Health Fixes

What Is Alcohol Addiction?

One of the best examples of substance abuse in today’s society is alcohol addiction.If you can call it a “best example”

Now we all love to drink a little at parties and social gatherings. But that is not getting addicted to alcohol. Alcohol addiction arises when there is over indulgence in the intake of alcohol on a daily basis which may cause mental instability, failure in health and even death. Under these circumstances it becomes necessary to avail alcohol treatment which is provided by alcohol rehabilitation centers. People often look at alcohol consumption as means to escape pain in life, escape from stresses, manage loneliness or failures or forget.

By pain we are mostly referring to emotional pain, heartbreaks, tensions and stresses that you face in everyday life. There are many people in this world who do not have the strength and capability to face emotional turmoil and tend to become escapists. These are the people who are most likely to get addicted to drugs and alcohol. When alcohol is taken in excessive quantities it travels through your blood and reaches your brain. Once this occurs, you are transported to another world altogether. This feeling of elevation provides tranquility for a short period of time only but can be disastrous to your mind and health in the long run. Read More ...

Clinical or major depression is a serious mental illness that requires medical treatment in order for the majority of individuals to overcome their symptoms. Fortunately, there are many effective treatment options available and research and scientific studies are continuously working to find and develop better forms of treatment.

The most common treatments for depression include antidepressant medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of both and in the majority of cases these treatment methods are very effective. However, in more severe cases of depression or when other treatments have failed or can not be used, “ECT” or electrical convulsive therapy” as well as nerve or magnetic stimulation may be given.

Common Antidepressants used for the Treatment of Depression

The most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications for depression are “SSRI’s” or “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors”. This type of drug is typically the first drug a physician will prescribe when beginning to treat depression. SSRIs are a class of medications that include the brand names “Prozac”, “Paxil”, “Zoloft”, “Lexapro” and “Celexa”.
The primary reason why these drugs are the first choice is that they tend to have fewer side effects and are safer than some of the other antidepressants. “SNRIs” or “serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors” somewhat similar to SSRIs except when high doses are given they can cause the side effects of dizziness and increased sweating. Read More ...

Have you ever stopped doing what you once loved because of back pain? Have you given up your favorite sport because it’s just too painful to play; are the hobbies you once enjoyed nothing but a distant memory? Back pain can totally alter your daily life, but the good news is that in just 4 easy steps you can relieve back pain and start enjoying your life again.
Pain diminishes a person’s ability to concentrate, do their job, exercise, socialize, perform daily tasks, and sleep, all resulting in an unrelenting downward spiral of depression, isolation and loss of self-esteem. There is no reason for any of these things to occur in your life or the life of a loved one. The following easy steps are proven ways to help alleviate back pain and other forms of chronic pain.
HEAT OR ICE? Many people are often confused when it comes to using either heat of ice for therapy. A good rule of thumb is, if the pain is acute, or has happened within the last 24 hours, apply ice. Ice helps to reduce the inflammation from a recent injury. On the other hand, one should use heat if the pain is a chronic condition or has happened 48 hours or longer ago. Using heat after 48 hours will help increase blood circulation to the affected area, thus speeding up the healing process.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE. A trip to the chiropractor may be necessary if you suspect a bone is out of alignment. Misaligned vertebrae can be quite common in some individuals. A misaligned vertebrae not only means your bone is in the wrong place, but it also pulls muscles out of their correct position causing additional pain and inflammation. Chiropractic care is usually painless, quick and often produces relief.
MASSAGE. Massage is a very pleasant form of treatment to relieve back pain. A Swedish Massage, which uses long, soothing strokes, is a relaxing and therapeutic way to ease pain. A full body massage will enable a person to relax, which helps to de-stress the body. Massage also promotes increased circulation and helps to detoxify the body. During a massage the massage therapist will work to release muscle tension, therefore decreasing any pain. Massage therapists often incorporate hot stones into the massage which further aids in muscle relaxation.
HOLOGRAPHIC CHIP TECHNOLOGY. A new revolutionary product has just hit the market in the past year which is designed to target and manage pain without the use of chemicals, drugs or pills. This product is 100% safe and is approved for use on infants, elderly, pregnant women and anyone on medication. The product has no negative side effects and has already been proven to help tens of thousands of people all over the world manage their discomfort and resume the daily activities they love.
So, as you can see, these 4 steps to relieve back pain are not only easy, but they also do not contain any chemicals or drugs to help with your discomfort. They are all safe, logical steps to get you feeling better very quickly. What would your life be like if you didn’t have to deal with the daily reminders of pain? Don’t wait a minute longer; try these easy steps to relieve back pain today.

