There are only two natural remedies for arthritis that have enabled my husband to heal from the arthritis that resulted in him having both knees replaced about four years ago.

However, the one that truly turned his health around was not yet available at the time he had his operations. We only found out about it nine months later.

During those nine months, although he was faithful with his physical therapy, and regained the use of his knees, he spent most of his time in the recliner with his feet up. His classic comment was…

“I’m so tired!”

I was truly concerned he might spend the rest of his life in his recliner, and end up in a nursing home within a couple of years. I am not a weak woman, but he is a big man, and if he were unable to move around on his own, I wouldn’t be able to take care of him without help.

I had been buying supplements to help with his arthritis. The one that seemed to stop the progression was a combination of herbs and nutrients put out by Mountain Home Nutritionals. It is called Joint Advantage Gold. But we needed something that would actually help his joints heal. Joint Advantage Gold didn’t seem to do anything more then stop his arthritis from getting worse.

He had his knee replacement surgeries in the winter. It wasn’t until August of the following summer that we heard about a newly developed concentrated form of a super food supplement…

I had taken the super food itself for years, and I knew it had helped my health, but when friends and family had tried it before, it never seemed to be of help to them. I took a lot more then most people, nonetheless, I hadn’t realized that might make a difference.

When we heard about the concentrated form of the super food, the lady who wrote me about it explained that they had done scientific studies and discovered that over five grams of the super food caused your body to release adult stem cells. Cutting edge scientific research also showed that adult stem cells were one of your body’s normal ways to heal.(It was like a light bulb went on in my head! Finally I understood why the super food had helped me, but not others who tried it. They never took enough.)

After the scientists realized how the super food was helping people, they continued to study it until they were able to isolate and concentrate the nutrients that enabled your body to release the stem cells. Then they patented the new product and began to market it. I had taken 25 to 30 pills of the super food to get the same health benefits that were available from two of the concentrated form. I immediately started trying to persuade my husband to try this supplement.

It took about six weeks, but finally he let me order Stem Enhance, the name of the new supplement, and told me he would take them for a month or two. This was the supplement that turned his health around.

Don’t get me wrong, it did not happen overnight, although he did start having more energy almost immediately.

But he had taken the supplement faithfully for around six months before he began to notice a difference in his pain levels. Around that time, I heard him tell someone that his pain was about half of what it had been. That has been three or four years ago now, and his health slowly continues to improve.

Until he started taking the super food concentrate, his arthritis was slowly but surely worsening, or at best he was only managing to hold his own. He had been walking bone on bone for several years before he had his knees replaced. He has arthritis in most of the major joints in his body, so he lives in constant pain.

He feels every change in the weather and can forecast rain more accurately than the weathermen. But since he added this concentrated super food supplement to his diet, he can do more, and he hurts less than he did this time a year ago. He loves to be active and help others, so this natural remedy for arthritis has enabled him to enjoy life again.

I wish I could tell you that these natural remedies for arthritis had totally cured his arthritis, but that would not be the truth. He still lives with pain every day, but it no longer totally dominates his life. I keep hoping that given enough time he will heal entirely. I am encouraged that his arthritis is improving, instead of worsening, as it did for the first six years we were married.

These are my top two natural remedies for arthritis. I’ve shared my husband’s story with you so you can understand why. There are some other supplements he uses that may have helped him some as well, but these are the ones I’m sure have been a help to him.

I would highly recommend them to anyone who struggles with arthritis, or want to be sure to prevent it. We have found them to be very effective natural remedies for arthritis.

Being a stylist can be a very rewarding profession; however, there are some health risks which salon workers need to be aware of. The following are the three most common health hazards which may affect people who work in hair salons (spa) – every salon owner should be aware of these risks and do everything possible to prevent them from becoming a problem.

1) Chemicals

There are chemicals in many of the products used in salons; the chemical ingredients of hairsprays, dyes, shampoos, highlighters and other products can affect the quality of the air, making it unhealthy for those who spend their days in a salon.

There are also chemicals in nail polishes, adhesives and other products used for manicures and pedicures which can also pollute the air in your salon. Some salons try to allow these fumes to dissipate by opening the doors, though this rarely does nearly enough on its own.

