What Is Diverticulitis? The Surprising Facts About Diet and This Disease

It happens. You or a loved one gets the call from the doctor, and it's diverticulitis. So you wonder how did I get this? What is diverticulitis anyway? And most importantly what is the treatment?

I wrote this article to discuss some of the surprising facts about the disease and to clear up some misconceptions. As you'll see, this is an illness where your diet can truly make a difference in both your prognosis and recovery.

So what is diverticulitis? Well, the short answer is that diverticulitis is a swelling or inflammation of an abnormal pouch (diverticulum) in the intestinal wall. These pouches are usually found in the large intestine or colon. Diverticulitis occurs when bacteria gets trapped in the pouches and becomes infected.

The symptoms of the illness may last from a few hours to a week or more depending on the severity of the case, and can include any of the following: Belly pain (especially on the lower left side, that sometimes gets worse when you move), bloating and gas, fever and chills, diarrhea or constipation, nausea and vomiting, and a loss of appetite.

Here's what's surprising: The existence of the pouches (diverticula) does not necessarily mean that you will come down with diverticulitis. Doctors are not entirely sure why some people get the disease and others do not. Also surprising, diverticulitis is very common. Over half of Americans over age 60 are diagnosed with the disease.

So why do the pouches form and why are so many people are diagnosed? The current belief is that diet and age play a huge role in the formation of the diverticula. (The pouches are more common over the age of 40.) A low fiber diet is considered a major risk factor, here's why:

Doctor's think that without enough fiber to add bulk to the stool, the colon has to work harder to push the stool forward. The pressure from this exertion might cause the pouches to form. Once the pouches are formed, there are no known treatments to remove them short of surgery. Once you have the pouches, you're more susceptible to diverticulitis.

Prevention is the key here. You can greatly reduce your chance of getting the disease just by drinking plenty of water, getting regular exercise and by maintaining a diet high in fiber, meaning plenty of fruits and vegetables.

If you already have the disease, cases are typically treated with bowel rest (nothing by mouth) and a course of antibiotics. Once you're feeling better, doctor's typically recommend a high fiber diet to prevent recurrence.

So what is diverticulitis? A disease where a pound of prevention is truly worth an ounce of cure. Follow a healthy life style with a high fiber diet and you will be less likely to come down with this disease.

The Real Modern Day Causes Of Chronic Disease In America

The first step we must take in order to prevent and cure chronic disease is to know their modern day causes and understand why these diseases are now so prevalent in America today. In the U.S., 70 percent of Americans that die each year die from chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. For many years now, tobacco use has been considered the single most dangerous modifiable risk factor for chronic disease and longevity. But modern day industry and technology has brought about dramatic changes in our diet, our food, our environment, and our lifestyles. These changes have introduced other risk factors that we are now faced with and it's the totality of these other risk factors that today pose a greater threat to the health of Americans than even smoking.

DIET AND LIFESTYLE
A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (March, 2004) states, "poor diet and lack of physical exercise may soon surpass tobacco as the leading cause of death". In America today, modern technological advances both at home and on the job has created two things, jobs and lifestyles that are less physically active or even sedentary and a heavy reliance on the convenience of fast and processed food. The report goes further and states that only 1.5 percent more people in the U.S. die each year from tobacco (18.1percent) than those that die from poor diet and lack of physical activity (16.6 percent).

Poor diet and lack of exercise contributes to chronic disease in two ways. First, by promoting cell malfunction in our bodies by depriving the cells of sufficient nutrients and enough oxygen to keep them functioning properly and second, by contributing to weight gain and obesity.

WEIGHT GAIN AND OBESITY
It's no secret that the U.S. is the fattest country in the world and that this is due primarily to the convenient availability of today's fast and processed foods and inactive lifestyles. We all know that these kinds of foods are jam-packed with fats and sugars and that by consuming these foods along with physical inactivity sets us up for weight gain from fat.

