Accupressure

Below our body?s skin surface their lies a complex structure of nerves, veins and aster ices, each of them performing different functions. The onset of pain or any other common problem like backaches, asthma, heart attach, arthritis is the result of blockage of one of these veins only. The location of the actual site of the pain or problem is hard to discover by the normal individual. There are pressure points of our each and every part of the body. By pressing these points we can heal many ailments and this healing of points is known as Acupressure.

Fed up by the side effects of allopathic drugs, the people of India are new turning there attention towards acupressure therapies mainly nature cure methods that offer easy, home treatments without expensive drugs that leave side effects. This ancient science of healing traveled in the days of Buddhism to Sri Lanka and then to China but it originated in India.

Acupressure therapy is one of the simplest, safest and effective methods of stimulating the site of pain or other disorders. The Chinese used needles to stimulate these sites and named this healing as acupuncture while the Indians used bare fingers and hence name it Acupressure.

It has been proved helpful in relieving many types of arthritis, back pain, neck pain, and many other every day ailments, it can be used in combination with other treatments for a variety of general illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, chest pain, menstrual cramps and abdominal disorders. The main aspect of the treatment lies in locating the pressure point, which offers connectivity to an area of pain or ailment. The patient?s cry of pain is the indication that the right site has been located. It offers relief without an intake of medicine, pills, hot and cold application etc.

Mainly acupressurist believe that our palms and feet control the working of each and every part of the body. Each body part has its pressure point on the palms and feet. According to acupressurists the human body has fourteen imaging meridians that transfer the energy to the whole body. These meridians start from the fingertips and are connected to the brain and then they are connected to the organs associated with each meridian. Any pain in the body or any other disorder is the result of blockage in the meridians associated with the particular organs or parts.

There are different types of acupressure and each type may be involving different methods. Most popular are:

Shiatsu ? A Japanese technique. In it whole body is used to apply strong pressure.

Tui na- Chinese acupressure. In this hands are used for applying pressure. Reflexology- it involves both feet and hands

High Blood Pressure: Beyond Diet and Exercise

We all know what blood pressure means and what high or low blood pressure portends. Well to set the records straight, the heart pumps blood that is circulated throughout the body by vessels called arteries and veins. The arteries take blood away from the heart to all parts of the body, while the veins return this circulated blood back to the heart. In these vessels, the force of flow of the blood generates what is regarded as blood pressure.

However, there are two types of blood pressures: systolic and diastolic. The pressure generated as the heart beats while pumping is known as the systolic, while the diastolic pressure is the pressure generated by blood returning to the heart through the veins. Thus, it is convenient to say that systolic pressure is the blood pressure in the arteries while diastolic is that in veins.

As with several similar conditions, a thousand factors are indicted in the onset and progression of high blood pressure. Inactivity and unhealthy diets have been the most highlighted risk factors. Most blood pressure medications and advice are always targeted at improving lifestyles such as increased activity and healthy dieting. Recently, however, physicians have discovered that beyond diet and exercise, your mood, emotions, anxieties, worries, fears and joy all contribute, largely, to the risk of high blood pressure. In short, a link seems to have been established between mental and cardiovascular health.

Mounting evidence points to the fact that chronic emotional states such as stress, anxiety, hostility, depression or childhood trauma and loneliness play very important roles in the cause of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases. These factors are appearing to be as potent as or even stronger than the conventionally established cardiovascular risks, such as inactivity, smoking, diabetes etc. It is believed that emotional states affect behavior in several ways.

One of the explanations provided for the link observed between mental and cardiovascular health is that chronic emotional states, such as depression, fear or anxiety, stimulate the body's fight-or-flight mechanism. In response, the blood pressure and blood cholesterol shoots up. When this persists for a long time, chronic high blood pressure could result. Funnily enough, a Newsweek issue stated that the word 'angina' (name of one of the symptoms of high blood pressure) shares a common root with the word 'anger', that perhaps explains the correlation between emotions and high blood pressure more succinctly.

A clinical study carried out in the United States showed that emotions such as depression probably stimulate the production of certain inflammatory chemicals in the body which are known to cause damage to blood vessels. They explained that in hostile and depressed people, the body tends to produce and build up large volumes of stress hormones, stimulating the immune system to build up inflammation which in turn promotes heart disease at every stage - from high blood pressure to heart attack.

