How Healthy Are You? Rate Your Health

Most people define health as a lack of apparent disease. The Government has a term RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) which is based on the minimum amount you can take to prevent a disease from taking over. Beri-beri, Scurvey, and Rickets are three that come to mind. These are diseases which develop when we are lacking in certain nutrients.

To rate your health, draw a horizontal line across a piece of paper and at the left end put "Death" - at the right end put "Total Vitality".
In the center of the line add a vertical mark.
From the midline mark (moving towards the left) all the way to "death" are levels or degrees of disease and from the midline mark (moving towards the right) all the way to "total vitality" are levels or degrees of health.

What I have come to realize is that most people believe they are healthy only because they have an apparent lack of disease. I have talked with people who are on blood pressure medicine and as long as the medicine is lowering their blood pressure they don't recognize that they still have hypertension. People taking cholesterol-lowering drugs believe that if the number is OK then they are OK. Cholesterol-lowering drugs do not solve the problem of what caused the high cholesterol in the first place.

Osteoporosis, the silent disease, goes on for years without any outward indicators. You only know you have a problem through testing or when you fracture a hip or some other part of the body, due to an accident or a slip and fall.

Heart disease, the number one killer in the United States today, normally gives us some outward indicators. Being obese or overweight, being out of breath a lot of the time, and certain aches and pains. Most people choose to ignore these indicators and insist that nothing is wrong and that they are healthy. I've read the statistics that the first indicator 50% of the people with heart problems get, is death. It is such a sad state of affairs that 50% of the people with heart problems never get a second chance. They never get to change their lifestyle to enhance their health.

Before any change can take place, people must acknowledge that something may not be as great as they make it out to be. Take a realistic look at your health. Rate your health; put a mark on the line as to how healthy you think you are. Ask a doctor or other health professional to evaluate your health and add a mark on the line. Acknowledge that if you are taking medicines - as painful as it is to admit, you can't be on the right-hand side of the center line.

Ask yourself and your doctor what it will take to get off of the medications you are now taking. If the answer is you have to take it the rest of your life, your next two questions should be 1) WHY? And 2) Do you mind if I get a second opinion?

Premature Aging Red Flags

For centuries, human beings have searched for the fountain of youth; that wellspring that provides a way to remain young forever. Well, we are still searching. While the science of remaining young has been debated, researched, bottled up and sold in anti aging products, there are many environmental, genetic and biological factors that still make it hard to accurately gauge how fast (or slow) individuals will age.

Your body is incredible when it comes to our health and well-being. If you treat your body right and pay attention to it, your body will not hesitate to tell you when it feels good or bad. There are actually seven signs that an observant person cannot miss that will aid in the anti aging process. There is research to suggest that the length of a person's fingers might determine future joint deterioration. Osteoarthritis is a painful degenerative disease that gets worse as we age. Estrogen and progesterone can biologically influence a person's risk for this disease. In conjunction with osteoarthritis, and some times the cause of, is pain behind the knee. Identifying the source of this pain is somewhat complex, given the anatomy of the knee. Nevertheless, marked pain in this area is a sign for concern.

Belly fat puts both men and women at risk for developing medical conditions such as Type 2 diabetes that can speed up the aging process. Also, the risk of having dementia is 3.6 times higher for people with an expanded waistline. So, regular exercise and eating a balanced diet are perfect anti aging actions that individuals can take. You will look good and feel great. Exercising may also improve your balance. Vision, inner ear balance, muscles, bones and joints all play a huge part in preventing falls.

Tooth loss and dentures are easily associated with aging. However, not many people think about dry mouth as another indicator. The lack of saliva production is a prime symptom for many diseases such as thyroid, Parkinson's, and Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can affect the salivary glands. Another unexpected sign is an ear lobe crease that is a possible indication of heart disease.

The human body has its own way of giving signs early on that may help to determine future issues. The key is to be in tune with your body well enough, and to know what you can do to slow the aging process.

Why Your Cracking Bones And Joints Are Talking To You

Often times I have patients who will tell me they hear funny snapping, crackling and popping noises coming from their knees, hips, ankles, wrists during different motions and wonder if they've cracked or damaged the bone somehow. I assure them this is, generally, not the case and that those funny noises can be caused by a number of things that I'd like to share with you.

