Worrying about your weight and not feeling good about your body is very boring and time consuming so make 2011 the year you get into shape and get into a good routine so that you stay that way always.
WASHINGTON: Americans need to cut salt and fat and eat more fruits and vegetables, the Obama administration said in its latest set of dietary guidelines released on Monday.
NEW YORK: When it comes to lower back pain, more testing doesn’t lead to better care. On the contrary — it may actually lead to worse care, not to mention higher costs.
A $30-million landmark 10-year study by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, released in 2009, claims there is a possibility that using a cell phone for 30 minutes a day could increase the chances of brain tumors, though some researchers insist the report's claims are overblown.
When discussing herbs, aromatic seeds, and spices, it is difficult to cite one without citing the others. Because different ones contain particular cleansing, digestive, energizing, balancing, rejuvenating, healing, anti-inflammatory, or antimicrobial properties, they give better results when combined.
HONG KONG: The cholera bacterium has undergone important mutations in recent years, causing longer outbreaks of the disease with increased fatalities, researchers reported on Wednesday. In a package of papers published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, they said mass vaccinations should be considered as a solution even after outbreaks have begun. Experts have differed over the usefulness of cholera vaccine once an outbreak has occurred.
The Gulf is well known for its longer working hours and it is no wonder with ever increasing competition and expectations that stress levels can build up. With so much competition there is the logic that if you don't work that extra hour, your competitors will, and they'll snatch the business from you.
Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin because your body can get most of what it needs from the sun. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth. It is especially important to women as it may slow down the progress of osteoporosis. Many men and women have insufficient vitamin D.
Many people dismiss walking as not real exercise, but a walk really can have great health benefits and make you feel good too. The beauty of walking is that it is something everyone can do and if you have never exercised it is a great way to start. When you walk you notice details you may never otherwise see driving in your car. Getting out in the cooler morning or evening air is also important for your health. Fresh air and nature feed your soul. Even if you can only manage a 10 minute walk every day you will improve your blood circulation; tone up your legs; and regulate your heart beat.
Aloe Vera is one of the oldest medicinal plants in existence. It comes from a cactus-like member of the lily family and is natural to the Gulf countries; you may well have one Aloe Vera plant in your garden without even realizing it. They grow wild and are very common. The cool soothing gel made from slicing open the leaf has been used since ancient times to treat sunburn or minor skin conditions and stomach complaints.
As the obesity epidemic spreads there are more cases of obesity in pregnancy. Figures in UK suggest that one in 20 pregnant women is obese. If a woman is obese in her first pregnancy she may well be heavier by the second and third pregnancy.
As a dermatologist, one of the common questions I get in my clinical practice is: “Are there pills that can get rid of blackheads?” The answer is no as they mostly only respond to topical treatments, known as "Comedolytics," which dissolve them.
Being overweight, obese, or even just not satisfied with your body will put you in a situation where you can never resist the promising advertisements of weight loss capsules’ easy, effortless and guaranteed results.
We often hear the phrase “cardiovascular disease” in relation to heart problems. Its exact meaning is heart blood vessel disorder, “cardio” for heart and “vascular” pertaining to vessels. It is also known as atherosclerosis. The disease leads to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and stroke.
The rate of diabetes in Gulf countries is among the highest in the world and it is a major problem for families, society and the future. Tragically, the traditional healthy habits of the past that would have kept diabetes at bay have been lost. However with the adoption of western style habits and lack of exercise leading to obesity, it is sweeping through the population at an alarming rate.
Last week we explored ways to cleanse our bodies through fruit and water fasts. We also discussed the most important detoxifying organs, led by the liver. Today, I am going to again tackle this major detoxifier, because many tend to unintentionally abuse it, while others ignore its importance and essential functions until a disease hits it or a dysfunction surfaces. Little is known or discussed about this vital organ that does not complain; exhibit pain like other organs; or show symptoms until it is partially or completely damaged.
Generally with the cold weather come coughs and colds and flu. Healthy lifestyle choices boost your immune system, and can prevent you from coming down with viruses. Autumn is a great time for new beginnings and as the weather cools it is time to kick-start your health.
Aisha Al Hajjar, a certified instructor from the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth, is currently in the Kingdom teaching expectant women how to prepare themselves for natural birth.
When we practice healthy lifestyle habits, we try to eat a wholesome nutritious diet and keep a regular exercise program. But, we tend to overlook an important lifestyle aspect, which can be as critical to wellness in this modern day of synthetic chemicals, additives in food and beauty products, plastic water bottles and food containers, medical drugs, environmental pollutions, and mental and physical stressors. Because we have become accustomed to popping pharmaceutical medication to cure disease (a pill for a headache or sleep and recreational drugs and caffeine to keep us alert and awake), we have neglected natural personal care, body cleansing, relaxation, drinking water, and even adequate breathing.
