Hey, These Aqua-aerobic Exercises Might Interest You
Since seeing boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, running under water as depicted on the cover of a book I saw a while back, I have been intrigued on the concept of doing aerobics under water.
That was my first ‘illustration’ of sorts on the subject of aqua-aerobic exercises, and its safe to say if he-a boxing great was doing it, obviously it has to be a pretty good choice of exercising.
Most people are well aware of the numerous benefits of aerobics for cardiovascular health and endurance and even muscle tone. But in spite of this, the idea of oft-times ill advised aerobics may not always be appealing to the masses, hence the creation of aqua-aerobics.
Just like the land-based counterparts, they efficiently increase the heart rate and use all the major muscle groups. Like swimming, the huge benefit is the support offered by the water. The main benefit is the support the water offers which helps to reduce injury and joint strain.
Now, I’m going to share some free illustrations of aqua-aerobic exercises I came across online, and after trying them mates, if you think of water aerobics as an easy and inferior alternative to studio-based aerobics, think again.
It must be noted that Water provides 12 times more resistance than air, so every movement works the muscles 12 times as hard, even though it feels 12 times easier.
1. Standing Knee Swings
This exercise is performed in waist deep water with you standing on one foot with the other leg raised at a 90 degree angle, thigh parallel to the floor.
Start with the leg fully extended in front of you and then contract the hamstrings bending the leg at the knee.
Repeat with other leg.
2. KICK BACKS
This exercise can be performed standing and holding on to the side of the pool. Start with the knee towards chest and extend leg fully horizontal towards the rear using quadriceps and gluteus muscles.
Pull your leg back to starting position using your hamstrings and abdominal muscles.
3. Bicycling in water
Hold on the the pool edge with both hands while facing the center of the pool.
Perform a bicycling movement using a full range of motion, alternating legs with each repetition.
4. Punching
Push and pull with full extensions alternating arms straight out in front of the chest at shoulder level.
So folks, Next time you’re laid up with a minor injury or just looking for something a little different to beat the boredom of your usual workout, remember to give these free illustrations of aqua-aerobic a exercises shot!
To Health
Aje
Foras Aje is an independent researcher and co-founder of BodyHealthSoul LLC. Stop by His Online Fitness Training Blog today for more information on bodyhealthsoul.com/onlinefitnesstraining-blog/2006/11/free-examples-of-water-aerobics.html free examples of water aerobics exercises
To Lose Weight Successfully, Take Hoodia Gordonii
Having problem with your weight? Do you find ways to solve it?
Being obese or overweight can be harmful to you, it can give your risks of having other illnesses. So if you are concerned with your health, you have to find a solution or ways to lose weight.
Do you know that obesity can lead to death? Quite frightening, isn’t? But it is true, so you have to start doing ways to solve obesity in you.
Some people tend to neglect obesity. Others lock to their rooms and shy to mingle with other people. Honestly, these are not the right attitudes that you should do. You have to do your homework and find the best ways to lose weight, and you start it right now, before it is too late for you, before it leads to other illnesses that can harm you.
Indeed, there are ways that you can do to lose weight, what really matters is that you are determined to do it or use it in order to lose your unwanted weight.
The cause of obesity is having too much calories in your body than to those calories that you burn out from your body. So you have to find ways to lose these calories that is in your body. Some causes of obesity are eating too much and being inactive, so you tend to gain a lot of pounds.
So in order for you to lose weight, you have to eat the right amount of food and foods with right nutrients that can be helpful with your body. You have to avoid fatty and with too much sugar types of food. If you really want to lose weight, you have to control yourself from eating too much and from foods that can add more calories and pounds to your body. Fruits and vegetables can be helpful to your health, so you have to add these to your meals each day.
Being inactive is one of the causes of being obese, so you have to do activities that can make you sweat and lose calories and pounds. Exercise or physical activists can be helpful on your process to lose weight. There are plenty of activities that you can choose and do each day such as dancing, walking, jogging, biking, swimming, aerobics, weights and so on. Just choose the one or few that can make you enjoy doing everyday.
Using herbal remedy is what most people use. Others switch to using herbal remedy; they believe it is not harmful to their health because it is made with natural formulation. Rather than using prescribed medication which can give risks of having harmful reactions to the body, so they prefer herbal remedies.