But why is fat dangerous and how does it contribute to chronic disease? Body fat is dangerous for two reasons. The first reason is because fat cells are actually active, especially abdominal fat cells, and produce toxic hormones and other toxic substances during the process of lipolysis which is the breakdown of the fats that are stored in the fat cells. Our bodies are designed to handle normal amounts of these substances but the more fat you have the more fat cells you have that are releasing these toxic substances up to the point that the body becomes overwhelmed and can no longer safely dispose of them.

The second reason is that some outside environmental toxic chemicals accumulates in human fat. One such example is Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Better known as flame retardants, PBDEs are used in a wide variety of common household products from carpet to electronics and studies show that they can cause both liver and kidney damage. The more body fat you have, the greater the possibility of you accumulating more toxic chemicals, such as PBDEs, than your body can handle. In either case, excessive body fat results in a toxic overload within the cells and just like depriving them of nutrients and oxygen, causes the cells to malfunction thus weakening the immune system.

HOW THE AMERICAN FOOD INDUSTRY HAS MADE US SICK
Seeing now how poor diet and daily inactivity can cause chronic disease, you would think that all you need to do is to start exercising and and go to the grocery store and stock up on healthier foods, right. Wrong! There are three reasons why the highly processed foods and the conventionally grown crops and meats found in most grocery stores today have played a part in the prevalence of chronic disease in America.

TOXIC CHEMICALS IN OUR FOOD
The first reason is toxicity. For many years now, the U.S.'s major food producers have used chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and growth hormones to grow bigger crops and livestock as quickly as possible for increased profits. Unknown by most American consumers, many of the meats, fruits, and vegetables found on typical grocery store shelves are laced with traces of these chemicals and hormones. These foods, as well as our processed and packaged food, also contain other chemicals in the form of ripening agents, artificial flavor and aromatic enhancers, preservatives, and other man-made chemicals to make them as appealing and as convenient as possible. These toxic chemicals ultimately end up in our bodies and after years of exposure, build up to a toxic level that our bodies are not designed to deal with.

LOW NUTRITIONAL VALUES IN TODAY'S FOOD
The second reason is that a lot of the conventional foods of today have a low nutritional value. Modern agriculture has employed methods of farming that has depleted the soil of vital minerals causing a significant decrease in the nutritional content of many of our fruits and vegetables. In fact, the Healthcare Professionals (HCP) Impact Study conducted in 2009 found that 81 percent of registered dietitians now view dietary supplements as important for maintaining health. Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist with the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently stated, "The way we farm now is destructive of the soil, the environment and us" and that "worst of all, our food is increasingly bad for us, even dangerous". But perhaps the most serious threat to our food supply is one has gone virtually unknown to the average unsuspecting American consumer and is the third reason why our food is making us so sick.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD
Also known as GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms), genetic food modification can quite possibly become the single most dangerous threat to our health. Genetic modification is the technology that makes it possible to manipulate the genes of living organisms by combining multiple genes from different living organisms in order to change the characteristics of that organism. Also referred to as recombinant DNA technology, the resulting products are said to be transgenic, genetically modified, or genetically engineered. The World Health Organization views GMO's as "organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally".

This technology has now made it possible for scientists to inject chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides directly into the genes and the DNA of seeds used to grow the fruits and vegetables we eat in order to make them more resistant to the herbicides and pesticides already in use. This technology is also being used on livestock as well. The irony is that the world's largest producer of GMO's and genetically engineered foods is not one of our nation's major food producers such as Tyson Foods or Kraft. It's Monsanto, a chemical company. Since the early 1990's, this technology has been used in America's agriculture. Today approximately 70 percent of the food you buy at your typical grocery store has been genetically modified and chances are you have or will eat a GMO today.

TOXIC CHEMICALS IN OUR AIR, OUR WATER, AND OUR HOMES
The most direct source of chemical exposure we unknowingly experience comes from the foods we eat. But we can no longer ignore the fact that the environmental toxins found in our air, our water, and even our homes contribute greatly to chronic diseases here in the U.S. The number of toxic chemicals we Americans routinely encounter is astonishing. The Environmental Protection Agency has now identified at least 6,000 chemicals that Americans are regularly exposed to and this number grows each year.

