Are you a Passive Smoker...??

Not smoking is very good habit. A lots of  things have been said about the active smoking, the bad effects of active smoking is known to everybody.But what about passive smoking. passive smoking is more dangerous than active smoking. One of my friend told me that in active smoking one is used to throw out all the smoke, but the active smoker is used to take the thrown smoke, that is even more dangerous.

Are you friends smoking always and you stand with them chatting? Then you are the victim of passive smoking. Remember the person who smokes certainly facing health hazards due to smoking, but the person who doesn’t smoke, but stays in contact of smokers also suffers with the health impacts of smoking. The tobacco smoke enters even the body of the passive smokers through the nasal  opening and deteriorates his health. Read below the health hazards of passive smoking—

1. Coughing and sore throat are the initial problems that the person faces after inhaling the smoke of tobacco passively. This happens as the human body is not used to the smoke of tobacco. Later on this problem may diminish, but would certainly lead to the more hazardous conditions.
2. Irritation of the eyes followed by the headache is common problem noted to be occurring in passive smokers. This happens when the smoke of tobacco comes in contact with the eyes. The person starts rubbing his eyes, which increases the eye irritation. Headache occurs when the smoke of tobacco enters the human body and reaches the brain, thus deteriorating the normal functioning of the brain.
3. Infections of nose and ear are observed occurring frequently among the passive smokers as the antibodies present in this area are being killed by the intake of the tobacco smoke. This makes them prone to infections. Even nausea is being noted frequently in passive smokers.
4. As a severe outcome of the passive smoking, lung cancer occurs. This happens when the smoke of tobacco enters the lungs of the person on regular basis. Around 30 carcinogenic chemicals are present in the tobacco smoke reach the lungs and deteriorate the normal functioning of lungs and promote the growth of the cancerous cells.
5. Bronchitis and Pneumonia are commonly found in the people who are prone to the passive smoking. These are the respiratory tract disorders that occur due to irritation of the respiratory tract due to the tobacco smoke that later on leads to the bronchitis or Pneumonia as the infecting agents attack this body part because the resistance power is noted to be declined.
6. Asthma problem arises in the passive smokers after an excessive exposure to the tobacco smoke. The nicotine present in the tobacco smoke damages the tiny hairs like structures, cilia in the respiratory tract. These cilia are essential for keeping the airways clean, but due to the smoking they get damaged and the dust and mucus gets deposited in this area, which disturbs the air flow to the lungs resulting into the occurrence of the asthma.
7. Rise in the infertility cases has been noted in the people who smoke passively. The people who smoke certainly face the problem of infertility, but the entrance of carcinogenic chemicals in the passive smoker’s body also makes them prone to infertility. Even the woman who smoke passively has a less chances of conceiving because the ovum formation process is them is being disturbed due to the nicotine content in the body.
8. Cardiovascular disorders occur due to the passive smoking. Hardening of the arteries takes place because of the passive smoking for years. Atherosclerosis is found in majority of the cases. Even the occurrence of the coronary thrombosis is seen due to the passive smoking. In this disease a blood clot is formed in the arteries that supply the blood to the heart that leads to the heart stroke or sudden cardiac arrest.
9. Smoking either active or passive is noted to increase the blood pressure of person. It happens due to the smoke of tobacco that disturbs the functioning of the lungs and increases the pressure of the blood.
10. Passive smoking reduces the resistance power of the person. It happens as the production of the antibodies is being reduced due by the effect of the carcinogenic chemicals present in the tobacco smoke. This way the person gets prone to various bacterial and viral infections due to the decreased immunity.

Are You Filling Up On Real Food or Fake Food?

When you are sifting through the deluge of information about diet and nutrition and which foods are good for your health and fitness and which foods are not good for your health and fitness, a general question to ask yourself is: "Has this food been altered from its original state?"

The alteration of food can occur in many different ways.

Foods are altered through processing.

Processed foods are often cooked at very high temperatures which destroy nutrients by completely wiping out many vitamins and denaturing minerals. These cooked foods are then canned or frozen and often cooked again in home kitchens. Sugar, salt, preservatives, stabilizers, and/or color enhancers are usually added.

Fresh and unaltered foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, are without question a thousand fold better for you than processed, canned or frozen fruits and vegetables and other canned products.

