5 Quick Pick-me-ups

Bananas - These are serious mood boosters due to their mix of vitamins A, B6, and C; fibre, tryptophan, potassium, phosphorous, iron, protein, and good carbohydrates. The natural sugars in a banana will give you a quick boost of energy while the fibre will help you sustain that energy. This will prevent a drop in your energy and mood and high blood sugar levels. Vitamin B6 helps the brain convert tryptophan into serotonin, the mood boosting hormone. If you're feeling down and need a snack have a banana.

Body posture - Have you ever noticed that you have a perkier step when you are happy? Happy people walk fast, stand tall and are full of life and energy. Take notice of the way you carry yourself. Try not to shuffle your feet, walk slowly and slouch - this will make you appear lifeless and pessimistic. If your feeling sluggish, taking big steps, standing tall, and walking faster will help you look and feel optimistic and energetic.

Sleep - By getting less sleep than we need (for example - 6 hours instead of 7), our brains tend to lean towards negative thoughts instead of positive ones. An article in the Journal of American Medical Association found that even one night of insufficient sleep can negatively affect our mood. Even though its not easy to get those extra couple hours of sleep, your mood depends on it. Shut off the computers and televisions and get the sleep your brain needs.

Sunlight - getting fresh air and exercise is the best way to boost your mood and your energy. The natural combination on a regular basis will work every time to pick you up. Take long deep breaths as you go on a brisk walk and reap the mood-lifting benefits of exercise. Remember to wear sunscreen when spending long periods of time outside in order to protect against sun damage.

Walnuts - These contain a lot of healthy components that help improve your mood. Walnuts have omega-3s, vitamin B6, tryptophan, protien, and folate. Omega-3s have health benefits including cancer preventing and acne preventing benefits, and have been linked with better moods and lower depression rates. A study by Harvard Medical School found that omega-3s and uridine (another component found in walnuts) worked in the same way as antidepressant medications. The average dose of omega-3 oils is 1,000 mg per day. You can get the same amount in half an ounce of walnuts.

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6 Healthy things that Aren't so Healthy

If you're an avid blog reader, then you may be getting tired of blogs telling you what you should and shouldn't do (eat this not that, whatever you do don't do this) - and sometimes these facts seem to contradict other facts you've heard. There are some things that seem healthy enough but may actually do you more harm than good. Be sure to take note of these "healthy habit faux-pas" to protect your body from ailments and keep you in optimal health!

1. Staying in the Sun - you have probably heard that it is healthy to spend 30 minutes in the sun everyday.. well this is only half true. Yes, our bodies need vitamin D to stay strong and fight off illness by improving our immune systems, but too much time in the sun is damaging to your skin. The general rule is if you are going to spend more than 20 minutes in the sun, use SPF 30 all over your body, especially your face where the skin is more susceptible to burns.

2. Religiously using Hand Sanitizer - Ever since the Swine Flu scare, hand sanitizer sales have sky rocketed. Thanks to my former science teacher, I conducted an experiment that proved that hand sanitizer is more likely to get you sick in the long run. The "sanitizing" doesn't just kill viruses and bad bacteria (there is actually way more good bacteria than bad bacteria on earth to begin with), but they also kill the good bacteria on your hands that do all of the fighting against viruses. So even if you feel content and clean after sanitizing your hands, they won't stay that way for long - in fact, they'll become worse and your good bacteria count will be compromised. Plain old soap and water should do it.

3. Exercising... a lot - Even though they say that you should get some form of moderate exercise every day, your body and mind do not need more than three or four days of cardiovascular activity (30-45 minutes per session) a week. These exercises should be done every other day alternating with more mild forms of exercise like Yoga, Pilates, walking, and weight training. The best way to stay toned and energized is to vary your exercise regime and take it easy on your body.

4. Over/Under Sleeping - If you are regularly sleeping for more than 9 hours a night, its not good. It's also not good if you are sleeping less than 7 hours a night. We need 8 full hours of sleep per night in order to function at our best. We aren't built to think or process at an optimal level on more than 9 or less than 7 hours of sleep. Too much or too little sleep is bad for your skin, it causes bloating, overeating, confusion, and sometimes depression.

5. Air Conditioning - AC is great, but if you rely on it day and night it is doing you harm. The recycled air can contain bad bacteria, air-born viruses and germs that will in turn give you a cold or flu. If you suffer from allergies the air conditioning can emit particles of dust that can irritate your allergies. Every couple hours, try to turn off the air conditioning and open the windows or go for a walk. Wash your air conditioning filter with warm soapy water and let them air dry once a month. If you work at an office go for a lunch or afternoon break outside in the sun.

