Home > Ezine > Weekly Ezine Archive > 2001 to 2003 FYI's

2001 to 2003 FYI's: Page One

 

 

1
Exercising With a Cold
Many people wonder about exercising when they have a cold. Here are some guidelines to help you decide whether or not you should exercise when stricken with a cold.
If your symptoms are above the neck, you can do your cardio work out or your weight training work out as usual, but it would be a good idea to reduce the intensity some.
If your symptoms are below the neck i.e., muscle aches, chills, diarrhea, nausea or worse, or you are running a temperature over 100 degrees, you would be best not to work out until your symptoms subside. Don't forget, also, to drink plenty of fluids and chicken soup and use your common sense if you do chose to exercise.
See also: Clobber the Common Cold with Food

2
New Hormone Discovered
A new hormone has been discovered by scientists that they feel could possibly explain the link between diabetes and obesity. There is hope that this could lead to a new treatment for the disease. This hormone is called resistin. It is produced by fat cells and prompts the tissue to resist insulin, the substance that the body needs to process sugar. When one is diabetic their body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use it efficiently. The form of diabetes that is most common in adults is coined adult-onset diabetes, or what is known as Type II diabetes. This form of the illness accounts for more than 90 percent of all cases of diabetes.

3
Prepare for a cold winter work out with these tips:

  1. If you start your work out against the wind, you'll be less likely to get chilled on the way back from perspiration.
  2. Do not over dress! For the first five minutes you're outside, you should feel a bit chilled. If you don't, that could indicate you are dressed too warmly.
  3. Prepare for a drop in temperature by bringing along a hat and gloves.
  4. Before, during and after, be sure to sip on liquids. You probably won't feel as warm and thirsty as you would on a hot day, but you still need a lot of fluid as your body loses will still lose a lot through sweating.
  5. Last but definitely not least - warming up and cooling down are even more important in the cold weather.

4
Complaints brought forth on weight loss companies!
BUYER BEWARE! Claims to look out for in supposed weight loss products promising a miracle cure:

See also: Buyer Beware

5
Veggie Tip
Most people think raw vegetables are healthier for you than cooked vegetables. This is true IF you cook them until they wilt and lose their bright color. However, cooking tomatoes and tomato sauce and carrots improves the amount of available antioxidants.

6
SCALES!
Some pertinent info! It's important to have an accurate scale to measure your weight loss efforts and success (think positive!) so here is a little information to help you pick out a good scale.
Scales come in three basic types. Those are:

  1. Mechanical scales operate on a spring and lever system with a dial that registers as the spring stretches. This system has been used for almost a century and is reliable to within about one percent of a person's body weight.
  2. Digital-electronic scales use strain-gauge technology. When a person steps on the scale, an electrical conductor mechanism registers changes on the scale's display. Digital scales can be powered with lithium batteries, 9-volt batteries or through solar power. This type is slightly more accurate than mechanical scales. Multiple load cell scales and body-fat monitors are considered part of this category.
  3. Calibrated balance-beam scales are similiar to those found in doctors' offices. They are available for consumers through medical distributors or specialty catalogs such as Hammacher-Schlemmer, but are pricey.

7
Lazy boy
Lazy boy has come out with a recliner that lets you relax, watch TV and surf the net at the same time. Monroe, MI based La-Z-Boy and some impressive partners worked out a solution to those who tried to do all of the above at the same time, only to find themselves hunched over a laptop propped on a coffee table, their lap or a rickety TV table. The recliner, designed for you to surf the net and TV in comfort, has been named the Explorer, the worlds first e-cliner.
The recliner, or e-cliner, comes with a wireless keyboard and table that folds out of the left arm and interacts with a WebTV Plus Internet receiver. It also includes WebPIP - picture-in-picture TV and Internet technology.
The recliner doesn't have all the features of a computer, but is suitable for those who just wish to to have access to the benefits of the internet. For instance, if you're a sports lover, you could get stats on athletes while watching a game. Parents feel it is a good way to monitor the material their children see on the internet.
It is currently selling for 1,049

8
The Top Ten Most Common Foods in America's Kitchens!
Descending order is:

  1. Eggs
  2. Granulated sugar
  3. Flour
  4. Peanut Butter
  5. Ground black pepper
  6. Ketchup
  7. Baking soda
  8. Yellow mustard
  9. Vanilla extract
  10. Baking powder

In a list of 100 foods, the first meat item was hamburger coming in at number 22.
Convenience foods most commonly found are prepared pasta, bagged salads, skillet dinner mixes and prepared pizza.

