 1: Exercise doesn’t help arthritis, and in fact makes the condition worse. Fact: Proper exercise performed on a regular basis is an important part of arthritis treatment, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Twenty years ago, doctors advised exactly the opposite, fearing that activity would cause more damage and inflammation. However, not exercising causes weak muscles, stiff joints, reduced mobility, and lost vitality, say rheumatologists, who now routinely advise a balance of physical activity and rest.Three main types of exercises are recommended:Range-of-motion … moving a joint as far as it will comfortably go and then stretching it a little further to increase and maintain joint mobility, decrease pain, and improve joint function. These can be done at least every other day.Strengthening … using muscles without moving joints to help increase muscle strength and stabilize weak joints. These can be done at least every other day, unless there is severe pain or swelling.Endurance … aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming and bicycling to strengthen the heart and lungs and increase stamina. These should be done for 20 to 30 minutes, three times a week, unless there is severe pain or swelling.Myth 2: Arthritis only affects older people.Fact: While it is true that arthritis becomes more common as people age, arthritis may begin at any age, including childhood. Nearly three of every five sufferers are under age 65. Conversely, some elderly people never develop arthritis. Myth 3: Arthritis is nothing more than minor aches and pains.Fact: Arthritis can be permanently debilitating. Many forms of arthritis or musculoskeletal conditions are self-limited and get better without specific treatment. Others, however, such as rheumatoid arthritis, may be quite serious and may affect the body’s internal organs as well as the joints. Arthritis already affects more than 42 million Americans in its chronic form, including 300,000 children. By 2020, CDC estimates that 60 million people will be affected, and that more than 11 million will be disabled.Myth 4: A warm climate will cure arthritis.Fact: Arthritis occurs in all parts of the world. Many people do notice that a difference in the weather can cause their arthritis to flare, but for most people, moving to a different climate does not make a big enough difference to justify moving.Myth 5: Knuckle cracking will give you arthritis.Fact: There is no clinical evidence that knuckle cracking causes arthritis in the fingers or the hand. Studies of people with osteoarthritis in their knuckles show they are no more likely to have cracked their knuckles earlier in life than people who did not develop the condition. However, the bad news is that there is some evidence that people who habitually crack their knuckles have decreased hand function, such as reduced ability to grip tightly.Myth 6: Drinking milk prevents arthritis.Fact: Drinking milk does not prevent arthritis. This myth is often attributed to confusing osteoarthritis with osteoporosis, a condition that can be reduced by drinking milk and taking regular weight-bearing exercise. A person with osteoporosis gradually loses bone material so that his or her bones become more fragile. Osteoarthritis results from the wear and tear of life. The pressure of gravity causes physical damage to the joints and surrounding tissues, leading to pain, tenderness, swelling, and decreased function.For More Information:Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCenter for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health PromotionMail Stop K-454770 Buford Highway, N.E.Atlanta, GA 30341-3717770-488-5131http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Clearinghouse1 AMS CircleBethesda, MD 20892-3675301-226-42671-877-22-NIAMS (toll-free)http://www.nih.gov/niams/Arthritis FoundationP.O. Box 7669Atlanta, GA 30359-06691-800-283-7800http://www.arthritis.orgAmerican College of RheumatologyAssociation of Rheumatology Health Professionals1800 Century Place, Suite 250Atlanta, GA 30345http://www.rheumatology.org/index.asp About the Author
About Arthritis Todayhttp://aboutarthritistoday.com

Vision Health

Odd And Unique Contact Lenses

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Those of you who are looking for a wild, yet unique look would fall in love with the many designs of odd and crazy contact lenses. These contacts will give you a weird and unique look, depending on what you select. They are used in Hollywood in many movies, including horror movies to give the killers a strange and sadistic look.

Crazy contact lenses wont correct your vision, as they are used only for styling purposes. They have zero power and are mainly used to provide entertainment and fun. Unlike other contact lenses, you dont need a prescription for these. All you need to do is visit your local store that sells contact lenses, and select the pair that interest you. If you suffer any type of irritation or discomfort after you wear them, you shouldnt hesitate to visit an optician before you suffer any type of permanent or further damage to your eyes.

For those interested, there many designs of odd and crazy contact lenses to choose from, including zebra style, flags, spirals, colors, and many other designs. They come in two main types, monthly and standard. Monthly are very flexible, and you can use them for a month before you have to change them out. Standard on the other hand, ensure the best in comfort and can be worn long term for up to 18 months before they need to be replaced.

Even though they dont require a prescription, you should still take care of your crazy and wild contact lenses. They need to be cleaned before you use them, and soaked in solution when you take them out. Just like prescription contact lenses, you should always wash and clean your hands before you handle them. Although you may not realize it, not taking care of them (although they have zero power) could easily damage the health of your eyes and lead to serious infections.

If you need vision correction but want to wear a pair of crazy contact lenses, you should visit your optician and ask about wild lenses that have power. There are a few varieties of them, contacts that look crazy and offer you vision correction. Halloween contacts are the most common and most popular, as they offer you insane looks with corrective power. Even though they are mainly used during Halloween, you can wear them anytime you want to spook people or just mess with them.

If you are tired of being like everyone else and sticking with traditional contact lenses, or if you just want to mess with your family and friends, crazy and unique contact lenses are worth the purchase. They offer you plenty of creative and unique designs that are certain to make people take a second look into your eyes. Although most have no power, you use them the same way as traditional contact lenses. They go in your eyes and they are removed the same way, and need to be cleaned when they arent in use.

Available at great prices, crazy contact lenses are a great investment for anyone who wants to enhance the look of their eyes. Keep in mind that they can lead to severe problems if they arent taken care of, which is why you should always use caution and make sure that you know how to take care of them. If you arent sure about what to get, you can always visit an optician and have your eyes fitted for contact lenses. Even though you may not need contacts – an optician can tell you which contacts will work with your eyes.

