Health and Fitness Tips

Knee pain can be related to overuse where small stresses are placed a large number of times on knee without allowing adequate recovery, for example running too much too soon, or excessive jumping. Or knee pain can be acute where the injury is caused by an impact or twisting of the knee such as an anterior cruciate ligament injury. An overuse injury can also be considered to be acute if it is painful or inflammed.



Knee pain is a common reason that people visit their doctors' offices or the emergency room. Often, knee pain is the result of an injury, such as a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage. But some medical conditions can also bring you to your knees, including arthritis, gout and infections.

The knee joint is surrounded by a joint capsule with ligaments strapping the inside and outside of the joint (collateral ligaments) as well as crossing within the joint (circulate ligaments). These ligaments provide stability and strength to the knee joint.



Symptoms of Knee Pain



Loose body: Sometimes injury or degeneration of bone or cartilage can cause a piece of bone or cartilage to break off and float in the joint space. This may not create any problems unless the loose body interferes with knee joint movement — the effect is something like a pencil caught in a door hinge — leading to pain and a locked joint.

Septic arthritis: Sometimes your knee joint can become infected, leading to swelling, pain and redness. Septic arthritis often occurs with a fever.



Bursitis: The most common bursa affected around the joint is just above the kneecap. This is most common in people who kneel for work, such as gardeners or carpetlayers.



Swelling of the knee is common with several different knee problems. When there is swelling immediately after an injury (within an hour), the most common causes are an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament or a fracture of the top of the shin bone. When swelling develops gradually over hours to days, the injury is more likely a tear of the meniscus or a ligament sprain.



Treatment for Knee Pain



Rest: The first treatment for most common conditions that cause knee pain is to rest the joint, and allow the acute inflammation to subside. Often this is the only step needed to relieve knee pain. If the symptoms are severe, crutches may be helpful as well.



Protection: The best way to protect your knee from further damage depends on the type and severity of your injury. For most minor injuries, a compression wrap is usually sufficient. More serious injuries, such as a torn ACL or high-grade collateral ligament sprain usually require crutches and sometimes also a brace to help stabilize the joint with weight bearing.

Exercises considered better for the knees include small (not deep) knee bends and straightening motions - done while in supination with most weight on the outside of the foot.



Most knee conditions respond to a combination of non-invasive treatments such as applying heat or cold, temporarily restraining from activities that aggravate pain, and medications that target pain and inflammation. Exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee help reduce stress on the knee joint and prevent re-injury.

Knee joint replacement: The knee is a complex joint, which is made up of the distal end of the femur (the femoral condyles), and the proximal end of the tibia (the tibial plateau). The femoral condyles usually glide smoothly on the tibial plateau, allowing for smooth, painless motion of the lower leg. (Illustrated).

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Read about Herbal Natural Home Remedies . Also read about Hair Loss Treatments and Beauty and Makeup Tips

Health longevity generally means a long life with good health and living beyond the expected age range.

These days, more people enjoy excellent health and live up to eighty years or even more. This proves that there is a considerable improvement in health care, nutrition and largely the standard of living getting better.

There are countless products in the market claiming that they have aging longevity benefits. You should understand and find out by organized studies about the products that are available in the market and select a proven effective product.

The most popular and publicized method that has anti aging properties is Human Growth Hormone (HGH)injection. This is extracted from the pituitary gland of dead bodies to give treatment for dwarfism. This is highly expensive method; recently DNA technology is used to extract HGH from dead body which is slightly less costly. HGH is the only substance which has proven to be a successful anti aging substance and with which you can increase longevity.

There is also the HGH oral spray and oral supplements. According to Dr. Klatz MD, this process is not aging longevity but is age reversing. Some people who have used this oral spray or supplements also confirm that they could feel the age reversal. A man can lose some fats and gained some muscle mass with this treatment.

Although it is not perfect, HGH oral spray and pills can reduce wrinkles and even reverse a woman's menopause.

Of course, there are other ways for you to live longer, ie increase your longevity. These include :-

1. Breathing is necessary for you to survive. Breathing is vital for good health and health longevity. A deep, smooth and slow breathing is the key for your life force. Deep breathing makes you relax and also fight the out come of stress. Deep breathing also helps more oxygen to blood, brain and muscles to improve your level of energy and gives you increased longevity. Yoga teaches you breathing exercises for health and aging longevity. Deep breathing before bed time will give a good and sound sleep and helps with your health longevity too.

2. Good sleep is an important factor for health and to increase longevity. A good sleep will be a basic need for your health and aging longevity. Adequate sleep is essential to recharge your body for the next days work. Depending on the extra pressure you have to adjust your sleeping duration.

