A Healthy Way to Travel

Keeping well on tour isn’t difficult – for the most part it requires a little bit of common sense. Most of the problems you’ll face are easily preventable, for example putting on sunscreen, drinking bottled or treated water, washing your hands properly before eating and avoiding insect bites will save you a great deal of hassle.

However, if you have other concerns like exposure to malaria or other tropical diseases, altitude sickness, sea sickness or other issues, it is best to visit your doctor. We recommend that you see your travel health center in person at least eight weeks before you travel, as you may need a course of medications or more than one vaccination.

A travel health professional can give you specific advice according to your unique medical needs and tour itinerary. If you’re travelling for a long period of time, it’s also a good idea to get a checkup at the dentist and sort out your glasses prescription if you think it’s changing.

Diseases and Vaccines

Vaccines have been so successful that we don’t see the diseases they prevent every day. As a result, they may not seem as scary as they used to. But, vaccine-preventable diseases still cause a lot of suffering and death worldwide. An infected person can travel to the United States, and we can travel anywhere in the world. There are still documented cases of vaccine-preventable diseases all over the world each year. By immunizing, we can make sure these diseases do not become everyday events again.

Chickenpox was one of the most common childhood diseases. Before the vaccine, there were about 4 million cases a year in the United States. The chickenpox virus usually causes mild illness with a fever and an itchy rash. It also can lead to severe skin infections, scars, and serious problems. About 1 child in 500 who gets chickenpox is hospitalized.

Diphtheria causes a thick covering in the back of the throat that makes it hard to breathe or swallow. About 1 in 10 people with diphtheria die from breathing problems, paralysis, or heart failure. Before the vaccine, about 150,000 people a year got diphtheria in the United States.

Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease that is usually spread by close personal contact or by eating contaminated food or water. Hepatitis A can cause mild, “flu-like” illness, jaundice, and severe stomach pains and diarrhea.

Hepatitis B is another serious liver disease that can cause short-term (acute) illness. Some people develop a long-term (chronic) illness that leads to liver damage, liver cancer, and death. Even though these people may not feel sick, they carry the virus and can infect other people. The virus is spread though contact with blood and other bodily fluids of an infected person. Pregnant women can infect their newborn.

Measles virus causes a rash, cough, runny nose, and fever. It can lead to ear infections, pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, and even death. Measles is so contagious that in 1962, the year before the vaccine, almost 500,000 cases of measles were reported in the United States.

No Pain, More Gain

Are back pain, knee and shoulder pain, joint pain or other kinds of chronic pain typically give you problems that affects you not only physically but emotionally as well?

According to the phone survey being held all over the US country, these are basically the most common physical pains being recorded to severely affect the daily routine of a person. Also, according to a separate phone research by the Americans Living with Pain Survey (ALPS), 45% out of 800 adult Americans said that pain negatively impacted their personal relationships while 51% believed that the pain they felt affected their work productivity and 61% of them said that it affected their daily routine.

Now here’s the big deal. How can we ever avoid experiencing such a disturbing pain every now and then in a manner that we no longer have to take some medications? Are there things that we can do to simply eradicate this stressful situation without the need to buy and take in drugs that were prescribed by our doctors? Well, the answer is yes. There are several ways to stop the pain in a natural way.

For most of our folks who are frequently disturbed by the devastating back pain or other chronic pains, try to read along these helpful methods. Take note of these eight natural ways to reduce and eliminate pain, without relying on over-the-counter drugs or other medicines being recommended by your physician.

Banana – The New Miracle Food!

They say the famous quote “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is now changed into something better… “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!” Well, this is in fact another issue why banana is now recognized as one of the healthiest fruits that must always be included in our daily meals. Banana is a good source of vitamins and perfect in giving nutrition and enough energy for the body. And since it is included in the food pyramid which is a daily dose of nutrition that we should eat daily, we don’t have to be scared of several diseases because banana can certainly resist them all.

Here’s a list of several unhealthy conditions where banana can effectively defend you and keep you always fit:

Depression: A lot of people suffering from depression and PMS say they feel much better after eating a banana. Banana contains tryptophan which is a type of protein converted into serotonin by the body known to make you relax, makes you happier and improves your mood. It also has vitamin B6 that regulates blood glucose levels that affect your mood.