Foods are altered through refining. Most bread is the end product of pulverizing wheat berries through processing and refining. Uncle Ben’s white rice is a refined food. Instant oats are refined foods. White sugar in any form is refined food. Refined foods are stripped of many, if not all, of their original nutrients. They fill you up with too many calories and not with health-supporting nutrition.

As if processing and refining are not bad enough, foods are also preserved. In today’s world, the preservers of choice are chemicals, and especially salt. Salt is pumped into almost all processed foods, particularly breads—just read the labels. Salt is one of those chemicals that we accept as part of our daily diet, but it is known to be hard on the body and detrimental to human health.

And then there are those foods, or, rather, pseudo-foods, that are completely manmade from chemicals, not made from real foods at all. Read the labels of foods, and you will soon become familiar with the chemicals that you don’t want to put into your body.

To give one example, imitation strawberry flavoring, found in ice cream, jello, juice drinks, candy, popsicles, desserts, cakes and pastries, can be created from over a dozen different manmade chemicals. That is not food. That is a chemical cocktail completely void of any nutrition whatsoever. Yet we fill up on these pseudo-foods every day.

Once a food is altered from its original state, nutrients are lost.

In this world of food and diet madness and confusion, let’s make this simple.

Is a fresh apple better for you than a piece of apple pie? Of course it is. And to take it one step further, is an apple better for you than applesauce? Let’s put it this way. Do you suppose a fresh apple has more nutrients than a product made from an apple that has been peeled, cooked and canned?

Is corn on the cob better for you than canned corn? Once the corn is removed from the cob, cooked, processed, and preserved, then reheated in your kitchen, how many nutrients do you suppose are left in that corn? And what about the corn chip that is created from the original corn on the cob? How good are these processed and packaged and often fried and salted foods?

Is whole wheat and brown rice better for you than refined flour and refined rice? You bet.

Is a fresh, green-leafy vegetable salad better for you than frozen or canned vegetables? You bet.

Are fresh homemade juices better for you than orange juice made from orange concentrate or V8 juice which is not only cooked (cooking kills nutrients), but is canned and loaded with salt and chemicals. You bet.

In today’s grocery store, how many processed, packaged, refined, preserved, and manmade foods line about 90% of the shelves; foods that you love to eat and constantly beckon to you and tempt you? How many of these foods do you fill up on every day?

Furthermore, if we are filling up on altered and manmade foods, then how much space do we have in our stomachs to eat the foods that have the very best nutrition for premium health and fitness? Not much.

Today’s modern world affords us many privileges, not the least of which is the privilege of choice. All year round there is a wide selection of fresh, whole foods from which to choose. If you want a long life with health, fitness, mobility, joy, and purpose, then choose to eat unaltered fruits, vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, whole grains and beans.

Make every choice count. These are the very choices that determine not only the number of your days, but also the quality of your days.

So make your choice—starting today.

Isolated Systolic Hypertension

When the blood travels through the dense network of our circulatory system, it exerts certain amount of force on the walls of blood vessels, which is known as blood pressure. As we all know, the heart does an important job of supplying (pumping) fresh oxygenated blood, that is then circulated through arteries to different parts of the body. When the heart pumps, it exerts force on the blood, thus pushing it through the veins. During this pumping action, the heart contracts and beats. It is obvious that when the heart beats the blood pressure is maximum and when it is in relaxed state (at rest) blood pressure is at its minimum. Read more on high blood pressure.

The maximum blood pressure achieved during heart contraction, is referred as systolic blood pressure. When the heart does not beat and is relaxing, the blood pressure is found to be lowest and is known as isolated diastolic hypertension. For a healthy person the device shows a reading of 120 mm Hg systolic pressure where as the diastolic pressure is around 80mm Hg. Read more on uncontrolled hypertension.

What is Isolated Systolic Hypertension (ISH)
In this condition, systolic blood pressure abnormally increases but surprisingly the diastolic blood pressure is within the normal range (80-90 mm Hg). The reading indicates a sharp rise in systolic blood pressure, which is more than 140 mm Hg but diastolic blood pressure does not deviate from its normal level. Read more on high systolic blood pressure.

