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How to Prevent Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness When Exercising

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Posted 29 Oct 2011 — by admin
Category Diseases and Conditions, Health Procedures, Keeping Healthy

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS is described as muscle pain that occurs 12-48 hours after the muscles were subjected to vigorous exercise. It can be more frequently experienced when you exercise at a particular intensity that the body is not yet used to, like when you initiate a new exercise regimen or when you progress your usual exercise to a heightened intensity or duration.

The reason why you experience DOMS is because of microscopic tearing of the smaller components of your muscles called muscle fibers. Aside from the tearing, swelling can also occur at the muscle fibers, causing you to experience muscle pain. Studies say that the greater the intensity of exercise, the greater will the microscopic tearing be, and so it also follows that the soreness of the muscles will be of a greater extent. There are studies that further say that eccentric or lengthening contractions of muscles are more likely to cause DOMS. Examples of activities that require eccentric muscle contractions are slowly lowering of weights after you have lifted it and the downward motion that you perform during squats and push-ups.

Although DOMS can largely cause discomfort, rest assured that it is a normal phenomenon. It is actually expected that when you subject the muscles to strenuous exercise, DOMS will eventually occur in a few days. However, there are measures that you can do to prevent the occurrence of DOMS. To avoid the discomfort of having that dull, aching type of pain days after you exercise, follow these three important measures:

  • Include a warm-up exercise for at least 10-15 minutes before your actual exercise regimen.

Gentle stretching of your muscles prior to your high intensity exercise can lower the tendency for you to experience DOMS. When you stretch prior to exercise, the muscles get more prepared for the actual exercise regimen.

  • Perform a cool-down exercise for at least 10-15 minutes after the actual exercise regimen.

Having a cool-down exercise after vigorous exercise, rather than suddenly stopping, can help in preventing the occurrence of DOMS. Cool-down can be in a form of gentle stretching or low-intensity activities such as walking or marching in place.

  • Progress your exercise gradually, not drastically.

With regards to progression of exercise, follow the ten percent rule. Progress the duration or intensity of your exercise only by ten percent a week. Also, be aware not to make sudden changes to your exercise regimen.

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Different Stress Relievers That You Should Learn About

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Posted 27 Oct 2011 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Diseases and Conditions, Health Procedures, Home Remedies, Keeping Healthy

Most lifestyles today are full of deadlines, hectic schedules or quotas. That is why stress is a common experience for most of us today. The fact that some people consider stress as a natural thing is not a good idea. This is because, people might not be aware of how much stress is creeping into their systems and affecting their health. When stress becomes chronic without you doing anything about it, it may greatly affect your mental, physical and social health. This is why; stress relievers must be learned by you before stress takes its toll on your body.

Studies say that a large percentage of primary care consultation to physicians is due to stress-related issues. Come to think of it, these medical consultations could have been minimized if people know how to deal with stress on their own. If you think you are stressed now, you should learn some techniques that are known to be effective stress relievers. Do not let stress damage your health and well-being. You should do something about it now!

Find time to exit from the pressures of your daily routine. Try these different stress relievers and save yourself from the long-term adverse effects of stress.

  • Studies reveal that quiet reflection is one of the most effective stress relievers. This is done by stopping for a while, despite how fast paced the day is, and just think of thoughts that will be relaxing to you. It may be in a form of imagination of a serene place or reminiscing on a favorite memory. Studies further say that doing this for 10-20 minutes is the most effective duration that will help you relieve your stress.
  • Make a to-do list in chronological order based on the weight of priority of the tasks. To-do lists are also very effective stress relievers. Not only will they help you organize the things that you have to do, they will also decrease your tendency to mind-race. After you have listed the things that you should do in a day, cut your list into half. This means that you need only to do the “top priority tasks” in a span of one day.
  • Have a regular exercise regimen. Exercise helps your body to release the happy hormones called endorphins. These hormones are proven by many studies to reduce stress. In addition to this, endorphins cause a positive or euphoric feeling in the body that can help you have a renewed feeling of energy that will help you cope with the daily hassles that you will encounter.
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Know, Manage and Avoid the Harmful Effects of Stress

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Posted 26 Oct 2011 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Health Procedures, Home Remedies

Know, Manage and Avoid the Harmful Effects of Stress

Many studies have proven how a stressful life can hurt your health. According to experts, stress causes some disruptions to the chemical activities in the brain. This is the rationale how stress can cause adverse effects to your health. That is why, if you feel that you are experiencing chronic stress, you must be alarmed about the harmful effects of stress and make a lifestyle modification to minimize the stressors in your daily life. Whatever the stressor is, it should be dealt with properly before it’s too late.

