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Bycleverhealthtips
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What Are The Normal Cholesterol Levels?

Do you know that cholesterol levels vary by weight, age and gender? After some time, a person’s body tends to deliver more cholesterol, meaning that all adults should check their cholesterol levels regularly – about every 4 to 6 years.

Cholesterol is measured in 3 categories: LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol) and total cholesterol. The balance between these three levels is very important. While LDL and total cholesterol levels have to be kept low, having more HDL cholesterol can protect a person against developing heart-related issues including strokes and heart attacks.

Aging

Age is the main factor in the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Being older than 45 years old (if you are a man) and older than 55 (if you are a woman) is a risk factor for having a cholesterol issues. Usually, men have a tendency to have higher levels of cholesterol throughout life than women. But women are also not protected from high cholesterol levels. During the menopause the cholesterol often increases.

Cholesterol levels for adults

Total cholesterol level less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) is considered normal for adults. A level between 200 and 239 mg/dL is viewed as borderline high. Values higher than 240 mg/dL is considered high.

LDL (bad) cholesterol level has to be less than 100 mg/dL. Levels between 100 and 129 mg/dL are acceptable for individuals with no health issues, but should be of more concern for those with heart disease risk factors or with heart disease. A reading between 130 and 159 mg/dL is borderline high and 160 to 189 mg/dL is considered high. A level of 190 mg/dL or higher is considered very high.

HDL (good) cholesterol level should be kept higher. A reading of less than 40 mg/dL is thought to be a major risk factor for heart issue. A reading between 41 mg/dL and 59 mg/dL is reviewed as borderline low. The optimal reading for HDL is of 60 mg/dL or higher.

Prevent high levels of cholesterol

As the cholesterol levels start to increase with age, health specialists typically recommend taking earlier steps in life to avoid high levels of cholesterol. Years and even months of unmanaged cholesterol can turn out to be considerably trickier to treat in just one go.

The 4 lifestyle changes you may be advised to make are:

  • regular exercise
  • eating a heart-healthy food
  • quit smoking
  • losing weight

If your LDL levels are still too high after these lifestyle changes, talk to your GP about cholesterol-lowering medications like statins, but give these pieces of advice your best shot.

Bycleverhealthtips
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Aging and Prostate Health

Aging is a natural part of life. It does not just affect what you can see on the outside, for example, grey hair and wrinkles. We also age on the inside, which is the reason we have to nourish ourselves with a range of supplements to ensure good health, longevity and happiness.

The prostate is one of the components of a man’s sex organs. It is a walnut-sized organ in young men, but with age it slowly increases in size, and this can cause issues. For men, the older you get, the more likely you are to have problems with your prostate health.

The prostate goes through two primary phases of development during a man’s life. The first sees fairly rapid growth during the early years of puberty – the prostate generally doubles in size. The second phase of growth begins in a man’s mid-twenties and this is a much slower period of development which then proceeds throughout life.

The second phase of growth does not cause any issues until men are well into their 60s or 70s when the indications caused by the now enlarged prostate will begin to appear and a visit to the specialist will reveal the presence of nothing more than a basic enlarged prostate. In medical terms, your doctor will state that you are experiencing benign prostatic hypertrophy, benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH.

When the prostate grows, the tissue surrounding it restricts its expansion and causes the prostate to close around the urethra. In this case, the flow is restricted through the urethra. In the meantime, the bladder wall thickens and the bladder begins to contract even when it contains moderately small amounts of urine. At last, the bladder weakens and loses its ability to contract and to empty itself and the urine stays trapped in the bladder.

The exact symptoms experienced because of an enlarged prostate will clearly vary from person to person, but, as a general rule, the first signs will be a difficulty in urinating and a change in your pattern of urination.

An early visit to the doctor can have the issues related to an enlarged prostate cleared up quickly and considerably reduce the danger of developing complications.

Byjoana

7 things to avoid during detox

There are different kinds of detox programs which can cleanse your body and take care of your health. All of them have guiding principles to follow for better results. Here you can see what to avoid during detox.

1. Sugar is the biggest enemy of each detox program. It’s really uncomfortable for most people who’re planning to detox their bodies and the main reason is they’re addicted to sugar without realizing it. Some of them try to change sugar with substitutes for sugar, but it’s not a good decision if you want to get toxins out of your body.

