Archive for April, 2009

Lose Weight Permanently And Maximize Health With New Diet & Exercise Habits

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

I’m sick of all the fad diets I see people preaching about, as if the only thing that matters is losing a lot of weight fast. We need to focus on permanent weight loss as a result of permanent changes to dieting and exercise habits. Unless you have extremely potent will-power, this can be a tough task to complete. One proven solution is to get support from other people who are not only your friends, but must be in the same situation that you are; they must know exactly what you’re going through today. Think of this small community as your weight loss partners.

Where Can I Find My Weight Loss Partners?

Spare yourself from the stress, time-consumption and awkwardness of setting up a meetup group for weight loss support. In today’s busy world, it makes much more sense to join a forum online.

However, sometimes the people who run the forums get a bit too controlling, creating a lot of tension. That’s why I’ve created my own forum to solve the problem and help people focus on losing weight safely. Check out what our friend Cyn has to say about PhenForum.com:

“This forum gets better every day! Ian is really doing a wonderful job putting this place together. I really love all the information that is given here. I don’t think I have found any other board that supplies the info that Ian does. Great job Ian!”

What’s The Website Again?

You should come visit us over at PhenForum.com. You’re welcome to join and start your very own daily progress diary. Speaking of a diary, I’m going to start taking pictures of my stomach and posting them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to help keep track of my weight loss progress and my goals. I can’t wait to have you join us over here.

What’s The Best Way To Lose Weight?

I don’t have the answer to that question, but I do know which methods seem to have been most helpful for permanent weight loss and long-term health. Here’s a summary of five great tips you can use, and you’re not alone in this… remember if you need anything at all, just come join us at PhenForum for support.

1. Slowly decrease calorie intake by limiting junk foods, etc.

2. Do any cardiovascular exercise such as walking around outside, or walking/jogging on a treadmill. I love doing both, as I feel so healthy and alive every time.

3. Take advantage of the good feeling you get after doing cardiovascular exercise: It should help decrease your cravings. Make a grocery list and pick out healthy ingredients for your own meal, especially if your family doesn’t eat healthily.

4. Eat simple vegetables and lean proteins like fish and sliced turkey, trying to balance each meal out so you have say…

a. 8 grams of fat

b. 16 grams of protein

c. 22 grams of carbohydrate

5. Limit how much you eat (but not coming close to starving yourself) seems to be a great, healthy way to lose weight. Think of your body as a machine that only runs correctly if you put the right balance and amounts of nutrients in it. :)

Have a great day, and good luck! I hope to see you at PhenForum!

Ian Mason - EzineArticles Expert Author

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Learn more about health, diet and exercise at our weight loss forum.

PhenForum.com is a popular discussion forum for weight loss programs, diet advice, and tips to help you burn fat.

All the best,

Ian Mason

Mesothelioma for Dummies

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Mesothelioma is a benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumor of the mesothelium that is commonly caused by asbestos. Asbestos, although not the topic of this paper, is a fiberlike material that was used in construction materials to provide more strength and heat resistance. Any exposure to asbestos can be harmful and cause problems later in life. The chance of having problems due to asbestos is the same for all people regardless of their age, sex, race, etc. All are at risk of cancer and other diseases due to their exposure to asbestos.

How common is mesothelioma? According to Mesothelioma.com, it occurs in 14 cases out of every 1 million each year, but it is also becoming more and more common. Men over 60 years old have the greatest tendency to be diagnosed with mesothelioma. This is typically due to exposure to construction materials at some point in their lifetime.

The symptoms of mesothelioma are typically pain in the lower back, pain in the side of the chest, and shortness of breath. For a better description of the symptoms please see the more qualified information that can be found on Mesothelioma.com.

There are three different systems used to classify the stages of mesothelioma. Those systems are the Butchart System, the TNM System, and the Brigham System. The diagnosing is normally done with a tissue biopsy, but can also be done with x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs.

As with most cancers, mesothelioma is treated with one or some combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Mesotheliomaweb.org also notes that photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy are also being used in some cases.

The final takeaway is that mesothelioma is a serious condition and it should not be treated lightly. If you think you are experiencing symptoms, then get in to a doctor and get it checked out. Your health is important and your doctor will be able to help you or get you in touch with someone who can.