3. Water is most essential to form good blood, skin and healthy tissues. Every part in the body needs water. For health longevity you have to drink half the weight of your body. Inadequate water can cause health hazards such as dehydration. As you grow older feeling of thirst will reduce so you have to remember to take water frequently, this is sure to give you the most wanted aging longevity. Care should be taken to sip the water in small quantities than gulping more water at a time.

4. You have to develop a good eating habit for health longevity. Eat correct amount of food, neither less nor more to increase your aging longevity. Improper food or poor eating routines seriously damages to health and some times will cause shortening your life span. You have to choose your food and quality of food to suit your health conditions.

5. Exercising is also an important activity for sound health longevity. Exercises reduce stress, strengthen muscles, reduce fats and helps the heart function better. All are vital for increasing your longevity odds.

So there they are, 5 crucial tips to stay healthy and live longer, ie have age and health longevity. Keep these tips handy, you won't regret it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/5-crucial-tips-for-age-and-health-longevity-365271.html

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If you need more help, read this unbiased review of the best anti aging HGH pills . Or find out why Provacyl pill is considered the best anti aging pill for men .

Some days, you just do not feel like getting up. Your energy level is low, you feel drained, you may crave carbohydrates, you even may be skipping meals, your legs are restless and you feel sleep deprived. Did you ever think that perhaps your medications are knocking you out?

Read on to discover the possible reasons you are dragging your butt, and, to find out healthy living styles to help you get your energy back.

There could be many reasons for low energy, aside from illness, such as diabetes, or chronic pain, arthritis; often times, the reasons are staring you right in the face.

1. Do you drink enough water?

Many women and men who complain of fatigue are just dehydrated. According to Dave Grotto, R.D. for American Diabetic Association in Chicago, dehydration reduces blood flow to your organs, leaving you tired and sluggish. Drink 8 glasses of liquids, mainly water, every day. If your urine is clear, or pale yellow, that is a good indication you are doing the right thing.

2. Do you skip breakfast and other meals?

If you are off to you workday with nothing more than a coffee you have picked up on the way, miss lunch, but snack with a power bar, and by 2:30 or 3:00 PM, you are exhausted and you wonder why?

Skipping meals can cause your blood sugar to dip, leaving you feeling so weak. The best and only way to maintain your energy level is to eat a fiber rich cereal for breakfast, according to recent study findings (2006) in Wales at Cardiff University. People who participated in the studies, found they had a 10% reduction of fatigue, less incidents of depression and improved cognitive skills.

Having experienced these incidents myself, I am a strong supporter of eating breakfast, lunch and dinner with small healthy snacks, such as 10 almonds, a nectarine, an apple, in between meals.

3. Do you crave carbohydrates consistently?

At least fifty percent of your diet should consist of carbohydrates, but they must be complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It is the processed foods such as cookies, white flour products, even white pasta, that cause your blood sugar to spike. So choose wisely.

4. Is your body is not getting the right nutrients it needs?

There is a complete palladium of vitamins and minerals plus a lot of things we do not need for our body maintenance.

Many women are found short in magnesium, which is a mineral that improves cell efficiency, therefore, conserving energy. Dr. Christiane Northrup, MD., author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, feels women need 400 mg. a day. Since most multivitamins contain only 100 mg., we must be certain to build magnesium up naturally by eating foods such as green leafy veggies, peanut butter and whole grains.

Another nutrient we fall short on often is omega-3 fatty oils. These oils help regulate metabolism and boost oxygen intake; therefore increasing energy. These oils are found in higher fats fish such as tuna, salmon and mackerel, and it is recommended we eat several servings of fish per week for increased energy.

5. Do you get enough sunlight each day?

A 20-minute walk is all we need to give us enough Vitamin D per day. It also in known to trigger your brain to release specific brain chemicals such as serotonin. These chemical are vital for boosting our energy and mood.

6. Do you watch too much TV daily?

Slow and steady weight gain is the result of being a "couch potato". To try and break the cycle of this habit, try setting a limit on your TV time, or better yet, get on that treadmill and put TV in front of it. You may be surprised at the amount of weight loss over one year.

7. Sleep deprivation is one of the most common robbers of your energy.
If you have restless leg syndrome, insomnia, perhaps anaemia, check it out with your physician. You may be lacking in iron or have RLS - restless leg syndrome, which your doctor can help you with.

8. Are your medications zapping your energy?

It is a know fact that certain anti-depressants such as Celexa and Paxil, which have sedating side effects, can rob you of your energy. It is also know that statins in drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor, which are cholesterol lowering drugs, can deplete the body levels of COQ10, which is a co enzyme vital to producing energy in cells. There are many other drugs, even over the counter drugs, can cause sleepiness, fatigue as a side effect, in anti-histamines, or nighttime cold remedies. Check with pharmacist for non-sedative cold remedies.

