Health News. Lots of resources and information

It’s really not too difficult to keep your skin gorgeous and young-looking. You’ll need to be willing to take precautions against sun damage 12 months a year, and make an effort to keep your skin from becoming too dry. One way to avoid dry skin is to eliminate caffeine and nicotine from your system. You should also make sure you drink lots of fluids.

Another important factor in protecting your skin is the type of make-up you wear. Many of the best-selling brands of make-up are designed with only one thing in mind— making you look better. That means that safety is sometimes not a high priority, and that some best-selling make-up products have additives that could actually be bad for you. You can protect yourself and your skin by using these little-known make-up secrets, recommended by many of today’s top models:

1) Cornstarch can be used as a face powder. It has the advantages of being free of additives, and just a dab can cover up a shiny nose.

2) An egg white, either straight from the shell or whipped, makes a great, inexpensive and safe face masque. An egg white contains proteins that should bring dirt and other foreign matter to the surface of your skin. Once you’ve washed off the “egg white masque”, your skin should look smoother and younger.

3) Mineral oil can be used instead of commercial lip gloss. The oil is actually the active ingredient in all commercial lip glosses, and it doesn’t have any potentially harmful additives.

4) One way to get rid of undereye circles and puffiness is to apply moistened tea bags, or cold cucumber or potato slices for about ten minutes while you close your eyes and relax.

5) Cornmeal or oatmeal, mixed into a paste, is a safe and effective way to remove dead skin cells. Some models recommed a mixture of two teaspoons of cornmeal or oat meal with enough honey to form a paste. Apply the paste to your face gently in a circular motion and rinse with luke-warm water.

6) The common avocado works great for smoothing and drying skin. It contains its own natural oils that are safe and effective in making your skin look smooth and fresh.

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It seems as if sooner or later everything changes, and that may be the case with the century-old idea that 98.6 is the “normal” human body temperature.

New research at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center and the University of Maryland in Baltimore suggests that normal temperature may actually vary from individual to individual. The researchers took more than 700 temperature readings from about 150 healthy adults over a three day period and found no meaningful link of 98.6 to human body temperature.

According to the findings, normal temperatures for individuals ranged from 96 to 99.9 degrees, and the average was 98.2 degrees. The researchers say that a temperature of 98.9 in the early morning and a temperature of 99.9 overall should now be considered as the upper limit of the normal oral temperature range in healthy young adults.

The 98.6 degree mark is credited to the 19th century scientist Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich, who reportedly used awkward thermometers pressed against the subjects’ armpits to get more than 1 million temperature readings. Today’s researchers say that their “measuring” instruments are far more reliable than the method used by Wunderlich.

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Extensive studies over the last few years have increased our knowledge of the amazing benefits to be derived from exercise. While most people know that exercise is good for them, few can say exactly why. In general terms regular exercise not only improves the overall development and efficiency of our bodies, it also improves the quality of our lives. Still, many people find it hard to stay motivated and maintain a regular exercise program. If you are one of those people, here are several specific benefits derived from regular exercise that can also serve as motivation:

1) Weight-reduction— if you are overweight and you want to loss extra pounds, along with a balanced diet you must get regular exercise. Exercise increases your body’s need for energy, and some of this requirement is provided by reserves of stored excess fat. The facts are simple, without regular exercise you will not be able to maintain a desirable weight.

2) Reduced risk of heart disease— even a moderate amount of exercise done on a regular basis can significantly reduce your chances of having a fatal heart attack. Apparently, exercise reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by helping to prevent obesity and high blood pressure. It also helps improve blood flow through the arteries. It can also help to reduce the level of low- density lipoproteins, which are responsible for depositing fat into the lining of the arteries, and increase the level of high-density lipoproteins which help prevent heart disease.

3) Relief From Stress And Depression— for most people, regular exercise serves to enhance their sense of well being and improves their self-images. It can also provide a natural “high” caused by the release of endorphins, which are morphinelike substances, inside your brain.

4) Relief Of Menstrual Problems— many women experience a reduction in the severity of premenstrual symptoms and an easing of menstrual pain, when exercising on a regular basis.

