Stress happens when the body perceives a threat, the nervous system releases stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol as a normal response. This is what makes a person alert and moving. It speeds up the reaction time of the body and helps you respond according to the situation. Stress is a way to protect the body. It provides extra strength. However, when it becomes too many stress becomes the reason for illnesses and diseases, it can also aggravate existing medical condition.

How to respond to stress?

The first thing is to determine the stress level. You have to know when it is already out of control. Stress should not feel normal at all. Some people get used to it like doctors, nurses, teachers and people on a night shift however when it gets too high stress can affect the mind, body and behavior.

3 types of stressed individuals

1. Hot headed/ easily irritated or agitated- when the person is overly emotional and cannot sit still, have the tendency to shout back at people even while sitting.

2. Depressed state- the person suddenly becomes too silent and withdraws from the crowd and show very little energy or emotion.

3. Frozen stress response-feels weak and helpless, a person can even collapse and become paralyzed or too agitated.

Warning signs to look out for?

People who have stress overload can have memory problems. They are also unable to concentrate and they can have a hard time driving and solving simple tasks. They can also have poor judgment. A mother can suddenly slap a child for simple mistakes. Stressed individuals are unable to think positively and have the tendency to blame. They have racing thoughts that can lead them to depression, anxiety, moodiness, excessive crying and sense of loneliness and can sometimes feel isolated. Some would feel unexplainable aches and pain in the body.

How to avoid stress?

Maintain healthy relationships. A person needs other people to share their problems with, to talk and laugh with. People are not meant to be alone. Stress can increase when one is left on his own and at times this can even lead to suicide. Once you see a family member or friend suffering from too much stress take the time to talk to them and provide support.

It is simply feeling that one is not worth it and that life cannot go any better. The stress caused by chronic sign of depression can increase the risk of cancer, heart problems, inflammation and other diseases. Depressed individuals hardly have the energy to continue working on new projects.

What people forget whenever they come up with how to get healthy tips is the fact that a person won’t simply change their destructive habits overnight until they realize that there is so much more to life. People who are depressed have a much harder time realizing this. They would need more push and inspiration to help them change and propel themselves forward.

Are antidepressants and talk therapy the solution to depression?

Some people experience temporary relief using these methods, but this is not the cure. Patients can end up addicted to the drugs. Taking medicines is a form of escape. Only people diagnosed with severe mental disorders should be subjected to this and not individuals who just feel depressed over some issues in their life.

Talk therapy is relaxing. It helps a person reach out, but it does have its setbacks. The person can end up relying on the psychologist or guidance counselor and would not want to reach out to other individuals.

Depression is mostly mind over matter. Everyone in the world has those days when feel like doing nothing at all. It is normal to feel doubtful especially when one is facing a lot of problems. However, continuing to think negatively would only aggravate the problem. It is never the solution. Depression can be lessened by thinking positively; by becoming optimistic and seeing the good in bad situations.

Some people are just not meant to trust medications and would rather have their illnesses treated the natural way. Come to think of it, positive thinking and finding natural ways and means produce a lot of health success stories.

Many people have been reported to get well after trying out herbal supplements and by just strongly believing that they can and they will.

One of the hardest things to come to turns with is the fact that an individual has ulcer. Food intake is not exactly pleasant once a person already has this illness. However, this can be prevented and the signs and symptoms can be reduced by simply increasing the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and taking in more fruit juices.

A healthy raw food diet for example can aid digestion. The goal here is to help the digestion process. By reducing the intake of spicy foods like Korean, Indian and Thai dishes one can also experience relief. Taking alcohol and coffee as well as tobacco in minimal amounts could also help. This would reduce the hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

Banana is known to be one of the best natural remedy for ulcer. The component of banana can neutralize the acid in the stomach and can reduce the painful symptoms. Take banana together with a glass of milk to ease the pain. For lactose intolerant individuals, banana would be fine.

You can also try to cure ulcer by creating an infusion of wood apple leaves in order to reduce the discomfort. Do this by soaking 15g of wood apple leaves in 250 ml and wait for it overnight. Strain it and use it the following day.

