Encouraging Health

A cup of tomato soup with your sandwich warms your tummy on a winter’s day and may protect your ticker, too.

That’s right. The almighty tomato may thwart inflammation that sets the stage for heart disease. Here is the key component of the tasty fruit that does it.

Vitamin Power
The tomato is a top source of vitamin C. And vitamin C may play a critical part in preventing the inflammatory processes that can damage your heart.

Reel in Inflammation

Help control tissue-damaging inflammatory processes with a bit of fish oil.
Chronic inflammation of body tissues may play a role in the pathology of many diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. However, a new study reveals omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may help reduce inflammation. Seek out a serving of oily fish such as salmon or tuna each week.

Inflammation is the body’s immune response to injury and infection. However, evidence suggests chronic inflammation can damage tissues, contributing to heart and blood vessel disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and many other conditions. In a recent study, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the essential omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, helped reduce skin and abdominal inflammation. EPA also limited several processes associated with inflammation, such as the movement of immune cells known as dendritic cells and the production of interleukin 12, a chemical messenger that enhances the immune response. Steer clear of large, long-lived fish, such as sea bass, swordfish, and king mackerel, because they have the greatest likelihood of being contaminated with unacceptably high levels of mercury from the environment. Safer fish choices include salmon, pollock, sole, and chunk light tuna.

In a study, people who consumed a tomato-based soup for 2 weeks — adding 72 milligrams of vitamin C to each day — had higher blood levels of the vitamin and decreased markers of inflammation.

Tasty T’mater Dishes
Tomatoes can be used in so many heart-healthy meals, from soups to salads, to salsa-topped salmon. The fish oil/tomato combo makes for one super inflammation stopper!

Creamy Tomato Bisque with Mozzarella Crostini

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1/4 cup white rice
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup silken tofu
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
6 3/4-inch-thick slices baguette
3 tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth, water and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is very tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F.
3. Stir tomatoes, tofu and vinegar into the soup. Remove from the heat and puree, in batches, in a blender. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the soup to the pot and reheat over medium-high heat, stirring often.
4. Meanwhile, top slices of baguette with mozzarella and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top each serving with a cheesy crostini.

If you’ve had enough of food, check out Fiction Scribe!

tomato soup, inflammation, vitamin C

tomato soup, inflammation, vitamin C

Poorly performing facilities from 33 states put on notice

Fifty-four nursing homes are being told by the government that they’re among the worst in their states in an effort to goad them into improving patient care.

Lawmakers and advocacy groups have been pushing the Bush administration to make it easier for consumers to identify poorly performing nursing homes. They complain that too many facilities get cited for serious deficiencies but don’t make adequate improvement, or do so only temporarily.

The administration agreed, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will list the homes on its Web site Thursday.

“Very, very poor quality nursing homes do not deserve to be left untouched or unnoticed,� said Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. “This is not to be punitive. That’s not our goal. Our goal is to see to it that the people in these nursing homes get better quality care or that they get the opportunity to move somewhere else.�

The homes in question are among more than 120 designated as a “special focus facility.� CMS began using the designation about a decade ago to identify homes that merit more oversight. For these homes, states conduct inspections at six month intervals rather than annually.

The homes on the list got not only the special focus designation, but also registered a lack of improvement in a subsequent survey.

The nursing homes to be cited come from 33 states and the District of Columbia, according to a list obtained by The Associated Press. There are about 16,400 nursing homes nationwide.

Under a microscope
Nursing home administrators have concerns that homes showing significant improvements will still show up on the Medicare Web site. They said it takes time for inspection results to make their way through the bureaucracy. Still, administrators support the concept of greater disclosure, said Bruce Yarwood, president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association, the trade association for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

“Every time you go under a microscope like that, especially in our profession, you want to get out from under that microscope,� Yarwood said. “There will be a heck of a lot of effort not to stay there.�

Complete list HERE

If you’re taking care of your parents, and stressed, try making a list of things to do. my Mother was in Nursing Homes the last ten years of her life. The last one robbed her blind!

I didn’t mend taking her home-cooked meals or just spending time with her.

Bad Nursing Homes

Bad Nursing Homes

When to Call the Doctor
Often nasal symptoms clear up on their own with a little time and all you need to do is use a few self-care remedies to help relieve congestion, pain, or runniness while you wait it out.

But have you ever had cold or allergy symptoms that just kept hanging around, no matter what you did to help yourself feel better? Self-care strategies do have their limits, so you need to know when to bring your problems to the attention of a healthcare provider. Sometimes a stuffy, runny, or painful nose that doesn’t get better can be a sign of something more serious that requires special care.

For starters, any symptoms that last more than a week or two or are chronic — meaning they come and go periodically — should be evaluated by a healthcare provider.