When you hear all the stories about diet and exercise being good for your heart, remember that what you can do to help your heart function healthily and effectively go beyond eating the right food, smoking cessation or regular exercise. A good outlook on life is almost as important. You won't have to go about with that sore face; a simple smile could help your heart. Doctors established a long time ago that happy and humorous people don't fall sick; they don't suffer high blood pressure and other debilitating ailments, just because they choose to be happy. You would agree that's not such a difficult decision to make. Decide to live a tension-free life today; your heart needs it.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to High Blood Pressure
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Tummy Tuck Cosmetic Surgery

Abdominoplasty is also known as a ?tummy tuck? procedure that is used to reshape and firm the abdomen. This procedure involves removing excess fat and skin from the center of the lower abdomen in order to tighten the muscles of the abdomen wall. Generally this procedure is performed on women and people who have abdominal fat deposits that won?t respond to diet and exercise.

A complete abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) procedure is performed by creating a small incision from one hip to the next (just above the pubic area). After this, another cut is made to free the surrounding skin away from the navel. The skin is detached from the abdomen wall which will reveal the muscles. The skin is then reattached and a new hole for the navel is created and stitched into place.

When preparing for your surgery it is best to listen to all of the instructions your surgeon gives you. This will most likely include guidelines on eating, drinking, smoking and what medications to take. Overexposure to the sun before surgery can slow down the time it takes to heal. Smoking is also not recommended for at least a week before your surgery.

After the surgery has been completed your abdomen will probably feel swollen and you will most likely undergo some pain and discomfort. Your doctor will provide you with medication to help you out during this time. Some people are able to return to work within two weeks of the procedure, while others take 3-4 weeks. Minor exercise will help you heal better, and it is recommended to start an exercise program to reduce swelling. Expect your scars to last for around 9-12 months after the procedure. While these scars will never disappear completely, most will not show under clothing and even bathing suits.

To learn more about Philadelphia cosmetic surgery, South Jersey cosmetic surgeons, or Delaware plastic surgery please visit our website.

This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks.

Brain Concussions in Sports: What's the Fuss?

If you're having difficulty understanding what a brain concussion is, and how your son or daughter's head-injury affects their further participation in sports, then you're in good company. The nature and effects of concussions are still poorly understood by many athletes, parents, coaches, news reporters and, to a certain extent, even the medical community. But because the brain is a treasured organ?one that athletes should want to keep in good working order for the rest of their lives?a good understanding of concussions is crucial.

Neurologists and neurosurgeons cringe when they hear sports-reporters make comments like, Johnny had a CAT scan and it showed that he didn't have a concussion. The truth is that CAT scans don't show concussions. They do show other serious consequences of head injuries, like bleeding within the brain, or hemorrhages that compress the brain. But concussions?while no less real?are invisible to brain-imaging tests like CAT scans and MRIs.

So what is a concussion? If a blow to the head caused unconsciousness, a concussion occurred. Most people know this. But a concussion can occur even when there is no loss of consciousness. Other symptoms after a head-injury indicating a concussion include:

impaired attention, e.g. vacant stare, slowness to respond, easy distractibility

slurred speech, or speech that doesn't make sense

clumsiness or unsteadiness

disorientation, e.g. walking in the wrong direction, forgetting the day of the week

excessive emotional reaction, e.g. easy tears, overly upset

memory impairment, e.g. asking same question repeatedly, can't memorize new facts

Other symptoms can develop hours or even weeks after the injury, including headache, dizziness, poor concentration, irritability, impaired memory, fatigue, disrupted sleep, anxiety, depression, and a lack of good judgment or insight.

You'll notice that all these symptoms share a common feature?an alteration in brain function. The normal brain processes, which depend on proper signaling among the brain's 20 billion brain cells, are out of whack.

There can also be physical damage to the brain's cells. Because brain-cells are so tiny, brain scans don't detect them. Injuries causing more severe concussions can tear apart the cells' axons (the long filaments that carry coded messages over long distances within the brain). As you can imagine, these rips in the very fabric of the brain can cause lasting impairments in brain function or require long periods of time for recovery.

One certainty about sports-related concussions is that they are very frequent. The Centers for Disease Control estimates there are at least 300,000 of them in the U.S. per year and they comprise about 20% of all head injuries. Research also indicates that the brains of high school athletes are more vulnerable to concussion than those of older athletes, and require longer periods of time to fully recover.

Individuals who have had one concussion are at greater risk for another. For example, in one study of high school and college football players, concussions occurred about six times more frequently in student-athletes who had experienced prior concussions than in those who had not. Moreover, repeated concussions can have more severe outcomes than first concussions.

A rare but particularly scary phenomenon has been called the second impact syndrome in which a second concussion occurring within days or weeks of an earlier concussion can produce catastrophic consequences?including death?way out of proportion to the apparent severity of the re-injury.

