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/

Related articles

• 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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Coconut oil benefits for health are well known in tropical areas. These benefits are not so well known in the Western world, but word is getting out!

Coconut oil is produced from the kernel or meat – the white part – of matured coconuts. These are collected when ripe from the coconut palm tree. Being so abundant in tropical parts, the coconut palm has provided the main source of fat in the tropical diet for many centuries.

Coconut oil has numerous uses in these counties because of its many interesting properties. These uses range from food uses, as medicine, and industrial uses.

Coconut Oil Benefits For The Diet

Coconut oil is remarkably stable when heated, which makes is a very good oil for cooking and frying, as it does not degrade when heated. Because it is so stable this means is does not oxidize as readily as most other cooking fats, so it does not go rancid easily. In fact, it will keep well for up to two years unrefrigerated.

Benefits For Health

Getting back to examining coconut oil benefits for health, we find that coconut oil contains several natural acids which combine the properties of anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-oxidant. Many benefits and of coconut oil can be attributed to 3 particular acids in it, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid.

Coconut Oil And Immunity

One prime health benefit of coconut oil is for the immune system.

Coconut oil contains several substances which strengthened the immune system. These include the three fatty acids mentioned above, which have antifungal and antibacterial anti-viral properties. The lauric acid mentioned is converted by the body into more no law in. This is claimed to be helpful when combating a wide range of viruses and bacteria, including herpes, influenza, and thrush. It is also thought to be helpful in counteracting heliobacter pylori, the bacterium implicated in causing stomach ulcers.

Coconut Oil Benefits For Healing

In tropical areas, coconut oil is used widely to enhance healing when the skin has been damaged. Applied to a wound it appears to reduce infection and enhance healing by excluding air and bacteria because it provides a barrier. It appears to be able to speed up the healing process.

Coconut Oil’s Benefits For The Digestion

In practice, coconut oil is found to benefit the whole digestive tract  stop many people have found that when suffering from inflammatory bowel conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome coconut oil provides a soothing treatment. as it descends the intestinal system, the oil can coat the damaged areas providing relief in many cases.

It is certainly worth trying coconut oil to treat these various health conditions. There are no known side effects with coconut oil, and it is not very expensive. So, especially being a natural substance, the risk is low and the benefits may be substantial.

Do make sure to get the virgin form of coconut oil, though, or its benefits will definitely be reduced.

Related articles on Coconut Oil Benefits for Health

• Dr. Joseph Mercola: Coconut Oil Benefits: When Fat Is a Good Thing (huffingtonpost.com)
• Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil to Treat and Prevent Gum Disease (brighthub.com)

Coconut Oil Benefits For Health is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Coconut oil benefits millions of people in the tropical world where it has been the primary oil use for thousands of years. After all, the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) grows so widely in tropical parts, and yields its facts so readily, that it is a natural source of oil. It is used for all manner of purposes – from health to industry.

Different Qualities Of Coconut Oil

However, coconut oil comes in a number of variations. The original oil, as used for all those centuries, was made by hand and still is today. In the best quality “wet” process used, the coconut meat is shredded and mixed with either water or with the liquid inside the coconut to form coconut milk. Left alone to settle , this milk separates into three layers, the middle layer being the coconut oil. The oil is carefully collected from this middle layer.

Coconut Oil Benefits Are Greater In Virgin Oil

This method of extraction is still used today to make the best quality coconut oil. This is often called virgin coconut oil, although there is no official definition of what “virgin” means.

So, this means you have to be careful who you are buying from and to try to make sure you get top-quality oil. It pays to research manufacturers carefully to find the most beneficial – and natural – oil.

Poor Quality Coconut Oils

The cheaper ways of extracting coconut oil usually involve pressing te dried coconut in high-pressure presses, often utilizing heat and chemicals. The quality of oil produced is much poorer; but the quantity produced is much larger. This is suitable for industrial processes – but should be avoided for health or dietary purposes.

Parts, or ‘fractions’ of the coconut oil are separated out and used for various purposes. For example, you will often find “caprylic acid” as an ingredient of health shop cosmetic or personal cleaning products. This is one of the fats extracted from coconut oil.

Go For Quality Coconut Oil

If you are using coconut oil for skin treatment, you are cooking with coconut oil, or you are just making use of the coconut oil benefits for health in general then do make sure you’re using a top-quality coconut oil – and one factor to check is that your oil is virgin coconut oil.

Coconut oil has many benefits both for health and for use in cooking and is highly recommended for any household. It is not for nothing that coconut oil has been widely used in tropical areas for centuries.

Coconut Oil Benefits 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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It is claimed that you can knock 10 years off your biological age by walking for 30 minutes a day.

Walking is one of the best of exercise plans, because it is easy to do; is cheap; can be done by virtually anybody, and does not damage the joints – as jogging and running do.

As we age, the muscles lose bulk and this makes it harder for us even to walk upstairs. Many elderly people fall simply because the muscles have become weaker through losing bulk. Walking is a great and simple exercise for the legs to help maintain muscle bulk – and strength.

It’s a great benefit for health if you can walk instead of drive; walk instead of taking the lift; and have a 20-30 minute walk at lunchtime whenever you can.

This simple form of exercise is a great health treatment which will pay dividends as you age.

The Exercise Benefits of Walking is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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The last three generations of one UK woman – she being the third – have been struck down with breast cancer. Previous members of the family had undergone radical mastectomy to treat this horrific disease.

She decided to try to make sure a daughter of hers did not suffer the same. So she had her embryos screened for breast cancer.

Test tube fertilization took place and five embryos which were created were free of the breast cancer gene. Of these, two were implanted. She gave birth to a  breast-cancer-free baby in December 2008.

Can Genetics Methods Always Be Wrong?

Many people object to genetic manipulation; but they are not wrong in every case. This is a persuasive example of when it can be used for good. Can it ever be wrong to ensure a breast-cancer-free baby?

This woman took positive action and had the baby she wanted and avoided terrible worry for her, and very possibly terrible worry for her child at a later stage.

More information:
First Designer Baby Born Free of Breast Cancer risk

Genetic Engineering Advantages Persuasive is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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Some reports state that, because of the credit crunch, organic vegetable and fruit sales are down around 20%.

This may be a false economy.

Organic food consistently has lower levels of pesticide residues than does non-organic. The amounts of these residues may be relatively small, but their effects can certainly be damaging when they build up.

Be on the safe side; but keep buying as much organic  food as possible.

Organic Health Food – Sales Down is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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10% of people admitted to hospitals in the UK suffer some sort of harm. These are the figures given to the House of Commons Health   Committee.

A list of mistakes has been drawn up and these include;

• being given the wrong operation
• being given the wrong drug
• surgical instruments being left in the body
• allowing patients to fall out of bed

The number of deaths resulting from hospital mistakes is estimated to be around 40,000 a year. YES – that’s 40,000! On top of this, around 5000 a year die from superbug infections.

The message is clear – stay out of hospital unless you absolutely have to.

Details

Hospitals are Unsafe is a post from: Alternative HealthZine

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