©iStockphoto.com - Stalman

I was recently going through the Los Angeles Times reporting of the increasing number of cases involving bed bugs all over Southern California. As many as 55 cases of bedbugs have been reported from apartments, hospitals, movie theaters, churches and clothing stores recently. New Yorkers really had a bad time during summer when a few people reported bedbugs crawling on their clothes! “It’s really all over the county,” said Angelo J. Bellomo, director of environmental health for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Bedbugs were common before World War II, but after that they were almost eradicated with improved hygiene and the usage of DDT pesticide. They are back again and the reason is given by Michael Potter, Ph.D., an entomologist at the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture. According to him, the various reasons include an increase in the number of international travelers and secondly greater movement of people in general. In addition to this there has been a change in pest control practices in recent times. The commonly used pesticides for bug control are less effective than DDT. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - meikla

It is often thought that heart diseases occur more in men, but American Heart Association (AHA) states that heart disease kills more than 500,000 women annually. In 2001, over half of the people who died from coronary disease were women. The National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute claims that out of ten American women aged 45-64, one has some form of heart disease. In women over the age of 65, these numbers double.

Dr. Massimo Guisti of Cardiovascular Associates of Virginia, PC says that, “Women still think they cannot have coronary disease. Women are more afraid of ovarian or breast cancer, but coronary disease is the actually the leading cause of death in women.” (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - AlexRaths

Its time of kids’ holiday. They are very much around the house and you still have lots of holiday shopping, decorations, gift wrapping and holiday cooking left for the upcoming party. In this busy time, you need to take care of everything around you. Don’t lose your temper and stay calm. A little extra planning  will make your party a stress-free experience for you.

Some important points to keep in mind:

Start planning four to six weeks before you have a party. Don’t let the holiday season run you. Plan each day so that you know  what is ahead the next day and you prepare yourself according to that. The schedule can also be displayed in kitchen or any other place where all family members can actually see it and expect the things. This makes the task of preparations for the party go smoothly. (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - kirza

The holiday season and the celebration time is around the corner. You would have a lots of parties, gatherings, potlucks and eating out plans with your friend and family. This togetherness will bring the lasting joy and happiness but this may also bring you to an excuse of staying away from fitness and healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips that will keep you on the track of your a healthy routine:

Stay active no matter what: Remain active throughout the holiday season. Consider your exercise, workout or walk/run time as an appointment. You have to workout at least a 30 minutes 5 days a week. If you are pressed for time, divide your workout in two sessions according to your convenience.

Focus on people: The holidays are all about meeting people and family friends, spending time with them, chatting and laughing. Its not only about food. At times the focus remains only on food. Instead focus on your loved ones, activities and the traditions. (continue reading…)

ⓒ Janet Harriett

People are looking for organic as it is difficult to find any fruits and vegetables grown without a whole load of chemicals. But its not that you always have to look around and find all the organic food, which may be costlier than the non-organic one. Washing food items can only remove dirt, bacteria, insects and the pesticide residue, but not the whole of it because these chemicals are absorbed by the fruits and vegetables. Some other chemicals form bonds with either with its skin or core, thus washing does not help much in such a case. Peeling off may help a little bit but doesn’t eliminate the chemicals totally. By just switching to a few organic fruits and vegetables, you can reduce the amount of pesticides going into your body. The fruits and vegetables listed below are grown with so many chemicals that you pose a real thereat to your body by consuming them on a regular basis.

Strawberries

It is said that the strawberries grown with chemicals are so full of them that the fruit itself can be ground up and used as a pesticide!! An estimated 65 percent of various agro-chemicals including pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, weedicides, herbicides etc are used over strawberry crop. For example, for getting rid of fungus, methyl bromide, a chemical responsible for depleting the ozone, is used. This chemical can cause poisoning and neurological disorders. It has been kept in toxicity Category I compound by EPA classification. The strawberries plants are drip-fed on chemical fertilizers and the chemicals to kill all microorganisms and other living things in the soil. (continue reading…)

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I am here with a story of my friend, Nicole, who is my next door neighbor. This friend of mine had a perception that she is out of shape. During her routine check up, her physician told her that she has got just the perfect weight and BMI and she is good. But, the numbers on the scale never matched her expectations so she decided to cut back the fat from her diet altogether. The result was that within a few days she ended up having depression and a few other problems related to vitamin deficiencies.

Yes that’s true! Having a diet too low in fat can have a negative effect on your overall health. Consumption of less that 20% of the calories from fat from your food intake for a long a time can lead to some serious health issues. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 20% to 35% of your daily calories should come from fat if you are a healthy adult. It is always a good idea to keep a check on the fat intake so as to mange weight and reduce the risk of heart disease but you should make sure that you are taking the minimum amount of healthy fat from food sources like almonds, avocado, tuna, salmon, flax seeds, olive oil, canola oil. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - webphotographeer

Alcohol is both a tonic and a poison. More than half of all adults drink, but, not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic. It is said that moderate alcohol consumption helps to protect against heart disease by raising HDL (good) cholesterol and reducing plaque accumulations in your arteries, and also has mild anti-coagulating effect, which helps keep platelets from clumping together to form clots.

The effect of alcohol depends upon the person’s size, weight, sex and age. Drinking more than three drinks a day has a direct toxic effect on the heart. The immediate effects of alcohol intake may cause talkativeness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, if taken in larger quantity. Heavy drinking over the time can damage the heart and lead to high blood pressure, enlarged and weakened heart, congestive heart failure and stroke. Health experts recommend that women should not take more than one standard drink a day, and men take no more than two standard drinks; standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Women should have no more than 12 ounces of beer a day and men no more than 24 ounces —whether the beer is regular or light. By nature, a woman’s body metabolizes alcohol differently so that 1 alcoholic beverage in a woman is equal to 2 in a man. Alcohol remains in a woman’s body longer than in a man’s.

(continue reading…)