Health GlareEvery human being is the author of his own health or disease

Have you been wondering what an article on “Top 10 Health Tips” doing on a website dedicated to Beauty?

Are you one of those individuals who think “Top 10 Health Tips” and “Top 10 beauty Tips” are two separate concepts and need to be dealt individually? Have you been splurging an aweful lot of money trying to look “good” by getting Spa treatments, visiting Beauty Salons, Buying Designer Labels, Eating Health Foods, and yet every time you look into the mirror, you feel there’s something “lacking?”

If you think that way, you’re not the only one. Whereas most of us spend a whole lot of time, money and effort to make our skin, hair, face, hands and feet look beautiful, we often miss out on the critical role our health and wellness plays in making us look physically and mentally beautiful.

Follow these Top 10 Health Tips in your daily life to stay beautiful on the inside and outside:

1.Follow A Healthy, Balanced Diet: A balanced diet is the first step towards a beautiful, healthy body. Follow a healthy balanced diet that complements your lifestyle. An ideal diet should be high on fiber, low on fat, and must be supplemented with adequate amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. Besides knowing what to eat, it is equally important to know the right proportions, meaning how much or how little to eat. Talk to a fitness expert and find out what’s your daily calorie intake. Make food choices that have high nutritional value but are low in calories.

2.Eat Different Types Of Foods: According to Ayurveda, the Ancient Indian science of healing, rotating your food habits not only strengthens your immune system, it can also protect you from most illnesses. Try to eat vegetables and fruits of different colors each day. Try eating a different food at least thrice a month. Begin your day with an apple a day as the apple pectin cleanses the body’s digestive system by removing toxins and therefore preventing degenerative health problems such as cancer.

3.Don’t Skip Your Breakfast: Are you surprised to see how some people manage to stay so fit, energetic and active the whole time and are able to stabilize their weight while you continue to put on weight and feel exhausted most of the time? Well, chances are, they eat a good breakfast and you don’t! According to nutritionists and health experts, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and skipping your breakfast can lead to serious health problems besides adding those extra pounds as a result of binging on unhealthy snacks later in the day. Besides re-charging your energy levels, eating regular breakfast has several long-term benefits like:

• It results in faster weight loss
• Your body get more nutrients everyday
• Breakfast rich in fiber foods and wholegrain helps keep the heart healthy especially if you suffer from metabolic disorders like fluctuating blood pressure, obesity and cholesterol. It also helps stabilize blood sugar levels
• A good breakfast early in the morning sets your mood right and enables you to handle stress better
• You stay overall healthy! So begin your day with fresh fruits, fruit juices, hard-boiled eggs, wholegrain cereals and breads and stay healthy all day!

4. Drink Lots Of Water: Drinking a minimum of 7 to 8 glasses of water everyday cleanses all the impurities and toxins from your body and helps to get healthy, flawless skin.

In addition, the fluid in your body is responsible for the functioning of your internal organs including the metabolic processes.  So if you’re dehydrated, this whole process gets affected and your body tends to slow down leaving you feeling low and lethargic.

5. Exercise Regularly: Who does not dream of getting those six-pack abs? Besides making you look sexy and popular, regular exercising is also the best natural “anti-aging” recipe because it helps you stay and feel young by raising your energy levels, stabilizing your body weight, and enhancing flexibility, which reduces the wear and tear in your body.

You don’t need to exercise for hours everyday, just take 15-20 minutes off your busy schedule everyday to sweat out that pot-belly or burn those extra-pounds that have been making it difficult for you to get into your favorite outfit! If you can’t, make one of these a part of your routine: take the stairs instead of elevators and escalators to climb; Make it a habit to walk about 15 minutes everyday. If holistic healing is your thing, enroll yourself for yoga classes. If not, go swimming, take aerobics lessons or start shaking a leg or two at the local dance academy-whatever keeps you going, juts do it! If you’re into sports, you can make it part of your fitness routine.

Remember, your external fitness is only a reflection of your inner fitness and a beautiful, healthy body reflects a fit, healthy mind.

6. Quit Smoking: Okay, so you’ve heard this countless times from your doctor, but here it comes again as one of our most important health tip-Quit Smoking! If you’re one of those people who smoke to lose or gain weight, we’d stay think again! While smoking may have been related to an increase in metabolism, it is certainly not a good enough reason to substitute it with the huge risk of dying from lung cancer!

If that doesn’t make you change your mind, this will. Recent studies have proved that smoking is also one of the leading factors that stimulate the process of aging in both men and women. So say no to cigarettes and stay young and healthy for the rest of your life!

