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Health Tips

Vitamin D, The Amazing Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D has been a hot topic in the news recently. The research keeps pouring in on just how important vitamin D is for your health. Research studies also show that vitamin D offers a multitude of important benefits including healthy heart function, immune and bone health, but surprisingly, up to 80% of Americans have insufficient levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D is produced in your body from cholesterol, and it influences your entire body, from cells in your brain to your bones. Science has now realized that vitamin D does more than just aid in the bone formation and the absorption of calcium, it is also involved in regulating your immune system, repairing cells, and more. Along with exercising and eating healthy, make sure your vitamin D level is at its optimal level. This step is so simple, but one that stands to make a huge difference in your health.

Why do most Americans have low levels of Vitamin D? The answer is lack of sun exposure. Vitamin D is considered the sunshine vitamin because it is produced when sunlight touches your skin. Research has shown that if you get very little sun exposure, you use sunscreen when you are exposed to the sun (for a short period of time), are elderly, or have a dark skin complexion, you may need more. Just 15 minutes of sun exposure a day can boost your vitamin D levels in the body and benefit your health.

Are you getting enough Vitamin D? According to experts in nutrition, we may not be getting enough and it is still being debated as to what this amount should be. The conventional RDAs are as follows:

400 IU for infants, children and adolescents

200 IU for adults up to age 50

400 IU for adults aged 51 to 70

600 IU for seniors over 70

These numbers are the bare bones minimum from what is actually needed for optimal health. Many experts now agree you need about 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight, which may actually be 3 to 4 times the amount than we are currently getting.

The level of vitamin D supplementation you may need depends on many factors including time of year, where you live, how much sun exposure you get each day, sunscreen use, your age, your skin color, how often you eat fish or vitamin D fortified foods, if you are overweight, and how often you exercise. Modifying your diet is also a good way to get some additional vitamin D. Some fish like Salmon and tuna, as well as cod liver oil are among the best sources of vitamin D.

To play it safe, it is best to supplement your diet with a daily multi-vitamin supplement with plenty of vitamin D3 specifically, as it is the easiest to absorb. Look for one with at least a minimum of 800 IU of vitamin D per serving.…

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Health Tips

Natural Hair Loss Products For Women

It’s not pleasant to think about, but nearly half of all women will eventually start losing their hair. Female pattern baldness typically causes the strands to start thinning around various regions of the head. This can be very distressing for women since their hair is seen as part of their identity and as a symbol of beauty. Fortunately, there are natural hair loss products for women which can help regrow hair.
Hair Growth Shampoos
If you are losing your hair, you should be very selective about the products you use to clean your hair. It is generally best to only use hair loss products for women which consist of natural ingredients. Avoid products which contain harsh chemicals which can damage the strands by stripping away their natural oils.
Look for shampoos which are made from natural ingredients such as rosemary, chamomile, or vitamin B.
Vitamins for Hair Growth
Many women who are losing their hair also have vitamin deficiencies. The strands must have certain nutrients or they can actually stop growing. This is why multi-vitamins and pre-natal vitamins are considered to be good hair loss products for women.
Vitamin B helps the body produce the protein the strands need in order to maintain their structure and grow. Vitamin E improves circulation and increases blood flow to the scalp. A healthy blood flow stimulates growth since the blood carries nutrients to the scalp to feed the strands. Vitamins A and C are also good for the strands.
Herbal Hair Loss Products for Women
The herbs saw palmetto and green tea are effective hair loss products for women who have female pattern baldness. These herbs block the production of a hormone which causes the strands to fall out by destroying the follicles.…

