Free Health Wise

As we grow older as a society I think we are beginning to realize how important health and body consciousness is to the everlasting state of our existence. We can look at people who are 25 years old that have maintained a McDonald’s diet and notice how much closer to 45 they actually look. Then we can look at a 75-year-old person who switched to a completely healthy diet over 30 years ago and you would never believe they were older than 50. The correlation between diet, exercise and good health has become paramount to a long-lasting life, and people are jumping on the “health train” in droves. Within this new realization is the idea that body detox might be a route to this good health. But does it equate health-wise to a great diet and plenty of exercise? Let’s find out!

What is Body Detox?

Body detox has recently become the buzz word to the stars. This is because, like most other diet crazes, people are finding that when they detox, or cleanse, their bodies, they also quickly lose weight. However, detoxing your body is not and never has been a route to take to lose a quick 10 pounds. Instead, it is a fast, or semi-fast, you go on to efficiently clean your system of the toxins and other garbage that has been put in your body as a result of bad eating habits, and even stress.

Detoxing your body can be done in a variety of methods. Typically people detox by drinking tons of juice, water and pretty much nothing else for 7, 10 or 14 days. In doing this, they are cleaning out all of the routes that food travels so that it may travel more easily and eliminating the strange environmental toxins that the body didn’t know how to. Detoxing can almost be compared to taking a trip from your significant other for 7-14 days in Vegas to make sure that you can put up with their “issues” more easily when you get back. Okay, I’m just kidding about the significant other, but the idea is similar in that you are giving your body a rest from the diet that puts stress on your organs in breaking down heavy foods constantly. At the end of the detox, you feel clean and rejuvenated, and in some instances, you lose your desire for those foods that once put stress on your body.

The idea of the detox comes from the Chinese method of fasting where you don’t eat for a certain number of days to eliminate the block between you and your spiritual self. Detox, like fasting, serves as a preventative health measure to help you lighten your load of the excess “junk” in your body and essentially help to rejuvenate the lymph glands, colon, kidneys, liver, lungs, and skin. Because of the vital organs it affects, it is important to detox when you’re physically and spiritually ready, only for the right reasons, and sparingly (i.e. once or twice a year).

The Master Cleanse

One particular detox method that has become very popular in Hollywood is the Master Cleanse. This diet consists of a natural spring water, pure organic maple syrup, lemon, and cayenne pepper diet for the duration of the program. In mixing the four ingredients together, you receive your fluids (water), cleansing agents (lemon and pepper), and flavor and hunger curbing (syrup).

The Master Cleanse is essentially recommended for those who not only want a body cleansing, but also a spiritual cleansing. It is then that people realize that after their 4th or 5th day, they no longer suffer from hunger pangs. This is because your body is finally aligning itself with its spiritual self (which doesn’t have a taste for pizza and hot dogs), and only requests the foods that provide great nutrients. Those who participate in the Master Cleanse for the wrong reasons tend to find that they are hungry and suffering throughout the entire 10-14 day cycle, while those who wanted a spiritual cleansing just as much as body detox will actually lose their desire to eat the foods that brought them to the point of needing the cleanse in the first place.

Issues with Body Detox

With the revelation that body detox might be able to provide instant results for body cleansing has, like other potential “quick fix diets,” become all the rage. People are trying to use body detox methods to quickly lose weight, which of course is not its true purpose. But how can they help it? The temptations are everywhere! You watch television and see the latest pencil-thin star sitting on a talk show and bragging about how they now fit into their size 2 jeans. How did they do it? Body detox, of course! And once you see this sure-fire, 10-day method to lose your own weight that took years to accumulate, you simply can’t resist!

Of course doctors are not happy with this latest craze, because it is, well, crazy! When they consider the route you must take to lose weight effectively, they know that people are potentially putting themselves in danger for the sake of the “perfect” body, which essentially does not exist. For some, this is just another version of an eating disorder and should be avoided at all costs unless correctly instructed by a medical practitioner.

It seems that body detox is definitely a very positive route to effectively clean your system of what should not have been there in the first place. However, just like anything else, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. You can overdo anything in life. And if you are taking it upon yourself to use a potential healthy method to clean your system, such as body detox, but use it for the wrong reasons, then you’re doing just as much of a disservice to your body as you were yesterday when you cleaned out that box of donuts. To avoid the potential health risks involved in inappropriately detoxing your body, do your research and consult with your doctor, then begin your journey down the right path toward good health and spirituality - you’ll be so much happier that you did.

