Category: Men’s Health and Wellness (Page 41 of 46)

Diabetes and Stroke Risk

June 30, 2007 / Mike Furci

Individuals diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are at double the risk of having a stroke compared to those without diabetes, according to new research from the University of Alberta. It was found that the risk of a stroke is considered high within the first five years of treatment for Type 2 diabetes and more than doubles the rate of occurrence.

Research that recently appeared in the American Heart Association’s Stroke journal used 12,272 subjects in a Type 2 diabetes cohort.? All subjects were recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and had a mean age of 64 years. After five years of monitoring, stroke incidence rates were compared between the cohort and the general population.

It is more common to study stroke prevalence within 10 years after diagnosis, this is the first study to specifically examine stroke-related outcomes immediately after the diagnosis of and initiation of treatment for Type 2 diabetes.? Researchers found that 9.1% of the diabetes cohort had a stroke within the first five years of their diagnosis,” Dr. Thomas Jeerakathil, an assistant professor in neurology, at the University of Alberta. “We also found that compared to persons from the general population of a similar age, the relative risk for stroke was much greater in younger persons with diabetes than for older persons.

Researchers hope their findings dispel the notion that the risk of stroke occurs only after the long term and will motivate both the patients and health care providersnto aggressively control risk factors after diagnosis.

Newsmax.com Health Alerts

Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness

Vaccines, for your health?

June 26, 2007 / Mike Furci

Even though most scientists have attributed the dramatic fall of infectious diseases to widespread vaccination, that’s just not the case. Overwhelming evidence shows that improved nutrition and public health measures, such as clean water and efficient sewage systems, are the biggest reasons for the sudden decline in many infectious diseases.The evidence is starting to show that vaccinations are not providing the protection they promise.

Even worse, the vaccines themselves may be causing serious problems including altered brain development, seizures, autism and changes in the brain that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. This includes the popular flu vaccines that millions of people are frightened into taking each year.

Did You know you can boost your natural immunity through a healthy diet, exercise and daily supplements.I advise a daily consumption of 10000iu’s of vitamin A, 2000iu of?D-3, 25mg – 100mg of CoQ10,?2 – 4tbs of virgin coconut oil,?and a minimum of 5000mg of Omega 3 from fish.? Cut out all hydrogenated oils, fructose and polyunsaturated oils ?

Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness

Three supplements to take daily

June 12, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Are you taking these three supplements daily?

1. A multi-vitamin
2. An aspirin
3. Fish oil

If not, you should be.

While it shouldn’t be used in place of the nutrients we get from every day food, a multi-vitamin is a valuable supplement for those with dietary imbalances. According to a study by Robert H. Fletcher, MD, MSc and Kathleen M. Fairfield, MD, DrPH, most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone.

Besides being helpful for the every day headache, aspirin has also been known as a heart saver. Same thing can be said for fish oil, which is a great source for omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s can cut your risk of heart disease, prostate cancer, stroke, asthma and arthritis.

Fatty acids, Heart disease, Men's Health and Wellness, Supplements, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Work a desk job? Your shoulders and chest could be suffering

May 24, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Being a writer, the majority of my day is spent sitting at a desk and starring at a computer all day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining – I love my job. The only problem is sitting at a desk all day is apparently limiting my gains in the gym, and now I am complaining.

I stumbled onto this article at MSN.com about posture in reference to your shoulders and chest. Human instincts tell us to slouch forward while typing or reading at a computer and with that, our heads also come forward, putting more weight on our neck, upper back and shoulders. Our chest is also affected:

If your shoulders are slumped forward for long periods of time, your chest muscles become shortened. That is, since these muscles attach to your upper arms, the distance they need to extend when you slouch is less than when your shoulders are drawn back. Over time, the chest muscles adapt to this position as their natural length, pulling your shoulders forward. As a result, many of the shoulder’s stabilizers are overstretched, which makes them weaker.

Now why the hell are we going to log so much time on the bench press if we’re just going to waste that effort the next six or so hours sitting behind a desk? The article recommends doing “10 standing shoulder retractions every hour when working at a computer.” Stand and pull your shoulder blades together – while also keeping your head and shoulders above your pelvis – for 3 seconds. This movement forces your chest muscles to extend, which prevents them from becoming permanently shortened.

The article also gets into ways to strengthen the muscles around our shoulders (i.e. rear delts, rotator-cuff, scapular), which we tend to ignore because we don’t see them when we look for gains in the mirror. Doing some of these recommended exercises will in turn grow the muscles will can check out in the mirror, as well as keep our posture straight so that doesn’t effect our workout gains. Plus, as a general rule of thumb, you should always be working out the surrounding muscles in every group, not just your shoulders.

Chest, General fitness, Medical Issues for Men, Men's Health and Wellness, Workout programs, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Bacteria as a supplement?

May 13, 2007 / Mike Furci

Exterminating bacteria, are we overdoing it?? Many scientists think so, with antibacterial this and antibacterial that.? Scientists are especially concerned about eliminating bacteria inside of our bodies.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In fact, tens of millions of people suffer from “dysbiosis”, a pathological change in intestinal flora, and don’t even know it. You may be one of them.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In the June 2004 Alternative Medicine Review, researchers report that intestinal dybiosis is related to a number of factors associated with modern western living.? These factors include; diet, antibiotics, and stress.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In his special report ”Probiotics: The Answer to Many Mystery Illnesses,” NewsMax’s Dr. Russell Blaylock writes, “Whether you realize it or not, your body needs bacteria, especially good types. The good types of bacteria are called ‘probiotics’ and they include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, E. coli, and Acidophilus. They perform a vital function — they fight the bad bacteria like pathogenic (harmful) E. coli species and other killer germs.”
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, a former member of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine policy, told Wired magazine, “Probiotics have resulted in complete elimination of eczema in 80 percent of the people we’ve treated.”
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Pizzorno, who has also used probiotics to treat irritable bowel syndrome and even diabetes, said, “It’s unusual for me to see a patient with a chronic disease that doesn’t respond to probiotics.”
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? According to NYU Medical Center microbiologist Dr. Martin Blaser, “The microbes that live in the human body are quite ancient. They’ve been selected (through evolution) because they help us.” Dr. Blaser is among many scientists who believe modern sanitary practices which promote the overuse of everything from mouthwashes to bathroom cleansers have upset the ancient balance.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Exposure early in life to microbes, scientists believe, causes mild inflammation that helps the body calibrate its responses to germs and contaminants later on. Some researchers say that unless people are exposed as infants, they can end up with poorly balanced immune systems.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Pizzorno recommends getting probiotics from doctors and medical specialists. He said that consumer probiotics may or may not contain proper strains of bacteria, and that the bacteria in consumer products are often dead.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Blaylock agrees. He writes, “A wide variety of organisms are sold as probiotics, but studies have shown that not all are effective. Some are very sensitive to stomach acid and are killed before they reach the colon, while others are acid resistant.”
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Blaylock goes on to describe all the benefits of probiotics, and details how and when to take them. To get Dr. Blaylock’s special report, ”Probiotics: The Answer to Many Mystery Illnesses,” Go Here.

Newsmax Health Alert

Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Supplements