What causes stress?

Before getting to know the harmful effects of stress, you must first get acquainted with the idea of stress itself. Stress is something that we cannot totally eradicate in our life. In fact there is a point wherein stress is still considered as healthy. A small dose of stress can actually motivate a person to learn how to perform with grace under pressure.

Stress is the body’s mechanism to be able to cope that is why, at some level, it is favorable for the body. However, it is when stress becomes heightened and chronic will the body experience the harmful effects of stress.

Any change in your usual routine, whether it is a good or bad change, can cause stress. It may be a life-changing event, a physical state of health or any environmental change. There is always a negative connotation to stress, thinking that stressors are always in negative forms like deadlines, financial obligations or relationship problems. However, positive changes that happen in your life such as getting married, receiving a job promotion or having a new baby can also cause stress.

How does stress creep in the body

The question is, at what extent will the harmful effects of stress occur? The body responds to stress in a way that the body is being prepared for a “fight or flight” reaction. This is made possible by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Imagine the body undergoing chronic stress, there is an experience of a prolonged “fight or flight” situation which can possibly disrupt the physiologic processes of almost all the systems of the body.

To avoid reaching to a point that the body experiences the harmful effects of stress, you must be conscious of the red flags that will alert you that you are already experiencing chronic stress. Among these red flags are the following:

  • Drastic physical changes such as body aches, headaches, unexplained weight changes, hormonal imbalances, heart palpitations and insomnia
  • Mental and emotional symptoms like constantly having racing thoughts, forgetfulness, irritability, restlessness and short temper
  • Changes in functional level to a point where productivity is already being altered to a great extent
  • Social and behavioral manifestations such as nervous behaviors (nail biting, pacing or fidgeting), isolation and picking on other people

What illnesses are correlated to stress?

The most dangerous of all harmful effects of stress is the fact that stress is correlated to many types of illnesses. Stress is found to lower the body’s immune system, making you more prone to have colds or infections. Other illnesses related to stress are cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

Aside from these, additional harmful effects of stress are disruptions in fertility, which may cause a woman to experience difficulty in conceiving a child. Aside from other sexual dysfunctions caused by stress, it can also cause vaginal dryness, absence of menstruations and decreased sexual drive.

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Coping with Stress through Natural Means

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Posted 23 Oct 2011 — by admin
Category Alternative Medicine, Home Remedies, Keeping Healthy

Coping with stress using natural methods is quite easy if people become aware of it. Here are ways you can cope with stress.

1. Exercise

Exercising would help release those harmful substances accumulating in your system. When you sweat it out, unwanted substances are excreted through your sweat, urine, stool and breath.

2. Do breathing exercises

“Breath in and breathe out” exercises are excellent to relieve stress. Inhale with all your force using your nose and then exhale forcefully using your mouth and nose simultaneously. You could also take this opportunity to meditate.

3. Be an optimist

This is the most important thing to manage stress. When you look at things positively, the less stressed out you will be. This is because you spend your time worrying about unnecessary things.

Have a positive outlook in life, exercise and meditate. These three would definitely reduce your stress and allow you to enjoy life as you should. Coping with stress is a doable goal.

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Glucose Determination -Ortho-toluidine Manual Method

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Posted 17 Sep 2011 — by admin
Category Clinical Chemistry, Laboratory Procedures

Precautions  for Glucose Determination (Ortho-Toluidine Method)

As presented by  kit procedure

1. Patient should have fasted for 8-12 hours.
2. Unhemoylzed, non icteric and non turbid serum should be used to avoid interferences
with the procedure.
3. The reagent contains sodium azide, which is corrosive, so PPE should be worn.
4. The solution should be brought to a boil to ensure proper reaction.

MANUAL PROCEDURE PROPER: ORTHOTOLUIDINE  METHOD

1. Prepare Three tubes labeled, SA (Sample)/ C (Control), ST (Standard) and RB (Reagent Blank).

2. To the SA/C tube add 0.1 ml of the test specimen/ Control specimen.

3. To the ST tube add 0.1 ml of the standard stock solution.

4. To the RB tube add 0.1 ml of distilled water.

5. Add 4 ml of glucose reagent to all tubes. Cap and mix by gentle inversion.

6. Boil all tubes at 100 degrees centigrade for 8 minutes.

7. Cool tubes in running tap water for about 2 minutes.

8. Read absorbance of solutions in the spectrophotometer with appropriate cuvets at 636 nanometers against the RB (Reagent Blank).

