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The Claim: Ginger Ale cures an upset stomach

Remember when you were sick as a child and your mother would feed you a bowl of chicken soup and a glass of ginger ale to calm your upset stomach? Turns out that drinking soda causes more harm than good. A recent study finds the claim that flat soda has no value when it comes to curing an upset stomach.

Since the 1950’s, people thought that a glass of ginger ale or flat soda would help your upset stomach because it gives back some of the glucose and electrolytes that the body loses while you’re vomiting or having diarrhea. According to Anahad O’Connor of the New York Times, British researchers investigated this claim and found no concrete evidence to support it. After comparing soda to over-the-counter drugs, soda had much lower amounts of electrolytes, including sodium and potassium and much higher levels of glucose than what is recommended by the World Health Organization. This has caused many doctors to not approve of soda as a cold remedy. Soda also causes additional dehydration, aside from throwing up and having diarrhea.

Water or natural juices are much better substitutes for ginger ale as a cold remedy. Drinks like Orange Juice carry many of the minerals and electrolytes that the body needs to stay balanced. Next time you’re feeling sick, take some cold medicine, get some rest, and keep the soda in the refrigerator until you’re feeling better. Substituting soda with juice may help cut down on the amount of time it takes to feel better after being sick.

Sources and other research information:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/health/03real.html?ref=health]

The Claim: Ginger Ale cures an upset stomach

Remember when you were sick as a child and your mother would feed you a bowl of chicken soup and a glass of ginger ale to calm your upset stomach? Turns out that drinking soda causes more harm than good. A recent study finds the claim that flat soda has no value when it comes to curing an upset stomach.

Since the 1950’s, people thought that a glass of ginger ale or flat soda would help your upset stomach because it gives back some of the glucose and electrolytes that the body loses while you’re vomiting or having diarrhea. According to Anahad O’Connor of the New York Times, British researchers investigated this claim and found no concrete evidence to support it. After comparing soda to over-the-counter drugs, soda had much lower amounts of electrolytes, including sodium and potassium and much higher levels of glucose than what is recommended by the World Health Organization. This has caused many doctors to not approve of soda as a cold remedy. Soda also causes additional dehydration, aside from throwing up and having diarrhea.

Water or natural juices are much better substitutes for ginger ale as a cold remedy. Drinks like Orange Juice carry many of the minerals and electrolytes that the body needs to stay balanced. Next time you’re feeling sick, take some cold medicine, get some rest, and keep the soda in the refrigerator until you’re feeling better. Substituting soda with juice may help cut down on the amount of time it takes to feel better after being sick.

Sources and other research information:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/health/03real.html?ref=health]

How to stabilize your matabolism as you age

Getting older is something that we inevitably have to deal with. Along with hair loss and wrinkles, another common disadvantage of aging is weight gain. When you are a child, you could eat anything you want and never gain an ounce, but as an adult, you tend to watch what you eat because everything you eat tends to stick your thighs and waist.

Thatsfit.com says that around the age of 25, your metabolism slows down and every decade, it drops between 5 and 10 percent. This is typical of people who do not exercise regularly. Those that hit the gym or exercise at home can keep their metabolism up to speed and prevent it from dropping significantly as they get older. If you are overweight or have noticed that your metabolism is not working as fast as it used to, it’s not too late to change that. The first step to a healthy lifestyle is to start eating healthier and avoid unnecessary calories. This will prevent you from gaining more excess weight. You should also join a gym, participate in a sport, or other activity that keeps you on your feet. If you participate in a fitness program a few times a week, you will feel more energized and will keep your metabolism level up.