 

 

2. Alcohol – the most consumed product which harms the liver. This is the second product you must avoid if you’re ready for a healthy life or detox your body. The main problem with alcohol is the extreme amounts of sugar it contains. As already stated, avoiding sugar is key to detox.

 

3. Fruits also contain sugar, that’s why we should be very careful with them. It’s fine to have two or three fruits per day while detoxing. It’s better to reduce fruit consumption in your daily meals. This tip is essential if you’re on juice detox, because the amount of sugar in a glass of fresh juice is high.

 

4. Caffeine and black tea. These products cause fatigue, irritability, nervousness and sleep deprivation. These are the most common issues during detox. It’s normal to have them and it means you’re getting toxins out of the body. Avoid caffeine because it amplifies the symptoms.

 

5. Animal products are part of the daily nutrition, but when we’re talking about detox diet you need to remove them from the meal. During detox the only appropriate foods are vegetarian. That means fresh vegetables, small amount of fruits, different kinds of seeds and nuts.

 

6. Mushrooms are not good during detoxification, because they create mold into intestines. This can damage the protective barrier of the intestines. That includes all types of mushrooms even raw mushrooms.

 

 

7. The last pest here is peanuts. They contains toxins which act badly to the recovering processes of colon. Avoiding peanuts is recommended for a healthy nutrition during detox programs. You can replace them with another rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bycleverhealthtips
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Enlarged Prostate: Risks of Inaction

A worrying lack of knowledge and awareness are preventing men from acting on concerns they have about the benign prostatic hypertrophy, benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH.

Sometimes the enlarged prostate is a symptomless disease, and an awareness of risk factors, such as aging, is key for men being vigilant against the issue. According to statistics, every second man above 45 years is suffering from the growth of the prostate tissue or BPH.

The Disease

There is a nodule (nodules) in the prostate, which increases in size. Thus, it compresses the urethra, and the process of urine output becomes complicated. After some time, high pressure is made in the tissues. It leads to thickening of the walls of the bladder, which volume is essentially reduced. This prompts frequent urination and urine in small amounts, on the “drops”, while in the bladder may accumulate residual urine, breaking contractility. The result is intense or chronic urinary retention, infection in the urinary tract, prostatitis, etc. But this is just one of the possible scenarios of development of the disease.

There is a perception that adenoma may advance into prostate cancer. But this is false. Adenoma and prostate cancer affect, as a rule, different parts of the prostate.

However, the cunning of the situation is that prostate cancer can be developed without symptoms, and in the background of the development of adenomas, that is, with the similar symptoms.

BPH and cancer may coexist at the same time.

Risks of Inaction

A critical lack of action could also be keeping some men away from finding out they have the disease in time. If treatment isn’t started in time, the bladder can become unable to perform its functions. Kidney failure, stone formation, sexual disorders, including a complete loss of potency, insomnia, nervous exhaustion – the payment for delay.

BPH Can Be Prevented

But this should frequently undergo preventive medical examinations of the specialist urologist and to pass a set of special laboratory tests. In the first place, this is especially valid for men after 40 years, but it is also true for the younger ones. Timely detection of changes will help to avoid the development of serious disease.

Bycleverhealthtips
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What Causes High Cholesterol Levels?

Cholesterol is found everywhere in your body and has essential natural functions when it comes to producing hormones, digesting foods, and producing vitamin D. It is generated by the body and can also be taken in from food.

Cholesterol is fat-like and waxy in appearance. It is both good and bad. There are 2 types of cholesterol. HDL (good cholesterol or high-density lipoproteins) and LDL (bad cholesterol or low-density lipoproteins). At normal levels, it is an important substance for the body, but if concentrations in the blood get too high, it turns into a silent danger that causes risk of heart attack.

Here are some facts on cholesterol:

  • Cholesterol is a fundamental substance, produced by the body. It is also ingested from animal-derived foods
  • Having high levels of cholesterol doesn’t usually produce any symptoms
  • The most serious risk factors for high cholesterol are lifestyle choices –  exercise and diet
  • If lifestyle changes are unsuccessful or cholesterol levels are extremely high, lipid-lowering drugs such as statins may be recommended.

Find out some of the causes of high cholesterol and change your lifestyle to keep it at normal levels.

