OBSERVE -AS YOU SIT ON THE THRONE Each morning!
Question #1: How long does it take you to have a bowel movement?
Less than 60 seconds
More than two minutes
Answer: Healthy bowel movements happen within seconds of sitting on the toilet. Stool should easily come out without straining, grunting, or any discomfort. It should have the consistency of toothpaste. If you have time to read a newspaper while sitting on the toilet—you probably have a problem with constipation or poor bowel health.
Question #2: Does your stool sink immediately?
Yes
No
Answer: Fast sinking stool is a sign of a fiber deficiency in your diet. Healthy stool should slowly descend to the bottom of the toilet bowl. If you have a "fast sinker"—add more fiber-rich foods to you diet. These include fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
If your stool sticks to the sides of the toilet or leaves "streak marks"—that's a sign of excess fat in your stool. This can be caused by a poor diet or a sluggish liver.
Question #3: What is the shape of your stool?
Long like a banana
Round, hard pellets
Thin, pencil–shaped
Answer: Healthy stool averages about four to six inches long and shaped like a banana or a torpedo.
Very narrow, pencil-shaped stool is a sign your colon walls are impacted or you have polyps or growth on the inside of your colon or rectum. This causes the stool to squeeze to get through. Stress can also create narrow stool.
Hard, round, or pellet-shaped stool is a possible sign of poor liver function, lack of exercise, dehydration, or constipation.
Question #4: Is your stool accompanied by foul odor?
Yes
No
Answer: Gas or odor is a sign of a bacterial imbalance in your intestinal flora. The "bad" bacteria release foul-smelling gases and toxins that can cramp your colon and create embarrassing odors.
You can eliminate this odor by removing debris and encrusted feces from the walls of your intestines and restoring the balance in your intestinal flora.
Question #5: What color is your stool?
Yellow
Green
Brown
Gray
Black
Bright red
Answer: According the Mayo Clinic research, all shades of brown and even green are considered normal stool colors. And the foods you eat can affect the color of your stool. For example, beets, tomato juice, blueberries, popsicles, and green leafy vegetables can affect your stool color. However, a distinct change in stool color can be a warning sign for health problems.
Yellow-colored stool indicates your food is moving too quickly through your digestive tract—as in the case of diarrhea. If stool is greasy or foul-smelling, it may indicate excess fat caused by malabsorption of nutrients.
Green-colored stool means your food isn't properly being processed through your intestines. As a result, bile isn't broken down—and gives your stool that green color. Green stool can also mean you're eating too much sugar, and not enough grains or salt.
Gray or ashy colored stool indicates undigested fats or heavy use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs that contain aluminum hydroxide. It can also indicate a lack of bile in stool that may be caused by a bile duct obstruction or a liver problem.
Black stool is a serious warning sign for bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract—possibly the stomach.
Bright red stool may indicate bleeding in the lower intestinal tract—possibly the large intestine or rectum. Hemorrhoids are usually the source of the bleeding.
Question #6: Do you pass gas while you're having a bowel movement
or have you noticed air or bubbles in your stool?
Yes
No
Answer:Air or bubbles in stool can indicate an intestinal imbalance. Gas producing bacteria may be overgrowing and competing with the healthier flora in your gut.
Please know this: A normal bowel movement happens within 60 seconds of sitting on the toilet. There should be no straining, pain, bleeding or foul odor accompanied with your bowel movements. And wiping afterwards should be easy and simple—using just one or two pieces of toilet paper! (With a little water if u like)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Exercise and Diabetes
"Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness" - this famous quote by Edward Stanley is apt for every one including people with diabetes. The role of exercise in the prevention and management of diabetes and its complications is very significant. Exercise is one of the four pillars of diabetes management along with diet, medication, and monitoring. Exercise is anything that gets one moving and active. To make exercise a part of one's life one may not need to join a gym or have a personal trainer. Small steps can make big difference in life. Adding 10,000 extra steps (30 minutes of regular exercise) each day' can really help. Exercise is the simplest. and non expensive habit which can provide multiple benefits.
Why is Exercise very important for people with Diabetes?
