Health and medical news Blog
Welcome to our look into the world of healthy lifestyle
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Protein is the second most plentiful substance in our bodies next to water. Protein builds new tissue and repairs damaged cells. Protein also is needed in our bodies for the formation of hormones and enzymes which play a variety of roles in the body such as metabolism, growth, and sexual development. It is also used by the body to regulate the body’s fluid level and help control the acid alkaline level.
Protein consists of around 22 amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Protein is classified into two types: complete and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins supply all of the 8 essential amino acids: lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine, leucine, isoluecine and valine. Eggs are the best source of amino acids (complete proteins), followed by dairy products and meats.
Vegetarians can obtain their protein from seeds, nuts and lentils but it is best to vary the diet and obtain your dietary protein from a range of different foods. Remember eggs, dairy products, and red meats are high in cholesterol. The use of egg whites, skim milk, lean meats and fish is best.
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Tags: General health
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Fats, or lipids, furnish us with twice as much energy for our bodies than that of protein or carbohydrate. Fat is needed in our daily diet for the correct usage of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K.
Fat insulates our bodies giving us protection from sudden changes in temperature and at the same time protects the vital organs of the body against damage.
The average Australian consumes around 40 per cent of their total calorie intake in the form of fat. Fat is important in the diet because it gives the diet staying qualities as fat is absorbed in the body at a much slower rate than that of carbohydrate or protein. This is very important because it makes the meal satisfying, so, by having a little fat in our diets the feeling of hunger will be delayed.
There are two types of substances that give fat different flavours and textures. They are known as fatty acids, either saturated (which come mainly from animal sources) or unsaturated, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (which come from the vegetable kingdom) and are found in foods such as nuts, vegetables, and seeds’. There are three essential fatty acids. They are linolenic, arachidonic, and linoleic. All are very important and because they cannot be manufactured in our bodies they must become an integral part of our daily diet.
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Tags: General health
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There are three types of carbohydrates that are important to us:
Polysaccharides: These are the most complex of the carbohydrates and they are made up from many carbohydrate units. The most common polysaccharide in our diet would be in the form of starch which is found in grains such as rice, wheat, corn. Other foods such as potatoes are another good source of complex carbohydrate.
The other carbohydrates are monosaccharides and disaccharides.
Disaccharides: These are double sugar: sucrose, lactose, and maltose: sucrose, or table sugar is the most widely consumed disaccharide. The average consumption of sugar in Australia is around 60kg per person per year. In these quantities sugar is a health problem, leading to heart disease and other health problems.
Monosaccharides: There are three types of monosaccharides: glucose, fructose, and galactose. Glucose is the most important monosaccharide. All other carbohydrates are either obtained from it or changed into it. The body stores glucose by changing it into glycogen which is stored in the muscles and liver. This can be easily changed back to glucose when the body requires it for quick energy.
The main function of carbohydrates is to supply the body with energy and for the formation of cellular constituents.
A lack of carbohydrate in the diet (as with some of the liquid quick weight-loss diets) can lead to the production of ketones in the body. This increase in ketones decreases the alkalinity and increases the acidity of the blood resulting in a condition known as Ketosis and metabolic acidosis. It is important to balance the diet as metabolic acidosis can be very serious.
Your carbohydrate intake should be around 60 per cent of your food intake in the form of complex carbohydrates. Eating too many monosaccharides such as table sugar is not the way to get your sugar requirement. Although it will give quick energy (because of the increased blood sugar level) these levels soon drop and leave you feeling run down and craving for more sugar. Eat fruit instead.
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Tags: General health
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First, what is this thing we call nutrition? All of us have seen a never-ending number of fad diets: some to control weight, others supposedly to stop us growing old. Where will it end? We seem to be getting further and further away from the basics. In this chapter, we will look at the six basic nutrients that make our food and what part they play in our bodies. Nutrition is not just what we eat but what we absorb from our foods.
The Six Basic Nutrients
1 Water
2 Carbohydrates
3 Fats
4 Proteins
6 Minerals
Water
The first nutrient that we have on the list is probably the most under-rated and yet the most important.
Did you know that your body is made up of around 70% water? This water is needed to form blood and body fluids without which our bodies would not be able to dissolve and carry the essential nutrients to all parts of the body. Water is needed in the body to help maintain the body temperature and it is also needed to carry away the body’s waste products.
The human body will die if deprived of water for only a few days. Yes, our water supply is very important to us and the average Australian should consume around 8 to 10 glasses of water each day in the form of foods containing water or liquids.
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Tags: General health
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Take the case of Robert and Jane. Their six-year marriage had hit serious snags and they were working—seemingly to no avail—with a psychiatrist to iron things out. Robert had trouble getting an erection, and seven months of very expensive therapy was fueling his anger, making his ED a burden that grew heavier day after day.
The primary conflict in their marriage was Jane’s career. While Koberi was proud of her accomplishments—she was a successful and highly visible banker—he chafed at her absences from home. And although he certainly admired her financial acumen and respected her choice to keep her personal finances and investments separate from his, the fact that she was more savvy at it than he was bothering him.
Jane, on her part, craved intimacy with her husband. She knew that her extended absences were a strain on their marriage and she felt that closeness was even more important those times when she was home. But when she was there, she was tired and sex wasn’t necessarily what she needed or wanted.
Robert, on the other hand, began to feel that Jane’s frequent absences were growing proof that she didn’t really love him. And when they did have time for sex, he found, to his growing dismay, that he was often unable to achieve an erection. His anxiety increased, leading to more erectile failure, which, in turn, led to even more worry about his performance in bed. Eventually, he avoided any kind of physical closeness altogether.
Jane took his behavior as a clear sign that he was no longer interested in her. One night, they finally had the confrontation that had been building for months. When Robert, after two glasses of Scotch, told Jane that her career left no room for him and made him feel worthless, she was stunned. The ultimate accusation was even worse: his ED, he said, was her fault.
Stung by his words, Jane knew they were at a turning point in their marriage. Fortunately, she had heard about the clinical trials of the new oral ED medications from a colleague. Feeling there was nothing to lose, she mentioned them and offered to accompany Robert to my office.
Now they began to make headway in their work with the psychiatrist, and they were willing and able to address the issues that concerned them. Defining what intimacy and sex meant to each of them, as well as dealing with the problems brought about by careers and finances, brought them closer. And as their communication skills improved, their relationship flourished. Over time, Robert’s’ erectile difficulties began to vanish. Soon, he found that he didn’t always need a pill to achieve an erection.
But the best part of this story is this: the effect of psychotherapy is jump-started by the medication, and the time an ED patient will spend in a therapist’s office is, therefore, vastly reduced. Had Robert come to me for the medication as soon as his problem began, I might have been able to shorten his time on the psychiatrist’s couch by half.
Mark, Jim, and Robert are just three of my many patients who have had their sex lives fully restored using the new medications. Whether the syndrome is provoked by changes in circumstances, which cause a temporary and easily rectified problem, or by ongoing worries about endurance, past performance, or other conditions, this medication regimen can help. Its effect is so profound that it is capable of aiding those men who suffer from ED as the result of certain diseases. 11 can even produce startling results for men who have suffered with ED for a decade or more.
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Tags: Men’s Health