Other methods include practicing yoga, meditation, Tai Chi and other soothing exercises to help the brain and ease the pain.

Despite the numerous health tips, it is simply hard to stay healthy when you have the wrong job or when you are not ready to compensate all of the lack due to the hazards of your occupation. For example, call center agents who work from 8pm to 6 am in the morning would hardly find the time to exercise or find the motivation for it. This can cause abnormalities in the circadian rhythm and can aggravate illnesses.

People who work night shifts have a harder time to live a normal life. Individuals who work at 24 hour convenience stores or who need to finish the job at odd hours have more at stake.

The first thing to understand is that since they are unable to get enough sunlight due to the nature of their job, they would have to take supplements that include Vitamin D. This is to reduce the occurrence of depression and high levels of stress.

People who are working at night suffer from the lack of social interaction, which is why they would have to try their best to see family and friends on regular days. However, this is harder to do when one feels less energetic.

An amount of self control needs to be maintained. For example, people working at night shifts still need to maintain 6 to 8 hours of sleep and this would reduce the chance of over eating and fatigue. They also have to make sure to increase the intake of water to make sure that they avoid dehydration and to aid the body.

People who are working hazardous jobs need to make sure to increase their vitamin, fruit and vegetable intake. Snacks should be prepared ahead of time and they must contain wheat bread and 5 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetables.

Stay Optimistic to Improve Health
Positive thinking can help a lot. Instead of focusing on problems in the workplace and at home, why not think about what you can accomplish in the present time.

Forget the past and do not immediately turn your thoughts to the future. After all, no one really gets to the future. All we have is the present time. Take the time to laugh, read jokes and share jokes with co-workers. Avoid gossips to avoid unhealthy relationships in the workplace.

Since you are going to stay there most of the time you might as well build a healthy and positive relationship with the people you are working with.

Stress: Beyond the Monotony

The stress that people face today is unusually high. Despite the fact that most things are easier to do right now due to a highly technological world, there is no denying that because of this same reason, it is now easier to get bored and feel that life is monotonous.

When a person’s perspective is like this it gets harder to become passionate in finding out ways to improve the quality of life. People know the pros and cons of unhealthy habits like smoking, watching too much television or surfing the internet for way too long, drinking alcohol, taking drugs and overeating.

Most people know what these can do to their bodies, yet why do they continue to indulge in them. There is no one single reason for it, but it would be safe to assess that this could be due to a wavering mental condition.

Stress of Routine

People who are highly stressed out with their work and who are subjected to the same routine have a higher chance of developing stress. It can cause physical, emotional and psychological strain that causes people to overindulge despite the harmful effects.

Different Types of Stress

There are different types of stress. The first one is eustress. It is a type of stress that is fun and exciting and is experienced by people who are hiking, skiing or performing high energy sports and hobbies. However, only a few people get to try out this type of stress, many people get stuck with episodic acute stress that wreaks havoc in a person’s way of life.

It is personified by individuals who have been forced by parents to take up a course that they do not like or love and people who feel that they are stuck in a situation where there is no way out. Surprisingly, even famous and well to do individuals suffer from this type of stress. This makes it harder to concentrate of pushing for healthier goals like eating right or exercising every day.

Many people are just too stressed and too depressed to do anything about their current way of life. Chronic stress can result to manic depression, feelings of emptiness and worthlessness. While there are different medications that can be prescribed by psychologists, only a few get to remove the feeling.

People who suffer from depression can hardly come up with passionate thoughts and ways to follow diet regiments or exercise daily. Thus the question: what can one do and how can one change for the best if they are not inspired?

There is more research has to be done to solve anxiety and depression. This leads many people to question how they can possibly change their quality of life when they no longer feel like living at all.

