Do you love to snack? I sure do! Every time I get the munchies (which is at least once a day!), I head on over to my pantry and see what I have. I recently read this article on Yahoo Health that suggests snack food that actually help your health. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Yoghurt or nuts
What do they have in common? These two snack items can actually help you de-stress. The article says:

Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids — lysine and arginine — or a placebo and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid–fortified public speakers were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack tons of arginine.

Green Tea
This drink will help you increase your metabolism. In short, it just might help you lose weight. We all know that snacking (the wrong way) can make you put on those pounds easily. So instead of reaching for that can of soda, why not try green tea-based drinks?

Trail Mix
Instead of grabbing a can of energy drink or a cup of coffee, try Trail Mix to boost your energy. The reason for this:

Raisins provide potassium, which your body uses to convert sugar into energy. Nuts stock your body with magnesium, which boosts metabolism and improves nerve and muscle function. (When magnesium levels are low, your body produces more lactic acid — the same fatigue-byproduct that makes your muscles ache at the end of a workout.)

What do you say? Let’s try these suggestions for a change?

I love watching cooking shows and I make it a point to watch the shows of celebrity chefs when I have the time. I was reading about some celebrity chefs earlier when I ran across a blog post on how Jamie Oliver, one of the most popular celebrity chefs today, has launched a line of pasta sauces that contain too much salt. Apparently, parents and other concerned citizens in the UK are all in an uproar about this. But is salt really bad?

I did some reading on salt and its effects on our health and this is what I found. An entry in the Guardian blog states:

We’re used to the flavour, but our bodies only need about a single gram of salt a day. The UK’s average consumption is nearly ten times that, prompting a government health campaign - though its rather arbitrary 6g limit would bring relatively few benefits to the nation’s blood pressure.

I am assuming that high salt intake increases our blood pressure. I have heard this from lots of people before. Oh, don’t put too much salt in your food. You don’t want to increase your risk of high blood pressure. Then again, I have always liked to use salt liberally and I have not had a single episode of high blood pressure. I would like to think that it is a matter of more than our salt intake. Perhaps we should take a look at the overall picture – having a balanced diet and taking salt in moderation.

Photo courtesy of parl

In the last post, we took a look at some little known facts about women’s sexual health. It’s the men’s turn this time. Here goes…

Yeast infection. Yes, men can get yeast infections too. Untreated, male yeast infections can affect reproductive organs and sexual performance.

To be honest, I didn’t really know about this. I have always thought that yeast was mainly a woman’s problem. I guess I was wrong!

Biological clock. Men’s fertility has long been touted as an ageless concept. Studies now show that a man’s ability to reproduce actually goes down after age 35. Additionally, the genetic disorders linked to a woman’s age at time of conception now also applies to men. After age 40, men’s sperm shows more than twice the DNA problems than that of a 20 year old.

So it’s not just women who have to watch the clock. Then again, we have heard of countless men aged over 50 becoming fathers all over again, haven’t we? Still, the potential DNA problems are not something that we should brush off.

“Broken” penis. A man’s erect penis can actually be injured similarly to a broken bone. If while erect, the penis is pushed too forcefully into an object harder than the penis, the result can be a penile fracture that requires immediate medical attention.

Another thing that should not be disregarded. Though I don’t suppose we talk about this as much (I mean, who would want to talk about broken things?), since it is possible, we better watch out.

There, I hope you enjoyed this two-part post on sexual health.

In this day and age, where liberalism seems to be the trend, you’d think that a large majority would be well versed when it comes to sexual health. Apparently, there are still some things that are not too commonly known. Perhaps it could be that for a liberal society, there are still things that are not discussed too much? In any case, the information for this post was brought to our attention by a reader – thanks, Fiona King!

So here are few things that you might not know about sexual health. Ladies first?

Testosterone. Women’s ovaries produce testosterone throughout their life. If this testosterone is significantly reduced, it can result in a loss of libido, less sensitivity, and less pleasurable orgasms. Experimental testosterone patches in post-menopausal women have shown encouraging results for regaining the loss of sexual feelings.

Ok girls, head on to your local pharmacy for testosterone patches now!

