Cholesterol - What is It?

Cholesterol is often referred categorized as either being good cholesterol or bad cholesterol. 

However, have you ever taken the time to find out why cholesterol is described this way and what the actual difference is between the two types?

Cholesterol - What is It?

Cholesterol is an important component in our body that is found in the blood stream and cells. The body needs cholesterol in order to properly function because it contributes to a wide variety of hormones and helps the body to produce cell membranes.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol is carried in the blood stream. HDL cholesterol is considered good because it protects our heart from strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.

The optimal level of good cholesterol is about 40mg/dL.

On the other hand, bad cholesterol, also known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is considered bad because if present in excessive quantities has a tendency to clog in the arteries which increases the chances of heat attacks or other heart related diseases. The optimal level of bad cholesterol is 200mg/dL or less. Higher amounts tend to increase the chance of heart problems.

Controlling Bad Cholesterol

There are a plethora of cholesterol drugs available and many natural remedies as well. However, it is strongly suggested that you approach any treatment using drugs with caution because many of the cholesterol drugs have serious side effects. Make sure your doctor thoroughly explains the potential side effects before you agree to start on a regiment that involves the taking of any drug.

You see, cholesterol is produced in the liver and one very important point to remember about statin drugs (i.e. drugs used to control cholesterol) is that they in essence, poison the liver so that it produces less cholesterol, which is why all advertisements that promote statin drugs mention that a liver test is required before getting started on statin drugs.

Hopefully, you have normal levels of both good and bad cholesterol and if you do you will clearly want to maintain that proper balance. Steps you can follow to keep your cholesterol in balance is the same as it is for overall optimal health: exercise and proper diet. Health eating includes consuming foods that are low in saturated and trans fat.

Get in the habit of reading food labels as they are required to provide the above mentioned data by law and therefore it''s much easier for you to choose food that is healthy and food that can lead to poor health and improper cholesterol levels.

Although the following food (i.e. egg yolks, poultry, meat, shellfish, butter and cheese) contains what has been determined as high levels of cholesterol it doesn’t mean that you need to totally avoid them. Simply eat them in moderation and you should be fine.

Take the time to learn a few of the basics about what constitutes both good cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels, monitor your food intake, get a reasonable amount of exercise (i.e. walking is great) and you’ll be well on your way to overall health and optimum cholesterol levels.

Fruits and their importance

Fruits are excellent source of vitamins, minerals  to keep you healthy



Fruit has been around since the beginning of the world, and man has been eating it for as long as man has been on this earth. Fruit is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and different types of enzymes that help to keep you healthy. Most fruits are easily digested and they have a cleansing effect on your blood and your digestive tract. Here is the nutritional value for a few common types of fruit:

Apple

Apples tend to help put a stop to diarrhea, and they also are a good source of calcium and vitamin A. The skin of an apple has far more nutritional value than the flesh, and it gradually decreases towards the center of the fruit.

Banana 


Ripe bananas are also used to relieve diarrhea, whereas the unripe fruit can stop constipation. Bananas are very high in calories, which can give you a boost of energy when you are down. Bananas also contain many vitamins and minerals including calcium, phosphorous, iron, and vitamin C.

 Cherry

This fruit is used to cleanse the system, and can also help prevent dental problems. Cherries have also been used to help insomniacs get a good night sleep.




Coconut

The nutritional value of this fruit is it tends to cool the body. Coconuts are also a rich source of potassium, and coconut oil is often found in shampoos and conditioners, because it has a restorative effect on hair.

Orange  


Oranges are good for relieving thirst, and also contain many different vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, B, C and calcium. Oranges and orange juice have long been thought of to help give your immune system a boost, and to help fight sickness.

Watermelon

The nutritional value of a watermelon is that it is a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C. A watermelon is also very useful in cleansing your system including cleaning your kidneys, and purifying your blood. Watermelon can also help to fight different types of infections because it increases urine flow.