Exercise increases fitness and physical working capacity and improves sense of well being. Apart from this, people with Diabetes get several other benefits from regular exercise, which include:
• Exercise helps reduce high, blood glucose by improving the body's use of insulin.
• Exercise also helps in reducing weight and helps in the loss of body fat.
• Exercise helps to protect against heart diseases by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and
increasing 'good' HDL cholesterol.
• Exercise helps in lowering of blood pressure.
• Exercise also help's in relieving stress, encourages relaxation, and improves your mood.
When you start an exercise program, go slowly. Gradually increase the intensity and length of your workout as you get more fit. Benefits of exercise' are always much more than risk of exercise. To minimize potential risks, people with diabetes need to understand and take steps to prevent problems before they occur. Never start a new exercise routine without talking to your doctor.
Exercise checklist for people who have diabetes
Talk to your doctor if you have any of these symptoms or conditions:
• If your blood glucose levels are constantly high over 250 mg/dl.
• If you have any symptoms of cardiovascular problems.
• If you have any evidence of retinopathy, neuropathy or nephropathy.
• Any other ongoing health problems that might limit your ability to exercise
safely.
Do not exercise when your sugars are very high or low.
Do not exercise when you have ketones in urine (Type 1 Diabetes)
Have a snack handy in case your blood sugar level drops too low.
Check your feet for blisters or sores before and after exercising.
Wear the proper shoes and socks that fit well and are comfortable.
Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercising.
Warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.
Have diabetes identification card and your mobile with you while going outside- for exercise, even in your own neighborhood.
Stop exercising, if you experience any warning signs, such as severe shortness of breath, dizziness or chest pain. Hypoglycemia can occur during exercise or during the next 12 hours that follow. So, it is advisable to check sugar levels more frequently when you start any new exercise programme. Following a regular routine of exercising, eating your meals, and taking your medicines at the same time each day helps in maintaining good sugar levels and minimize any kind of risks.
Types of Exercises
Aerobic exercise is recommended by most doctors. Do not confuse aerobic exercise with aerobics. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, dance or bicycling. Aerobic exercises make you breathe more deeply and make your heart work harder. If you have problems with the nerves in your feet or legs, your doctor may want you to do a type of exercise that won't put too much stress on your feet like swimming, bicycling, rowing or chair exercises.
Strength training, Done several times a week, helps build strong bones and muscles. With more muscle, you burn more calories, even at rest. Increased muscle mass and regular emptying of these muscle stores improves the body's glucose processing, a factor crucial in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes.
Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities. Yoga is kind of flexibility and relaxation exercise. Yoga and pranayama are very good forms of exercise, providing flexibility and relaxation, but some form of aerobic exercise along with yoga provides maximum benefit for people with Diabetes.
In addition to formal exercise, there are many opportunities to be active throughout the day. The more you move around, the more energy you'll have. These strategies can help you increase your activity level:
Walk instead of drive whenever possible.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Work in the garden, play with your child, or do some house cleaning every day.
Park your car farther away and walk the rest of the way to your destination.
Although exercise is very essential for people with diabetes, it cannot replace the requirement of medicine. By incorporating a healthy diet, proper medication, and especially regular exercise into your lifestyle, you can live each day to the fullest. Whatever you choose, whichever exercise is right for you, make sure it's something you enjoy and make it a lifetime commitment.
Why is Exercise very important for people with Diabetes?
Exercise increases fitness and physical working capacity and improves sense of well being. Apart from this, people with Diabetes get several other benefits from regular exercise, which include:
• Exercise helps reduce high, blood glucose by improving the body's use of insulin.
• Exercise also helps in reducing weight and helps in the loss of body fat.
• Exercise helps to protect against heart diseases by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and
increasing 'good' HDL cholesterol.
• Exercise helps in lowering of blood pressure.
• Exercise also help's in relieving stress, encourages relaxation, and improves your mood.
When you start an exercise program, go slowly. Gradually increase the intensity and length of your workout as you get more fit. Benefits of exercise' are always much more than risk of exercise. To minimize potential risks, people with diabetes need to understand and take steps to prevent problems before they occur. Never start a new exercise routine without talking to your doctor.
