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Calorie Counting Done The Right Way = Weight Loss? Absolutely!

Erik Pijcke
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You and I know that losing fat and staying in great shape is a difficult task because it is so hard to stay motivated and it is so tempting to cheat, especially when you can hide the cheating. We dieters have all been in a starving situation when dieting and our mind reasons very quickly why that extra piece of pie is not going to hurt us. We take it, forget about it and then wonder next day why we didn’t lose weight.
For most of us dieting is a constant battle between emotion and reason and when hungry, reason is out of the window and emotion just wins. We do not see the immediate effects of our behavior and therefore our brain is fooled into thinking that everything is all right. On the other hand, let’s say you would get very sick when eating more than you need, overeating would stop very quickly.
Getting sick after a little bit of overeating does normally not happen therefore we need to find a different way to show the consequences of our behavior. We need to show this in a factual manner, an immediate visual display of the results of our cheating. It is not punishment right away, but over time our brain will be conditioned such that taking an extra piece of pie will give negative weight loss results. Then we will start to understand why we don’t lose weight and can pinpoint the causes.
What should this visual display look like? First I like charts, they are very easy to understand and can show trends and correlations between variables. In this chart I would like to see over a period of time, the average calories that I take in per day compared with the average calories that I burn per day. If the chart shows that the intake calories are lower than the burned calories, I will lose weight and vice versa I will gain weight. Correlate that with a chart that shows your weight or BMI (Body Mass Index) over time and I have the tool that helps me regulate my food consumption versus my daily activities.
If I add my hunger levels before and after the meals, I can fine tune my meal plans and daily activities. In this way I can sustain my dieting for a long time and preferably it will become my way of life. I have minimized the hunger pain and increase the pleasure of losing weight and feeling more attractive.
There is abundance of free online food calorie calculators. These calorie counters just display nutrition facts and are not going to help you lose weight. Nor is a simple calorie calculator that tries to calculate your calories burned solely based on your weight and average activity level. These are simple little gimmicks that are a waste of your time.
Only when you seriously can track and correlate your calorie intake and calories burned over time, depending on your age, weight, gender, height and individual activity intensity levels can you precisely measure your calorie balance. Seeing visually that your weight loss program works is a big motivator to stay on track. Also you can see immediately when you are off track and you can adjust your situation accordingly.
Acquiring great health is a complex task. Interrelating factors like diet, nutritional facts, meal plans, calorie balance, body reading measurements, supplement and medicine intake, exercise routines, daily activity intensity and costs will make it very difficult for you to see the forest for the trees.
Well designed software that keeps track of all of the above factors and can correlate them will make it very easy to manage your health, fitness, weight loss, muscle mass gain or any goal you have set…
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Pinched Median Nerve at the Wrist

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889

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Carpal tunnel syndrome, a source of annoying symptoms in the wrist and hand, can be reliably diagnosed with the help of nerve conduction studies. Surgical and non-surgical treatments of proven effectiveness are available for this pinched-nerve condition.

carpal tunnel,pinched,median,nerve,overuse,arthritis,diabetes,hypothyroid,pregnancy,splint,surgery,steroid injection

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Carpal tunnel syndrome is by far the most common and widely known of the “pinched nerve” conditions. This article addresses: What is it? Who is at risk for this condition? How is it diagnosed? What kinds of treatments work best?

Carpal tunnel syndrome refers to symptoms caused by entrapment of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. “Carpal” itself means “wrist,” so a carpal tunnel is nothing more than a wrist tunnel. This particular tunnel can be a crowded place, as it contains not just the median nerve, but nine tendons as well. The “syndrome” consists of some combination of pain, numbness and weakness.

Pain, numbness, or both, are the usual earliest symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Pain can affect the fingers, hand, wrist and forearm, but not usually the upper arm or shoulder. Numbness affects the palm side of the thumb and fingers, but usually spares the little finger because it’s connected to a different nerve.

When weakness is present, it usually indicates that the condition is already severe, and when muscles atrophy (wither) it means the condition is even worse. The affected muscles are those downstream from where the nerve is pinched, and can include those controlling any of three motions of the thumb. In addition, bending of the first knuckles of the index and middle fingers can be affected, as can straightening of the second knuckles of the same fingers. When muscle atrophy is present, it is most evident in the muscular ball at the base of the thumb.