And these chemical toxins are not just limited to air and water contaminants. A lot of the chemicals we come into contact with daily are right in our own homes in the form of floor cleaners, furniture polish, and even hairspray. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, "Americans use an average of 10 personal care products each day, resulting in exposure to more than 126 unique chemicals-not counting the many undisclosed chemicals in fragrance."

IS SMOKING REALLY THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF CHRONIC DISEASE IN AMERICA?
The answer is probably not but certainly it remains a major contributor. Even though the decline in the number of people who smoke has been stalled since 2005, the fact is that for 40 years now, the number of Americans who smoke has been decreasing and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to second hand smoke is now down 70 percent. Cigarette smoking peaked in the mid 1960's with 40 percent of Americans smoking and today that figure is at about 23 percent. The percentage of Americans suffering from chronic disease now stands at 51 percent and that number continues to climb. With this in mind, it would be hard to conclusively say that cigarette smoking continues to stand alone as America's number one cause of chronic disease.

WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF CHRONIC DISEASE IN AMERICA?
The extremely high rate of chronic disease we're experiencing here in the U.S. today is a result of not just one, but a combination of all of these risk factors. These risk factors cause two things within our bodies that serve as the basis for all chronic disease, deficiency and toxicity. If left unchecked, these two common denominators will begin to cause cellular damage and over time, will cause the cells to malfunction thus increasing the probability of developing chronic disease.

In America today, the combination of enormous toxic overload, the declining nutritional value of our foods, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, and obesity all work against our nation's health in ways we have never seen before by poisoning our bodies and then depriving it's cells of what they need to function properly. In order to help avoid and reverse disease and give our bodies a chance to detoxify themselves, it's vital that we find ways to limit our subjection to chemical toxins and find nutritious alternate food options.

Chronic diseases in the U.S. is a serious concern with more than fifty percent of Americans now suffering from chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. However most chronic diseases are preventable and even curable by learning how to avoid their modern day causes and understanding why these diseases are now so widespread.

To find out more about what you can do to prevent chronic disease, go to http://livingdiseasefree.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_A_Long

Important Things You Should Know About Genital Warts

Skin problems and infections are now becoming a common issue among individuals, both men and women of any age. The occurrence of these kinds of problem is due to several factors including poor hygiene, unhealthy lifestyle, unhealthy diet and even some environmental factors. One common relevant issue on skin transpiring in both male and female, particularly the adults is the emergence of these warts in the genital area.

Genital Warts Overview

Similar to genital herpes, genital warts are types of diseases that are mostly transmitted through sexual intercourse and are also highly contagious. The infection is due to a virus called HPV or Human Papillomavirus. Many people who have genital warts are not aware that they are already infected because the infection may not be noticeable.

Typically, these warts, also known as venereal warts are described as gray growths or flesh-colored warts, commonly spotted in the genitalia and anal region. Both men and women of any age can be infected with HPV and have these warts. Majority of the sufferers are those who are in the 17-33 age brackets. Relevant study shows that a single sexual intercourse with a carrier can lead to an approximately sixty percent risk of becoming infected.

Warts in the genitals may also occur to children, particularly those below three years old. In this case, the transmission of the virus infection is regarded as non-sexual but rather as direct manual contact with the carrier. It rarely happens, though.

Common Symptoms

The occurrence of these warts can be painless but can cause too much frustration. A person who has this type of infection may experience symptoms like itchiness occurring in the affected areas. These types of warts usually spread in several areas of the body. Thus, it is widespread. Men sufferers typically have infection in the penis, scrotum, rectal area and urethra. The appearance can be described by soft, raised masses or lesions having smooth or rough surface. In women, genital warts usually appear in the moist areas of the vaginal opening. The incidents of women who experience bleeding after having sexual intercourse, vaginal discharge and itchiness are also few of the rare symptoms that may occur.

Prevention and Treatment

Like the other forms of genital infections, this is highly contagious but preventable. One sure way to evade from having such infection is to carefully observe safe sex. A lot of protective means are available to use depending on your preference. But if by all means, prevention is not enough and genital warts still emerge, proper treatment should be given. Once the existence of warts is recognized, self-care should be properly observed. Considering the warts being infectious, avoid touching them. Picking or squeezing is also discouraged. All these need to be done in order to prevent the spread.

