Being active is an essential part of healthy living.
Paula Radcliff, Professional Marathon Runner, (World Record Holder).
Asthma should not be a reason not to exercise, play sport or keep fit.
In the past it was believed that asthmatics should not take part in team sports and vigorous activities. We know now this is not true as there are many top athletes in various sports who have asthma.
Regular exercise increases fitness and if done appropriately it can help reduce the frequency of asthma attacks.
Exercise is important to asthmatics because it can increase/improve:
- Exercise tolerance
- Self esteem
- Confidence
- Psychological and physical well being
If you are asthmatic and would like to take part in regular activity the following steps can be used to ensure that it is done as safely and as comfortable as possible.
Visit the doctor
It is important to visit your doctor before taking part in any form of exercise to make sure that it is safe. Your doctor should give you some advice on how to manage your asthma and on the suitability of the activities that you are interested in.
Recognise the symptoms
If your asthma is not under control or if you are experiencing any of the following do not exercise, as it can be hazardous:
- Wheezing
- Coughing
- Feeling tightness in the chest
- Breathlessness
- Cold or Flu
Plan your activities
Make sure your asthma is managed properly
Bring your asthma medication with you
Use your asthma medication about five to 10 minutes before you warm up. (Your doctor will advise you on the most suitable medication)
Always warm up by lightly moving and stretching for 10 to 15 minutes before you play sport or exercise
Always cool down
If you have an asthma attack:
- Stop what you are doing if you experience any early signs of an asthma attack
- Take four puffs of your reliever / inhaler (Ventolin or Bricanyl)
- Wait four minutes
- Wait until you are symptom free before you restart exercising
- If symptoms do not go away use your reliever again as directed
Benefits of regular exercise
- Better weight control
- More energy
- Brighter mental outlook
- Increased self-esteem
- Reduced risk of heart disease high blood pressure, diabetes and colon cancer
- Reduced risk of colon cancer
- Less chance of cold and flu
- Health and strong bones, joints and muscles
- Fitness and flexibility
- Better quality of life
Always remember
Being active is an essential part of healthy living and that asthma should not be a reason not to exercise, instead regular exercise should be a part of any asthma management plan.
- Ministry of Health Public Awareness Programme
Source: Weekend 17 January 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Suffer from asthma? Exercise
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Do-It-Yourself Depression Remedies
Treatment of depression often involves multiple and different strategies. For some patients, a few simple home remedies are all that's needed. But even those who need counseling and/or medications will benefit from these do-it-yourself techniques:
Exercise.
The fatigue and poor motivation brought on by depression can make it very hard to get up and get moving, so resuming or increasing your former exercise program—or beginning a new one—may be difficult at first. However, the rewards should come quickly. The increased blood flow, breathing rate, and muscle use associated with exercise will improve energy levels during the day and result in more restful sleep overnight.
Even more importantly, exercise causes the release of chemicals called endorphins in the brain. Endorphins elevate the mood and increase energy levels. They are the source of the "runner's high"—a state of euphoria that endurance athletes experience after a sustained period of exertion. Think of endorphins as
your own natural antidepressants.And, of course, exercise has additional benefits beyond treating depression. High on the list is reducing the risks of diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease. Burning calories while exercising can also help you combat the tendency towards weight gain that's associated with both depression itself and with several prescription antidepressant medications.
One trick for overcoming inertia and beginning an exercise regimen is to simply make a schedule of exercise time, and commit to doing a specific activity during that time. Start with 20 to 30 minutes 3 times per week, and then try to build towards 45 to 60 minutes every day. If it helps you, try thinking of exercise as a prescription from your doctor to treat depression. It also helps if you can find one or more types of physical activity that you enjoy, or at least don't dislike too much.
Laughter.
The simple act of laughing also releases endorphins, thus treating depression. Of course, being depressed can make it very hard to laugh, so this may not be practical advice in the early stages of treating severe depression. But as soon as you're able to, going out of your way to find funny things and experience some good, hearty laughter is seriously helpful!
Light.
It is well known that the shorter days of winter are associated with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in many people, and worsen symptoms in those with chronic depression. Increasing your exposure to natural sunlight will help elevate your mood right away, and regular light therapy can be very beneficial for treating depression. If you've made the commitment to exercise as part of a depression management program, try to schedule at least some of your activity outdoors in the daytime. The winter months can be a challenge, but creative scheduling and some really warm clothes will help a lot. If getting outdoors isn't practical, the next best thing is to spend as much time as possible in front of a big window that lets in a lot of light.
Another option is artificial sunlight. There are several companies that market lamps specifically for treating depression, SAD, and low mood. These special lights can be ordered directly on the Internet, and are available in just about every price range. I suggest placing the light next to your bed and plugging it into a timer. Have it turn on about 10 minutes before you plan to wake up, and lie in bed under the light for about half an hour or so every day. Artificial sunlight is a great idea even if you already get time outdoors and/or window exposure during the day.
Attitude.
For many people, depression is caused or worsened by a variety of stressful or sad thoughts and situations. Resisting or denying a diagnosis of depression can become yet another source of stress, and actually worsen your symptoms. Failing to accomplish desired or necessary tasks, a common problem in depressed people, often makes things worse, too.
Try to take stock of your current abilities and limitations—what you can do now, not what you used to be able to do—and then set out some specific, modest goals. Just getting a few things accomplished can help to reduce stress, and that will help improve the depression.
