Pregnancy Planner - A Quick Guide
June 22, 2008
Weeks 1 to 3 are the first weeks of pregnancy. Week 1 begins on the first day of your last menstrual period. You will have no pregnancy symptoms yet, it’s too early right now. By week 4 nearly all of the organs and structure of the fetus have formed, you will start to feel the first pregnancy symptoms which will feel a bit like period symptoms such as tiredness and tender breasts.
Weeks 5/6/7. By now mother’s breast have swelled and are sensitive as milk glands multiply. Morning sickness will kick in and your appetite will increase. The embryo has developed the heart and primitive circulatory system. The first heartbeats begin and facial features begin to develop. Cravings might start and be expected to gain or loose a few pounds over these few weeks. Your uterus is putting pressure on your bladder so be prepared for frequent visits to the ladies.
Weeks 8/9/10. You can have an Ultra sound now and your uterus has grown to the size of a small grapefruit. The baby’s fingers and thumbs have now appeared and teeth are developing under the gums. Your breasts are fuller than ever before this maybe uncomfortable, a maternity bra can help.
Protein - The Denominator Customary to All Diets
June 21, 2008
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the environment. Matter and molecules flow in and out, casting themselves into its complexities. Although the body lends them structure, it is the intake-the diet-that decides its physique. To control what goes in a diet is to choose what stays inside. Dietary decisions reflect an awareness of metabolism and the nutrients needed to modify it. There may be a host of diets purported for each activity and illness. However, the one macronutrient that is invariably required, in substantial amounts irrespective of the physiological state, is protein.
Proteins hold this special place in every diet for a variety of reasons. They connect the DNA to the rest of the cell and modulate all cellular functions and responses. They are the scaffolds of the human body that struts a billion cells. Proteins are also the workers that shuffle around the body relaying messages, carrying out repairs and digestion. Oxygen from the lungs and many nutrients from the gut are protein packed and delivered to their destination. The motors in the muscles and the antibodies in the immune system are all proteins. If genes code life in a helix of DNA, then proteins are life in its decoded form. Their pervasiveness makes them indispensable and, protein synthesis a priority in metabolism.
Let’s Expose Some Popular Diet Myths
June 20, 2008
Let’s Expose Some Popular Diet Myths
by: Michael Douglas
Are those extra inches round your waist leaving you sleepless? Has your last diet plan failed to solve your eternal problem - excess weight? Maybe you are not doing it right or expect results too fast.
Losing weight can be difficult at times because of misconceptions about food and how the metabolism really works. Many foods that we think are low in calorie are really not. We eat what we think is right, unaware of the hidden fat and calories. Losing weight can seem impossible if you’re not aware of hidden fat.
In this brief article I am going to show you exactly what the truth really is, exposing some popular myths about losing weight and in the process advises on the best diet.
NO QUICK FORMULA TO WEIGHT LOSS
If you think that by cutting down on food and with a six-week deadline, you can lose weight, you are completely mistaken. This practice is guaranteed to bring your metabolism to a screeching halt! Although, you may lose weight but it’s all bound to return. You may feel nice after having lost some amount but eventually when it catches up, there are chances of your going into a major depression. Also, repeated weight cycling - losing and gaining frequently - is not advisable at all.
Talking To Your Doctor or Specialist About ADD
June 19, 2008
Talking To Your Doctor or Specialist About ADD
by: Sarah Jenkins
Talking to your child’s doctor or specialist about ADD may be very difficult, especially in the beginning stages of diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. It is important to understand and accept that doctors can be of great assistance in treating and helping your child and your family through this arduous process.
In the beginning, you may be unwilling to accept your child’s condition. If this is the case, you may be uncooperative and rebellious to treatment suggestions or even further diagnosing measures. At this point, a second opinion may be what you should pursue to ease your mind and make certain your child is receiving the proper care.
On the other hand, you should not be too certain ADD is the problem before consulting and seeking diagnosis of a competent physician. If your child’s doctor does not believe ADD is the problem, you, too, should seek a second opinion. However, you should be careful not to go from doctor to doctor seeking a diagnosis that is inaccurate.
Getting Up Early Can Help You Lose 10 Pounds
June 18, 2008
Getting Up Early Can Help You Lose 10 Pounds
by: Ronald Goodpaster
Weight gain can be a very slow process. For most people, it is a matter of one pound here, one pound there, and the next thing you know you’re 10 pounds heavier. This is why almost everyone, at one point or another, will want to lose 10 pounds. To lose 10 pounds is very realistic for almost everyone, and is achievable though some small changes in diet and by exercising more. The vast majority of people, with their busy schedules, get little or no exercise, so even a small bit of regular exercise should be able to achieve noticeable results. If we don’t have time to exercise a great deal, though, we’re going to want to maximize the effectiveness of the exercise we do get, and a great way to do that is by exercising in the morning.
There are two main reasons why you can more easily lose 10 pounds by exercising in the morning. The first has to do with the fact that it is much easier to build into your daily routine. One of the keys to losing weight by exercise is to do it regularly, which many people find difficult: it’s always hard to find time. So a great reason for exercising in the morning is that you’ll have very little distraction. In many ways, you are literally “making time” for the exercise by starting your day earlier.
