Easy Ways To Cure A Cold Sore Fast

March 11th, 2010 Parker Chuks

Great news for everyone who have cold sores: there are now many ways to effectively manage those unwanted fever blisters. Here are a few effective remedy suggestions you should learn about:

Effective tips on how to cure cold sores

·Make sure to maintain the fever blisters clean and dry. Do not attempt to cover them up through makeup because you might only worsen the cold sore attack. Besides, concealing with thick layers of makeup is rarely ever effective.

·Protect the cold sore area with petroleum jelly to hasten the healing process, avoid cracking, bleeding, and minimize spreading.

Apply some lip balm that has sunscreen protection to avoid worsening the cold sores. Remember that many cold sore outbreaks are due to prolonged exposure to sunlight.

·Putting cold compress or tea bags over the cold sores will aid in soothing pain and discomfort and in decreasing the swelling. Tannic acid contained in tea have natural anti-viral effects that may work on your cold sores.

·Eat lots of lysine-containing foods but avoid foods that are either citrus or contain arginine.

Lysine stops the cold sore virus from replicating while arginine keeps them alive. Take in more dairy products and potatoes which are two of the richest sources of lysine. Avoid or do away with arginine sources like peas, whole grains, and chocolates. Acidic foods are seen to initiate and aggravate cold sores, so avoid citrus fruits as much as possible.

·Herbs such as peppermint, aloe vera and sage are popular and very effective. Simply apply a few drops of the herbal extract and allow the anti-viral effect of the herb to do the work.

·There are over the counter and prescription drugs that put to your cold sores.

Almost all cold sore medications relieve the symptoms and the itching brought about by cold sores. However, even if some anti-cold sore medications claim that they can remove your cold sores permanently, do not expect it to really do.

Take note that the cold sore virus tend to stay in the nervous system for a long time, even for good.

Your best defense against it is to know exactly what initiates your cold sore attack. What causes yours may vary from another sufferer.

The most common triggers are as follows: fatigue, lip or skin injury and hormonal changes.

It is very important that you know what factor initiates your outbreaks and avoid it as much as you can.

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Posted in Diseases and Conditions Tags: ,

How Is Infertility Going To Affect Your Life?

January 13th, 2010 Parker Chuks

If you are one of the millions of couples who are struggling to get pregnant, and believe that you may be infertile, there is no doubt that you have had the following thoughts: What is infertility going to do to our marriage and our financial situation? Naturally, these thoughts are reasonable, but before you get too worked up you need to make sure there is a reason for concern. If you and your spouse have spent a year or more trying to get pregnant without success, you should discuss the issue of infertility with your physician. If you have not been trying for at least a year, you should keep trying. For most couples, it takes the better part of a year – between eight and ten months on average – to get pregnant. Additionally, you may also need to make changes to your lifestyle to ensure that you are eating properly, exercising, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco. For both men and women, being overweight or underweight can negatively affect fertility and inhibit conception, which makes it important for both partners to maintain proper levels of fitness. Even things like stress have a direct impact on the possibility for conception. Of course, it could just be that your reasons for infertility are simple. In fact, the number of women whose infertility issues require more aggressive infertility treatment procedures is minimal – three percent. In the vast majority of cases, the causes of infertility are as simple as imbalances in hormone production, and can be treated with drugs.

What is infertility going to do to our marriage?

Of course, you still want to know how infertility will affect your marriage. First recognize that infertility often causes stress between partners in any relationship. The testing alone can be a major stress inducer, as you endure blood tests and many other procedures just to discover the source of your infertility. Thankfully, most physicians understand the added stress that infertility can cause in a marriage, and will be able to recommend various counseling programs – individual and group-oriented – that can assist you in managing your emotions as you go through the treatment process. It is helpful sometimes to discuss your fears and experiences in a setting filled with other couples who have been through the same process. You don’t have to cope alone.

What is infertility going to do to our financial situation?

How infertility affects your financial situation is entirely dependent upon your means. The fact is that infertility treatment procedures – especially the more complex ones – can place tremendous stress on your bank account. Just one in vitro cycle can cost you as much as $16,000, and most infertility treatment plans require a full three cycles before they result in pregnancy. Fortunately, there are often insurance policies that you can acquire, depending upon the laws in your home state and what insurance company you currently use. You can also locate various grants that can either mitigate the financial cost of infertility procedures or cover the costs entirely.