9. Compute for the Cu (Concentration of the Unknown making use of the formula:

Cu= Absorbance of Unknown(Au) multiplied by the Concentration of the
Standard(Cs) divided by the Absorbance of the Standard (As)

Adapt the unit of the Cs

Normal Values = 60 – 100 mg/dL
to convert values to mmol/L multiply values in mg/dL with 0.0555

Normal high can reach   as far  as  120 mg/dL

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Reducing Stress in the Workplace

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Posted 08 Sep 2011 — by admin
Category Keeping Healthy, Workplace health practices

You can reduce stress in the workplace through the following  steps.

1. Work  in  an ergonomically  safe  place

Your table and chair should be appropriate or your height,  weight and leg length. You should be seated comfortably with your feet touching the floor and not hanging from your chair.  The back rest of your chair should fit snugly into your back. This  would reduce  your stress because discomfort can lead to lots of stress.  When you”re comfortable you can also stay safe.

2. Remove all sources of destruction

If you’re not comfortable with music around you, then get rid of it. Each person has his own preferences. Some persons could work more with soft music piped in, but many people want silence when working.

3. List your activities for the day

You may want to write down a checklist for the day, listing your priorities first. Having a list would also make sure you performed the most important tasks first. As you finish one task, you can cross it out until you’re done with your list. This practice would reduce stress because you know exactly what to do next.

4. Be organized

In any office work that you do, be organized. Being organized will avoid catching up with last minute deadlines, which could cause great stress. Aside from organizing your work, you should also organize your working area. Be sure you know where each item is kept. Labeling folders would help a lot in organizing your files.

Reducing stress in the workplace will depend much on you. You know what stresses you out at work, so devise a means to avoid or prevent their occurrence.

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Common Sources of Stress

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Posted 06 Apr 2011 — by admin
Category Diseases and Conditions, Health Procedures, Keeping Healthy

The world you live in has continuous demands from you. Whether you are working or you are still in school, the stressors come in different ways. Although stress may be good, too much of it can also be a bad sign. Thus, it is recommended that you at least minimize them. The best way to reduce the stress in your life is to be aware of their common sources.

Interpersonal Relationships

Maintaining a good interpersonal relationship with the significant people around you entails effort and time. The key in keeping the harmony with your family and friends is an open line of communication. Generally, simple misunderstandings can lead to big arguments if you do not communicate well.

Life Adjustment

If your body is accustomed to your daily routine, changing your regular schedule can cause significant stress in your life. If you have been used in working, enjoying financial abundance, and physical wellness, a sudden change in these situations can put pressure to you. Loss of employment, economic crisis and illness require life adjustment. If you are not ready for these and you lose support from your family, you might end up feeling depressed.

Because changes are constant in life, you need to be ready for them. The best way to prepare for the adverse situations is by keeping an intact interpersonal relationship with others

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Anti-Aging Regimens to Age Gracefully

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Posted 02 Apr 2011 — by admin
Category Keeping Healthy

Aging is a dreaded stage by many people especially for women. They relate old age with wrinkles, dry skin and white hair. If there is a magic product that can stop the aging process, for sure, this secret will go flying off the shelves within minutes. As a product of the constant search of man to delay the process, there are some anti-aging regimens that are highly recommended for all enthusiasts.

Get Foods High in Anti-Oxidants

According to some researches, free radicals speed up the aging process. The chemicals are the result of the constant pollution in the environment. To reduce its adverse effect in the body, you need to take more anti-oxidants. This comes in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Some examples are berries, legumes, nuts and seeds, cereals and spices.

Protect yourself from the Sun

The harmful UV ray from the sun is the major culprit of the ugly signs of old age. If you want to look younger from your actual age, avoid extreme exposure to the sun especially during peak hours. If you must stay outdoors, use sun block with high SPF and wear glasses. There are several products that contain sun screen protection in the market. You just have to choose based on your skin type.

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Benefits of Exercises for Pregnant Women

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Posted 30 Mar 2011 — by admin
Category Diseases and Conditions, Health Procedures

Exercises for pregnant women have been proven to be beneficial to in preparing a woman’s body for child birth and childcare. For those women who have been physically active prior to being pregnant, you might be wondering if there are still exercises that you can do even during this time that you are pregnant.