6. Buying Organic Food - Organic foods have earned the reputation that they are not processed and more healthy than regular foods. The fact is is that they are more expensive, and may still be heavily processed. Read the labels carefully when you are buying from a health foods store. Organic doesn't mean healthy. Choose simple items with few ingredients and a low amount of natural sugars, salts, and processed carbohydrates.

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How to stay healthy (and slim) over the Holidays

The Christmas season is famous for it's many parties, drinks, and belt-loosening dinners. Here are some ways that you can stay healthy and energized over the winter break.

Hydrogenated Fat - One way to avoid weight gain is to stay away from foods made with hydrogenated fat (like margarine) - it will make your bodies detox system slow and increase the amount of energy it requires for digestion.



Snack frequently - Every couple hours have a small healthy snack to stabilize your blood sugar. If you have regular blood sugar fluctuations your energy will be used more quickly, you are more susceptible to weight gain, and your immune system will weaken. Try having pre-prepared snacks like carrots and dip and crackers and cheese ready for when you start to get the munchies.



Eat more fruit - Heavy food can slow down your lymphatic system and make you feel more tired. Eat plenty of fruit to cleanse your lymphatic system and make you feel more energetic.



Eat healthy at home - when you aren't attending parties or dinners, have a healthy meal at home like a big leafy salad with nuts and fruit.



Exercise - It may be hard to find the time or location to do so, but it is important to exercise during the Holidays in order to maintain your stress and energy levels. 20 minutes of daily vigorous activity will get your blood flowing and keep your brain awake.



Plan Ahead - Many people feel stressed out during the holidays. This can hinder your mood and energy levels. If you plan your month ahead of time you will find that you won't feel rushed when Christmas day closes in, and therefore you will feel less stress. Try to make sure you do your Christmas shopping and gift wrapping early, and try to do any baking ahead of time so that when the time comes, you aren't rushing to get everything done.



Drink Water - During parties and dinners, be sure to drink plenty of water in order to prevent dehydration and help your body systems function properly.



Take it easy - Don't over do yourself at the snack table. Eat in small amounts and go easy on the sugar - of course you are allowed to treat yourself every now and then.



Get lots of sleep - We tend to feel more sleepy during the winter months. Its important to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night to feel your best. To avoid burning out - take a nap when you begin to feel drowsy. This will ensure that you have enough energy for upcoming parties and evening events!



Take your Vitamins - Vitamins B and C are both reduced by alcohol and stress. To make sure that you are getting the vitamins and minerals you need, take vitamin B-Complex and vitamin C or a multivitamin. Enough vitamin B in the body helps reduce symptoms of stress.





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Important Questions to ask your Doctor Before Taking a Prescription Drug

When you are prescribed a drug by your doctor, make sure you ask them the right questions in order to see if the drug is necessary to treat your condition. Sometimes drugs can be a simple alternative to a difficult natural therapy, however the prices of prescription drugs can burn a hole in your pocket, and may not be the best therapy for your body.


1. Is drug therapy really needed to treat this problem?

There are many problems that do not need to be treated with prescription drugs. Things like premenstrual pain, and anxiety or depression after bereavement can sometimes be treated without prescription drugs. Over-the-counter (OTC) and balanced exercise, diet, and lifestyle can sometimes treat your condition. Sometimes the proper remedy is spending therapeutic time with family and loved ones. A recent study found that people who suffer from major depression can be helped by facing up to and solving their problems instead of hiding behind antidepressants. Make sure your doctor is certain in recommending the use of prescription medication to prevent your condition from worsening.


2. When did this drug first come on the market?

Recently approved drugs are causing more and more problems for users. Newer drugs tend to come with more side effects and a higher price tag due to drug company marketing. If you are taken off an older drug that you are used to, and put onto a newer drug, be careful. Your doctor may be testing the new drug's effectiveness on you.

3. What kinds of substances or activities should I avoid when taking this drug?

It's important to find out as much as you can about a drug before taking it. Sometimes doing everyday things like driving a car or having a glass of wine may not be safe when you are using medication. It is also very important that you ask your doctor if other drugs, prescription or OTC, will react with the drug being prescribed to you. Always tell your doctor about any prescription or non-prescription drugs that you use before taking another drug.

4. What will happen if I don't take this drug?

To become aware of all possible outcomes, ask your doctor if your condition will worsen over time if you don't take the drug.

5. Is there a Generic drug that will help me?

Generic drugs tend to be less expensive than brand name drugs. Ask your doctor for the generic brand.