2) Smoke

For most salons, cigarette smoke isn’t a concern since smoking is not allowed. However, this can be an air quality concern in the small number of establishments who do permit their clients or staff to smoke in the salon. Of more concern for most salons is the smoke generated by curling and straightening irons.

3) Bacteria, Viruses And Other Pathogens

As with any profession which involves working with the public, salon workers are exposed to people all day, every day and with all of these people come a wide variety of bacteria, viruses and other disease causing organisms. When the winter cold and flu season rolls around, it can be harder to stay healthy than it is to catch one of the many bugs going around.

If you operate a busy salon which offers a full range of services, then there may be a number of different pollutants, toxins and pathogenic organisms in the air; these are the health hazards specific to the profession. The challenge for salon owners is to keep these problems under control in order to look out for the health of their staff and clients.

Salons need to install equipment to ensure that the air in their salon is constantly filtered to remove the airborne pollutants, smoke and disease causing microorganisms. The best choice for the salon environment is to install a HEPA air purifier with an extra filter which is designed to remove the harmful materials which are often in the air at a hair salon. This air filtration system should be in operation around the clock to keep the air in the salon clean and safe for yourself, your clients and your staff.

A commonly prescribed medical test used these days to decipher if you are sick, experiencing trouble, healthy or to better pinpoint a current internal, medical issue, such as anemia, is a blood test known as a Complete Blood Count Test, or more commonly, CBC, the acronym.

Anemia strikes and affects more than three million men and women each and every year, among the American population. In fact, Anemia, of all blood conditions is the most common.

Humans could not carry on unless we had blood flowing from top to bottom within our bodies. Thus it makes perfect sense it is one of the first tests ordered by your doctor when determining diagnosis. CBC blood tests are often shouted by doctors in t.v. dramas these days, but in actuality, it is a vital step in being sure what is normal and what is abnormal with you, internally.

In the case of Anemia, your doctor may prescribe a complete blood count test to detect is lacking the vital, red blood cells that all humans need in order to get and maintain an optimal amount of oxygen in your blood. Oxygen fuels each of your organs so that they may perform best: ensuring a healthy heart, lungs, brain, every major organ and all the minor organs in between depend on oxygen.

If your blood has too few red blood cells, another factor comes into play: low counts of hemoglobin, ultimately resulting in too little iron in your blood. A major and most common reason why individuals fall short of energy, constantly feel tired and fatigued

A CBC blood test [http://www.healthylivingstraighttalk.com/cbcbloodtestscompleteblood.html] can be prescribed by a doctor simply when you’re are under the weather, chronically tired, or even if you simply have a common cold. You don’t have to be inches from your death bed, nor obviously ill to have CBC blood tests ordered.

Next time you have an appointment with your doctor, physician or alternative practitioner for your yearly check-up, if your doctor doesn’t order a CBC Blood Test, by all means, ask he or she does. It is the cheapest, most simple, maybe even life-saving thing you can do and should do at least once a year.

Your complete blood count test, or CBC represents your internal (which fuels your exterior) health and if there is something to worry about, odds are, warning signs will be found within your blood and its makeup. There are exceptions to the case, but be on the safe side, anyways. Many determining factors are researched with CBC Blood Tests: white blood cells and red blood cells or levels, the HCT (or Hematocrit, which basically is defined by the volume of space which your blood takes up), Hgb (or Hemoglobin which accounts for the oxygen inside your blood cells), and platelet counts which determines your blood’s ability to clot.

Too many or too few of another essential part of your blood, depending on what numbers reveal themselves could be a alert that tells your medical team what is really happening inside you. While the diagnosis variations can be numerous and cover a wide spectrum, having your CBC Blood Test at least once per year, after visiting your doctor can hand you answers to most questions about your internal and external health, that physical touch, listening to your heart, checking your lungs and using a tongue depressor just can’t do.