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs more frequently in women than in men. People who work with their hands a lot – for example to sew, operate hand-tools or perform assembly-line work – are at increased risk for developing this condition. Various medical conditions can also increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, including injuries, arthritis, diabetes, low levels of thyroid hormone and pregnancy. In the case of pregnancy, carpal tunnel syndrome often appears in the third trimester and resolves after the woman delivers.

Optimum diagnosis of this condition combines the time-honored methods of a doctor’s history-taking and physical examination with tests of nerve function called nerve conduction studies. Nerve conduction studies are exquisitely sensitive in detecting impairment of the median nerve at the wrist, particularly when the median nerve is compared with a nearby healthy nerve in the same patient.

In nerve conduction studies, the nerve on one side of the carpal tunnel is activated by a small shock to the skin. An oscilloscope measures how long it takes for the resulting nerve-impulse to arrive on the other side of the carpal tunnel. When the median nerve is pinched, the nerve-impulse is delayed or blocked. Nerve conduction studies are so sensitive that sometimes they show problems that aren’t even causing symptoms. That’s why nerve conduction studies don’t stand alone in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome. The examining physician needs to decide if the results make sense for the particular patient in question.

Nerve conduction studies not only show whether or not the median nerve is impaired at the wrist, but also provide precise data concerning how bad the impairment is. In addition, these studies survey the function of other nerves in the arm and hand. Occasionally, a nerve in an adjacent tunnel (the ulnar nerve in Guyon’s canal) can also be pinched. In other cases, nerve conduction studies show that the problem is not one of single nerve-pinches, but rather a more diffuse pattern of nerve-impairment called polyneuropathy. Of course, sometimes the studies are completely normal and suggest that the symptoms are due to something else.

To treat carpal tunnel syndrome, starting with “conservative” treatment makes sense in most cases, especially when the symptoms are still in the mild-to-moderate range. Conservative treatment usually includes a wrist-splint that holds the wrist in a neutral position. In a study published in 2005 researchers at the University of Michigan investigated the effectiveness of wrist-splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome in workers at a Midwestern auto plant. In a randomized, controlled trial – the gold standard method for judging treatments – about half the workers received customized wrist-splints that they wore at night for six weeks. The remaining workers received education about safe workplace procedures, but no splints. After treatment the workers with splints had less pain than those without, and the difference in outcome was still evident after one year.

Conservative treatment might additionally include use of anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin or naproxen, or even steroid drugs. A more intrusive, though still non-surgical, treatment consists of injecting steroid medication into the carpal tunnel itself. This might benefit selected patients, but in a 2005 randomized, controlled study of patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms, researchers at Mersin University in Turkey showed that patients receiving splints did better than those who received steroid injections.

Surgeons can relieve pressure on a pinched median nerve by cutting a constricting, overlying band of tissue. A 2002 study at Vrije University in Amsterdam compared surgical treatment to six weeks of wrist-splinting. After 18 months 90% of the operated patients had a successful outcome compared with 75% in the splinted group.

In some cases it can be reasonable to try conservative treatments without first confirming the diagnosis with nerve conduction studies. However, in the author’s opinion, this risk-free form of testing should be performed prior to any carpal tunnel surgery. (Full disclosure: The author performs nerve conduction studies!)

