Biggest Loser Blogs

The Healthy People Project was created in the 1970’s to set goals for Americans to live longer, healthier lives; and every 10 years the Department of Health and Human Services reports on the progress that was made. In 2010 there are more obese citizens, more citizens with high blood pressure, more children with untreated cavities and more fat and salt being eaten. However, vaccinations are up; most workplace injuries are down; and deaths from cancer, heart disease and stroke have dropped. With only about 20% of the goals being reached, it seems the Healthy People Project needs a “goalkeeper”.

New York City is trying to be healthier by reducing salt in many manufactured and packaged foods. Eighty percent of Americans’ salt intake is already in food, resulting in Americans eating about twice the recommended amount and increasing risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Among other reductions, the city wants a 40% salt reduction in breakfast cereals, 25% in bread and cold cuts and 30% in salad dressings. The goal is to reduce salt intake 20% in 5 years – by 2015; but because the reductions are voluntary, many manufacturers will take them with a grain of salt.

Then there’s airplane air, which is healthier than many travelers think. Although colds and flu can be passed by coughs and sneezes, there’s little chance of being infected if the sick person is more than 2 rows away and is present less than 8 hours. Also, most planes are divided into seven-row ventilation sections, in which cabin air is completely refreshed about 20 times per hour and is circulated through filters removing 99.97% of bacteria and virus-carrying particles. Touching contaminated surfaces – overhead bins, tray tables, lavatory doors – is usually how air travelers get sick. That’s a “plane” fact.

It’s also a fact Norway is the world’s most infection-free country. A key factor in Norway’s public health system accomplishing this was a severe cutback on antibiotic use starting in the 1980’s. According to the World Heath Organization, antibiotic resistance is one of the leading threats to public health. Because fewer antibiotics are prescribed in Norway than in other countries, Norwegians aren’t as likely to develop resistance to them and thus can fight the staph infection “Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus” (MRSA). Because learning from Norway’s example would save approximately 19,000 U.S. lives yearly, hopefully the U.S. won’t be a slow learner.

Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/are-we-taking-a-healthy-approach-to-health-1718956.html

Biggest Loser Blogs Biggest Loser Air Travelers, Antibiotic Use, Breakfast Cereals, Cold Cuts, Colds And Flu, Cutback, Grain Of Salt, Health And Human Services, High Blood Pressure, Lavatory, Little Chance, Overhead Bins, Public Health System, Salad Dressings, Salt Intake, Salt Reduction, Sick Person, Sneezes, Tray Tables, Workplace Injuries

One of nature’s best medicines is available in almost every household on the planet, and that medicine is simply pure water. In case you are not aware of the role of water in preventing and curing illness, then read on and you will get some valuable tips that you can use in your daily life.

The first thing to remember is that water is essential for good health and that you should drink water whenever you feel thirsty. In fact it is better not to even wait till you are thirsty, because being thirsty is an indication that you are already dehydrated.

Your body’s muscles, skin and organs consist of over 70% water and if the total content of their water goes under 70% you are likely to become ill. If your food and drinking do not provide enough fluids to compensate for the water lost through excretion, then your stored water will be lost and your body may become thinner and drier. The loss of water is not only bad for your outer appearance but it also adversely affects the internal workings of your body.

Adequate water drinking is especially important in hot countries (though almost as important in cold countries). Most people in hot countries have kidney and liver troubles because they do not drink enough water. So, how much water should you drink per day? On average, a healthy person should drink 3 to 4 liters water daily, a sick person 4 to 5 liters daily, and a person suffering from skin disease 5 to 6 liters daily.

You can drink four liters of water per day with very little effort. In order to drink that much daily, one may, for example, drink 1.5 liters in the early morning, another 1 liter between breakfast and lunch, another 1 liter between lunch and dinner, and ½ liter after dinner before sleeping time. If one can only drink 1 liter in the early morning due to short schedule, then water drinking should be at least 1 ¼ liters in between meals.

Avoid drinking water 30 minutes before meals until 1 hour after meals, as such meal-time water tends to dilute digestive juices. On the other hand soupy high-liquid content foods are very good during meals, as they are easy to digest.

In case you are wondering about the best temperature for the water, then here are some guidelines:

a) For people in normal health, the ideal temperature for drinking water is from cool to slightly warm. Cool water is a tonic for the stomach. Some people much prefer hot water, which is not harmful if it is occasional. It is not advisable to drink ice water often.
b) In case of excessive fever and sweating, drink a little cool water very frequently.
c) In case of cold stage of fever during malaria, together with cold shivers, drink hot water. Also in case of pain in the abdomen, drink hot water.
d) In case of vomiting tendency, stop by drinking small quantities of very hot water. Alternatively, it’s also possible to suck on ice to help stop vomiting tendency.
If one drinks warm water, the vomiting tendency will increase.

Drinking water on a daily basis will help you to maintain your health and prevent harmful diseases. Should you happen to fall ill then water drinking can also be a key element in bringing about a recovery. In future articles I will focus on the role of water in curing common illnesses.

Biggest Loser Blogs Biggest Loser 1 Liter, 5 Liters, Adequate Water, Body Muscles, Cold Countries, Drinking Water, Excretion, Good Health, Healthy Person, Hot Countries, How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day, Liters Of Water, Meal Time, Medicines, Organs, Outer Appearance, Sick Person, Skin Disease, Sleeping Time, Wate