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Preventing Excessive Weight Gain When Quitting Smoking
Quitting smoking is not just a passing fad in today’s world. Not unless you want to spend your breaks standing in the weather. Quitting now greatly decreases your chances of developing some form of cancer or lung disease. Breaking the habit does have its possibly negative side effects however and understanding the risks makes the transition much easier.
One of those side effects is increased, excessive weight gain. In most cases the gain is minimal and melts away with increased exercise and better diet. Gaining 5 to 10 pounds is normal as long as your eating habits do not change from when you were a smoker. In a significant amount of cases, however, the weight gain can be quite noticeable and constitute an increased risk to your health. Smoking a cigarette increases your heart rate about 20 beats per minute, putting extra stress on the heart, leading to heart disease.
Heart disease is one of the main leading causes of death among smokers. Ninety pounds of extra weight put the same amount of stress on your heart as smoking one pack of cigarettes per day. Cigarettes are also an appetite suppressant so the affect when you stop on your appetite is similar to releasing the brake from a car. Nicotine causes the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of happiness and satisfaction. Taking that stimulation away can be a shock to our metabolism that we sometimes fill with food.
We do have other options. Some of the best are listed here. Remember that even the best advice works only if it is followed.
- Stop snacking. There are two main reasons people over eat, physical and psychological. When a person inhales a cigarette adrenalin is released into the bloodstream and the production of insulin is inhibited. These two reactions cause the body to overreact but simulating euphoria and inhibiting appetite. When the person quits both of those chemicals come back into balance, causing depression (missing the adrenalin), and regulating blood sugar increasing appetite. The psychological drives to smoke that are replaced by eating habits are things as simple as the hand to mouth reflex, the fact that food tastes better and nicotine withdrawal is very uncomfortable.
- Exercise. Start slow if it has been awhile since you have worked out. Exercise has is good for calorie cutting and has the added benefit of releasing endorphins which simulate good feelings.
- Limit alcohol. It is loaded with empty calories.
- Drink lots of water. Water is an excellent craving suppressor and flushes the toxins from the body.
Excessive weight gain can be avoided when people quit smoking. It does take work though. The payoff is simple-clear lungs, a good heart and longer life.
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Fibromyalgia: How to Recognize the Symptoms and Help your Doctor
Assist your doctor diagnose this mystery disorder. Some possible causes and symptoms have been discussed here.
Fibromyalgia is a little understood condition that, because of the similarity of symptoms with other disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, is often misdiagnosed. Assisting your medical providers with a list of your symptoms, levels and locations of your pain and other information will greatly expedite your treatment. Along with its similarity with other disorders there are a number of co-existing conditions that usually thrive side by side and aggravate an already high level of discomfort. Women are 10 times more likely than men to have this disorder. It is especially important for them to get the facts. Researchers are not exactly sure what the cause of this condition is. Some of the some of the main culprits for fibromyalgia may be:
- Abnormalities in the endocrine and autonomic nervous systems, both of which release hormones under stress.
- Physical and/or emotional trauma.
- Genetics; check your family medical history for anyone with similar problems.
- Bacterial or viral infections like HCV or HIV are both likely candidates.
- Muscle tissue abnormalities, whether structural, metabolic or functional.
- Abnormal blood flow.
Symptoms are as follows:
- Localized pain at one or more of the tender points on the body. Tender points are not to be confused with trigger points which can lead to a misdiagnosis of Chronic Myofacial Pain. Make your provider aware that the pain, while localized, is body wide. If at least 11 of the 18 tender points are affected the diagnosis is usually fibromyalgia.
- Widespread pain cannot be confused with tender points. This pain usually manifests as shooting, burning or aching pain and the muscles can easily throb and twitch. The worst pain is usually in the morning and can be aggravated by either too little or too much sleep, cold or humid weather, or anxiety. One of the reasons it is usually grouped with or mistaken for arthritis is that the pain is so intense it limits Range of Motion.
- Fatigue felt in a crippling intense form. If you feel just as fatigued when you wake in the morning as you did when you went to bed, this is a symptom. Often mistaken for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
- Problems sleeping. Bursts of brain activity in deep sleep aggravate other problems due to lack of restful sleep.
- Other symptoms include: Anxiety/depression, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, pain during and after exercise, painful menstrual cycle, sensitivity to touch, light or sound and stiffness.
Though researchers have not determined any precise correlation between fibromyalgia and certain co-existing conditions like Reynaud’s Syndrome, Irritable Bowl Syndrome, migraines, and Restless Leg Syndrome but know they are connected.
