Your health is one of the most important things you will ever have in life and it is imperative that you take good care of your health. From keeping your weight down with a great diet to making sure to exercise on a regular basis, there is definitely quite a bit to keeping your body as healthy as possible. If you are looking for the best health information and tips on the web today, then you have arrived at the right place. Welcome to GoodHealthTips.com, where you can find all the health related information that you need. Here you will find many helpful articles, tips, and even health news that you need to know. It’s all right here – right at your fingertips.

Of course, taking care of your health is much more than diet and exercise. There are many other factors to be considered as well, such as your skin, your hair, dealing with various common infections, and many more. So, what type of things will you find here at the Good Health Tips site? Well, you’ll find great health tips and health articles that will prove to be informative and helpful. Just a few of the categories that you can browse here include the following:
- Fitness
- Food
- Hair
- Health
- Heart Burn
- Sinus Infections
- Yeast Infections


Fitness

One of the most important parts of keeping your body healthy is staying fit, which is why we offer so many articles and health tips on fitness here at this site. While diet is important as well, without fitness training your great diet will not be as effective. Here you’ll learn more about fitness and you’ll find articles discussing things like personal trainers and other great fitness topics.

Food
Of course, food is also extremely important when it comes to staying healthy. What you put into your body is definitely going to be reflected in your overall health. So, it is important that you learn what foods are healthy to eat and how they can affect your body. Are you interested in health food? If so, then you can find more information about health food right here. You’ll learn how important it is, how effective it can be, and even a bit on where you can find it. For those who are trying to improve their health by eating the right foods, this site has a great deal of advice and many tips to offer.

Hair
Believe it or not, many people forget their hair when they are thinking about their health. If you want hair that looks great, then you are going to have to take care of that. A person that keeps themselves in the best possible health is definitely going to have great looking hair as well. Perhaps you are suffering from hair loss and you’d like to find out how you can stop the problem. If so, then you can find great information on hair loss, products to help, and other great tips for keeping your hair healthy and avoiding even more hair loss.

Health
Looking for topics on general health? You’ll find what you’re looking for here. From topics regarding women’s health to special health issues for men, there are great health articles that you’ll find helpful and informative.

Heart Burn
Heart burn is a very common problem that many people deal with; however, many of them actually are unaware of what they are experiencing. Here you can learn more information about heart burn and how it can affect your life. Not only will you learn more about heartburn, but you’ll also learn about great over the counter and prescription medications that can help. If you prefer natural medicine, then you can also check out our articles dealing with herbal remedies for heart burn as well.

Sinus Infections
If you’ve ever had a sinus infection, you no doubt know how miserable they can be. Here at Good Health Tips you can find great articles that will help to educate you even more on these miserable infections. You’ll find information about the signs of a sinus infection, some helpful information on various sinus infection remedies, and some great tips to prevent and get rid of a sinus infection.

Yeast Infections
Yeast infections are usually problems that women deal with, and they can be quite uncomfortable to deal with. If you think you may have a yeast infection or you are looking for great cures for yeast infections, then you need to check out this section here at GoodHealthTips.com. You’ll find great articles discussing the symptoms to watch out for, natural cures for yeast infections, causes of the infections, and other treatments that can help as well.

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All women need to be aware of their vagina’s health. Keeping it healthy means you will avoid infections and also have a pleasant odor and the tips enclosed will ensure that you have optimum vagina health

A healthy vagina is home to a huge variety of minute organisms. Normally, they live harmoniously in an acidic environment that prevents the overproduction of any one species in the vagina and helps combat foreign bodies that can infect it.

Vaginal infections are common and occur when the delicate balance is disrupted can cause discomfort in the area and unpleasant smells.

Firstly, the health of a women’s Vagina and the smell are influenced by overall lifestyle, diet and weight.

If you follow the tips below you can ensure a healthy vagina so here they are:

1. Your Overall Diet

Eat a healthy diet. Cigarettes alcohol and drugs should be eliminated if you can or cut down, as should heavily spiced foods and junk food.

Try and eat as naturally as possible (food free of additives) and make sure you drink lots of water. What you put into your body comes out in its secretions and the vagina is the same. Ever noticed how your sweat smells differently after eating spiced food, then you will realize why this is so important.

2. Cleaning

Odor-producing bacteria can thrive on the vulva and need to be cleaned off regularly to prevent vaginal inflections and prevent odors.

Washing the genital area daily with a simple, fragrance-free soap is normally enough to keep the vagina area clean and fresh.

Your vagina self-cleans itself so douching is not required.