How is infertility going to affect your life? The most important question you might be asking right now is how infertility is going to affect your life. To be frank, it is going to increase your stress levels – at least for a period of time. Anyone who tells you that it won’t is living in a fantasy world. Still, you need to know that you have the odds in your favor. In most cases, infertility eventually passes, leaving you with a clear pathway to conceiving a child and attaining the one of the “Greatest Joys on Earth”- the joy that comes with parenthood.

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Posted in Infertility, Tips Tags: , , , , , ,

Heart Disease And The Vitamin C Connection

January 13th, 2010 Parker Chuks

Did you know vitamin C has many benefits besides helping fight the common cold. Vitamin C also even promotes heart health. Here are a few of the benefits directly related to heart disease:

  • Slows atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries.
  • Reduces repeat angioplasties.
  • Improves endothelial function.
  • Decreases atrial fibrillation post-bypass surgery.
  • Improves heart attack recovery.
  • Promotes blood pressure control.
  • Regulates c-reactive protein levels.

Risk of vitamin C deficiency increases with age. Some additional factors affecting vitamin C deficiency include birth control pills, antibiotics, painkillers, cigarettes, stress, high blood pressure, and fever.

Fruits and vegetables are the best source of vitamin C, such as peppers, kale, parsley, greens, broccoli, watercress, cauliflower, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, mangos, okra, green peas, radishes, squash, and berries.

Current vitamin C recommendations are between 1000 to 5000 milligrams per day. Since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is quickly eliminated from the body it is best to divide your supplement into two or three doses throughout the day. However, if you are likely to forget it’s better to take the supplement all at once. If you supplement more than 5000 mg per day you increase your risk of experiencing diarrhea. Discuss all supplements with your physician.

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Posted in Cold, Eating Habits, Healthy Living, Vitamins Tags: , , ,

How To Beat COPD/Asthma

January 12th, 2010 Parker Chuks

Chronic bronchitis and emphysema (COPD) obstructs airflow through the lungs because the tissue is inflamed. Most often, COPD develops because of exposure to toxins like cigarette smoke. Asthma patients also have difficulty breathing, but their symptoms are caused by allergies or autoimmune conditions. Symptoms common both to COPD and asthma include wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, excessive mucus, and shortness of breath (dyspenia).

Having a diagnosis either of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or asthma does not mean you cannot maintain a fulfilling, active lifestyle. Through fitness that focuses on improving your functional ability, you can regain your ability to live a fuller life. Functional Fitness for COPD begins with maximizing your lung capacity. Breathing exercises are therefore the foundation of your wellness plan.

In a recent study, Fedrica Campigotto MD, Luca Pomidori, PhD, Tara Man Amatya, Luciano Bernardi, MD, and Annalisa Cogo, MD researched the effects of deep, slow abdominal breathing on COPD symptoms. Patients who practiced this power breathing experienced less shortness of breath and increased oxygen absorption. (”Efficacy and Tolerability of Yoga Breathing in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Pilot Study.” Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, March/April 2009).

Beating COPD and asthma begins with learning how your muscles help you to breathe. Your diaphragm, which covers the lower chest area, helps you draws air into the lungs. Your abdominal muscles work with the diaphragm when you exhale. And the intercostal muscles around your ribs allow the ribcage to expand when you inhale.

Muscles that assist in breathing can be strengthened so that they function more effectively. You might think learning a new way to breathe sounds complicated. But the techniques are simple, and with practice, power breathing will come naturally. Any time COPD symptoms interrupt your ability to function; you will know how to beat them.

There are a few things all breathing exercises have in common. You will get in the habit of breathing through your nose. This is very important, because the nasal chambers help to filter air. You will always inhale and exhale slowly, filling your lungs to capacity and then emptying them completely. And functional fitness exercises should be practiced often. You can do this simple power breathing almost anywhere.

COPD and asthma symptoms need not prevent you from getting plenty of functional exercise. If exercise triggers shortness of breath, you might feel discouraged, but your powerful breathing techniques will help you stick to a healthy routine and give you a better quality of life. Having symptoms of COPD during exercise does not mean you should stop.

By practicing breathing exercises, you will be much better prepared to succeed with your activities of daily living. Specific exercises for COPD to strengthen your breathing muscles are best to train your lungs to work more effectively. Muscle-strengthening activities will reduce episodes of difficulty breathing, because toned muscle tissue requires less oxygen.

Managing COPD and asthma is not only about symptom relief. It is not just about learning to live with your diagnosis. It is about living well. By practicing specific breathing exercises and therapeutic exercises for COPD/Asthma, you can expect to feel an improvement in your energy level, fitness and respiratory capacity in just 2 weeks.

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