Speaking with herbal remedy, here is hoodia gordonii comes in, since it is one of the popular herbal remedies that can powerfully aid you to lose weight.
Hoodia gordonii is situated at Kalahari Desert and it is a cactus-like plant which was used by San people for thousands of years to suppress their hunger and thirst during their long hunting.
Indeed, hoodia gordonii can effectively lose your weight since it has an active molecule which identified by scientists as P57 than can suppress the hunger and thirst by telling the brain that you are already full and it also increase you stamina, so you become more active than before.
So to lose weight take hoodia gordonii, eat healthy and do some exercising everyday.
Eliza Maledevic Ayson
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Eliza Maledevic writes for jump2top.com/index~topic~Real_Estate_SEO.htm Jump2Top.com - Real Estate SEO Company
10 Golden Rules Of Weight Loss (Rules 7-10)
Rule #7
It is important to understand what benefits are gained from taking each of the NutriSource weight loss products so I will cover them in detail. First, as I mentioned earlier, with the challenge of eating every three or four hours you are faced with finding the most effective ways to put together healthy foods that stabilize your blood sugar and help you achieve balance.
NutriSource has created the world’s first 50-25-25, low glycemic, nutrient dense meal replacement shake. With taste as a major factor, each of these products was designed around achieving the best in taste without sacrificing quality or effectiveness. The NutriSource International meal replacement shake is formulated with the highest quality proteins in a synergistic combination including all twenty-two amino acids. Proteins include ion exchanged whey protein concentrate, known for having the highest biological value of any protein on the market, due to the fact that you body can assimilate it completely. Complete assimilation enhances the building of lean muscle while increasing your t-cell count which helps keep the immune system healthy.
Whey protein is often referred to as an anabolic or body regeneration protein and is rated at the top of its class. Soy protein is next on the list due to the many positive metabolic and disease fighting properties recently discovered. Egg white protein is third and brings with it the highest amino acid balance of all proteins. Last but not least is casein, known for its ability to feed the cells over a longer period of time than the other proteins making it anti-catabolic or in other words keeping your body from tearing itself down. On to carbohydrates, an area that most companies compromise on quality and elect to go for the cheap high glycemic corn syrups, refined sugars and other unhealthful choices. At NutriSource, low glycemic sugars such as fructose, from natural fruit sugar, FOS (highly beneficial for intestinal cleansing) and maltodextrin (the best carbohydrate to restore muscle and liver glycogen, the stored sugar your body draws upon for energy.)
For fats, high oleic sunflower oil and lecithin are added to assure the right foundation of the essential fatty acids and high energy mono-unsaturated fats. These are the main healthy fats that most of us are missing in our current diets. To top off the list the NutriSource shake includes, digestive enzymes for complete assimilation, fat burning metabolism, fiber for intestinal health and blood sugar stabilization, (also very important for appetite control and weight loss), vitamins, minerals and with all nutrients in a perfect balance. The NutriSource shake can be used anytime day or night to replace a meal and is ideal before a workout. One half serving of the shake can be taken before going to sleep at night to assist your body in reaching a deep restoring sleep.
Late night junk food snacks can ruin your sleep and interfere with the body’s recovery process. Its not unusual to see a 2-3% drop in body fat over a one month period when using the shake and food in the combination described in the NutriSource Weight Loss Program. Great energy, mental clarity, controlled appetite, blood sugar balance and better recovery are several benefits of using the NutriSource shake on a regular basis. The shake comes in three delicious flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry.
These shakes have also won awards for the best tasting shakes in the industry at the NNFA (National Nutrition Foods Association) Conference. The shakes come in convenient foil pouches that you can take anywhere, as well as a 14 serving tub container. Add 8 oz. of water and mix and you have a perfect meal consisting of 20 grams of protein, 40 grams of low glycemic carbohydrates and 8 grams of essential fats. No blender is required.
