Your Eyes Needs Exercise Too!

The study, published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, found that exercise, particularly strength training, affected mood in individuals over 62. According to Arent, one reason for that is what strength training does for seniors’ self-esteem. “Strength training prevents loss of muscle mass and bone density, conditions that can interfere with the independence and quality of life of an older person,” he says. “Mundane tasks that were once difficult, such as grocery shopping, are no longer an issue.” And when an older person can resume abandoned physical activities, like playing with grand-kids or gardening, it’s amazing how quickly his or her depression lifts.

Eye Exercise
Rub your hands together to make them warm. (You can shake them or hold them in front of a heat vent if you prefer) Then close your eyes. Cover your eyes with your warm hands. Make sure your hands do not touch your eyelids and that you do not rest your cheekbones on your hands. If you want to place the weight of your head on your hands, put the weight on the forehead. Then look at the dark. If you see spots or zaps of light, wait till you see the dark. Don’t hurry. Do this at least twice a day for 5 to 15 minutes.

Exercise also helps lower your blood pressure. Your lungs will also benefit from exercise as they become better conditioned so that activities such as climbing stairs will not make you out of breath. Muscles that are not used become small and inelastic, but aerobic exercise will help tone your body by increasing muscle size, strength and flexibility while burning calories. Exercise can also help alleviate stress and make you more productive, so choose something that you enjoy and stick with it.

Arm Exercise
1. bend your arms so that there is a 90 degrees angle at the elbow
2. swing the arms forward and backward so the elbow is high at the back
3. try not to swing the arms to high or across the body in the front (hands should not be above shoulder height nor should they cross the midpoint of your body
4. keep the angle at the elbows at 90 degrees throughout the swings

It seems that almost everyone from time to time will use family life as an excuse for not having any time to exercise, missing out on even a single exercise benefit.

Rx For Saving Money On Prescription Drugs

There are times when many Americans need a cure for the all-too-common high cost of prescription drugs. The problem is that the cost of prescription drugs continues to rise in the U.S. Some patients must choose between food and medicine; others are forced to import drugs. Patients can save money on their prescription medications with these easy tips:

• Switch from your brand-name, expensive prescription drugs to low-cost alternatives. Both generic and name-brand medications must be manufactured to meet the same strict FDA requirements. Generics are time-tested to be safe and effective. Some new brands have not been marketed long enough to pass the test of time.

• Don’t be misled by free drug samples at the doctor’s office. Samples are a form of marketing. Often, you’re in for an expensive surprise when the sample runs out and you go to fill the prescription. Get the real price of your drug sample and see if there is a more reasonably priced option at www.USGenericsOnline.com.

“Consumers spend more than they have to on their prescriptions. Know your options, like generic equivalents, and you can save a lot of money,” said licensed pharmacist Mel Solochek, co-founder of USGenerics.

The company provides information on drugs that treat most major medical conditions including diabetes, arthritis and high blood pressure.

Your Eyes Have It

Your eyes demand attention whenever you are talking to someone or even glancing in their direction. They are an important feature of your face and the skin around the eyes can bring the eyes to healthy life or contribute to a dull, lifeless look.

Naturally as you age the skin surrounding the eyes develops fine lines and deeper wrinkles. This is because the delicate skin around the eyes is very different to the rest of the skin on your face. It is much thinner and in fact has very few oil glands which can keep it naturally moisturized. This means its dries out faster and being thin, if not treated gently can stretch and tear, causing bags and sagging.

For this reason is it important to treat the eye area gently and dont wipe or rub the eyes harshly, instead just patting the area without pulling is recommended.

Puffiness around the eyes is common on waking but can remain throughout the day for a variety of reasons including tiredness, smoking, drinking alcohol, diet and even hormonal changes. If you do have a problem with puffy eyes try elevating your head slightly at night on a higher pillow and drinking plenty of water throughout the day to cleanse out your blood system. One cause of puffiness can be as simple as the cream you are using. Eyes are naturally sensitive and will water continuously to cleanse them of impurities. When using creams around the eye area make sure you dont apply them too closely to the eye and seek out natural skin care creams without harsh chemicals and additives.