A single effective medical treatment that completely eliminates genital warts is still not available. However, several treatment methods are already offered to help resolve the issue. The cryotherapy, laser treatment and electrodessication are just few of the many alternative treatments and methods, specifically designed to deal with genital warts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harold_Hisona

Simple Tip to Prevent Catching Colds - No More Influenza Infection

Influenza is a common problem nowadays. Although it may not be fatal disease, it is very contagious and can affect millions of people all over the world. In this article, I will give a simple tip to prevent catching colds. Say no to influenza infection with this commonsense habit.

Millions of people around the planet have heard the alarming scale of different flu outbreaks over the recent years. From SARS to avian influenza, the strains of influenza virus are getting stronger, causing infections at rapid speed. For the information of the public, more than 500,000 people in the whole planet will die because of these more immune strains of influenza. And this is very scary. So, how can we protect ourselves?

Do not allow yourself to catch flu because of your negligence and lack of knowledge. The key to protect yourself from catching common colds are quite common sense. Boost your immune system with the proper vitamin antioxidant boosters and do not expose yourself to risks that will most likely make you infected with the virus.

One of the simplest approaches to avoiding colds is to wash your wands frequently. This is very commonsense but I cannot stress it enough. According to the journal Applied Environmental Microbiology, you can kill about 99.7 percent of the viruses when you wash your hands thoroughly. Before you touch your nose, face, or mouth, make it a habit to wash your hands with warm water and any ordinary soap. This should require consistent effort and this needs to be formed into a habit.

There are other ways to prevent you from catching common colds and flu. But frequently washing your hands is a great start.

Practicable Malaria Prevention Measures for Nigerians

What is Malaria?

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the parasite Plasmodium. It is a serious and sometimes fatal disease, usually causing a high fever in its victims with associated chills, shivering, headache, vomiting, poor appetite, weakness, body aches, joint pain and, in its severe forms, anaemia, multiple organ failures, convulsions, altered consciousness, coma and, ultimately, death. Although malaria can potentially become life threatening, illness and death from the disease is totally preventable.

How is Malaria Transmitted?

The malaria parasites, Plasmodium, are transmitted from one person to another by a female anopheles mosquito. The female anopheles mosquito feeds on human blood, which it requires for breeding, and it becomes infected with malaria parasites when it bites and takes a blood meal from an infected person. The malaria parasites in the infected mosquito are then injected into another person through the mosquito's saliva when the mosquito goes to bite and take a blood meal from the second person. These bites usually take place at nights when the mosquito is most active. Other less common modes of transmission are via blood transfusions, organ transplants, sharing of needles and syringes, and also transmission from a mother to her unborn child before or during delivery.

Who is most at risk of developing severe, life threatening malaria?

There are 4 types of Plasmodium species that cause malaria in humans, but the severe form of the disease is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. While anyone exposed to the bites from infected mosquitoes can develop malaria, only people who are heavily exposed to bites from mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium falciparum are at risk of dying from the disease, especially those with little or no immunity to malaria such as pregnant women, young children, travelers from areas with no malaria, people living with HIV/AIDS and people suffering from sickle cell disease. Also, poor people living in rural areas who lack knowledge and access to health care are also at risk of falling seriously sick and dying from malaria.

How can malaria be prevented?

There are basically 3 methods of preventing malaria:

1. Eradicating mosquitoes - this involves measures taken to reduce the population of mosquitoes by killing them at various stages in their life cycle, for example, using insecticide sprays on indoor walls in homes to kill adult mosquitoes, using insecticide sprays like DDT around homes to kill outdoor adult mosquitoes, poisoning mosquitoes' breeding grounds like pouring oil on stagnant pools of water around homes to kill the larval stages, and elimination of other breeding sites around homes like covering water storage containers and proper disposal of any unwanted open containers.