Human hair is a solid filament composed of compactly cemented keratinized cells that is formed from the matrix lying deep in the scalp. The matrix cells produce hair at the rate of about 0.5 mm per day. However, this growth rate is variable depending upon anatomical site. Beard hair, for example, grows at a rate of 0.2 mm per day. cientists consider hair as a metabolic end product: The element composition of which reflects the medium from which it is formed. In other words, hair serves as a minor excretory organ for the toxic elements.
We all dream about the perfect hourglass figure. Unfortunately, however, many of us have all the sand in the bottom. Our constant struggle with our hips and thighs is a common topic for many of us women during our midday luncheons and impromptu coffee meet-ups.
NEW YORK: Fertility treatment such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF) may not be tied to an increased risk of cancer despite the hormones used, said a study from Sweden. Some previous studies had suggested that fertility drugs might be linked with breast, uterine and ovarian cancers.
Levels of type 2 diabetes are soaring across the world and in the Gulf, diabetes is a major health issue. The reason for the explosion of cases in the Gulf is partly caused by a genetic predisposition and partly due to sedentary lifestyle. Between 80 and 90 percent of cases occur due to being overweight.
Are you always worried about aging? If so, do not obsess over it and make positive moves instead. Rather than thinking of ourselves growing older, we should think of “growing newer” like a plant that grows new roots, new branches, new leaves, and new flowers, as Rev. Fr. William S. Chiganos of Westchester, Illinois reminded in one of his sermons. What does that mean? How to proceed? Well, start afresh, reinvent yourself! I will help you through the renewal process with the following guidelines.
Acupuncture is a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is a practiced medical treatment that is over 5,000 years old. In basic terms acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles on the body's surface in order to influence the physiological functioning of the body. The first recorded journal of acupuncture is found in the 4,700-year-old Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine). This is supposedly the oldest medical textbook in the world. It was written down from seven earlier theories by Shen Nung, the father of Chinese medicine. Shen Nung documented theories about the heart, pulse and circulation over 4000 years before Western medicine had any concept about them.
When countries become richer people switch to eating more meat. For many people cooking a meal means meat is the main ingredient. In poorer countries people eat less meat and more vegetables; but as they become richer meat becomes the main element in the meal and in China for example, people are now eating more and more meat.
WASHINGTON: Respiratory infections such as influenza and other causes of pneumonia kill 4.25 million people every year, many of them young children, according to a report released on Tuesday.
Come Haj and one thought uppermost in the minds of pilgrims is how to protect themselves from the scorching heat that at times results in heat stroke. “Heat stroke during Haj season is not uncommon, especially when the annual pilgrimage is undertaken in the midst of hot days,” says Abdulaziz Al-Mutawaif, a Haj tour operator.
Haj, Muslims’ pilgrimage to Makkah, is the highlight of the year in Saudi Arabia. During this period, the Holy City of Makkah hosts over two million pilgrims. This event requires huge mobilization of provisions, accommodation, human assistance, transportation, medical care, security, and other logistics to secure hygiene, comfort, lodging, safety, and other services. With its approach, I feel the need to tackle health and food, and personal hygiene, important aspects of this journey. I shall emphasize the importance of taking sanitary measures to prevent food poisoning during this critical period.
Millions of pilgrims are heading for Makkah for Haj. The number of people performing the annual pilgrimage being huge, there are many occasions during the annual pilgrimage when the pilgrims arriving from more than 140 countries come in direct contact with others. Overcrowding, which is of paramount importance to Haj management, thus becomes an issue both from safety and infection-free points of view.
• Red meat linked to esophageal, stomach cancer risks
• Vitamin E linked to risk of certain types of stroke
• Study offers new clues to effective HIV vaccine
• Exercise unlikely to lift depression long-term
• Repeat viral testing of IVF couples not needed: study
• Self-employed urologists order more imaging
• Eli Lilly’s Cymbalta gets FDA nod for pain
• Obesity rates will reach 42 percent: study
• ’Spiral’ CT scans reduce smoker deaths: US study
CHICAGO: Most people who have used direct-to-consumer genetic tests bought them to improve their health and say they found the tests easy to interpret, but some do not fully understand their results, US researchers said on Friday.
As an MD, and a practicing dermatologist, I am often asked: “Is it possible to increase the longevity of hair?”