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Health Tips

Sunsilk Hair Products – The Best Professional Care For Your Hair

Just like no two people are exactly the same, every persons hair is special, different and unique. This is why Sunsilk hair products were made in consideration of every individuals unique hair type. Many women, and of course men need to find the perfect hair product suitable to your their specific hair type. The Sunsilk group has consistently produced high quality hair conditioners, styling gels and shampoos yearly; it is no wonder that their products are highly sought worldwide.
Your hair may suffer from a lot of problems with styling their hair but with sunsilk, you can finally say farewell to these problems forever. Many hair care professionals rely on these range of products to give their clients the best in hair care available. It is no wonder why celebrity personalities endorse Sunsilk.
The most popular of the product range supplied by this company includes the shampoos and conditioners. For many years, Sunsilk product lovers have been privy to use world-class shampoos that produced wonderful results. These products are especially effective in helping to care for dry and oily hair while allowing flexibility in styling. In terms of addressing the issues of hair brittle hair that easily breaks, the company’s brand of conditioners are the right tools for the job.
One of the features I really love about these products is the really attractive color coding that is used on the containers and it also helps identify specific product. Examples of some of the top class conditioners you can buy either online or in stores include: Captivating Curls, Hydra TLC, Straighten Up just to name a few.
For those who would prefer a slick, wavy hair-do, the “Waves of Envy.” is the shampoo for you. To let you in on a secret, this product happens to be one of the top Sunsilk treatments used by regularly by professional hair stylists.
The company also produces a range of male hair products which includes “Detox Everyday” shampoo so guys can also get products that also caters to their needs.…

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Health Tips

Tips and Tricks for Treating Dry Hair

Everyone loves to have healthy, beautiful hair. However, there are several different problems that can plague the health of your hair. One of the most common problems people have with their locks is dryness. Dryness can be caused by a poor diet, environmental damage, or an excess of heat while styling. If you have dry or damaged hair, there are many things you can do to help bring moisture and health back to your hair.
The first step to treating dry hair is to decrease the habits that caused your dry hair to begin with. Many times hair damage is caused by an excessive amount of heat used from blow dryers, curling irons, or flat irons. If you have dry hair, you should try to only use heat on your hair when it is necessary. Try to let your tresses air dry most days, and only use heated styling tools occasionally. You can also buy a heat protecting spray or serum to use in your hair before applying any sort of heat. You can also cut further damage to your hair by wearing hats when you will be exposed to the wind and sun and to drink plenty of water.
One of the best ways to treat dryness is to make sure you are using a gentle, moisturizing formula of shampoo and conditioner. Many brands offer products that are specifically targeted towards users with dry or damaged hair. Look for shampoo and conditioner products that are meant for dry hair and also contain a good amount of proteins like silk, wheat, corn, or rice. You may also want to try to find hair products that do not have harsh chemicals like sulfates.
If your hair is still dry after minimizing the damage and switching to moisturizing shampoos and conditioners, there are some other things you can do to help treat your dry hair. You can buy products like hair masks and leave-in conditioners that will help add a lot of moisture to your hair. You can also visit a salon to get a deep conditioning treatment. Another great way to help care for your dry hair is to use various home remedies. Regular household products like olive oil, mayonnaise, eggs, and vinegar can be used to help with dry hair.
Treating dryness is a two-pronged approach. You must take action to cut down the amount of damage that is added to your hair. After minimizing the source of dryness, you can use moisturizing products, deep conditioners, treatments and home remedies to help bring moisture back to your hair.…

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Health Tips

Recognizing Strength In Numbers

Battling breast cancer can be more manageable when you have the support and encouragement of friends and family. Co-survivors know breast cancer affects everyone. “People should not have to face a life-threatening disease alone,” says Susan Brown, RN, a health education manager at the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. “Strength is in numbers.”

The Komen Co-Survivor Program acknowledges, educates and empowers family members, friends and health care providers of breast cancer survivors. “These are the people who are there for breast cancer survivors through diagnosis, treatment and beyond,” Brown said.

Although the Foundation meets co-survivors’ needs by providing educational information and practical tips, the program also enables co-survivors to help each other by sharing support, ideas and advice on-line. The site offers these suggestions based on co-survivors’ past experiences.

How To Be An Effective

Breast Cancer Co-Survivor:

� “When my close friend was diagnosed again after five years, I gathered all of our co-workers and we turned her small backyard into a healing garden�We gave her a reason to go out and enjoy looking at the birds and flowers.”-Sandy, co-survivor

� “Our woman’s club wanted to help bring comfort to cancer patients, so we started making Breast Cancer Comfort Pillows�So far, we’ve made about 350 pillows.” ?Jeanne, co-survivor

� “When my aunt was diagnosed, we mailed a sheet to each family member and everyone added their handprints in paint to the sheet, along with a short message and their name. One person made the sheet into a quilt.”- Kelly, co-survivor

� “I helped my friend going through surgery and chemo by cataloguing all the kind notes and gifts of food and other goodies she received. I created a whole index card system of names and addresses with gift/thoughtfulness noted on each card and then created all the thank you notes for her to sign and send.”-Jeanie, co-survivor

� “I took over managing the bills and insurance papers so she didn’t have to see everything and worry. Not having to deal with that stress allowed her more time to relax, catch a nap, talk with the kids, or do something else to help refresh.”-Robert, co-survivor…

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Health Tips

Why Do We Store Fat for Energy?