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6 Ways to Beat a Cold or Flu

There are other ways to ward off a cold besides than plenty of hearty soup and rest. Cold FX and decongestants will only go so far, so try some of these weird ways to beat a cold this winter and get out of your regular "at-home-sick" routine.

1. One at a time... - When blowing your nose, try not to blow your whole nose at once. This could spread mucus up into your sinuses which will extend infection. Instead, blow one nostril at a time or use decongestant nasal sprays.

2. Visit a Sauna - When you are sick its a good idea to drink lots of hot liquids, but as a relaxing alternative, the moist hot air in a sauna will help your body to detoxify itself as well.

3. Vitamin C - Stock up on foods high in vitamin C which are said to reduce the length and intensity of cold symptoms. Foods high in Vitamin C are citrus fruit, red bell peppers, broccoli, strawberry, and spring greens. Some foods that boost your immune system are yogurt, garlic, green tea, and pumpkin

4. Go for a walk - going for a brisk walk everyday will help boost your immunity and keep a cold under control. When sick, avoid vigorous exercise like running because you may stress your body out and possibly lower your immunity.

5. Kiss and have sex! - Kissing can actually help you fight off colds. You are enhancing your immune system and boosting your bodies natural defenses when you exchange bacteria back and fourth. That's not all - it's been shown that having sex at least once a week can increase immunoglobulin production - this is an immune boosting protein that helps keep pathogens at bay.

6. Hot drinks - viruses (like H1N1) can take a few days to incubate in the body before you start to notice the symptoms. Hot liquids (like coffee and tea) can help flush the virus out of your mouth and into your stomach where it can't grow due to stomach acid. Chicken soup and hot water have the same effect. You can also gargle warm salt water for a quick virus killer. Viruses like to incubate in your nose too - do a nasal flush or swab your nostrils with rubbing alcohol can kill the virus before it gets to you!


DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

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5 Easy Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

1. Exercise

Regular exercise has been known to lower blood pressure in some people. It's good for many other things including weight management, lowering cholesterol, and reducing stress. Make an exercise schedule for yourself and spend at least 30 minutes a day 5 times a week by running, walking, cycling, or doing Pilates. There are also special yoga classes which help lower blood pressure.

2. Monitor your Weight

Those who are overweight may have more problems with blood pressure than those who are of normal weight. If you are overweight, try to lose a few pounds in order to improve blood flow by exercising and eating better.

3. Limit your salt intake

Reducing your intake of salt and other forms of sodium may help control your blood pressure. On the other hand, eating foods with more potassium, magnesium, and calcium can also lower your blood pressure.

4. Limit your alcohol intake

High amounts of alcoholic beverages will increase your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, it's a good idea to consider not drinking alcohol. If you choose to drink, monitor your intake.

If you are drinking, limit yourself to no more than 2 drinks a day, and 9 drinks a week.

5. Stress Less

High stress levels will increase your blood pressure. It's important to relax and give yourself time to wind down before bed in order to reduce your stress, thus reducing your blood pressure. Try relaxation and meditation techniques like deep breathing or taking a hot bubble bath.



DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

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4 Easy Tips to Help you Sleep Better

Get into a routine - The best way to have a more fulfilling sleep is to set a regular sleep schedule for yourself. Avoid fighting against your biological clock by figuring out how many hours of sleep your body needs and then sticking to a schedule... even on weekends. Try to go to bed before midnight. Studies indicated that the hours you sleep before midnight are twice as important as the hours you sleep after midnight.

Avoid caffeine - Caffeinated drinks, coffee, and tea, will keep your mind running longer than you think. Stay away from caffeinated drinks in the evening and before bed.

Don't eat before bed - a light snack may be good before going to bed, but don't have full meals. Digestion takes a lot of energy and will keep you stimulated. If you are hungry before bed, try having a snack with a lot of carbohydrates that will trigger the serotonin hormone in the body making you feel sleepy.

Exercise - Exercise is great for sleep and stress. People who exercise regularly are less likely to develop insomnia than those who don't. If you work out for as little as 20 minutes a day, you will feel more relaxed and stimulated. Try to exercise early in the day so you naturally become tired by the evening. Exercise induces the body to release melatonin which is a feel-good hormone that will make you feel more relaxed and content.

DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

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How to Calm Down

If you're like most people on this Earth you probably get pretty worked up occasionally. Whether this is because of anger or from nervousness doesn't really matter, what matters is how to calm down when you are in a frenzied state.