(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley

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Calming The Inner Voice

Chris Green
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Stress. Depression. Anxiety. They’re powerful words that conjure up all kinds of images and prejudices in our minds. People who suffer from these illnesses find it hard to cope with life. They can feel deeply unhappy, they can find no joy in anything life has to offer, and of course, their levels of self-esteem, confidence and self-respect plummet.
But how can this happen to someone?
Let’s concentrate on how these illnesses affect the way we value the self. Of all of the destructive patterns of behavior these illnesses cause, the way a sufferer talks to the self is the fuel that maintains their illness.
I have experienced depression from two sides. For 5 years, a series of traumatic events triggered a personal nightmare I believed would never end. One of these events came when my lover was diagnosed with depression. At this time, I too had entered into the spiral of anxiety-induced depression. Both of these experiences have given me an insight into how sufferers destroy any value of the self.
Let me give a couple of examples. With my partner, if I’d arranged an evening out with friends, she’d say:
“No, I won’t come, you go without me. I never have anything interesting to say. I just bore people. They’ll find me an effort to be with. I’ll stay here.”
If I made a mistake, I’d say to myself:
“I’m useless. I’m no good at anything. Everything I do I get wrong.”
This self-deprecation then spreads into other areas of life. You begin to criticize the way you look, the decisions you make or don’t make, and you focus solely on the downside of life. Each time a little bit of self-worth, a little bit of self-respect and a little bit of self-confidence are eroded. Eventually, they are lost completely. When I reached my lowest point, having lost everything and everyone I loved, I’d say to myself:
“If I died tomorrow, no one would know and no one would care.”
So, what helped me to come out of the fog?
Well, the reason I thought I’d become depressed was because of a series of traumatic events occurring at the same time. I was wrong. The root cause of my depression lay in the ways I reacted to them. One of the ways I’d reacted was to blame myself for events I couldn’t control. The more I blamed myself, the more I beat myself up. The more I beat myself up, the more my self-esteem decreased.
The phrases I have used to briefly illustrate self-deprecating phrases we continually use against the self are mild. I’m sure you realize that many people use much stronger phrases than I’ve given here. The point is that these phrases would be totally unacceptable to say to others. You wouldn’t tell a person that they were boring, an effort to be with and that everyone found their company dull and it would be better for everyone else if they kept away from people.
Agreed?
Yet, if I say to people:
“Pay yourself compliments. Accentuate your good in all areas of your life. Write down your good points, your triumphs, your achievements. Remind yourself as often as possible about all the good you have done.”
They look at me like I’m an alien and say they’d feel stupid. Or uncomfortable. Or even embarrassed.
Yet they don’t feel any of these emotions when they talk to themselves using emotionally charged, self-deprecating phrases! And like rust upon metal, these phrases gradually erode our self-esteem and our confidence.
OK, here’s the bottom-line. I’d like you to inscribe what you are about to read into your mind over and over again until it is permanently etched there:
It is NEVER acceptable to talk to myself in a way I know is inappropriate and even offensive if I spoke in the same way to others.
Time for me to sign off, but before I do, here’s a phrase I say to myself every single day without fail. Please use it, it is very powerful:
“If you put yourself down, down is where you will stay.”

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Call to Wellness

Judy Goring
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date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:12
category:health
article:

!! IMPORTANT!!
Before you continue, please call this toll-free number for a free 15-minute message that will help you to understand this information better. This call is absolutely free and is not a sales message.
Call Toll Free Anytime: 888-363-9480
EVERY Sickness & Disease Begins On a CELLULAR Level
The human body contains around 80 to 100 TRILLION CELLS! It is an incredibly complex system of resources that is necessary to keep this machine called a human body working. If we are to address any issue in the body or help keep the body functioning, we must learn how to provide our bodies with the necessary resources it needs in the correct form. This all occurs on a cellular level.
Around 60 million of body cells die and rebuild EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY! To keep this fantastic process going 24 hours a day, we must provide each and every living cell in our bodies 5 specific resources:
Minerals Vitamins Oxygen Water Proteins The Bloodstream Is the “River Of Life”
Our blood circulates through our body for very important reasons, to carry oxygen and other key elements INTO every cell in our body and to carry dead cells, wastes and contaminants OUT OF our body through natural biological processes.
Because this must occur to keep our trillions of cells alive, the bloodstream is literally the “River of Life”. It is the messenger which transports the RESOURCES in the form of NUTRIENTS throughout the body. The level of cellular health within the body can be directly traced to the types of resources we consume through food and drink everyday. If we were to look at our cells under a microscope, we could identify many, many “inferior” dying or mutated cells in people who consume low nutrient or poorly prepared foods. Conversely, we could identify many, many “superior” health cells in people who consume well-prepared or raw foods high in nutrient value.
The key is simple; everything you put into your mouth has consequences. What you eat and drink everyday has a direct result reflected in your current health and energy levels. When cellular resources deplete, the aging process begins to accelerate.
The 4 Stages of “Degenerative Health
As we grow older, we often find that we have less energy, we are sick more; issues, re-occurring symptoms, conditions, and often diseases begin to occur more often. Fundamentally, this is a direct result of depleting cell health. We call this condition “Degenerative health -or- the Aging Process.
The 4 Stages of “Degenerative Health (The Aging Process)
Stage 1 -Cell Health Depletes
No symptoms are visible. You feel fine regardless of what you are eating. Your body is responding to nutritional deficiencies without any symptoms.
Stage 2 -Organ and Gland Reserves Are Drained
Still, no outward symptoms are visible. Internally, your body is working hard to balance cellular resources. Your internal organ cellular health is changing and beginning to mutate. Gland and organ are no longer functioning at a normal level.
Stage 3 -Microscopic Changes in Living Tissue
Sub-clinical symptoms begin to surface You begin to feel different or worse. Your energy is down. Occasional internal or external pain is occasionally noticed. Gland and organ are now functioning at nominal levels. Worry begins to creep into your conscious thoughts and habits.
Stage 4 -Macroscopic Changes in Living Tissue
Clinical symptoms appear. Disease often sets in and is diagnosed. Many physical and mental challenges begin to surface. Often physical exhaustion and difficulty sleeping occur. Glands and organs are now functioning at low levels. Real fear sets in and people often don’t know where to turn. Although the above information is accurate and somewhat disturbing, there is always hope.
Your body CAN regenerate cellular health from Stage 4 (or any other stage) and return to optimal health with RESOURCES and a PLAN.
Sincerely,
Judy Goring 360-568-0976 [email protected]
Copyright 2006 Judy Goring

