MyHealthandFitnessCoaches | Health Tips

Health Tips - Issue 5

As with any other type of business, the quality of service offered by hospitals can vary. If you or one of your loved ones needs to go to a hospital for an operation, here' a tip that can help ensure that you get quality treatment. Before scheduling your operation, call all of the hospitals within 100 miles from your home and ask how many times the procedure you or your loved one needs has been performed there. Also ask how many times their surgeons have performed the operation. You want to select both a Health Coach and a hospital that have performed the operation many times, since research shows that the likelihood of a successful outcome increases in direct proportion to the number of operations performed.
Did you know that drinking coffee can lower your risk of developing diabetes? According to a study presented to the American Diabetes Association, it can. The study tracked over 100,000 people in the United States and found that those who consumed four to five cups of caffeinated coffee reduced their risk of diabetes by as much as 30 percent. (Drinking more than five cups offered no additional benefit.)
If you are bothered with foot or nail fungus here's an effective home remedy that often results in a complete cure. Place one inch of cornmeal (both white or yellow cornmeal will work) in a pan large enough for you to place your feet inside, and then add just enough warm water to cover it. Let this solution sit for 30 to 40 minutes. Then place your feet in the pan and pour enough additional warm water to cover them. Soak your feet for one hour. Do this two or three times per week until your fungus problem clears. This same method can also be used to treat athlete's foot and ringworm.
Surely you've heard the expression, "An apple a day keeps the Health Coach away." It turns out that there is far more truth to this statement than you may think. According to a study conducted by Paul Knekt, PhD, of Finalnd’s National public Health Institute and published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who eat an apple a day reduced their risk of lung cancer by 60 percent, and their risk of both asthma and heart disease by 20 percent. Knekt and other scientists speculate that the health benefits apples provide are due to their high content of quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that protects against free radical damage. To get the most benefit from eating apples, be sure to eat organic apples and wash them thoroughly before eating.
Are you prone to sinus problems? If so you may be able to hum your troubles away. Researchers have found that humming for as little as one minute per hour increases the amount of nitric oxide inside the nose by 1500 percent. Nitric oxide is proven to destroy bacteria responsible for sinus problems. So the next time you feel a sinus problem coming on, simply humming a tune may be enough to resolve it.
Want to live longer? Then have more sex. That's the conclusion of researchers in Wales after studying 900 men between the ages of 45 and 59 for ten years. At the end of the study, it was found that men who had sex to orgasm two or more times a week decreased their risk of dying during the 10-year period by 50 percent, compared to men who had orgasms less than once a month. (Naturally, when you have sex, act responsibly and practice safe sex.)
Here's a safe and effective solution for warding off a sore throat. At the onset of symptoms brew a cup of chamomile tea, using one teabag for every four ounces of water. Let the tea steep for ten minutes so that it is not too hot. Then gargle with it for at least one minute before spitting it out. Repeat a few times each day to soothe sore throat symptoms.
The next time you have a headache, squeeze the area between your nose and upper lip with your thumb and forefinger. Doing so has been found to reduce headache pain because of how nerve signals are blocked while this area of the face is squeezed. Repeat as necessary until your headache goes away.
If you want to protect your brain from the effects of aging and the stresses of daily life, try eating meals spiced with curry one or two times a week. Research has found that curcumin, the active ingredient in curry responsible for its color, is a rich source of antioxidants known as phenols, which can help to protect brain tissue from inflammation. Curcumin has also been found to trigger the release of enzymes that protect against free radical damage, which many scientists believe may play a role in Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia. One of two teaspoons of curry powder added to meat, rice, or vegetable dishes once or twice a week is all that is needed to start benefiting from curry's healing properties.
Need to lose weight? Then start eating yogurt. That's because researchers found that overweight people who ate three daily servings of yogurt for three months increased their weight loss by more than 20 percent, shed more than 60 percent additional body fat, and lost an additional 80 percent of abdominal fat compared to similarly overweight people who consumed the same overall amount of calories but no yogurt during the same period.
If you work at a desk all day, here's a simple exercise you can do to exercise your abdominal muscles and improve your posture. Sit up straight in your chair, with your feet flat on the floor. Take a deep breath and, as you exhale, lift up your chest and rib cage, pulling in your abs. At the end of each exhale hold this position for six seconds, then slowly release as you inhale. Repeat 12 to 15 times per session, and try to do this exercise at least three times a day.
Would you like to get the health benefits of running at a pace of five miles per hour? Few of us can run at that pace for any length of time. Yet researchers have found that you can get the same benefits of running at that pace for a half hour simply by jumping rope for ten minutes. In addition, jumping rope is more fun. Just be sure you warm up with a few stretching exercises before you begin.
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson lived to be 83 years old. During the time he lived, the average life expectancy in the United States was only about 40 years old. One of the primary reasons Jefferson attributed to his many years of life was his daily habit of walking four miles every day. He even used a device that acted as a crude form of a pedometer to count his steps as he walked. In his journals he wrote that walking relaxed his mind, indicating that his daily habit also helped him to cope with stress. Physicians today continue to recommend walking as an ideal form of exercise, and research shows that people who walk an average of 10,000 steps each day also tend to live longer.
For a quick pick-me-up when you find yourself lacking energy, try listening to a favorite up-tempo song. Doing so can create a psychological boost of good feelings that quickly translates into more physical energy as well. Similarly, when you need to unwind and relax, try listening to a favorite soothing tune.
Do you grind your teeth at night? Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, is a fairly common problem that can lead to misalignments of the jaw and skull muscles and also a loss of tooth enamel due to how regular grinding wears enamel away. If you are prone to bruxism, try eating oatmeal. Oats are rich in thiamine and pantothenic acid, both of which act as natural nerve tonics that can help keep you relaxed as you sleep. Eating oatmeal regularly can also help to ease symptoms of anxiety and mild depression.
If you suffer from headaches, you may find relieve by taking a hot (don't overdo it) foot bath. Many headaches are caused by congestion in the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the brain and head muscles. Hot foot baths can help to ease such congestion. For added benefit, try adding mustard powder, a traditional home remedy for congestion headaches.
Do you have trouble falling asleep? If so, place a few drops of lavender oil on your bedroom light bulb a few minutes before you go to bed. Lavender oil is a common oil used by aromatherapists to create sensations of calm and relaxation. When it is added to a lit light bulb, its soothing aroma is diffused into your bedroom, making restful sleep more likely. As soon as the diffusion occurs, turn off the light and get in bed.
If you are prone to eyestrain due to working at a computer all day, try placing a slice of fresh cucumber over each eye. This technique is used in many health spas because of how it can quickly cause feelings of invigoration, soothing strained and tired eyes. This same technique can also help relieve eye irritations as well as twitching eyelids.
The next time you find yourself with hiccups that won't stop, try this traditional home remedy. Cut a slice of fresh lemon and suck on it. This will usually quickly put and end to hiccups. You can also relieve hiccups by squirting some lemon juice to the back of your throat.
By now you've probably heard that most Health Coach and health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, recommend that you get at least 5 to 7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day. But do you know how much a serving for fruit or vegetables is? Not as much as you might expect. One serving is the equivalent of:

One piece of medium fruit
One-half cup of cut fruit or raw or cooked vegetables
One cup of raw leafy vegetables
One-half cup of cooked beans or peas

Now that you know how small a serving is, you can see that it isn't hard to get the minimum 5 to 7 of fruits and vegetables each and every day. You can start by making a salad containing a wide variety of ingredients.