Sex allergy. Yes, there really is an allergic reaction some women have to semen. Thankfully, there is a way to treat this disorder which can lead to anaphylaxis in some women.

Oh wow, this would really suck. I can’t imagine having an allergic reaction to sex.

Thongs. While the comfort and loss of panty lines leads many women to love their thongs, there may be a connection between thong wearing and increased chances of urinary tract infections and yeast infections. Due to the fact that the thin strip of material of the thong moves between the areas of the anus and the vagina, fecal matter and bacteria can be easily spread.

Fashion or health? You would think that this was a no brainer!

(more to come)

Photo courtesy of eszter

Here are two more interesting myths about our feet – I have to admit I had always taken them to be true.

Myth: Over-the-counter scrubs and soaks for corns are safe and effective.
Fact: “At-home soaks or scrubs would just exfoliate, not remove corns,” Vlahovic said.
Diagnosis: A corn is a buildup of skin with a hard center. This often is caused by a hammertoe in which the toe knuckle rubs against the shoe. To permanently remove a corn, the hammertoe must be corrected so that it stops rubbing against the shoe. Or, just wear shoes with a wider toe box.

I don’t have corns – honest, I don’t! But I still buy those OTC scrubs and soaks just to melt the tiredness of my feet away sometimes. The explanation above makes sense, though, doesn’t it? It could also explain why I have no corns – I rarely wear shoes!

Myth: Feet don’t need sunscreen.
Fact: “Skin cancer on the legs and feet actually has a high mortality rate due to people forgetting to do skin checks on that area. It’s often caught too late,” Vlahovic said. “This is due in large part to the fact that many people simply forget to apply or reapply sunscreen to the lower extremities.”
Diagnosis: Apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and with both UVB and UVA protection every two to three hours to the feet. Apply more often if you’re going to be at the beach, in and out of the water, or sweating.

This is amazing, really. I never even gave a thought to this point. Have you?

Photo courtesy of chiodachic

It is summer time and a lot of people are probably excited about wearing nice footwear that are easy and cool on the feet. Whether you are a man or a woman, keeping your feet presentable when wearing flip flops, sandals, and other similar footwear should be a prime consideration. More so, keeping your feet healthy and clean should be at the top of your list.

I was browsing MSN the a few minutes ago when I saw an article on foot care for the summer. In it, myths about feet were debunked. Here are some of the points that I found interesting.

Myth: Flats, flip-flops and going barefoot are good for your feet.
Fact: “This is a common misconception, because we always hear about the problems with high heels,” Vlahovic said in a prepared statement. “But these three present their own types of problems.” Flip-flops provide no support, which can cause plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains and tendonitis. Wearing flats can lead to severe heel pain and blisters, crowding toes and conditions such as hammertoes and bunions. Walking barefoot leaves feet open to cuts, scrapes, bruises, and puncture wounds along with skin issues or nail injuries.

That blows. I am a firm believe in flip flops and flats and now I read scientific material on how they can be harmful? Hmm, come to think of it, though, I have never experienced the problems above – except for when going barefoot. I suppose I shall continue my love affair with flip flops but I’ll leave going barefoot for when I am in the house. How’s that?

(to be continued)

Photo courtesy of Chewy Chua

You already probably know that many cases of back pain are not treatable. That is, even if you go to the doctor, some cases just cannot be “healed.” They normally go away on their own or you have to take pain killers till they go away. So what is the best medicine to take when your back is killing you? I personally take Tylenol most of the time. However, I read that taking too much of it can cause liver damage. Maybe it’s about time to look at other options?

An article from Spine Health provides insight on this matter:

Half of back pain sufferers reach for Advil or Aleve for relief, according to a poll conducted by Spine-health.com, a leading Web site for those with back problems.

Ibuprofen in general (Advil, Motrin and Nuprin combined) accounted for 39% of the responses. 26% of the respondents said Advil (ibuprofen) is their first choice for OTC pain relief, while 24% selected Aleve (naproxen). Tylenol (acetaminophen) was chosen by 11%, and aspirin was selected by 5%. “Other” accounted for 15% and responses ranged from various prescription drugs to no alternative specified.