The cream will creep about 1 centimeter by itself so just apply creams on the bone below the eye area. The cream will make its way further on the skin but not into the eyes themselves. When applying eye cream place a little of the cream onto your ring finger and gently pat the cream around the eye and dab gently to absorb, do not rub. You only need to apply a tiny amount of cream around the eye to bring satisfactory results in fact too much cream can irritate and cause the puffiness you are trying to avoid.

At LanaB we have developed a 100% natural eye cream that can be used safely around the eye area without causing irritation. Included in the ingredients are Jojoba and Avocado oils as well as Vitamins A and E, these combine to treat fine lines and wrinkles effectively and moisturize and balance the skin around the eyes.

What Are Your Chances Of 20-20 Vision After LASIK Eye

What Are Your Chances Of 20-20 Vision After LASIK Eye Surgery?

You might have come across eye centers touting outrageous offers of “20/20 vision or your money back”. The whole concept of 20/20 vision has been ballyhooed immensely when it comes to laser eye surgery. In essence, the value 20/20 refers to a way of measuring visual acuity via the Snellen eye chart the same old alphabet chart that you might have seen at a nearby eye care center. As an instance of Snellen measurement, people with 20/40 vision can see clearly at 20 feet what people with 20/20 vision can see clearly at 40 feet.

With the latest technological advancements in laser eye surgery, the conventional LASIK procedure has been augmented with superlative techniques like wavefront LASIK, and its add-on, iris registration. With such enhancements there is an even greater chance of 20/20 vision relative to that with conventional LASIK. By wielding wavefront technology there is a great, around 95%, chance of 20/20 vision. However, with the iris registration technology, the possibility of 20/20 vision skyrockets to an overwhelming 99%.

20/20 vision is what you aim for while undergoing any type of refractive surgery it’s used as a benchmark. However, some people hold a somewhat dissenting opinion about 20/20 vision, as far as laser eye surgery is concerned. The argument put forth is that visual quality matters more than visual acuity. As is evident from a number of cases, laser eye surgeries, for instance LASIK, have potential complications. A patient might experience blurry vision, halos, ghost vision or double vision, glare, and starbursts surrounding light sources at night.

Normal vision is crisp and sharp. But after laser eye surgery, a person might have to deal with debilitating side effects, which typically diminish vision quality. Though the patient might still be able to decipher a 20/20 line on the Snellen chart, the vision might be blurry. Unless the complications subside, eye surgeons’ famous promise of 20/20 vision is merely a myth.

In general, the degree of refractive error and the pupil size are the only criteria while determining the candidature of a patient for laser eye surgery. Most patients are not tested on other grounds, such as contrast sensitivity, glare and depth perception. The data pertinent to such aspects is fairly anecdotal. A comprehensive preoperative test regime is necessary for achieving authentic 20/20 vision (with enhanced vision quality) after laser eye surgery.

If you find a LASIK surgery that you are confident with, you will be able to get more information about 20/20 vision.

What Eye Problems Result From Albinism

Albinism refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in the eyes, skin and hair. Besides looking different, which may cause social problems, albinos also have various impairments. In the most severe form of albinism (called oculocutaneous albinism), those affected appear to have hair, skin, and iris color that are white or pink as well as vision defects. This article mainly concentrates on the eye problems resulting from albinism. The eyes need melanin pigment to develop normal vision. Because of that people with albinism have impaired vision. The skin also needs pigment for protection from sun damage so albinos sunburn themselves very easily and have increased risk of getting skin cancer. Less common types of albinism can also involve other problems.

Albinism often results extreme farsightedness or nearsightedness and astigmatism. Sight can be improved with glasses, however, normal or near normal vision is unusual even when glasses are worn.