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The Best Ways to Recognize and Avoid Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has become a major problem in today’s world. Finding ways to cope with the problem can keep you working and pain free.How much time does each of us, in today’s digital world spend at the keyboard? What are the chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome? If we work on a computer extensively, are we all going to end up wearing those ugly braces on our wrists?
Probably not!
There really is not much clinical evidence to support the theory that repetitive and or forceful hand and wrist movements at work and play can cause this disorder. Repetitive actions, preformed during the normal work day or other activities can cause problems, like bursitis and tendonitis but they are not carpal tunnel syndrome. Neither is writer’s cramp-the condition in which the lack of fine motor skill coordination and ache and pressure in the fingers, wrist and forearms brought on by too much repetitive activity.
Sometimes the exact cause of a specific case of this disorder cannot be pinned down. Usually it is the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and the tendons traveling through the carpal tunnel. Most likely the disorder was caused by a congenital predisposition, i.e. your carpal tunnel is too small to accommodate. Others include trauma and injury that cause swelling, an over active pituitary gland, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis. Work stress, repeated use of vibrating hand tools, fluid retention, or mechanical problems in the wrist joint. In many cases the exact cause cannot be identified.
Women are three times more likely to develop this disorder than are men, possibly due to their usually smaller carpal tunnel. Workers in manufacturing and assemblers are much more likely to have this problem than data entry workers. There are ways to lessen the chances of developing this condition. While at work, perform stretching exercises, rest as often as possible, wear braces to keep the wrist straight and wear fingerless gloves. Carpal tunnel syndrome is preventable in most cases.
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The Best Ways to Protect Your Children from Athletic Injuries
How to keep your children safe on the athletic field and prevent athletic injuries.
Protecting our children on the athletic field should be a number one priority. Athletic injuries are common among children and most of these injuries were preventable. Simple things like maintaining fields and equipment and checking the kids for minor injuries before they play can prevent major injuries from happening. Taking the following steps before allowing your children to compete will help keep them competing far into the future.
- Always check playing fields for hazards. Poorly maintained playing surfaces, holes, rocks, bad lighting all are potential injury magnets. Do thorough walks around before the kids take the field.
- Make sure that each child is in good enough physical condition to compete at the level they are involved in. Poor conditioning is a leading cause of sprains and tears and can lead to heart problems and other more serious accidents.
- Check all the participants for injuries or excess fatigue before, during (often) and after each event. Young people will often ignore fatigue or injuries to they will not appear weak in front of their friends.
- Keep snacks and drinks on hand. Poor nutrition is a major cause of sports injury.
- NFL players may play well in a snowstorm but its not they place for your child. Wet, icy playing surfaces are not a place for adolescents.
- Make sure there is adequate supervision.
- Choose teams by age rather than size. Just because a child is physically ready to compete at a higher level does not mean they are ready to mentally compete. Younger children take more chances because they have less experience.
- And finally, stress. Winning is nice but it should never be the most important thing. Pressuring kids to win above all else is a sure way to get them hurt.
Just a few precautions can save a child from a serious athletic injury. Take the time to do it right and your children can have safe fun.
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3 Ways to Avoid Back Injury
The human back is composed of three groups of components, each group containing various structures that can be easily injured under the right conditions. These groups are: The bones and joints of the spine; the discs that separate the vertebrate and absorb shocks; and the muscles and ligaments that hold the back together. Each of these structures can be injured in many ways. Back injuries can range from minor and irritating to severe and crippling. Sustaining a minor injury and trying to ‘work around it’ usually escalates the severity of the problem.
So how can you protect yourself from minor back injury that may worsen or severe injuries that may cripple? The following list is only a few of the precautions that you can take but they will protect to some extent.
1. Watch Your Weight: Excessive weight puts strain on everything from the boney structures down through the discs and muscles. Like the problems excessive body weight causes to the cardiovascular system, the structures of your back were designed to support a certain range of body mass. Exceed that range and you test your body past the limits it was designed for.
2. Practice Good Body Mechanics And Posture: Sitting with good back support, especially if you sit for long periods, takes strain off. Good lifting, using the legs, not the back. Adjusting your car seat to optimal distance. Sleeping in positions that support the back. All of these precautions serve to keep the back healthy.
3. Exercise: Flexion, extension and stretching exercises keep your back from getting tight, which can lead to injuries. Strengthening exercises serve to both build the strength of the muscles and joints but added muscle bulk serves as a shock absorber.
Remember that even a minor back injury, if not properly cared for, can escalate into something far more severe. Taking unnecessary chances and injuring your back severely can lead to a lifetime of debilitating pain. Take care of your back and your back will support you throughout your life.