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Life After The Internet

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615

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This article is about carpal tunnel syndrome.With the recent boom in technology, people have been computer dependent.Almost all work that needs to be done is on the computer.This article discusses the main causes of carpal tunnel syndrome.It includes work, trauma, physical conditions and idiopathic or unknown reasons. People are too swayed by the comfort of just staying in front of the computer for everything that they take for granted this will bring to their hands.

chronic pain, surgery

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Now that we’re in the information technology age, everything we need is within reach. And this is all thanks to the Internet. Work is mostly done through the Internet, facing the computer for long stretches of hours. Even kids’ homework is done and submitted using a computer connected to the Internet. Gone are the days when people would have to go and manually search for files in big folders stacked in shelves full of records. Gone are the days when researching meant going to the library to research using gargantuan encyclopaedias. People just aren’t as active as they used to be. And it’s because of this inactivity, and the long hours of slaving away in front of computers, that a lot of people have been complaining of certain chronic pain on their wrists.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has been present even before computers were created, contrary to popular belief that CTS was brought about by the increasing use of technology.

The carpal tunnel is a hollow tunnel formed by the carpal bones and the surrounding tissues of the wrist. This tunnel protects the median nerve that makes your thumb, index, middle and ring fingers its feelings. And it is said that carpal tunnel syndrome starts when the median nerve gets compressed, this causes pain, a tingling sensation, and/or weakness in the forearm and hand.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is said to be caused by a lot of factors: work, health conditions, trauma, and idiopathic reasons.

o Work. Although still unproven, a lot of CTS cases were provoked by repetitive grasping and manipulating activities. This is commonly related to extensive labor that requires the repetitive use of the hand and wrist in industrial occupations
o Health conditions. Physical health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and certain hormonal disorders like diabetes may cause CTS.
o Trauma. Accidents such as fractures of one of the arm bones, or dislocation of one of the carpal bones, blunt force trauma on the wrist or lower forearm., blood clot formation inside the wrist, or deformities due to abnormal healing of old fractures may cause compression of the median nerve.
o Idiopathic reasons. The compression is of an unknown source.

Treatment

Of course, consulting a physician should always be the first step to take when dealing with any kind of pain in the body. They need to find out if the CTS is caused by any underlying physical condition that needs to be addressed right away.

Some people with mild symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are able to relieve themselves of the pain by simply taking frequent breaks to rest their hands and arms. Some people apply cold packs to reduce occasional swelling of the wrists. If these quick fixes do not work, you might need to consider wrist splinting, medications and/or surgery.

o Wrist splint. This holds your wrist still while you sleep. This relieves the night time symptoms of tingling and numbness. This is most effective if you’ve only experienced mild symptoms of CTS for less than a year.
o Medications. Doctors usually prescribe either non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids. One to relieve the swelling, the other to relieve the pain.
o Surgery. This is advised only when the nerve impairment persists after using non-surgical methods of treatment.

It is understandable that now that we’re in the computer age where everything is accessible through the internet, we don’t need to move much. But even if technology offers us the convenience of just typing everything into the computer, we need to understand that it will affect our wrists sooner or later. So stand up, stretch, and give your hands a rest.