Why Your Bones Are Talking To You

Throughout the course of the day and whatever movements you make, you may occasionally hear a variety of different sounding noises from your joints. Most often these noises are nothing to be concerned about, especially if you are not experiencing pain at the time you hear the noise. There are a number of reasons that can explain cracking joints and noises - like these:

• Gases: Inside your joints there is a lubricant called synovial fluid. This fluid contains the gases oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. When a certain movement causes the joint capsule to stretch, it often makes a popping noise from these gases escaping. Almost always this is just a funny noise and does no harm to the joint.


• Tendons, joints, and ligaments movement: In their normal movements, tendons, joints, and ligaments sometimes get out of position and become slightly out of place. This can happen more often if these structures are weak from lack of exercise or over-exertion/wrong exercise. The "snapping" noise you may hear when this happens is the part righting itself to its normal position. Also, your ligaments and tendons tighten during movement of the joint, especially knees and ankles, which can cause a cracking sound. Take time to stretch every morning to improve this condition. Natural Health Suggestion: If you go to the gym and work out on weighted equipment, never do the seated leg raise where the padded bar is over your ankles and you have to raise the bar with your legs. This causes pressure on the knee joint and can stretch the tendons or ligaments so that normal movement can even cause them to slip out of place and/or damage to the joint.


• Arthritis/Worn Cartilage: In arthritis, worn cartilage can cause bone on bone friction which can sound like bubble wrap crackling. This noise can, however, be accompanied by pain as well. Natural Health Suggestion: Try taking some Omega 3 oils to help with the inflammation that is likely present within the joint as well as aid in lubrication. Soak in a warm bath with Epsom salts that contain magnesium to help relieve pain in the joint. Be sure you are getting enough calcium and Vitamin D3 in your diet to help build the bone up. If you are overweight, getting rid of extra pounds will take a lot of pressure off your joints and help with movement.


• Snapping Hip Syndrome: Also called "dancer's hip", this condition occurs most often in athletes or people who weight train from the tendon becoming overly thickened. The snapping occurs when the hip is extended or flexed and is accompanied by a popping noise and possibly pain or discomfort. Natural Health Suggestion: Usually resting the leg will help and staying off it for a while. Sometimes icing the area also helps. Since inflammation usually starts to occur from this recurrent friction, taking 2,000 mg of Omega 3 oils can help decrease it. Stretching the hip muscles, particularly the iliopsoas tendon or iliotibial band, with slow and deliberate stretching movements before activity will help it become more limber so that the structures are not so tight that they snap with stronger movements.

As I explain to my patients, all these creaking, snapping, popping, and crackling noises you hear when you stretch or exercise or even just simply move around are nothing to worry about. Most often they stem from not being as limber as you could be and your tendons and ligaments are in a somewhat tight position most the time. Be sure to stretch completely before any physical activity, or just simply stretch when you get up in the morning. Drink enough water and fluids throughout the day to help relieve inflammation. If, however, you experience pain every time you move a certain way and hear one of these noises, do contact your doctor to be sure that there isn't something more serious going on with your joints/bones.

Stay well,

Dr. Mark

Home Remedies for Arthritis Joint Pain and Inflammation Relief

Arthritis is one of the common aging effects suffered by many, which is caused due to the degeneration of bones and cartilages. It is a painful condition generally observed in the major joints along with swelling and inflammation. Among a thousand types of arthritis, the most prevailing ones are gout, osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. The Rheumatoid arthritis is the most severe form of this disease that affects the muscles and tendons apart from the joints. The joints of shoulders, knees, hips, ankles, heels, wrists, fingers and elbow wear out as one progress towards aging. Sometimes unhealthy lifestyle and obesity also invites arthritis at an early age. Both men and women suffer from varying degrees of this disease; women being more prone to arthritis after menopause.

Symptoms

Common symptoms pointing towards Arthritis are

1. Moderate to severe pain in the joints.
2. Swelling and inflammation of joints.
3. Tenderness and stiffness in the joints restricting free movements.
4. Fever in case of Rheumatoid arthritis.
5. Formation of big toe in case of Gout.

Causes

1. Aging
2. Higher levels of uric acid in blood
3. Obesity
4. Fluctuations in the hormonal levels
5. Tenderness in the synovial joints

Home Remedies for Arthritis

Apart from the conventional treatment through the administration of high doses of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, home remedies provide an alternate treatment of arthritis which is no less effective than the drugs.

1. Raw potato juice gives wondrous results in treating arthritis. Thin slices of potato including the skin are soaked in a glass of water overnight, which should be drunk early in the morning with the sunrise.

2. Regular physical exercises improve the blood circulation and helps in strengthening the joints. It also keeps the body weight in control and prevents crippling of the limbs.

