THE HEALTH HANDBOOK

1.Introduction to Health

Health is where we start, without health there is a hindered ability to achieve good fitness, wellness, financial or business standards. Health is simply being free of illness or injury.Being healthy is important if you plan to live long, be active and handle stress.

2.General Female health (good for males to know)

Women's hormones are more sensitive and susceptible to change than that of men, more concerns are revolved around female health. Menstruation, menopause, PMS, and perimenopause are all part of general health topics discussed in regards to women. This is due to one thing: hormonal changes. Hormones are variable, they change with the slightest variation in diet or physical activity. Occasionally even emotional disturbances are enough to make women's hormones go unbalanced. Studies on the relationship of female psycho-emotional well-being and their physical health are often performed to better understand female health. Hormones are typically the established connections between this relationship.

Hormonal imbalances are the usual causes for a number of health disorders in women. Although some of the symptoms are associated with other illnesses, their root remains to be unbalanced hormones. As diverse as general health topics are, they range from physical manifestations to psychological and emotional troubles. Physical manifestations of hormonal imbalances include fatigue, weakness, weight gain, weight loss, digestive problems, hot flashes, and joint pain. Other symptoms are more pronounced and less insidious like hair loss and dry skin. Unfortunately, with the demands of career and family life, women often ignore these symptoms as merely due to excess work and overall tiredness. Some attempt to cure their symptoms with remedies and rest that do not work. Hormonal imbalances need medical attention and hormonal supplements to be treated properly. Otherwise, symptoms grow worse with heart palpitations, increased nausea, urinary dysfunction, breast pain, and vaginal dryness. Extreme cases even include changes in menstrual periods with the affected person either suffering from extended periods and bleeding or have total absence of periods.

If the symptoms and conditions above are bad enough, they are just the hormonal imbalances' physical aspect. Usually cropping up as manifestations of other psychological disorders, the psycho-emotional aspect of these imbalances are often disruptive. There are documented cases wherein afflicted persons confess of being unable to function at their normal level because of the symptoms. Some of the minor symptoms include cravings and mood swings. However, if the symptoms do not receive treatment, they progress to worse conditions like lack of sexual desire, depression, insomnia, and unclear reasoning. It's no wonder that general health topics and concerns about women often include well-being exercises.

But, these imbalances are not permanent afflictions. With proper diet, exercise, supplements, and counseling, women are able to get their hormones back on track. However, early detection is a key factor.

3. General MAle Health(Good for females to know)

All men will go through male menopause or andropause once they reach a certain age. It is something that we should know how to deal with, especially men and their significant others. Male menopause is very similar to female's menopause, where there are also similar symptoms. The cause of andropause or male menopause is the decline of hormones as they age.

If you think men don’t experience menopause(PMS), you should think again. The andropause condition or the male menopause condition will eventually affect all men once they reach a certain age. This particular condition is associated with the decline of male hormone levels that occurs at certain age, usually when men reach their late 40's or early 50's.

The main symptoms of andropause are erectile dysfunction or failure to achieve erection, mood changes, night sweats, constant fatigue or tiredness, and also irritability and depression. Some even said that when men are suffering from andropause, they become more motherly than fatherly. They tend to be focused more on family and friends rather than the natural focus of men on money, career, and power in the early life before the andropausal stage. Surprisingly, the change isn't always noticed by men who are going through the andropausal stage. The men's spouses do notice it and have constantly said that their husbands are going through the menopause.

There will also be physical changes associated with andropause, such as loss of hair in the armpits and axilla, shirking of the testicles, lessening of muscle mass, and also decreased muscle strength. This change is due to the loss of androgens in a man's body. Androgen is known to be the basic ingredient that makes up masculinity and because of the loss of this ingredient, physical change occurs.

Andropause may cause depression in men and because of their irritability; it may also cause depression in their spouses. This is why it is important for women to know how to deal with andropause and teach their husbands to know how to deal with it too.

4. Obesity

The population of overweight adults has now reached 1 billion, of which 300,000 are suffering from obesity. By far, World health organization considers adolescent obesity to be an epidemic of global proportion. This phenomenon has affected both developed and developing countries. Obesity is considered as one of the major causes of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, certain type of cancer, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The changing diet patterns, inactive lifestyles and the absence of healthy recreational facilities in the community have been identified as the causes of adolescent obesity.

Obesity is determined through measuring the body mass index of a person, which means that the weight in kilograms is divided by the square of height in meters (kg/m2). A person is considered obese if the BMI reaches above 30 k/m2. If the BMI is more than 25k/m2 but below 30k/m2 the person is already overweight. As BMI increases, the likelihood of acquiring health related risks conversely increase. If the population of adolescent obesity continues to balloon, it is expected that more adults will be suffering from the dreadful and debilitating health effects of obesity.