More Red Flags
In addition to persistent or chronic symptoms, here’s a list of more red flags that may indicate your nasal symptoms have an underlying cause requiring professional care:
• Thick, yellow nasal discharge
• Fever higher than 101°F that lasts for more than 3 days

• Headache, facial pain or pressure, or pain in the upper teeth

• Bad breath
• Coughing up thick mucus (clear, colored, or bloody)
• Difficulty breathing

Symptoms such as these may indicate a bacterial or fungal infection (sinusitis) or another type of complication, such as asthma or bronchitis, that needs to be treated with prescription medication.

Severe cases of allergies may be accompanied by additional symptoms:
• Itchy, reddened, watery eyes
• Ear popping and fullness
• Itchy throat
• Pressure sensations located over the cheeks and forehead
• Wheezing or coughing

If you have any of these symptoms along with your typical allergy symptoms, talk to a healthcare professional right away.

When you visit your healthcare provider, he or she may perform a detailed exam of your ears, nose, and throat to determine the cause of your symptoms. You’ll also need to be prepared to answer specific questions about your symptoms, such as when they started, how severe they are, and which self-care treatments you have tried.

By sharing as much information as you can, you’ll be helping your healthcare provider make the best diagnosis and treatment recommendations possible.

Hires a tip on Making a lifetsyle change.

nasal allergies

nasal allergies

Too little milk, sunshine and exercise leading to rise in rickets in children

Too little milk, sunshine and exercise: It is an anti-bone trifecta. And for some children, shockingly, it is leading to rickets, the soft-bone scourge of the 19th century.

But cases of full-blown rickets are just the red flag: Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children in the U.S. are not building as much strong bone as they should — a gap that may leave them more vulnerable to bone-cracking osteoporosis later in life than their grandparents are.

“This potentially is a time-bomb,” says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone health chief at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.

Now scientists are taking the first steps to track childrens’ bone quality and learn just how big a problem the anti-bone trio is causing, thanks to new research that finally shows just what “normal” bone density is for children of different ages.

First bone-growth guide
Dr. Heidi Kalkwarf of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital led a U.S. study that gave bone scans to 1,500 healthy children ages 6 to 17 to see how bone mass is accumulated. The result, published last summer: The first bone-growth guide, just like height-and-weight charts, for pediatricians treating children at high risk of bone problems.

Next, the government-funded study is tracking those 1,500 children for seven more years, to see how their bones turn out. Say a 7-year-old is in the 50th percentile for bone growth. Does she tend to stay at that level by age 14, or catch up to kids with denser bones? If not, if she more prone to fractures?

Sleep is another ‘bone’ of contention for parents & kids. Click the link to find age-appropriate bedtimes.

ricketts, milk, vitamin D, bedtime

ricketts, milk, vitamin D, bedtime

Besides being a colorful side on your turkey plate, squash also comes loaded with good-for-you nutrients.

Here are three good reasons to lap up that leftover squash:

1. Better blood pressure: Squash is rich in potassium, a mineral known for helping keep BP under control.
2. Healthier knees: Winter squash is high in beta cryptoxanthin and vitamin C, two nutrients credited with helping save joints. And here’s one more thing about squash . . .

Squash Yourself
3. Better appetite control: Squash is low in calories (as long as you don’t douse it in butter and brown sugar) and high in fiber — and together that can mean you eat fewer calories and feel fuller longer. The extra fiber can also be super helpful for sluggish bowels.

Versatile Veggie
Not sure how to use up that extra acorn or butternut squash? Start with these delicious dishes:
Use it in a hearty, healthy soup along with your turkey leftovers.

Turkey and Squash SoupYou can also make this with diced cooked

Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 leeks, trimmed, thoroughly cleaned and chopped (3 1/2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, (2 medium), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound turkey cutlets, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and pepper; cook, stirring often until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute more.
2. Stir in broth, squash, thyme and cumin; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add turkey and corn; return the broth to a simmer. Simmer until the turkey is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lime juice and crushed red pepper. Gently warm the soup until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Substitute squash for spinach in your lasagna and Stew never tasted (or smelled) so good!

For more blood pressure hints, check out www.healthybpm.com

squash, blood pressure, joint health

squash, blood pressure, joint health

If there were a way to feel full of vim and vigor in your golden years, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Well, here you go: Strike a pose.

That’s right. Even if you’ve never tried yoga before, regularly practicing some simple yoga stretches and poses when you’re older can give you back some of the energy and flexibility of your younger years. Here’s a laundry list of all the other health benefits.