3. Hot Epsom salt baths are very useful for this treatment as the skin absorbs the salt and enhances blood circulation.

4. Reduced intake of protein, refined sugar and other processed foods is necessary in treating arthritis.

5. Drinking a cup of juice of carrot, beet root, celery and other leafy vegetables is a good home remedy for arthritis.

6. The herb Boswelia Serrata has anti-inflammatory properties that help in reducing inflammation.

7. The herb Angelica is enriched with anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic and pain relieving constituents that is very effective in reducing the discomforts of arthritis.

8. Sea bathing and steam baths are very useful in arthritis treatment.

9. Rubbing the joints with castor oil is also beneficial in treating this disorder.

10. Massaging the painful joints with the essential oils of Juniper, sage, Rosemary, Thyme diluted with olive oil in the ratio of 1:10 provides instant relief to the pain.

Safeguard Joints That Are Prone to Injury

Many of us take joint health for granted. The strange thing is that you can injure a joint and not even know it. Injury can take place by simply overusing a particular joint or wearing the wrong type of footwear. But once an injury has taken place, it can lead to a gradual degeneration of that joint. The cartilage can begin to tear and bone rubs against bone causing pain and inflammation of surrounding tissues. Joint pain can often manifest after the age of forty and after that the need for joint pain relief can grow more intense. By caring for your joints now, you could avoid pain later.

Which joints require the most care or joint support? Let's take a look at 10 joints that are most prone to injury.

Joint Support for Elbows: Injuries to the elbow joint can occur when playing sports like mountain climbing, racquet sports, baseball, or any sport that involves a throwing or swinging action like golf and volleyball. Elbow injury could also be caused by an occupation that involves repetitive use of the elbow joint.

Joint Support for Ankles: The ankles bear the largest weight. Injuries to the ankle usually occur when we step on uneven surfaces and twist the ankle. Vigorous physical activity such as jumping, landing on a hard or uneven surface can also cause injury to the ankle joint. Joint pain relief becomes vital since it can limit our mobility.

Joint Support for Knees: The knee joint is a weight-bearing joint. Common knee injuries can be due to a blow to the knee by a fall, a sudden stop while running or a twist of the knee, or overuse. Pain can gradually increases with age.

Joint Support for Back joints: Historically the lower back usually incurs more wear and tear. The back bears the weight of the body, but also bears extra stress when we lift heavy objects. Laborers and athletes who do weight training are more susceptible to back aches. Injury can also occur due to poor posture or being overweight. Joint pain relief may be found by massage therapy. Injuries to the back can be difficult to rehabilitate and are more likely to recur.

Joint Support for Shoulders: Being a ball and socket joint, the shoulder joint is flexible and affords wide range of motion. Pain here can arise due to poor posture, wear and tear, overuse, aging, sports such as baseball or tennis, even repetitive household chores that affect the shoulders. Many have found joint pain relief by adopting a proper posture or giving adequate recovery time between sports events.

Joint Support for Neck: A pain in the neck can be due to contact sports, lifting heavy objects or a jerking movement of the neck. It can also be due to poor posture or sitting at your desk for extended periods without stretch breaks. Stretch exercises for the neck can help bring joint pain relief.

Joint Support for Wrist: The most common injury to the wrist is linked to joint impact due to a fall or an accident. The wrist can also suffer injury due to poor positioning of the wrist on a keyboard for prolonged periods. Repetitive use in daily activities can also trigger wrist pain.

Joint Support for Fingers: Wear and tear occurs more easily and shows itself gradually. Simple tasks become difficult such as paring an apple, knitting, or opening the lids of a jar. Joint pain relief may be found by increasing circulation and regular exercise.

Joint Support for Hips: The hips are weight-bearing joints. The cartilage can begin to wear and tear faster especially for those involved in sports like golf, skiing, track, soccer or football. Professional dancers are also prone to hip pain as are those who over-exercise. Many find joint pain relief through low impact exercises.

Joint Support for Toes: Injury here is more common among people who play on artificial turf.. People who wear footwear that does not give support to the forefront joints are also prone to toe injury.

Some of you reading this may think the damage is already done, what can I do? There aren't any ways to bring back time but fortunately there have been scientific breakthroughs that can help restore joint health to some extent.

Glutamine Benefits

Glutamine advantages cover important essential functions for a human's well-being. To keep the adequate levels of cellular energy, decrease muscle degeneration in severely sick patients and to supply adequate muscle gain in training athletes and bodybuilders.