It seems that I am part of the minority here. I have tried naproxen before – the generic kind – and from what I recall, it worked well. Perhaps I should try that next time I have a back pain episode.

How about you, what medication works best for your pain?

Photo courtesy of Billie

The S-word creates quite a big stir each time it is mentioned in the news. It used to be chicken that was in the forefront when the issue of salmonella came up. Now it’s in tomatoes!

So what happened?

News-Medical.net reports:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a cluster of nine cases of salmonella poisoning in a single geographic location, may lead to the source of an outbreak - it appears that all of the sickened individuals ate similar tomatoes.

The cluster is possibly nine cases reported by the Chicago Department of Health where the victims ate at two restaurants from the same chain but food safety officials continue to maintain that the outbreak is not linked to a single restaurant or grocery store chain.

Tomatoes from dozens of states and countries whose producers have not been linked to the outbreak have been identified by the FDA and include California, northern Florida and Baja California in Mexico.

The outbreak has been linked by health officials to raw plum, Roma and round tomatoes and consumers are warned to avoid those tomatoes if they come from producers not yet cleared by FDA.

At the time of the initial outbreak the major tomato suppliers were in Mexico and Florida and this has been the main focus of investigators.

According to the CDC the bacterial strain responsible for the current outbreak, Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, is uncommon and last year there were only 25 reported cases of the saintpaul strain with the same genetic fingerprint as that seen in the current outbreak - Mexican officials say Salmonella Saintpaul has never been found in Mexico.

Salmonella bacteria are often the culprit in food-borne illnesses and symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain and generally appear within 12 hours to 72 hours of eating tainted food.

It has been weeks since the first case of salmonella contamination was reported. Things seem to be alright now and restaurants are starting to serve tomatoes again. But I am sure those 227 people who have fallen ill because of the contaminated tomatoes will not be eating tomatoes anytime soon.

Photos courtesy of Zeetz Jones

Do you make it a habit to give your father a gift every year at this time? Or maybe at least give him a call to tell him how much you love and appreciate him. This year, maybe it’s time for a different kind of gift – a gift of health awareness. If you are a father yourself, you should reward yourself with this kind of gift as well. I am talking about three key questions regarding prostate cancer , as presented by the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC).

The three questions are:

What could put me at risk for prostate cancer?
Is genetic testing for prostate cancer available?
If I decide to have genetic testing, what should I expect?

It may sound morbid to some people but I think we should all think in practical terms. I never thought that we would have a case of prostate cancer in our family but my uncle died of this disease 2 years ago. He was married to my aunt so we weren’t related by blood but still, the fact that I personally know someone who died of prostate cancer is enough to make me want to answer those three questions above, especially since prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in American men.

Is testing going to help? According to Angela Trepanier, president of the NSGC:

Genetic tests for prostate cancer can help save lives, but they can also raise more questions than answers. It is important that someone who has expertise in genetics helps you understand and interpret your risks, options and the impact that test results could have on you and your family.

Photo courtesy of Melilotus

I am not talking about people killing other people here but health threats that are the most common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data from 2003 (the most recent they have) of the top ten health issues that threaten the lives of the male population most. And they are:

1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Unintentional injuries
4. Stroke
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
6. Diabetes
7. Influenza and pneumonia
8. Suicide
9. Kidney disease
10. Alzheimer’s disease

So why are men more susceptible to these diseases that ultimately lead to death? There is no clear cut reasoning but researchers think that one reason may be the lifestyle of most men. Take note, this is not a sweeping statement as different men have different lifestyles. However, it is a fact that even in the most modern of societies, there are certain behaviors that are more acceptable for men than women.

The article on MSN Men’s Health section states:

Socially sanctioned “male” behavior also may predispose men to premature death. CDC statistics show men are more likely to smoke, drink, use illicit drugs and engage in casual sex than are women — all of which can increase their risk of serious diseases. Males are also more likely to take risks and behave aggressively, which may partly explain why they have a higher risk of dying from accidents, suicide and homicide. Young men are especially at risk. In young men, accidents, suicide and homicide are among the most frequent causes of death. In young and middle-aged men, AIDS is on the top 10 list.