9. Is it possible that you have diabetes?

One main symptom: unexplained fatigue. According to Endocrinologist Alan L. Rubin, M.D., author of "Diabetes for Dummies", says "When your diabetic, glucose or blood sugar - the body's main source of energy - can't get into your muscle cells. It is confirmed by a fasting blood glucose test to measure your blood sugar levels. Diabetes, if caught early, may be controlled by diet, and simple healthy lifestyles, lowering your sugar and fat intake and losing excess weight.

10. Have you had your thyroid checked lately?

One in ten women have hypothyroidism, or low thyroid hormone levels - and many are unaware of it, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. "Thyroid hormones control metabolic rate, so when your cells aren't getting enough, your body's processes start to slow down, leaving you sluggish and prone to weight gain", says Mark Wiensen, M.D., director of Endocrinology at Hackensack University Medical Center in Jew Jersey. See your doctor to have your levels a thyroid blood test. Many low levels are treated with a synthetic hormone which you may have to take for the rest of your life.

Having noted the possible causes of fatigue, and exhaustion, let's take note of possible healthy living solutions to give you energy:

* Go for a walk
* Snack on nuts, not sweets, or complex carbs (fruits)
* Take a power nap
* Make some green tea and sip slowly
* Give yourself a massage
* Meditate
* Take a mint or have mint gum - boost your energy

If any or all of these methods help you in some way to get more energy into your lifestyle, then you surely have found the right recipe for healthy living.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/how-to-get-fatigue-out-and-more-energy-in-your-life-366240.html

About the Author:
Carole-Anne Stanway has been a creative healthy recipe cook for many years. She is also an avid reader and questions energy loss, fatigue, and what we can do about healthy eating to boost energy. Learn how you too can make, create and bake many healthy recipes at .healthyrecipes

Have you noticed that the more complicated a diet program is, the harder it is for you to stick to it? Diet schemes that make you forget your favorite foods or restrain your food choices are most likely to fail because they can be unnatural and, besides, people will always been drawn to the things that are forbidden, just look at the story of Adam and Eve.



If you want to lose weight permanently, you have to find a program that will entail few changes but have a big impact on your body weight. The diet of people in France, Okinawa or the Mediterranean is working for them because it is something that they have been used to and the type of food they eat are readily available to them. However, it may not work for Americans in the long-term because the types of food in such diets are not common in the country or simply because people here have different comfort foods.



Here are some tips on how little changes could help you lose that flab:



Know The Difference Between Hunger And Thirst



Instead of grabbing a chocolate bar when you feel hunger pangs, you should first drink a glass or two of water. Sometimes when you feel hungry, your brain is actually just telling you that your body needs some water. This is especially true for the pangs that you feel in mid-afternoon. If after drinking two glasses of water, you still feel hungry, then you are truly hungry. Grab an apple or some nuts to satisfy your cravings for food.



Step Up After A Big Meal



Many people tend to sleep or doze off after consuming a big and hearty meal. However, this practice is actually encouraging your body to store as fat the pasta or the sticks of fries you just gobbled up for lunch. Instead of snoozing, you should move around or take a walk. Working out or walking for ten minutes will push your body to covert the extra calories into energy and not fat in your belly.



Go Ahead And Have A Snack



When you were a kid, your mother might have instructed you not to eat snacks before dinner. This might have been a sound advice back when you were young since children usually feed on junk foods and sugary treats. This make children end up feeling full before eating dinner or meals which are packed with proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that the body needs to grow.



When you are older, however, you are expected to be a little wiser. Thus, you can now snack before dinner just make sure that you choose your food well. Munching on foods that contain good fat (avocado slices, almonds, or walnuts) twenty minutes before a meal can help you eat less during the main course. Moreover, abovementioned foods encourage the production of a hormone that slows down the emptying of the stomach. As a result, you end up eating fewer calories without feeling hungry.



Be Wise When It Comes To Choosing Food



You can trim down 100 calories a day by simply picking better alternatives when it comes to food. If you continue eating 100-calories less each day, in just six months you can lose up to 30 pounds. What's more, you will likely pursue what you are doing because your diet is not too constrained or restricting.



For breakfast, instead of eating sausage and mayonnaise sandwich, why not try egg, cheese and lean bacon sandwich? It is also better to add eight pieces of grapes or strawberries in your cereals instead of a banana. When you are going out with your friends, you can skip the cocktails and just order a glass of wine. Instead of ordering a porterhouse steak, you can just enjoy tenderloin tips or flank steak to tickle your taste buds sans the extra fat.