Because of the potentially serious consequences, athletes, coaching staffs and parents need to have a heightened awareness of head-injuries and their need for proper evaluation, including by medical personnel. Various guidelines have been created for decisions about when it is safe to resume participation in contact sports. These guidelines, while based more on expert opinion than on medical evidence, are still the best benchmarks we have until more studies are done.

All guidelines agree that an athlete needs to become symptom-free in all areas?thinking, memory, emotions, coordination, balance, etc.?before resuming play. After a first concussion, the athlete should have been normal for at least a week, and after a second concussion, for probably two weeks.

When should an athlete hang up his or her cleats and retire from the sport? How many concussions are too many? No one has a definite answer to either question. As Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry might ask, Are you feeling lucky? Three concussions in the same season?or even in an entire sports career?should certainly raise concern about long-term damage to the brain.

Of course, student-athletes often pressure their parents to allow them to return to play sooner than might be wise. In these circumstances it is useful to recall that many professional athletes in football, hockey, boxing and other sports have retired from their lucrative careers rather than suffer additional concussions. If these high-profile individuals were willing to give up their big paydays in order to protect their brains, then perhaps your son or daughter will be able to follow their examples when less money is at stake. However, if you are the parent and are being pressured to allow an early return to play, you just might have to stand tall, do the right thing, and say no.

For more information about traumatic brain injury see the websites of The Brain Matters and The Brain Injury Association of America.

(C) 2005 by Gary Cordingley

Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD, is a clinical neurologist, teacher and researcher who works in Athens, Ohio. For more health-related articles see his website at: http://www.cordingleyneurology.com

The Importance Of An Active Lifestyle

Over the past 15 years or so, we have been told that a healthy lifestyle is important. Scientists recommend we should be accumulating on average 60 minutes of exercises a day in order to maintain healthy levels. What exactly does that number mean? Over the course of a regular day, we should be doing some sort of physical activity that adds up to approximately 60 minutes. Whether it is in the gym on the treadmill or just in the garden for the afternoon, adding physical activity is vital.

First we need to know what actually constitutes exercise. The term Healthy activity can be broken down in to three categories; Cardiovascular, Resistance, and Flexibility.

Cardiovascular training

It is recommended to do cardio 2 or 3 times a week. Depending on your fitness level., cardio can consist of a nice walk with your dog, or a vigorous run on the treadmill. Ideally you are trying to increase your cardio capacity. which has many health benefits.

Resistance Training

Part of living an active lifestyle is by doing some sort of resistance training at least 2 times a week. That doesn?t mean you have to go to the gym and lift weights, you can easily do it at home by doing movements as simple as pushup and sit-ups, or by using something like resistance bands. Resistance training is just as important as cardiovascular activity and adds to your overall physical health.

Flexibility (stretching)

After you exercise, it is recommended you stretch for roughly 10 minutes, holding each stretch for 15-30 seconds. Stretching is crucial to maintain flexibility and reduce the chance of injury from exercise.

Benefits of Exercise

So now we know that working out is important, but what are the actually benefits of living an active lifestyle? Below are just 5 of the countless benefits of being active.

Reduces the Risk of Dying Prematurely - Those living a healthy active lifestyle live longer compared those who are more sedentary.

Lowers the risk of developing diabetes - Exercise keeps body fat in control and helps regulate sugar levels

Increase muscular strength - Having an increase in strength helps make daily activities less difficult.

Helps reduce the risk of heart disease - Regular exercise strengthens the heart, respiratory system, and lungs which aids to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Decreases Body Fat - Exercise along with a balanced diet will reduce body fat significantly.

As you can see there are many excellent benefits of living an active lifestyle. By adding a small amount of cardio, resistance training and some stretching to your daily routine, the overall benefits are almost endless. Essentially being healthy is about adding balance to your life. You don?t have to be a Lance Armstrong, or a Venus Williams to be considered active, you just have to add some extra activities to you routine.

For more great info on athletics visit the womens sports forum a Community to discuss women's sports and chat about female athletes.

Or for an Online Personal Trainer visit http://www.worldfitness.ca

Hockey Discount Tickets Thru Energy Saving Lighting

Slamming the opponent into the glass as your teammate checks him in the ribs. The adrenaline is pumping with intensity in the bodies of all the players and the fans. Such human energy is rarely felt anywhere. But that is what hockey is all about and why you want to go to the next game to see some blood and guts. But why can?t we get some discount tickets for our loyalty to the sport and all that energy we give?