Other common eye impairments include nystagmus and strabismus. Nystagmus is an involuntary movement of the eyes back and forth. One way how some people cope with this problem is by using a head tilt. This decreases the movement and may improve vision. For nystagmus treatment eye muscle surgery is also an option however this does not help in all cases.

Strabismus means that the eyes do not fixate and track together. In some cases the alignment of the eyes improves with the wearing of glasses. Young children are sometimes thought to use the non preferred eye more. This is done by patching the other eye. However treatment cannot correct the improper routing of the nerves to the brain.

Photophobia also is a frequent disorder. In the case of photophobia the eyes are very sensitive to the sun. This can be coped with by wearing dark classes when exposed to the sun.

Albinism treatment mainly aims to ease symptoms and depends on the extent of the disorder. The skin and eyes must be protected from the sun. Sunglasses (UV protected) may relieve photophobia. Sunburn risk can be reduced by avoiding the sun, by using sunscreens and covering completely with clothing when exposed to sun. Sunscreens should have a high SPF (sun protection factor).

Research Results In New Drugs And Cancer Treatments

There may be new hope for many cancer patients, their caregivers and loved ones.

That’s because America’s research-based pharmaceutical companies are today developing nearly 400 new medicines to treat cancer, according to a survey of ongoing research conducted by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

Many of the medicines now in development represent potential breakthrough cancer treatments, while others involve possible new uses for existing medicines.

The medicines in development are all either in clinical trials or under review by the Food and Drug Administration. They include:

• 62 for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States;

• 49 for breast cancer, which is expected to strike more than 200,000 American women this year;

• 50 for prostate cancer, which is expected to kill more than 30,000 American men this year; and

• 35 for colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer in both men and women in the U.S.

Other potential medicines target kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, skin cancer, ovarian cancer and others. In addition, companies are working on new treatments to improve the quality of life for people undergoing cancer treatment.

“Anyone fighting cancer or anyone who has beaten it knows the importance of these medicines and this research,” said Billy Tauzin, PhRMA president and CEO who is also a cancer survivor. “Sometimes, the hope that one of these new medicines will work for you is what keeps you fighting the disease.”

Recent cancer research efforts have resulted in several new treatments. For example, a medicine to treat metastatic colorectal cancer is the first treatment approved that prevents the formation of new blood vessels that provide tumors with oxygen and nutrients. There’s also a medicine for the treatment of nonsmall-cell lung cancer that inhibits the formation and growth of tumor cells.

Research into possible new cancer cures and treatments is today being conducted by as many as 178 biopharmaceutical companies as well as by the National Cancer Institute.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies.

Vitrectomy Recovery – The Aftermath of Eye Surgery

They eyes are very sensitive. I cannot imagine anyone not cringing at the thought of eye surgery. Anyone who has experienced a vitrectomy will have experienced what it is like to have partial sight. So, vitrectomy recovery is something which needs your very careful attention, if you want to achieve the best possible results from your eye surgery.

A vitrectomy is a procedure to remove the vitreous from the eye. The vitreous is a colourless gel-like substance which fills the space behind the len of the eye, and is attached on all sides to the wall of the eye, the lens and the retina.

The vitreous must remain clear to maintain a clarity of vision, and if anything causes the vitreous to lose clarity, then a vitrectomy can be performed to remedy the situation and to try and improve the quality of vision for the patient.

A vitrectomy can also be performed if any damage occurs to the retina, such as a detachment or a tear. In such cases it is common for a gas bubble to be inserted into the eye. The gas bubble will, over time, be absorbed into the eye, but during the period of recovery from eye surgery, it will, with correct head placement, act to press the retina back against the eye wall. This is a critical part of vitrectomy recovery.

Many hospitals will provide a special head rest that allows the patient to rest in a chair with the eyes pointing directly down. The benefit of this is that the gas bubble floats upwards and presses against the retina, ensuring that gentle pressure is applied to the retina to aid recovery. The same head rest can be adapted for use at night so that the patient can sleep face down, ensuring that the gas bubble is pressed against the retina overnight.