Also, consider whether worrying about things beyond your control is productive or helpful to you. Perhaps the best way to summarize the importance of attitude is with the serenity prayer:
God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.
Source: Health.Yahoo.com - Posted on Thu, Jan 15, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Obesity: Growing epidemic
Obesity is spreading worldwide like an epidemic. So what? Why should anyone be so concerned about obesity "epidemic"?
It is a fact that obesity causes diseases and eventually deaths on a large scale. Are you surprised? Shocked? If you are, half the purpose of this article is fulfilled. Awareness of a problem is half the solution, isn't it?
Yes, rising incidence of obesity is thought to be a significant factor for bringing down life expectancy in the affluent countries today; its overall impact on health is comparable to that of smoking. And less developed countries are catching up fast in this field.
How does obesity influence health and disease?
Obesity makes one prone to or aggravates a variety of chronic (i.e. long- lingering) illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, lung diseases and bone and joint problems. This list is not complete. It can shorten life span and even contribute to the development of some forms of cancer. A pretty depressing scenario, isn't it?
Okay. These are diseases affecting the grown-ups, so why are you bothering children with all these depressing information?
Well, obesity and all the related diseases have their foundation laid in childhood. Childhood obesity tends to stay with you, often grows with you, into adulthood and beyond, until it silently nudges you into the grave.
Enough of the scare-mongering.. Give us some hope. Aren't there any solutions?
There are solutions. And they constitute the remaining half of the purpose of this article. But be reminded. There are no shortcuts! No magic pills. No special diets - not suitable for children anyway. The key words are life style changes, consistency and community involvement.
But first the basics: Obesity is body weight, particularly body fat, in excess of the norm for one's age, sex and height. It results from an imbalance between supply and demand, input and expenditure, of (food) energy. When you take in more energy than your body spends on growth, repair and physical work (including daily chores, play and exercise), the positive balance, the excess energy, is stored in the body as fat. And it is the stored fat, not the muscle or bone mass that plays the havoc.
So what do we do?
Step 1: Increase the expenditure i.e. exercise
Say goodbye to sedentary (shall we call it lazy) habits.
Keeping obesity under control is a life long process, and should start very early. It is common everywhere nowadays to see even toddlers being pushed around in prams and push chairs. (That is if ever they get an opportunity to get out of the house or the car). They are being denied the opportunity of enjoying and be enriched by the many - faceted sensory inputs associated with running around. In the process, the chance to burn a few calories of energy is lost. And we are laying the seeds of obesity here.
Inside the house the ever present television and computer games get children (and grown- ups) glued to them with minimal opportunity for physical activity. Television viewing also encourages binge eating while kids are bombarded with advertisements of obesity - enhancing junk food. Its influence on obesity is varied and vast indeed. Lesson: restrict TV viewing (to perhaps an hour a day on weekdays and a little longer during weekends).
Encourage energy expenditure by progressive physical activity. Incorporate some habits into your life's pattern rather than depend on bouts of activity which are well laid out, but practised intermittently or liable to be postponed indefinitely. In general, push the children out into the courtyard, into the playground or on to the bicycle and so on. If you can climb (stairs) don't use lifts, if you can run don't walk, if you can walk don't stand, if you can stand don't sit, if you can sit don't lie down etc.
But while many of these may appear to be matters of individual or family decision and determination, others need the thoughtful action of the community and society. Can you let your toddler accompany you on foot on an evening stroll if roads are not paved or shopping areas are not pedestrianised? What about bicycle lanes on the road? Can children go out to play if there are no suitable compounds/ grounds?
Step 2: Decrease the (food energy) input (intake) i.e. eat wisely
Here again, to be effective we have to catch them young, literally starting from the cradle, to postpone (the approach to) the grave. Exclusive breast feeding till six months of age has been shown to reduce obesity (in the mother as well as in the baby). Conversely, bottle-feeding may encourage it.
The type of food we eat and the type of eating habits we pick up from early on is of crucial importance. Everyone nowadays seems to know the value of eating a lot of vegetables and fruits. They know that energy - rich foods like oils and fats, sugars and sugary foods, refined and canned foods, cookies, biscuits and the like, and fizzy drinks should be cut down. But the wedge between knowledge and practice is alarmingly wide.
Whose responsibility is it to bridge the wedge? Who should be involved and targeted? Is it the individual child or adult? The housewife who should steer the shopping trolley away from the processed and ready-to-eat food section to isles between stacks of (healthy) raw food? Is it the amah (maid) who may be cooking the food using her own (unhealthy) recipes? The uncles, aunts and grandparents; who often out of a mistaken sense of love and caring, feed their loved ones additional junk food? Is it he supermarkets and restaurants including school cafeterias which serve trendy, tasty foods which may be nevertheless helping obesity? The health professionals who spend their scarce time on detecting and treating diseases while finding little time and inclination to look for and offer preventive counselling against advancing over-weightedness? Whose responsibility is it to prevent obesity in the individual and its epidemic in the community?
Who is responsible for preventing obesity (and promoting a generally healthy life-style) in a society?
The answer is obvious. In the ongoing war against an expanding waistline (and the havoc it plays on people's health) every one of us is a soldier on active duty. Students, children, who are moulded by as well as mould the society, certainly occupy the front line. And you and I have to act today. For, when it comes to obesity, prevention is the only real option; reversal by treatment is so frustratingly difficult. And it should start from infancy and continue as a life- long habit of regular physical activity and moderate food intake.
- Ministry of Health Public Awareness Programme
Source: Weekend 10 Jan 2009
