Wednesday, January 06, 2010
How to get your blood flowing in the cold
By Julie Wiegan
With such cold temperatures, winter is obviously here to stay for a while. Low temperatures can limit blood flow to the legs, hands, heart and to the rest of the body resulting in circulatory problems such as varicose veins, high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke, peripheral artery disease, heart disease, kidney damage, aneurysms, arteriosclerosis, Raynaud’s disease and phlebitis. Dr. Luis Navarro, Director of the Vein Treatment Center, shares his tips on how to keep the blood flowing in our bodies.
Get regular exercise
Exercises that strengthen the “second heart,” the muscles of the calf and foot, are beneficial. Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Suggested activities include walking, running, swimming and bicycling.
Wear graduated compression stockings
Compression stockings act like an added layer of muscle, aiding the performance of the “second heart” and venous circulation.
Monitor hormone intake
Birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy constrict blood vessels and can weaken vein valves and vein walls.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Dr. Oz tells us how to stay healthy during the holidays
By Abbey Khan
There are so many hidden dangers on the plane and at hotels when you travel. Instead of getting sick this time around, follow Dr. Mehmet Oz’s simple tips for staying healthy while visiting family and friends during the holidays.
FUSN: Like so many people, I tend to get sick when I fly, but when I take 50mg of zinc a few days before my flight, it helps, yet anything less than that doesn’t seem to help me. What are your recommendations for not getting sick on the plane?
DR. OZ: Zinc is important for general cell function, but it helps immune cell function as well. 50mg is a very reasonable dose for any therapeutic level. The air vent systems in planes are designed to be sucked in through the wings and it circulates through the cabins and usually you divide the planes into 4 to 7 cabins. The air circulates from the outside to the inside and creates a laminar flow. That means that if you cough in the middle seat, the person one seat behind you and over to the aisle is the one that gets the cough blown into their face. One of the tips that’s pretty effective is to put on the air vent above your head on low, then imagine putting a fist in front of your chest, aim it at that fist, that creates a microcircuit around you of air flow that helps push away air from other people that might be coming towards you. So, as opposed to turning off the air vent or blasting your head with it, aim it at your chest and that should help with laminar flow issues.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Enjoy the holidays with diabetes
Diabetes doesn’t have to control your life during the holidays. Certified educators and coaches at Fit4D.com, a personalized diabetes coaching service, have provided us with some tips that will let you enjoy the holidays with family and friends.
Plan ahead
With all the wonderful holiday food to choose from, be sure to have your plate planned out in advance to avoid letting your taste buds take over. This includes desserts. Find out recipes and carbohydrate content of foods ahead of time. You might find that you can fit in a little sliver of every favorite holiday dessert into your meal, and still stay on track.
Eat on time
Try to plan holiday meals around your normal meal times instead of snack times.
Spread out carbohydrates
Have carbs throughout the day instead of saving them all for one meal. Your body likes consistency with carbohydrates in order to process the glucose more efficiently and work properly with your medications. Pack some leftovers and enjoy the holiday meal again the next day.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Khloe Kardashian gets slim with QuickTrim
By Abbey Khan
We sat down with Khloe Kardashian to talk about her recent with the new diet product QuickTrim, her new show “Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami” and her surprising dream job.
FUSN: There are different QuickTrim products, which one did you choose to lose weight?
KK: Right now I take the Extreme Burn and I’ve been taking it maybe 4-5 weeks. At first I tried the 48 Super Diet Detox. It’s a lemonade based flavored drink which jump started my diet initially. So I’ve done both of those but the Extreme Burn I take every single day and that’s what I’ve been consistent with and that’s what’s been working for me right now.
FUSN: And how much have you lost?
KK: Almost 25 pounds.
FUSN: You look great! Are you done or do you want to lose more?
KK: I’m taking the Extreme Burn still because it’s now helping me tone. It’s not a product you take just to lose weight, it also tones and gives me energy. I take it in the morning before I work out, and it gives me more energy to work out but I don’t feel jittery, I don’t feel like I’ve taken 11 cups of coffee. I gradually increased, I took only in the morning the first week and a half or 2 weeks, and then I started taking 2 in the morning and 2 at night between lunch and dinner because it just maintains me from not overeating. It doesn’t make you not hungry, it’s not a suppressant like that, it just makes you have more portion control. My eyes are bigger than my stomach so if I see food, it all has to go into my mouth, but if I take QuickTrim, it makes me a portion control, which is my biggest problem, I love food. This helps me to not do that. I like the energy I have off it too, but I’m not dependent on it, I’ll take it through the week and sometimes during the weekend I’ll not take it.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Get the facts about Swine Flu
By Abbey Khan
Worried about the swine flu? Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, Medical Director of the
national Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers and best-selling author answers our questions about the seriousness of swine flu and what precautions we can take to stay healthy.
What is the difference between the swine flu and the regular flu?
The main difference is that genetically it’s a different strain. It’s a strain that our immune system hasn’t had that much contact with. The regular flu that we are all familiar with is called influenza. This is the swine flu (H1N1) and it’s just a different virus. The swine flu is most commonly found in pigs, but basically it’s a bug like any other bug.
How worried should we be about the swine flu?
We have a flu bug every year and tens of thousands of people die. It’s especially those who are the sickest and weakest– it’s just a natural part of life. The swine flu isn’t any more dangerous than any other virus and this pandemic just means that it is not in a certain geographical area. We have malaria which kills thousands of people every day, yet it’s not considered a pandemic.
Why are we hearing about the swine flu now? Is this new?
Just like human beings evolve to fight infections, the bug world also evolves. Different viruses trade information and that’s how they evolve and that’s normal. When we have a normal flu, cats aren’t going to catch it because it’s a human flu. The ones for pigs affect pigs but when they mutate sometimes they can jump and affect people and that’s all that’s going on.