Food

Eating too much trans fat and saturated fat can raise your cholesterol levels. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits, beans, whole grains, and good fats can help lower the “bad cholesterol”.

In general, avoid the food if any of these things appear high on the product label’s ingredient list:

Trans fats: These are harmful to you! They can be found in packaged snacks such as cookies, pastries, crackers, breakfast sandwiches, microwave popcorn, cream-filled candy, doughnuts, fried fast foods, frozen pizza and some types of margarine. Read the nutrition facts to be aware of all the fats in the product.

Salt: Too much sodium can raise your pulse. You probably already know not to have too much salty snack foods and canned soup. But did you know it can also be hidden in rolls and breads, cold cuts and cured meats, some chicken, pizza, and some fast-food products?

You might be surprised how frequently it’s also found in frozen foods. Read labels and try not to get more than 2,400 milligrams daily.

Sugar: Sugar might cause problems such as heart disease, weight gain, and diabetes as well as cholesterol. It is essential to limit the the sugar in what you drink and eat.

Sport

Make movement a part of your cholesterol-lowering plan to avoid heart disease. Research proves that a combination of aerobic (cardio) and resistance training is the best thing to do for reducing the risk of heart attack. In a study of obese and overweight participants, researchers found out that engaging in both types of activity gave more benefits for fat and weight loss rather than practicing either of the mentioned.

Lifestyle

If you want to keep your cholesterol levels in normal range, you should not only exercise regularly and eat a heart-healthy diet.

You should…

… quit smoking…

Smoking brings down your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It makes all heart health markers bad: smoking causes inflammation, which can contribute to blood clots, atherosclerosis, and risk of heart attack. Consult with your doctor and build up a plan to help you quit smoking.

… and drink alcohol only in moderation

Moderate use of alcohol has been connected with higher levels of HDL cholesterol, yet the benefits are not strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who does not already drink. If you drink alcohol, do so with some restrain. For healthy grownups, that means up to one drink per day for ladies of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to 2 drinks per day for men age 65 and younger.

Drinking a lot of alcohol prompt dangerous health problems, including heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke.

Bycleverhealthtips
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Tips and Tricks Lowering Your Cholesterol

Be healthy and lower your “bad” cholesterol levels. Adopting healthy habits, for example, being active and having a balanced diet, can help prevent your cholesterol becoming high in the first place.

It is vital to keep your cholesterol in check because high “bad” cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart issues and stroke. Talk with your doctor about your cholesterol and if the GP has advised you to change your diet to reduce your blood cholesterol, you should eliminate saturated fat and eat more fibre, including a lot of fruit and vegetables.

Here are 5 useful tips and tricks that can help lower your cholesterol within weeks.

1. Set a goal

You know you must get your “bad” cholesterol numbers down, but how low do you have to go? That depends on several factors, such as weight, age and gender, as well as, on your personal and family history of heart diseases.

If you do not already have cardiovascular problems, the goal is to lower your total cholesterol level to less than 5.0mmol/l and LDL “bad” cholesterol to under 3mmol/l.

If you already have cardiovascular disease, your goal is to get your total cholesterol level down to less than 4.0mmol/l and LDL “bad” cholesterol to under 2.0mmol/l.

2. Cut the animal fats

Forgot about the fatty and processed meats such as salami, bologna, pepperoni and hot dogs. Also cut back on the fatty red meats like prime cuts of beef, ribs, pork, lamb or veal. Remember to skip the skin on chicken or turkey. Avoid full-fat dairy products, for example cheese, whole milk, cream, sour cream, butter and cream cheese. All of these foods contain saturated fat associated with higher blood cholesterol and plaque development.

3. Substitute your oils

You don’t have to remove all fats from your diet. Rather, switch to unsaturated fats, which may raise your “good” cholesterol levels and lower your “bad” cholesterol. Instead of mayonnaise or butter on bread, try using olive oil. Canola, peanut and avocado are good options for cooking. Fats that are semisolid or solid at room temperature, such as butter and coconut oil, are referred to as saturated fats. It is recommended to limit consumption of saturated fats to less than 5–6% of your daily diet.