Furthermore, douching upsets the delicate balance between good and bad bacteria in the vaginal ecosystem and can actually be harmful.

Because infections such as yeasts are found in the intestine, it is important after going to the toilet to wipe front to back i.e. you need to wipe the vagina area first and the rectum last!

During sex it is also very important to avoid contamination of the vagina area with organisms and bodies from the bowel, or rectum area.

3. Clothes to wear

To prevent vaginal infections and keep your vagina healthy make sure your clothing allows the area to breath. To do this avoids tight garments and fabrics containing a high percentage of synthetic fibers such as nylon.

Remember, that tampons and diaphragms left for too long in the vagina can create a very strong unpleasant odor as well.

4. Safe sex

Finally, if you don’t know your partner very well, always Use a condom and a spermicidal to reduce the chances of infection and disease.

If you are unlucky enough to get an infection, the symptoms are outlined below of three of the most common ones.

The good news is that to reclaim a healthy vagina is easy, if you are alerted to the problem and take action.

1. Bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) accounts for more than 50% of all vagina related health visits.

About half of all women with BV vaginal infections have no obvious symptoms.

The most common symptom is a thin, white to light grey discharge with an offensive fishy like smell that is extremely unpleasant.

The odor is strongest when the discharge is exposed to any alkaline substance and this includes soap and semen, it will therefore be at its strongest and most obvious after cleaning or sex.

BV is easy to treat and is normally treated by a course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor.

2. Yeast

Although yeast infections are probably the most common type of vaginal infection, many women never bother to seek help.

Most simply recover naturally and others treat themselves with anti-fungal vaginal creams available without prescription from the chemist.

Symptoms of yeast infections include:

Vulvar itching combined with irritation in the vagina area and redness.

If the urinary opening becomes inflamed, urination will increase and discomfort will be present. If the infection is severe, the vulva will swell and fine breaks, called fissures occur. This causes vaginal discharges to become thicker and whiter.

Yeast infections are the result of excessive growth of a family of fungi that normally live in any healthy vagina, but when they increase the balance of the vagina is upset and problems occur.

The most common infection is vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), which is usually caused by a fungus named Candida albicans.

There are two types of VVC:

Uncomplicated, a mild infection that responds to therapy. Or recurrent which, is more severe and often occurs in women who have diabetes or are infected with less treatable forms of yeast, such as Candida glabratia.

Recurrent VVC, normaly occurs more than four times a year and needs a long initial treatment of around two weeks and then a follow-up therapy course for up to 6 months or longer.

Certain factors are common causes such as nylon and Lycra clothing that traps heat and moisture, so be aware of our clothing tips for a healthy vagina we noted earlier.

Other common causes include:

Obesity, pregnancy, diabetes and suppression of the immune system during illnesses, the use of oral contraceptives, and eating excessive amounts of sugars, starch, and yeasts.

If you do have a yeast vaginal infection, your doctor will ordinarily treat you with either prescription or nonprescription antifungal creams and suppositories referred to earlier.

If you have a problem get professional help and you will soon have a healthy vagina. Do not ignore symptoms or think they will go away get help quickly.

3. Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis, or "trich," is a sexually transmitted vaginal infection suffered by a huge amount of women worldwide and this runs into tens of millions. While infection with trichomoniasis can be uncomfortable, it is not in anyway a serious threat to overall health.

The symptoms are normally vulvar and vaginal burning and itching. The burning is normally at its height after intercourse.

In addition, there may be vulvar swelling and frequent and uncomfortable urination. There is a heavy vaginal discharge, usually yellowish or green, which may or may not have an offensive smell.

The trichomonad is a minute parasite. It has three tails at its narrow end and swims with them and the white blood cells of the body follow.

These blood cells literally chase down the trichomonad and kill it by eating it.

Symptoms occur only when the body's natural defense are swamped by with sheer number of reproducing trichomonads and the white blood cells cannot cope.

Trichomoniasis is usually easily diagnosed and antibiotic treatment cures it in the majority of cases.

Follow the tips above for a healthy vagina and if you do have a problem don’t worry or be embarrassed simply seek help quickly and clear up the problem, in the vast majority of cases treatment is quick, easy and painless
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Most cold and flu drugs attack symptoms, not the specific viruses. They don't cure, but they can bring relief, lighter symptoms, or shorten your illness. There's no one right way to treat a cold or the flu. But here are some questions to ask your pharmacist to get the right over-the-counter medication for you.

#1 Should I take a decongestant or an antihistamine?