Psychological and social problems are likewise adverse effects of obesity, specifically adolescent obesity. Obese adults more often than not withdraw themselves from social groups for fear of ridicule. They developed a low self-esteem because being fat or obese is considered unattractive. They are often the source of jokes among their peers. The longer they experience alienation from their age group the more they succumb to depression, which may pose another health problem. Being fat is not socially bad after all, but if this line of thinking should be supported, many adults will be suffering from depression and other health problems.

One contributing factor to the rising number of obese adults is the media. Adults are bombarded with so many information regarding lifestyle food. Quick service restaurants are mushrooming in highly urbanized cities around the globe that mostly cater to the youth sector. Dishes that are cooked with high saturated fat that is of animal based and high in sugar content are also a major factor of obesity.  Young have more time spent watching televisions program or playing games with their computers than playing a more physical recreational activities.

ore than anything else obese adults need support in keeping and maintaining their ideal body weight. Any weight reducing diets programs or weight loss exercise course of therapy may prove futile if not followed strictly. Support from their significant others plays a vital role to curbing obesity among them by helping them to have self-discipline in achieving their goal to become healthy and physically fit.

Drive-up restaurants, milkshakes, fries, and time-honored burgers and dripping Coney Islands – that’s what makes the American cuisine – since the 1950’s. This has been America’s characteristic manner of preparing food – Fast Food – the epitome of the American life. Yet should tradition hinder improvement?

When it comes to health, the answer should be a big NO. When America is at risk of the fast food and obesity outbreak, the consumer should think twice before he takes a huge gulp of his sweet soda.

What makes fast food so appealing not only to Americans is that it’s not just hot, tasty, and greasy; it’s also constant and convenient. Additionally, the fast-paced lifestyle of the current generation only leaves fast food in the high-ladder for convenience. Preparing everything with minimum fuss has just become so valuable. But what about the cons?

Primary is over-indulgence. Not only is fast food expensive and isolating; it is also over-eating tolerant. It’s true that it is sometimes a wonderful thing to be able to overcome your guilt to have yourself a treat, yet can you take the guilt of burdening your body with fast food and obesity? Sure you can look at fast food as just a way of life; but also look at obesity as what it is – a disease, and a serious one – something you wouldn’t want to indulge in.

5. Anorexia

Self induced emotional eating disorder characterized by persistent loss of appetite is called anorexia. Excessive consciousness toward weight loss, counting calories and excessive exercising can lead to a severe emotional eating disorder called anorexia.

Some diagnosing signs and symptoms of anorexia are:

- Excessive consideration to become thinner and thinner.

- Misperception of body shape and weight.

- Fear of body weight gain and fat.

Persons suffering from anorexia do not feel the danger of denying food. Calories, food, weight, fat grams and weight management are the most important factors of a person’s life with anorexia.

People who have anorexia love to live in secrecy so that no one can know about their condition. In this situation, it is very hard for doctors to properly diagnose them and treat them. Some of the common symptoms of anorexia are:

•Dramatic weight loss.

•Excessive consciousness about figure and body image.

•Regular skipping of meals.

•Mostly eat selective foods, which are low in fat and calories.

•Good cook but try to avoid meal.

•Usually wear loose clothes to hide thinness.

•Strong exercise regimen.

•Skip social gatherings, especially dinner or lunch parties.

•In males decreased libido and in females irregular menstrual periods.

What are the types of anorexia?

Basically there are two types of anorexia.

Restricting Anorexia (Classic Anorexia) - Person with restricting anorexia eats very little and loses weight due to excessive exercise and self or induced starvation. They possess less calories to perform body functions.

Purging Anorexia or Binge-Eating – Person with binge eating will perform self induced vomiting, diuretics, enemas and misuse of laxatives. Person shows signs of both bulimia and anorexia. More than 50% of the persons having anorexia might also get into bulimia.

Some of the physical effects of anorexia are:

•Decreased immunity

•Hair loss

•Less resistance for heat

•Sleeplessness

•Chronic dehydration, which can even cause kidney failure

•Weakness and Fatigue

In some rare cases you will notice the symptoms of low heart rate, low body temperature, heart trouble, low blood pressure, poor circulation, chronic anemia and even death. Behavioral and Emotional effects of anorexia.

During anorexia the following emotional and behavioral effects can occur:

•Depression

•Irritability

•Bad memory and difficulty in concentrating

•Isolation from friends and family

•Emotional regression

•Feelings of guilt

•In some severe cases one can search a solution in the form of alcohol and drugs to handle negative outlook

Anorexia nervosa is a disease that one has to take very seriously. Often the symptoms show and become obvious for parents and doctors too late. This makes the treatment harder and in the worst case treatment will not work.