A.  Tension headaches can be relieved by:

• 1      Exercising vigorously and placing a cool cloth on your forehead
• 2      Taking a hot shower and then lying down to rest
• 3      Strenuous exercise and drinking cold fluids

B.  A bloody nose could be cause by:

• 1      Dry air – very low humidity
• 2      allergies
• 3      A cold
• 4      1, 2 and 3

C.  The best way to get plaque off your teeth is to:

• 1   Use a hard bristle toothbrush and brush vigorously
• 2   Rinse your teeth with an abrasive mouth rinse
• 3   Brush normally using a soft bristle brush

D.  When your throat is sore and irritated, you can use a home-made remedy to soothe the soreness. That recipe is:

• 1      Two parts honey and one part of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2      Two parts of honey mixed with one part of mint tea
• 3      Mix one part honey and one part orange juice with two parts bourbon

E.  If you have pain or a feeling of fullness in your ear, the cause could be:

• 1   Water in the ear or swimmers ear
• 2   A bug has gotten into your ear canal
• 3   Wax build up

F.  While cooking, you burn part of your hand.  The best way to treat it is:

• 1   Apply olive oil and wrap in a bandage
• 2   Apply butte or margarine
• 3   Put your hand in a bowl of cold water and ice

G.  The best way to prevent an ingrown toenail is to:

• 1      Trim toenails straight across
• 2      Wear comfortable shoes with flat heels
• 3      Trim toenails with rounded edges

a-2, b-4, c-3, d-1, e-3, f-3, g-1

In New Science of Health, Sept. 30, 2009 (Discovermagazine.com), it was reported that infections are the reason for four-fifths of all cancers, and possibly more.  This means cancer would be much more manageable, because we already have the medical technology to fight  infections.  There are viruses already shown as connected to cancer, such as human papilloma virus to cervical cancer.  Treating the infections associated with cancer would  decrease cancer cases and potentially save billions of healthcare dollars.

Number Two:  Half of the babies born in this decade may live to be 100

Health & Medicine, 10/5/09, reports that infants born in prosperous countries in this decade have a good chance of living to 100.  They analyzed current life expectancy and if it continues at a similar rate, according to  The Lancet, 100-year-old people will be commonplace. And they’ll be healthy in old age, not wasting away in homes. This doesn’t take into account deaths from diseases, however.

Number Three: One small genetic alteration makes mice healthier, increases longevity

Female mice can live a much longer and healthier life by having one gene disabled –the  S6K1, which effects metabolism, reports Discover Magazine October 2, 2009. In studies, disabling this gene had a similar effect as giving mice extremely low calorie diets. Humans could not survive such drastic calorie restriction, so researchers are working on a drug to produce a similar result working with S6K1.

Number Four: Pigs organs may save human lives

Using pig stem cells called iPS cells, human body tissue could be generated, according to Newscientist.com, June 2, 2009. It is indicated in studies that humans would be able to accept pig organs without recognizing and rejecting them. Similar research has been done in the past using pig embryos, but the iPS cells are easier to create. Therefore the needed genetic material to save lives could be readily available for human patients.

Number Five:  Ultra Small Equipment for medical use would increase success of medical diagnostics

Phillips Electronics in the Netherlands announced on October 8, 2009 a new technology, which provides greater ability to see details in medical diagnostic tests–PET scans, DNA tests. Diagnostics could become more accurate, shedding light photons on previously unaccessible areas.

Researchers are now investigating the strong blood sugar reducing capability of Bitter Melon. Bitter melon comes in various shapes & sizes & are widely consumed in the Indian Subcontinent & South East Asia. Bitter melons are a vegetable commonly used in for medicinal use. Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon stimulates digestion. It is also known to counteract Diabetes.

What is Bitter Melon?

Momordica charantia is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown for it’s edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all vegetables. The fruit is generally eaten green. Although it can also be eaten when it has started to ripen and turns yellowish. As it ripens it becomes increasingly bitter. The fully ripe fruit turns orange and squishy and is too bitter to eat. Also the skin splits into segments which curl back dramatically to expose seeds covered in bright red pulp.

Diabetes

Bitter melon is used primarily for type 2 diabetes, although studies are needed to prove its conclusive effectiveness. Bitter melon is considered to be quite safe, as it’s widely consumed as a food in Asia.

Possible Interactions & Side Effects

Side effects may include stomach pain and diarrhea.

Bitter melon may decrease blood sugar and insulin levels, so it shouldn’t be combined with diabetes medication or any other medication that affects blood sugar unless under a doctor’s attentive supervision.