Feelin’ Fine and Lovin’ It
After 6 months of taking beginner yoga classes, men and women ages 65 to 85 reported feeling more energized compared with how they felt before their training. They also:
Had less pain in their day-to-day lives.
Felt more outgoing socially. Strong social ties may help you stave off future bouts of the blues.
People who had strong, emotionally supportive relationships were least likely to suffer episodes of depression in a recent study. Although anyone can benefit from strong social ties, the emotionally protective effect of good relationships was strongest for the women in the study. Make an effort to schedule face time with friends this weekend.

Although a recent study revealed a reduction in depression risk for women with strong social connections, both men and women can benefit from supportive relationships because social support is an excellent coping mechanism during stressful times. Having strong, supportive relationships can help assuage the aging effects of stress on the body. For people who are prone to bouts of the blues, getting enough (but not too much) sleep, eating a healthful and balanced diet, practicing stress reduction strategies often, and getting regular exercise are habits that may help improve mood. For blue moods that last longer than a few weeks or recur frequently, see your healthcare provider.

Had better balance. (How long can you stand on one leg?

Experienced greater flexibility in their trunk and limbs. First, Pretend You’re Gumby . . .

Use your mind to help your muscles go from stiff to supple the next time you’re doing a full-body stretch.
Put another way: pretend you’re Gumby. Researchers have found that people who vividly imagine lengthening and moving their arms or legs find stretching easier to do. And that could lead to greater flexibility gains. So close your eyes and envision your muscles getting longer and looser whenever you stretch.

In a recent study, three groups of volunteers (30 people in all) went through a 4-week flexibility program. While all the groups emerged with more limber bodies, two of them applied their minds as well as their bodies to the process. One group visualized moving the limb they were stretching, while the other imagined the physiological process of stretching, trying to “see” their muscles elongating. Both of these groups found their flexibility workouts easier to do than the members of the control group did . . . yet they still got at least the same flexibility gains. Sweet.

Heart Helper
Yoga may be good for your heart health, too.

Here’s something that will make your heart feel good, too!

Yoga

Yoga

Which turkey topper, muffin mix-in, and fruit-punch staple can help keep your ticker in top shape?

It’s the ruby-red cranberry. The fruit is chock-full of flavonoids that give heart-disease risk factors a one-two punch, attacking inflammation and cholesterol. Here’s what else cranberries can do for you.

Flavonoids Fever
Cranberries may help raise HDL (good) cholesterol and thwart plaque-building oxidation of the bad kind (LDL). Not only that, but some studies also link the almighty cranberry’s killer flavonoid combination with cancer-fighting properties. And cranberry flavonols — particularly quercetin — appear to help quell inflammation.

A Cherry of a Tomato

Are some tomatoes better for you than others? Research says yes.
Although all tomatoes are rich in important nutrients, such as lycopene, recent research has revealed that some tomato varieties may contain more health-protective flavonols than others. Small cherry tomatoes had the highest flavonol concentration of 20 tomato varieties tested in a study.

Flavonols are antioxidants that protect against aging and disease. There is no recommended daily allowance for flavonols. However, you can get your fill by eating five servings of vegetables and four servings of fruit per day, especially ones with deep red or purple hues, such as red onions, red grapes, and tomatoes. Over 90% of the flavonols in fruits and vegetables are found in the skins.

For All Seasons
So don’t forget this tangy tongue teaser after the holidays. Load up on dried cranberries to mix into your granola, top fish with fresh cranberry relish, and bake fresh cranberries into cookies, muffins, and breads. You can also treat yourself to a glass or two of cranberry juice (choose diet varieties for less sugar and fewer calories). The bonus with the juice: It may help ward off urinary tract infections.

Homemade Trail MixTry this with portable mix with any combination of dried fruits and nuts.
Ingredients
1/4 cup whole shelled (unpeeled) almonds
1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
2 ounce dried apricots, or other dried fruit

Directions
1. Combine almonds, peanuts, cranberries, dates and apricots (or other fruit) in a medium bowl.

Check out what else is high in flavanols

flavanols, antioxidants, cranberries, turkey

flavanols, antioxidants, cranberries, turkey

Unpaid bills, overdue projects, groceries to get, and messes to clean . . . Worry pileups like these at the end of the day can make sleep as elusive as Bigfoot.

A better plan: Set aside time to worry about these things before you crawl under the covers. That way, the space between lying down and drifting off won’t be filled with sleepless fretting. Here’s how to make a date with your worries.

Make a Date with Paper
If nagging thoughts won’t let you nod off, give yourself 15 minutes before bedtime to grab some paper and a pen and jot down what’s on your mind, advise Paul Glovinsky, PhD, and Arthur Spielman, PhD, in their book The Insomina Answer.

suggest listing your concerns on the left page of a notebook and then brainstorming some solutions on the right side. And don’t shoot for perfect problem-solvers. Even temporary solutions should help you sleep.

