Treating Whiplash Neck Pain

Whiplash is a medical condition that is actually quite common. Chances are, you've experienced it at one time in your life, even if it were only a mild case. It can occur from someone suddenly and unexpectedly pushing you hard from behind. Or, as is most often the case, it happens from someone hitting your car from behind. Regardless of the cause or the severity, it can be painful.
Although there is pain and discomfort associated with whiplash, it is not life-threatening. However, some of the pain can linger for years. That's why it is important see a pain specialist as soon as you are injured.
What Exactly Is Whiplash?
When a person is struck from behind by another automobile, it causes the seat to push the torso and body in a forward motion. Since the head and neck are not supported, they hyper extend backwards. Once the initial impact is over, the neck and head recover and are then thrown into a hyperflexed position.
Simply put, whiplash occurs when the lower neck bones are hyperextended in one direction while the upper neck bones are hyperextended in the opposite direction. This causes the neck to form an unnatural neck curve. This irregular curvature causes muscles, ligaments, tissue and nerves to become damaged. An examination and x-rays can verify the condition.
Symptoms Of Whiplash
Whiplash can affect many different areas of the body. The individual can experience dizziness, a ringing of the ears and complications with their vision. Fatigue is also common. Pain can be found in the jaw, neck, shoulder, upper back and arms. There can also be stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Arm strength can diminish, as well and headaches are quite common.
Over time, symptoms can expand to include depression and anxiety. Frustration can result from the aggravation of being in constant pain and not being able to find relief. The individual will likely have trouble sleeping, too.
What Can Be Done To Help
Although the usual initial course of action involves the use of a cervical collar to immobilize the neck, this should only be used temporarily as prolonged use can actually extend the healing time.
A pain specialist can provide you with exercises that are designed to strengthen and rehabilitate the injured area. Bringing the neck back to it's intended level of curvature is also important. A chiropractor can work with you to reposition the neck into the correct alignment. Following a proper level of treatment, it is quite possible to obtain a full recovery.

Dr. Joe Cilea, DO, is the founder of Advanced Wellness http://www.advanced-wellness.net, a multi-disciplinary practice dedicated to your good health since 1997. Located in Marlboro New Jersey and serving Monmouth County, Dr. Cilea and his staff are focused on helping you with pain relief, physical therapy, speeding recovery from sports injuries, arthritis, migraines, whiplash, and osteoporosis. Offering a full array of chiropractic services for your health and well being, call Advanced Wellness for a consultation (732) 917-4624. You can read more about the specific services and techniques we offer on our website.

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Something You Should Know About Heart Attack And Stroke