Also available is our Pure Protein formula, which comes in two flavors (chocolate and vanilla) and can help to add the right amount of protein to any meal. These are available in economical 4-pound containers. You may want to try our Carbo Fighter, which helps the body control excess carbohydrates. This helps you to minimize the over consumption of the high glycemic carbs as you are learning how to eat in better balance. Next, I would suggest our Super EFA formula to improve your cells ability to burn fat and improve your overall metabolism. And finally, getting the best digestive Enzymes can send a “fat burning” message to the cells and help to break down the foods you are eating. Without the right enzymes (lipase) you may be sending the wrong message and wind up storing more fat. Find out why so many people use the NutriSource Weight Loss System religiously.
Rule #8
Take the strain out of your diet by controlling stress levels permanently. With a two- phase product line called AdaptaMax Phase 1 and Phase 2 you will breeze through even the most stressful days. These two formulas help to reduce the cravings for sugary and fatty type foods. These special herbs protect your immune system from stress, re-energize your cells, keep your body in a fine tuned balance and maximize your body’s ability to recover from physical training or injury. About 90% of all illnesses are stress related. Imagine having a front line defense against the very thing that causes us to break down. Out of over 20,000 plants in nature there are only about 12 that are classified as an adaptogen. Physical, mental, emotional and environmental stresses are kept in control by using these amazing products. Try the set for a month and discover how truly effective these products are.
Rule #9
With modern technology we can isolate the very substances in fruits and vegetables that enrich our body’s with all the key essential nutrients. Our Super Green Foods product is designed for someone that wants to maintain superior health but doesn’t have the time to eat the 4-6 servings of fruits and vegetables it takes to keep us healthy. One full tablespoon of this powder mixed with your favorite shake or beverage can deliver a complete spectrum of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, trace elements and more. Feel your body come alive again when it is fed the proper amounts of green foods. Build a habit that is easy to maintain but pays dividends for a lifetime.
Rule #10
What if we had a way to make the body more efficient in burning fat without using stimulants? Acetyl L-Carnitine has been found to improve the body’s ability to burn fat, improve memory, energy, metabolism, and overall quality of life. You owe to your self to take a closer look at getting back to your ideal weight with a little help from Acetyl L-Carnitine.
Now is the time to get yourself back on track with your nutrition leading the way. Make a commitment to learn, master and live the lifestyle of health. Take advantage of the NutriSource Weight-Loss Nutrition Products available to you now along with our many great products that will help keep the extra fat off permanently.
I hope you enjoyed the 3 part series. Please visit www.mynutrisource.com for more great health and nutrition information.
Scott Magers is a leading educator, formulator, and motivator in the field of nutrition and fitness. With over 24 years of experience in nutritional science, Scott has worked with many of the top professional and Olympic athletes, business leaders, sports teams, youth groups, and celebrities outlining detailed programs emphasizing a low glycemic, nutrient-dense, balanced approach to nourishing the body. Check out Scott’s new book and Success training at SeekersManifesto.com SeekersManifesto.com
Yo-Yo Dieter, Break The Cycle
Recently I was reduced to wearing tracksuits. Was this because I was on a health kick? Or because I was lounging around? No, it was because they have elasticated waists and they are the only clothes I could fit into.
Every fat person who wants to lose weight has a moment when they decide enough is enough and they go on a diet. If you are like me that moment happens fairly frequently, perhaps once every 2 or 3 months. The chain of events following that moment are as follows: life changing event - decide to diet, stock up on low calorie, low fat, tasteless foods, diet fails - heap the pounds on. This chain of events is one that most yo-yo dieters will recognise. Every time we diet we lose weight and then put more on. Why is this?
It is simple really. When us fatties go on a diet we assume it is only temporary. Therefore we change our eating habits but only for a while. We keep reassuring our subconscious that this change of diet is not forever and soon we can go back to eating the foods that we love as opposed to the foods that the diet book says we should love. When we have had enough of the foods that we dislike so much we go back to our usual diet but we eat more to make up for the weeks (or days) we weren’t able to eat normally.
It is for this reason that diets don’t work. If you follow naturally slim people you will see that they very rarely watch what they eat and they certainly don’t count calories. The trick really isn’t what you eat but how much of it. Fat people are doomed whichever way you look at it. Because we have over eaten in the past our stomachs hold more food and therefore our appetite is bigger. What suffices Kate Moss isn’t even going to touch the sides where I am concerned. If we reduce what we eat our metabolic rate decreases and our bodies prepare us for impending starvation.