It is vital in these days of international travel that you are aware of international travel health insurance requirements. Although international travel has been readily available to everybody for a number of years, there is still a belief among many people that their personal home health insurance covers them for illness abroad.

If travel insurance is offered with a vacation, most will accept it, but if not then there is a growing body that do not consider taking out a separate policy for their travel abroad. It is only when the unthinkable happens that they find out their error. The time to consider health insurance is prior to departure, not once you are there. Some domestic health insurance policies cover some health issues in foreign countries, but many do not. The vast majority do not cover everything, so once you have decided on your destination either check out your policy, or even better, pick up the phone and ask. Explain where you are going, for how long and ask what you are covered for.

Much depends on your nationality and where you are visiting. EU citizens, for example, are generally covered for most treatments within member countries, though you should get a form from your home country health service stating that you are entitled to free health care in your own country. USA citizens may or may not receive free treatment in EU countries, depending upon the agreement with the particular country you are visiting.

Senior citizens should be aware that Medicare applies to the USA only, and that they are not covered for treatment abroad. Some countries such as the UK will not charge you, but others will not commence treatment until you can prove ability to pay. It is not only whether you are covered by international travel insurance or not, but equally important is the level of that cover. How long a hospital stay does it cover? Does it cover evacuation to your own country? All treatment and drugs needed?

Think of everything that can go wrong health-wise on your vacation, and then check how much of that your insurance covers you for. You can then judge whether you require extra or not. For example, you might have basic travel insurance through your credit card, and decide to top up for what that does not cover. However, you cannot do that until you know exactly what you are covered for, and by whom.

Many international health insurance policies cover you for a set number of days, after which the cost is your responsibility. It is wise to be aware of that. Another mistake that some make is to take out travel insurance, and then assume that covers them for medical emergencies. If you are paying for travel insurance then you should know exactly what you are paying for. Check the policy carefully before even purchasing it and make sure you fully understand its terms.

Some insurance policies are only travel policies, covering you for such eventualities as cancellations, lost luggage and the like. They don’t even mention health or accidents, and yet people believe themselves to be covered. This is particularly true in countries such as the UK where residents never have to pay for emergency medical treatment. Health cover tends not to be a priority since they assume that the same is true in other countries: until they get ill or have an accident!

There are as many options with travel health insurance as there are with any other insurance. If auto insurance confuses you, you can be sure that health insurance will do the same. There are lots of different types of policy to choose from, and quite frankly people tend to make it difficult for themselves. They pay using a credit card and then fail to ask the card company what insurance they are offering. They also look for cover for eventualities highly unlikely to occur due to a lack of knowledge of the country they are visiting.

First look at what cover you can get free of charge. Try the credit card company and the vacation company. They might offer you some degree of cover of you ask. Then decide what other lower cost insurance you can get. If you are flying, you can generally get cheaper flight insurance from the airport than a travel insurance company. Also check up on your life insurance or even accident insurance policy for any exclusion for foreign travel. If no exclusions are stated, then in most cases you are covered while abroad for at least the basic cover needed.

It is your personal decision as to what level of cover you need, and whether or not you think it likely that you will suffer a serious accident. You can only pay for the cover that you can afford, but you must at least be aware of what your cover is, and what it costs to increase it to a higher level to allow such services as air evacuation back to your home country, or total cover for all health treatment costs in a foreign country.

International travel health insurance is not an easy subject to understand, but if you take advice and compare what you have with what you think you should have, then at least your cover will be what you have decided to have, and you will not be unpleasantly surprised.

The power of your mind is going to be one of the most important tools you have to tap into. Whether you are just starting a workout and meal program or have been doing this for years. There are a few things the mind does that will help you succeed.

First you have to believe that you can do this and get into good shape. As well as to visualize is going to be key to your success. Also what you are speaking to yourself is will determine if you are going to be successful or not. First thing is you have to believe that you can do this and become healthier and stronger. If you don’t believe in your head first then don’t even do anything because you will only go as far as you think you can. Once you think you can that this is what you need to do, working out, to be the healthiest you can be then and only then will you be willing to do what it takes to get to where you want to be health wise.

Never underestimate the power of visualization. I really feel that this is key because it will motivate you and really speak to you to go out there and get the job done. What I would recommend doing is either put up an old picture of yourself of when you were happiest with your image and look at that when you wake up and when you go to bed. Focus only on what you want. This image will motivate you to do what it takes to get to optimal health. It may not even be of you but of where you want to be health wise. What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. Lastly what you say when you speak will make or break you. Your words hold such a huge power that you don’t even realize the effect they have on your life. You may know some people that can eat what ever they want and do very little exercise but it never shows. And we say to them that they can do that but with me it goes to the hips or butt. Or I just can’t lose this weight. Well of course you can’t because you are focusing on weight. What you focus on and speak you will get.