Atherosclerosis - Leading Cause Of Heart Disease And Stroke
About 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with heart disease every year and almost 700,000 Americans will suffer a stroke. Additionally, about 8 million people suffer peripheral arterial disease in the U.S.
Atherosclerosis is the leading cause for heart attack and stroke, which results in more than 40% of all deaths in the United States, more than all kinds of cancer combined. For many, atherosclerosis is a silent disease, with no visible signs or symptoms until it suddenly leads to a heart attack or stroke.
Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis is a disease where there is a slow increase of fatty plaques in the arteries, causing the arteries to harden. The arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the cells. The buildup of plaque in these arteries narrows the arteries and reduces the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart and other parts of the body.
The process of atherosclerosis can begin at early childhood or adulthood and eventually block the arteries, which arrests the flow of blood to the heart and brain, leading to heart attack, stroke or even death. Any artery in the body can be altered by atherosclerosis and, depending on which artery is affected, a variety of diseases can develop.
-- Coronary artery disease or heart disease: A buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries can reduce or block blood flow to the heart, leading to chest pain and heart attack.
-- Carotid artery disease: A buildup of plaque in the carotid arteries can lower or diminish blood flow to the brain leading to stroke.
-- Peripheral arterial disease: A buildup of plaque in the major arteries supplying oxygen-rich blood to the legs, arms and pelvis, can lead to numbness, pain and dangerous infections.
Low-grade Inflammation Plays A Crucial Role At Every Stage Of Atherosclerosis
During the initial stage of atherosclerosis, plaques build up quickly in the inflamed arteries. When inflammation persists, the plaques narrow the blood vessels quickly. As atherosclerosis progresses, inflammation leads to the formation of soft or vulnerable plaque filled with inflammatory cells and their metabolites and debris.
The inflamed plaques develop weak areas that can rupture without warning. The ruptured plaque brings the blood in contact with the plaque contents, results in the formation of clots and artery occlusion, leads to major problems like heart attack and stroke.
What Causes Low-grade Inflammation
Cigarette smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes are well established risk factors that promote atherosclerosis. These risk factors give rise to a range of toxic stimuli that cause the release of chemicals and the activation of inflammatory cells.
In addition, chronic infection, probably caused by bacteria or virus, might contribute to or even cause atherosclerosis. The infectious bacteria such as Chlamydia pneumoniae has been shown to have an important association with atherosclerotic plaque. The herpes simplex virus may also be an original inflammatory infectious agent in atherosclerosis.
Lifestyle factors such as stress, lack of exercise, poor diet, and genetic predisposition can also stimulate inflammation.
Inflammatory Marker CRP Predicts Cardiovascular Events And Stroke
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein marker that rises during systemic inflammation. High levels of CRP reliably predict recurrent coronary events (angina) and heart attack. Elevated CRP levels are also associated with lower survival rates in these patients.
Studies also indicate that the higher the CRP level, the greater the risk of having a heart attack. Studies also found association between sudden cardiac death, peripheral arterial disease, and CRP.
Control Inflammation Can Prevent Heart Attack And Stroke
Inflammation should be controlled by lifestyle changes, including losing weight, exercising, controlling diabetes, stopping smoking, controlling high blood pressure, and reducing alcohol intake. Anti-platelet drugs such as aspirin may offer some protection. Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may also reduce low-grade inflammation.
A recent clinical trial that studied 17,802 apparently healthy men and women discovered that lowering inflammation can prevent cardiovascular disease. Another trial that examined 250,000 patients who suffered a heart attack showed that nearly 50% of the attacks occurred in people with normal cholesterol levels, which indicates that inflammation is involved. The study findings also implied that about 20% of the total heart attacks in the US can be prevented simply by controlling inflammation.
Natural Remedies For Inflammation Relief
There are many medicinal herbs with anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce chronic inflammation safely. Some of them have been extensively analyzed and studied. To name just a few: Turmeric, Scute, Coptis, Lovage, and Gingo biloba.
By keeping inflammation under control, natural anti-inflammatory remedies may:
-- Boost the vascular healing and repair;
-- Improve vascular function and integrity;
-- Maintain normal coagulation of blood and protect blood vessels from breakdown;
-- Restore the body's antioxidant defense and help to ease stress.

Dr Yi Shi, founder of Innovative Drug Discovery and 3Rskincare.com is well established in medical research. Dr Shi has accomplished numerous research projects and published over 40 research articles in medical journals. For nearly a decade, Dr Shi has directed collaborative efforts to develop natural anti-inflammatory products for chronic conditions including cardiovascular diseases.

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Lose Weight? 3 Simple Steps to Begin!

!Hey, you there
Yes you, the one who is looking for a weight loss solution!
Why do you want to lose weight? There are a few reasons why people are seeking weight loss. But hang on, I have to clarify some myths:
1. You want to lose weight because people say you are fat.
2. You want to lose weight because you think you are fat.