Natural Remedies

Bitter Melon contains Gurmarin, a polypeptide considered to be similar to animal insulin, which has been shown in experimental studies to achieve a positive sugar regulating effect by suppressing the neural response to sweet taste stimuli. Karela’s principle constituents are lectins, charantin and momordicine. The fruits have long been used in India as a folk remedy for diabetes mellitus. Lectins from the bitter gourd have shown significant antilipolytic and lipogenic activities.

Medicinal Uses for Bitter Melon

The fruits and leaves of the plant contain two alkaloids, one of them being momordicine. The plant is reported to contain a glucoside, a saponin-like substance, a resin with an unpleasant taste, an aromatic volatile oil and a mucilage. The seeds contain an alkaloid (m.p. 236°) and an anthelmintic principle in the germ; they also contain urease.

The fruits, leaves and extracts of Momordica charantia possess pharmacological properties and medicinal uses. It is useful as an emetic, purgative, in bilious affections, burning soles of the feet, as an anthelmentic, in piles, leprosy, jaundice, as a vermifuge, astringent in hemorrhoids, as a stomachic, antispasmodic, antioxytocic, hypoglycemic, antipyretic, mild hypotensive, anorectic and for the potentiation of ACh, histamine and BaCI2 induced contractions and inhibition of ACh of skeletal muscle.

Milk and Human Health

Milk is unnecessary and may be a health risk. Except for domesticated animals to whom we feed milk, humans are the only species that drinks the breast milk of another species, and the only species that continues to drink breast milk into adulthood.

Don’t We Need Milk?

Milk from a cow is as necessary as milk from a pig or a horse or a giraffe. Human breast milk is the perfect food for human babies, while cow’s milk is the perfect food for baby cows.

Cow’s milk naturally contains large amounts of hormones and protein needed to turn a 80-pound calf into a 1,000 pound cow in one year. That amount of protein and hormones is not only unnecessary but unhealthy for humans. Because they occur naturally, these hormones are even found in organically produced milk.

Fat, Cholesterol and Protein

Besides containing saturated fats, cholesterol, hormones and too much protein, milk is also linked to testicular cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Many dairy products tend to be high in saturated fats and cholesterol, which have been linked to heart disease.

Milk protein is also a concern, and the protein in milk has been linked coronary deaths and to hardened, narrowed arteries.

Hormones, and Cancer

In 2006, a researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health found a strong link between dairy consumption and hormone-dependent cancers – testes, breast, and prostate.

Scientist/physician Ganmaa Davaasambuu believes that the naturally occurring hormones in a pregnant cow’s milk increase the risks for these types of cancer. Milk from cows contains “considerable amounts of female sex hormones,” accounting for 60-80% of estrogens consumed by humans.

Although the research focused on dairy, Ganmaa’s findings implicated a variety of animal products, as well as dairy. These include – butter, meat, eggs, milk, and cheese and are implicated in higher rates of hormone-dependent cancers in general. Breast cancer has been linked particularly to consumption of milk and cheese.

Contaminants in Milk

Contaminants in milk are another serious concern. American milk is banned in the Europe because of added recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH). When administered to cows, rBGH causes the cows to produce up to 20% more milk, but also causes the cows to produce more Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), which ends up in the cows milk.

Other Issues

The Cancer Prevention Coalition (CPC) states -
It is highly likely that IGF-1 promotes transformation of normal breast cells to breast cancers. In addition, IGF-1 maintains the malignancy of human breast cancer cells, including their invasiveness and ability to spread to distant organs.

RBGH also increases the risk of mastitis, which sometimes leads to pus, bacteria and blood getting into the milk. Federal law in the US allows up to 50 million pus cells per cup of milk.

Another contaminant found in cow’s milk is pesticide residues. Residues are fat soluble, which means they become concentrated in the milk and tissues of animals.

What About Calcium?

While cow’s milk is high in calcium, it is also high in protein. Excess protein in our diets causes calcium to leach out of our bones. North America has one of the highest consumptions of dairy products, and also the highest incidence of osteoporosis.