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Health / Wellness

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Omega-3s and Prostate Health: What's the True Story

Recently, a study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggesting a link between omega-3 fish oil and an increased risk of prostate cancer. Texas Urology has fielded numerous questions as a result of this media coverage and many questions have been answered regarding whether men should discontinue the use of omega-3 supplements. This reminds me of a time in the mid 1990's when an article appeared implicating vasectomies in an epidemiologic study linking this common procedure to prostate cancer. Previously, there had been isolated studies suggesting that vasectomy could cause testicular cancer and atherosclerosis. Needless to say, further studies as well as review of prior studies showed these results to be false and, indeed, vasectomy is not associated with prostate cancer, testicular cancer or atherosclerotic heart disease.

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Combating Jet Lag

A lot of airline travelers think about this song or the after-effects of travel across time zones called jet lag. Crossing time zones can cause you to wake during the night or have difficulty getting to sleep and then you want to fall asleep during the day. Your inbuilt bio- rhythms have been disturbed, and it can take many days for the body to readjust to the new time zone. It is estimated that you need one day for every one-hour time zone crossed to regain normal rhythm and energy levels. So a 5-hour time difference means you will require five days to get back to normal! How can you minimize this from happening to you when you travel? This article will review the problem of jet lag and what you can do to lessen the effects of this common condition that impacts most airline travelers.

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10 Health Care Concerns for Men

Most men have an attitude that "if it ain't broke, dr goldberg health don't fix it." Now that may apply to the engines of your automobile but it doesn't apply to the finely tuned engines that run your body. Most men have little need to visit a doctor between the ages of 18-45. In order to sustain good health, men need to make an annual visit to their doctor beginning around age 45.

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Healthy Heart also Means a Healthy Prostate Gland

Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women and, interestingly enough, research has shown that a healthy heart also turns out to be a healthy prostate gland. Since heart disease is also the number one cause of death in men diagnosed with prostate cancer, if you become more heart healthy you may get a “twofer” effect. In other words, now you are doing more to prevent some of the leading causes of early death. In this article I will review some of the ways of reducing the risk of heart disease and possibly improve your prostate health as well.

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Memory Loss and How to Maintain It in the Mature Years

Everyone has mild memory lapses from time to time. You go from the kitchen to the bedroom to get something, only to find yourself wondering what you needed. You can't find your car keys one day and your reading glasses the next. This situation has happened to all of us. Lapses such as these are usually just signs of a normal brain that's constantly prioritizing, sorting, storing, and retrieving all types of information. Although a decrease in your capacity to remember is a normal part of aging. As part of the normal aging process, it can be harder for some people to recall some types of information, such as the names of individuals.

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The least you need to know about cholesterol

High cholesterol is a condition that affects millions of Americans and is a source of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. It is one of the conditions that we have control over and be easily changed by altering our life style and our dietary habits. This article will review what are the causes of an elevated cholesterol and what can be done to reduce the level to normal and ultimately extend your life.

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Reasons to Exercise

Experts including cardiologists, physiologists, oncologists, nutritionists, and psychologists all agree that exercise is one of the best tools you have for staying healthy!

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Reducing Medical Mistakes Your Role in Reducing These Errors

There are nearly 1.5 million Americans who suffer each year from preventable mistakes. A report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of medical errors.

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For Your Good Health: Put Your Salt Shaker On The Shelf And Not On Your Food

I am reminded of the apocryphal story of the famous inventor, Thomas Edison, who refused to hire his laboratory engineer because he added salt to his soup without tasting it. (Perhaps it didn't need the extra salt since he didn't taste the soup!) Now I know that the scientist may have not only have landed a prestigious job in the great Edison's lab but also might have improved his health if he placed the salt shaker on the shelf.

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Sex after 60

Just as the sexual changes in older men may be exaggerated or misunderstood, so are the changes in women. In the NCOA survey, more than 1 in 10 people agreed that women have less sexual desire after menopause, while nearly 3 in 10 were unsure. However, a recent survey conducted by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories revealed that at least 9 out of 10 post-menopausal women remain sexually active.

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Sex and the Senior Citizen

Americans are getting older. The senior citizen population is growing faster than any other age group. Between 1980 and 1995, the total U.S. population increased by 11%. At the same time, the 85 and over age group grew by 41% and the 75-84 year old age group increased by 33%. As a result of the Baby Boomers "coming of age", and leading more active lives, they are also concerned about sexual health.

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Sudden Cardiac Arrest

The whole nation was saddened with the sudden death by cardiac arrest of TV journalist, Tim Russert. Many of us have asked how could such a young man who was so full of life die so quickly? And the next question we have is could something have been done to prevent it?

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Information On Swine Influenza

Swine influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a type A influenza virus. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu. Most commonly, human cases of swine flu occur in people who are around swine flu viruses and can spread from person to person.