Start off by the most obvious (though at the time nothing may seem obvious) choice, take a deep breath. By breathing you provide more oxygen to your body and release physical tension. Plus taking breathing you can pretty much do anywhere, unless you're underwater somewhere. Also, try breathing through your nose. Studies have shown many benefits from breathing through your nose, while mouth breathing has shown many negatives. Either way make sure you breathe, cause you know without oxygen you kind of die.

Exercise works great to help you calm yourself down, so why no take a walk if you're feeling angry, nervous or anything else in between. By taking a walk you let your body calm down by releasing endorphins and allow yourself to remove the current situation. You then give yourself some time to think about what is happening, not to mention you're getting exercise too!

Take a minute to really look at the current situation. Look at what made you feel the way you do, and why it did. Then try to assess the different view points. If there is another person involved then try to see their point of view. If you are having a hard time with this find a friend you can count on. Tell your friend all the details of what is going on, and then get your friend to give you some feedback. Tell him/her to be completely honest with you.

I hope these few steps help you the next time you need to just calm down and relax. If there are any other ways to calm down that you think are more effective feel free to leave a comment.

-John

DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

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Know Your Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is a sterol lipid, a form of fat, found in the cell membranes of all body tissues of humans and animals. Most of it is synthesized internally in the liver, but a part of it comes directly from animal-derived foods (meats, eggs and dairy products) present in the diet.

Cholesterol is an essential ingredient of many physiological body functions. For example, it helps produce bile, combines hormones and vitamin D, and metabolises fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). It is, therefore, important to keep cholesterol levels within an ideal range, not too low and not too high.

Link Between Cholesterol Levels and General Well-Being

Studies show a link between lower than ideal cholesterol levels and depression, anxiety, mood swings, and Parkinson's disease. On the other hand, high cholesterol levels can lead to a host of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, paralysis, and so on. This happens because the build up of a hard fatty deposit (the plaque) in the arteries and consequent narrowing and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).

The problem of plaque formation gets worse if the fraction of HDL cholesterol in the blood is low. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the good cholesterol that prevents the buildup of plaque in the arteries. The HDL helps to carry the plaque-forming bad cholesterol (LDL) away from the arteries and tissues to the liver for breakdown and disposal. LDL means low-density lipoprotein.

The Age Factor

The need to pay attention to cholesterol levels increases with age. It is, therefore, important to know the various causes that can contribute to high LDL cholesterol levels and low HDL cholesterol levels. Some of these risks are:

• Obesity: Obesity implies being overweight because of excess fat in the body, and excess fat translates to high cholesterol levels. The higher the total cholesterol, the higher would be the LDL level and, normally, the lower would be the HDL level.
  
• Heredity: Heredity is another risk factor for developing high cholesterol levels, however, you can control it to some extent by adopting a healthy lifestyle and a low-cholesterol diet.
  
• Diet: Diet plays an important role in controlling your cholesterol levels. Foods rich in cholesterol, saturated fats and trans fats push your cholesterol levels too high for your well-being.
  
• Sedentary lifestyle: Lack of physical exercise decreases the HDL level, which in turn raises the LDL level and the total cholesterol level.
  
• Smoking: Smoking hardens the arteries and decreases the HDL level, by increasing the LDL and total cholesterol levels.

Blood Test

A blood test called lipid or lipoprotein profiling measures the blood serum cholesterol levels, first on a fasting stomach and then after meals. The lipid profile will give information about the total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.

Lab technicians measure all cholesterol levels in milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). The desirable total cholesterol level is less than 200 mg/dL. You can consider 200-239 mg/dL as borderline high, but more than 240 mg/dL is considered high.

The matching figures for LDL cholesterol are: less than 100 mg/dL (optimal); 130-159 mg/dL (borderline high) and 160-189 mg/dL (high) and more than 190 mg/dL (very high).

An HDL less than 40 mg/dL is considered a major risk factor for heart disease. From 40 to 59 mg/dL is considered satisfactory, and above 60 mg/dL is what provides protection against heart disease and is highly desirable.

Any treatment for high cholesterol levels aims at lowering the LDL level while raising the HDL level. Adopting some lifestyle and diet changes that minimize the risk factors can effectively lower moderately to borderline high cholesterol levels, without the need for prescription drugs. But for higher cholesterol levels one has to resort to cholesterol-lowering drugs as well as making therapeutic lifestyle and diet changes.

About the Author: Julia Carmichael. Get the latest in cholesterol levels know how from the only true source at http://www.lowercholesterollog.com. Check out our cholesterol levels pages.

DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23),offers lower cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best Canadian pharmacies online by PharmacyChecker.com. DoctorSolve has filled more than 200,000 U.S. prescriptions.


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