Jason D. Barrett is currently focused on writing informative articles for InfoBriefs.com, child insurance articles for ChildInsure.com, and technology articles for ScoutTechnology.com. This is part of his highly successful internet property development approach. Please feel free to contact Jason through one of his sites to see how he can help you develop your own internet property!

Shoulder Problems in Diabetics in India: Frozen Shoulder – Arthroscopic Release, a Welcome Boon

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Diabetics in India have an additional burden of joint problem in addition to their systemic problems of nerves, eyes, blood vessels, kidneys etc.
Diabetics are prone to develop a condition of the shoulders called primary frozen shoulder. It can affect both shoulders in a small percentage of people. It usually resolves over a period of time but can leave behind a lasting deficit of certain movements.

Middle aged diabetics also develop tears of the rotator cuff and this can lead to a secondary frozen shoulder. Rotator cuff is group of tendons on top of the shoulder which help to stabilize the joint.

They can develop calcium deposition in the rotator cuff tendons.

They are prone to develop Gouty arthritis in their shoulders like in any other joints since Gout has an association with diabetes. Gout is a condition due to consumption of uric acid which is a by product of the digestion of red meat.

In this article I shall discuss frozen shoulder.

Definition-

Frozen shoulder (Adhesive capsulitis, periathritis) is a condition characterized by a loss all movements at the true shoulder joint. There is pain initially. Pain settles down and there remains stiffness which sets in over a short period of time. Clever people may recall a traumatic incident. In others it may come on slowly. Stiffness may be permanent. The movement that is maximally affected is external rotation (rotating the arm outwards away from the body). This results in inability to reach behind the head with the hand to tie the hair. When both shoulders are affected elderly women are in an embarrassing situation. Overhead activities are also affected as the degree of elevation of the arm is reduced.

Anatomy

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. Its function is to position the arm in space to reach out to objects and deliver them to the mouth for eating and for other actions. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint formed by the upper end of the humerus (arm bone) and the socket formed by the glenoid of the shoulder blade. It is lined by a bag like capsule. The capacity of this joint is about 15- 20 cc. In frozen shoulder the capacity is reduced to 2- 3 cc. The movements at the shoulder joint occur synchronously with that at joint between the shoulder blade and the torso and are compensated to some extent by this.

History of frozen shoulder-

Only in the last few years has the ideal treatment been suggested. It is a relatively rare disorder of the shoulder and in a population of 20 shoulder patients there may be one or two with this condition.

However many doctors and orthopaedic surgeons label any painful condition as a frozen shoulder and advice physiotherapy. This can make the condition worse.

Recent advances

It has been recently discovered that the answer to frozen shoulder lies in the genes. These genes may also be associated with Diabetes mellitus. The alterations in these genes and chromosomes lead to a distorted response to wound healing and scar tissue formation. Exuberant scar tissue forms in response to trauma. The remodeling of scar tissue collagen is less. When more scar tissue forms in the capsule of the shoulder joint, the normally possible movements are grossly reduced. Diabetics also develop nodules in their palms and feet, another evidence of the exaggerated healing process.

Standard treatment-

This is a combination of physiotherapy and steroid injections when the condition is initially painful. Physio can be done at home. The standard Orthopaedic treatment has been a manipulation under anaesthesia. This carries a theoretical risk of fracture but has not been validated in practice.

A manipulation is contraindicated when a x ray reveals that the bone is very osteoporotic. It is also contra indicated in diabetics as more exuberant scar tissue will form in response to the crude method.

Since I have pointed out that sometimes rotator cuff tears can coexist with a frozen shoulder, the ideal management for a frozen shoulder would be an arthroscopic release of the contracted structures within the joint. An arthroscope is an instrument used to look into joints through tiny key hole incisions. The benefits are less pain after surgery and faster rehabilitation. Since scar tissue formation is minimized, chances of recurrence are less and greater are the chance of retaining the full range of movement achieved during the procedure. The range of movement achieved after the release has to be maintained with physiotherapy. In case there is some tear of the rotator cuff, repair can be done at a later stage.

Alampallam Venkatachalam - EzineArticles Expert Author

Dr. A.K. Venkatachalam
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Chennai
Knee & Shoulder clinic, Besant nagar
http://www.shoulderindia.com
http://www.kneeindia.com
tel- 00 91 44 22530855
0091 9282165002