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Calculating Your Calorie Needs

Beverley Brooke
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In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you have to determine how many calories you actually need. Adults can calculate their approximate energy needs using the following formula:

Body weight multiplied by 12 (for men) or 11 (for women) e.g., 150 lbs. x 12 = 1800
Activity One third body weight multiplied by the number of hours you don’t sleep, typically 16 hours 150 lbs. x 1/3 = 50 x 16 = 800
Required Calories A + B 1800 + 800 = 2600

Thus, we determine that a 150-pound man requires approximately 2600 calories per day. The “Basal Metabolic Rate” is the number of calories a man of that weight would burn just to keep the heart beating, the lungs pumping, etc. You would just burn your basal metabolic rate worth of calories if you slept all day. Thus the “Activity” calculation is approximately the amount of calories a person would expend by spending his or her whole day sitting around. If you are engaging in activities other than sitting all day, you can increase your activity hours by the number of hours you are actually active.
Adult females can calculate their approximate energy needs using the same formula, except that the “Basal Metabolic Rate” is determined by multiplying body weight times 11 instead of 12. Children and teenagers require more calories by body weight, but the amount varies by age and by individual child. It is best to consult a physician before altering a child’s diet, however activity and exercise increases won’t hurt the average youth of today.
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: An Overview

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753

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What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

There are 8 bones in our wrists called carpals. They form a tunnel like structure. That is how carpal tunnel got its name. Finger movements are controlled by flexor tendons, which are found within this tunnel. The median nerve reaches sensory cells in the hand, through this pathway of tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful and progressive condition that occurs in the wrist. It is caused by the compression of the median nerve in the…

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What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

There are 8 bones in our wrists called carpals. They form a tunnel like structure. That is how carpal tunnel got its name. Finger movements are controlled by flexor tendons, which are found within this tunnel. The median nerve reaches sensory cells in the hand, through this pathway of tunnel.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful and progressive condition that occurs in the wrist. It is caused by the compression of the median nerve in the wrist. The median nerve runs into the hand starting from the forearm. When it becomes squeezed or pressed at the wrist, its message carrying and receiving ability from the brain gets inhibited. It is not necessary that the whole median nerve be pressed to cause carpal tunnel syndrome. The syndrome is caused when a point on the nerve is pressed. As a result of this compression the nerve does not function properly and causes carpal tunnel syndrome.

1 out of every 100 people is affected by carpal tunnel syndrome at some point in their life. It is commonly caused in the women of the age group of 30-50 years. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Carpal tunnel syndrome is inclusive of the (RSI) related soft tissue injuries.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Though there are various possibilities behind the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, the basic cause is the compression of tunnel walls. As the tunnel walls compress, they put pressure on the median nerve. As the median nerve gets stressed, it causes carpal tunnel syndrome.

Congenital predisposition is also a cause of carpal tunnel disorder. In a majority of cases the carpal tunnel is smaller than the normal, which causes the median nerve to stress.

The syndrome can develop quickly, if the wrist has been fractured or injured. Rheumatoid Arthritis is also a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome.

In some cases repetitive stress induced carpal tunnel strain causes this syndrome. If a person’s occupation involves, gripping, typing or digging, the hand gets strained and it directly strains the median nerve.

Repetitive wrist and hand action results in the injury and swelling of the subcutaneous tissues. These tissues include muscle, ligament, fascia, sheaths, tendon, blood vessels and peripheral and retinaculum nerve. Due to the small and restricted passage of the tunnel, these swollen tissues can compress together and create concentrated pressure.

Carpal tunnel syndrome can also be caused due to some trauma based incidents. These causes include fracture or injury of the wrist or one of the arm bones. Internal hemorrhaging in the wrist leads to formation of hematoma which causes the syndrome. If any one of the carpal bones of the wrist gets dislocated, it leads to carpal syndrome. Obesity is another common cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. Women who take contraceptive pills can also go on to develop this condition.

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The early symptoms include tingling, numbness and burning in the thumb and the index and middle fingers. People suffering from this syndrome, find it hard to grip things, or make a fist. The symptom grows to a severe pain in the hand and restricts the movement of the hand at all. A person gradually loses his ability to squeeze things. They may even find it very hard to tie their shoe laces and picking things up becomes a challenge.

In the worst cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, the patients are unable to differentiate between hot and cold things by touch.

Who is at Risk?

People who are involved in assembly line work are at the maximum risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. However it can also develop in the people who are constantly related to any of the following activities or professions:

Video games
Computer keyboard typing or typewriter typing
Musical instruments
Driving a vehicle
Surgeons and Dentists
People involved in exhaustive activity of hands like drilling, digging.

