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Exercise & Fitness Tips : Lower Back Exercises

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=mRRagb_iPtk%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Before attempting to do lower back exercises that help with back pain, it’s important to get checked out by a physical therapist or chiropractor first. Learn how to stretch out the hip flexors to get rid of lower back pain with help from a strength and conditioning specialist in this free video on exercise and fitness tips. Expert: Ashleigh Gass Contact: www.AshleighGass.com Bio: Ashleigh Gass is a certified sports performance nutrition adviser who’s been working in health and fitness for more than a decade. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Tell us what you think about this video in the comments below, or in the Battling For Health Community Forum!

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Natural Beauty Tips | Natural Beauty Care | Health and Beauty Tips

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=uygzc1W20Uw%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

www.ayurvedaacademy.com presents Natural Beauty tips and Natural Beauty Care. How to take care of yourself naturally from within to promote external beauty, radiant skin and rejuvenation. Health and Beauty tips from a natural healing science. What changes can you make in your life to promote natural beauty care. Learn more about the natural exercises, breathing techniques, topical solutions and much more. For more info call us at 888-353-7252

What do you think?

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SOS For Spider Veins (Health Tip)

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=M_29hbRGof4%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

If you’re fed up with the “road map” of veins criss-crossing your legs, you’ll be happy to know that removing them is possible!

What do you think?

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Men’s Health Q&A: Penis Enlargement

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=tiR0x6vNSV4%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Dr. Jonty Heaversedge talks about consequences of penis enlargement.

What do you think?

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Liposuction 101 (Health Tip)

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=nkZ-M327RX0%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in America! But some bodies respond better to the treatment than others.

What do you think?

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Men’s Health Tips – What a Relief!

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=ppBVKmfn_78%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Amanda McQuade Crawford, medicinal herbalist and host of Veria TV’s What a Relief! Discusses natural, healthy ways to prevent an enlarged prostrate, erectile dysfunction and more. Learn more insightful tips and healthy recipes on: www.veria.com

What do you think?

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Stay Healthy, Men!

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=e9xs6A9quB8%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

In honor of Men’s Health Month, the MHS offers health tips for men and suggests many preventive disease screenings.

What do you think?

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Katrina Hodgson – Fitness DVD audition, Women’s Health Rodale

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=F1QlbXH3pPY%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

www.KatrinaHodgson.com & http Katrina Hodgson, Fitness DVD audition. 4:30am wake up call to shoot an audition video! www.toneitup.com Women’s Health and Rodale Add us on Facebook! www.facebook.com

What do you think?

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Exercise & Fitness Tips : How to Run the 40-Yard Dash Faster

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=aXuJ3yOwPGw%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

To run the 40-yard dash faster, begin a resistance training regime, stretch the body well and create lean, long muscles that encourage faster speeds. Train for the 40-yard dash a few months before the race with tips from a fitness facility manager in this free video on exercise. Expert: Sam Moore Bio: Sam Moore is the fitness manager for the Lakewood 24 Hour Fitness. Filmmaker: stephen kuykendall

What do you think?

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Exercise & Fitness Tips : What Muscles Do Push-Ups Work?

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=UGsQkS-b9Gk%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Push-ups work muscles in the arms, chest and shoulders, including the triceps muscle. Learn about improving overall upper body strength with push-ups with help from a strength and conditioning specialist in this free video on exercise and fitness tips. Expert: Ashleigh Gass Contact: www.AshleighGass.com Bio: Ashleigh Gass is a certified sports performance nutrition adviser who’s been working in health and fitness for more than a decade. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

What do you think?

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Exercise & Fitness Tips : How to Get Bigger Arm Muscles With Hand Weights

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=cMr2KSGQzcY%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

To get bigger arm muscles with hand weights, work the deltoid, bicep, tricep muscles and forearm through an organized resistance training program. Find specific exercise to gain larger arm muscle mass with tips from a fitness facility manager in this free video on exercise. Expert: Sam Moore Bio: Sam Moore is the fitness manager for the Lakewood 24 Hour Fitness. Filmmaker: stephen kuykendall

What do you think?

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Exercise & Fitness Tips : What Are the Positive Effects of Running?

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=32SD0zCJo_M%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

The positive effects of running include improved cardio respiratory function, efficiently losing weight and burning calories. Improve the body through running, both physically and emotionally, with tips from a fitness facility manager in this free video on exercise. Expert: Sam Moore Bio: Sam Moore is the fitness manager for the Lakewood 24 Hour Fitness. Filmmaker: stephen kuykendall

What do you think?

