healthyyou

Osteoporosis or porous bone had never been an issue with me five or even two years ago. But now that I have turned forty, I am starting to take this condition seriously as I want to avoid it at all cost.

So I started researching on osteoporosis to really understand it more and be aware of its early symptoms, and most of all, to learn how to prevent it effectively. I’ve found out that there were quite a few facts about this condition that I had not known before. These include the following:

• Osteoporosis is generally a silent disease.
• While common among older people, osteoporosis can affect any person of any age.
• People from all ethnic background are quite at risk.
• It is remarkably an under-recognized and under-treated condition in both Caucasian and African-American women.
• Compared with other ethnic/racial groups, Hispanic women are increasingly at risk.
• Fractures due to osteoporosis often occur in the hip, spine, and wrist, although any bone can be affected.

Osteoporosis is certainly a condition that needs to be taken seriously. And as a start, you need to know it better. Read more…

The FDA recently approved the release of a new drug for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adult patients. The newly approved drug called Saphris (asenapine) belongs to a class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics. The drug is an important addition to the product portfolio of the Schering-Plough, which, in March 2007 acquired Organon, a Netherlands-based pharmaceutical company.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), schizophrenia is “a severe mental disorder, characterized by profound disruptions in thinking, affecting language, perception, and the sense of self.”

Bipolar disorder on the other hand, is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as “a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.”

In two trials, Saphris (asenapine) showed greater efficacy compared with an inactive pill (placebo) in controlling the symptoms of schizophrenia.

And in two clinical trials investigating the drug’s efficacy in treating bipolar disorder, Saphris (asenapine) also performed better than placebo. Read more…

While other countries are delighting in the much-awaited warmth of spring, the Philippines is experiencing the heat of summer, and as expected, temperatures in Metro Manila can range from 26 to 35° C. The Philippine Atmospheric Geographic & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) even warned that the temperature could even rise to 40° C this summer.

In this hot weather, we need to be extra conscientious with regards to our health, to enable our body to react positively and adequately even during extreme temperature increases.

Whereas staying healthy is quite easier to do during summer than during winter or the rainy season for countries with only two seasons like the Philippines, we cannot readily sustain our health without exerting certain efforts.

If we want to stay healthy during summer therefore, we have to strictly follow several tips such as follows:

Drink lots of water

During summer, our body tends to sweat more as it burns more calories and produces more energy. Thus we need to adequately replenish the water our body loses through perspiration. Otherwise, our body gets dehydrated, which can lead to serious conditions.

Drinking at least 6 glasses a day with mild to moderate activity is acceptable. But if you engage in extreme physical activity during hot summer days or nights, you have to take at least 8 glasses of water a day, the more the better.

Although fruit juices can also be taken to refresh and rehydrate your body, these drinks contain calories, which you may be trying to avoid, so limit your intake of fruit juices and stick with plain water instead.

Apply sunscreen/sunblock

Sunlight exposure has long been known to cause melanoma or skin cancer; and it is more dangerous during summer, especially from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M, so as much as possible stay indoors within this period. If you need to go out under the sun, be sure to apply sunscreen around 30 minutes before your planned exposure.

Sunscreens are particularly required if you spend a day at the beach, which is the usual practice in the Philippines during summer. Remember that the higher the sun protection factor (SPF) level of your sunblock, the better. You have to be aware though that SPF protection does not increase in proportion to an increase in the SPF number. To illustrate this, whereas an SPF of 2 will absorb 50 percent of UV rays, an SPF 15 absorbs 93 percent and an SPF of 34 absorbs 97 percent.

Click here for more information on melanoma prevention, sunscreen and SPF.

Eat lots of fresh fruits

Summer is marked with the availability of various tropical fruits such as mango, papaya, durian, and avocado, so have a feast on these delectable delights while they are aplenty and cheap. These fruits are rich sources of essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy.

Increase vitamin C intake

Exposure to sudden temperature changes is common during summer, as you step out from an air-conditioned building to the sun-kissed street, or vice- versa. Thus, you are prone to develop colds, and if you have allergic rhinitis or asthma, attacks are more prevalent during summer, so you need to build stronger resistance.

To ensure adequate vitamin C levels, take ascorbic acid supplements (at least 500 mg daily). If you experience colds, increase intake to 1000 mg a day and drink lots of water.

