More and more people in Britain are suffering with Arthritis, approximately 8.5 million in fact, and this figure is set to almost double in the next 20 years, according to experts. They say the reason for this is increasing lifespan and poor lifestyles.

So, fresh hope for sufferers came recently, when doctors said that simple lifestyle changes could reduce the crippling pain of the condition and make it more manageable.  Regular exercise, better diet and losing weight if necessary, will significantly help to prevent or control the disease.

People who suffer with arthritis often feel that they have to put up with constant pain and discomfort, but there are many ways to help control it. Strengthening the muscles with yoga or pilates, and taking aerobic exercise such as walking or swimming can be very effective at reducing pain and preventing the condition from worsening. Losing weight if appropriate will also help as it will ease the pressure on joints.

Although making lifestyle changes aren’t always easy, these are relatively simple ways to significantly improve or avoid a condition which can be very debilitating, so it is definitely worth making the effort in the long term.

For further information please visit:

http://www.arthritis.org/

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• May is Arthritis Awareness Month(massageenvycentralfl.wordpress.com)

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Most Effective Way to Battle Arthritis is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Deaths from heart and circulation problems have halved in the UK over the past 8 years. One reason for this is the improvements in people’s diet, which have contributed to a widespread reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Also, medical treatments have improved and are more effective than they were 10 years ago.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), came from Oxford University and found that deaths from heart attacks between 2002 and 2010 reduced by 50% in men and 53% in women. Their analysis demonstrated that the improvements were equally due to changes in lifestyle and to improvements in treatment.

During the period of study smokers in the population have fallen from 27% to 21% and the smoking ban had been introduced in the UK, reducing the effect of passive smoking. This is definitely one factor which has had a major effect.

The study authors expected these benefits to continue for a few more years, and then reverse as detrimental effects become more pronounced. They point out that those in the age group of 30 to 40 years old – who are about to enter the risk area for heart attacks – had much less exercise when they were young which may increase the risk of heart disease.

Adding this factor to those of obesity and diabetes – both of which increase the chances of heart attack – the future, sadly, doesn’t look as rosy.

Report on BHF web site:
http://www.bhf.org.uk/THINKFIT/default.aspx?page=1228

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• Heart attack deaths have halved (bbc.co.uk)

Heart and Circulation Deaths Halved is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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A recent study shows that the £60million a year ($85million) that Britons spend on fish oil capsules is money well spent – in helping avoid Alzheimer’s disease.

Anybody in the natural healthcare profession is able to tell you that supplementing your diet with fish oil capsules, plus eating oily fish up to 3 times a week along with ample vegetables and fruit, is a good way to stay healthy. The recent study shows that such a diet stops your brain from shrinking as you age. A reduction in volume of the brain is an inevitable part of ageing, but the more we can reduce this, the more we can ward off dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

A large proportion of the brain is omega-3 fatty acids, the type found in fish oil, so it should be no surprise that supplementing omega-3 fats helps maintain bulk of the brain.

About 750,000 people in the UK suffer from dementia. And this figure is set to double by 2050.

As well as helping dementia, omega-3 fats reduce the chances of developing blood clots and have a beneficial effect on cancer cells.

In time, treatments for Alzheimer’s will be developed. Until then, keep taking the fish oil!

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/292370

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• Fish oil acids could prevent and treat nerve damage (scienceblog.com)

Beat Alzheimer’s simply – Through Diet is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Though it has long been known for sure that smoking is associated with cancer of the lung, oesophagus, throat and larynx (and probably some others…) its role in breast cancer has been questioned. This is because it has something of a protective effect as well, because it tends to block oestrogen, which can reduce breast cancer risk.

Well, now the opposing risks have been better evaluated and the news is: (not surprisingly) it’s better to avoid smoking.

The latest research shows that there is a small window during which smoking may have this protective effect: but for most of a woman’s life the downside to smoking is overall more damaging to breast cancer risk.

So, yet another reason to kick the habit.

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• Widespread PFC substances increase risk of breast cancer (medicalxpress.com)

Smoking Linked to Breast Cancer is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease where the body has trouble distinguishing between the body’s own healthy tissues and invading pathogens. It thus tends to destroy its own healthy body cells.

However, not only does the RA cause damage itself, it can make a sufferer more prone to other, related ailments: partly because of the condition itself and partly because of the effects of the treatments used.

It is worthwhile being informed about these other conditions so that a sufferer can do what they can to reduce the possibility of this happening.

Some of the related conditions include:

- Rheumatoid lung disease: a factor in this may be the high blood inflammation levels often present with RA.

- Carpal tunnel syndrome: there is a correlation between RA and this syndrome, where a nerve in the hand swells, causing numbness and restricted movement.

- Osteoporosis: A prolonged use of drugs used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, asthma and seizures can make a person susceptible to osteoporosis. It may be worth keeping an eye on this as best you can, and taking a good quality calcium and magnesium supplement as a preventive aid.