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Five Health Tips All Men Should Know

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=jL2K_3_Uhuc%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Jim Pollard, Editor of Men’s Health Forum’s health information website malehealth.co.uk shares his five top health tips all men should know.

What do you think?

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Health and Fitness Tips: About me /New Channel

I just found this health related video on YouTube … and thought you might enjoy it!

youtube.com/watch?v=PKrm0c3omLA%3Ff%3Dvideos%26app%3Dyoutube_gdata

Into Health and Fitness??? SUBSCRIBE then… its cheap lol! Hey everyone, this is my first vid of I hope many. I am a fitness FANATIC and I want to share my tips on health, fitness, nutrition, workouts beauty and product reviews. twitter.com

What do you think?

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Welcome To The New And Improved Battling For Health Community

Front Page

Welcome to our new community … which, is part of our existing community! A few things to note that we are now running under the “Genesis Framework’ using the Lifestyle theme and it is an ongoing process in tweaking this template to be most functional and not obnoxious to our community that I hope to fulfill.

Starting with the front page BattlingForHealth.com .. you will see two navigation areas at the top. The second section with all the “monster diseases” are as before. These are the categories our blog is based on, and to see all posts related to ..e.g. cancer – click the CANCER category link above.

The top line is related to our new community embedded within this site. We are using the WP-Mingle Plugin by Brian Williams and Mingle Forum by cartpauj. Together, readers are not only able to read our blogs but read our forums, contribute to the forums, help us improve our site and community and also relate stories about the ‘monster diseases’ readers are battling, to know you are not alone – and can be your place to share your stories, struggles and adventures.

Register

The first place to start on the top navigation line is to register a username here in the Community. There are several fields you must create and other information that is optional. During the signing process, you will be automatically opted in to our weekly newsletter, and if you prefer not to do that (or already subscribed) just untick the box. After registering an account here go to the LOGIN link and explore the community! You can check and edit your Profile, add friends, see other members in the directory, and so on.

>> We ask that you upload an avatar to your profile – or, set up a Gravatar for your current email address at en.gravatar.com .. This is a good thing anyway, because WordPress owns that site. If you like to comment anywhere, your avatar will follow you around – besides in here. Also, after three months I will be deleting users that have not set up an avatar – to keep our community safe from those evil bots! 😀

Once friends with other members, you might want to try the messaging system!

Forum

There is a feedback and suggestion forum .. but, it’s basically a forum and time will tell how it will go until people start using it! Feel free to go crazy. Create new discussion threads … comment on existing threads … This is new to us too! We have created a basic template of discussion areas that we’d like to maintain (e.g. cancer discussions in the cancer forums, not diabetes forums) but other than that it’s a free for all.

In Conclusion

I hope you like what we are trying to do here … and, unfortunately if you have arrived here in the past day (or today) you might have noticed our site is running a little slow .. we are working behind the scenes to identify and correct this issue. So, while you may be looking at the “New and Improved Battling For Health Community” .. you may be looking at the same screen for a few extra seconds longer as we work on speeding up this site once again!

In the meantime, explore … and welcome.

HART (aka your BFH Admin)
Battling For Health
battling the monster diseases

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Under Construction – Building A New Template Theme In Real Time

Hello.

It’s 11:30pm CST November 24, 2010 … and I will be CHANGING the current theme from THESIS to a GENESIS Framework. This involves a complete overhaul, as I am not sure at the moment which route I will take once I install the Genesis framework. I am leaning on either a slim “Prose” theme, or a modified “Lifestyle” them – both, which I already have and do not need to purchase anything new. I currently have the Prose theme installed on Abitpac.com and have actually used the old Lifestyle (v3) theme – pre genesis framework – on this site years ago .. although, it’s totally different now with wordpress v3.0+ and the genesis framework, using this Lifestyle as a child theme instead of the main one.

Why am I doing this? A few reasons ….

1) speed – hopefully to speed up the loading of this site
2) simplicity – I want everything, but I know I don’t need everything
3) community – I will be introducing a forum directly on this site in the root

Feel free to click “Refresh” to watch my changes as they happen … there’s some freaky stuff happening if I try to use a theme tester to do it in the background, the way genesis and thesis take over the site when activated … and I’d rather just work online than trying to replicate this on my local hard drive.