A CBC (Complete Blood Count) Test (or Tests) can provide you specific answers to why you’re fatigued, not feeling ‘normal’, showing bruising for ‘no reason’, having chest pains, have an infection, are showing allergic reactions, plus a truck load of other potential issues. But, perhaps even more vital, these blood tests allow you the potentially life-saving, life stretching benefit of catching early alerts and signs of maybe hazardous and life shortening trouble if allowed to grow. Write this down now for both yourself and your family to consistently (at least annually) take part in a CBC Blood Test or Complete Blood Count Tests. Sure, may save your life, but even if nothing is terribly out of order, it is a simple way to boost the quality of your life.

Hygiene is something that all homemakers look to so as to help them understand the value of living in a safe and healthy environment. It is without a doubt one of the most desired environments people try hard to maintain. However, there are times when they seem to not be able to do a thing in its regard which would lead to the complexities of raising alerts in the area that is not up to the mark of hygiene that they desire. As a result, it has led to the growth and multiplication of more number of flies and pests such as fruit flies. Their infestation has seemed to have increased with time where they consistently attack openly placed food and transform the carbs in them into alcohol. Thereby, this becomes unfit for human consumption and anyone that eats such foods is bound to suffer from acute cases of food poisoning and diarrhea.

It has hence been perceived that one must do all that they can possibly cover so as to kill fruit flies that pose to become a menace in one’s household. Browsing the internet for a few techniques and information can help homemakers in a great way so as to help them get rid of flies by laying a few traps in which they would be able to capture and kill fruit flies and the menace they bring along with them. The internet is a great tool for development in which individuals can find the best possible ways in which they can be designed to be made for the sole intention of killing fruit flies.

There are a number of high protein diets that have been very popular in recent years. Many of them were built on the premise that if protein was a fat burner, then more protein would mean more fat burning. These diets suggested that you could lose weight and be healthy by eating extreme amounts of protein while severely limiting the amount of carbohydrates (even the healthy ones.) Protein can be dangerous in amounts over the recommended amount and may be even more dangerous to those who have certain health conditions or diseases. Before starting any kind of diet plan, it is important to consult your doctor for suggestions and recommendations.

How Protein Works in Your Body

When you eat protein, it is broken down by the body into amino acids. These amino acids are then absorbed by the body and used to make new ones, as well as hormones that are used in a number of functions in the body. The body cannot make eight of these amino acids, which are called the essential amino acids and must be delivered through foods or supplements. These eight essential amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and lysine. (In children, there is an additional amino acid that is needed through dietary sources because they cannot make histidine.) Animal proteins are considered to be complete because they have all eight of these amino acids. Plant proteins are not complete because they lack one or more of these amino acids. The one exception to this is soy protein, which is complete. (Source: The Vegetarian Society)

Protein is vital to every cell in the body and works not only to build muscle, but connective tissue and cell membranes as well and contributes to the bone matrix. Protein is needed in the body to maintain the fluid balance, to regulate the pH balance of the blood and to contribute to the immune function, since antibodies are proteins. (Source: Nelson 2009) Proteins are even needed to build RNA and DNA as well as neurotransmitters, the messenger service of the central nervous system.

Protein Recommendations

How much protein does the average person need? The suggestion is that around.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is the right amount, however, there are factors that affect the right amount. It is not true that body builders get huge because they eat huge amounts of protein – while they do eat slightly more protein than the weekend warrior, they do not go overboard. They develop huge muscles because they have good genes and they work hard.

A sedentary person may only need half as much protein as someone who is very active. Not getting enough protein is a problem, but the average diet has more than enough. No matter what, the safest level that is recommended by doctors and even the American Heart Association is 35% of the total daily calories.

There are a few times when you need additional protein, including when you are sick, or recovering from trauma, burns, surgery or bed sores. There are also a few conditions that might benefit from additional protein, such as those who are HIV positive. Pregnant women should also increase their protein, with the recommendation of 60 grams or more per day.

The only person that can fully know how much protein is right for you is your medical professional. Diabetes and other diseases are serious and the nutrition that you get every day should be a top concern, so it is important that you follow all recommendations for you best health.