Exercise checklist for people who have diabetes
Talk to your doctor if you have any of these symptoms or conditions:
• If your blood glucose levels are constantly high over 250 mg/dl.
• If you have any symptoms of cardiovascular problems.
• If you have any evidence of retinopathy, neuropathy or nephropathy.
• Any other ongoing health problems that might limit your ability to exercise
safely.
Do not exercise when your sugars are very high or low.
Do not exercise when you have ketones in urine (Type 1 Diabetes)
Have a snack handy in case your blood sugar level drops too low.
Check your feet for blisters or sores before and after exercising.
Wear the proper shoes and socks that fit well and are comfortable.
Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercising.
Warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.
Have diabetes identification card and your mobile with you while going outside- for exercise, even in your own neighborhood.
Stop exercising, if you experience any warning signs, such as severe shortness of breath, dizziness or chest pain. Hypoglycemia can occur during exercise or during the next 12 hours that follow. So, it is advisable to check sugar levels more frequently when you start any new exercise programme. Following a regular routine of exercising, eating your meals, and taking your medicines at the same time each day helps in maintaining good sugar levels and minimize any kind of risks.
Types of Exercises
Aerobic exercise is recommended by most doctors. Do not confuse aerobic exercise with aerobics. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, jogging, dance or bicycling. Aerobic exercises make you breathe more deeply and make your heart work harder. If you have problems with the nerves in your feet or legs, your doctor may want you to do a type of exercise that won't put too much stress on your feet like swimming, bicycling, rowing or chair exercises.
Strength training, Done several times a week, helps build strong bones and muscles. With more muscle, you burn more calories, even at rest. Increased muscle mass and regular emptying of these muscle stores improves the body's glucose processing, a factor crucial in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes.
Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities. Yoga is kind of flexibility and relaxation exercise. Yoga and pranayama are very good forms of exercise, providing flexibility and relaxation, but some form of aerobic exercise along with yoga provides maximum benefit for people with Diabetes.
In addition to formal exercise, there are many opportunities to be active throughout the day. The more you move around, the more energy you'll have. These strategies can help you increase your activity level:
Walk instead of drive whenever possible.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Work in the garden, play with your child, or do some house cleaning every day.
Park your car farther away and walk the rest of the way to your destination.
Although exercise is very essential for people with diabetes, it cannot replace the requirement of medicine. By incorporating a healthy diet, proper medication, and especially regular exercise into your lifestyle, you can live each day to the fullest. Whatever you choose, whichever exercise is right for you, make sure it's something you enjoy and make it a lifetime commitment.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tea - the medical benefits
Engelbert Kaemfer, a German doctor,botanist and polymath, who was employed by the Dutch East India Company and lived in Japan in the late seventeenth century, was one of those who were most effective in spreading an understanding of tea to the West. In his great history of Japanese civilisation he described the history, politics, crafts, government and economy with enormous care. At the end of the volumes he included detailed appendices on several important subjects, including tea. Likewise, missionaries, diplomats and others who visited and wrote about China described the wonderful Chinese plant that seemed to cure so many different diseases.
The records of the use of tea suggest that it first arrived at Amsterdam in 1610, in France in the 1630s and in England in 1657. It was 'brewed, kept in a cask, then drawn and warmed up for customers as they asked for it'. Milk was probably not added at this stage. As with many new technologies, in fact, it was at first assimilated into techniques already in use, being treated as a kind of warmed-up beer, still served from a barrel.
In the 1660s it was advertised as That excellent and by all Physicians approved, China drink, called by the Chineans, Tcha, by other Nations Tay or Tee, and was sold at the Sultans Head near the Royal Exchange. The first overview of its medical effects and virtues was given in the tea broadsheet by 'I'homas Garway, published in 1657 to advertise the first public sale of tea in Garway’s coffee house. A list of the medical benefits of tea, similar to those given by Garway, was transcribed from a Chinese source in 1686 by T. Povey, a Member of Parliament.