If you want lose weight faster, just follow the tips above and use some weight-loss aids, such as Phenocal. This product can help boost metabolism and at the same time lessen your cravings for sugar-packed foods. If you want to know more about Phenocal, simply visit http://www.phenocal.com/.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/lose-weight-without-really-trying-366644.html

About the Author:
Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine. http://www.thearticleinsiders.com.

We need to think about how healthy we are at some point in our lifetime. You may not think about it when you are young. However, you may probably think about that when you are a bit older. And you will probably realize that there may be something wrong when you find that you become fatter. At this point you may start thinking if you should have a healthier life style.

When you are still young, you may still feel alright even if you take fast food for your three meals. However, this is not the case when time goes by. Besides becoming fatter, you may also find that you skin condition is not as good as when you are young. You may also find that your hair looks worse than before.

So you need to live a healthy life style. The first thing you can do is to see a doctor to have a body check. You have to understand your current health condition. Then you will need to talk to some experts to set your dieting plan. Of course you should also start planning for your exercise routine.

Then you need to stick to your diets and exercises. For the diets, you should focus on diets with lots of vegetables and fruits. If possible, you will also need to cut your consumption of meat. This is very important in your weight loss program. The exercises are also very important. You need to take some aerobic exercises. It can be just ask simple as walking for 45 minutes in the park and you will start feel the benefits of exercising after a month or so.

When you are used to the exercises you are taking, you can start considering going to a gym and get a professional trainer. If you cannot afford going to a gym and hire a trainer, you can go swimming as an alternative. As a matter of fact swimming is one of the most excellent exercises since you can train your whole body by swimming. Of course it will be a different story if you want to build some muscles.

If you would like to build some muscles, you may need to go for weight lifting. You may not feel comfortable for the first few times if you have not been doing that for years. However, it should be alright when you get accustomed to it again.

It is not difficult to have a healthier life style. However, you have to stick to all the dieting plans and exercises routines otherwise you will not be successful!

Are you looking to lose weight to improve your appearance, your health, or even both? If you are, you may be looking for advice. The good news is that there are a number of tips that you can use to help you successfully lose weight and hopefully achieve your weight loss goal.

When it comes to losing weight, the best thing that you can do is eat healthy. Eating healthy involves watching the foods that you eat, not necessarily how much food you eat. Of course, you may want to restrict the amount of foods that you eat, when on a diet, but it is more important to focus on the foods that you do eat. For instance, if you were to eat fruit instead of chips, you could have more fruit snacks with your meals than you would be able to if you were just to eat junk food.

Since eating healthy is an important component of losing weight, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. One of the first things that you should do is find and familiarize yourself with healthy meals. You can do this by way of standard internet search or by buying a collection of healthy eating recipe books. To reduce the boredom often associated with healthy eating, especially if you are not use to it, it is important that you spice up your foods and try to not eat the same meals over and over again each week.

In connection with healthy eating, regular exercise is also important to weight loss. If you are looking to lose weight, you should start an exercise plan for yourself. Exercise is important as it burns off calories. When you burn calories, the amount of calories that your body absorbs decreases. This is, essentially, what makes it possible for you to lose weight. If you have not been exercising regularly in the past, it is important that you take it slow. Exercise is a great way to lose weight, but you do not want to overdo it, especially at first.

If you do not currently have an exercise plan or program in place, you may be wondering more about what you can do. One of the many ways that you can go about finding exercises or workouts to do is by buying a collection of fitness magazines. Many fitness magazines have detailed exercises outlined in them, often accompanied by pictures. You may also be able to find free instructional workout videos or exercise moves online. As a reminder, it is important to start out slow or at least start with exercises that would be easy for you to.

Eating healthy and regular exercise are both important components of losing weight, but there are additional tips that you can use to help you lose weight. One of those tips involves finding a workout partner or a workout buddy. This is a person who can exercise with you, whether your exercise involves visiting a local gym or just going for a walk at a local shopping center. Having a workout partner may help to keep you motivated and it may help to keep exercising and losing weight fun and exciting for you.

Another way that you can go about successfully achieving your weight loss goal is by spicing up your exercises. As previously mentioned, you can use the internet or fitness magazines to find workouts for you to do at home. To help reduce the boredom often associated with exercising you will want to change up your exercises, often on a daily basis. For instance, one day you may want to use a treadmill, the next day you may want to lift weights, and the next day you may want to do an exercise DVD, and so forth.

You should also consider making exercise and healthy eating logs or journals for yourself. These items can be used to track your progress. If you have a good week, like one where you completed all of your exercises, you may want to think about rewarding yourself. Your reward does not have to include food; it can be something as simple as a sticker or treating yourself to a movie. Journals and logs have been known to help many individuals looking to lose weight and it may be able to do the same for you.