Hearing Loss is the Number One Disability in the World
June 18, 2008
Hearing Loss is the Number One Disability in the World
by: Jay Stockman
Hearing loss is prevalent in modern societies as a result of the combined effects of noise, aging, disease, and heredity. Hearing loss is the number one disability in the world; approximately 28 million Americans suffer some type of hearing loss. In addition, 15 of every 1000 people under the age of 18 have a hearing loss, and nearly 90% of people over age 80 have a hearing impairment. The incidence of hearing loss is greater in men, than women. The sad part is, that hearing loss is the most preventable disability in the world.
Hearing is a complicated process involving both the sensitivity of the ear, as well as the ability to understand, and interpret the speech. When we hear sounds, we really are interpreting patterns of air molecules in the form of waves. . The ear is able to pick up these waves, and convert them into electrical signals that are sent to the brain. In the brain, these signals are deciphered into meaningful information, such as language or music with qualities like volume and pitch. We can characterize sounds in terms of their frequency (or pitch) and intensity (or loudness).
Protein and Endurance Sports
June 17, 2008
Endurance Sports are like music concerts. They start at a low key, setting a steady rhythm and culminate into a crescendo that enthralls the spectator and the athlete. And not unlike an orchestra, endurance demands a flawless performance from every organ, testing the limits of their resilience. As each system, conducted by the human will, endures a pace bordering on fatigue, the athlete begins to hear music from the heart. What’s often neglected, and considered unnecessary, in endurance sports is a high-protein diet that can expand the aerobic capacity and power the performance.
To sustain effort and delay fatigue, the body needs an adequate supply of oxygen and fuel without accumulating waste products, acids or heat. Greater the intensity of the workout, greater is the efficiency required. The capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the fuel stores in the muscle, the hepatic and renal support systems must all expand exponentially to perform in endurance sports. If any of these prerequisites are not met, the internal milieu becomes uncomfortable. Metabolism slows down, to allow excretion of wastes, acids and heat, as fatigue sets in. The aerobic stress of endurance sports provides the necessary stimulus for growth and development. The body is ready to build. All that is needed are the building blocks-the Proteins.
Depression - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment options
June 16, 2008
Depression - Symptoms, Causes and Treatment options
by: Knut Holt
The main symptom of depression is sadness or low mood level, but many other mental and physical symptoms also occur. Here are symptoms, causes and treatment options explained.
Depression is a complex of psychological and physical symptoms. Low mood level or sadness is often the most prominent symptom. The common property of these symptoms is a decreased activity level in parts of the brain.
THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
Depression may give one or more of these symptoms:
-Low mood level or sadness.
-Lack of joy or interest in activities that were joyful before.
-Pessimism.
-Feel of guilt of something without any substantial reason to feel so.
-Inferiority thoughts.
-Irritability.
-Slowness in the thought process.
-Slowness in interpreting sensorial stimuli.
-Slowness of digestion or other internal physical processes, and symptoms caused by this slowness, for example inflated stomach, constipation or difficulties by urination.
-Slow physical reactions.
Depression can be a mild disease that only causes some annoyance in the daily life, but can also get very serious and make a person totally unable to work and unable to participate in social life. By depression of some severity, there is also a greater risk of suicide.
Study Says Obesity May Be Caused By Virus
June 15, 2008
Study Says Obesity May Be Caused By Virus
by: Rick Hendershot
In new study published this month, a research team claims to have found evidence that a contagious virus can contribute to obesity.
The team found that a specific human adenovirus Ad-37 seems to trigger obesity in chickens. Previous studies had linked other adenoviruses — Ad-36 and Ad-5 — to obesity in animals.
These and other adenoviruses cause colds and other common illnesses in people. There are about 50 of them, according to the team leader, Leah D. Whigham of the University of Wisconsin. Three have now been linked to obesity, and Whigham says the others need to be studied for similar effects.
“There is quite a bit of already published data with Ad-36 and its association with obesity,” she said. “If you look at obese people, more of them have antibodies to Ad-36 than lean people.”
The report is in the January issue of the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology - http://ajpregu.physiology.org
One of the long term objectives of researchers is to create a vaccine that would combat the effects of these viruses. This would, presumably, help people fight obesity.
Small Changes in Your Diet Can Make a Big Difference
June 14, 2008
Small Changes in Your Diet Can Make a Big Difference
by: Jim O’Neill
If you are one of the millions of people who ever tried to lose weight, then you know how hard it can seem to actually accomplish this goal. With countless numbers of diet plans out there promising fantastic weight loss results and all the hype about the thousands of “miracle” weight loss pills, powders and drinks, it’s no wonder weight loss can seem to be quite the challenge. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to be able to start to slim down without having to completely change everything about the way you eat and/or relying on diet fads and gimmicks? Well, read on and you will see that by just making some small changes, you can make some big strides in your effort to lose weight.