Instead of saying I can’t lose this weight replace that with the work I am doing I have my perfect body. That right there is enormous! You may not have your perfect body at that time but believe me you will if you are following a workout and meal plan with the addition of the power of your words. So the mind may be the most powerful tool you have at your disposal. It what is really may make or break you. I know you can do it, but you have to know you can do it. Once you get your thoughts and words going in the right direction there is no limit to where you can go and that is not just in a health aspect.

Is this really ballet? I asked myself after watching video clips of the Cuban dance company Danza Voluminosa (Voluminous Dance) most of whose dancers range in age from 23 to 41and all of them weigh more than 200 pounds. This group was formed in 1996 by Juan Miguel Mas, now its’ director and choreographer. He says he is redefining the aesthetics of beauty and raising the awareness of heavy set people. “Although we are obese and dance, we are against obesity. We are always trying to lose weight” said Mr Ma who himself weighs 300 pounds. This statement has caused outrage in certain obese quarters who claim that the statement is self deprecating. To me that is not the case. Surely it’s possible to be self-confident and enjoy the beauty of ones very large body while still realizing that healthwise it might be better to lose weight.

What I am about to write is not a criticism of Danza Voluminose or any other company with greatly overweight dancers.The number of such groups is growing.

Another dance troupe Big Dance was founded in 1993 in Victoria, BC, Canada with 10 large dancers and the choreographer Lynda Raino.They were well received by audiences but now the number of dancers is declining. Raino has spotted many large women in her area but few in their 20’s and 30’s who are willing to dance. She says “That’s a shame because young women will have decades to enjoy the art form. By about age 50 women are more comfortable in their bodies, and would more readily come out to a class, but they are starting to stiffen up. Knees start to go, as do backs and hips. People should start young, especially if they want to perform.”

Helen Rezanowich is program assistant in woman’s studies at the Universityof Victoria. “I tried going to a big dance class but it was all too much in my face. I was not ready to look at it, at that point. Even watching teeny tiny women leaving the class before mine was hard. And the dance room is lined with mirrors. I didn’t want to admit I was that big. Now I’m 51 and much more comfortable with my body size.”

The Big Ballet was founded in 1994 by the choreographer Evgeny Panfilov. The company’s aim is to change the conception of large dancers grace and agility. He also wanted to prove that untrained beginners could reach professional standards.

The lower weight threshold has been raised to over 238 pounds. Any dancer falling below this weight is offered the opportunity to regain the extra pounds with the advice of a nutritionist. If they do not want to do this they must give up their place to another larger dancer.”They must be eating and eating and eating ” said Natalia Liensky the companies director.The troupe consists of sixteen large women aged between 19 and 28 who have not undergone professional dance training and six regular-sized male dancers. They all have day jobs and include doctors, nurses and engineers.The dancers perform in tutus and on point and do pirouttes and plies. The dancers can even manage to do the splits. In some performances female dancers are lifted by male dancers - although it takes four men to get one woman into the air.

In an unusual move the Russian government of Vladamir Putin demanded that the Bolshoi Ballet re-instate a dancer dismissed for allegedly being too heavy and hard for a partner to lift

Marina Wolf Ahmad is the director and founder of Big Moves one of the few organisations in the world dedicated to getting all body types into dance classes and onto the stage. Marina states “There’s a need to offer healing, supportive space for these women to get back into dance, and there’s a need to start working toward supportive youth programs that train the dance teachers to be accepting of all sizes that come through their classes - right now, dance is not psychologically accessible to most people. Big Moves will take all shapes, all sizes as long as you come to rehearsals, get better and are really dedicated to dancing. Not just fat people - all sizes”. Big Move companies have been set up in many parts of the US.

I truly believe that everyone should dance but I do have a problem with obese dancers performing classical ballet. This is a form of dance where it is well near impossible for a woman who takes up this dance form in adulthood to excel. They are unlikely to be able to manage the challenges of technique. While both dancers and audience may enjoy humorous interpretations of classical ballets this is not enough. They need to have the same level of technique as any other performer. In addition ballet as a style is about defying gravity with lightness and ease.