Most of us have some form of amnesia [meaning partial or complete loss of memory], how often have you gone through all your children’s names before actually calling the right one? Or forgotten the name of an item you want or need [verbal amnesia]. A more uncommon form of this disease is a temporary loss of total memory – this is where the person does not even know his own name, age etc.

Don’t panic you are not going senile, there are many forms and degrees of amnesia, it is just unfortunate that it tends to happen with old age [though even the youngsters can get it].
Amnesia is caused mainly by impairment of the brain cells [poor blood supply caused by circulatory diseases], injuries, and psychological causes [anxiety neurosis or dullness of intellect]

Herbs Used For Memory Improvement

1) Rosemary [romarinus officinalis]- regarded as the herb of remembrance [in the times of ancient Greece], this herb tends to be an antidote to forgetfulness and mental fatigue. Made into a tea and taken twice a day this concoction will help enhance mental agility.
2) Sage – making and drinking a tea from the dried leaves of this plant [about twice a day] seems to have the power to strengthen the ability to concentrate and help with mental exhaustion by acting on the cortex of the brain.
3) Perennial booti [bacopa scrophulariaceae] – prepare this herb by drying it out in the shade [7 grams per mixture], ground this dried herb, 6 or 7 almond kernels, a little pepper [1/2 gram], then add about 1 liter of water, strain and sweeten to taste. This mixture needs to be taken [on an empty stomach] every morning for about two weeks for any effects to be noticed.
4) Cumin seed – valuable in the treatment of amnesia or the dullness of memory, take three grams of this seed in 2 teaspoons of pure honey once a day, preferably in the early morning.
5) Black pepper – grind 5 pepper seeds and mix into honey [1 teaspoon], take this concoction in the morning and the evening, this will help counteract dullness of memory.
Fruits used for memory improvement
1) Apples – containing various nutritional substances [vitamin B1, phosphorus, and potassium etc], these three mentioned help synthesize glutamic acid which in turn helps control the wear and tear of nerve cells. Eat the apple, a teaspoon of honey and drink a glass of milk [helps with loss of memory and mental irritability] at the same time to help recharge the nerves with new energy.
Remember all fruits and foods that are rich in phosphorus help to invigorate the brain cells, a few examples of fruit are – oranges, grapes, figs and dates. The patients diet should also include foods like cereals, nuts, egg yolks, fruit juices and milk.
All patients suffering with amnesia should also ensure that they get enough sleep, try to relax, meditate and rest as much as possible.

A drug interventionist is someone who, at the request of family members, will intervene into a situation where drug addiction has taken over someone’s life and their lives are in jeopardy. Urgent help is needed in that case and the family looks to the professional for help. The process is a structured and organized one and has to be planned out before being executed. It facilitates the members of the family, friends; possibly coworkers and the professional who is a trained individual in this type of situation.

The interventionist, while a professional, is also a person who should be caring and compassionate. Most of these professionals have experienced drug addict either personally or with their own family members. Their job is to try and motivate the drug addict to embrace treatment. Family members play a vital role in this intervention because their loved one is dependent on them to seek help. The reason for that is because the addict is in no condition to do it on his or her own. The family should understand that the interventionist is going to come in with the preface that the drug addiction is a disease that can take the person’s life so it is imperative that they get into treatment right away.

There are a lot of individuals that have struggles with drugs and even alcohol and some of them will be the first to admit that there is a problem and that rehabilitation is their only course of action. However, there are some who will never admit it and want to continue with their unhealthy lifestyle of abusing drugs. The drug-ridden individual who does not want help is going to be harder to persuade and so the interventionist knows this and will use specific techniques to get the person to that place of knowledge and information to make that coveted decision. Read More ...