9
Debunking a Myth
I've recently been asked several times about an idea that two tablespoons of vinegar and one teaspoon of honey taken twice a day is good for arthritis pain and will also cleanse the veins of cholesterol.
Unfortunately, this isn't true. Neither vinegar nor honey, or the two combined, can relieve the stiffness of arthritis or reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. There is another mis-understanding in this thought; cholesterol builds up in the arteries, not in the vains.
There are many medicines available for arthritis, prescription and non-prescription. The two most popular are Vioxx and Celebrex.
For cholesterol control, diet is a crucial factor and the vitamin niacin is known to help. It is often used as a standard, non-prescription remedy for lowering cholesterol. With niacin, however, one must have their liver function checked regularily and it can also cause flushes and sometimes a rash.

10
GOOD THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GROCERY SHOP!
Many frozen vegetables have added salt. Fresh vegetables are a better choice; you control the added fat and salt. Vitamin C comes in many containers. Shop the produce section for fabulous sources of Vitamin C including citrus, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, greens (collard, mustard and turnip), cantaloupe, honeydew melon, kiwifruit, mango, papaya and strawberries.
Fiber is where you find it. Don't scrap that potato skin - scrub it! Edible skins of fruits and vegetables and seeds (berries, tomatoes, Sunflower seeds) are good sources of natural fiber.
Vitamin A comes in colors. Look for deeply colored green, yellow, or orange fruits and vegetables, and you've found your vitamin A. Try for a dark orange or leafy, deep green vegetable every day.

11
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
There's nothing more precious than our children

12
Childhood Rickets Making a Comeback
Rickets is a bone softening disease that had become so rare the government stopped keeping statistics on it, but are now seeing an alarming increase. Rickets stems from a vitamin D deficiency that causes bones to soften and bend, usually resulting in bowlegs and was once a major health problem. The body may compensate for a lack of vitamin D by drawing calcium and phosphate from bone, causing bones to progressively soften and weaken. However,the addition of vitamin D to milk in the 1930's virtually eliminated the disease.
Researchers attribute the trend to the comeback to increased use of milk substitutes that lack certain nutrients and to children not getting enough sunlight, which helps the skin produce vitamin D. Also attributable are the facts that children don't play outside as much as they used to due to mother's having to drop them off at day care centers as well as trying to protect their children's skin with sunscreen when they are outside. The sunscreen issue is posing a dilemna for health officials, as they are the ones who have long urged parents to protect their children from the ultraviolet rays.
Officials are increasingly becoming more concerned about this and you know the old saying, an ounce of prevention... Here are the symptoms to watch out for:
Children with rickets experience pain in bones and increased tendency toward fractures. Other symptoms include impaired growth, bowlegs, teeth deformities, fever and muscle cramps. If you think your child or grandchild could be at risk, by all means, have a doctor check him or her out.

13
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer has seen a steady decline in deaths since the 1980's but it is thought to be due more to early screening rather than healthy diet and lifestyle. People do seem to be eating more fruits and vegetables, but are still eating too much fat, too many calories and are not getting enough exercise. The American Institute for Cancer Research has issued a new brochure, "The Facts About Fiber". The brochure is designed to clarify confusion about fiber research and help identify how you can get enough fiber in your diet to prevent colorectal cancer. The suggested fiber needs are 20 to 35 grams a day. Some good sources of fiber include bananas, bran cereal, whole-wheat bread, oranges, baked potatoes, mixed vegetables, strawberries and hummus.

14
May Second is National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day.
This yearly event is held to create awareness about anxiety disorders and their treatment. You're asked to complete a short, written assessment at the time of the screening. In most places they have therapists available to you to interpret the results and meet confidentially with an individual. If it is deemed one needs further help, a referral will be provided if one chooses to follow up on it. There also is free, printed material available on anxiety disorders. Watch your local paper or TV station to learn where they will be in your area. Anxiety disorders are extremely common and respond well to treatment. Symptoms may include excessive worrying, panic attacks, fear of social situations and poor concentration. Other common symptoms are fatigue and muscle tension, flashbacks, unwanted thoughts, and problems with concentration.

15
May is Older Americans Month!
Let us all salute and pay tribute to the efforts and accomplishments of our older citizens who rarely receive the credit they are so deserving of. In retirement, our older citizens often perform a number of voluntary services that enrich and aid our communities. Without their help, many community organizations, service providers and non-profit organizations could not fulfull their functions without the dedication and willingness of our senior's contributions. May we all learn from their example and strive to follow in their footsteps.

16
How about spinach on your burger instead of lettuce?
Some fitness and health experts would like to see fast food restaurants incorporate more spinach into their offerings in place of lettuce due to its potent nutrition advantages. Spinach is high in vitamin A, Folic Acid and Lutein, which may help protect the eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration, a progressive deterioration of the central portion of the retina resulting in a loss of sharp vision. Iceberg lettuce, the most commonly used in restaurants, is very low in these nutrients. Customers of a taco establishment were tested unknowingly and largly agreed they didn't notice the swap of spinach and lettuce at all, but in hamburgers many did. They said they noticed the change in the crunch lettuce has, but as far as flavor went, they did not realize they were eating spinach instead of lettuce. It's tough to say whether or not fast food restaurants will make this switch, but you an easily do so at home. Parents doing so already state their children don't even notice the benefits.