Over the years I have tried many diets and other methods to lose weight. The result of all these methods is that I reached the heaviest weight I have ever been. A summary of some of the methods is below.
Atkins Diet – great weight loss initially. Bad breath a massive side effect. Repetitious meals meant interest was lost after a month.
Rosemary Conley – just a normal diet for lettuce lovers. Keep fit video got on my nerves because that cheesy grin doesn’t leave her face.
Weightwatchers – points system makes sense but is difficult to follow and takes time to record.
Appetite Suppressants – I don’t eat because I am hungry, I eat because I am happy, sad, content, depressed and stressed. No help whatsoever, but cost an awful lot of money to find out.
GI diet – too much green stuff for my liking.
Blood Type diet – whoever heard such rubbish?
And there have been many more.
I have recently discovered the way to lose weight and keep it off. Get ready for a ground-breaking revelation… EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE! Not what you wanted to hear? I didn’t either, but read on and hear me out.
There are many reasons why we over eat. My triggers were my emotions. I ate whenever an emotion kicked in, like sadness, happiness, depression, stress and many others. I was miserable because I over ate so I ate some more. I was stressed that none of my clothes fitted so I ate some more. We react this way because we have programmed our minds to think this way. The only way out of this cycle is to reprogramme our minds.
I have recently discovered Paul Mckenna the leading hypnotist. His dvd about slimming reprogrammes your mind to help you control your eating pattern. He advises you of some basic rules and reiterates them throughout the dvd, enforcing them into your subconscious. In a nutshell he advises you to; eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, eat what you like, cook fresh produce where you can and exercise more. The ‘eat what you like’ bit was what did it for me. Through his programme I now recognise the signs that I am full, whereas before I just happily munched my way through the next bag of family size sweets and reached for the indigestion tablets. I now find myself walking to the local shops rather than driving and I try to find foods that are fresh rather than mass produced in a factory in China.
The results have been excellent. I still have a few stone to go but I really don’t feel that I am on a diet. I eat what I like, when I like and therefore boredom doesn’t kick in. As the weight drops off I have found that I have more energy and am able to do more exercise. This has to be the longest and most successful ‘diet’ I have ever been on.
Stop looking for the miracle weight loss diet or the next big diet pill breakthrough, you are just wasting time. Treat yourself, get into hypnosis and break the yo-yo diet habit.
My tracksuits are available on eBay if you want them.
Lisa Mills is a freelance writer and is available to write articles for you. Email her Lisamills321 at hotmail dot com. newbabygiftboxes.co.uk” target=”_new Rock-a-Bye-Baby Gift Boxes is a site offering a newbabygiftboxes.co.uk” target=”_new baby gift box service.
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The Best Diet To Lose Weight
It’s not just important what you eat, but the way you eat it, and your attitude towards food. This determines how our body utilizes the food. For example, a meal eaten in a hurry is not digested as well as a meal eaten in a relaxed atmosphere. Let’s take a closer look at such factors and how they affect you. There may be hundreds of diet plans in the market, but this is the best diet to lose weight, because it involves healthy eating habits. There is a unique diet method that I have developed on my own, and it has helped thousands of clients get results. You can view my clients in action with exercise videos and download full color exercise routines, diet plans and ebooks by registering on my websites mentioned at the end of this article.
To lose weight, stop eating before you are full.
Imagine your hunger as if it were on a scale from 1 to 5.
1 - you’ve eaten too much food and can’t stand the sight of any more food.
2 - not hungry.
3 - starting to get hungry, about to enter ‘4′. Unlikely to overeat.
4 - hungry, eager to grab some food.
5 – very hungry, will eat anything in sight! You are very likely to overeat.
Never ever wait till you are at stage 5 before you eat.
This is exactly what happens when you skip a meal. You reach stage 5 and more than likely overeat. Try and eat when you are between stages 3 and 4. Stop eating when you are between stages 2 and 3. In other words, avoid wild fluctutions in your ‘hunger scale’. If you start to get hungry, then eat something healthy. Carry balanced snacks (more tips and ideas on that in the coming chapters). Dont wait till you are starving and then binge (swinging from stage 5 to stage 1). Also, stop eating as soon as you start to feel even slightly full. Know when to stop!