Nerves: Bananas are good for calming the nervous system due to its high vitamin B content.

Anemia: Due to the iron content of bananas, it helps in stimulating the production of hemoglobin in the blood.

Hangovers: Banana is also perfect for drinkers because it can calm the stomach. It is perfect when blending it with honey to produce a banana milkshake. The milk soothes and re-hydrates your system while honey builds up the depleted blood sugar levels.

Ulcers: Banana is also perfect for intestinal disorders due to its soft texture and smoothness. Banana neutralizes over-acidity while reducing irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Natural Tips for Controlling Fever

Fever is not considered medically significant until body temperature is above 100.4 F (38 C). Anything above normal but below 100.4 F (38 C) is considered a low-grade fever. Fever serves as one of the body’s natural defenses against bacteria and viruses which cannot live at a higher temperature. For that reason, low fevers should normally go untreated, unless accompanied by troubling symptoms.

Below are some effective tips to control fever naturally:

• Boil orange peels in water unless it is reduced to quarter of its quantity and drink it hot.
• Salt a few pieces of raw papaya and have a slice each day.
• Drink a hot infusion of ginger powder and coriander powder.
• Drink tea in which a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds and honey has been added while
  boiling.
• Apply sandal paste on the forehead to bring the temperature down.
• Make an infusion of two table spoons of fennel seeds in a cup of water reducing
  the water to half its quantity while boiling. Take a tablespoon every morning.
• In two cups of water boil eight basil leaves with a teaspoon of cardamom powder.
  Drink it with milk and sugar thrice a day.
• For a feeling of feverishness drink a cup of tender coconut water with fresh lime
  juice.
• Crush 15 basil leaves and eat this with a marble sized piece of jaggery.
• Grate it and add it to glass of hot water with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a
  little honey. Drink this.
• Chew basil leaves with ginger piece and a little pepper powder.
• Boil a glass of milk with crushed garlic and take it warm when the quantity
  reduces by half.
• When an infusion of tamarind pulp in a half liter of milk with dates, sugar and
  cloves. Drink a cup of this.

Benefits of Bicycling

Instead of fuming and fidgeting while stuck in the latest traffic jam, why not leave the car at home and commute by bicycle? According to Stanford School of Medicine, biking to work carries more benefits than any other type exercise. A review published in Environmental Health Perspective journal in the Netherlands found that the gains from physical activity in a bike commute far outweigh any risks due to traffic hazards and exposure to pollutants. Researchers found that bike commuters experienced an over-all gain of 3-14 months by leaving the car at home and bicycling for short trips.

The International Bicycle Fund lists 60 benefits of bicycle commuting. They include:

• Improved cardio-vascular fitness helps protect against heart disease and boost immunity and overall health.
• Reduced obesity protects against a host of chronic ailments, including diabetes, arthritis flare-ups, respiratory problems, and depression. Most new bike commuters lose about 13 pounds during their first year.
• Improved muscle tone helps to maintain appropriate body weight and guard against injuries due to falls.
• Greater bone mass protects against osteoporosis and bone fractures.
• Stress reduction helps an individual avoid such hazards as high blood pressure that can lead to stroke or kidney problems.
• Low-impact exercise protects joints and helps the individual maintain mobility.
• Improved self-esteem guards against depression and anxiety.
• Clearer skin boosts a good self-image.

More fun in your life helps to maintain a positive outlook so you stay active and engaged.

Help your Kids Be All They Can Be

It is as important for kids to be active as it is for adults. In fact, the American Cancer Society recommends that kids do more. They need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity on five or more days a week. Unfortunately, the popularity of electronic media, as well as cuts in school gym classes both work against the need for children to get moving. Nearly half of all young people 12 to 21 years old do not engage in regular vigorous activity. As a result, the number of obese children and teens has nearly doubled during the past two decades—putting them at increased risk for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. They are also more likely to be sedentary adults.