Too Much Protein

There are a number of reasons that a high protein diet can be a problem, especially for the serious athlete. Too much protein can hurt performance by:

- Lowering the amount of stored glycogen in the muscles and the liver
- Lowering endurance
- Lowering the maximum effort that you can give
- Lowering the serum glucose levels enough to put you at risk for hypoglycemia

It also can hurt the overall health by:

- Increasing the risk of some cancers
- Increasing the rate of calcium exertion in the urine which increases the risk of osteoporosis
- Decreases the absorption and effectiveness of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals.
- May cause more tooth decay and gum disease by changing the makeup of saliva, which allows more bad bacteria to thrive
- May negatively impact the pancreas and spleen as well as the liver

And it may be a problem in these specific conditions:

- Chronic fatigue syndrome. People with CFS may find protein to be hard to digest and may have problems with increased gut permeability.
- Psoriasis. People with this skin condition may find that their symptoms may improve after following a lower protein diet or eliminating animal proteins from their diet.
- Diabetics should follow the recommendations of their doctors or dieticians
- Anyone with kidney disease should be careful with protein intake because it may increase the risk for kidney stones, especially the most common kind, the calcium oxalate stone.

A Better Protein Diet Plan

If the goal is to lose weight, experts suggest that a slight increase in protein coupled with a slight decrease in fat grams might be a better and much healthier suggestion. The protein is more satisfying, allowing you to reduce overall calories without feeling like you are starving (the reason that most diets fail in the first place.) The calorie intake should be 50% complex carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat for the day. (Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

Another option is a hybrid version of the old Atkins diet and the Mediterranean meal plans. Instead of suggestions of eating burgers without buns, slabs of bacon and dozens of eggs, this plan suggests fish as the main protein source at least every other day. It also suggests better, leaner animal protein sources than the old diet plans, including turkey or chicken breasts. The plan does drop carbohydrates down to around 30% of the overall calories, with most of them coming from healthy vegetables. Fat is not omitted from the plan, with olive oil being the best choice. (Source: Cochran, RD 2010)

Supplements

If you are trying to lose weight, the idea of skipping a meal or two might seem like a good idea. The only thing that you will be successful in reducing will be your metabolism if you do this often enough. If you are on the road or always on the go, it might be a better idea to opt for the preemptive snack or meal replacement that will keep you from learning the fast food drive-through worker’s names. Having a protein rich snack can keep you satisfied for much longer and can help keep you on track with your weight loss plans. There are a number of protein supplement options, which include:

- Protein powders (whey, soy, egg and rice)
- Shakes
- Liquid protein shots
- Snacks (puddings and bars)

Make sure that the protein supplement that you choose has high quality ingredients and protein without added sugars or fat. Profect, a liquid protein shot from Protica, is less than three fluid ounces but delivers a full 25 grams of protein per serving. At only 100 calories, it is a perfect snack for between meals or for after a workout and comes in a number of flavors.

References

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Neva Cochran, RD Turbo Atkins Woman’s World February 2010

Lisa Nelson Protein and Heart Health: How Much Do You Need? Health Central
Highbloodpressureconnection.com November 30, 2009

The Vegetarian Society

Hurricane. Terrorist attack. Avian flu outbreak. Staff strike. Missing attendees. Is your heart beating fast yet? Meeting planners today have more worst case scenarios that need to be planned for than in the past. September 11th completely changed our idea of risk management and the Avian flu was not something that meeting planners considered a year ago. This past May, two attendees at a conference in California went missing during a Saturday tour trip. Luckily, that story had a happy ending, but what if it didn’t? You don’t need to have a plan for each and every situation that might arise, but some thought and planning can help reduce your risk and help things run smoothly if a situation arises.

Make a Plan

The first step is to draft a risk management plan, including planning for risks such as natural disasters, accidents, technology situations (ie. power outage) and human-caused risks (ie. speaker is a no-show). Risks specific to the destination, venue, attendees and program should also be included. The plan should outline responses to different situations, the responsibilities of staff members, facility staff and hired security and how media will be managed.
Your risk management plan should be reviewed and revised yearly and as new possible risks arise.

How to Minimize Your Risk

The three best tools to minimize your risk are a site inspection, the contract and insurance.