No! You shouldn't lose weight just because you were perceived as 'fat'! A healthy weight is one that is maintained within the normal Body Mass Index (BMI) range of 18.5 to 24.9! BMI is calculated by using your body mass (kilograms) divided by the square of your height (meters). So if your BMI is within the normal range, you should seek to tone your body instead of losing weight!
For those who have a BMI of 25 or more, you should be looking to lose weight, because fit and healthy people are cool!
But first, you must ask yourself how did you gain all the weight in the first place? You like eating? So does everybody! Being able to eat your favourite food is probably one of the best feelings in the world! You get my drift.
And then you ask, "How can some of my friends who always eat all their favourite foods never be fat? It's not fair!"
Is it really not fair? Have you ever asked these people about their lifestyle? Do they exercise? If they do not exercise, what else do they do?
The reason why some people gain weight easily and others do not is the difference in our metabolism rate! Each and every one of our bodies are different, so our metabolism rate is also not the same. Your metabolism rate is affected by everything you do! From sleeping to even drumming your fingers on the table. The efficacy of your digestive system also accounts for your metabolism rate.
Now that you know a little bit more about weight gain, start to look back on your lifestyle. Have you previously lived a sedentary lifestyle? Would you rather wait 15 minutes for a 2-minute bus ride or just walk 15 minutes to the same destination? Walking is also a form of exercise in case you haven't realised. Exercise means to move. The key to lose weight is to move more! You can stop thinking about exercising if you don't like to exercise. Just think about moving more than you are doing now.
Without following an exercising routine, you can start off with these:
1. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or the elevator if you are not in any hurry.
2. Always walk to places within a 20-minute walking distance from your location instead of taking transport if you can spare the time.
3. Tidy up your house; doing housework whenever possible.
To some of you, taking these 3 simple steps may be compared to living in hell. To the rest of you, it may be a sudden realisation of how easy it is to 'exercise', to lose weight!

Ignatius Wong is an author from Losers Are Winners, a blog that focus on giving views and tips on health and weight loss. Visit http://losersarewinners.wordpress.com every week to find out new ideas and tips about weight loss!

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Three Reasons Why You're Probably Not Losing Weight

Many of us have battled with the age old conundrum of "Why when I'm doing everything right, am I still not losing weight?" It can be one of the most frustrating obstacles in life for many, often sufficient to cause some to completely give up on their weight loss goals due to not seeing results.
To use a common phrase; "barking up the wrong tree" may help shine light on the bigger picture. Basically it doesn't matter how much effort you're putting in if you're focusing on the controlling or reducing the wrong things. Hopefully the following pointers will help to keep you heading in the right direction:
1. You're probably focusing on the wrong thing!
Ever since the 1980's the word FAT has been viewed as a swear word, something to be feared and loathed. Everybody from Richard Simmons to Rosemary Conley has espoused the "Eat less fat and you'll be less fat" dogma.
After 20 odd years of people reducing fats and still getting fatter we've finally cottoned on to the fact that (largely in part to individuals such as Dr Atkins of the Atkins diet and Barry Sears of the Zone diet) fats are innocent and it's actually carbohydrates (aka "carbs") that are the villains who are wrapping all of this extra insulation around our ever expanding waistlines.
2. You probably don't understand exactly what a "Carb" is!
During my time as a fitness professional this is probably in the top 3 most common misconceptions I regularly come across. I'm going to set the record straight here and now; FRUIT & VEGETABLES ARE CARBS!
A large number of people think that these are food groups all of their own, but fruit and vegetables are carbohydrates.
If you look into the works of authors such as Loren Cordain (The Paleo Diet) and Robb Wolf ( http://robbwolf.com/ ) you will notice that these are the main types of carbs that our ancestors ate and that we have evolved to eat. That was until the mass production of grains (wheat etc) began with the advent of the agricultural revolution. Which also neatly coincides with the onset of many health-related diseases.
From the current research it's looking as if processed grains play a clear part in many of our health-related illnesses. The problem is that their availability is very widespread, as process grains such as wheat are in everything from cakes, biscuits and bread to pasta and pizzas.
3. You probably don't understand the effects of insulin on weight loss!
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and is essentially a storage hormone. Every time your body metabolises foods and releases among other things glucose into your bloodstream the pancreas secretes insulin to bring those sugar levels back down to normal. The greater the sugar release the more insulin needs to be secreted. To give an example a few biscuits would cause a significant spike in your blood sugar as opposed to an apple which would illicit a much more modest response (see the glycemic index)
The greater the spike in sugar levels the lower are brought back down, actually to below where they were initially. This will then result in your brain telling you to eat again to bring them back up again, thus setting off a chain of you feeling a desire to eat fast release types of foods (bread, cakes etc)
The double whammy is that as insulin is a storage hormone, whilst high levels of it are present your body not only will your system aim to extract and store as much fat as possible from the high GI food you have just eaten but your body will also not release any from it's fat stores.
In a nutshell, eating these high GI foods not only makes you fat, but it also makes sure you stay that way.
To conclude, try to do the following:
Aim to get the majority of your carbs from vegetables (especially lots of the leafy green alkalising ones)
Supplement your veg intake with limited amounts of fruits.
Steer clear of the bloodsugar-spiking carbs such as bread, pasta, cakes, sweets, fruit juices, soft drinks and sweets etc and you'll notice the pounds start to come off.
Don't worry about eating fats, they're essential to the body and actually help you lose fat. Just avoid the high omega-6 ones like processed vegetable oils and the trans-fats found in most junk foods.