17
May is National Stroke Awareness Month
Visit the following link for prevention, treatment and recovery facts, as well as true-life stroke survivor stories. And remember, regardless of your age, action you take today could prevent a stroke tomorrow.
See also: Stroke Symptoms

18
How about a dessert to save the rain forest?
This sounds wild, but there is such a thing. The frozen dessert of Sorbet has gone organic. These frozen desserts are made with tropical ingredients from Latin America. Exotic flavors such as Mayan Blackberry and Ginger, Primal Scream Coffee, Mango and Guanabana are among some of the most popular. Not only can you enjoy a good-for-your dessert, free of preservatives, the brand Howler Products' Organic Gelato and Rainforest Sorbet, also donates one percent of their sales to Conservation International. This brand would be found at gourmet and natural food stores. Of course, non-organic is equally as good and more readily available. An average 1/2 cup serving of Sorbet has approximately 70 calories and only 0.3 grams of fat, making it an enjoyable and guilt free dessert, whether your personal choice is organic or in regular.

19
June is
National Burglary Prevention Month
Dairy Month
Adopt a Shelter Cat Month
Children's Awareness Month
National Rose Month
National Frozen Yogurt Month
National Candy Month
Turkey Lovers' Month
Special Weeks in June:
1- 7 - International Volunteer Week
3- 9 - National Headache Awareness Week
13-20 - National Hermit Week
10-16 - National Flag Week
11-17 - Meet a Mate Week
National Little League Baseball Week
17-23 - National Forgiveness Week
17-24 - Amateur Radio Week
18-25 - World Juggling Week
27-July 4 - Special Recreation Week
Special Days in June:
9 - Small Business Day
6 - D-Day (1944)
8 - Best Friends Day 10 - Race Unity Day
14 - Family History Day
17 - Father's Day
18 - National Splurge Day
19 - World Sauntering Day
27 - Decide to be Married Day

20
Prediction
Health experts predict that more combination vaccines will become available in the next few years. One new vaccine awaiting FDA approval protects against five diseases in a single shot; diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B and polio. Currently, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines are bundled in one shot. Today, babies in the U.S. get up to sixteen shots during their first two years to protect against childhood diseases.

21
Drugs Vs. Herb Safety
In general, herbs have far fewer side effects than over the counter or prescription medications.
During one five year period, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received around 1,000 reports of adverse reactions caused by products containing herbs.
This number dwarfs next to the nearly 160,000 negative reactions to over the counter and prescription drugs reported in one year alone.

22
Safety Tips for Summertime Fun
When attempting to avert bee stings, keep in mind perfumes, brightly colored clothes and flowers may attract insects. Don't swat at bees or wasps-move away slowly. If attacked by a swarm of bees or other bugs, submerge yourself under water or run for shelter. For dehydration, move to a cool place and drink cool liquids. Symptoms of dehydraton are dizziness, fainting, or stomach and leg cramps. To avoid dehydration, drink plenty of fluids before, during and after spending time in the hot sun. Apply sunscreen any time you will be outdoors for more than 30 minutes. The sun's is intense between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., even when overcast. When walking in tick-prone areas, wear long sleeves, tuck your pants into your socks, and apply insect repellant to shoes and socks. Check yourself thoroughly for ticks when arriving at home. Deer ticks, which transmit Lyme disease, are about the size of a pinhead.

23
Play Ball - But Watch Those Hot Dogs!
It is estimated that baseball fans will eat 26,000 hot dogs this year while attending games. That is enough to stretch around the bases 36,000 times!

24
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH!
A new drug has been approved for diabetes called Starlix. This drug could help prevent dangerous episodes of low blood sugar in people with Type II diabetes. Starlix stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin quickly, then turns itself off before too much reaches the bloodstream. It also aids in controlling post-meal rises in blood sugar. Starlix must be taken with every meal and post-meal blood sugar checks should be done to ensure that the dose is correct.

25
Feel as though you need forgivness for something?
I recently learned of a new Internet web site that offers anonymous forgiveness. The site is called "Be Forgiven." The Web Site URL is at http://www.BeForgiven.org. They instruct you to write down what you feel you need forgiveness for. You then mail them anonymously to the site creators who will read and then destroy them.
The site creator's stated they were in no way affiliated with any particular religion rather, they feel the physical act of writing down something you feel guilt for, gets it out of your head and out into the world. They believe the mechanical act of doing this works for many people.
The site was run by a psychologist and a retired Roman Catholic Priest who both say they spent many years listening to people who felt guilty about things they had done. Their new site was intended to help people relieve themselves of this guilt. They say lives are often ruined as a result of pent up guilt.
There had been over 27,000 people visiting the site.
NOTE: Site no longer online.