7. Say No To Stress: We know what you’re thinking-easier said than done! Agreed, but leading a stressful life can only make matters worse. On the other hand, leading a relaxed, stress-free life will not only reduce the risks of health related disorders, it will also calm you down and let you enjoy your life better.

While planning your day, strike a balance between home and work. If you have trouble remembering things-make a list of all the “things-to-do” before going to bed each night or simply set a “reminder” in your cell phone so you don’t have to run around at the last minute. Staying positive and thinking happy thoughts is one of the most effective stress buster technique you can easily follow in your daily life.

Spend atleast 15 minutes doing something you love and enjoy each day. It could be a simple activity, like cuddling up in bed by yourself and watching a funny movie, enjoying a glass of your favorite wine, socializing with friends, reading, sweating it out at the gym, pampering yourself with a stress-releasing body massage, soaking in a hot tub, taking a stroll on the beach, playing with your dog, listening to your favorite music or simply lazing around and doing nothing!

8. Take Care Of Your Teeth: Remember the phrase “million dollar smile?” Well, your teeth have a lot to do with your smile and they can make or break your looks depending on how much or how little you’ve cared for them over the years! Dental health is an important aspect of your overall heath. One of the best ways to have healthy teeth, prevent gum-related infections and protect your heart is by flossing your teeth every day. Few of us know that gum infections if left untreated can cause inflammatory reactions in the body, which can lead to stroke and heart ailments.

9. Sleep Well: A good 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is a must for our body to reboot itself and feel energetic next day. Lack of sleep affects our hormone levels and slows down metabolism often resulting in weight gain. Studies have shown that deep, uninterrupted sleep helps cell growth and cell repair, which can increase the metabolism and help in burning calories. If you suffer from sleeplessness, try some of these simple remedies:

• Avoid alcohol before going to bed
• Stay away from stimulants like coffee, tea and chocolates before going to sleep
• Regularize your sleeping habit
• Keep your bedroom clean and uncluttered; Use decors and furnishing with peaceful and soothing colors
• Avoid taking longer daytime naps
• Follow relaxation techniques (for ex-meditation) to reduce stress

Keep Your Brain Active: Keeping your mind in “good shape” is just as vital as taking care of your physical health, so be sure to indulge your brain on a daily basis. An idle mind is not only the devil’s workshop, often the feeling of “aimlessness” or “nothingness” can cause boredom and can lead to depression and anxiety-related disorders.

One way to keep your brain engaged and busy is to constantly challenge yourself with new ideas and by learning new skills. Studies have shown than an active brain makes new connections between nerve cells that help cells communicate with one another. This allows our brain to store and access information easily, regardless of our age. Try some of these activities to keep your mind active and free from boredom:

• Learn to play a new musical instrument
• Learn a new language
• Indulge in crossword puzzles
• Play scrabble with a friend
• Participate in discussions and forums
• Maintain a blog and update it daily
• Switch careers or make a new beginning
• Read books on unfamiliar topics
• Pursue a new hobby
• Stay aware about what’s going on in the world

Follow these “Top 10 Health Tips” to stay physically and mentally beautiful for the rest of your life. Remember-”Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!”

Transrectal Ultrasound and Prostate Biopsy is done to confirm whether you have prostate cancer, after the digital rectal exam and PSA test.
During a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), the sensor of an ultrasound machine is placed into the rectum that produces and detects sound waves that bounce off the prostate gland. The pattern of the sound waves creates a picture of the prostate gland on the screen that can help locate areas of abnormal tissue.

TRUS can also be used to help a doctor guide a needle to the correct spot in the prostate gland for collecting a tissue sample (biopsy). Usually 6-8 samples of different parts of the prostate are collected. The tissue is then examined for cancer by a pathologist. After the biopsy, some blood may be seen in the urine or stool for a day or two.

There is a possibility of getting an infection in the prostate after the biopsy, usually antibiotics are prescribed to prevent this.

When Semen analysis has not found the cause for infertility, Sperm Penetration Assay may be done to determine whether a man’s sperm can penetrate an egg. Sperm are mixed with hamster eggs that have had the outer membranes removed. The number of sperm penetrations per egg (sperm capacitation index) is measured. Good SPA results combined with a favorable semen analysis indicate that the sperm is of good quality for in vitro fertilization.

This test is also done to evaluate how the sperm function when semen analysis has shown mild to moderate abnormalities; to confirm abnormal results from the postcoital test and to test sperm before doing in vitro fertilization.