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Shocking! The Real Truth About Women's Diet Plans

We've probably all heard about the Grapefruit Juice Diet, the Soup Diet, and all sorts of other diet plans. The names of these diets are well-known and easily recognized. They all have their fans and their detractors, and they all claim to have proof that they work well without damaging your health.
Here's some straight talk about diets: The only diet that will work for you is one that you can easily maintain and sustain without making any drastic changes to your lifestyle. None of these popular diets fit that description.
To be perfectly honest, none of these quick-fix, fad diets provide the nutrition you really need. This article is a gallery of some of the least healthful fad diets ever concocted, and the reasons why their outlandish methods of losing weight will never work for most people.
1. Grapefruit Juice
According to the Grapefruit Juice Diet, all you have to do to lose weight is eat whatever foods you like (as long as you eat more fats and proteins than carbs), while also drinking grapefruit juice at a rate of 64 ounces per day. In theory, the grapefruit juice and the protein will work together to boost your metabolism and burn more fat.
However, more objective scientists have shot down this theory by pointing out the complete lack of scientifically-valid research to prove that this plan actually works.
2. Baby Food
Tracey Anderson, who is a well-known trainer, designed the Baby Food Diet. It advises dieters to go through as many as 14 jars of baby food throughout their day, and conclude the day with a "real" dinner, if desired.
Baby food has a very small amount of calories, so, on some level, it makes sense that a diet like this would cause one to lose weight. On the other hand, critics have pointed out serious flaws in this approach to dieting. Namely, baby food lacks many of the nutrients that adults need, and this diet may increase the chances that the dieter will end up binging on junk foods.
3. Soup
There are a number of variations on the Soup Diet, most of them featuring chicken or cabbage soup. In every version, the basic idea is the same: Eat a normal breakfast, then eat nothing but soup for the rest of the day.
Simple? Definitely. Healthy? Not necessarily.
The basis of the Soup Diet is what is known as "caloric restriction." It focuses on forcing your body to burn fat by limiting the number of calories you take in, but does nothing to ensure that you're getting the nutrients your body needs to function optimally. Any diet that does not require you to eat foods that give you those nutrients is not to be trusted.
You may lose some weight while on a caloric-restriction-based diet like the Soup Diet, but you'll be harming your body by depriving it of nutrients. Not only that, but with diets like this one, there is a very good chance that you'll regain all that weight as soon as you go off the diet.
4. Cookies
The simple concept behind the Cookie Diet appears delicious at first: Every day, you eat 6 cookies, followed by dinner at the end of the day. The cookies, however, aren't much like anything your mom might have made. Most of them contain some type of meat protein (yes, really).
Some people have had success with this diet, but, again, their success is most likely because they consumed such a limited number of calories per day while on this diet - about 800 to 1,000.
The main problem with this diet plan is that you probably won't be able to stick to it for very long. The cookies aren't exactly great-tasting, and you'll probably experience cravings for "real" food before long.

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Rapid Weight Loss - Good or Bad?