If you’re not sure how to get started or what fitness program is right for you, Dr. John Berardi, PhD, has some recommendations in his book The Metabolism Advantage. In the book, he says that just because you’re getting older does not mean that you have to gain weight in the process. By changing a few bad habits, you could not only boost your metabolism, but can have a great body and more energy as well. The book offers an eight-week program that will change your body and will help you keep it that way. The Metabolism Advantage is available on Amazon.com

Sources and other research information:
[http://www.metabolismadvantage.com/]
[http://www.thatsfit.com/2008/05/14/keep-your-metabolism-up-to-speed/]

Your Pedometer - Don’t Leave Home Without It

For those guys who are looking to lose some weight but need to incorporate some light, low-impact exercise into their lifestyles, walking is a good answer. Like anything other exercise, you’re much more likely to succeed over time you measure your success. That’s where a pedometer comes in. Studies show that by using a pedometer based walking program, it is possible to lose a modest amount of weight, even if you’re not dieting.

The beauty of taking your pedometer is that you can consciously increase your steps by taking short walks several times a day. So, when you’re out walking the dog every morning, bring the pedometer along. Measure how many steps you take. Then, slowly increase your steps. Generally speaking, 2000 steps equals about one mile. By increasing your step count you can gradually increase your walking activity from one to two miles, making weight loss quite attainable. 

To read more about this, visit our partner site, Her Active Life.

Research sources and for more information: [picture]

Yoga Clothes: Advice for Men

The origins of yoga come from India, the land of the sadhus. For most, yoga is almost a way of life—practicioners live and breathe yoga techniques through everyday activities. And it is true that yoga prolongs lives, but only when it is practiced in the right way. Practicing it correctly can actually depend upon the clothes that you wear.

Yoga is not just about twisting, turning, breathing, putting your legs on top of your head. It is more about spiritual ascension and letting the mind relax. This happens only when each aspect of yoga is conducted perfectly – from the correct way of breathing during the asana to the clothes you wear when practicing yoga.

Traditionally, yoga has been practiced in the nude, or only covering private parts. But these days - even in India - one can get arrested for practicing yoga in public in the nude. Men in India practice yoga wearing dhotis, which is a kind of unstitched cloth folded and draped around the waist, and which comes till the knees or ankles, and vests are optional. In urban India where yoga is practiced – sometimes in groups – both men and women wear T-shirts and shorts or track pants.

According to an article by Neil Valentine D’Silva of Buzzle.com, there are certain important points that must be looked out for in yoga clothes:

• The yoga clothes must be loose-fitting. They must have a smooth enough flow to move with the body as it moves.
• It is very necessary that yoga clothes must be as natural as possible. Cotton is a very good choice, and it can be blended with other fabrics to add to its strength. Also, cotton allows the body to breathe. Cotton blended with hemp is also a very good choice.
• It is also important that yoga clothes must not be in too bright colors. That can distract from the meditative approach of the science. Go for whites and pastel colors, at least for the tops.
• Short and long clothes do not matter. Most people are quite comfortable practicing yoga in their shorts, but there is no harm if long pants are worn, provided that they do not obstruct the movements of the body.
• If possible, go for the Prana yoga clothing. These clothes are made of natural fabrics and they are mostly kept seamless. The advantage is that they completely move with the body, and do not restrict movement in any way
.

For men, specifically, D’Silva suggests, “Men might wear T-shirts with loose fitting necks and short sleeves. Another option is the tank tops. It is important that the tops are not too loose or they will make movement difficult. These can be ideally complimented with shorts or loose pants held by a drawstring.”

Research sources and for more information: [Buzzle.com]; [picture]

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Research training and for more information: [google]

USA Track & Field gives marathon participants the run-around with audio players

All year long, thousands of runner train for this time of year: marathon season. You see them preparing themselves everywhere: running around the neighborhood, down the highway, even at the gym. Runners spend so much time preparing for fear that they will hit the wall after twenty miles. This year, however, that is not their only concern. The New York Times reported on October 31st that USA Track & Field, the national governing body for running, banned the use of headphones and portable audio players at its official races in order to ensure safety and to prevent runners from having a competitive edge.

However, banning the use of headphones is easier said than done, especially on races that are 26 miles long, like the New York City Marathon. Some marathons do not police their fields or follow through on the rule of disqualifying contestants who use iPods and other audio players. Not to mention, with advances in technology, people can purchase iPods that are as small as a quarter. Runners can tuck these small devices into their shorts, belts, or bras and then take them out a few miles downfield.