2. Preventing mosquito bites - this involves measures taken to reduce contact between humans and mosquitoes, for example, sleeping under a bed net. The efficacy of bed nets can be greatly increased by treating them with insecticides(insecticide treated nets or ITN's), so they can also kill the mosquitoes in addition to acting as a barrier. Other methods of preventing mosquito bites include using mosquito repellents and wearing long sleeved clothes while outdoors at night.

3. Taking antimalarial drugs - this in itself does not prevent infection with the malaria parasites which comes from mosquito bites, but it acts to prevent the development of the disease by halting the development of the parasites, hence it's also known as malaria suppression in some quarters. The antimalarial drugs taken for prevention can also be used for treatment of the disease, but for prevention they are usually taken daily, weakly or sometimes even monthly and in doses usually lower than for treatment. The use of preventive antimalarial drugs for prolonged periods, however, is not very practical because of cost issues, side effects of the drugs, or even development of drug resistance by the malaria parasites, so for this reason this method of malaria prevention is usually advocated for those most at risk of developing life threatening malaria like pregnant women, young children, travelers from areas with no malaria, people living with HIV/AIDS and sickle cell disease sufferers.

Studies have shown repeatedly that malaria prevention is much more cost effective in the long run than treating malaria, especially, with methods like the use of insecticide treated nets(ITN's). This is true for the family unit as it is for the larger society, so let us all do the little we can within our individual family units to prevent and control malaria. Government and non-governmental organizations are also implored to embark on mass distribution of free ITN's to vulnerable groups like rural dwellers and pregnant women. Above all, stakeholders must embark on continuing public health education campaigns, because it is only in doing this that we can break the vicious cycle of poverty, ignorance and disease.

Protect Your Kidneys And They'll Protect You!

When I talk to my patients about good kidney health, preventing or getting rid of kidney stones is the first thing that comes to their mind. While kidney stones may be one of the more common health concerns for your kidneys, they certainly are not the only one.

Your kidneys do so much to keep you healthy - they filter toxins like mercury, copper, arsenic, pesticides from our food, out of your blood. They also regulate certain minerals like calcium and potassium so that your heart functions correctly. In addition, they balance the water supply for your entire body! Today, I'd like to talk to you about how to keep your kidneys healthy both to prevent stones and to keep the rest of you functioning at optimum health!

Symptoms of Kidney Dysfunction

Your kidneys are located just above your waist on either side of your spine protected inside your rib cage. The very first tell-tale sign of something wrong in your kidneys may be either a dull ache, or even sharp pain, on either side of your back at the waist. Sharp pain usually indicates the presence of a kidney stone moving around or trying to pass, while a dull ache could mean either the beginning of a kidney stone or other kidney problems. Here are some other things you may notice:

?Generalized itching all over
?Marked fatigue
?Darker than normal urine
?Blood or pus in urine
?Muscle cramps
?Darkened skin
?Loss of appetite, nausea and/or vomiting
?Swelling of the hands or feet

Now, it's important to know that often times temporary dehydration, from sweating too much and not drinking enough water or replacing essential minerals, can result in some of the above symptoms, especially the muscle cramps and fatigue. However, once you start replacing necessary fluid levels and minerals, these symptoms should stop. If any of these symptoms persist, especially if you see blood or pus in your urine, and/or start to have very dark urine in general, see your doctor immediately.

Who Is At Risk For Kidney Disease?

As I tell my patients, there are several lifestyle issues that can put you more at risk for kidney disease than other people. These are chronic alcohol consumption, smoking, and recreational drug use. If you stop these behaviors in time, it's a good bet you can regain your kidney health.

However, there are others who are also at risk from kidney disease and they include:

?People over 50 - kidney function naturally starts to slow down with age.
?People with diabetes - diabetes and kidney function go hand in hand.
?People with hypertension - high blood pressure puts a lot of strain on the kidneys.
?Family history of kidney disease - kidney disease tends to run in families.
?Athletes - heavy training can cause a chronic state of dehydration.

How Can You Maintain Good Kidney Health?

The best way to keep your kidneys healthy is to:

1) Adopt a healthy lifestyle: No smoking, recreational drugs, or heavy alcohol consumption.