Knee injuries occur frequently and for a variety of reasons. Knee injuries happen due to sports, age, and accidents among other factors. When a person suffers a knee problem, it impairs their mobility and speaking from experience, a knee injury can be quite painful. Millions of Americans suffer from pain due to knee injuries and the number grows daily.
Athletes know the pain of knee injuries all too well due to the violent nature of their sports. Athletes involved in contact sports like soccer, football, and basketball are at high risk when it comes to knee problems. When 300-pound players collide with one another at high-speed, it’s only a matter of time before knee injuries happen.
In addition, these athletes twist and contort their bodies into positions that make their knees more vulnerable to injury. Sometimes all it takes is for a player’s foot to get caught in turf or to jump and come down on a fallen player causing his knee to buckle and be injured. While these knee injuries occur on courts or fields, some knee damage can happen in the home.
People also get knee injuries from falling off of roofs or ladders and from falling down stairs. Statistics show that most accidents occur in the home or within a few blocks of the home. In fact, there could be problems insuring a home that has stairs that don’t have a required handrail or at has missing or broken stairs. It’s easy to see how this could result in falls and knee wounds. Some injuries o knees occur when homeowners try to save money by doing it themselves rather than hire a roofer to repair the roof. Falls like this have killed some people and maimed others for life. These weekend warriors are fortunate if they escape with just knee pain.
Age can be another contributing factor to knee pain. As we age our bones become less dense, making them more brittle and susceptible to falling and serious injury. This is more prominent than ever with the average lifespan of Americans getting higher and higher. Ironically, this is due to advances in medicine and people taking better care of themselves. But seniors suffer knee damage doing everyday task that at one time were simple, like getting into or out of a bathtub. Task like this become more difficult with age for some and put them at greater risk of falling and hurting their knees.
Whether it be from sports, falls or accidents in the home, knee damage can be serious and steps should be taken to prevent injury when possible. Here are a few simple steps you can take to help prevent knee damage.
1. Repair any broken stairs around the house.
2. Don’t climb on ladders that aren’t stable.
3. Consider hiring a professional for any work on your roof or work that requires climbing on a ladder.
4. Install handrails in the bathtub and shower in your home.

Diabetes is a disease of sugar and fat metabolism caused by problems with insulin secretion by the pancreas, or with the insulin sensitivity of the cells.
Insulin, a hormone, helps with the bodies uptake of sugar required by every cell to produce energy.

Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

There are two primary types of diabetes.
Type 1, which is the more serious, develops when the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas. This type accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases and usually strikes children and young adults although it can occur at any age.
Type 2 diabetes, often called “adult-onset diabetes,” accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases. This type begins when cells do not use insulin properly and develop resistance to it. To compensate, the pancreas attempts to produce more insulin and gradually loses the ability to do so, or burns out. Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with advanced age, obesity, a family history of diabetes, physical inactivity, and different races.
You can’t change your genetics but everything else is in your control, increase exercise, cut down on processed sugar intake, and even though increased age is a factor you can reduce your odds of getting diabetes with supplements especially Resveratrol supplements.
Joseph Maroon, M.D. states in his book The Longevity Factor that Resveratrol can help our bodies uptake of sugar in our cells. And can slow the aging process and the old age diseases we commonly accept as part of aging.
Is it Our Genetics?
Our Hereditary and genetic traits are not as much as we used to think of the reason for what causes diabetes, it’s more our diet and lifestyle that determine whether we will get this horrible disease. Age is usually thought to be the reason we get this disease but it’s more how much exercise we get and how much we eat which determines whether we will eventually get diabetes.
Diabetes is now the number four reason people die in the United States and that has nothing to do with genetics. People who live in other countries where they mainly eat vegetables and fruit, rice, fresh fish from open air markets don’t have our disease rates that we do, but when they acquire the American high fat high sugar diet they get our diseases like cancer, heart attack, stroke and diabetes at the same rate we do.

Whilst genetics and aging factors may play a part we can do much to avoid the onset of diabetes by a change in diet and more exercise. Many studies have shown that these play a significant role in halting the effects of diabetes and can even reverse whether our pre-diabetes stage turns into full blown diabetes. Carefully watching your carb and junk food intake and particularly sugar can help to reverse diabetes and add some moderate exercise in to get the full effects. Diet and exercise are not easy to change for many of us but a poor diet lies at the root of many health problems and diabetes is just one of those.