Have you ever stood before the mirror and looked at the pudge on your body and wondered why our bodies tend to store fat in the first place? Why not build more muscle, for example? Why do we tend to build up fat around our arms, bellies, thighs, hips and back? What is the purpose of this fat, and why did we evolve to store it as we do? Why is it so hard to burn fat off, and easy to lose muscle? These questions are so basic that we often don’t even think to ask them, but there is a biological answer to each one. In today’s article we’re going to take a look at why our bodies seem to love fat and what purpose it serves, and why we tend to store it and have so much difficulty burning it when we want to lose weight. If you’ve ever wondered about any of these questions, read on!
First, let’s take a look at what fat is and what it’s for. Known as adipose tissue, it’s almost ninety percent lipids and about ten percent water and other cellular mechanisms. Each little fat cell is thus basically three chains of triglycerides attached to a glucose molecule, and has very little water in it. A pound of fat is thus very dense in lipids and relatively light in water, and packs about 3,600 calories of energy into it. Thus to burn off a pound of fat, you need to burn 3,600 calories of just pure fat.
On the other hand, carbohydrates stored as energy as glycogen in your liver and muscles is full of water, and thus makes it less concentrated and dense a form of energy. For every gram of glycogen stored, you need about three to four grams of water. Thus you simply can’t store that much energy because the volumen needed to match what fat can do is huge. Fat is therefor a very efficient way to store energy merely in terms of space.
But it goes beyond simple volume: one gram of fat provides about nine calories of energy, while one gram of carbs or protein usually provides only about four calories. There is such a huge difference here that we can easily see why our bodies love to store energy as fat and not anything else.
Yet why is it so hard to burn? Because fat serves us as our emergency store of energy, and so our bodies tend to turn to it last when we diet.…

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General Article

Advice For Those That Are Battling Cancer

Some people out there work their entire lives to remain as healthy and fit as possible. They eat right, exercise, take supplements, and avoid dangerous substances. Even still, cancer can possibly creep in and ruin lives. Find out how you can deal with cancer by reading about these excellent tips.

If you have a friend or loved one suffering from cancer, there are many ways to show your love and support. One way is to accompany the person to doctor appointments and chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Cancer can be a lonely disease, and having a supportive partner can do wonders to lift the spirits of the one fighting it.

If you are diagnosed with cancer, then you should remember to try to find out everything you can from your doctor about your illness and its treatment. Ask questions that will tell you what kind of cancer you have, what stage it is in, if it is treatable, where it is located, how far it has spread, and more. This will not only give you ease of mind, but it will inform you on the best ways to treat your cancer.

Find out what to expect from your body, before you go through your regular cancer treatments. Your oncologist can give you a summary of what may happen when you undergo cancer treatment. For example, you may be able to make advance preparations such as buying a suitable wig for hair loss or changing your cosmetics to accommodate increased paleness.

If your loved one has cancer, try to go to as many medical appointments with them as possible. If someone is present who is able to think about the situation objectively, they will be able to ask the necessary questions or address concerns with the doctor.

Taking the time to listen to someone with cancer is important, but you should actually go a step further and schedule a time to talk and get everything out in the open. When a person is in higher spirits and not dealing with any negative side effects of the disease, it’s a good time to sit down and have a true heart-to-heart.

All people who have had cancer should understand that it can always come back bigger, meaner and stronger. You have to deal with this fear now so that you are better prepared if in fact the cancer does return. Do not assume that you will be ready to deal with it the second time just because you dealt with it the first time. Prepare yourself accordingly.

If you do something as simple as switching from whole or 2% milk to low-fat options like 1% or skim milk, you can prevent cancer, because simply eating healthier is one of your best lines of defense. Cutting the fat and cholesterol from your diet here means that you’re going to live an all-around healthier and hopefully cancer-free life.

As mentioned at the top of this article, you can be a generally healthy person and still end up having to fight cancer. Do not allow contracting cancer to make you a casualty. Use the tips you’ve learned here to educate yourself and to beat this disease once and for all.…