Site Inspection

During your site inspection, it is important to find out what type of emergency plan the venue has – including evacuation plans, what type of training their staff has and the type of emergency equipment that is on site. In the case of a health emergency, find out which staff members have CPR/First Aid training and how they can be quickly identified. To avoid an allergy related emergency, be sure that the food will be labeled on buffets and breaks.

Contracts

All contracts – including those with speakers and performers – should include Force majeure clauses – that is, what will happen should a situation arise that is beyond the control of either party. This should include things such as strikes, wars, threats or acts of terrorism, weather, travel advisories or disease outbreaks. Also include a catch all provision that will cover anything else that was not listed.

Insurance

It is important to understand your commercial general liability coverage for each event. If you are going to have anything held off site, be sure that you are covered if you are temporarily off business premises. Also find out if there are any exclusions in the policy such as physical activities or alcohol use. It may not be worth it for every event to pay for event cancellation insurance, so think each event through carefully to determine what is best for you.

Do you need help with your risk management plan? Contact Designing Events at info@designingevents.com or 866-867-1933.

How much do you know about rheumatism?

You probably know it’s related to pain in the joints. Yes, joints are only one affected area. Therefore, rheumatism is a broad term that also includes inflammation of bones, muscles, tendons and even internal organs. But let’s focus only on joint pain with you here.

What Causes Joint Pain?

The two most common causes of joint pain are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Other factors can be sprain, fracture, gout in the big toes, septic arthritis or polyarthritis.

Let’s take a closer look at osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA)

It’s a condition where spurs grow and cartilage degenerates in the joints, leading to joint pain. It’s also known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis. Some symptoms are:

– The stiffness in the joints disappears within 30 minutes from the time the patient wakes up but aggravates later in the day after repetitive use or after a prolonged inactivity.

– Starts with one joint.

– Often happens in large joints or joints related to knee and hip.

– An affected joint tends to look a little larger than normal. This is due to abnormal growth of the bone next to damaged cartilage.

– More common than rheumatoid arthritis.

– Slow and gradual pain.

– Usually affects older people.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

This is an autoimmune disorder due to the malfunction of certain immune cells in the patient’s body which attacks the joints. Hence, he’ll encounter the following symptoms:

– Morning stiffness lasts more than 30 minutes.

– Warmth, swelling and pain often begins with the small joints of hands and wrists near the palm or the small joints of toes.

– Affected joints are usually symmetrical such as the same joints on both hands.

– Can also trigger fever, fatigue, depression, loss of appetite, dry eyes and chest pain.

– Can lead to joint deformities.

How does Obesity Worsen the Condition?

Although doctors have yet to prove if obesity causes rheumatism, they believe excess weight certainly doesn’t help the patients. In fact, they believe obesity will increase the risk of both OA and RA.

That’s because the excess weight will add more pressure on the inflamed joints, aggravating the pain, especially in the affected joint areas around knees, spinal cord and hip.

Currently, there are no cures for OA and RA but the treatments can help to relieve pain and improve joint movement so that patients can still go about their daily tasks.

The treatment often comes as a program – medications, physical and occupational therapy, reduction of joint stress and sometimes surgery. But if a patient is also obese, weight loss will inevitably become part of the program.

Right Exercise can Help Obese OA / RA Patient

1. Flexibility exercises help to maintain or improve the flexibility in affected joints and surrounding muscles. This contributes to better posture, reduced risk of injuries and improved function.

2. Strengthening exercises are more vigorous to work muscles a bit harder. Stronger muscles can better support the joints and cushion the shock impact to the painful joint. They also assist in better function and reduce bone loss due to inactivity, inflammatory arthritis and use of certain medications such as corticosteroids.

3. Aerobic exercises such as walking and swimming are good for weight control as they work off the excess fats and replace with useful muscles. For even better fat-burning results, you can engage in anaerobic exercises like strength training. But you must consult your doctor and make sure to have a certified trainer to guide you along such high-intensity exercises that can cause injuries pretty easily.

4. Body awareness exercises improve posture, balance, joint position awareness, coordination and relaxation. This is especially important as the patient’s sense of balance and coordination may be impaired due to the illness.