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Tips and Tricks for Smoking Cessation

I have never met anyone who has smoked for several years who declares that they enjoy smoking or that they could quit anytime they wanted. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Studies have shown that nicotine addiction is as hard to break as heroin or cocaine addiction. This article will focus on tips and techniques to help smokers kick the habit. After reading this article and if you are a smoker, you will have suggestions to help get the nicotine monkey off your back.

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Varicose Veins

t is not uncommon for middle aged and older men and women to have large bulging rope-like veins on the legs that can become painful and even become seriously inflamed and lead to a condition called phlebitis. Varicose veins are more common in women than in men. Varicose veins may surface for the first time or may worsen during late pregnancy, when your uterus exerts greater pressure on the veins in your legs. Hemorrhoids are varicose veins located in and around the anus. If these dilated veins are not treated they will almost always worsen and become more problematic.

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Water: Wet and Wonderful

Water is one of life's best elixirs; there are few things as available, inexpensive and health-giving ---so drink up. Even though it is readily available, tasteless and free, most Americans do not drink enough water. And water remains one of nature's most perfect medications. In fact, water is the most essential component of your diet.

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Diet & exercise

Lubricate often
Exercise is like WD-40 for the body. If you don't exercise the body, the muscles, tendons, joints, heart and lungs will seize up from lack of lubrication. They need lubrication to work optimally for a long life.

Some of the best exercises are those that both get the heart pumping, and the arms and legs moving, but without a lot of jarring to the joints.

Competitive individual sports
For guys who get bored with the monotony of exercising for exercising's sake, playing competitive aerobic sports can be stimulating and fun.

Golf is a good sport for fitness, but only if you walk instead of taking a cart. And don't use the excuse that playing with a cart allows you to play faster. Fact: Before golf carts, it was unheard of to play 18 holes in anything over four hours. Since the age of the golf cart, the pace of the average round of golf has lengthened to five hours. In truth, golf carts have been pushed on golfers because they are a source of profit to the golf course. A round of golf is the equivalent to a four-mile walk. Walk it and live longer. With the health craze, every golf store has dozens of ultra light carry bags for the growing number of walkers, or you can buy a pull cart.

Tennis and racquetball are superb aerobic sports and work the entire body. Racquetball, however, is perhaps the worst non-impact sport for the back, because it forces you to twist and torque in a bent-over position. Tennis, meanwhile, can be tough on the knees because of the impact from a hard court. Playing on a clay court can soften the impact.

Non-competitive individual sports
Running puts heavy demands on the heart and lungs, which makes for a great aerobic workout. It can cause some jarring to the knees or kidneys, so run on soft surfaces—avoid concrete for grass.

Riding a bike is great for legs, heart and lungs, and it creates less pounding on the knees than running. Make sure your bike fits properly to avoid discomfort after a ride—and know the rules of the road (or trail).

Swimming is considered one of the best total body workouts, and since it's non-weight-bearing, the risk of injury is minimal. With team sports such as baseball, soccer, volleyball and touch football, you can get enough players together to play on a regular schedule of evenings, and they are a great way to stay in shape, as well as provide camaraderie.

Use the right fuel
Your internal systems—such as the heart, lungs and digestive tract—can be maintained by using the right fuel, that is, eating the right nutritious foods and avoiding putting bad stuff in the tank. Just as your car performs better with premium gas, your body performs best with certain foods. Your body needs fiber, carbohydrates, and protein—but in the right balance.
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You are what you eat

Fueling your body with carbohydrates
Our immediate source of fuel is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that aren't immediately used by our body are stored in our muscles and liver as glycogen. Once the body has filled its tanks with glycogen, the excess carbohydrates are stored as fat. Between 60 to 65 percent of your diet should consist of carbohydrates, mostly complex (whole grains, legumes, potatoes, etc.) as opposed to simple (sugar, honey, corn syrup, etc.)

Protein pumps you up
Protein is what muscles are made of. It contains nutrients (amino acids) that are absolutely necessary to form muscle, and it helps repair damage to your body from illness or surgery. Your minimum need for protein is related to your body size and your activity level. Protein levels can vary from 1/3 of a gram to one gram per pound of body weight. Experiment with what works for you, or consult a nutritionist who can help you get it right.

Eating fat makes you fat
Fat packs more than twice as many calories as the other two main food forms (nine versus four per gram of protein or carbohydrate). Since your body uses less energy processing fat than the other food types, more of its energy can be stored as fat. Some fat is absolutely essential to good nutrition—but most people eat almost four times as much as they really need. You actually only need about 10 percent of your calories from fat to be healthy, but the typical American man's diet is 35 to 40 percent fat.

Tips for better nutrition

Eat less red meat.
Avoid prepared foods.
Beware of sauces.
Opt for broiled, baked, or steamed foods.
Don't eat traditional snack foods.
Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.

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