1. It purifies the Bloud of that which is grosse and heavy.
2. It Vanquisheth heavy Dreames.
3. It Easeth the brain of heavy Damps.
4. Easeth and cureth giddinesse and Paines in the Heade.
5. Prevents the Dropsie.
6. Drieth Moist humours in the Head.
7. Consumes Rawnesse.
8. Opens Obstructions.
9. Cleares the Sight.
10. Clenseth and Purifieth adults humours and a hot Liver.
11. Purifieth defects of the Bladder and Kiddneys.
12. Vanquisheth Superfluous Sleep.
13. Drives away dissines, makes one Nimble and Valient.
14. Encourageth the heart and Drives away feare.
15. Drives away all Paines of the Collick which proceed from Wind.
16. Strengthens the Inward parts and Prevents Consumptions.
17. Strengthens the Memory.
18. Sharpens the Will and Quickens the Understanding.
19. Purgeth Safely the Gaul.
20. Strengthens the use of due benevolence.
As tea began to be introduced into Europe the argument about its virtues and possible dangers increased. In Holland it was recommended by physicians like Johannes van Helmont as a restorative against loss of body fluids. Dr Nikokas Dorx (1593-1674) wrote a widely read eulogy on tea in his Observationes Medicae under the name ‘Nikolas Tulp”.
Nothing is comparable to this plant. Those who use it are for that reason, alone, exempt from all maladies and reach an extreme old age. Not only does it procure great vigour for their bodies, but also it preserves them from gravel and gallstones, headaches, colds, ophthalmia, catarrh, asthma, sluggishness of the stomach and intestinal troubles. It has the additional merit of preventing sleep and facilitating vigils, which makes it a great help to persons desiring to spend their nights writing or meditating."
One of the most extended treatments was by the Dutch physician Cornelis Bontekoe (alias Cornelis Dekker) who published a Tractaat on the excellence of tea, coffee and chocolate in 1679. Bontekoe held green tea of Bohea in such high esteem that in one of his works he seriously recommended the sick to take 50, 60, up to 100 cups without stopping, a feat he had accomplished himself in one morning. He had suffered cruelly from stones, and believed that he had been cured by the copious use he made of the Chinese drink. He defended it strongly against those who said it caused convulsions and epilepsy; on the contrary, he attributed to it all sorts of therapeutic virtues. Bontekoe also recommended drinking two glasses of strong tea before an attack of malaria and a number of glasses afterwards.
A number of British doctors also investigated its properties. Thomas Trotter in his View of the Nervous Temperament (1807) argued that tea, as well as other commodities, like coffee and tobacco, 'had once been used as medicines, but had been reduced to necessities'." Thomas Short in his Dissertation upon Tea of 1730 reported various experiments that showed that when tea was added to blood, it separated the 'blood serum'. It furthermore helped to preserve meat from becoming rotten. He listed the diseases for which it was a remedy, including diseases of the head, thickness of the blood, diseases of the eye, ulcers, gout, the stone, obstructions of the bowels and many others. In 1772 Dr Lettsom wrote a Natural History of the Tea-Tree, with Observations on the Medical Qualities of Tea along the same lines. From the experiments he concluded that 'It is evident from these experiments, that both green and bohea Tea possess an antiseptic and astringent.
Tea spread fairly slowly at first in Britain, largely because of the cost. It was a luxury item. Famously Mrs Pepys drank it, as Pepys recorded in his Diary on 25 September 1660; she took it partly for medicinal reasons as it was thought that it would be good for her cough. When it first reached the London market it was sold for the remarkable price of £3 10s a pound. Then the price dropped to about £2 in nine or ten years, when it became available in every coffee house. Yet it remained a luxury drink throughout the seventeenth century and into the early eighteenth.
The great surge in tea importation and the drop in its cost occurred from the 1730s onwards, soon after the direct clipper trade to China was opened.
The records of the use of tea suggest that it first arrived at Amsterdam in 1610, in France in the 1630s and in England in 1657. It was 'brewed, kept in a cask, then drawn and warmed up for customers as they asked for it'. Milk was probably not added at this stage. As with many new technologies, in fact, it was at first assimilated into techniques already in use, being treated as a kind of warmed-up beer, still served from a barrel.