To improve digestion, eat in a slow and steady manner.
It’s not easy to change your diet habits completely, and neither is it recommended. The process of change should be slow and gradual. If you try and change too many things too soon, the effort becomes hard to sustain and turns into an ordeal. Failure becomes inevitable. So its important to break one bad habit at a time. If you try to stop eating after 7 pm, quit eating chips, and snacking in front of the TV all at once, you’re going to feel resentful and deprived. You’ll end up bingeing. Stop one bad behavior, and make healthier substitutions for the rest. Gradual, positive changes can help you adopt new habits without feeling deprived.
Always take your time at the table. In our time-starved society, it’s easy to consume too many calories in too little time. We tend to eat high calorie food, eat quickly and take large bites. We don’t chew food as well as we should. In a typical workday, we rush through our meals. Our meals lack variety. We tend to stick with foods that we are familiar with, and are easy to prepare. This limits our nutritional intake and can cause deficiencies in some vitamins and minerals. To make matters even more complicated, there is always something going on while eating - watching TV, talking on the phone, reading a book, having a telephone conversation.
Let’s look at a different approach to eating. Let’s say a typical meal consists of salad, a piece of meat, some brown rice and a piece of fruit. The key is variety and moderation. Eat slowly, appreciate the way food tastes, smells and looks. Don’t get distracted while eating. Enjoy food much more and eat less. Look at food as an experience to be enjoyed.
Good luck with these food strategies. Eating food should be considered an important and controlled experience, and overindulgence should be avoided.
For more information about these exercises, and to get free full color exercise routines, diet plans and grocery lists, visit best-weight-loss-programs.net/ Best Weight Loss Programs and toningforwomen.com/ Toning For Women. You can train with Nitin at the Phone Fitness Trainer website
A Natural Body Detox Can Dramatically Improve Your Health
Detoxification therapy is a completely natural and necessary process to get you healthy and feeling your best! If you’ve never done an official detox program, you are long overdue for a cleansing experience that will renew your energy, reduce food cravings, improve your metabolism, give you radiant skin, better your sleep, and strengthen your immune system.
What is detoxification?
Detoxification is the process of either clearing toxins from the body or neutralizing them. There are several organs involved in cleansing your system: The colon, liver, gallbladder, lungs, kidneys, bladder, blood, and skin. Each one needs to be stimulated to clean out clogged tissues and suffocated cells from the cumulative damage of alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, prescription drugs, sugar, pollution, chemicals and hormones in our food.
Why detox?
The primary cause of disease is the accumulation of waste and toxins, which are not eliminated from our body. Some symptoms of toxicity include headaches, fatigue, skin problems, frequent colds, aching joints, cravings, digestive problems, allergies, and sensitivity to smells or chemicals. Given the right herbs, nourishment, and some rest, your body has the power to heal itself and return to a renewed state, functioning more efficiently than ever before.
Who should detoxify?
Although everyone can benefit from a detox cleanse, those of us who are overweight, have unhealthy diets, take medications, drink alcohol, have health problems, or are exposed to chemicals in the workplace, need it more than others. I personally have a very healthy diet, drink purified water, take supplements, and exercise regularly, but the amazing benefits I get from doing a complete internal cleanse continues to convince me that all of us are suffering from the toxins around us and in our food, no matter how healthy we think we are.
Even with a healthy lifestyle, the body forms mucoid plaque, a rubber-like lining throughout the walls of the intestines. This plaque is filled with toxic waste and prevents proper absorption of nutrients leading to poor digestion, skin problems, sluggish metabolisms, and headaches. During a good cleanse, this mucoid plaque is actually eliminated from the intestines and is quite visible and disgusting to see. My clients are sometimes disturbed by this event, but thereafter convinced to keep doing their complete Internal Cleansing Kit by Blessed Herbs each year with some mini detox in between.
What’s the best way to get started?
First, if you have any medical condition, check with your doctor to find out if doing a detox cleanse is safe for you. There are a few levels of detoxification ranging from beginner to advanced. The beginner can do a simple one or two day fast on fresh vegetable juice and water once a month, supplementing with a Toxin Absorber made of bentonite clay, apple pectin, and psyllium seed which draw out and eliminate toxins from your intestines.