2) Stay well-hydrated: Drink adequate amounts of water. This helps flush out toxins and regulate blood pressure. The National Institute of Health recommends drinking 91 ounces of water per day if you are a woman and 105 ounces a day if you are a man. High-water content vegetables and fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, tomato also add water.

3) Eat a Kidney Healthy Diet:

?Limit protein: Excess protein (specifically animal) increases wear and tear on kidneys by adding too much nitrogen and uric acid to the blood. This in turn causes dehydration as it takes more fluids to try and clear these elements. Limit your animal protein to 8 oz per day (limit whey protein bars to one, 25-30 gram protein bar per day). Add more vegetable proteins like legumes, beans, whole grains.

?Kidney Healthy Fruits/Vegetables: Red Bell Peppers, apples, cabbage, cauliflower, cranberries, strawberries, cherries, asparagus, iceberg lettuce, green beans, radishes, turnips, cottage cheese, eggplant.

?Limit dairy products: Dairy contains a lot of phosphorous which can build up in the kidneys. 2-3 servings a day are good. However, keep in mind that you do not really need to consume dairy to get much needed calcium. Substitute with bananas, tofu, spinach, broccoli which are also low in phosphorus.

4) Exercise: Regular physical exercise helps your kidneys remove toxins from your blood faster as it speeds up metabolism.

5) Watch Your Weight: Excess weight can cause high blood pressure which can damage kidneys.

If you have persistent symptoms of possible kidney disease, such as those mentioned above, please contact your doctor who can order certain blood and/or x-ray tests for you to determine if your symptoms are kidney-related. However, a healthy lifestyle, whole foods diet, and adequate amounts of water, can both help you prevent kidney and heart disease and stay healthy long into your golden years!

Terminal Illness Support: How to Be There for Loved Ones

When a loved one is dying, it can be a very difficult time not only for them but for their family as well. Everyone around the terminal ill member will grieve and feel sorry for them, but it will be hard to put themselves in the shoes of the personal facing a terminal illness. It's hard to empathize without knowing what it's like to face your own mortality. Thus, for many people it is rather difficult to provide terminal illness support.

Learning to Provide Terminal Illness Support

There are many ways through which a person can learn and receive guidance on how to provide terminal illness support. One of these ways is through an online prayer group. These groups offer you the chance to seek help and guidance from other people that are or have been around someone suffering from a terminal illness. With the help of an online group, you will learn how to be there for your loved one that is dying. But an online prayer group will also help you deal with your own feelings as well.

Old group members have spoken with many people before you and thus have experience in helping you cope with your feelings of helplessness and anger. They will let you know that your feelings are natural and will help you to find a way to deal with these issues through prayer. They will guide you through how to provide proper terminal illness support for your loved one so you can be certain that they will have peaceful thoughts as they pass away. Your loved one could also join an online prayer group with other people who are facing death or who are suffering from the same illnesses.

How to Support Your Loved One

By joining an online prayer group you'll learn from other people's experience that your relationship with your ill loved one does not have to change at all, but improve and become stronger. People suffering from terminal illnesses need support and the presence of their family, friends and loved ones. However, sometimes it's easier for a person facing a terminal illness to talk about their feelings and fears with someone they don't know, such as a counselor. Nonetheless, you need to show your loved one that you're there to listen, without forcing them to express their feeling if the time's not right. You can provide great support just with your presence.

Supporting your Loved One with the Help of a Group

By being part of an online prayer group, you can also help other people who share your fears and feelings. Group members can share their stories and feelings with one another and help consult each other through this difficult time. They can support each other through this difficult time by becoming a source for comfort and faith reinforcement. Moreover, members of your group will also be able to support your loved one who's facing a terminal illness by sending them prayers and well wishes. Just knowing that they aren't alone in their suffering can great help ease the fear and pain a dying loved one is experiencing. The power of prayer is powerful and will help them feel God's there for them.

Online prayer groups can provide people who are dying and their families with terminal illness support and access to guidance, prayer, and therapy. These groups are often free and share their resources in the hopes of making the end lives of fellow believers easier and less painful. In short, if you are looking to learn how you can support your love one who's dying and don't know how to go about it, checking out an online prayer group could be a good way to start.