Friday, August 27, 2010

B- Vitamins Memory Loss Fighter

Memory loss, Memory gap, Are just some of the things that happens to us as we age. But you don't need to grow old to wait for these things to happen to you. Why don't you do something for yourself while you were young. I have given some tips on my previous posts about how you can improve your memory. But what is the specific vitamin food that helps boost your memory?

Vitamin B Complex can actually boost your brain and enhance the power of your memory. You should try to eat Vitamin b-rich foods. And try to stay away from foods that may reduce or lower the Vitamin b complex. Here are the list of foods that are rich in Vitamin B.

Potatoes
Avocados
whole grains,
Tuna
Oats
Turkey
Bananas
Legumes
yeast, meat, low-fat dairy products,
Brazil nuts
lentils and leafy greens.

Oh and beer too. Yes, you heard it right, but it doesn't mean that you have to reason this to drink more beer. eat right and balance your diet.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Do the Annual Check-Up

Just last Saturday i went out to bring my mom to her doctor. She doesn't like to do annual check up, because she believes that you only visit your doctor if you feel something strange or your not feeling well.(So wrong) I always tell her, Its' not about that. It's more than that. I explained to her that if there's something wrong with her health it's like a given early opportunity to address her problems. So what should be checked to maintain good health?
So compute your body mass index to see if you are still within your ideal body weight.Being overweight as a young adult or even as a child will soon catch up with you in the form of many chronic conditions as you grow older.
Have your blood pressure taken. Many have access to a clinic at their workplace or even at a local health center. Hypertension maybe detected this early, and elevated BP may be even lead to the discovery of other conditions such as kidney disease.
Eye examinations should also be performed every year. This may diagnose certain eye conditions that need medical attention. You may also find an explanation for the frequent headaches you may have been having- an error of refraction. Why suffer for a long a time when just a pair of corrective lenses can dramatically improve your quality of life.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Dengue Fever In the Philippines is Getting Scarier

Base on The report of Department of Health Dengue Fever is now over the 40,000 mark, 48% Higher than 2009. I think its much scarier than AH1N1, I hope the Government can find a fast solution to this big problem.

The Department of Health (DOH) today reported that dengue cases nationwide now reach 40,648 from January to 31 July 2010. The figure is 48% higher than last year’s 27,473 for the same period. There were 328 deaths recorded this year with case fatality ratio (CFR) of 0.8%. Last year, there were 293 deaths (CFR at 1.1%).
  Most of the cases came from Central Mindanao (5,259 cases), Western Visayas (4,511), Eastern Visayas (4,086), CALABARZON (4,034), Southern Mindanao (3,875), Northern Mindanao (3,603), and the National Capital Region (3,452).
 Ages of cases ranged from less than a month to 95 years old. Majority (52%) of the cases were male. The most affected age group were the 1-10 years and the 11-20 years, while there were more deaths recorded in the less than one year age group and the 1-10 years age group.
 Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona disclosed that outbreaks were detected in the municipality of Gasan in Marinduque and Barangay Banica, Lawaan in Roxas City, Capiz.
  Hotspots were observed in Barangays Minoyan, Murcia, Carabalan,  Aguisan in Himalayan City and Concepcion, Bubog in Negros Occidental; Barangays Bata, Singcang, Banago, Tangub, Taculing, Pahanocoy, Felisa, Villamonte and Mansilingan in Bacolod City; and Barangays Lanot, Malibili, Tiza, and Bolo in Roxas City. A hotspot is defined as clustering of cases with increasing number in the past four weeks. On the other hand, clustering of cases occur when there are three or more cases in a barangay in the past four weeks.
 Clustering of cases were noted in the province of Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Ilocos Sur in Ilocos Region; Cagayan in Cagayan Valley; Zambales, Aurora, Tarlac, and Bulacan in Central Luzon; Rizal, Quezon, Laguna, and Batangas in CALABARZON; Marinduque, Palawan, and Mindoro Oriental in MIMAROPA; Albay. Masbate and Camarines Sur in Bicol Region; Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental, and Bacolod City in Western Visayas; Bohol, Negros Oriental, Cebu in Central Visayas;
There were also clustering of cases in  Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, and Leyte in Eastern Visayas; Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur in Western Visayas; Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, and  Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao; Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental in Southern Mindanao; Sarangani Province, Cotabato City, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato in Central Mindanao; Lanao del Sur in the Autonomous Region of Moslem Mindanao; Baguio City, Mountain Provicne, Benguet anmd Apayao in the Cordillera Administrative Region; Agusan del Sur in CARAGA and Metro Manila at the National Capital Region (NCR).
At the National Capital Region, most of the cases are from Quezon City (754), Manila (606), Kalookan (372), Navotas (227), and Valenzuela (221). Other cities include Malabon (182), Mandaluyong (171), Marikina (165), Pasig (144), Pasay (126), Makati (119), and Parañaque (114).
“The increase in dengue cases can be attributable to the El Niño phenomenon the country is experiencing,” Ona said, adding that continuous rains will also be responsible.
 The health chief reminded the public that dengue, although an all-year round disease, is more common during rainy days when there are more potential breeding sites for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. To prevent dengue, Ona advised the public to destroy all mosquito breeding sites like old tires and tin cans, always clean roof gutters, replace water in flower vases regularly, use mosquito nets or protective clothing. He also stressed that fogging may be done only in outbreak areas. 