Those ready for an intermediate detox can do a whole body cleanse such as with the Internal Cleansing Kit by Blessed Herbs which contains herbs to targets all the body’s organs of elimination and lasts for 21 days. During a longer intermediate cleanse, it’s a good time to clean up your diet, eat plenty of green vegetables, drink good water, breath clean air, and exercise.
An advanced detox program includes a five day liquid fast during which you are resting from work and exercise. In addition, a complete herbal cleansing program or kit should be followed for 21 days to thoroughly scrub and remove mucoid plaque off the intestinal walls, and detox all organs such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin. Colonics are always a good idea during any level of cleansing. Read a good book on juice fasting and cleansing. Some good ones include “Internal Cleansing” by Linda Berry, D.C. and “Juice Fasting and Detoxification by Steve Meyerowitz.
In conclusion, we all need to detoxify our bodies regularly to eliminate the toxins and congestion causing poor health, low energy, and disease. It’s a time for the body to regain vitality and rejuvenate its cells. Fasting is also a time to reevaluate things in our lives, remove negative energy or abuse, eliminate addictions, and be more open to spiritual and emotional energy. The physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of detoxification are proven throughout our history and are invaluable for good health.
Visit www.RockwellNutrition.com to read about Blessed Herb’s Natural detox kit, and start your cleansing today!
Annika Rockwell owns an operates RockwellNutrition.com RockwellNutrition.com and RockwellNutrition.net RockwellNutrition.net; she is a Certified Nutritionist.
She completed her B.A. at Swarthmore College, PA, in a Psychology Pre-Medical curriculum. She later attained her Nutrition Certification (CN®) through American Health Sciences University, CO. Since 1995, she has been working in the nutrition industry and as a nutritionist.
Since June 2000, Annika has owned and operated Rockwell Nutrition, Inc., offering top of the line, professional brand nutritional supplements, as well as private consultations to individuals requiring customized eating and supplement plans for their health concerns and goals. She has become skilled at using diagnostic tests including diet analysis, food allergy testing, blood tests, and hair analysis to help assess the best treatment options for women’s health and conditions including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, low energy, and gastrointestinal ailments. Annika’s specialty is her customized health programs which are unique for each client.
Alternative Arthritis Pain Relief, Does It Really Work?
Alternative arthritis pain relief is something that many people are turning to more and more. Prescribed medicines and drugs are often seen as something less desirable than the more natural, or alternative medicines that are available.
With arthritis being the main cause of physical disability among people over 18 years of age in America, and many other countries too, it’s not surprising that people might turn to alternative remedies if the prescribed drugs don’t give them the relief they want.
With so many suffering from this debilitating condition, you might think that all available money should be spent on research into the cause of arthritis. But it’s a simple fact that people spend more money on alternative arthritis pain relief, which is often unproven by medical testing, than by donating to medical research. It seems that most folks are willing to take a chance on there being something in it, just a chance that it will work for them.
In many cases it does work. The remedy may be unproven, but that does not necessarily mean it is useless. Far from it, some of the alternative arthritis pain relief remedies give excellent results to millions! The condition may be uncurable, but if it doesn’t bother you any more, then that’s pretty much as good as a cure in the eyes of those who used to suffer.
Alternative arthritis pain relief is big business. Some of the claims may be inflated, and some of the effects may be minimal, if there at all, but some of the alternatives do work for many. Don’t dismiss them out of hand, for that’s not a scientific attitude. Anyone who knows the pain of arthritis will tell you, if the remedy works, it works, and that’s all that matters!
Visit chronicjointpain.info/ chronicjointpain.info/ for more tips and resources about
A Flawed U.S. Healthcare System and Some Potential Solutions
Earlier this year, the Associated Press and other popular news agencies reported on the disturbing results of a study published in the March 16, 2006 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that concluded that Americans receive, on average, only 55% of the care that they should receive at any given time 1,2. This study evaluated the care that individuals, from a wide variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, receive in a variety of different healthcare settings (clinic, hospital, etc.) here in the U.S. The authors came to a conclusion that was, to me, very startling; but, as it turns out, this is not really new information.