Children's Health

Obesity in Adolescents

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Obesity and overweight are the second most major reasons of preventable deaths in America. Stagnant lifestyle and junk food is to be blamed for more than three hundred thousand deaths per annum. The sad thing is that this problem is on the rise. Obesity is a chronic disease which poses serious health risk to the health of an individual. Also, obesity is the easiest recognizable medical problem, but is very difficult to deal with.

People usually confuse obesity with overweight. Overweight is gaining of a few extra pounds. A person is considered obese when the total body weight is minimum ten percent more than the recommended weight for his/her body structure and height. According to an estimate every year hundred billion dollars are spent on the obesity problem. It is very important to treat the problem as early as possible. Obese children between the age of ten and thirteen have eighty percent chances of growing into obese adults, unless they change their ways and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The obesity problem starts from the age of five and continue till adolescence.

Obesity can be caused due to complex reasons including biological, genetic, cultural and behavioral factors. Usually a person gets obese when he/she consumes more calories than the body burns. Also there are fifty percent chances of becoming obese when both one of the parent is obese and when obesity has affected both the parents, the chances increases to eighty percent. One percent of obese people can have that fat because of health reasons, as obesity can be caused due to few medical disorders. The causes of obesity in adolescence are overeating, family history, bad eating habits, little or no exercise, medical illness, low self esteem, medications, depression, emotional problems, stressful life, and family problem.

Obesity can cause many major problems. Some of them are diabetes, sleeping disorders, high blood pressure, breathing problems, emotional problems and increase in heart disease risk. Teenagers are more prone to get emotional problems. Because of the weight, they develop low self esteem. They get into depression, obsessive compulsion disorder and anxiety.

Adolescents who want to tackle the obesity problem should approach a pediatrician who will thoroughly evaluate the cause. If no physical disorder is to be blamed, the weight is reduced by limiting the calorie intake and increasing physical activity. The doctor can advice a weight management program and change the eating habits of the teenager, slowly. The patient must avoid oily, fatty, fast and junk food. The potions must be reduced in order to decrease the calorie intake. If the adolescent has developed emotional problems because of obesity, an adolescent psychiatrist can collaborate with the pediatrician in order to make a comprehensive plan for treatment. The plan includes reasonable goals, behavior modification, family participation, and management of physical activity.

Self motivation is extremely necessary in loosing weight. Because obesity is more a family problem and not an individual problem, the whole family can switch to eating healthy food and exercising regularly. This can make the weight control program a success. Parents can play a major role by boosting the self esteem of their children by concentrating on their strengths and encouraging them, instead of targeting the weight problem. The whole family should eat meals together, instead of eating individually while watching a movie. This helps all the members to focus on the food and the quantity being eaten. If the teenager isnt getting support from his family members, he/she can join support groups which can help towards the goals.

After the adolescent has lost weight, it is very important that he/she maintains it. In majority of the cases, people shift back to their old eating habits after loosing weight. That is the reason why obesity is more of a lifetime issue. So the main aim of any weight loss program must be make the adolescent like healthy food. He/she must also be made to exercise regularly, irrespective of the weight.

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General Health

Benefits of Early Blood Pressure Monitoring

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Did you know that your blood pressure increases as you age? By taking control of your blood pressure at an early age you can have the benefit of a longer healthy life. In this article you will find ways to monitor your blood pressure and the benefits that come with it.

If you are unable to have regular check ups at your doctor’s office, you can purchase a blood pressure monitoring device. If you have a history of having high blood pressure a monitor is a great way to keep an eye on it.

Since blood pressure increases with age it is best to start monitoring it as early as possible. Many young people do not worry about things like this, but if your family history involves high blood pressure, it is best to start now.

The first thing when monitoring your blood pressure is to know what makes it increase. The following are just a few things that can cause it to increase.

Smoking and Alcohol

Tobacco use and alcohol can drastically increase your blood pressure. The best way to prevent this is to sustain from using tobacco or drinking alcohol. If you do not desire to do this, you can try limiting your use of tobacco and alcohol consumption. If you have tried quitting either before there are many available resources to help aid you in completely quitting.

Overweight

Being overweight will also drastically increase your blood pressure. If you can try to lose at least ten pounds this will help significantly.

Physical Inactivity

Do you exercise regularly? If not, you might want to start doing so. Exercise can help lower your blood pressure. Try doing at least thirty minutes of physical activity every day. If you cannot set aside thirty minutes at one time, try doing ten minutes at a time. As long as you get thirty minutes a day you will see results.

Stress

Yes, stress can raise your blood pressure. If you find yourself stressed every day, consider doing something to help you relax and de-stress. Meditation or a similar relaxation technique will do wonders with dealing with stress.

Your Diet

If you have an unhealthy diet, this could be the cause of your blood pressure increase. Try to limit your salt intake and introduce more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Read nutrition labels and try to eat less fat, etc.

Sleeping Disorders

Sleeping disorders can raise your blood pressure because your breathing is interrupted while you’re sleeping. You can fix this by talking with your doctor about medication to help you sleep. There are many available medicines that have proven to be effective in helping sleeping disorders.

Over-the-counter drugs, substances and supplements

Some over the counter medicines and other supplements can trigger high blood pressure. Specifically antidepressants, cold medicines, oral contraceptives and nasal decongestants. If you are worried about a certain medication you are currently taking, consult your doctor. Ask any and all questions you may have concerning your blood pressure.

By watching all this you can stay away from the risks of high blood pressure including stroke and heart or kidney disease. It is never too late to start taking care of your health.

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