Watch for a tweet on twitter on our @Battling account when I have finished (or stopped for the night).

Thank-you for your patience
// HART

PS: This is what it looked like before I begin:



View at EasyCaptures.com

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Music-based multitasking exercise program helps improve gait and balance in the elderly

Uncertainty of gait, impaired mobility and loss of balance. These are just a few of the physical downsides of aging. All of these lead to high prevalence of falls and injuries in the elderly. And falls lead to bone fractures that even worsen mobility impairment and overall quality of life.

Researchers at the University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine of Geneva in Switzerland report that a special exercise might help senior citizens overcome these physical problems and improve their quality of life. According to the study authors:

“Each year, one-third of the population 65 years and older experiences at least one fall, and half of those fall repeatedly. Exercise can counteract key risk factors for falls, such as poor balance, and consequently reduce risk of falling in elderly community-dwelling individuals.”

They are recommending a “music-based multitask exercise program” which they have tried out in elderly community dwellers. The exercise is especially geared towards improving gait since most falls happen during walking. The program consisted of:

• ·         walking in time to the piano music
• ·         responding to changes in the music’s rhythm
• ·         walking in time to the piano music, and responding to changes in the music’s rhythm

Two groups of community-dwelling elderly people were assigned to different exercise interventions were compared. One group was assigned to the normal exercise activities (control) and the other to the music-based multitask exercise program for 6 months. During the next 6 months, the groups switched activities.

The result showed that:

• Improvements in balance and functional tests were more pronounced in the multitasking group vs. the control group.
• Walking speed increased in the multitasking group.
• Stride length increased and stride time variability decrease in the multitasking group.
• The benefits of the multitasking program persisted beyond the first 6 months, even after the interventions were switched.

This study authors concluded

“…that participation in music-based multitask exercise classes once a week over a 6-month period can improve gait performance under single and cognitive-motor, dual-task conditions, as well as improve balance, and reduce both the rate of falls and the risk of falling in at-risk elderly community-dwelling adults. Our findings suggest that this program may be useful for fall prevention and rehabilitation in community-based setting such as senior centers.”

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Warning messages on US cigarette pack: your input is needed

I haven’t held a pack of cigarettes in 20 years so I was shocked lately when I saw what’s in the packaging. It was not only the warnings in words but also pictures of cancer-ridden lungs that were shown. For many people, however, these pictures are not shocking enough.

Apparently this type of packaging is not true for all countries although the US seems to be going towards this direction.

According to the Lung Action Network of the American Lung Association (ALA):

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its plan to require all cigarette packages to have stronger warnings, and—for the first time ever—picture messages that would cover the top half of the front and back of the cigarette packs. That’s 50 percent of the pack!

Under the new proposal, the FDA will also require that all cigarette advertisements have warnings covering 20 percent of the ad. We at the American Lung Association think this is a great idea.

The FDA has proposed several warnings and is asking the public to help out in making the right choice. Together with graphics, here are some of the messages that the FDA is proposing:

• Warning: cigarettes are addictive.
• Warning! Tobacco smoke can harm your children.
• Warning: cigarettes cause fatal lung disease.
• Warning: cigarettes cause cancer.
• Warning: cigarettes cause throat, lung, mouth cancer.
• Warning: cigarettes cause strokes and heart disease.
• Warning: smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby.
• Warning: Smoking can kill you.
• Warning: Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in nonsmokers.
• Warning: Quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health.

The ALA is actively campaigning to the public to help the FDA pick the strongest and most effective warning messages. One of these is displayed in this post.

You can send the FDA an email and say what you think and which one, in your opinion, should be used in future cigarette packaging. The packaging should not only discourage young people to start smoking but also encourage smokers to quit or seek assistance for quitting. The ALA, for example, is also proposing the nationwide hotline for smokers who want to quit, “1-800-QUIT-NOW” to be displayed prominently on the pack.

The campaign is now ongoing and goes on till January 11, 2011. Take Action Now!

Photo credit: US FDA

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The dark side of energy drinks, Part I: alcohol abuse

What is college life without energy drinks? Ask any college student and he or she will tell you.

Energy drinks are pretty “in” among young people nowadays. Increased energy and enhanced performance are just among the desirable of these drinks. However, there is a dark side to energy drinks that we might not know about.