High blood pressure is a health problem worldwide. Over 30% of adults in the U.S. population have been diagnosed with hypertension and it’s estimated that only half of them have their disease under control. That being said, it’s vital that people who have it or are at risk of contracting it reduce their blood pressure naturally. That way, they will be free from the common side effects that medication usually produces. Here are the top five ways to lower your blood pressure without harming yourself.
1. Exercise

Research has shown that regular exercise reduces high blood pressure. Surprisingly, low and moderate intensity exercise are as effective as high-intensity exercise for treating this health issue. According to research, exercising 30 minutes daily for at least four days a week will lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 mg. Exercising can also help you avoid this malady in case you still don’t have it but have been told that doctors there’s a high chance that you’ll develop it in the future. Aerobic exercise is the best alternative for treating high blood pressure. You can exercise by walking, hiking, biking, or swimming, and even dancing – all of them work.
2. Eat Less Salt
By reducing your salt (and sodium) intake, you can reduce your blood pressure by up to 8 mg. Experts recommend eating less than 2,300 mg of Sodium a day to start seeing benefits in this regard. To do this, you may want to start reading food labels to count and limit the number of mg of Sodium you eat daily. Usually, avoiding processed foods will help you to achieve this. The easiest way is to not use salt altogether with your meals. If this sounds like a hard thing to do, you can do it gradually instead of quitting cold turkey.
3. Eat Potassium-rich Foods

Just as you have to limit your Sodium levels, you have to increase your Potassium intake. According to experts at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, eating between 2,000 and 4,000 mg of Potassium a day will help at bringing your blood pressure levels down. Some of the main foods that contain Potassium are sweet potatoes, potatoes, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, and raisins among others.
4. Change Your Diet
We are what we eat. You should eat as many natural foods as possible. There is something known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet. This diet plan says you should eat foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products that are low in fat. Also keeping certain components such as alcohol and caffeine away is a good tactic as well. Your family’s support when choosing this approach is essential. If they don’t support you, you may consider joining a support group that emphasizes the importance of a proper diet and a healthy lifestyle in general.
5. Meditation
Richard Stein, a doctor, and director of a health department at the New York University states that meditation can be seen as a 30-minute vacation away from the stresses of daily life. He also says that reducing stress in life will improve your cardiovascular health by lowering your blood pressure. A study made in 2012 also proved this statement. In the study, the participants who engaged in a meditation practice had 48% fewer chances of having a stroke or a heart attack than those who didn’t. It’s very important that you choose the meditation style you are most comfortable with. This way, you will actually enjoy the whole process.

Whether this really is the first or fifth pregnancy, you need to know everything you should know about going through these long nine months. You have a significant amount of concerns and worries, and you intend to understand about everything that takes place.

If you are pregnant, it is crucial that you continue to exercise. Exercise helps in reducing the probability of miscarriage and contains been prove to help ease the length and pains of labor and delivery. Also, by exercising when you are pregnant, you may keep off the weight you could gain.

Prior to actually becoming, or wanting to become pregnant, take some kind of prenatal vitamin. The 1st 90 days of your respective pregnancy are when your baby develops its neural cord. Eventually this cord will develop into what we recognize as the spinal column and brain. If your body has already been supplied with the right quantities of iron, calcium and folate, your infant will get the best start from the minute of conception. Read More ...

Knee discomfort is one of the most common pains found as we age. The knee is one of the more complicated joints in the body and one of the most important. It takes essentially all the body weight while executing straightening, flexing, turning and turning features. All these features raise the risk of knee injury. Ther are a lot more acute knee injuries like torn tendon and also cartilage tears are much more widespread in sports involving jumping and running.

However, these injuries are triggered when the knees are overworked. These pains progressively develop over days or weeks and slowly worsen gradually. When muscles and also ligaments are overstretched tiny tears happen (the common pain is normally as a result of inflammation). You can prevent chronic problems by allowing the tear time to recover. Knee pain is generally brought on by the following:

1. When the knees are overworked over a brief amount of time- this usually takes place when one participates in extremely arduous workouts after an extended period of “time Off.” Read More ...