In RA, inflammation is always involved. The inflammation present in the blood can be monitored by measuring a protein called c-reactive protein – CRP – in the blood. A private test is, unfortunately not cheap (in the UK around £100: US less). But in the UK your doctor may be persuaded to do it – at least once. The best natural remedy for maintaining a low level of inflammation in the blood is fish oil.

(Personally, I take nearly 3 grams of fish oil a day – 8 capsules – to help maintain general health.)

For a full list of ailments which a person may be prone to if they have RA, check this page:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/diseases-that-are-related-to-rheumatoid-arthritis.html

It does not make happy reading: but I think it’s worth being prepared if you or a loved one (or client) has got RA.

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• Certain medications used for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis not associated with increased risk of hospitalization for serious infections (sciencedaily.com)

Take Great Care with Rheumatoid Arthritis is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Candida (Wikipedia)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is an unpleasant condition characterised by tiredness and multiple sensitivities (allergies). I was recently asked about what could be done about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and these are some of my initial thoughts which might be helpful.

You have to try to get to the root of the CFS. Often involved are multiple allergies/sensitivities which often go hand in hand with candida overgrowth.

Basically, it’s best if you seek out a practitioner experienced in dealing with these issues.

One approach to the sensitivity issue is an exclusion diet, following which you should start feeling better, then reintroducing foods one at a time to see which ones cause you problems.

Commonest allergens are wheat and dairy food, so eliminating these might be a good step.

What is probably happening is that for some reason the bowel gets holes in it – candida fungus is one cause of this – and then bits of protein can get into the blood stream which should not be there. These cause the allergic reactions. So cutting out the offending foods is one quick answer: but long term you need to heal up the holes in the gut and find and eliminate the cause of them.

If you do have candida, see an expert to help you kill off the overgrowth. Live blood analysis is a quick way to see if you have fungus in the blood stream – and thus candida (or other fungus).

To heal the gut, slippery elm is excellent;

I recommend one cup of the ‘tea’ 3 times a day.

For symptomatic relief of bladder infections, this kidney tea is excellent;I recommend a cup of the tea daily as preventive, 3 cups a day as a treatment.

I hope this might be of some help to readers.

Related articles On Candida – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Does the Candida Diet Work? (everydayhealth.com)
• Chronic Candida by Jennifer McLaughlin (nutritionist) (healingdiscoveries.com)
• 10 of the Most Effective Treatments for CFS (chronicfatigueme.wordpress.com)
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Is It Real? (everydayhealth.com)
• Beyond Exhaustion: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (everydayhealth.com)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Slippery Elm is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Choosing a healthy diet. is never easy.

Michael Eades provides excellent information about four popular diets – Atkins, Ornish, Zone and LEARN – and provides intelligent commentary on them.

If you are confused by the contradictory advice offered in the press, by books, and by medical advisers; and if you are prepared to spend half an hour taking on board some new information I strongly recommend this post to you.

The truth is, all these diets have some good points. The trick comes in knowing what the good parts are, and at what times they might suit you.

Michael Eades’ post will help you get to the truth underlying these diets. You will then be in a position to judge for yourself what you should be eating, and what you should not.

It’s a great piece.

Let me know in the comments what you think.

What Is The Best Healthy diet? is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Lloyds Pharmacy in the UK has recently introduced ‘virtual doctors’ into 300 of its pharmacy stores.

This gap in the market has been filled for two reasons. Firstly, patients are more likely to diagnose themselves on the Internet. And secondly, fewer than one third of patients are able to get to see their doctor within 48 hours according to a recent study.

The chemist chain decided that the time was right to encourage patients into their branches to ‘consult’ the in-store terminal to work out what they need and, if appropriate, to walk out a few minutes later with a prescription filled out.

Question: Do you think this is a useful trend? Would you be comfortable having use of an in-store ‘doctor’? Leave a comment.

Virtual Doctor in UK Chemist is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Professor Art Ayers suggests an alternative treatment to Tamiflu for Swine Flu. He points out that Tamiflu. does not deal with the issue of cytokine storm. Also, the more people who use it, the quicker this fast-mutating virus will become completely immune to Tamiflu.

A cytokine storm. in the body is an immune system over-reaction which causes fluid to build up in the lungs. It is the reason why young and healthy people – with strong immune systems – can die from an infection like swine ‘flu.

Some other pandemics have had this effect of killing the otherwise healthy disproportionately. (Not a large proportion though – only about 15% of deaths have been attributed to those who were previously completely healthy.)

Check out the swine ‘flu article before you decide whether or not to take Tamiflu.

Read about some herbs to boost the immune system.

Swine Flu Treatment is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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An American scientist, Dr Yan-Fang Ren, of the Eatsman Institute for Oral Health, New York, has warned that orange juice,, and other fruit juices, damage teeth. He reports that fruit juices can reduce enamel hardness by 84%.

They made the discovery when testing the effects of tooth whiteners. They found that while teeth whiteners remove a little enamel, fruit juice stripped tooth enamel massively.

We have already seen warnings about fruit juice pumping up blood sugar – as much as drinking coke or eating sweets. Here’s another reason to keep your fruit juices to an occasional treat.

Orange Juice Damages Teeth is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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