Top 10 Glutamine health benefits.

Glutamine is truly one of the major selling muscle building supplements contributing to protein synthesis and muscle gains in training sports enthusiasts.

Glutamine supplemental therapy can be extremely effective in helping reduce damaging effects due to autoimmune diseases that cause unusual immune system response that attacks its own tissues and cells.

Certain cases of male impotence could very well be alleviated by of Glutamine amino acid health supplements use.

Glutamine depression symptoms therapy is a state of the art method to address a variety of forms of depression and mood swings without using drug treatments. According to several different studies Glutamine health benefits contribute to enriched nervous system functions, increases more positive outlook and removes toxic ammonia wastes from the brain tissues.

Glutamine irritable colon disorder therapy is one of the more effective natural approaches in addressing diarrhea and poor digestion that may be associated with this syndrome. Glutamine works by fixing gastrointestinal lining and promoting healthy and balanced nutrient absorption.

Glutamine diabetes therapy successfully aids in glucose utilization keeping blood sugar levels under control. In addition, Glutamine health benefits help reduce the possibility of insulin resistance in people consuming diets excessively rich in fats.

Glutamine health benefits mainly include arthritis treatments by repairing damaged cartilage tissues due to age-related joint degeneration. It can also help by providing increased energy and immunity essential to overcome the disease and carry out everyday functions.

Schizophrenia patients can draw tremendous Glutamine health benefits. This amino acid not only helps improve brain activity, eliminate ammonia by-products from the brain, it can also help improve IQ, stabilize brain impulses and facilitate tissue healing.

Radiation therapy is a necessary treatment for cancer patients, however along with destroying off cancer cells, this kind of therapy can at the same time result in healthy tissue damage and considerable free radical build up in the body. Glutamine amino acid can diminish the destructive side effects of cancer radiation therapy if taken along this kind of therapy.

Antioxidant Glutamine health benefits can help remove destructive ammonia by products from the entire body and many free radicals that might lead to harmful health problems.

Individuals suffering form liver, kidney conditions and Reye's disease should not take this health supplement to avoid Glutamine negative effects. Really rare Glutamine side effects could possibly include headaches and interaction with certain prescription drugs.

Glutamine Benefits.

Why Hip and Ankle Mobility Are So Important

Here is how each joint within our body should function.

繚 Ankle should be mobile

繚 Knee should be stable

繚 Hip should be mobile

繚 Lumber spine should be stable

繚 Thoracic spine should be mobile

繚 Scapula should be stable

繚 Gleno-humeral should be mobile

If the joints that are supposed to be mobile are not then the joints that are supposed to be stable will not be stable they will be used as if they are mobile.

Can you see the problem; the joints that are not supposed to be mobile are being used as if they are. This will create pain.

When we lose ankle mobility, we get knee pain

When we lose hip mobility, we get back pain

We know that these should be mobile, so why do they become immobile for so many people?

Basically this is because the ankle and the hip are not used. We wear shoes that stop are feet from adapting to different surfaces so they don't need to be mobile and we sit down all day with no movement through the hips while are lower back gets ridiculously tight and makes your hips stable.

When the ankle is no longer mobile, instead of taking the impacts of connecting with the earth it sends the impact to the knee instead and the same happens with the hips, the impact is sent to the lumbar spine.

So these areas take the impacts intended for other joints and so it causes pain.

So how can you become mobile again?

It is as simple as moving the joint the way it was intended. However if you haven't mobilised your ankles and hips for a while, most likely the joint will now be compressed. What I mean by this is the joints are jammed together and will seem like there cemented in place.

So you need to decompress the joint, basically remove the two joints away from each other slightly so the joints have more room to move around. I would advise you get a specialised in kinetic chain assessment to do this for you. Once this is done you will find that it is a lot easier to move the joint and mobility drills will be far more effective.

To mobilise the ankle, start by moving the foot in an up and down motion, pointing the toes up and then pointing them down. Next draw circles with your foot rotating through the ankle joint go one way and then the other and then to finish with shake the foot off as if it has water on it.

To mobilize the hip joint, imagine you are hoola hoping and take your hips round in big circles trying to push the hips all the way forwards, backwards and out to the sides. Next tilt the pelvis up at the front and then down at the back. This will start to get your hips mobile again

Here is a quick video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucyelm7nrgo

That shows a quick mobility drill I advise my personal training clients in Manchester to perform before exercise.

Have a go, get mobile and reduce knee and back pain.

Harry Pointon

Manchestercitypersonaltrainer.com