Heartburn and food are link together.  The very last thing any person who suffers from heartburn wants to do is eat or drink anything that is sour or acid.  Heartburn foods that contain sour and acid such as lemon, wine, and vinegar should be avoid.  The reason is because we already have an acidic-like burn from the stomach to our throats.  If keep adding more acid to the body then the burn will increase.  Exausted will be the result from the heartburn pain.  Every time we swallow our throat feels raw.  When we think of the heartburn food we wanted to puke. (more…)

Indigestion pain affects many people around the world today and is usually caused by simple causes that can be treated through dietary changes or some over the counter medication.  In some cases, however, there are more serious issues involved that may need the help of a physician to cure or at least soothe the problem.Only a few of cases are there where the indigestion pain is accompanied with chest pain and pain in other areas, these are often symptoms of more serious issues like cancer or gallstones, however it is always right to go to the doctor for a check up if that persist after the counter treatments. (more…)

As grim as death from ramifications of Anorexia Nervosa are, sometimes it’s arduous for the patient and the patient’s family to comprehend that recovery is certainly achievable.  For treatment to be successful, the anorexic patient has a great numerous emotional and physical hurdles to get through, the first of which is denial that they have the health condition and that eventually, at some point, they will die from it.  It must be mentioned, however, that sometimes an anorexic comes to the point of no return.  In the terminal stages or anorexia, not even expert medical as well as mental health professionals can save the patient’s life; it’s just too late. (more…)

November is Osteoporosis Month and studies show that regular load-bearing activities or weight-bearing exercise can significantly lower the risk of this crippling disease. Most physical exercise is beneficial for the body – including housework and gardening, but here’s the reason why targeted, weight-bearing (more…)

Commonly referred to as the ’silent thief”, osteoporosis is a chronic disease that depletes bones of calcium become brittle and are therefore more prone to fractures. Because we tend to think of osteoporosis as a disease that mostly affects seniors, most of us don’t look at groups of 10-year-olds and envision them (more…)

While in space, astronauts lose bone mass 10 times faster than patients suffering from severe osteoporosis here on Earth. With an aging population, osteoporosis is one of the major health challenges of our time.

When veteran American astronaut John Glenn went back to space in 1998 at the age of 77, he conducted experiments to study aging. One series used the space environment to study the underlying process of bone loss and evaluate treatments for a condition that affects over 1.4 million Canadians. The Canadian Space Agency supported Millenium Biologix for the design of the OSTEO mini-lab, which tested the growth of cells using a synthetic bone biomaterial. Now, a medical version of this material is being used to heal broken bones in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. (more…)

Did you know that gout affects up to 500,000 Canadians? That is 1 in 30. Men over 40 are at least four times more likely to develop gout than women. Gout is a type of arthritis that is caused by too much uric acid. Uric acid is a waste product that is found naturally in the body and is normally flushed away by the kidneys. With gout, the body either makes too much uric acid or doesn’t get rid of enough of it. Extra uric acid turns into crystals that can build up in the joints. Most often it affects the joint at the base of the big toe but it can also affect the ankle, knee, foot, hand, wrist and elbow. (more…)

Athletes foot, also known as Tinea Pedis, is a condition that affects the epidermis or skin of the foot. It is most commonly encountered in the webbing between the toes, but can also spread to the bottom and sides of the foot. It is characterized by peeling, redness, itchiness, and flaking. In extreme cases it may also involve swelling, inflammation, cracked skin, and blisters. Tinea Pedis is an extremely common skin condition, second only to acne. It is more common among males than females (more…)

Childhood obesity is on the rise. The latest Canadian Community Health Survey found that the combined rate of children and teens who are overweight or obese has jumped from fifteen to twenty-six percent over the span of just 25 years (1978-2004).

Unfortunately, the problem doesn’t end there. About 70% of obese children become obese adults, increasing the risk of their developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease as well as developing poor body image and self-esteem-related eating disorders. Even more disconcerting is that many obese and overweight children are developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and joint problems, at very early ages.

So what can be done? One strategy that can help is for kids to get their daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Children and teens who eat fruit and vegetables 5 or more times a day are much less likely to be overweight or obese than those who eat them less often. (more…)

I am a regular blood donor and always record what my blood pressure was. The last two have been a bit high (stress as I prepare to move?) but my normal blood pressure is usually quite close to 120/80. Pulse is usually close to 60. In these two respects I seem to be a healthy 50-something.

Unfortunately, as our guest writer, Donald Saunders, says, over 20% of Americans have high blood pressure. Read along with me to see what this means and what you can do about your blood pressure.

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Figures show that there are some 73 million adults in the United States alone today who are suffering from high blood pressure and that more than 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of the condition during the next year. Unhappily, many of these deaths are unnecessary and one of the quickest and easiest ways to lower your blood pressure is to alter your eating habits.

We have witnessed dramatic changes in our lives in the past few years and one very significant change for nearly all of us is seen in our diet. (more…)