Researchers from the US found Vitamin D could improve mood swings during winter months when there is a lack of sunshine and more time spent indoors. Vitamin D deficiency continues to be a problem despite a vast amount of information pointing to its benefits.The video below provides a thorough explanation of vitamin D functions and risks when there is a deficiency.
The recommended range of vitamin D level is 30-60ng/ml but many kiwis are well below the preferred range. Exposure to sunlight (a natural source of Vitamin D) is limited in winter from various factors such as less time out doors and diet alone cannot provide sufficient amounts. The researchers recommend this 3 combination to help your mood level and reduce other health risks 1.Adequate dietary Vitamin D intake (foods such as Salmon, Fish liver or Cod liver oil, beef liver and egg will provide good source of Vitamin D) 2.Exposure of sunlight 3. Supplements with Vitamin D2 or D3 like Thompsons Vitamin D3 with omega 3 or Blackmores Vitamin D3 The correlation between vitamin D, Blood sugar control, mood are being investigated. Increased insulin resistance is believe to be associated with Depression and diabetics have a greater risk.
Simple tips for better digestion
Like a car which requires regular maintenance and oil change so does the human digestive system. Problems such as bloating, stomach cramps, pain, constipation,hemorrhoids, diarrhoea,heartburn, and indigestion can occur if the digestive system is poorly maintained.
These symptoms can be minimised or eliminated by ways of a healthy diet, supplements and medicines.
PharmacyOnWeb tips for a healthy bowel
1. Enough Fibre Fibre helps to flush out bad bacteria and waste and keeps good gut bacteria in. Plenty of fibre may be beneficial in lowering your cholesterol levels. Benefiber and Metamucil capsules are a good supplement source of fibres if you are not having enough fibres in your diet. The good thing with Benefiber is that it can be mix in with your food or beverage without altering any taste or texture and of course with Metamucil capsules you just swallow it whole in a capsulated form. A new fibre on the market is Phloe, which contains enzyme extracted from kiwi fruit and will certainly help you get back to normal.
2.Probiotics Acidophilus are important probiotic bacterias that help to keep your gut environment healthy in the large intestine. At the same time bad bacteria do not flourish. Keep your bowel healthy with Blis Biorestore Acidophilus and Bifidobacterium.
3.Dairy and Gluten products Not every one can tolerate dairy and gluten products, are you lactose or Gluten intolerance, maybe a simple Glucose intolerance test with Biorevive can help with Gluten intolerance or you if you suffer from lactose intolerance you use our range of natural lactase enzyme supplement so that you enjoy dairy products again.
4. Supplements and Medicines certain medicines such as antibiotics can cause diarrhoea. Iron supplement can cause constipation. If you are taking certain vitamins and supplements then make sure to check with your health professional or naturopath that it does not cause digestive problems
5.Healthy food Try to maintain a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits. less on rich and fatty foods such as chocolate and oily takeaway meals which can cause immediate heartburn and reflux symptoms.
Why do we need DHA omega 3
25-50% of brain fat contains DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid from the omega 3 family. Scientist has found individual lacking in important fatty acid can cause neurological and behavioural problems.
Eating a lot of fish provides a good source of DHA but contamination from heavy metals cannot be
guarantee.
With over 30 years experience studyiing fatty acids in the human body, Efamol, specialises in developing a range of Omega 3 DHA products from the cleanest fish oils which has undergone strict quality control and purification process making it completely safe for you to take.
Sweating is a normal bodily function but for some people it can affect their everyday life. Axillary Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes excessive sweating from your armpits. Affects thousands of people and causing embarrassment.
Improve technology and research enables new antiperspirant and deodorants to be produce which treats the sweating and body odour.
Driclor, an aluminium base antiperspirant is one which guarantees and successfully treats excessive armpit sweating. Rexona Clinical by Unilever is a recent addition to this market using their Trisolid technology but main active ingredients is still aluminium base.
In addition to these there are medical procedures which are available. See your doctor or specialist for further information.
Hypertension means high blood pressure
Hypertension is the foremost cause of heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases and stoke in the United
States. Almost 73 million people in the United States are suffering from high blood pressure and the
count is likely to increase over time.
What is hypertension?
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular
disease.
If you are having high blood pressure, it’ll certainly become obvious during routine checkup. You
can actually have hypertension (high blood pressure) for years and years without any sign or
symptom. The condition is such that symptoms do not manifest very easily. Uncontrolled hypertension
increases the risk of complicated health diseases and especially conditions pertaining to the heart,
such as stroke and heart attack.
Blood pressure is basically the force at which the blood pushes against the walls of the artery. Our
blood pressure is measured by the amount of blood pumped by the heart and the resistance in our
arteries to resist the flow of blood. The more the blood is pumped by the heart, the narrower our
arteries would be and the higher would be the blood pressure levels.
Hypertension tends to develop over the years, and it primarily affects everyone at least once in
their lifetime. However, some of the cases of prolonged hypertension lead to critical complications
eventually. Fortunately, it is now easy to detect high blood pressure levels, and once it has been
identified that you are suffering from high blood pressure, you along with your doctor can work
towards improving the conditions and controlling the blood pressure levels.
Types of Hypertension
There are 2 major types of hypertension and there are 4 other types that are not found frequently.