The other day, I had a reunion with old friends. Some of us did not see each other for as long as ten years. It was so nice to see beautiful Randa, again! We kissed, hugged, and looked at each other after years of separation. Randa still looked good and retained much of her beauty.
Who would be without air conditioning in the hot, humid summer? But now that the weather is cooling it is time to open the windows and get out and get some real fresh air.
LONDON: Alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, according to a new study.
"Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are widely expanding among Saudis due to the practice of unsafe sex,” said Dr. Wafaa Faqeeh, director general of the First National Association for Women’s Care in Jeddah and assistant professor at the King Abdulaziz University’s Faculty of Medicine.
There are many forms of alternative medicine, but in this article I will be dealing with just two: Ayurvedic medicine and Homeopathic medicine.
With the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health set two take place in nearly two weeks, the issues which emerged at the 39th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris, France, are worth re-visiting.
Eighty percent of diseases leading to blindness are either preventable or curable. This was the message given by Saudi Arabia’s health care sector on the World Sight Day that was observed on Oct. 14. “As we celebrate the World Sight Day, the solution to blindness lies with spreading awareness,” say Saudi doctors.
The body is a magnificent complex machine, but it requires a little co-operation from us in terms of fresh simple food and plenty of water, exercise, and peace of mind.
Children all over the world are starting to feel nervous about the return to school after a lovely long summer at home. Many children feel under pressure to perform well at school and many parents naturally want their children to do well in a competitive world.
NEW YORK: A traditional Mediterranean diet heavy in olive oil and vegetables may help older people lower their risk of adult onset diabetes — even without counting calories or shedding weight.
NEW YORK: In the battle of the cardio machines the treadmill reigns supreme, but the elliptical cross trainer could be a contender.
WASHINGTON: Sometimes love does feel like it should.
Falling in love can act as a potent painkiller, and now scientists have figured out why: It stimulates the brain’s reward pathway, much like the rush of an addictive drug.
NEW YORK: Life with the family dog will give young children hours of loyal companionship, cherished memories — and, in some cases, possibly even better health.
BOSTON: Eli Lilly and Co’s osteoporisis drug Forteo can regrow bone in jaws damaged by severe bone-destroying conditions called osteonecrosis and periodontitis, doctors reported on Saturday.
Beauty care would become an increasingly technology driven industry,” predicted Ed Artzt, a Procter & Gamble Chief Executive, in 1992. This is true for the multibillion dollar business of creams, hair products and perfumes in which major companies are investing colossal sums on research. It is also true for the lucrative business of looking young and beautiful. Patients are no longer only middle-aged or older, young women in their twenties are also coming for BOTOX injections!
I hope you enjoyed your summer leave and are back, ready to make a fresh start.
If you are like me, all the relaxation and socializing during the summer vacation means an extra kilo or two. This is only natural in the cycle of things. Life is for living.
When we are young, we are oblivious to disease, sickness or even death. All three are not part of our daily vocabulary or language or if they are, we feel that they do not apply to us. Once we step into the late thirties, however, bells start tolling and we begin to feel the countdown. Headaches, acid reflux, bloating, toothaches, weight problems, blood pressure, cholesterol or even diabetes begin appearing. Only then, when the doctor strongly recommends — with a warning tone — weight loss, healthy diet and exercise, do we begin reviewing our lifestyle practices of taking our bodies for granted.
Millions of people from the world over continue to arrive and work in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Gulf. For some, the salaries are enticing, the benefits competitive, the lifestyle more relaxed, and many may find the location “exotic.” Major cities have some of the best residential buildings or housing compounds, which they hire for themselves and their families. Their children study in international schools that are proliferating by the day. They have the best shopping malls and recreation facilities. However, for anyone coming from any other part of the world, there can be a culture shock that may vary in degrees from person to person.
After the summer and Ramadan it is a great time to change to new super healthy habits. Healthy habits are essential to your long term health and happiness. Health is wealth. Yes you can buy a new car or a new dress, but the body you've got is the only one you get so take care of it. If you don’t care for your body, who will it take care of you?
We all aspire to have beautiful, youthful skin, but unfortunately it is not granted to all. In fact very few individuals have impeccable complexions and good skin. Why? Because, our skin gets affected by internal, external, and genetic factors.
• Findings offer hope for future treatment of pre-eclampsia
• Clues to blood pressure mechanism may aid drug development
If you prefer natural and alternative medicine over allopathic living here in the Kingdom, you have probably noticed that certified centers are hard to find. Look no further, as the Riyadh-Chinese Medical Center (RCMC) in Jeddah, founded by Dr Abdulrahman Al-Znaidy and Nouf Mohammed Al-Marwaai, has all that you want.
