High Blood pressure

High Blood pressure also known as hypertension has been dubed the silent killer because it can go uncontrolled with no outward symptoms.  Hypertension increases your risk for serious health problems including heart attack, and stroke.  Fortunately getting a blood pressure taken is easy and accessable(most pharmacies in grocery stores even have a testing device available).  And more importantly there are steps you can take to prevent this silent killer from raging its wrath upon you!

1.) Get to and/or maintain a health weight

2.) Get physically active 5days w/30+minutes is a good goal to set

3.) If you smoke, stop there are lots of programs out there and the more times you try the more likely statisticly you are to be successful!

4.) Keep salt/sodium intake to a minimum; just stopping to add salt very possibly wont be enough, processed foods and restaurants especially fast food restaurants are very high in sodium cutting down on them can make a huge impact on intake. 5.) Make sure you are getting enough potassium rich foods: bananas, Cantaloupe, tomatoes, and spinich just to name a few.

6.) Maintain healthy level of vitamin D

7.) Keep alcohol consumption minimal

8.) Get stress level under control (the exercise should help with this)

For more in depth explanation Mayoclinic.com lays it out very well.

photocredit:a.drian

Power Combo: Apples & Raspberries

Apples, particularly Red Delicious, are known to anti-inflammatory flavonoid called quercetin, especially in their skins. Quercetin has been shown to reduce the risk of allergies, eart attack, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and prostate and lung cancers.

Raspberries contain the flavonoid catechin, an antioxidant that reduces the risks for atherosclerosis and cancer.

Catechins and quercetin loosen clumpy blood platelets, improving cardiovascular health and providing anticoagulant activity. photo credit: madmoiselle lavender❤
photo credit: Phillie Casablanca

New FDA chiefs vow to fix lax food safety

The FDA has been known to at times have its personal life too closely connected industry companies. So the question is when will their main focus be protecting the American Consumer? Hamburg, who just won Senate, and Sharfstein (both physicians) have pledged to restore the FDA's credibility. More...

To use Heat or Ice

A question I get often is should I be using ice or heat.  Here are a few general guidelines to help you be able to tell which form you should be using to rehabilitate an injury or sore muscle.  If you have speicific questions webmd.com or mayoclinic.com goes into much more detail about specific conditions as my goal is to educate for general purposes not diagnose or treat.  In general if the problem is acute (or coming on suddenly) ice is appropriate or whenever there is pain, swelling, and inflammation.  It's also used for conditions such as arthritis.  Ice can be used from 10-20 minutes and may be used several times a day.  Ice can be used in the form of ice massage and ice or cold packs.  Heat is used to help muscles relax and speed up healing of soft tissue through increased circulation. Heat is also useful in treating joints with osteoarthritis and to relax the muscles before exercise.  As helpful as heat can be, if used too early on an injury it can create excess swelling (which can increase pain).  Waiting at least 48 hours seems to be a general recomendation by most experts.  Never use heat on an area that has been recently bruised.  A bruise is caused by ruptured underlying blood vessels and heat may cause the bruise to get worse.  Heat can be used in various forms: hot tub, heat packs(dry or wet), or methods like parafin wax just to name a few.  If you are wanting to use a damp heat but do not have any type of pack a cheap way is to take a hand towel dampen put in the microwave and heat for approximately 2 minutes.  Be sure to test before applying to an area.  Often it is wise to cover hot damp hand towel in a regular towel before applying to the skin.  Its important not to burn the skin!

Power Combo: Lemon & Kale

Vitamin C helps make plant-based iron more absorbable. It converts much of the plant-based iron into a form that's similar to what's found in fish and red meats. (Iron carries oxygen to red blood cells, staving off muscle fatigue.)
Next time when you make a salad, be sure to include a squeeze of citrus. photo credit: ilovemypit
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Do you filter your water?

We live in the suburb with city water, there are 2 water filtration method that we use. One is a Brita pitcher with drop in filter for my wife, who prefers room temperature water, the other is my LG Refrigerator with a built in slide in filter.

Years ago when I used to live in Oklahoma (think small town with only 1 traffic light). I had a reverse osmosis system, it did a wonderful job, the town was called sulphur and the water lived up to its name.

Here's a great article on buying water filtration system.

So what kind of water filtration system do you use? Care to share in the comments area? submit a tip while you're at it! photo credit: gocarts

Head lice it’s almost a compliment.

Head lice it’s almost a compliment. I remember growing up and having school wide lice checks. There would be a child found with lice causing the rest of us to be lined up in the gymnasium to get our hair prodded and pulled and checked over with a fine comb for lice. (I am not sure if they do this anymore since that was many years ago) The kids found with the “outbreak” would sit in the front office waiting for an embarrassed parent to come and pick them up. Invariably these parents would point fingers and try to find someone to blame for the outbreak. Well a few misconceptions should be cleared about lice. Lice are in general thought to be because of a dirty environment but this is a myth. In fact lice love a clean environment. The cleaner the better, because the more grease or oils in the hair the harder it is for the critters to hold onto. This is one of the reasons why years ago mayonnaise (and other oily fatty substances) was used as a treatment for lice removal (typically they would have their hair coated and wear this mess over night, talk about creating aversions). There are now prescriptions as well as over the counter creams, ointments, and shampoos to get rid of these ever so clingy pests. So if you find yourself taking the “walk of shame” picking up your lice infected child remember your child’s hair is clean making them a good host. So if anyone gives you lip about not wanting to be infected by your child you can set him or her strait. Lice only like clean hair!
photo credit: Robert S. Donovan