With some minor variation across the boards, people were either under or over treated, for a variety of conditions ranging from alcohol dependence to urinary tract infection. This means that, although we have very well defined screening, diagnostic, and treatment protocols, nearly half of the time these protocols were not followed by physicians, other health care personnel, or the institutions in which they work.
While the Associated Press story decried this as “woefully mediocre… care,” and the New England Journal authors concluded that the “problems with the quality of [health] care,” are “widespread and systemic,” I personally see this as an outright tragedy. Although we spend more money on health care than any other nation, and our massive research efforts have well defined the ideal mechanisms to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease, we are still unable to provide our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, with the care that they all pay for, deserve, and that is available. I find the idea repellant that people’s quality and duration of life is routinely compromised in this manner.
Although this is profoundly disturbing, this is also not a new problem by any means, but instead is simply another aspect of an inadequate and dysfunctional health care system. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine ( iom.edu/” target=”_new iom.edu/), a private, non-profit research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, published “To Err is Human,” which reported that somewhere between 44,000 and 98,000 individuals die annually, and that “hundreds of thousands” of others are injured or narrowly escape injury, as a result of avoidable medical errors (also available free on-line at nap.edu/books/0309068371/html/” target=”_new nap.edu/books/0309068371/html/) 3.
While hospital systems and healthcare providers attempt to begin the lengthy process of remediating this situation by initiating a number of changes across the country (including,as oneexample,instituting an electronic, all-inclusive medical record accessible from any clinic, hospital, or emergency department, among other changes), one area has yet to be addressed - patients are far too often unaware and uninformed about their diagnoses and treatments, and as such, are unable to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Although we are far past the days of following the “doctor’s orders,” and “the doctor knows best,” we have yet to provide patients with one of the best protections available -a thorough understanding of their health and the knowledge to be actively and effectively involved with its maintenance and restoration.
There are a few barriers to this process, however, in the current system. It is not uncommon today that a physician has far less time to examine, diagnose, prescribe and counsel to a patient than the time that it takes to change the oil in your car, or get a haircut, etc. Some physicians, in fact, have to average less than ten minutes per patient! It is impossible to expect that any physician, even the most caring and dedicated, could adequately explain to a patient their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis within that time frame, and answer questions as necessary. Furthermore, some providers are worse than others at this skill, and the current system most certainly does not encourage or help them in this regard.
The current system does not really value, then, an informed patient. While we are taught in medical school that patients need to be properly “informed” in order to make “competent” medical decisions, the system currently in place clearly does not encourage this sort of activity. If anything, in fact, it discourages it.
The time has come for external systems to try and pick up this role, and to help patients and their families understand any and all aspects of their health. It is unlikely that any time soon physicians will have more time to help better educate patients (new cuts in Medicare reimbursement, as a matter of fact, just approved in July of 2006, will, if anything, make it even harder for physicians to spend time educating their patients). Services must be established (some are already in place) that can help patients answer questions that they might have about their diagnosis or treatment options. Unfortunately, at present many of these services are offered with little oversight as to the quality of information that is provided.
Without the help of a professional, patients often try and find answers for themselves to their health-related questions. While there are many valuable internet resources that are available (WebMD., etc.), there are many more available that offer inaccurate, incomplete, or incorrect information. If taken at face-value by a patient, this can present a profound problem as patients can then base potentially life-threatening or life-changing decisions on this information. So a guide, in many respects, is really necessary to provide accurate information, and then to make sure that the patient understands it.
Improvements like the electronic medical record will most certainly help reduce the incidence of medical errors, and should also help ensure that patients receive care up to the current standard. But improvements must also be made in other areas as well, including patient education, because patients can most often provide far better oversight of their own care than any pre-designed system, no matter how “high tech” it might be. It seems that patients have already realized this, and are seeking out information from any available source. Hopefully hospital and insurance administrators, and government officials and healthcare providers will also realize this, and dedicate funding and efforts to fill this substantial, but presently ignored, gap in the provision of healthcare.
- Jonathan Fay, M.D., August 14, 2006.