Participants in marathons all over the country have mixed feelings on the ban. Old school runners praise the ban on music players because they need to concentrate on their own bodies and hear their competitors. On the other hand, those who use music for motivation during training curse the ban because it is frustrating. Jennifer Lamkins, an irate teacher from Long Beach, California thinks the ban is just plain stupid. “If they are banning them because we can’t hear directions, does that mean they should ban deaf people, too?”

Although it seems ridiculous, there is a good reason for the ban. Officials need runners to be more aware of their surroundings and be able to clearly hear race announcements or warnings from other runners. The biggest reason, however, is insurance issues. Jill Geer, spokeswoman for USA Track & Field, said, “[insurance] rates rise substantially if headphones are allowed. Each sanctioned race receives liability insurance from USA Track & Field, and it would be up to each race director to enforce the ban. If the ban were ignored, the races would be liable in the event of an accident caused by someone using headphones.”

As far as enforcing the ban, some races have taken drastic measures. For example, Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota collects iPods before the race and mail them back after the marathon has ended. Even still, more than 30 runners were disqualified for breaking the headphone rule.

Even though the headphone ban has some merit, some people perform better using music for their motivation. Prohibiting audio players from marathons seems unreasonable, especially since USA Track & Field cannot cite a specific incident caused by runners wearing headphones. In either case, runners with and without headphones need to be aware of their surroundings and cautious of other runners.

Sources and other information
[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/sports/othersports/01marathon.html?ex=1351573200&en=504f15e1738fe6ff&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss]

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Technorati Profile

Aspirin: the miracle drug?

Guardian Unlimited made breaking news on August 21, 2007 by emphasizing that men benefit the most from aspirin. In the article Men ‘benefit most from aspirin’, Guardian made a startling discovery by observing the details of previous studies performed over the protective effects of aspirin: women may not benefit from aspirin.

Many prior studies were put under focus. While some found that aspirin reduces the risk of heart attack by 50%, others did not find a significantly lower risk. Further investigation concluded that the studies that found studies that recruited predominantly men found the largest risk reduction in non-fatal heart attacks while the studies that contained mostly women failed to demonstrate a large risk reduction.

Dr Don Sin from the University of British Columbia, concluded, “We found that a lot of the variability in these trials seems to be due to the gender ratios, supporting the theory that women may be less responsive to aspirin than men for heart protection.” Because of these findings, Dr. Sin thinks that more gender-specific studies should now be conducted, especially since the benefits of other pharmaceutical products in women is unclear.

Internethealthlibrary.com claims that although small doses of aspirin reduce the risk of stroke, larger amounts increase the risk. The site also asserts that “according to the Nurses’ Health Study, women who took one to six aspirin per week has a lower risk of large artery occlusive infarction (a non-bleeding stroke) than women who took no aspirin. But women who took 15 or more aspirin tablets per week just about doubled their risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage (a bleeding stroke), compared with those who took no aspirin. The risk was even higher in older women with high blood pressure who took more than 15 tablets per week.”

Studies with men, however, not only show a decreased risk for a heart attack, but also a reduced enlarged prostate risk. According to Miranda Hitti, from WedMD medical news, “men who reported daily use of aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, were 25% less likely to develop moderate to severe enlarged prostate symptoms.” Although it is not recommended for every man to start taking aspirin every day, this is an extra benefit for those men who already take aspirin daily for other health reasons.

Guardian Unlimited states that recent studies show that men and women have major differences in the structure and physiology of the heart’s blood vessel. Because of this, it is imperative for more sex specific studies to be conducted. Researchers should also include studies of gender and other pharmaceutical drugs to figure out which medicines are most beneficial to each sex. One thing is for certain: aspirin is potentially a miracle drug for men, but possibly a lady-killer. 

Research sources and for more information: [Medicinenet.com]; [Internethealthlibrary.com]; [picture]