Two major medical events next month will address important issues related to infectious diseases, infection control and patient safety.
The importance of adopting healthy nutrition practices can be gauged from the fact that seminars and workshops were devoted to the subject by Jeddah’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center and the 1st GCC symposium on clinical nutrition held at Arrayan Hospital in Riyadh recently. Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, which organized the event in the capital, sought to promote nutrition as first line of defense against today’s diseases.
Hair is powerful and can indicate status across the cultures. Whatever your hair looks like it says something about you, be it long dark tresses, Afro, or a big curly perm. Many women say a good or bad hair can affect their day.
Sleep is probably one of the most neglected aspects of healthy lifestyle habits. Many of us go to bed without the appropriate mental and physical preparation, thinking that by putting our heads on the pillow and bodies on the bed, we immediately drift into deep sweet slumber. Unfortunately, this is not what normally happens. Once in bed, we toss and turn; thoughts and events of the day continuously churn in our heads, keeping us wide awake until the wee hours of the morning.
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa has issued the first pharmaceutical license to research and commercialize a local plant known for its stress-reducing and mood-lifting effects.
Our modern lifestyles often shield us from the protective mantle of nature’s resources. A polluted environment, high-tech stress and a plethora of refined foods make us forget that good nutrition is the foundation of good health.
According to the Crepe Café menu, the crepe ancestor can actually be traced back to Asia. It was not until the Middle Ages that it made its way over to the countryside of France. Originally made with buckwheat, it was during the 17th century that traditional flour was introduced, thus concocting the sweeter crepes we have all come to love.
We have come to the end of the 20 superfruits (mangoes, figs, oranges, strawberries, goji berries (wolfberries), red grapes, cranberries, kiwis, papayas, blueberries, tarts and sweet cherries, red raspberries, seaberries (seabuckthorn), guavas, blackberries, blackcurrants, dates, pomegranates, acai berries and prunes) recommended by the “Berry Doctor,” Dr. Paul Gross. They were carefully selected for their plethora of nutrients and detoxifying phytochemicals.
In the last 20 years, the number of overweight children and adolescents has tripled. Adults too are getting larger and it is all due to a change in diet and work habits. America leads the food industry and we all seem to follow. Junk food, snacks, fizzy drinks and additives of all kinds in our food are marketed very cleverly as cool. Currently more than two thirds of Americans are considered overweight or obese.
The three last weeks were about heart health and important nutrients such as vitamins vital for the heart functions and cardiovascular system. Today, our discussion is the sequence of such elements like minerals and phytochemicals, necessary for vascular detoxification from plaque and cholesterol formation. Here are some of the leading minerals, followed by essential antioxidants that can prevent cardiac and vascular problems.
God, the merciful, has blessed each one of us with a set of perfectly designed teeth that do more than enhance the beauty of our face. Amazingly, each tooth was created to serve a unique function. The front teeth (incisors) help us bite, the middle teeth (canines and pre-molars) help us tear food and the last teeth (molars) help us chew hard foods like meat.
In this modern world where food has become a staple of a veritable production line, people’s re-fixing of their focus on organic and natural foodstuffs is a slow trek back toward the maxim that “mothers know best.” While the fixation on natural food is growing, the fact is mothers have always known best as seen when they wisely used the nutritive and therapeutic carbohydrate — honey — to energize their wards.
This week’s article is a continuation of the two of the last weeks. Because the subject has become significant to many of us due to heart disease prevalence, I feel I have to give it enough exposure and include details and relevant information. Today’s article is of utmost importance, because it is about a heart-healthy diet that stresses dietary nutrients and phytochemicals as well as supplements in order to maintain vascular health, prevent cardiovascular disease, and even reverse the condition.
My vision is a stress-free, violence-free world,” asserts Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a modern-day Gandhi, whose titles include: Humanitarian, spiritual leader, and renowned founder of both the Art of Living and the International Association for Human Values.
Last week’s (Part 1 column) was about the ravaging effects of cardiovascular disease. Today, it is about ways to prevent the onset of the disease or reverse it at its early stages. Its prevalence has turned it into a major killer.
Despite generating billions annually the prospect for a large number of curry restaurants is not encouraging. Has the business reached a blind alley?
Zn Sushi Lounge is really much more of a restaurant than it is an actual lounge, but I suppose it does sound better than Zn Restaurant. I am not sure by what official standard one differentiates between a lounge and a restaurant, but in my opinion, the seating has a large part to do with it.