Many people find themselves suffering through a more serious case of depression. In such instances, a depression treatment program must include professional assistance. When consulting with a qualified health care professional, a depression treatment program that includes therapy and medication or medications is likely to be recommended.

When it comes to a depression treatment program, medications are helpful to aid in the reduction of the symptoms that commonly are associated with a depressive illness. With that said, in most cases, it is important that a depression treatment program include therapy. Therapy is an important element of a depression treatment program in many cases to assist the afflicted patient with discovering the root causes of the depressive illness with which he or she is afflicted.

In some instances, a depressive illness is so serious that a depression treatment program includes inpatient hospitalization. In most instances, a person who is hospitalized for a depressive illness will only be confined for a short period of time for a matter of days. The goal of hospitalization as a depression treatment regimen in the 21st century is patient stabilization. The long term treatment will be conducted on an outpatient basis. Long gone are the days (in most cases) in which stabilization and intensive treatment occurs while a patient is involved in an inpatient depression treatment program.

In recent years, many mental health care professionals have again begun to advocate the use of EST (electro-shock therapy) for patients who have a more profound depressive illness. For some period of time in the 1970s and 1980s, EST as a depression treatment option was frowned upon by a wide sector of the mental health care professional community. However, in recent years, the techniques associated with EST have been refined and many doctors have come to see beneficial results in their patients who are subjected to a depression treatment regimen that includes EST. But, again, EST is utilized as a depression treatment option in only a limited number of cases in which the depression of a particular patient is severe and unabated over an extended period of time. As with depression treatment programs that include medication, patients who receive EST also participate in a course of therapy to try and discover the root causes of the depressive illness.

People who have anxiety will generally have a sense of dread. A number of voluntary and involuntary processes will take place in the body, and the goal of these processes is to get the organism away from the source that is causing it to have anxiety. Anxiety is an important emotion, and is designed to increase the survival rate of organisms. In humans it appears that anxiety comes from the hippocampus and amygdala, two regions of the brain. When a person senses bad odors or tastes, there will be a large amount of blood flow which will be present in the amygdala. The evidence also shows that medium levels of anxiety will be present in this situation as well.

Based on these studies, it appears that anxiety is designed to keep humans and other organisms from eating food or objects that may be harmful to their well being. While anxiety is normal, a person that has excessive amounts of it may have what is called an anxiety disorder. In extreme cases, people with anxiety disorders may have strong cases where they are terrorized. Anxiety disorders are broken down into phobias, panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders. Someone who is suffering from a phobia will have an abnormal amount of fear of a specific object or situation. People who have phobias tend to have extensive imaginations, and realize that their fear is often irrational.

When a person suffers from a panic disorder, they will have extreme panic attacks, and may have dizziness or breathing problems. These attacks will typically reach their height in about 10 minutes. Generalized anxiety disorders are common, and effect a much larger portion of the population. It is prevalent in both men and woman, and is characterized by long periods of anxiety that are not related to any specific object or situation. With the obsessive compulsive disorder, the individual with have an obsession or compulsion when it comes to specific types of behavior. People who suffer from this disorder will see the need to do something obsessively in order to reduce their anxiety.

Many people who have this disorder need to be extremely clean, and are afraid of germs. To reduce their anxiety, they will wash their hands numerous times in a single day. There are two primary methods that are used to help those who are suffering from anxiety, and this is either therapy or prescription medications.

Although there are some individuals, even those in the medical field, who claim that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overdiagnosed, especially in children, there are many parents who are still interested in seeking relief for their children.  After all, a child who finds it difficult to pay attention and stay on tasks can suffer in school. However, at the same time, the last thing that most parents want to do is encourage their children to take medications that may or may not provide relief. In fact, some claim that the medications for ADHD end up doing more harm than good.  So what is a parent to do? Examine natural remedies.

One of the many natural ways that parents can help their children manage and cope with having ADHD is by being supportive.  This is extremely important to a child’s self-esteem. Adults suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also benefit from a tight support system.  Both children and adults who suffer from ADHD are known to have self-esteem and self-confidence problems. Positive praises are a must for children. Even if an ADHD child makes a mistake, it is important to discipline in a positive matter.  This can be done by putting a young child in timeout, but letting them leave when they explain what they did wrong or what they should do the next time to make the situation right.

In addition to helping your child at home, it is also important to provide support and encouragement with schooling.  The first step in doing so is making sure that all teachers are aware of your child’s medical condition. If you choose not to have your child take ADHD medications, it is important to let your child’s teachers know so.  Unfortunately, so many ADHD children are medicated that most teachers expect it. Your child will need more care, attention, and support than another ADHD child is on medication. If you know an adult who suffers from ADHD, support is important in social circles, as well as the workplace.  