Treatment Available.

Avoiding repetitive and exhaustive activities related to hand movement, is the first instruction for someone suffering with carpal tunnel syndrome. The patient must abstain from such activities in order to give relief to their hand and free the median nerve of pressure.

Stretching exercises also helps in treating the syndrome as exercising helps in maintaining blood flow normal in the nerves.

Medicines like corticosteroid and prescription based NSAID’s can help in relieving the syndrome. If the condition gets worse, there is the option of surgery.

You should consult your doctor immediately if you feel you may be suffering with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

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Caring For Mom And Dad As They Grow Older: What Baby Boomers Need To Know About Geriatric Health Care

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Like children, older adults have unique health care needs. As people age, their bodies change in many ways that affect their health.

Caring For Mom And Dad As They Grow Older: What Baby Boomers Need To Know About Geriatric Health Care

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I often get letters, like the two below, from Baby Boomers who are caring for aging parents and trying to find health care that meets the unique needs of older people. Finding the right kind of care can seem daunting, but a little information and some key resources can help tremendously.

Q: My 81-year-old mother recently fell and was rushed to the emergency room. The doctor who saw her suggested that she start seeing a geriatrician. What is a geriatrician and why should she see one?

A: A geriatrician is a physician with special training and expertise in caring for older adults, especially those with complex health problems. Like children, older adults have unique health care needs. As we age, our bodies change in many ways that affect our health. Among other things, we’re more likely to develop chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, and to need multiple medications (all with potential side effects). About 80 percent of adults 65 or older have at least one chronic health condition and 50 percent have at least two. As we grow older it’s also harder for us to recover from illnesses.

Q: I’ve tried to find a geriatrician for my parents but haven’t had any luck. Why aren’t there more geriatricians? What should I do?

A: Today, there are fewer than 7,000 practicing geriatricians in the U.S. That’s about one geriatrician for every 5,000 adults over age 65. Finding a geriatrician is likely to become even more difficult over the next 20 years, as the nation’s 77 million Baby Boomers reach retirement age. To prepare for this “Aging Boom,” we need to support programs that both train geriatricians and better prepare all health care providers to care for older adults. Until recently, the federal government’s “Title VII” geriatric health professions program did just that, by supporting geriatric education centers and young medical school faculty who trained medical students, primary care physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other providers to better meet the health care needs of older adults. Unfortunately, Congress eliminated all funding for this program in late 2005. We need to restore this funding–for the sake of all older Americans.

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Calculating Your Body Mass Index; Is Your Health At Risk?

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459

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Body Mass Index is an indicator of surplus body fat and has since replaced the height-weight charts. It is used to assess a person’s level of health risk.

health, overweight, body fat

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Physical health can be measured (with certain exceptions) through the appropriateness of a person’s weight to his height; where the body weight refers to the measure of one’s heaviness and the height is the measure of his tallness. For instance, a woman measuring 5 ft high (1.52 m), with a medium body frame should weigh between 103 lbs to 115 lbs (46.72 kg to 52.16 kg) to be considered healthy.

Another example: a man standing 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m) tall, with a large body frame is healthy if he is weighing between 144 lbs to 163 lbs (65.32 kg to 73.94 kg). Otherwise, if their weight is lower than the desired body weight for their height, they are considered underweight. And if, in turn, their weight is higher than the desired body weight for their height, they are said to be overweight.

Body Mass Index is an indicator of surplus body fat and has since replaced the height-weight charts as mentioned in the above examples. It is a mathematical ratio of height to weight that is used to determine body composition (or body fat percentage) to assess a person’s level of health risk. Calculating BMI is as follows:

BMI = Weight (in kg) or BMI = Weight (in lbs) x 700
Height (in m)2 Height (in inches)2
For example, the calculation for someone weighing 80 kg (176 lbs) and 1.60 m (63 in) tall is:
BMI = 80 = 31.2 or BMI = 176 x 700 = 31.1
1602 632

People with a BMI of 25.1 to 29.9 are considered overweight, and people with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. Thus, from the example above, a person weighing 80 kg and is 1.60 m tall is obese. A high BMI assumes a higher percentage of body fat, which places a person at greater risk for developing chronic diseases and other serious illnesses.