If you're like most people who want to achieve fat loss, you want to reach your dream body - yesterday. You don't want to wait six months to 'take things slow', but rather, you want to be done with this dieting business once and for all.
You want results and you want results now.
If this speaks your language, it's time to rethink your approach. Far too many people get caught up in crash diets that promise ultra-fast results, but have little chance of ever helping you maintain that goal weight you're looking to achieve.
So let's take a quick peak right now at why rapid weight loss isn't the best route to take and why the slow and steady approach, at the end of the day, is actually the fastest route to true weight loss success.
Loss Of Lean Muscle
The very first reason why you should avoid rapid weight loss is because of the fact that losing weight too quickly is almost going to guarantee you that some of that weight will be muscle mass loss. When you are dropping pounds by the week, you're either losing water or lean tissues because your body thinks its starving and will be holding on to body fat with everything that it's got.
This is not the way to an attractive body.
Slowed Metabolism
The second reason to avoid rapid weight loss is because it's going to significantly slow down your metabolism. To achieve rapid weight loss you will have to use a very low calorie diet and your body will adapt quickly to this. When you're hardly feeding yourself any calories, the body knows it's time to conserve fuel and as such, will cause your metabolism to slow to a c-r-a-w-l.
This doesn't bode well in the war against the bulge. The best way to fast weight loss results is to maintain the fastest metabolic rate so that you can burn fat all day long.
Nutritional Deficiency
Finally, the last reason why rapid weight loss isn't the best choice to go is because it will set you up for nutritional deficiency. If you're only consuming 1,000 calories per day (or somewhere around that mark), you won't be taking in a good variety of foods and meeting all your nutritional requirements.
Over the long term, this could set you up for serious health issues.
Slow And Steady Wins The Race
So rethink your approach. Those who take things slower and put in the time and effort to do it correctly will actually reach their goals faster because of the fact they won't lose weight and the regain it right back as soon as they fall off their diet - and let's face it, those crash diets are impossible to stick with for more than a week or two at a time.
Be smart, have patience, and work hard. That is what will get you to your end goal.

Comprehensive and specific articles on Health & Fitness - http://www.myhealthandfitness.net.au

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How Not To Fail At Weight Loss

Many people on weight loss programs don't seem to be making any progress. They are at a loss as to why their diet isn't working. There are many reasons for this.
Making your diet work is like planting a garden. You need good soil and proper planning for it to grow. All to often diets stall for just these reason.
Taking weight loss serious is the most important thing you need to do. You must prepare yourself mentally so that you can stay focused on losing weight.
Make a commitment to lose weight, no matter what. You can't lose weight to please someone else. You must do it for yourself. Take the "I will" approach to weight loss. By saying you are going to try to lose weight, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Being inconsistent with your diet is yet another problem that leads to failure. Many of us eat properly during the week, then splurge on the weekends. A proper diet requires consistency in order to succeed. Those small snacks that you're eating on a regular basis add up and you soon find that your diet has failed.
Many people think that they can purchase healthy foods and lose weight but end up eating twice as much. This practice will not only result in no weight loss but most likely weight gain. Eating vegetables in their natural form is the best way to lose weight. Avoid eating processed foods at all costs.|
When on a weight loss program, your body requires that you flush if of all the unwanted toxins. It is vital that you drink plenty of water to complete this process. Research has determined that eight or more glasses of water everyday works best for completing this process.
Physical activity is paramount to losing weight. The choices of activities that you can participate in are limitless. A daily routine consisting of 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise is great for burning calories.
If you have reduced your caloric intake and you still aren't losing weight, chances are you aren't getting enough exercise.
Too much exercise can also create problems. Overdoing your exercise routine may send your body into an anaerobic state. This means your body is burning carbs rather than fat.
Try to maintain a heart rate of no more that 85% of your maximum for approximately 20 minutes. By doing this you will throw your body into an aerobic state, burning fat instead of carbs.
Getting enough rest with today's fast paced lifestyle is an issue for many of us. Often, not getting proper rest can bring your weight loss program to a screeching halt.
Focus and consistency are a must when attempting to lose weight. Often major events such as trying to stop smoking or illness can lead to the downfall of many weight loss programs. Try to keep life as simple as possible so you can remain focused on your goal.
Last but not least, set realistic weight loss goals. Having an unattainable goal will almost certainly lead to the downfall of your program.
Weight loss becomes much easier once you master these principles.

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