Is Isolated Systolic Hypertension Harmful?
A decade ago, this version of hypertension was considered to be a harmless condition and doctors thought that increased diastolic pressure was a cause of concern. Doctors did not give much importance to rise in systolic hypertension. However, today doctors are of the firm opinion that high systolic hypertension cannot be ignored, as it can lead to health issues that can affect the kidneys, heart and may even cause stroke. Read more on acute hypertension.

Isolated Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly - Symptoms
Generally ISH strikes in older adults after the age of 50 and the person affected often complains about frequent episodes of headache. The heart may also produce some abnormal sounds that are not the same as heart beats. Frequent urination and in some severe vision abnormalities are some of the symptoms of persistent ISH.

Isolated Systolic Hypertension - Causes
ISH is classified as an age related disorder and usually does not affect children. With age, there might be some abnormal changes in the pattern of blood circulation or the functioning of the heart, which may lead to ISH. Also, people diagnosed with diabetes or carry too much body weight are susceptible to ISH. This condition can also occur when the arteries significantly lose their elasticity and become stiff. It is observed that loss of flexibility of arteries can reduce normal blood flow. In such a case, the heart has to push the blood with greater force to ensure proper blood circulation to different organs. The extra force exerted by the heart, ultimately leads to what is known as isolated systolic hypertension.

Isolated Systolic Hypertension Treatment
Medications may be prescribed to lower elevated systolic blood pressure. Apart from medicines, making lifestyle modifications that support healthy blood pressure levels, is necessary. The medicine will work when the person gives up leading a sedentary lifestyle. As aforementioned, being overweight predisposes a person to this form of hypertension. So, maintaining a healthy weight is essential to manage isolated systolic hypertension effectively.

Spices: Best Antioxidants

A diet high in antioxidants is indispensable for asserting a healthy body and strong resistant system. A scientific study available in the January 2010 issue of "Nutrition Journal" named 10 spices with the uppermost inhibitor substance.

Spices vs. Other Foods: According to the Nutrition Journal study, the antioxidant or the inhibitor act of spices is 3,600 percent superior to that found in vegetables and 2,300 percent higher than in fruit.

Cloves are not only the spice with the maximum antioxidant or the inhibitor content; they have a pack of other nutritional benefits as well, and can even be a mild anesthetic. For the reason that of the high eugenol substance in cloves, the spice can help lookout next to cancer, harmful pollutants and joint ache.

Peppermint has been diachronic viewed as a natural medication for distress stomachs and indigestion. All the rage forms of ingestion are drinking peppermint as a tea, or adding it to soups and salad dressings.

Allspice: Like cloves, allspice has a far above the ground eugenol substance that can effort as a pain reliever and get better digestion. The herb is a vital spice in Jamaican jerk and barbeque recipes.

Cinnamon can be supportive in the bar of blood clots, as well as bacterial fungi growth. The fiber and calcium substance can also gain colon health and heart health.

Oregano: Besides being an herb usually used in Italian cooking, oregano is nutrient carried and historically has been observed as a natural form of treating colds and other coarse ailments, such as stomach aches, premenstrual cramps, coughs and colic.

Thyme: Nutrients present in thyme such as manganese, calcium, and vitamin K can help defend the human body from bacteria. Thyme can be made use in salad dressings, soups, beans and pasta.

Sage is a multi-purpose herb than can liven up a diversity of dishes, letting in pizza, stews, casseroles, tomato sauces and meat. Along with the gains derived from the high antioxidant or the inhibitor content, the herb can be useful in meliorating memory and reducing inflammation.

Rosemary is a spice normally used on meat roasts and potatoes. Other than the benefits go beyond the astonishing flavor. High in antioxidants and nutrients, rosemary can lend to the development of a healthy immune system, get better circulation and digestion, and ease inflammation from arthritis and asthma.

Saffron: qualified by the yellow color it adds to dishes, saffron is a spice characteristically used in Arab, Iranian, Indian, Turkish and Asian cooking.Saffron's antioxidant and nutritional substance has many health benefits, as well as enhancing circulation, protecting against cancer and treating depression.

Tarragon:  usually used in Mediterranean cooking, tarragon has been in the past used as a natural means of providing relief from a toothache and indigestion, and can act as a light tranquilizer