Shogun is a historical Japanese title for a military dictator with his or her office referred to as the “shogunate.” I am not sure when the word “shogun” went from a position title of high esteem to the name of a sushi lounge, but I think that would be an interesting historical occurrence to look into. As this particular sushi restaurant is actually named Shogun Lounge, it is essentially saying this is the sort of place a Shogun would frequent to relax and have a good time. This means it must be good, because when a shogun has a bad time, heads roll.
Indian cuisine is as diverse as the states of the nation. And it is no wonder that as you travel the length and breadth of India that you would find food that are heavily influenced by the people, spices and herbs that have ruled the palates of these people over centuries. The stark difference in tastes in the north and south Indian variety is largely due to the mode of preparation and the varied use of spices native to those regions.
Rio De Janeiro, not to be confused with the city in Brazil, is a hole in the wall. Although this may sound like a slam, it is not. The term simply describes a food shop that has the bare necessities as far as its internal makeup: Few, if any tables; small customer area; a visible kitchen and menus that are basic in design and quality.
The toughest thing about interviewing Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud is getting her to talk about herself as at present she is focused on the upcoming Oct. 28 attempt to set the record for creating a human ribbon of thousands of women to raise awareness in Saudi Arabia about breast cancer.
Carol Fleming Al-Ajroush — aka American Bedu, the American blogger — is a recognizable name in the Kingdom. Her bold and true portrayal of Saudi Society and expats’ issues in her blog (which she started in 2006) make her an outstanding writer and a human right activist. What makes her more outstanding is her courage of fighting cancer for the past three years — her breast cancer and her husband’s leukemia.
Upon first glance at “Crunchy Square,” one may find him/herself slightly confused as to what type of restaurant or café he/she is about to enter.
Some people learn how to bake, while others are born to do so. Taher Sindi is a pastry chef who one day woke up and decided to quit his job as a human resource manager and follow his dream and open a pastry shop. Some people learn how to bake, while others are born to do so. Taher Sindi is a pastry chef who one day woke up and decided to quit his job as a human resource manager and follow his dream and open a pastry shop.
When dawn breaks, Hajah Fatimah begins preparing Eritrean coffee, the aroma of which fills her home, signaling her family and neighbors that it’s time to come into the dining room.
There had been word of the English chain, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, opening up in Jeddah for quite a while now. Even though I have never personally tried it in England, I have heard positive things from my British counterparts.
World Arthritis Day, which took place on Oct. 12, was observed across Saudi Arabia not as an annual exercise, but with activities that involved various government and private hospitals, as well as health care centers and clinics.
KABUL: An outbreak of a tropical disease caused by sand fly bites that leaves disfiguring skin sores has hit Afghanistan, with tens of thousands of people infected, health officials said Friday.
For more than two years, Du’aa Mohamed Asouni and Tahani Mohamed Sharif have enthusiastically attended the LG Life Tastes Good Championship (LTGC) in Jeddah to see which female home chefs would make it to the national competitions.
Toasted makes claim to offer “cosmopolitan food for the corporate world.” This seems like an accurate description of their target audience. Toasted is a sandwich shop, meaning that they essentially only serve sandwiches.
Most liver complaints are linked to environmental pollution, an Egyptian liver specialist has claimed. “No one these days believe that liver diseases are related to bilharzia. On the other hand, many diseases, particularly those affecting the liver, are caused by the excessive use of insecticides inside and outside homes,” Dr. Muhammad Sirag Zakaria, vice-president of the European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and hepato-gastrologist at Cairo University’s Qasr Medical College, told Arab News.
The quest for knowledge has not ended for yoga instructor Nouf Mohammed Al-Marwaai, even though her bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology from King Saud University took her to Australia and later to India to learn about yoga and Ayurveda. Thirty-year-old Al-Marwaai is the first certified Saudi woman yoga and Ayurveda expert and the co-founder of the Riyadh-Chinese Medical Center in Jeddah.
Bert’s offers its interpretation of a contemporary Parisian café. If I were asked to describe a few characteristics of a typical French café, I would probably come up with a few answers along the lines of: Cigarettes, coffee, people watching, snooty waiters and delicious food. I am sure there are some that serve terrible food, but that’s not what I picture when I think of a French café.
Several activities were planned across Saudi Arabia’s hospitals and medical centers to mark World Heart Day on Sept. 26. Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Riyadh was among those that had activities including walks and walkathon, screenings, competitions and public education by distributing leaflets, talks and counseling. Workplaces, especially in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province were targeted to promote heart healthy messages to mark the 10-year milestone.
The concrete buildings surrounding the silent square in Olaya Street with the occasional shimmer and twinkle from the glancing blows of the angled rays of the sun provide the only change of scene in this part of Riyadh during the day.