All dance looks best when the choreography, music, the costuming and most importantly the dancers physique complement each other. Obese women look especially beautiful when performing dances such as those from the Middle East and some forms of African dance for example. In these styles extra large hips and breasts emphasize the earth connection of the dance and its feel for fertility and life as a whole. A skinny woman doing “belly dancing” does not show the dance off to its’ best advantage. I well remember a Middle Eastern dance workshop attended by one obese young woman. She moved with a grace and expressiveness which was accentuated by her ample curves. She outshone us all.

An ever larger proportion of the population is aware of the health hazards of obesity which is rapidly increasing in many parts of the world. Obesity is defined as being 20% or more of your ideal weight.Childhood obesity is a major cause of abnormal growth acceleration. Girls who are obese often start menstruating early and go through the menopause early. This problem in boys can lead to both early and delayed puberty. Gynecomastia (excessive development of the male breasts) is another common problem.

In adulthood obesity is a root cause of a number of forms of ill health such as heart disease, stoke, diabetes mellitus, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure and cancer. Gout and in women reproductive abnormalities are common, as is osteoarthritis of the knees and spine in both sexes. Every extra pound which a person gains puts four times the stress on their knees.

What is quite clear is that most of these groups of extremely overweight dancers practise discrimination. A dancer looses weight and he or she is out of the troupe in the same way as in some companies a dancer who is putting on weight is asked to leave - both represent extreme views.

It clearly is not helping dancers healthwise to encourage them to put on weight again after they have lost weight through experiencing the health giving effects of dance.The human body clearly was not designed to carry large amounts of excess weight for a lifetime and remain healthy.

Just as the anorexic image is an unhealthy one leading to physical and psychological problems so is that of massively overweight dancers. There needs to be a happy medium. I am utterly delighted that overweight dancers are proving that they can be agile, graceful, sensitive and aesthetically pleasing performers who give their audiences great pleasure.In many cases dance has brought feelings of self-worth and confidence to those who formerly lacked these qualities.

I am in total agreement with Marina Wolf Ahmad whose aim is to make dance all inclusive and everyone dances together.I have not had the pleasure of seeing any of the aforementioned groups perform live. For this reason it would be wrong for me to make any comments regarding the reportoire ot technique of any of the companies. All my remarks have been of a general nature and not specifically aimed at any company in particular. Let us always allow dance to help us to transform peoples’ attitudes and beliefs!

I implore obese dancers who are losing weight to forego dancing with the company, but to continue dancing classes and losing weight. This is the path to long term health and fitness. Does anyone know of obese people who have reached a Ripe Old Age?

Seriously… if you are or someone you know is going to have a baby soon, do you think pregnant women should wear pantyhose? I know there are articles that stress the many benefits of wearing support pantyhose. Then there is actually testimonials from real women in real time about pantyhose available to us today.

It is a such a blessing to find you are going to have a child, then you start learning everything that you can about being pregnant. Health wise pantyhose play a big part in protecting a mother carrying her unborn child. Legs can discolor or bruise easily. Then to my surprise I can actually get a blood clot (which can be life threatening), which support pantyhose can help prevent or reduce the chances of getting one. Then the leg and ankle swelling makes it so hard for me to get into my shoes, that I have a larger pair for later in the day, go figure. I found that I was putting on my pantyhose to late, that I am to slide into them first thing in the morning before walking around.

Recommendations for everything, especially pregnant women should wear support pantyhose, sometimes turn out to be false. So testimonials from others that you know are very important to find the truth. Check out your friends or indirect contacts that do not wear pantyhose, are they experiencing these problems:

- Leg cramps- Swollen feet and ankles due to pregnancy

- Varicose veins

- Leg pain

- Ankle and/or leg swelling by the end of the day or if you suffer from edema

- Numbness or a tingling or burning sensation in your legs and feet

- Skin discoloration

- Preventing deep vein thrombosis or blood clots (which can be fatal)

Then find those wearing support pantyhose regularly and compare their health to those that do not wear. I personally have worn hosiery regularly all of my life, yet never realized the many benefits they provide. So it interests me if this is true, please leave your comments by clicking on this link, thank you!

Hair loss can be caused by many different factors. Some of the factors can include stress, trauma, scalp infections, genetic hereditary and a poor daily diet. Hair loss is also very common to patients who undergo surgery to the face.

All the above mentioned factors that cause hair loss do not only affect men. Women and children can also fall victim to this unfortunate and quite often traumatic problem.