However, there might be a lot of hesitations with regards to the safety of performing exercises for pregnant women. There might be a lot of questions that will run on a pregnant woman’s mind. Is this exercise not harmful for my baby? How do I know the intensity and frequency of exercise? What would be the benefits of this exercise?

First of all, it is important to consider if your pregnancy is an uncomplicated one. Your willingness to participate in exercises for pregnant women may be consulted to your obstetrician-gynecologist during your regular prenatal check-ups. Some women, especially those who are experiencing a threatened abortion are contraindicated for exercise. Thus, a clearance from your doctor should be acquired first.

The benefits that you can obtain from exercises for pregnant women are:

1.      Increased strength of the pelvic floor muscles

- This is good for you because the pelvic floor muscles support the contents of the abdominal cavity

-When these muscles are strong, there would be better support for the growing baby on your womb.

-Studies say that when pelvic floor muscles are toned, it also increases sexual pleasure for both the woman and her partner.

2.      Awareness of contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles

-          This would be beneficial, especially for first time moms, because they might not yet be aware of the feeling of contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles.

-          Being able to control contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles can help you have ease during delivery.

3.      Increased strength of the abdominal muscles

-          Abdominal muscles are overstretched during pregnancy, and thus, they have the tendency to weaken.

-          Strengthening your abdominal muscles reduces strain on your back and helps you to avoid back pain, which is a common complaint during pregnancy.

4.      Increased strength and flexibility of upper extremity muscles

-          This is good for you because it prepares you for the increased physical demands that you have to meet during child care.

For you to determine the procedures, intensity and duration of the exercises for pregnant women, it is advised to seek for the expertise of a physical therapist. These professionals may give you advice on the right parameters of exercises for you.

As you now know that there would be a great deal of benefits that you will get by performing exercises for pregnant women, also keep in mind two things: compliance & safety. First, compliance is important for an exercise to be effective. Second, do not overdo whatever among the exercises for pregnant women that you perform, because two much stress on your body might increase uterine contractions and that might be harmful for you and your baby.

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Enhancing Brain Power by Lifestyle Modification

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Posted 27 Mar 2011 — by admin
Category Health Procedures, Home Remedies, Keeping Healthy

In today’s very competitive world wherein brain power is a major element for somebody to be on top, it is important to enhance the brain’s maximum potential. In school or even in the corporate arena, brain power is one big asset that is good to invest on. Furthermore, knowing that studies about aging say that our brain functioning slows down as we age, we must aim for keeping our brain healthy while we are still young, to diminish the rate of decline of brain power during old age.

Before learning how to enhance brain power, it is more important to know how to protect our brain from decline. As the saying goes, “first, do no harm”. The two most important measures in preventing brain power decline are avoiding frequent alcohol intake and quitting smoking. Alcohol has very harmful effects to the brain. It kills neurons, which are the cells found on the brain. These neurons are classified as permanent cells. Thus, they are types of cells that do not regenerate once they die. The more you take alcohol, the more neurons are killed and thus, the more decline in brain power can occur. On the other hand, smoking increases nicotine in the body. Nicotine causes our blood vessels to constrict, which may cause a decrease blood supply to the brain.

Enhancing our brain power is ideally a multi-factorial approach which narrows down to one idea: living a healthy lifestyle. When we say “living a healthy lifestyle”, it all includes regular exercise, balanced diet, enough sleep and having just the right amount of stress. These are all very basic, but also indeed very ideal. And we all know that in this very busy world, some cannot afford to exercise three to four times a week or even to sleep eight hours a day. But definitely, even the busiest of people love to eat. It is suggested now that we can eat different types of food that can enhance brain power.

Food that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like fish and walnuts, are said to be brain enhancers because omega-3 fatty acids help maintain a good blood supply to the brain by keeping its blood vessels clear. Foods that are rich in antioxidants are also good for the brain because they decrease the free radicals in the brain. Examples of food rich in antioxidants are guavas, blueberries and dark chocolate. Dark chocolate also has caffeine, which is a natural brain stimulant. Caffeine is good for the brain if taken in regulated amounts. Lastly, since glucose is the major fuel that makes the brain work, foods that are rich in carbohydrates are also advised. Take note however that these are complex carbohydrates, so that a steady, not a fluctuating blood sugar supply is given to the brain. Examples of complex carbohydrates are whole grain bread, brown rice and oats.

One should invest on enhancing brain power now. It could be done by lifestyle modification.

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