Friday, March 21, 2008

What are Protein Shakes?


Why are protein supplements required?

Proteins are very important components, which are required by the body for building muscles. It is also required for the growth and development of the body. An average individual requires nearly one gram of protein per pound of the individual's body weight. However sometimes it simply becomes difficult to regularly take such a quantity. It is then protein supplements like protein shakes are the most convenient method to compensate for the regular intake.
When should protein shakes be taken?

It is better to take proteins from regular foods but sometimes it is better to take protein shakes than taking proteins from regular food. The ideal time for taking protein shakes is in the morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and therefore protein shake is advisable for people who do not have the time to take a good and healthy breakfast. Moreover, in the morning the body does not get any nutrients for eight or nine hours and it is best to consume a protein shake during this time, as it is easy to digest and at the same time it gives the body the required nutrition. It is also good to take a protein shake after a rigorous workout. After a good workout the muscles wear and tear and this time it is good to supply protein to the body. Protein shakes are the best way to build muscles and reduce body fat. It is advised to take two or three protein shakes in one day.

Good protein shakes and how to make protein shakes tastier

Protein shakes are also very useful for vegetarians or non-meat eaters. It is also good for people who are not capable for digesting rich protein content foods. Good quality protein powder or shakes are prepared from whey or eggs. It is best to avoid soya protein, as soya is readily available in the market. Protein shakes can be made tastier by adding ice or different flavours of smoothies. Milk can also be added to the powder instead of water. In this way it increases growth rate as protein supplied to the body also increases. However sometimes it can be harmful as well as they can result in stomachaches.

Protein shakes are supplements and therefore they should be the last way to fulfill the body requirements of protein. Nothing can supplement the protein that comes from the animal and plant material.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Better Proven Radiosurgery Over Craniotomy

Although there are a few different ways of delivering radiation to destroy tumors or slow their growth, they have found a great deal of success and preference among neurosurgeons, oncologists and doctors with subspecialties in brain tumor growths.

Radiosurgery is considered a relatively "recent" technique for treating brain tumors. Its main advantage is that it is non-invasive, which means that the flesh and skull do not need to be cut, sawed or bled in any way. This will be a brief discussion on how radiosurgery gives doctors and clinicians advantages over invasive brain surgery applications and some information about how it's applied.

When a patient undergoes radiosurgery for a tumor they generally use one of two techniques to expose the growth to radiation. The two main methods of application are either through a linear accelerator or a stereotactic frame. The applications of each are through such trade names as the Lineac (linear accelerator) or the Gamma Knife (stereotactic frame). Each uses subatomic particles that can be focused on the tumor while passing through the flesh invisibly, which gives the patient and hospital advantages such as:

- Reducing the cost of staff and tools that are needed for normal surgery techniques
- Less time in the hospital (often the patient can leave the same day)
- Smaller bill to the patient and insurance company
- Better avoidance of healthy tissue damage to healthy parts of the brain

Gamma Knife: The Gamma Ray Helmet Technique

The Gamma Knife is not actually a knife at all, as explained earlier. This is a technique that uses gamma rays to bombard with the intent to disable the growth of a tumor. Its biggest advantage is that it normally only needs to be administered once, no going back into the brain, no extensive time is needed like a scalpel and saw procedure.

The Gamma Knife is a form of radiosurgery that uses a helmet type of radiation applicator. Radioactive isotopes of cobalt within the helmet emit gamma rays. They can be fashioned onto the head of the patient and aimed at the tumor with superb accuracy. The gamma wave forms are positioned so that they pass through all the healthy tissue harmless as can be and converge upon the tumor in an attempt to disable the tumor's ability to subdivide and perpetuate its destructive behavior of branching out.

The Gamma ray is one of many particles used in radiotherapy; protons, neutrons and x-rays are also used in various techniques.

Source:
The Human body
New Day Counseling
New Day Counseling is a professional counseling center with a number of licensed therapists who do couples and marriage counseling as well as counseling for anger and depression.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Acupunctures offer better option for treating neck pain

Acupuncture can prove to be a better for healing the most common neck pain, as compared to many current therapies available, says a new study.

The international study, conducted by Canadian, American, South American, Australian and European researchers, revealed that alternative therapies such as acupuncture, neck manipulation and massage can be better options for treating neck pain than the existing practices.

The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders, 236-page review of the current research on neck pain, is published in the journal Spine.


Source:

The Human body

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Stress may boost cervical cancer risk in women

A new study at the Fox Chase Cancer Centre has found that stress may increase the risk of developing cervical cancer in women.
Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) subtype. HPV 16 spread during sexual intercourse.
The study led by Calolyn Y. Fang hypothesized the stress could lead to alterations in immune functioning.
“HPV infection is healthy women will disappear spontaneously over time. Only a small percentage will progress to become precancerous cervical lesions or cancer.


Source:
The Human Body

Friday, January 18, 2008

Hidden Effects Of Wireless Communication Devices

The rapid increase in the use of wireless communication devices in recent years has been accompanied by a significant amount of research into potential health effects from high exposure to radiofrequency (RF) energy emitted by these devices. A new National Research Council report, requested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, identifies research that could further extend understanding of long-term low exposure to these devices.

The committee that wrote the report identified research needs and gaps based on presentations made by international experts and discussion sessions with attendees at a three-day workshop last August that evaluated disciplines and topics such as measurement of RF energy and exposure, studies on human populations, human laboratory measurements, and animal and cell biology.

In the report, research needs are defined as studies that, in the near term, could increase understanding of any potential adverse effects of RF energy on humans. Gaps are defined as research studies that are of lower priority or that should not be carried out until the results of current research studies are evaluated. The committee did not evaluate potential health effects or recommend how the identified research needs should be met.

One research need the committee identified is studies of any potential health consequences from multiple, long-term, low-intensity RF exposure as opposed to most of the present data that evaluates acute effects on healthy adults during short exposures to RF fields. For instance, measuring the amount of RF energy received by juveniles, children, pregnant women, and fetuses from wireless devices and RF base station antennas could help define exposure ranges for various populations. Although it is unknown whether children are more susceptible to RF exposure, they may be at increased risk because of their developing organ and tissue systems.

Additionally, Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for children are likely to be higher than for adults, because exposure wavelength is closer to the whole-body resonance frequency for shorter individuals. The current generation of children will also experience a longer period of RF field exposure from mobile phone use than adults, because they will most likely start using them at an early age. The report notes that several surveys have shown a steep increase in mobile phone ownership among children, but virtually no relevant studies of human populations at present examine health effects in this population.

The evolving types of antennas for hand-held wireless communication devices also should be analyzed for the amount of RF energy they deliver to different parts of the body so the data would be available for use in future studies, the committee said. Studies to understand the effects of RF energy irradiation from cell phone antennas on the human head have already been conducted.

However, for most of these studies, the research has assumed that cell phones have pull-out linear rod antennas and are held against a person's ear. Many newer telephones use built-in antennas for which additional SAR data are needed, the report says. Also, wireless technology is now used in laptop computers and hand-held texting and Web-surfing devices, in which the antennas are close to other parts of the body.

Other research needs identified by the committee include:

  • Completing a prospective study of adults in a general population and a retrospective group with medium to high occupational exposures.
  • Conducting human laboratory studies that focus on possible effects of RF electromagnetic fields on neural networks and the brain's electrical activity.
  • Completing human population studies of children and pregnant women, including childhood cancers and brain cancer.
  • Evaluating effects of RF doses at the microscopic level.
  • Characterizing radiated electromagnetic fields for typical multiple-element base station antennas and exposures to affected individuals.