4. Be careful with carbohydrates

Research proves that following a low-carbohydrate eating plan can help you reduce cardiovascular risk factors and lose weight. Choose high fiber carbohydrates, such as beans, oatmeal, lentils, whole grain starches and fruits which will provide the energy you need, but also will keep you feeling full. The trick is to be careful with your portions, aim for no more than about 1 cup of starch and/or fruit with meals. Additionally, fill up on vegetables, which are high in fibers and low in calories.

5. Follow the right rhythm

Go for a moderate level of exercise. When you have safely mastered moderate-intensity physical activity, consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 1 to 2 times per week. Emerging studies suggest this type of training can help raise HDL “good” cholesterol levels.

Bycleverhealthtips
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Enlarged Prostate: Medications and Natural Treatments

Treatment for an enlarged prostate (or BPH) depends on the symptoms and the risk of side effects, for example – urinary retention. Most people with enlarged prostate experience mild to moderate symptoms, and usually the men are able to cope with them without depending on serious treatment plans and medications. But for others, the symptoms can be painful and very troublesome, and they can get worse over time, so a treatment plan is required.

Medications

Most individuals with an enlarged prostate will either watch and hold up to see how their symptoms develop or take medications. Alpha blockers (for example terazosin) are used to relieve BPH symptoms within several weeks… But they do not stop the prostate from continuing to grow.

On the other hand, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (for example Proscar and Avodart) are used to reduce an enlarged prostate, but they may take up to 6 months or even more to show any effect on symptoms. Sometimes a combination of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and alpha blockers is used.

When taking drugs, it’s important to be aware of the possible interactions between different medications. For example, if a man takes alpha blockers, he should not use medications for impotence treatment also because both of these drugs have a blood-pressure-lowing effect.

Natural Treatments

You should think about some of the natural treatments for enlarged prostate when consulting with your doctor. Natural ways of treatment can be used both alone and along with conventional alternatives. When discussing natural treatments for BPH, we are including approaches such as natural supplements, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, and hormone management.

There are many lifestyle and dietary steps you can take to boost prostate health and help in the management of any symptoms of BPH. Here are some useful pieces of advice:

  • Focus on low-fat foods
  • Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables
  • Drink green tea
  • Avoid red meat, calcium, dairy products, and foods high in sugar
  • Take only well-researched supplements
  • Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
  • Exercise regularly
  • Adopt stress reduction techniques
  • Research natural therapies
  • Quit smoking
  • Maintain hormone balance
  • Engage in a healthy sex life
  • Avoid exposure to toxins
  • Cut caffeine intake
  • Reduce spicy and salty food intake
  • Avoid alcohol
  • Keep your diabetes under control
  • Stay warm

In general, embracing healthier lifestyle habits will help reduce estrogen, decrease inflammation, and go a long way towards reducing your symptoms of enlarged prostate.

Bycleverhealthtips
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How hard is it to deal with prostate issues?

Prostate health easily gets sidelined by other health subjects. Men are usually hesitant to talk about their prostate concerns, even with their GP. The easiest screening option – a blood testing your PSA levels indicates expansion in cases of prostate growth, which causes a lot of anxiety related to the anticipation of results and is very often skipped.

Why does a prostate issue have to be difficult when the problem could be dealt with ease when addressed early on? Why not concentrate on prevention by keeping a healthy prostate?

Fortunately, there are natural approaches to keep a healthy prostate.

Eat Healthy Food

Including a balanced amount of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables to your daily snacks and meals would be a perfect way to guarantee that your prostate stays healthy, particularly those rich in zinc and vitamin C. Other example of foods that boost prostate health is nuts, avocados and healthy oils (for example – the organic olive oil).

Do The Pelvic Floor Exercise

Exercises help your bladder empty at a normal rate. The pelvic floor practice works the muscles by contracting and relaxing them regularly. While relaxing the muscles, all you should do is simply leave them. Repeat this routine several times daily. It is important to keep the muscles tight, as hard as possible, and enabling the muscles to relax completely afterwards.

Manage Hormones

Dealing with your hormone production is an essential step in managing your aging prostate health. As you age, your hormone production changes. An enzyme and hormone called 5-alpha-reductase turns testosterone to dihydrotestosterone or DHT. This can cause the testosterone levels to drop down and create imbalance between your testosterone and estrogen. This leads to an enlarged prostate. You can naturally manage your hormones through maintaining a healthy weight and by using supplements.