The 2 major types of hypertension include:
1.Primary Hypertension or Essential Hypertension: This is the most common type of hypertension that
has no particular or underlying cause. Some risk factors and lifestyle habits are often considered
to be the associated cause of this type of hypertension and can as well increase the levels of blood
pressure.
2.Secondary Hypertension: This type of hypertension is usually caused by some reversible factors
such as kidney problems or impaired function, tumors, thyroid dysfunction, over activity of adrenal
gland, sleep apnea, pregnancy, recreational drugs, medications, foods and drinks; and can be cured
in some cases.
The 4 less frequent types of hypertension are:
Malignant Hypertension: It is the most severe type of hypertension, which is progressive in nature.
It can even lead to organ damage. Unless treated properly, it can be fatal within the next 5 years
for most of the patients. Kidney damage, heart failure and/or brain hemorrhage are the main causes
of death. Nevertheless, aggressive treatments can reverse the conditions for the better.
Isolated Systolic Hypertension: This type of hypertension shows a remarkable rise in the systolic
pressure levels; it is never less than 160. This is a common condition in the elderly and is caused
due to age-related stiffness of arteries. The arteries lose its elasticity due to artioslcerosis, a
disease and also the Western lifestyle contributes in many ways to the cause of is condition.
White Coat Hypertension: Also known as anxiety-induced hypertension; stress and anxiety are the main
cause of this type of hypertension. Some life-style modifications, exercise, less alcohol and salt
consumption and weight loss can help in curing this state. A high-fiber and low fat diet can also
help.
Resistant Hypertension: When the blood pressure levels do not go below 140/90, it is considered as a
condition of Resistant Hypertension.
Symptoms:
Hypertension does not have any specific signs or symptoms associated with it, even if the blood
pressure levels are very high.
Although people experiencing high-blood pressure at the early states might experience dizziness,
dull headaches, frequent nosebleeds and fatigue, but none of these can be the symptoms of
hypertension as these are general symptoms. However, these symptoms do not manifest in the early
stages of hypertensions; these occur only when the blood pressure levels have reached its advanced
stages, which is the life-threatening stage.
Tests
Blood pressure can be measured with a special instrument having an inflammable arm cuff and a gauge
for measuring pressure. The blood pressure reading is given in mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) and
has two numbers.
Blood pressure can be measures with two numbers – the first number is the systolic pressure and the
second number is known as the diastolic pressure. A healthy adult usually has a blood pressure level
of 120/80, which is normal. However, in some cases a person might have higher levels of blood
pressure, such as 130/90, which is normal for him/her. But if the pressure level rises to 200/120,
it is extremely high and demands medical assistance.
Modern blood pressure machines are now design for ease of use with automatic cuff inflation and
clinically proven accuracy. Omron are world wide leaders in the field of blood pressure machine
which now includes intellisence technology for fast and error free blood pressure reading with a
touch of the finger.
People having blood pressure levels higher than 120/80 are known always at the risk of developing
hypertension.
Both these numbers of blood pressure reading are very important. But after the age of 50, the
systolic reading becomes more significant. Cases of Isolated systolic hypertension are commonly
noticed in people aged 50 years and above, in which the diastolic pressure remains normal while the
systolic pressure is very high.
Furthermore, people suffering from hypertension might also be recommended some routine tests like
urinalysis, ECG and blood tests that help in measuring the electrical activity of the heart.
Treatment
There are many treatment options available for decreasing blood pressure levels and bringing it back
to the normal state. Some of the commonly used drugs are:
Beta Blockers: These drugs help in reducing the workload of the heart and in opening the blood
vessels, thus causing the heart to beat much slower and with lesser force, forexample Atenolol and
metoprolol. Diuretics: Diuretics, also known as “water pills” help the kidneys to eliminate water and sodium,
thus reducing the volume of blood. Forexample Furosemide,bendrofluazide ACE inhibitors: These medicines help in relaxing our blood vessels by actually blocking development
of the natural chemical which narrows the blood vessels. People having hypertension along with
coronary artery disease are specially treated with ACE inhibitors.Forexample Inhibace Calcium channel blockers: These also have similar effects as ACE inhibitors and it helps in slowing
the heart rate. Forexample Cardizem HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor: Help to prevent fat deposits in the blood vessels. For example Lipitor.
Some other medications can be given when the conditions are more severe in nature. Drugs such as
alpha blockers, alpha-beta blockers, vasodilators and central-acting agents are usually recommended
for serious cases.
Prevention:
Always check your blood pressure levels. Maintain a standard body weight. Lose weight if you are obese as obesity is a major cause of
hypertension. Eat a high blood pressure diet that contains minimum salt and sugar. Eat healthy foods and indulge in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. DASH diet that
emphasizes on vegetables, fruits, low fat dairy products and whole grains. Have potassium in your
diet. Exercise and be physically active. Quit smoking. Manage your stress levels. Practice healthy relaxation techniques and slow deep breathing techniques.
If you are suffering from hypertension, do not forget to take your medicines on time. Visit your doctor regularly and check your blood pressure numbers to be healthy and hearty! If you blood pressure is slightly elevated you can also try natural supplement such as Thompsons Hawthorn tablets.
Health Conditions