Well the fact is there might actually be a way to do just that. I propose using the vibrational energy to light up the stadium of ice. Human energy is alive and well. Then I propose we use the savings of lighting costs to offset the ticket prices and give us our Hockey game discount tickets thru energy savings lighting. Of course if it is a weak game with no action and no crowd participation, then the lights will dim slightly and the lighting will need to revert back to the power grid. But in that case you shouldn?t have to pay higher ticket prices anyway and besides tough luck you are already there. You are not thinking, oh this is not possible. But it is.

By placing hundreds of large sandwich sheets with a taunt film on the vibrational side and small copper lined tubes, hundreds of them running perpendicular to the sheets, with magnets inside bouncing back and forth. These magnets will charge a capacitor and be hooked up to an LED lighting system using fiber optics or reflectors, each one hooked up to a .2 to .5 watt light. With hundreds of thousands of lights hooked up in a composite format it will light up the stadium and since the lights can shine down on the stadium and it would be like daylight without the light pollution associated with street lights in large cities.

Currently this technology is being used in those little flashlights you see advertised on television that you shake and they light, but you never need batteries. This idea of lighting up the stadium is using that technology on a larger scale with miniaturized parts making up the guts between the sandwich sheets. Let there be light, thru vibrational energy and there was and I just saved a bunch of money by switching to. . . Think on it.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Veteran Sports

No, I'm not talking about war veterans, though at times, we probably feel like it. Sport veterans are the hot topic. Even if only because I'm feeling every ache and pain of competing in my first Grand Final in twenty years. You see, I'm a hockey player. Er, that's field hockey not the icebound version. Right through from the time I picked up my first hockey stick [at age12 and not knowing what on earth it was for to the time I undertook semi-retirement to pursue a family life [I was pregnant. Including the nearly twenty years I wasn't actually playing hockey, up to last year, when I registered with a team and started playing all over again.

The whistle blew on that first game and I burst onto the field with a fervour I hadn't felt in oh so long and haven't felt since. What I have felt is every year of absence and age, groaning about the stupidity of running around a field chasing a ball with a stick in my hands at the grand old age of 41. It hasn't stopped me though. I think to myself, I'm too old for this? as the ball whizzes past, and [like one of Pavlov's dogs I automatically react. That's my ball! the hockey player inside my head says and orders my legs to start running. It would all be quite pathetic if it wasn't such good fun.

The camaraderie of the team is something I'd nearly forgotten about. The slaps on the back as we'd chased, tackled, jostled, and occasionally scored goals is a wonderful boost to moral. As is the concern when once again I've forgotten to stop running, barrelled into another player and somersaulted through the air to land with a thud on the ground. Or the shouts of Don't worry, you'll get 'em next time! when one of us has completely stuffed up a tackle or shot. The emphasis has been, and continues to be, less on winning [though that always remains our goal and more on being a team, supporting each other and having fun. It's much more fun now than when I was a teenager and winning was everything. If I can get through a whole game without gasping for the need to rest before quarter time, I'm happy. If I can manage the game without injuries I'm even happier. To score a goal is the ultimate high!

I returned to competition last year without much thought to personal fitness. That is, I did think about a bit at first, worried about it a good deal more and then realised I'd never get back into the game if I waited until I was fit, and went for it. With all good intentions, I told myself I'd get back into running, go to the gym, attend training sessions and by the end of the season I'd be as fit as ever. Season two has come and gone [with a grand final appearance, mind you and I'm still working on those intentions, planning a summer season [during which I really will get fit and having a lot of fun.

Playing a team sport is a great way to get back into something you love, competing for a goal, achieving a few plays you can be proud of and getting red-faced and sweaty with a bunch of like-minded people. You don't have to be experienced at the sport. This year, our hockey team had several players who had never picked up a stick before. Yet their kids, along side mine and several dozen others, cheered as loud as everyone else for their mums to put sticks down and start running. A few of us have teenage daughters who want to join the team next season - a mums & bubs team, of sorts.

There are plenty of sports you can go out and try - netball, basketball? hockey. Whatever you like. It won't be easy, you'll be tired, achey and quite possibly a little bruised and battered, but you'll be better for the exertion and the wrenching out of the relatively small world of family, home and job and into the greater world of The Team! Fitness, even if just a taste of it, will be yours. A lifting of your competitive spirit [much better than passively watching sport on TV will help you find a way out of any mental and emotional ruts [yes, really - once you feel stronger, you think stronger!. Being part of something bigger than yourself for 60 sweaty minutes a week is just the tonic [or sport drink a lot of us are looking for.

Find a team and start running

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Trish is an independent, hockey playing writer. When she's not running around the hockey field she's writing. To read more of her articles, visit Trish at http://beginningsmiddlesends.blogspot.com/ or send an email to wordcatcher@hotmail.com