Health Talk Today

Healthy Living

Protect Yourself Against Swine Flu

The news is everywhere – On TV, radio, online and the newspaper. The speculation is that the Swine Flu breakout may become a pandemic. The key word is MAY. Right now, it is NOT a pandemic. Now is the time to take all the precautions we can to avoid this illness.

First we need to be able to recognize the Swine Flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.”

It’s time to take preventive measures:

  • Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and soy.
  • Take your vitamins every day.
  • Keep your immune system strong. I like a natural interferon booster.
  • Drink lots of filtered water.
  • Wash your hands often. Soap and warm water kill most germs.
  • Use a hand sanitizer.
  • Use a saline nasal spray before you leave the house and when you return.
  • Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Avoid public restrooms, crowded waiting rooms and anywhere lots of people gather.
  • Avoid sick people. Unfortunately, people are most contagious just before they get sick.
  • Don’t share personal items, food or drinks.
  • Keep a positive attitude.
If you get sick:

  • Visit your doctor. There are tests to determine if you have a cold, seasonal influenza or the Swine Flu.
  • Prescription medication is available to help you feel better, keep the flu virus from reproducing in your system and possibly prevent complications.
  • Stay home. You need the rest and you don’t want to infect others.
  • Follow the guidelines above for prevention. They work well when you’re sick, too.

Prevention is the best course of action. Living a healthy lifestyle keeps your body in the best shape to ward off illnesses of all kinds. You can’t go back and do things over, but you can start from today and make a better future.

What are you doing to get healthy and stay healthy?

Marilyn Kvasnok

Top 10 Weight Loss Secrets

Losing weight isn’t so hard if you do it a little at a time. Find a sensible plan that fits your needs and follow it. Sounds simple, but simple isn’t always easy.

I found a free ebook that sounds like it has solid information. I’ve just skimmed the book and plan to read it soon.

Free download: The Hacker’s Diet and the spreadsheets.

Top 10 Weight Loss Secrets

  1. Surprise! There’s no secret. There’s no shortcut to losing weight. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to change your lifestyle.
  2. Eat less and do more. You gain weight when you take in more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in.
  3. Keep a food journal. Knowing what you eat and seeing it in black and white is the first step to making good food choices. A food journal can be as simple as paper and pencil. Or as sophisticated as a computer program. I use CinchCoach as part of my weight management system.
  4. Make eating an event. Plan what you’re going to eat, prepare a plate or bowl, sit and enjoy your meal or snack.
  5. Chew, Chew, Chew. Take small bites and chew well. This helps break down the food. And the saliva starts to break it down. This will help your digestive system.
  6. Find a support system. This could be a spouse, sister-in-law or trusted friend. Make sure it’s someone you can confide in and who will give you encouragement. Stay away from negative people. You don’t need to be nagged or feel like a failure.
  7. Join a support group. Find a local meeting or start one. Or join an online support group.
  8. Walk 10,000 steps a day. Wear a pedometer to monitor your walking. If you’re sedentary, you may only walk 2,000-3,000 steps a day.
  9. Park your car away from the store or building. Walking the extra steps burns more calories. find other ways to add more exercise like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walk 15 minutes with a friend before eating lunch or take a Sunday morning bike ride thru the park.
  10. Think thin. Keep a positive attitude. Don’t expect to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. About 2 pounds a week is a good target. To lose one pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than what you eat.
Marilyn Kvasnok

Migraine Headache Tips

If you’re getting a migraine, here are 4 things you can do that may help . . .

  • Take a walk. It relieves stress and stress can contribute to a migraine.
  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Warm your hands in a bowl of warm water to increase the blood flow to your hands and away from dilated vessels in your head.
  • Put a cold cloth on the back of your neck to take excess blood away from your head.

Changing your diet may help to avoid a migraine in the future. Foods that may trigger a migraine include . . .

  • White sugar
  • Red meat
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Safflower and canola oils

It’s difficult to make big changes to your diet. If you find you can’t quit these foods immediately, try to keep cutting back until you rarely eat them.

In addition to taking daily vitamins, here’s a list of extra supplements that have helped others . . .

Marilyn Kvasnok

Lead in Vitamins

I found charts on The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website that talk about a safe/tolerable exposure levels of lead for women an children. Could there really be a SAFE and TOLERABLE exposure level of lead? I thought lead accumulates in the body. ANY level of lead sounds bad to me.

One chart lists the provisional total tolerable intake levels (PTTI) for children and adult women. That sounds like the amount of lead that’s OK, according to the FDA, if children and women ingest it every day. Another chart lists vitamin brands and the amount of exposure in a daily dose.

I checked for my vitamins. They aren’t on the chart. I’m relieved. But, I saw many brands that I recognize: Centrum, Flintstones, One A Day, The Vitamin Shoppe, Solaray, Puritan’s Pride, Twinlab, GNC, Solgar, Sundown and Viactiv. These are just a few of the brands on the FDA’s chart.

Our health is in our hands. Choosing a good vitamin may take a little research, but it will be well worth it over time. Look for a company you can trust – One that does research on the ingredients it uses, quality control tests on the products and has a good reputation. I found one that works well for me.

Marilyn Kvasnok

It’s Time to Take Control

To this day, I have trouble throwing things away. Maybe I’ll wear it again – just to work in the yard. Maybe it has just one more use before it falls apart. Maybe someone else can use it. What is it? It’s everything in my possession.

My parents were always conservative. They taught me well. I remember mom carefully washing aluminum foil, then gently folding it so she could use it again. Clothes were handed down. Paper written on one side was recycled as shopping lists and note paper. Dad saved scraps of wood and other construction material to use later. I remember him pounding old nails to straighten them so he could use them again. My family was green long before it was popular. We just didn’t know it.

So, here I am, after years of being very conservative. What do I have to show for it? Closets and drawers FULL of stuff. It’s time to change my relationship with my stuff. When a friend was moving out of state, she threw out tons of stuff and had garage sales to sell the better things. I asked how she could part with all of it. Her answer was so profound, her words still ring in my ears. “I can give away the things I like, because I’m keeping the things I love.”

So, now it’s my turn. I’m cleaning with a new attitude. I’m going to throw out everything that’s worn out and broken. I’ll donate to my favorite charity. I’ll sell and give away some things. And . . . I’ll keep the things I love.

I’ll be thinking about all the time I’ll have when I’m not in the middle of all the clutter and memories. And, in the end, it’s time that is our most precious resource. It can’t be saved. It must be spent wisely. I’m committed to making every day worth the time it’s costing me.

For a new view on time, check out the Life Expectancy Calculator by Peter Russell.

Marilyn Kvasnok

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