More Modern Day Health Tips

 This is a continuation of my previous hub. Modern Day Health Tips.

• Eating Out : When you eat out - do not add a sugary, calorie-rich drink to an already unhealthy meal. Water is available everywhere, inexpensive, calorie-free and is good for you. Drinking a large glass of water with your meal will also help you feel fuller faster. Small changes can make a big difference to your health.
• Laughter and Calories : A study conducted in Vanderbilt University in the United States demonstrated that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn 10 to 40 calories, the same amount of calories found in a small piece of chocolate. The researchers also found that men laugh more than women these days.
• Keep your brain young : From our mid-twenties on, the brain, particularly the area in the brain where problem-solving and short-term memory is processed shrinks at a rate of 2% every 10 years. But, a 2006 study in Neurology showed that people who ate 2 or more daily servings of vegetables, especially leafy green, had the mental focus of people 5 years younger than them.
• Research shows that foods can have different effects on our mood. Alcohol, bread, cheese and sugary foods like biscuits and cakes are known to trigger low moods. After the sugar rush of sweet foods, our blood sugar levels can plummet and lead to low energy, irritability and depression. Some foods, however, such as tea and dark chocolate can actually boost your mood.
• Neuropathy:  A drug developed at the University of Kansas has the potential to stop a debilitating condition of diabetes that often leads to pain or loss of feeling in the head, feet and legs in people with diabetes and could lead for new treatment for nerve damage. The researchers demonstrated that the drug KU-32 can stop and even reverse diabetic peripheral neuropathy or DPN, in mice.
• Regular exercise reverses the natural decline in the metabolism that begins after the age of thirty. Those who exercise regularly are found to remain more productive and energetic throughout the day. starting each morning with 30 mins. of exercise can help a person feel fresh throughout the day.
• There is now evidence that indicates that abnormal stress responses can cause many diseases or conditions. These include anxiety disorders, depression, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and even some cancers. Stress also seems to increase the frequency and severity of migrane headaches, episodes of asthma, and fluctuation of blood sugar in diabetes.
• Multitasking:  If you've mastered the art of multitasking you probably feel you're getting more done in less time. Think again, experts say. Experts suggest you lose time whenever you shift your attention from one task to another. The end result is that, doing three projects simultaneously usually take longer than doing them one after the other.
• ED and Diabetes:  A new study of men with type 2 diabetes shows that those with ED (erectile dysfunction) were much more likely to develop heart disease, after a stroke. In this study, published in the American College of Cardiology, researchers examined the relationship between ED and heart-related complications, in 6,304 men aged 55 to 88 with type 2 diabetes.
• One of the key ways to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is through portion control. Practicing it will help you control the amount of food you eat. One simple tip is to use a smaller plate such as a dessert plate or a salad plate. Do not keep food directly on the table so you will not be tempted to take more and do not go back for second servings.
• Complex carbohydrates are good for you. Complex carbohydrates include whole wheat, whole grains, wheat pasta and rice, most beans and oats,vegetables and fruits. Your body takes them slowly, digests them slowly, which stabilizes your energy and sugar levels.
• Sleep loss:  Several large studies have linked sleep deficit with poor work performance, driving accidents, relationship problems, and mood problems like anger and depression. Many other health risks have been documented in recent studies too. Heart disease, diabetes, and obesity have all been linked with chronic sleep loss. By making sure you get enough sleep, you are improving your quality of life.
• The World Health Organization defines mental health as a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. If mental health problems do occur, some can be prevented, others will go without treatment, and some need professional treatment.
• Fighting Anxiety:  One way to combat anxiety is controlling it, since facing such situations head-on will ultimately reduce your fear and discomfort. Most anxiety is focused on the future, so catch yourself having negative thoughts and think about them rationally. If you look at your thoughts, you will find that you usually imagine the worst but least likely scenario that could happen.