This technique of head rest is known as ‘posturing’. The duration of this technique depends on the advice of the surgeon, but could be anything between five and fourteen days. After my surgery, I was told that I had to adopt this posturing position all day every day, with only 10 minutes in each hour to stretch my legs etc. I was able to get by by listening to music and listening to talking books during the day, but it was most problematical for me, at nighttime.

Sleeping on one’s front may not pose problems for everyone, especially with a head rest to keep your head in the appropriate position. I however, suffer from discomfort in the small of my back, and lying in this position became excruciating after an hour or so. The advice I received was to take pain killers, so that the posture could be held for as long as was necessary to maintain the correct recovery position.

I overcame the problem largely through the use of large numbers of pillows under my chest and midriff which had the effect of alleviating the pressure in the small of my back.

Cholesterol Reducing Vitamins and Drugs

Having an abnormally high cholesterol level can put one at risk of developing heart disease. It won’t be an instant thing; heart disease can gradually develop as a person ages and as one continues to maintain a very high cholesterol level. If you plan to live well over your years, then lowering your cholesterol levels at the earliest time possible will be able to help you achieve your goal.

There are certain medications available in the market today that aim to lower cholesterol levels. They are grouped in different classes most notable of which are HMG-CoA Inhibitors or otherwise known as “statins”. The drugs belonging in this group try to block the enzyme HMG-CoA, which functions as one of the steps required to convert fat into cholesterol. Statins are known to be the most effective cholesterol lowering agent to date and have become a great help to people requiring drastic reduction of their cholesterol levels.

There are also cholesterol lowering drugs called bile acid sequestrants that work by binding itself with the bile produced by the human liver. Bile is the substance that aids in the digestion system and in the absorption of fats in the intestine. Bile acid sequestrants prevent the formation of cholesterol by preventing bile acid from digesting fats.

There are also vitamins that help lower cholesterol levels. Most prominent among them is Vitamin B3 or niacin. Niacin is one of the eight water-soluble B vitamins that help the body convert carbohydrates into glucose which is used in the body for energy. The B vitamins are also important in the breakdown of body fat and protein as well as in the aid in making the nervous system, skin, eyes, hair, mouth, and liver healthy. Niacin also helps the body in getting rid of toxic and harmful chemicals.

Niacin has also been found to increase the effects of other cholesterol reducing drugs. But such an effect would only be possible if niacin is taken in large doses. But people are also warned to be careful of trying to lower their cholesterol levels by taking in large doses of Niacin. Large amounts of this B vitamin can cause flushing of the skin due to dilating blood vessels as well as other side effects such as itching, headaches, nausea and muscle cramps.

Other vitamins and substances also credited in helping the body lower its cholesterol levels is Lecithin and vitamins C and E. Lecithin works by allowing fats and cholesterol to be dispersed from the body and help prevent fatty buildup in the arteries. Vitamins C and E have also shown to help in trying to help prevent heart disease by protecting LDL cholesterol from damage. Although LDL cholesterol is also known as the “bad” cholesterol, most cardiologists believe that only damaged LDL contributes to the increasing risk of heart disease.

Psoriasis – Escape This Disease To Enjoy Fresh And Healthy

Psoriasis – Escape This Disease To Enjoy Fresh And Healthy Skin

Psoriasis is a usual skin disease that comes as lesions with white scales on the skin and also leads to weakening of skins and joints. It is a chronic disease that is characterized by red, silvery, thick and scaled patches on the skin. It is a poorly understood condition that affects the skin and also at times the nails whose symptoms include red inflamed skins covered by white scales, which flakes easily.

Psoriasis can appear all over the body and can be really itchy and irritating. It mostly happens on the arms [specially elbows], legs [knees], buttocks and trunk and rarely affects the face and scalp. Sometimes you will find psoriasis affecting your fingernails and toenails with symptoms like ridges down the nails, yellowish spots, white color pits and thickness to the nails edge.