Although there is currently no known cause for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there are many who claim that symptoms can be triggered by diet.  Many professionals recommend restricting the diet of a child or even an adult who suffers from ADHD. This is done in hopes of finding a trigger factor, which can make many of the symptoms of ADHD worse.  Examples of this involve eliminating or limiting a child’s consumption of sugar, chocolate, dairy products, and juices. If you notice a decrease in ADHD related symptoms when one specific item has been eliminated from the diet, such as chocolate, continuing limiting exposure.

The above mentioned ways are just a few of the many ways that those suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can manage or treat their symptoms.  As a reminder, if you are a parent whose child is diagnosed with ADHD most of the work will be your responsibility. This may seem like a stressful and overwhelming task, but the above mentioned natural approaches can provide assistance, but in a safe and effective way.

Type 1 diabetes is not about lifestyle choices or a person’s weight; when a person is born their genetic make-up already make it likely they are going to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  In most cases the diabetes is diagnosed in childhood and that is why it is referred to as juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetics will have a choice of daily insulin injections (sometimes more) or an insulin pump that provides a steady supply of insulin to the body.  An insulin pump also has the ability to provide a bolus (extra insulin) before meal times or when needed. Type 1 diabetes can be managed by the options available for treatment is limited.

Type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity and hereditary factors.  In the majority of people who are diagnosed they have a close family member who has diabetes (a parent, grandparent, or a sibling) and they are typically overweight or obese.  There are choices available to people with type 2 diabetes in how it is treated. It can be controlled by diet, oral medication, or insulin injections. The choice will be made with the help of your doctor and the severity of your disease.  If you get your diabetes under control it is entirely possible that you can downgrade your treatment method (from insulin injections to oral medication).

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two diseases with the same name but they develop in different ways.

If you are living with diabetes, one of the best ways to fight this disease is with a diabetic diet plan.  This diabetic meal plan is based of the recommended foods found on the diabetic food pyramid. By following the suggested meal plan, you will be receiving the proper amounts of recommended nutrients which will ultimately help you fight the disease.

Today, there is a wide range of diabetic diet plans.  Many doctors and researchers have researched and created countless plans for diabetics.  They try to aim for foods that will be tasteful, yet provide the proper amount of nutrients.  We all know a diet is not any fun when the food doesn't taste great!

Recent studies have shown an increase in diabetes over the past 10-20 years.  With the large increase, it has created a huge demand for diabetic diet plans to help diabetics battle the disease.  Since diabetes affects all types of people and diverse lifestyles, many types of diabetic diet plans have been created to suit these varying types of individuals.

Despite the varying lifestyles of many diabetic individuals, all have one common goal.  That goal is to battle this disease with the help of a diabetic diet plan. With the proper amounts of nutrients, individuals can make progress against diabetes.

The basic food groups and what foods fall into each category is a topic lightly addressed during the health classes taught at our middle schools.  But what about the metabolic process of digesting those foods, the interaction of the food, the nutrients, and our energy needs? Knowing how to differentiate between what foods will provide both energy, nutrients, and good taste is a learned knowledge.  Do you suppose children would continue to stuff something in their mouth if we addressed the consumption of Twinkies in the same way we do dirt?

Check out our meal plans section for more information

You become a product of what you put into your body.  Food is not the only contributing factor, but it is one of the major ones. Your genetics plays a role in your health, too. But you can turn the tide even with poor genetics if your diet is a healthy one.

The diet factor becomes an even more important aspect of our health as we age.  Quite often, as our bodies begin to deteriorate, our food and exercise become the reason that we continue to enjoy a quality life, or the reason we are bedridden or otherwise incapacitated.   

Eating healthy means eating what your individual body needs to keep it running in optimal condition.  That often consists of more fruits and vegetables and less processed or manufactured food. The processed and manufactured food is often faster to prepare or consume, but it is not always the healthy choice.

Did you know that your metabolism affects how much food you need, and when?

Metabolism plays a huge role in determining the burn rate of your calorie intake.  Your body runs off fuel, just like your car. And, just like your car, if your body’s injectors are clean and efficient, you burn your fuel more effectively.  The more effectively we digest our food and turn it into fuel, the healthier we are. Usually, we need less food if we’re making the most of our daily intake.

So, in order to eat healthy for life, we need to understand our individual needs, the role each part of the food group plays in keeping us healthy, and make adjustments as necessary.

1. Physical example- Your injury or illness can affect your ability to do what you enjoy leading you to be depressed or anxious.

2. Mental example- Uncontrolled Anxiety can cause someone to miss out on opportunities to be actively engaged with others or in public. Uncontrolled ADHD can cause someone to put other things before being physically active, leading to a lack of physical activity. Depression can cause someone to refrain from doing things that will help them live an enjoyable life.