5) Better posture— the more you exercise, the more you increase the strength and the tone of your stomach muscles. You also start to lose fat. Stronger stomach muscles help give you better posture, which may help reduce back pain.

6) Cancer prevention— some studies suggest that regular exercise may protect against certain cancers. In one of those studies, the death rate from cancer was much lower in men and women who were physically fit. Other studies have confirmed a possible link between cancer rates and levels of physical fitness. That doesn’t mean you won’t get cancer if you exercise regularly. But it appears that the risk of getting cancer is significantly less for those people who do exercise.

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About half the population in America is susceptible to allergic reactions from poison ivy and poison oak. Those reactions are anything but pleasant— a nagging itch and red rash , caused by the toxin urshiol.

The best defense against poison ivy and poison oak is avoidance. The next best defense is to know how to treat the symptoms if avoidance fails. Here are some timely suggestions:

1) Recognize the plants— the only way to avoid poison ivy or poison oak is to know what they look like so you can keep your distance. Both plants have three leaflets and white berries. Some people remember this by reciting these two old rhymes: ” Leaflets three, let it be”, “Berries white, poisonous sight”. If you recognize poison ivy or poison oak, you should avoid contact with any part of the plants.

2) Wash the area of contact immediately— you may be able to avoid becoming infected if within 1 to 3 minutes after exposure you can remove the irritating oil by washing the affected area with rubbing alcohol, or if none is available, lots of water.

3) Use a lotion— some over-the-counter lotions containing calamine or zinc oxide can help relieve itching. However, you should avoid lotions containing diphenhydramine hydrochloride, an antihistamine, and benzocaine, a topical anesthetic.

4) Don’t scratch— although it’s difficult to keep from doing it, you should not scratch the itchy area, and you should also avoid using hot water on affected areas.

5) Try a cool compress— take a piece of cotton cloth soaked in cool water and place it over the affected area. Let a fan blow over the area also.

6) Jewelweed to the rescue— some people report that an effective herbal treatment involves rubbing the crushed leaves and stems of the orange-or yellow-flowered jewelweed over the affected area.

7) Wash everything— if your clothing or equipment has touched poison ivy or poison oak, clean them as soon as possible.

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The human body contains hundreds of different muscles, and with a little dedication and desire, you can exercise to strengthen and build up each group. All muscles increase in size if exercised regularly, and some exercises have a “faster” and more pronounced effect than others. That means to establish a successful strength and muscle building program, you should get guidance from a professional strength trainer. Many strength training experts recommend that you round out a regular exercise program with at least two strength-training workouts a week. Those guidelines are also recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Here are five keys for setting up a successful strength- and muscle-building program:

1) Initially, your muscles will need an excessive amount of stimulus in order to become strong. Once you’ve gotten used to the program, you should adjust the amount of stimulus (with the guidance of a strength-training expert) to continue improving.

For best results, your body will require variety. In order for your neuromuscular system to advance you’ll need to vary the weight you lift, or the number of lifts.

2) Increase the amount of weight you lift at regular intervals, and get enough rest to avoid overtraining.

3) For optimal success, your muscle-building program should include regular

repetition of similar exercises, and easy, recovery workouts as a way to follow-up more strenuous workouts.

4) Experts recommend that you plan your most strenuous or demanding workouts after a few days rest. About two days later your next workout should be a recovery-type session involving lighter weights and fewer repititions. Following another day of rest, you can workout at an intensity that falls somewhere between your first and second session.

5) When building muscles by lifting weights, it’s important that you learn to pace yourself. Strength-training experts say that the weights you use should be small enough for you to complete 8 or more repititions. Before you add more weight, you should increase the number of repititions. The suggested goal is 12 repititions per minute. The general rule is: if you can perform three sets of 15 repititions on one muscle group without any problems, you are ready to add more weight.

One of the best ways to build up your muscles is to go to a health club and take advantage of the various weight-lifting machines. These machines, if used properly, can strengthen specific groups of muscles and are safer than free weights. Good health clubs also provide a staff trainer to supervise your muscle-building program.

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