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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With any medication, standard marketed drugs or investigational drugs, there is always some risk of adverse side effects. For this reason, patients entered into psychotropic research trials are required to be in excellent health and in a certain age range. (Females of child-bearing age may/may not participate.) Numerous safety evaluations are completed and the results are reviewed by a highly qualified medical team prior to dispensing the medication. Physical examinations, electrocardiograms, blood work, and a detailed medical and psychiatric history are all required along with the patient’s signed consent In addition, each patient’s progress is monitored very closely by the research team, the pharmaceutical company’s clinical team, the investigational review board (IRB) and the FDA.

Possible side effects are explained in advance and patients are able to report these problems any time, night or day. If these side effects pose a risk to die patient, or are too bothersome, discontinuation of medication would be immediately recommended. If during the study, investigators see unexpected adverse effects in their patients, this information is immediately reported to the drug company, which in turn may stop the drug and inform the FDA, if indicated.

All in all the high degree of monitoring means that the risk is minimal. Once in a while, however, problems do occur.

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Yes. But the many people who have heard remarkable stories about Prozac’s effects on mood, personality, and behavior have requested Prozac—and not just from their psychiatrists. They have asked their general physicians, their surgeons, even their dermatologists and dentists to give them Prozac, and many times these doctors have wrongly complied, giving it to patients for whom it is not justified. Nevertheless, even while Prozac is incorrectly and even overprescribed for some people, it is a documented fact that 50% of all depressed people go totally undiagnosed

and untreated. This figure amounts to millions. Many of these could benefit from Prozac and other antidepressant drugs.

Patients who do not suffer from one of the depressive disorder spectrum diagnoses (these include major depression, dysthymia, and subclinical depression as well as many of the personality disorders with at least one or two of the required symptoms of major depression—the so-called formes fruste type) or obsessive-compulsive disorder, should be treated with Prozac only with great caution, because scientific evidence has not been sufficient to gain FDA approval. If Prozac is being prescribed for any illness other than major depression and OCD, it should be considered experimental by the patient and physician, and the patient should be so informed. Caution should be observed.

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They make a tremendous difference. Correctly prescribed and taken, antidepressants generate major improvement in 65% to 80% of depressed patients. Along with lithium and antianxiety medications, the new antidepressants have successfully treated millions of patients worldwide and enabled them to function normally or at least better. No longer need lives be wasted in devastating depression or in destructive uncontrolled manic episodes.

Moreover, these medications have an effect mat extends beyond the lives of those for whom they are prescribed. Depression is not only a personal and family/societal problem, it is also a problem that results in lost time on the job, divorce, hospitalization, suicide, secondary alcoholism, and drug addiction. Depression and other mood disorders waste lives— and money. According to a recent study, the annual costs of depression in the United States total approximately $43.7 billion.

As William Styron remarks in Darkness Visible, depression is a “true wimp of a word for such a major illness”. Depressed people visit their doctors three times as often as do patients without a psychiatric disorder and they spend more days in bed man do people with hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and back pain.

Yet, with a frequency that is shocking—50% to 60% of the time in primary care settings, 60% of the tune in HMOs—the disorder goes undiagnosed. This is tragic, because when depression is recognized and appropriately treated with medication and/or therapy, § it can be eliminated most of the time—or at controlled.

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Can Prozac be used for chronic fatigue syndrome? Chronic fatigue syndrome is an elusive disease, difficult to diagnose (in part because some doctors don’t believe it exists) and difficult to treat or certainly to cure. Its primary symptom, overwhelming tiredness, often accompanied by disturbed sleep, can also be an indication of depression. Antidepressants, which boost energy, counteract depression, and may help to straighten out the sleep cycle, are frequently useful, and several studies have found Prozac to be successful in treating CFS.

Is Prozac helpful in premenstrual syndrome? Reports indicate that Prozac has dramatically alleviated some premenstrual symptoms in a small group of patients. Some of the symptoms of PMS include irritability, weeping, a depressed or changeable mood swinging from high to low within hours or days, and the feeling of wanting to isolate oneself from others and not participate in outside activities. Given Prozac’s highly successful results with dysthymia and depression, it does not seem surprising that premenstrual depression has been reported to be helped considerably by Prozac. However, further studies are needed.

Is Prozac helpful in the commonly manifested depressed mood seen in Parkinson’s disease?

To date, the evidence is not encouraging. There have been reports of increased motor disability in four patients with Parkinson’s disease who have been exposed to Prozac.

Is Prozac helpful in the commonly seen depressed mood associated with Alzheimer’s disease?

Although in a limited number of cases Prozac does not seem to affect the depressed mood of Alzheimer’s patients, the older antidepressants have been used extensively with some positive results.

What is the effect of Prozac on feelings of depersonalization? Depersonalization is characterized by loss of identity and feelings of unreality and strangeness about one’s own body and behavior. A single study showed that of eight patients treated with Prozac for feelings of depersonalization and obsessive compulsive disorder, six responded positively. A second study found that an elderly seventy-three-year-old man had a marked improvement in his depersonalization symptoms and the associated anxiety after he received Prozac. Only one case reported a thirty-two-year-old bipolar female with an acute depression who actually developed feelings of depersonalization after three days of Prozac (20 mg) treatment These symptoms disappeared after discontinuation of the drug. Clearly further research is needed to give more definite answers to the use of Prozac in treating feelings of depersonalization.

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Patients taking Prozac outside the United States should have a signed note from their American physician explaining what the medication is and what it Is being used for, as required by customs. Prozac is available in many countries under foreign trade names. If the term “Prozac” is not used in a given country, the generic name fluoxetine should be used instead.

If the patient talks to a pharmacy or physician ahead of time, a courier package of Prozac can be delivered within twenty-four to seventy-two hours to most major cities of the world.

There is no need to be unduly concerned about hot weather, mild dehydration, or skipping an occasional meal (as one should be with lithium), none of which should cause any unusual symptoms with Prozac. However, normal food, fluid, and salt intake are required and should be maintained.

What percentage of patients take Prozac for disorders other than depression? Approximately a third. This percentage is gaining steadily with the recent publicity about Prozac’s effectiveness in treating patients with nondepressive disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia, and personality disorders.

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