Recent research shows links between energy drink use and undesirable and dangerous behavior. In this series, we explore the dark side of energy drinks.

Energy drinks are handy in staying up late to cram for the following morning’s exam. What is becoming increasingly common is mixing energy drinks and alcoholic drinks, with the misconception that caffeine counteracts the effect of alcohol and there avoid drunkenness. The result is a strong brew of caffeine and alcohol in the bloodstream. A recent study indicates that those who habitually consume energy drinks are at a higher risk of developing alcohol dependence and going on binge drinking.

The study looked at more than 1000 college students and data on consumption of energy drinks and alcohol of the past 12 months were collected. The findings indicate that those who consumed energy drinks at a high frequency (compared to both non- and low-frequency energy drink users) were more likely to

• get drunk at an earlier age
• consume more alcoholic drinks per drinking session
• develop alcohol dependence

Kathleen Miller, research scientist from the Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo, warns against the common belief that

• mixing alcohol and caffeine reduces drunkenness
• mixing alcohol and caffeine  prevents hangovers
• alcohol plus caffeine fools a breathalyzer test

“Caffeine does not antagonize or cancel out the impairment associated with drunkenness—it merely disguises the more obvious markers of that impairment.”

Energy drinks, popularly known in the brand names Red Bull, Monster, Rocks Star contain high amounts of caffeine – 3 to 10 times contained in a can of coke. In addition, they also contain other rather questionable ingredients. Last year, German authorities found traces of cocaine in Red Bull Cola, a product declared as 100% natural.

A big problem is the fact that energy drinks are largely unregulated, even in the US. According to study lead author Dr. Amelia M. Arria, Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health:

“The fact that there is no regulation on the amount of caffeine in energy drinks or no requirements related to the labeling of contents or possible health risks is concerning.”

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Updates from the diabetes front

Some news updates on diabetes

The bad news

France: Diabetes Drug May Be Linked to 500 Deaths
The diabetes and weight—loss drug benflourex (Mediator) has been linked to about 500 deaths in France. The drug which has been in use since 1976 may have caused heart valve problems. Patients who were taking the drug are advised to get their valves checked.  “The European Medicines Agency pulled [the drug] from the market in 2009‚ saying it had little effect on diabetes and could lead to a thickening of the heart valves.”

AHA: Gene Therapy Fails to Prevent Limb Loss
An international Phase III trial investigating an angiogenic therapy that could prevent limb loss in patients with limb ischemia failed to demonstrate its efficacy. This is a big disappointment to healthcare professionals and patients alike. Critical limb ischemia is a common complication of diabetes, and can lead to gangrene of the extremities that necessitate amputation. “In the last three decades in the U.S., amputation rates for patients with critical limb ischemia have not changed, signaling the need to develop novel strategies for these patients.”

The good news

Italy Carries Out First Hi-Tech Pancreas Transplant
Italian doctors performed the first robotically assisted transplant of the pancreas. The patient was a 43-year old type 1 diabetes woman who already had a kidney transplant. Conventional pancreatic transplant is very invasive. This revolutionary operation took 3 hours and was minimally invasive, performed through three small holes and a seven-centimeter incision. The operation was performed with the assistance of the Da Vinci SHDI robot. According to Dr. Ugo Boggi, head of the surgical team:

“This will put an end to the decades-old dilemma of whether it’s possible to do pancreatic transplants because the operation is so invasive when done in the traditional way.”

Smart Phone “APP” Helps Doctors Control Patients’ Diabetes
Doctors and other health professionals can have access to the new Johns Hopkins guide to diabetes on their iPhone, blackberry, and other smart phones. The POC-IT Diabetes Guide is easy to use and would help doctors especially during patient visits, to make clinical decisions. According to Dr. Rita Rastogi Kalyani, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the guide’s managing editor:

 “It offers almost instant, at-a-glance access to the latest consensus guidelines and expert opinions on a broad spectrum of topics in diabetes care. Hopkins’ mission is to share its knowledge with the world and this is a practical way to do that.”

Upcoming diabetes events:

Annual International Conference on Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism-Research and Therapy
Dates: December 13-14, 2010 Venue: Santa Clara, California, USA

 Diabetes and Obesity Drug Discovery & Therapy, 3rd International Conference on Drug Discovery and Therapy, February 7 – 10, 2011, Dubai, UAE.

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