Health and Fitness – Fitness Made Easy

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure reading means your heart is working harder than it should to pump blood,  and your arteries are stressed.

You face an increased risk of stroke,  heart attack,  kidney disease and other deadly illnesses.

You are considered to have high blood pressure  (hypertension)  when the systolic pressure  (top number)  is 140 or higher or  the diastolic pressure (bottom number) is 90 or higher.

If you are diagnosed with hypertension,  make sure you follow the advice your doctor has given you.  Read more...

KIDNEY STONES

Most kidney stones pass without  a doctor’s help, but the first time you get one,  it’s inevitable that you’ll call the doctor.  With pain like this,  you definitely want to report your symptoms. They include nausea and vomiting,  bloody or cloudy urine,  needing to urinate but not able to,  a burning sensation upon urination or fever  (which may indicate infection).

Kidney stones are a pain in your back and side is so excruciating that you feel as though you might throw up.  Read more...

Arthritis – There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the most common type is osteoarthritis.

Symptoms include painful stiff swollen joints in any part of the body. The pain is the result of wear and tear on cartilage,  the gel-like shock-absorbing material between joints.

When cartilage wears away, bone grinds against bone.

Although you can develop osteoarthritis at any age,  it usually occurs in people over 45,  and is more common among women.
Other forms of the disease are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.  Read more...

High cholesterol inside your arteries, a dangerous change has taken place in the balance of  fatty substances that circulates in your bloodstream.

To keep your arteries from getting clogged up and prevent them from getting any more clogged up  -  you’ll need to lower your cholesterol.

But not all cholesterol is harmful.  Low density  lipoprotein  (LDL) cholesterol is the bad stuff;   high density lipoprotein  (HDL) cholesterol is beneficial, as it removes LDL from the blood. Often changes in diet and lifestyle are enough to bring cholesterol  levels back to a healthy balance.  Read more...

MENOPAUSE

Menopause – in years proceeding menopause, called the prime menopause, her ovaries are producing less of the female sex
hormones oestrogen and progesterone,  while ovulation  (the monthly release of an egg)  also become less frequent.

This hormonal fluctuation can result in a variety of uncomfortable symptoms,  including hot flushes and night sweats,
vaginal dryness,  mood swings,  sleep problems and unusually light or heavy periods.  Read more...

Asthma -  An asthma attack can occur when an irritant – usually a common substance like smoke,  cold or dry air,  pollen,  mould or dust mites – meets a pair of sensitive lungs.

Hormonal fluctuations,  stress and anger can also trigger an attack.

Your difficulty in breathing occurs because the bronchi-oles  (air passages in the lungs)  go into spasms. This can cause coughing and tightness in the chest.  Read more...

Haemorrhoid’s are swollen veins in or around the anus that cause pain,  itching and, occasionally bleeding.

Internal haemorrhoid’s, the most common type,  develop inside anus.  You might have some bleeding , but no pain.  External haemorrhoid’s are more painful ones and they too can cause some bleeding.  Either kind may turn into a prolapsed haemorrhoid, a soft lump that protrudes from the anus.  Prolonged sitting,  pregnancy and ageing can all contribute to haemorrhoid’s. If you often have constipation and strain when you’re having a bowel movement, you can cause haemorrhoid’s or make them worse.  Read more...

Insomnia can take three forms:

1. You toss and turn instead of  falling asleep.
2. You fall asleep okay, but then wake up repeatedly during the night.
3. You wake up much too early and can’t get back to sleep again.

The most common causes of  insomnia are emotional stress and depression.  Other reasons for poor sleep include pain or illness,  medications  ( such as decongestants,  diuretics,  some antidepressants,  steroids and beta blockers) eating a heavy meal late at night or alcohol too near bedtime.  Read more...

A burn is damage to the skin caused by wet or dry heat, chemicals or electricity.  Most burns happen at home,  and are caused by scalding water,  hot oil or grease.  The mildest burns are known as ” first degree” , they may be red and tender with some swelling. You can treat these yourself provided they are cover an area no larger than your hand.  More serious injuries may result from fire,  steam  or chemicals.  Moderate (second degree)  burns are red and painful with blistering and swelling.  Severe (third degree)  burns don’t hurt to begin with due to nerve damage,   the skin is charred or black, white or red.  There is no blistering but serious swelling.  Severe burns require urgent hospital treatment.  Read more...

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Cold sores are usually caused by the Herpes Simplex Type 1  Virus.  A tingling sensation around your mouth heralds the sores imminent arrival, usually within a day or two.  The blister swells,  bursts,  oozes fluid,  crusts over and fades,  often in  7  to 10 days.

Common triggers of a new outbreak include sunlight,  stress,  menstruation and fatigue.  Read more...

Since there is no pain associated with early osteoporosis,  its important to be aware of the risk  factors,  so that you can head off the disease by taking precautions now.  A simple  15  minute test called the  DEXA  scan  (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry)  measures your bone density and tells whether you’re at risk for osteoporosis.

Ask your doctor about having a DEXA scan if you:  Read more...

Consult a doctor if you experience all or most of these symptoms for more than a week.

• Chronic fatigue unrelieved by rest.
• Unexplained chronic muscle pain or joint pain.
• Dry eyes and mouth.
• Fever
• Rash
• Mouth or skin ulcers
• Swollen glands

See a doctor immediately if you experience:
 Read more...

If  you suspect that you have an ulcer ( the main symptoms is a dull,  gnawing ache in the stomach that occurs  2  or  3  hours after a meal or in the middle of  the night,  comes and goes for several  days a week or weeks,  and is relieved by food),  you need to see a doctor.  Read more...

If you have a problem,  and you treat only the symptom and not the underlying cause,  you may experience temporary relief.  But the symptom will likely return…again… and again.

Sound anything like your extra pounds?  The pounds you’ve lost and regained…again…and  again?

Overweight is the symptom of fundamental imbalances in your body,  emotions,  and mind.  These imbalances include:  Read more...

Lactose Intolerance or Dairy Sensitivity is not usually a serious medical problem.

As long as you avoid dairy in all its forms,   the symptoms will disappear.   But many people don’t know that they lactose intolerance or sensitive to milk;  all they know is that they feel lousy a lot of the time.

Milk drinkers are often full of mucus,  they tend to have more sinus infections,   coughs,  headaches,  ear infections,  post nasal drip,  and colds than non – milk drinkers.  Read more...