Causes of psoriasis

The first cause of psoriasis is dry skin. When you are getting psoriasis, you will find irritations on your skin and find it covered with bright silvery scales. Not only does the disease affect knees, skin behind the ears or scalp, but it also affects the underarms and genital areas. The lesions vary in size from being minute papules to sheets covering larger parts of the body. The lesions are always dry and rarely become infected.

Psoriasis is basically an abnormality in the skin mechanism where the skin grows and replaces itself. The abnormality is due to the metabolism of amino acids, which are natures basic building blocks for the reproduction of cell tissues. Heredity plays a major role in the development of psoriasis. The factors that aggravate and precipitate the outbreak of psoriasis are physical and emotional stress, use of certain unwanted medicines, infections and change in diet.

Remedies for psoriasis

Psoriasis is a metabolic disease so it is very useful that you should follow a regular diet devoid of all spicy and disorderly food. More of fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, boiled bitter gourds, and curd, are very useful.

Food remedies

Researchers have recommended beta-carotene, omega-3, fatty acids, folate and zinc to be nutritional factors for reducing psoriasis. Soluble fiber such as pectin, guar gum, and psyllium are very useful for binding toxins. However, you should also eat things like flaxseed oils, folic acids [present in Brussels, spinach, bok choy, beets, chick peas, turkey, peas, oranges], omega-3 [present in salmon, trout, tuna, mackerel, sardines and herring.

Homeopathy remedies

There are some miraculous homeopathic medicines like arsenicum album, graphites, calcarea carbonica, mezereum, mercurius solubilis, sepia, staphysagria, sulphur and rhus toxicodendron that remedies psoriasis effectively within a very short time.

Other remedies

You can use essential oils like avocado oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, cashew nut oil, Vitmain E and buttermilk as homemade remedies to reduce psoriasis.

Provide remedies for psoriasis to enjoy a healthy skin.

Vitamins for Youth Health and Healing Check Out Vitamin E

Vitamins for Youth Health and Healing Check Out Vitamin E

Vitamin E is one of the natural antioxidants, proven to help your body fight several health problems and to fend off some of the natural signs of aging. Severe deficiencies of Vitamin E are rare, though some people may not be getting the full recommended daily allowances of many vitamins, including Vitamin E.

There are two recent advances in the understanding of Vitamin E that could ultimately impact a reduction in the tendency for some people to experience heart problems and cancer. Studies are still inconclusive and there seems to be several opinions as to the ultimate outcome of the benefits of Vitamin E to seriously impact these two major health concerns. Whether Vitamin E will ultimately become a viable treatment for those at high risk for heart disease and cancer remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the benefits of Vitamin E as an antioxidant to help fight aging continue to be touted. Vitamin E supplements are also prescribed in some cases to help those adults at risk for developing cataracts.

Some manufacturers of cold sore medications include Vitamin E to help speed the healing process. A combination of Vitamin E and aloe vera seems to be a very popular remedy that many claim to be very effective in the treatment of severely chapped lips, cold sores and minor infections.

Two groups of people seem to be most at risk for low levels of Vitamin E in the body. Some people have trouble absorbing all fat-soluble vitamins and may show symptoms of deficiencies of several vitamins, including E. Babies who are born prematurely may also be at risk for some time following birth. Some other factors may play a role, including the tendency toward extremely poor eating habits and even some genetic disorders.

Oils tend to be high in Vitamin E with sunflower oil being near the top of that list. A single tablespoon of sunflower oil may provide up to a quarter of the daily recommended allowance for Vitamin E. Corn oil is another viable source. Peanuts, sunflower kernels and almonds are also good sources of this important vitamin.

While there are many uses and effects of sufficient daily consumption of Vitamin E, there continues to be a focus of using Vitamin E as an anti-aging agent. Nearly a decade ago, results of studies indicated that this vitamin slowed the aging process in laboratory experiments. Today, anti-aging creams and cosmetics often include Vitamin E.