Writing down what you’re thankful for is good for your health, too.
Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? Doing so could have emotional rewards.
In a recent study, people who recorded in a weekly or daily journal the things in their lives for which they were grateful experienced heightened feelings of well-being. The people who recorded hassles or neutral life events in their journals did not.

Keeping a journal also may help your memory. A study revealed that people who jotted down their concerns experienced improvement in their memories. Researchers speculate that jotting down worries may be a cathartic act. It gives people a designated place to deal with their concerns so that they can worry less at other times, thus freeing up cognitive resources for other things, such as remembering lists.

More Sleep-Better Strategies Keep a sleep diary.
Adopt healthy sleep habits.
Warm up your feet.
Start a walking routine.

Now that you have a primer on how to get to sleep, here’s a blog posting on 1o Reasons to Get Out of Bed

worry, stress, sleep, healthy lifestyle

worry, stress, sleep, healthy lifestyle

All sides involved in the controversy over the use of embryonic stem cells in research claimed vindication Tuesday after two teams of researchers reported having reprogrammed human skin cells to act like the stem cells, which have the potential of morphing into other cells and thereby curing disease.

People who believe that life begins at conception liken the destruction of the embryonic stem cells to killing and therefore oppose their use in research. The new research, they said, shows that alternatives are available.

“By avoiding techniques that destroy life, while vigorously supporting alternative approaches, President Bush is encouraging scientific advancement within ethical boundaries,” the White House said Tuesday in a written statement on the new research.

Bush has twice vetoed bills that would have eased restrictions on the use of federal funds for research involving embryonic stem cells. Watch Bush state why he opposes the use of stem cells

In August 2001, he limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to lines that had already been created.

But some researchers say those cells are not useful.

“The president believes medical problems can be solved without compromising either the high aims of science or the sanctity of human life,” the White House statement said. “We will continue to encourage scientists to expand the frontiers of stem cell research and continue to advance the understanding of human biology in an ethically responsible way.”

What’s your opinion ?

Read what has to say.

stem cell research

stem cell research

See your doctor immediately if you develop flu symptoms, including a fever, cough and body aches, and have recently traveled to a part of the world where bird flu occurs.

Be sure to let your doctor know when and where you were traveling and whether you visited any farms or open-air markets.

Doctors have rapid tests to identify the flu virus, but the tests can’t distinguish between avian flu and other influenza A viruses. For that reason, specimens from anyone with a suspected case of bird flu are sent to state health labs or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for analysis.

Complications

Most people with bird flu have signs and symptoms of conventional influenza. Some also develop life-threatening complications such as viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, which causes the air sacs in your lungs to fill with fluid, leading to severe breathing difficulties. More than half the people who have contracted bird flu have died.

But the greatest complication of bird flu is still hypothetical — the emergence of a new viral strain that spreads easily from person to person. If a person were simultaneously infected with human and bird flu viruses, the reassortment of genetic material could produce an entirely new subtype with a preponderance of human genes. This could make the virus highly contagious and, with little natural immunity among the world population, especially lethal.

So far this hasn’t happened. A few cases of person-to-person transmission have occurred, but they were limited in scale. Still, some health officials fear that it’s just a matter of time before avian viruses figure out a way to spread easily among people.

Treatment

Several bird flu vaccines are in the works, and at least one may be available in early 2007. Although that vaccine seems to protect against the H5N1 strain currently circulating, it’s not known whether it will be effective against a mutated form.

For now, the primary treatment option remains the flu drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu), that works by preventing the virus from escaping its host cell. It’s not clear how effective Tamiflu will ultimately prove against H5N1. In Southeast Asia, resistance to it seems to be developing quickly. Another antiviral flu drug, zanamivir (Relenza), may be an alternative.

These drugs must be taken within two days after the appearance of symptoms, something that may prove logistically difficult on a worldwide scale, even if there were enough to go around. Because they’re in short supply, it’s not entirely clear how flu drugs would be allocated if there were a widespread epidemic.

Prevention

The international effort to prevent the spread of bird flu focuses on the health of both birds and humans. Measures to help control the virus among domestic poultry include:

Culling. Since 1997, when the first human cases of bird flu appeared, hundreds of millions of sick or exposed birds — primarily chickens — have been destroyed. In many cases, affected farms were also quarantined. The WHO considers this approach the first-line defense against avian viruses.
Surveillance programs. Some nations have instituted strict vaccination and surveillance programs for poultry farms and markets, taken steps to prevent bird smuggling, and put in place programs that quarantine new birds until they’re proved healthy and that require poultry farmers to disinfect boots and tires.
Banned birds. Many countries have banned or restricted the importation of birds and hatching eggs from regions with bird flu epidemics. In February 2004, the CDC banned the importation of poultry into the United States from most Asian nations.

bird flu, medical advice, prevention

bird flu, medical advice, prevention