Look for opportunities to encourage kids to be active, even if it is just a quick game of hide and seek or a pickup basketball game. Kids develop habits early in life, and you can help give them a healthy start. Elementary aged children naturally enjoy toys that involve movement such as a scooter, skateboard, pogo stick, roller blades, a badminton set, a jump rope, tap shoes, music for dancing, and balls of all kinds, including soft foam balls that can be used indoors. Parents may find that their teenagers have little opportunity for exercise in school. A CDC study found the majority of high school kids take only one year of PE between grades 9 and 12.

Calm your Nerves the Natural Way

The root of Lady’s Slipper is called “Nature’s Tranquilizer” and is used primarily as a gentle tonic to calm the nerves and ease tension, anxiety and stress. Often called the American Valerian, it is also thought to relieve depression, recurring headaches and hyperactivity in children.

Plant Description:

Lady’s Slipper is a perennial plant that is native to the woods and meadows of North America. The fleshy rootstock produces several rounds, hairy stems with alternate leaves and characteristic golden yellow flowers, lined with purple, blooming from May to July.

This beautiful member of the orchid family has a characteristic lower lip that forms an inflated sac, which suggests the shape of a moccasin, thereby giving the plant one of its common names, Moccasin Flower. Lady’s Slipper is a pungent, bittersweet herb with an unpleasant odor and thrives in moist, humus-rich soil in an open or shady situation, growing to about two feet in height. Like many other native orchids, Lady’s Slipper is becoming increasingly rare, and its history as an ornamental is as rich as its distinguished medicinal past.

Lady’s Slipper is mainly used as a nervine and tonic that gently strengthens the functional activity of the nervous system. As such, it has been used by generations to relieve hysteria, general nervousness, delirium tremens, tension, anxiety, nervous depression, irritability, recurring headaches and a relief for all stress. Its relaxing qualities are also considered helpful for reducing hyperactivity in children. As a mild sedative, Lady’s Slipper is said to be effective in easing chronic insomnia and restlessness and is especially useful during those times when “the brain just won’t shut off,” and it allows sleep. Lady’s Slipper is considered superior because it is non-narcotic.

Tofu to the Rescue

Have you eaten this famous and delicious Chinese origin cake made of soybean curd? Well, if you happen to eat in a fancy Chinese or even Japanese restaurant, most of the foods they serve include tofu in their recipe.

Tofu is actually a soft cheese-like food which is extremely a versatile kind of food due to its low-calorie, high-protein, cholesterol-free content. It is a food made from curdled soy milk which is actually creamy white with a sliceable firmness.

But even though this food is naturally known as an excellent protein source, some experts say that this delicious soy product might be risky for your memory. Their studies have shown that more than 700 elderly Indonesians, particularly at the age of 68 and beyond, found that high tofu consumption (at least once a day) was associated with worse memory. Experts added that soy contains phytoestrogens, which may heighten the risk of dementia.

On the other hand, it is good news that “tempeh” is here to save us from worries. Research also shows that tempeh, which is a fermented soy product made from the whole soy bean, provides substances that is associated with better memory. This is due to the high levels of the vitamin folate present in each of these fermented soy products. Folate is generally known as a great substance to reduce the risk of dementia.

That’s why we don’t have to worry at all because only when we eat healthy should we live healthy. So make sure to eat healthy foods and have a healthy diet all the time. This way, you can simply attain a healthy lifestyle!

Adverse Effects of Wine

What’s the one thing we think we know about drinking alcohol? It’s hard on the liver. And over time, it’ll lead to ruin by way of the liver! Well, that is often the case with excessive drinking. No sensible person can argue against that. But, it turns out that a small amount of carefully selected alcohol may actually protect the liver.

In a recent issue of Hepatology (which is devoted entirely to the study of the liver) reported that people who drink one glass of wine a day are about half as likely to suffer from a condition called NAFLD. NAFLD stands for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and it’s frighteningly common. In the United States, it affects over 40 million adults, making it the most common liver disease. Those with NAFLD share many of the same health risks as those with heart conditions and diabetes.

Please keep in mind that only wine, consumed in small amounts, was found to have a protective effect. Beer and hard liquor did not protect drinkers.

This particular study didn’t differentiate between the use of red or white wine. I wish it had because I’d bet that the red wine would offer greater protection than the white variety. The reason I believe this is because the vast majority of positive research on wine consumption is due to antioxidant substances that are primarily found in red wine.