References
1. Asch SM, Kerr EA, Keesey J, et al. “Who is at greatest risk for receiving poor-quality health care?” N Engl J Med. 2006 Mar 16;354(11):1147-1156.
2. “Study Says Americans Get Equally Mediocre Health Care” - Jeff Donn, Associated Press, 3/15/2006.
3. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 2000.
Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Fay, M.D.
Dr. Fay is a personal medical consultant, providing answers to patients’ questions about their health, diagnosis, and well-being (available on the internet at doctorfay.com doctorfay.com). He has helped thousands to better understand their health, and to be in a far better position to be highly involved in their own healthcare. As such, patients can make better decisions about treatment options, that better fit their own personal preferences (and not those of their physician, another provider, or anyone else).
Dr. Fay is also the author of numerous articles about the state of healthcare today in the United States, new developments in medicine, and articles to help explain medical treatments and diagnoses in terms that patients can easily understand.
What You Need to Know about Colloidal Silver & How It Should Be Used
Colloidal silver is a popular topic nowadays, due to the wide range of companies that promote such products and due to the alternative medicine specialists, who consider it a healthy antibiotic and supplement. Even if the term “colloidal” silver might seem complicated, the fact is that it refers to metal (silver) particles that are found in suspension in water.
There are many forms of products that include colloidal silver. The most common one is the water with colloidal silver. Water is consumed orally and this is the reason why it is considered a supplement. Water with colloidal silver is also considered a disinfectant and applied on wounds or infections. Besides water, there can be found colloidal silver under the form of sprays (which is applied on the affected areas) or nasal spray, or it can be injected, for a faster effect.
Colloidal silver has been used on a wide range of problems, ranging from simple colds and allergies to serious and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, leukemia, rheumatism or stomach ulcer. Alternative medicine studies show that colloidal silver might have a beneficial effect in over 500 diseases. In fact, colloidal silver was considered risk-free even when it was used for newborns. More precisely, colloidal silver was used to eliminate the unwanted bacteria from the newborns’ eyes, right after birth.
Colloidal silver seems to eliminate the most part of bacteria, fungi, viruses or other types of pathogen cells that are to be found in the human organism. More and more people are interested to find out more about this supplement, since the classic antibiotics do not seem to eliminate as many pathogen cells. Even more, these germs that are resistant to the conventional antibiotics are epidemic and cause a wide range of problems.
If you want to start using colloidal silver, it is important to discuss the matter with your health care provider. Only then, you will know how this supplement should be taken. It is very important to use only colloidal silver with a perfect concentration (15-20ppm) and with small particles, in order to avoid complications and to obtain the desired results.
Peter Salazar’s source for quality supplements is utopiasilver.com utopiasilver.com.
To read more on this subject & remedies go here: utopiasilver.com/testimonials/ utopiasilver.com/testimonials
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Here’s A Diet That Won’t Work
How’s this for a diet: Take in fewer calories than you expend and you’ll lose weight. I just read another article that suggested this as the sure-fire way to lose weight. Of course it’s true, and about as useful as telling an alcoholic he can beat his problem by not drinking. Yeah, right.
Have you noticed that almost every diet is guaranteed to work if you follow it? Of course, it’s your fault if you don’t do what they say, right? What a bunch of nonsense. If you can’t stick to a diet, then it doesn’t work - not for you, anyhow, and what’s the difference if it works for others?
You Are Unique
Don’t let someone sit there biting their nails for the fortieth year in a row tell you it’s willpower you need. Of course it would be wonderful if you could force yourself to do whatever you decided to do. The truth, however, is that we each have our areas of difficulty, and our ways of operating. No one but you can judge just how hard you actually are trying, or even what you need to do.
Address your specific needs. Maybe your weight problem is something that requires psycological help. Maybe you just need a slightly easier to follow diet, and you’ll finally lose that weight. Maybe exercise is the way for you.
You know people that eat all they want and don’t gain weight. It’s so obvious that we are each physically and mentally unique, and so often ignored when it comes to diets. Find the unique combination of factors that work for you, and your existing “willpower” will be more than enough.
Steve Gillman writes on many self-improvement topics. You can get more weight loss tips, and subscribe to a free weight loss newsletter at: 99WaysToLoseWeight.com 99WaysToLoseWeight.com