Cut back on sugar

Sugars are rich in calories which you need to burn, producing more heat in the process. Thus, to help keep yourself cool and fresh during summer, reduce your intake of sugary foods.

Use an umbrella or wear a hat

Even if you apply sunscreen, using an umbrella or wearing a wide-brimmed hat could provide more protection against the sun.

Sleep early and wake up early

Although you may be tempted to sleep late during warm summer nights, it would be best that you do not g to bed beyond 11 in the evening, so you can still wake up revitalized at around 6 in the morning. It is important to wake up early as the sun is usually up earlier too.

Keep your cool

At the height of summer heat, it is so easy to let mundane things to affect us easily, making our blood pressure shoot up. Do not be overwhelmed by insignificant things such as regular traffic, hectic schedules, and deadlines to meet. All these are certified stress boosters that you’d go better without. But since they are part and parcel t your everyday life, learn to take them easily.

Take time to relax, plan ahead, be organized and avoid engaging in non-productive activities that only use up your time and energy.

There you have it…eight easy steps to stay healthy during the hot summer months.

As I was on my way home this afternoon from the office, I was contemplating on creating my first topic post for this blog. What came to mind was a news item I read a few weeks ago regarding a possible link between vitamin D and obesity. Even to me, that was quite novel so I read on and found the information not only important to learn but worthy of sharing as well.

The report said that a study of 90 young women residents of southern California found that those with lower levels of vitamin D were considerably heavier and had greater body mass than those with sufficient vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is obtained mostly through the body’s direct exposure to sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet rays trigger the synthesis and release of this vitamin into the system. This vitamin is vital in the regulation of bone metabolism; thus insufficient supply of this vitamin can lead to impaired bone health – a premise which may suggest that vitamin D levels can affect body weight.

Yet, past studies looking into the relationships among vitamin D, bone health, and body fat had come up with variable results. That made Dr. Gilsanz’s team to investigate possible associations linking these three factors together, in post-pubertal women residing in a sunny area.

According to the researchers headed by Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the findings of their study suggest that obesity is associated with vitamin D insufficiency.

The researchers found that out of the 90 women who participated in the study, 37 had sufficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a metabolite of vitamin D (30 mg/ml or above). The rest of the women had lower concentrations of vitamin D that indicated a deficiency of this essential vitamin.

In a report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the researchers said that their study “indicates that vitamin D is extremely common in young women living in a sun-rich area of the United States.”

• Other interesting and significant findings of the study include the following:Absence of a correlation between vitamin D concentrations and bone measurements in skeletally mature women 16 to 22 years of age;
• <!–[if !supportLists]–>When compared with women who had sufficient vitamin D, counterparts of same age groups with deficient vitamin D were heavier by approximately 7.4 kilograms (about 16.3 pounds) on the average. These vitamin D deficient women also had an average of 3.4 points greater body mass measurements; and
• · <!–[endif]–>A positive association between height and vitamin D status which the researchers categorized as “unexplained and intriguing.”

With the results of their study, the researchers recommend that more research be done to look into their findings further, as well as to investigate associations among vitamin D concentrations, bone growth, and obesity.

As weight control and obesity problems continue to affect many people, it is good to find one more possible cause of this prevalent medical condition, to help us in preventing and fighting it. Meanwhile, as studies on this subject are being done, the best thing to do is to maintain a well-balanced diet, and to avoid having deficiency of vitamin D.

To ensure that you have sufficient supply of vitamin D, spend an hour or two under early morning sunlight, do not go beyond 9 o’clock though, to avoid the sun’s harmful effects. You may also take vitamin supplements containing this essential vitamin.

Hello everyone,

Just a few minutes ago, I decided to enter the world of blogging. You see, I have been publishing online since a year ago, but never considered blogging as a way of online writing.

After signing up, I spent several precious minutes trying to figure out how to post my first blog. This is all new to me, but I intend to study the ins and outs of it so I can make this blog worthy of your visit.

This post also aims to give you a brief introduction of this blog and what you can expect from it. Healthyyou, as the name implies pertains to the overall aspects of health – from physical, mental, social, emotional to spiritual. In short this blog will cover almost everything that will benefit the overall well-being of a person.

Please feel free to contact me or leave any comment to make this blog as useful and relevant as possible to many people.

Thank you very much. So long.