BMI Weight Category
19 and under Underweight
20-25 Normal (Healthy)
26-29 Overweight
30 and above Obese
Body weight categories according to BMI

However, for some people, the BMI is not a reliable indication of health. A highly muscled individual who is very fit and healthy may have a somewhat heavy body weight because muscles pack on a lot of pounds. This person may have a high BMI that improperly puts him or her in the overweight or obese categories. Likewise, thin individuals who have a low body weight with very little muscle and a higher percentage of fat may have a normal BMI, which would be an incorrect indication of healthiness.
If you are overweight or obese according to the calculations shown here it is imperative that you undertake a weight loss and fitness program and start bringing that weight down. Remember that for every 10 pounds that you are over your ideal weight, the risks to your health increase and for every 10 pounds that you lose bringing you closer to your ideal weight, the risks to your health decrease.

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Care To Listen: Proper Ear Cleaning

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632

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This article is about the ears. It discusses about the different parts of the ear and their functions. The ears not only help us with hearing, it also gives us a sense of balance and body position. A lot of factors may give people ear infection, like: dirty water getting inside the ear, having small objects stuck in the ear canal, or even too much manipulation of the ears.

infection, medical complications

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The Ears
The ear is one of the body’s many sensory organs. Its main purpose is to detect sounds. But aside from hearing, it plays a big role in a person’s sense of balance and body position. The ear, along with the brain, makes up the auditory system.

The ear is made up of the following:
l The outer ear. It is composed of:
* Pinna. This is the cartilagenous external ear outside the ear canal. It reflects and attenuates sound waves into the ear canal. The change it makes on the sound provides more information in helping the brain locate the source of the sound.
* Auditory canal. This is the tube connecting the pinna to the middle ear.
l The middle ear.
* Eardrum. This is a thin membrane that seperates the external and the middle ear. It transmits sound from the air to the ossicles within the middle ear.
* Ossicles. These are the three smallest bones in the body. They are the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrups (stapes). They transmit the sounds towards the fluid-filled cochlea. They convert lower-pressure eardrum sound vibrations into higher pressure sound vibrations at the elliptical window.
l The inner ear.
* Cochlea. This portion of the ear is filled with watery fluid that moves in response to vibrations from the middle ear. The fluid reacts to the movement, causing thousands of “hair cells” to start moving. It then converts the movement into electrical signals communicated through neurotransmitters to different nerve cells.
* Vestibules. This is the central part of the inner ear. It houses sensitive accoustic nerves that goes from the semi-circular canal to the cochlea.
* Semi-circular canals. It is composed of three, interconnected, half-circular tubes. They detect hea movement on a vertical, rostral-caudal, and sagittal planes.

Medical Complications
Improper care of the ears may cause one to develop ear infections and medical complications. The most common of ear infections is otitis. Otitis is a generic term used for inflammation or infection of the ear. It is subdivide into three different classes:
1. Otitis Externa. This infection involves the pinna and the auditory canal. Sufferers feel pain when their ears are touched or pulled. This condition is also called “swimmer’s ear”.
2. Otitis Media. This affects the middle ear. In this condition, the ear is infected or clogged with fluid at the back of the ear drum, in the normally air-filled tympani cavity.
3. Otitis Interna. This condition is also called Labyrinthitis. It affects the inner ear that houses the major sensory organs for balance and hearing. Vertigo is often a symptom for this condition.

Ear infections may be caused by dirty water, having things stuck in the ear canal, too much ear manipulation, diseases (colds), and certain lifestyle factors (smoking).

Proper Ear Care
Here are useful tips for taking better care of your ears to prevent infections:
l Take extra care in cleaning your ears. Use a washcloth or tissue to wipe the pinna dry. Do not use sharp, pointed objects to clear the middle and inner ears, these objects may injure the ear canal.
l Protect yourself from illnesses. Have upper respiratory tract infections treated as these may affect your hearing. If you notice a weird discharge from your ears, consult a physician immediately.
l Avoid exposing yourself to noise. Wear ear protection when you’re required to perform a task that exposes you to excessively loud noises. Avoid playing music at a very high volume. Wear ear plugs when attending loud concerts, especially if you’re seated near the stage speakers.
l Protect yourself from physical trauma. Wear a helmet when engaging in any activities that may injure the head. Wear filtered ear plugs when going on air travel, this helps equalize the pressure inside and outside the ears.
l Attend regular ear check ups with your trusted ear physician.