Losing your hair can be a very depressing period in your life. It is therefore understandable why people with hair loss will go through great pains to prevent, cure or hide the problem. Some simple, yet effective ways for coping with hair loss is by wearing a hat or cap, having a wig fitted, or simply just shaving all the hair off your head. Shaving the hair of your head can look very good if your face structure suites it. However, not everyone has a right face structure.

Certain types of hair loss can actually be prevented, or in some cases cured. In order to find out if you are one of those people, you should pay a visit to your doctor so that he or she can determine if your hair loss problem is curable or not. This can be accomplished by doing certain types of blood tests.

Other Effective ways of fighting hair loss, or at least slowing it down, is by simply improving the quality of your life style health wise. Simply by exercising regularly, relaxing more, and eating less fatty foods can, while at the same time eating more protein and nutritional foods can help you prevent or at least slow down your hair loss problem.

Hair Loss can also be an early symptom of a very serious medical condition. This is another reason why should let your doctor give you a check up to make sure that health wise you are alright.

None of us needs to be told about rising food and oil prices, let alone the dreaded council Tax. What most of us would like to know is how to cope with this increasingly difficult situation?

It is no use kidding ourselves - this situation is likely to exist for many years to come. So what’s to do about it?

Economize, but try not to make yourself miserable when you do so. Every aspect in your life could probably do with a little trimming back and pruning where expenditure is concerned. From banking right through the alphabet to working from home, there are untold opportunities to save money. See where you can do so sensibly without feeling too much of a pinch.

Frivolous things like cutting back on Lattes. If you spend £1.80 per day on a cup of coffee, this amounts to £9.00 every five days and over a year becomes £468. Quite a saving. If you do away with the Latte you probably won’t need to buy an expensive glossy magazine to read whilst you drink. Double bonus.

Health-wise, many people have thought about giving up smoking. How about looking at this from the money saving side of things? A packet of 20 cigarettes can cost around £4.50. 7 packets a week takes this figure to £31.50. Again over a year this multiplies into a staggering £1,638. Just think what you could do with that sum of money. This apart from the fact that your skin, your health and your teeth will have improved plus you will no longer smell like a dirty old ashtray.

Cancel that gym membership. How many times have you used the gym since you enrolled way back in January as part of your New Year Resolution? Take the dog for a walk instead - you never know whom you will meet as you walk. Learn how to use other methods of keeping fit that are definitely not as expensive as gym membership.

Then there is the subject of food. This is one area where economy is possible without your family realizing. Watch how and when you shop. Use different recipes to save yourself money. Recipes where your family will not notice what you are doing, but will think how clever you are to produce a different range of dishes for them.

Don’t take the children with you when you shop. This will cut out the nagging when they start their ‘I want….’ Cut down on the endless bags of crisps, treat, sweets etc. Their health and their teeth will improve - least of all your bill when you arrive at the checkout. You just have to learn a two lettered word - No. Just be firm, stand your ground and think of the money saved.

Learn how to cut down on your central heating bills. If you live in a rural area and are dependent on oil (kerosene) for heating, follow a tip recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the You and Yours programme, then you can save around £100 on your bill.

Once you realize that shops need to make a profit in order to stay in business, and that their one aim is to get their hands on your hard-earned cash, then you are halfway there. Yes, we need retailers, but everyone needs to be sensible. Learn how you can use them to your advantage, particularly the large supermarkets.

University students (and their parents) can find this a very stressful financial time. Learn where you can save money. Yes, by all means enjoy your time at Uni, but remember your debt will be carried forward into you working life and can possibly take years to clear. So - again - learn how to save money, you won’t regret it. Get your degree but try and remain as near solvent as possible.

If you wear glasses it is possible to buy designer glasses at knock down prices if you are prepared to steer clear of the High Street multiple chains.

There are so many other areas where it is possible to save money. On medicines, mobile phones, insurance, buying a house, working from home, clothes, DIY, your dog, motoring, holidays - in fact almost every subject you can think of.

Bargains are available, and not just in BOGOFs. You just have to know where to look. Shops are reducing their prices by as much at 25% in order to shift some of the stock they bought at high prices. As their profit margins decrease to perhaps what is a more reasonable level, you should be able to benefit. But don’t buy something unless you absolutely and definitely need it.

For even more money saving ideas just visit www.save-money-guide.com and see how it is done. Saving money becomes so easy when you are shown how.

This is a friendly, inter-active site with readers contributing their own money saving ideas. A monthly newsletter is also issued giving all the latest money saving tips, which saves you the time and bother of seeking them out yourself. Why not join in and benefit? Live well and protect your wallet, purse and bank balance at the same time.