source: www.doh.gov.ph

Monday, August 16, 2010

Skin Care for Free

Best and cheapest skin care, Actually it's not cheap it's free.. 5 years ago, I'm one of those women that was so vain when it comes to skin, I had my beauty rituals, i took food supplements, i applied so many stuffs on my face. And yes. It's all worth it.
But now that I'm one of the busiest mom in the world, I must say, i have so little time for myself. But i make sure that I'm still healthy and pretty. We're not getting any younger right?.
There are 6 skin care essentials that many of us WAHM just take for granted. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my super duper cool Dermatologist, Dr. Salonga, Who takes care of my skin and hair too, Who never forget to remind of these 6 things:

1.Eat a lot of fruits and veggies.
2.Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
3.Avoid fatty foods.
4.Get enough sleep.(When sleeping, try not to sleep face down)
5.Wash your face before you go to bed. Don't try to sleep with your make up on. Why? Believe me, you'll see zit city very very soon.
6.Finally. Moisturize and block. try to use a moisturizer that suits your skin. And apply sun block when you know you'll be staying longer under the sun, remember, our skin still needs sunlight.SO don't SPF yourself too much.

Yes, I know you might be saying these are very common, But the best skin care products would never be better if followed by these skin care essentials.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Dragon Fruit: Exotic Health Food

Another healthy food to add in your healthy diet is Dragon fruit. This dragon fruit is really new to me, but i know that it has been in the American/ Asian market for ages. I'm just curious how so many people in my country are now getting into this, This fruit was originally from Mexico,South America, Vietnam,Taiwan and South East Asian Countries. And whenever a new and healthy food is out I always make it a point to try that "something new to me" food and prove it to my self.

So here's another one on my list, Dragon fruit. So what exactly is a dragon fruit? This unusual looking fruit, brightly colored and named Dragon fruit is also known as Pitaya. I heard there's a story behind why it's called Dragon fruit, but don't know the exact story.

At first, i found the fruit a little scary, because it reminded me of the plant from that movie" little shop of horrors " the plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. hahaha! (I'm sorry but i was six then, and even though it was a comedy movie it scared the hell out of me.) But this fruit won't eat you but you will eat this fruit.

This healthy food is rich in vitamins and minerals especially vitamin C. Here are the rest of the nutrients that you can get from the dragon fruit.


Protein, Niacin

Fiber,Iron

Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Calcium, Vitamin A

It also has antioxidants, and we all know how antioxidant helps our body to prevent certain diseases or even cancer. This is one vitamin-packed fruit.The dragon fruit is best eaten by cutting the fruit in half and scooping the flesh out, like eating a sherbet. And best eaten when chilled. It has a refreshingly sweet taste. SO the next time you're looking for a new and healthy fruit to eat. Look for the dragon fruit. The name is too big to forget.

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Health Benefits of Durian Fruit

Is this a healthy food to try or a fruit to avoid?

Durian. The first time i tried this was when i was 11 years old, The smell is really bad, and i just don't like it.. But that was then,(when i was young i tend to hate odd looking fruits) Well, I like it now more than before. My sister often tells me that people has only two views for this fruit " Hate it or Love it" All i can say is that I'm in between. It is known in South and East Asian Countries as the "King of all fruits".

Tracy asked me last time about the fruit with porcupine type skin. Well, there were 3 fruits on my mind that day. But for now I'll post Durian first. The smell may repel you but it really tastes good. So, What are the health benefits that you could get from Durian?

Durian is packed with proteins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.

I can still remember my granny used to tell me that you can't just pick this fruit from a tree and eat. You have to wait for this fruit to fall from the tree. And wait for few more days until it ripened before you can actually eat it. This fruit is known to be high in Tryptophan,

Tryptophan increases brain levels of serotonin and melatonin, both are known as sleep-inducing hormones. So it helps to relaxes your brain and get sleepy. This fruit maybe consider as a good sleeping aid. If your travelling to South East Asian Countries, you may want to give this fruit a try. Expect that the smell would be unpleasant but it's worth the try.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Soy: Cholesterol- free

Tofu, soy milk, miso soup, etc. Are just some of the soy products i love. but as i grow up, I've learned that many products in the market are now selling soybean supplements, I have nothing against soya capsules, i just still believe that natural soybean are still the best one.

There are so many reasons why people use soya products as an alternative to dairy products:

For some medical reasons, People who has allergy to milk proteins or lactose intolerance take soya milk instead. Soy can reduce cholesterol
Soy products also help to control the cholesterol level because soybean is cholesterol-free. Soy has soluble fibers that helps to reduce the amount of cholesterol, That are circulating in the our body through our blood. The soy proteins also reduce the cholesterol level.most of the fats in soy products are helpful. It has soy isoflavones that may prevent atherosclerosis

It is known that in most Asian countries were traditional soy products are taken on a daily basis, their rates of cardiovascular diseases are low. Soy also improves the health of our bones. Soy products, such as soy milk, doesn't contain a lot of calcium but the soy isoflavones may help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Many studies have suggested and shown that soy isoflavones may be a factor in helping to prevent bone loss.

But we all know that anything too much is bad for our health. Soya is no exception. So to be healthy do not just focus into taking just one kid of food. but to have a well balanced diet. and in your diet don't forget to include Soy.

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