Going On A Gluten-Free Diet

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Gluten is a specific type of protein, but one you won’t find in meat or eggs. Instead gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley. Going gluten-free means avoiding these grains. A gluten-free diet is essential for most people with gluten allergies or celiac disease, a condition which causes intestinal damage when gluten is eaten.

Studies show that gluten can set off a distinct reaction in the intestines and the immune system, even in people who don't have celiac disease. Clinical Celiac Disease and even Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) is fundamentally different than an allergy in the traditional sense. Someone suffering from celiac disease symptoms isn’t simply suffering from a food allergy; they’re suffering from an autoimmune disease... Read more from: Going On A Gluten-Free Diet

Foods To Reduce Stress

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People who are under constant stress are more vulnerable to everything from colds to high blood pressure and heart disease. Stress management can be a powerful tool for wellness. There’s evidence that too much pressure is not just a mood killer. Although there are many ways to cope, one strategy is to eat stress-fighting foods.

Foods can fight stress in several ways. Comfort foods, like a bowl of warm oatmeal, actually boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. Other foods can reduce levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that take a toll on the body over time. Finally, a nutritious diet can counteract the impact of stress, by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure... Read more from: Foods To Reduce Stress

How To Cope With Anxiety

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Do you often feel nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying? People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview. These feelings are easily justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere with a person's ability to sleep or otherwise function.

Generally speaking, anxiety occurs when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation. But how do we know if it’s just a plain normal anxiety that we’re experiencing or it’s already a harmful type of anxiety?

Anxiety is the reaction helps motivate us, prepares us for things we have to face, and sometimes give us energy to take action when we need to... Read more from: How To Cope With Anxiety

Foods To Help You Concentrate

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As we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news is that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain -- if you add "smart" foods and beverages to your diet.

Caffeine Boost Alertness

Caffeine can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz. Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.

Sugar Enhance Alertness

Sugar is your brain's preferred fuel source -- not table sugar, but glucose, which your body metabolizes from the sugars and carbohydrates you eat. That's why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability. Consume too much, however, and memory can be impaired -- along with the rest of you. Go easy on the sugar so it can enhance memory, without packing on the pounds.

Eating Breakfast Fuels Your Brain

Tempted to skip breakfast? Studies have found that eating breakfast may improve short-term memory and attention. Students who eat breakfast tend to perform significantly better than those who don’t. Foods at the top of researchers' brain fuel list include high-fiber whole grains, dairy, and fruits. Just don't overeat; researchers also found high-calorie breakfasts appear to hinder concentration... Read more from: Foods To Help You Concentrate 

Tips to Keep Joints Healthy

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You probably think of joints as the hinge-like type in your knees, but a joint is simply a connection between two bones. Some joints move freely, some move a little and some never move. Certain types of joints can perform certain kinds of movements.

Angular movements make the angle formed by two bones larger or smaller. Examples of these include the following:

• Abduction moves a body part to the side, away from the middle of the body. When you make a snow angel, and you move your arms and legs out and up, that’s abduction.

• Adduction moves a body part from the side toward the middle of the body. When you’re in snow angel position, and you move your arms and legs back down, that’s adduction.

• Extension makes the angle larger. Hyperextension occurs when the body part moves beyond a straight line (180 degrees).

• Flexion decreases the joint angle. When you flex your arm, you move your forearm to your upper arm.

Circular movements occur only at ball-and-socket joints, such as in the hip or shoulder. Examples include the following:

• Circumduction is the movement of a body part in circles.

• Depression is the downward movement of a body part.

• Elevation is the upward movement of a body part, such as shrugging your shoulders.

• Eversion happens only in the feet, when the foot is turned so the sole is outward.

• Inversion also happens only in the feet, when the foot is turned so that the sole is facing inward.

• Rotation is the movement of a body part around its own axis, such as shaking your head to answer, "No."

• Supination and pronation refer to the arm and stem from the terms supine and prone. Supination is the rotation of the lower arm to make the palm face upward or forward. Pronation is the rotation of the lower arm to make the palm face downward or backward.

The joints allow our bones to move. They are... Read more from: Tips to Keep Joints Healthy