Natural Arthritis Diet for Pain Relief

Stay away from acidic stuff like coffee, tea, sugar and alcohol. You should also cut down on intake of meat and seafood since these are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, salt and toxins. For best results, I suggest you include these natural vegetarian foods as a significant part of your diet:

a) Fruits – avocado

b) Vegetables – spirulina, wheat grass products, carrots, seaweeds, sprouts

c) Whole grains – millet, wheat, brown rice, barley and oats

d) Nuts – pecans

e) Soy and seeds – flaxseed, pumpkin and sesame

This natural diet serves to help you maintain a healthy weight. According to the Arthritis Foundation, for every pound of weight lost, there is a four-pound reduction in the load exerted on the knee for each step taken. Simply put, the less heavy you are, the less pain you suffer.

Last but not least, whether you’re suffering from rheumatism or not, sticking to a healthy diet and regular exercise regime are always essential.

If you get tired very easily of constantly have low energy levels, it is quite possible that you could be suffering from anemia. If you have anemia, your body does not have enough hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying protein in the blood.

There are many different kinds of anemia and each one has its own cause. There is Iron Deficiency Anemia, Vitamin Deficiency Anemia, Sickle Cell Anemia, Aplastic Anemia and Hemolytic Anemia to name a few. Many times no apparent reason can be pin pointed for anemia but it quite prevalent in our society. Anemia can be temporary or long-term. It can be either severe or mild.

The main reason for anemia is deficiency of iron in our body and the main signs of anemia are weakness and fatigue. Weakness and fatigue manifest themselves when the red blood cells in our body do not carry sufficient iron to the muscles. Lack of iron also has adverse effects on other parts of our body like fingernails and tongue. If there is prolonged deficiency of iron in our body, our tongue gets sore and swollen. Often with iron deficiency people get cracks on the sides of their mouths which can be quite painful. Iron deficiency causes our nails to grow abnormally and they end up getting a spoon-like appearance.

In case of mild anemia, the person skin turns paler and there is decrease color in the gums and lips. However, these changes are difficult to spot as they happen very slowly. However, the most common symptoms of anemia are lightheadedness, cold feet and hands, brittle nails, enlarged spleen, frequent infections and rapid heartbeat along with irritability.

If you think you are suffering from anemia, it is best to consult a doctor who will give you correct advice and medication to cure it.

One principle which most diet plans seem to agree upon is that you should either refrain from drinking alcohol completely or at least cut down dramatically the amount that you do drink.

The reason why the limitation of alcohol consumption is common to most diet plans is that alcohol can seriously disrupt a weight loss process, stop you from losing weight and may actually cause weight gain. Why is that? Why does alcohol make you fat?

There are direct reasons and indirect reasons why this is so:

The direct reasons deal with the very nature of alcohol itself and how our body deals with it: For one thing, alcohol is very rich in calories. 1 gram of alcohol contains 7 calories, much higher than the 4 calories in a gram of protein or carbohydrates. In addition, the nutritional value of alcohol is very low (and some may say that it just doesn’t have value at all), so these calories are often referred to as empty calories. You actually need to eat regular food in addition to them in order to give your body what it needs to function properly.

The second direct reason why alcohol makes you fat is that it becomes the energy source your body uses first. What I mean by that is that you, as a person who wants to lose fat or avoid gaining it, are trying to get your body to burn off as much fat as possible, Well, this is not going to happen with alcohol in your blood stream. Your body will go to the alcohol calories first and use them. Not until it has finished burning them, will it turn to the fat calories you so desperately wish to get rid of. Do you see now why diets state that alcohol consumption should be limited while trying to lose fat? It just delays the natural fat burning that your body wants to do.

The indirect reason why alcohol can lead to weight gain is that it is an appetite booster. Have you ever watched someone drinking beer? Usually, there will be a bowl of nuts or something like that along side it. Alcohol just makes you hungry so people who drink can also eat hundreds of extra calories without even noticing it. Not the sort of thing you want when trying to lose weight or maintain it.

So, don’t drink too much alcohol or your body will show it.