Find out about the health benefit of goji berries or buy goji juice at http://www.gojicapital.com/

For Back Pain Relief

Lower Back Exercises for Back Pain Relief 
By Dr Larry S. Case

Lower back exercises are an important component of any lower back pain relief program, and it is essential that that they are carried out correctly if they are not to exacerbate the problem. However, whether these exercises are appropriate for you or not will depend upon the cause of your back pain, and if you are suffering from a herniated disc you will need more specialized treatment prior to undertaking any exercise program.

Many people wrongly believe that they should never exercise with back pain, because they feel that will just make the condition worse. In fact, if you allow your back muscles, particularly those of the lower back, to progressively weaken through a lack of exercise during chronic back pain, then your spine will not be sufficiently supported and your back will become increasing weaker and more prone to further injury.

Exercise, therefore, is necessary for a quick and proper recovery, although it is important that you realize that you must not try to lift anything if you are suffering from, or have recently suffered from, acute back pain of any form. If you have chronic back pain never lift with a bent back, but with a straight back and lift with your knees. Any weigh over 30 pounds will too heavy for you, at least until you have built up your core strength.

If you have recently suffered a back injury, you should rest for a few days until the acute pain has subsided and then begin with just a few simple stretching exercises. Leave the strengthening exercises until the pain has subsided or you are liable to make your condition worse.

Many people can get used to the pain, and falsely believe that have become fit enough for more vigorous exercise, and then do themselves more lasting injury. It is very important that the pain has subsided prior to undertaking any lifting exercises or significant stretching, although you can try some simple stretches such as those detailed further below. These will help to relieve the pain by relaxing your muscles, and also improving the flexibility of your joints.

Before attempting any lower back exercises it is important to warm up your muscles. This gets the blood flowing through them and enables the muscles cells to contract without doing further damage. A warm bath or shower will help achieve this. Gentle stretching improves the circulation through the muscle tissue and helps to loosen them up. This helps to improve your mobility and relieve the pain.

Walking is a good exercise to begin with and so is swimming - particularly in warm water. Physiotherapists normally provide hydrotherapy in water at around 40C, close to blood temperature, that helps to loosen up the joints and muscles.

The initial lower back exercises provide very gentle but effective stretching, and work on your back indirectly by the movement of other areas of your body. Lying down flat on your back and slowly bending and straightening one knee, allowing your heels to slide up and down the floor is a gentle exercise that will do you no harm. Do this 10 times with each leg, and you will impart a gentle stretching motion on your lower back muscles.

Then, still lying down, you can try tightening your abdominal muscles with your arms down straight. Make sure you breathe normally doing this to keep your blood oxygenated. This will put slight pressure on your spine and your lower back muscles, stretching them and helping them to recover.

These lower back exercises, and others similar to them, will help provide acute lower back pain relief and help you to recover to a stage when you carry out more demanding exercises. You will never be truly recovered from back pain, however, until you are able to improve your core muscle strength, and the flexibility of your joints and muscles. All of these will provide stronger support for the bones of your spine and muscles of the lower back.

A gentle massage followed later when feel stronger by deeper massaging and stretching offer lower back exercises that will loosen up the joints and muscles and help provide this core flexibility needed for more permanent back pain relief. You can save on the cost of frequent professional massages by using power massage pads that provide the form of deep massage needed to free up the deep joints and relieve deep-seated muscular pain.

Once you are able to, more extensive stretching exercises will be needed to offer more lasting back pain relief from chronic conditions, and inversion tables are ideal to provide stretching exercises precisely targeted to the areas that have to be exercised.

Lower back exercises can be used both to help you regain your strength after acute back pain and to provide chronic back pain relief, but they must be carried out correctly and targeted to the muscles and joints that have to be stretched, made more flexible and strengthened.

About the Author

More information on lower back exercises and how to achieve lasting back pain relief is available on Dr. Case’s Back Pain Relief Website where he also offers massagers, inversion tables and other equipment that help relieve your back pain.

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