Your lifestyle significantly affects your prostate health – from the exercises you do to the food you eat to the supplements you take. Following all of the above easy ways to shrink your prostate can help you in preventing BPH symptoms from getting worse. Taking steps to improve your prostate health through these efforts can help you to naturally manage your prostate health.

Byjoana

Why Juice Detox

 

If you’re ready for a body detox, juice detox is a great choice. Juice detox is easier than others kinds of detox programs, because it’s easier to drink rather than to eat something. This kind of detox includes fresh vegetables and fruits as liquids. Consuming the juice is a lot easier than chewing raw foods.

5-7 days detoxing your body is an appropriate period for cleaning your organism out of toxins. 3 or 4 times in a year is preferable for a healthy body balance. After having a detox it’s appropriate to have a break for 3 or 4 months. For beginners try with 2 or 3 days detox. There is the risk of having a negative effect from the detox, so you shouldn’t try to overdo it.

Juice detox is a good way to acquire big quantities of vitamins. The reason is that you can consume more vegetables by drinking. Different kinds of juice detox are similar to each other. These are combinations of vegetable juices, fruit juices or a mix of both. You’re free to make it according to your taste. For better results drink more vegetable juices than fruit based juices.

Adding seeds into the juice is also an option. Seeds are rich in antioxidants. They have no taste in blended juice. Take chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds. All these healthy seeds will help you for powerful life during your detox.

 

 

 

You can separate ingredients how you like it. It’s better to use only vegetables for one dose of juice and only fruits for another. That helps your metabolism.  Use vegetable juice for the main dish and fruit juice for breakfast or dessert. There is no limit for quantity, just drink enough to not feel hungry.

When you’re having juice detox, you can add ingredients richer in antioxidants. Furthermore you can use those of them which are not so tasty, but you won’t feel this in blended juice. For healthy nutrition during the detox choose fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

 

Via juice detox you can:

  • Increase the effectiveness of your digestive system.
  • Recover the antioxidant body balance.
  • Improve the condition of organs which take part in natural detoxing.
  • Strengthen the immune system.

Stopping to eat processed food allows our organism to recover. When the body’s resting from heavy food it’s getting toxins out. Another benefit of juice detox is that you’re going to lose weight. For sure when you have a healthy nutrition you’ll get away needless fats from your body.

 

 

 

 

Byannie
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Aging and Joint Problems

Time changes your joints and your entire body. Age modifies each of the structures that make up a joint, and over the span of your life, your joints sustain an enormous amount of wear and tear. You cannot prevent all the changes age brings to your joints, but you can slow the rate of deterioration and minimize the impact on your ability to live an independent and dynamic life.

As you age, the joints become stiffer and less flexible. That’s why, the older you get, the more common it is to encounter aching or mild soreness when you stand, exercise or climb stairs. The body does not recover as fast as it did in your youth.

Many of the age-related changes to joints are caused by absence of activity. Movement of the joint, and the related ‘stress’ of movement, helps keep the fluid moving. Being inactive makes the cartilage to shrink and stiffen, reducing joint mobility.

You cannot bring back cartilage that is already lost… But there are a few easy steps you can take to prevent the war or even reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Keep up a healthy weight

Maintaining a healthy weight to protect your joints. Keeping your weight down will help reduce the small tears that break down cartilage. A weight loss of 11 pounds can reduce arthritis pain by 50% for many women. Weight loss may also slow the progression of osteoarthritis.

Exercise

Keep your body active to reduce stiffness in the joints. Specialists recommend low- or no-impact aerobic exercises, such as walking, swimming, or cycling.

Add ice

Icing your joints after exercise can prevent swelling and help you manage pain. When you are active, you draw a lubricant called synovial fluid to your joints. Bear in mind that if the fluid sticks around too long after exercise, it can cause cracks in the cartilage. Specialists suggest icing the joints you use during exercise for 10 min after the activity.

Eat superfood

Research shows that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can help to reduce the symptoms that cause joint pain. They also change the levels of inflammation that may be causing some of the pain. Fish oil slows the generation of inflammation-signalling cells. The best sources are fish such as tuna and salmon. Studies prove that vitamin D may help protect your joints, too, via an anti-inflammatory effect. Ensure you get 400-800 International Units of vitamin D daily.

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