Semen analysis is one of the first tests done to determine the cause of infertility in a man. It is also done to determine whether a vasectomy has been successful. This test measures the amount of semen and determines the number and quality of sperm.

The tests done on a sample of semen, checks the volume, liquefaction time and pH value of the semen; count, morphology and motility of the sperm; white blood cell count and sugar level of the semen.

Pap smear is an alternative name for Cervical Smear Test. It is a procedure carried out to detect cancerous and pre-cancerous cell changes in the cervix. Cervical smear test is also used to diagnose viral infections of the urinogenital system and sexually transmitted diseases. After a minimum of three consecutive normal test results, the Pap test may be performed.

Procedure : A speculum is inserted into the vagina and cervical cells are removed, using a spatula or swab and transferred to a glass slide before being sent for laboratory analysis. The results are normally available after 6 weeks. The woman should not be menstruating or have sperm present in the vagina from recent sexual intercourse. A result with mild dysplasia (dysplasia in women normally refers to abnormalities in the cells of the cervix and uterus) means there is some infection present and regular smear tests are needed. A positive test indicates there are some cell changes that need further investigation but do not necessarily indicate a cancerous or pre-cancerous condition. A colposcopy (a technique for examining the cervix and vagina) and possibly a biopsy may be needed, and if cancerous cells are found, treatment for cervical cancer begins.

Age for testing
Pap test can be carried out every 3 years from becoming sexually active or from age 20.

papsmeardiagram

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is an instrument recording the electric currents generated by a heart beat. By measuring this we can find out if the heart is functioning normally. According to experts, the chances for women developing heart diseases are more than men. Women are more than 11/2 times as likely to die with in a year of their first heart attack than men.

The symptoms felt by men and women during an attack are different. Women may experience little or no chest pain. During a heart attack, women often experience shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing and may even have pain or weakness in their shoulders, arms or all  over their bodies. There may even be vomiting. The symptoms are more likely to occur when they are resting or during mental stress of physical exercise. Women are also likely to experience fatigue.

When these symptoms occur and doesn’t go away but worsen with the passage of time, it is sure that it is a heart attack. But if these symptoms come and go, it can be Angina- a temporary lack of Oxygen to the heart, which is a warning sign of a future heart attack.

A healthy diet, plenty of exercise, reducing stress and losing excess weight  help to prevent heart disease.

Test
One of the age old test used to detect heart disease is the treadmill stress test, in which an electrocardiogram (ECG) is performed continuously during exercise. This test works fine for men, but in the case of women it does not give accurate results. New tests have been developed, for obtaining gender equivalent results. The two most accurate new tests involve imaging. The first one of these imaging techniques involves having a patient walk on a treadmill, then injecting a radioactive isotope into the blood stream which allows special scanners to track the blood flow through the heart. Another option is the stress echocardiogram test. It’s accurate, sensitive and there is no injection and doesn’t take as long as a technetium test. But these tests are not usually necessary for pre menopausal women who have no risk factors for heart disease.

Age for testing :
Every one aged 30 and older should have a baseline ECG Test. These tests are recommended for those who are more prone for a heart disease risk, like people having a sudden new pain, and those who are smokers and have a family history of diabetes or have diabetes.

This test evaluates whether a man’s sperm can travel through cervical mucus. It is one of the test done to determine the cause of infertility and whether it is related to a problem with the man’s sperm or a woman’s mucous. During the woman’s ovulation, samples of her cervical mucus and the man’s semen are collected for this test. In the lab, the semen is added to the mucus in a tube. After sometime, the distance that the sperm have traveled is measured.

The mucus penetration test is also done (a) with a donor sperm and the woman’s mucus or (b) with donor mucus and the man’s sperm, to see whether the problem is with the woman’s mucus or the man’s sperm.

If both the man’s sperm and the donor sperm do not penetrate the woman’s mucous, the problem is likely to be with the woman’s mucous. If the man’s sperm do not penetrate while the donor sperm can penetrate a woman’s mucous the problem is likely to be with the man’s sperm.

Performing breast self examination (BSE) on a monthly basis gives you the opportunity to detect breast cancer. A woman who regularly perform BSE can detect breast cancer at its earlier stage. It is best carried out once a month before the menstrual period. BSE is recommended for ever women from age 20. Self examination is done in two ways: inspection and feeling the breasts

Method of breast examination

1.Look into a mirror, undresses to the waist. Study the breasts and become familiar with their  normal appearance. Look at the skin texture, height and appearance of the nipples etc. Check for any unusual  difference.