In the 1660s it was advertised as That excellent and by all Physicians approved, China drink, called by the Chineans, Tcha, by other Nations Tay or Tee, and was sold at the Sultans Head near the Royal Exchange. The first overview of its medical effects and virtues was given in the tea broadsheet by 'I'homas Garway, published in 1657 to advertise the first public sale of tea in Garway’s coffee house. A list of the medical benefits of tea, similar to those given by Garway, was transcribed from a Chinese source in 1686 by T. Povey, a Member of Parliament.
1. It purifies the Bloud of that which is grosse and heavy.
2. It Vanquisheth heavy Dreames.
3. It Easeth the brain of heavy Damps.
4. Easeth and cureth giddinesse and Paines in the Heade.
5. Prevents the Dropsie.
6. Drieth Moist humours in the Head.
7. Consumes Rawnesse.
8. Opens Obstructions.
9. Cleares the Sight.
10. Clenseth and Purifieth adults humours and a hot Liver.
11. Purifieth defects of the Bladder and Kiddneys.
12. Vanquisheth Superfluous Sleep.
13. Drives away dissines, makes one Nimble and Valient.
14. Encourageth the heart and Drives away feare.
15. Drives away all Paines of the Collick which proceed from Wind.
16. Strengthens the Inward parts and Prevents Consumptions.
17. Strengthens the Memory.
18. Sharpens the Will and Quickens the Understanding.
19. Purgeth Safely the Gaul.
20. Strengthens the use of due benevolence.
As tea began to be introduced into Europe the argument about its virtues and possible dangers increased. In Holland it was recommended by physicians like Johannes van Helmont as a restorative against loss of body fluids. Dr Nikokas Dorx (1593-1674) wrote a widely read eulogy on tea in his Observationes Medicae under the name ‘Nikolas Tulp”.
Nothing is comparable to this plant. Those who use it are for that reason, alone, exempt from all maladies and reach an extreme old age. Not only does it procure great vigour for their bodies, but also it preserves them from gravel and gallstones, headaches, colds, ophthalmia, catarrh, asthma, sluggishness of the stomach and intestinal troubles. It has the additional merit of preventing sleep and facilitating vigils, which makes it a great help to persons desiring to spend their nights writing or meditating."
One of the most extended treatments was by the Dutch physician Cornelis Bontekoe (alias Cornelis Dekker) who published a Tractaat on the excellence of tea, coffee and chocolate in 1679. Bontekoe held green tea of Bohea in such high esteem that in one of his works he seriously recommended the sick to take 50, 60, up to 100 cups without stopping, a feat he had accomplished himself in one morning. He had suffered cruelly from stones, and believed that he had been cured by the copious use he made of the Chinese drink. He defended it strongly against those who said it caused convulsions and epilepsy; on the contrary, he attributed to it all sorts of therapeutic virtues. Bontekoe also recommended drinking two glasses of strong tea before an attack of malaria and a number of glasses afterwards.
A number of British doctors also investigated its properties. Thomas Trotter in his View of the Nervous Temperament (1807) argued that tea, as well as other commodities, like coffee and tobacco, 'had once been used as medicines, but had been reduced to necessities'." Thomas Short in his Dissertation upon Tea of 1730 reported various experiments that showed that when tea was added to blood, it separated the 'blood serum'. It furthermore helped to preserve meat from becoming rotten. He listed the diseases for which it was a remedy, including diseases of the head, thickness of the blood, diseases of the eye, ulcers, gout, the stone, obstructions of the bowels and many others. In 1772 Dr Lettsom wrote a Natural History of the Tea-Tree, with Observations on the Medical Qualities of Tea along the same lines. From the experiments he concluded that 'It is evident from these experiments, that both green and bohea Tea possess an antiseptic and astringent.
Tea spread fairly slowly at first in Britain, largely because of the cost. It was a luxury item. Famously Mrs Pepys drank it, as Pepys recorded in his Diary on 25 September 1660; she took it partly for medicinal reasons as it was thought that it would be good for her cough. When it first reached the London market it was sold for the remarkable price of £3 10s a pound. Then the price dropped to about £2 in nine or ten years, when it became available in every coffee house. Yet it remained a luxury drink throughout the seventeenth century and into the early eighteenth.
The great surge in tea importation and the drop in its cost occurred from the 1730s onwards, soon after the direct clipper trade to China was opened.
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