2.Look at each breast for any unusual irregularity in shape, drawing in or retraction of the nipple, dimpling of the skin, changes in skin colour or texture, or veins more prominent than normal. This should be done with the arms in different position:
By the side hand on the waist arms raised above the head
Hands clasped around the head

3.Squeeze each nipple gently to check for any bleeding or unusual  discharge

4.Checking the breasts by touch is carried out while standing up and /or lying down. It may be done in bath or shower when the skin is wet. Raise the right arm and use the left hand to explore the right breast in a clockwise motion. With the fingers flat, feel the breast for any unusual lump, knot, mass, thickening, tenderness or other change. Repeat for other breast. Examine the nipple in similar manner.
5.

Feel in each armpit for any enlarged Lymph nodes. Hold the left arm by the side and slide the right hand into the armpit and on down  the ribs. Repeat on the other side using the left hand with the right arm by the side

It is a test to detect Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the amount of Bone mass decreases to the point where the bones are fragile and easily fractured. Women are more prone to this situation than men. During the age of 20 to 30 we build more bone than we lose, reaching peak density between 25 and 30. Since bone mass begins declining after 30, it is essential to build as much strength as possible at this age. It is advisable to take 1000 milligrams of calcium and 200 international units (IU) of Vitamin D everyday and do weight bearing exercise regularly.

Osteoporosis can affect women who have premature menopause (before 45), long term steroid treatment, hormonal irregularities, those who have a family history, those who smoke or drink and under-weight  etc.  Osteoporosis can be detected of the spine and hip with DEXA measurement, which is a painless, quick x-ray method.

Weight -bearing exercise, a diet rich in calcium, Vitamin D and other minerals and not smoking can help prevent bone loss. Hormone replacement therapy is the most effective preventive treatment but is not suitable for all women.

Age for testing

Base line screening is advised at the age of 40, followed by a screening about one year after the start of menopause.  Age 51 to 55 or five years after menopause is the prime time for preventive measures. During this period we lose up to 15% of our bone mass.

Normal level of sugar in blood before your meal is between 70 and 110 mg/dl. After food, level will rise in between 100 to 140. The increased level of blood sugar above 140 mg/dl is considered to be the symptoms of diabetics. Low level of sugar, below 70 is also dangerous. It may cause fainting.

The two main tests used to measure diabetes are (a) Fasting Plasma Glucose Test, the direct measurement of glucose levels in the blood after an 8 hour (overnight) fast, and (b) Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, measurement of the body’s ability to appropriately handle the excess sugar presented after drinking a high glucose drink
Fasting Plasma Glucose test is positive when the value of elevated blood sugar level is above 140 mg/dl after an overnight fast. If the value is above 140 mg/dl on at least two occasions, it means that a person has diabetes. Normal people have fasting sugar levels that generally run between 70-110 mg/dl.

An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) measures plasma glucose at timed intervals over a 3-hour period. The person being tested starts the test in a fasting state (having no food or drink except water for at least 10 hours but not greater than 16 hours). An initial blood sugar is drawn and then the person is given a drink with high amount of sugar in it (75 grams of glucose or 100 grams for pregnant women). The person then has their blood tested again 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hour intervals after drinking the high glucose drink. If the plasma glucose level is 200 mg/dl or more in the blood sample taken 2 hours after drinking high glucose shows that the test is positive.

Gestational diabetes is also diagnosed through OGTT. Glucose levels are normally lower during pregnancy, so the basic values for diagnosis of diabetes in pregnancy are lower. If a woman has two plasma glucose values meeting or exceeding any of the following numbers, she has gestational diabetes: a fasting plasma glucose level of 95 mg/dL, a 1-hour level of 180 mg/dL, a 2-hour level of 155 mg/dL, or a 3-hour level of 140 mg/dL.

Age for testing: Every person who have attained the age 25 and older should undergo this test. Even if the results are normal, the test should be repeated at three year intervals. Chances for diabetes are high in the case of those who are obese, have a family history of diabetes, have delivered a baby weighing more than nine pounds or have high blood pressure or cholesterol. These people can have their blood sugar checked at an earlier age.

Care for testing :The blood sugar tests are usually done before and after the break fast. Do not do any heavy exercises before the testing. Try to keep a perfect mental and physical health (not have any other illnesses, not even a cold) during the time of testing. You have to limit your meal the day before the testing. Do not take insulin tablets or medicines (most commonly steroids and certain diuretics) that could affect your blood glucose level. The morning of the test, you should not smoke or drink coffee. During the test, you need to lie or sit quietly.