This depends on your symptoms. If you have nasal or sinus congestion, then a decongestant can be helpful. If you have drainage -- either a runny nose or postnasal drip or itchy watery eyes -- then an antihistamine may be helpful. Over-the-counter antihistamines often make people drowsy; decongestants can make people hyper or keep them awake. Antihistamines can make secretions thick, which can be a problem for people with asthma. Keep in mind that both these medications may interact with other drugs you may be taking for conditions such as heart disease, and they may worsen some conditions. Discuss with your doctor or pharmacist which cold medication may be best for you.

#2 Is it safe to take a decongestant if I have high blood pressure?

Decongestants can increase blood pressure and heart rate, and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Pseudoephedrine is the primary oral decongestant available. In general, if your blood pressure is well controlled with medications, then a decongestant shouldn't be a problem as long as you monitor your blood pressure. This may not be true with certain types of blood pressure medications. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about what may be best for you.

#3 How often should I use nasal spray?

Nasal decongestants work fast to open breathing passages. But if you use them for more than three days in a row, you may suffer a "rebound effect," and end up more congested than you were at the start. Some doctors suggest using a saline spray instead of a medicated spray. Saline spray works more slowly but has no rebound effect.

#4 What's the deal with cough medicine?

An occasional cough may clear the lung of pollutants and excess phlegm. A persistent cough should be diagnosed and treated specifically. On the shelf you'll find numerous cough medicines with various combinations of decongestants, antihistamines, analgesics/antipyretics, cough suppressants, and expectorants. Ask your pharmacist which combination, if any, would be right for you.

#5 What should I take for fever and aches?

Fever may be a good thing. It helps the body fight off infection by suppressing the growth of bacteria and viruses and activating the immune system. Doctors no longer recommend suppressing fever for most people, except perhaps for the very young, the very old, and those with certain medical conditions such as heart disease or lung disease. However, if you are uncomfortable then it's fine to take medications. Young people (including those in their early 20s) should avoid aspirin. Acetaminophen (Tylenol and others) or the numerous other medicines like ibuprofen (Advil and others) are your best choices. Each has their own risks, so check with your doctor or pharmacist as to which may be best for you. Be careful not to overdose! These drugs are often mixed in with other cough and cold and flu remedies you may also be taking. Your pharmacist can help you make the right choice.

#6 What's best for my sore throat?

Drinking lots of fluids and using salt water gargles (made by combining a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of salt) can often be helpful for easing the pain of a sore throat. Some oral medications (such as Tylenol) and medicated lozenges and gargles can also temporarily soothe a sore throat. Get your doctor's approval before using any medications, including over-the-counter drugs, and don't use lozenges or gargles for more than a few days. The medications could mask signs of strep throat, a bacterial infection that should be treated with antibiotics.
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Assuming your doctor approves, exercise can help keep you healthy and feeling good during pregnancy.

While you should avoid strenuous activity, light exercise can offer many benefits during pregnancy.

The Nemours Foundation offers this partial list:

* Feeling better, having more energy, and getting better sleep at night.
* Reduced back pain and improved posture from stronger back, thigh and buttock muscles.
* Reduced stress and anxiety.
* Reduced risk of constipation.
* Less weight gain during pregnancy, and a quicker return to your pre-pregnancy weight.

Your body should tell you if it's had enough. Stop exercising immediately if you have any of the following symptoms:

* Fatigue.
* Dizziness.
* Heart palpitations.
* Shortness of breath.
* Pain in your back or pelvis.
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Skin care therapy is a well-established process known to many of us. Anti aging skin care tips can highlight the main theme behind the aging factor. How to keep your skin soft and shiny and not revealing your age is all about the tips.

How To Go With That!

Many cosmetic experts have suggested a number of ways to maintain healthy skin. A few of those can be listed below:

1. You must accept that medicine cures seldom.

2. Anti aging skin care products are the supplementary method of retarding age clock.

3. No wonder, your age can be visually reduced to look you younger.

4. If you follow the experts’ advice, the ball is on your court. Simply select the skin care products approved by your expert.

5. Never use too much anti aging medicine at a stretch. It can’t make your skin soft like a child.

6. As you know that your tenderly skin is very sensitive to external object, use the prescribed product step by step and note the result.


Considering the type of your skin, try some easily available home made solution for your skin problem:

1. Wash your skin with warm water.

2. Cleanse your skin with medicated soap.

3. Use antibacterial cleansing lotion to avoid skin rashes.

4. Use light antiseptic anti aging cosmetic product for smooth function.

5. You can use a mask of clay or mud.

6. To remove the aging wrinkle below your eyes, you can use anti aging eye cream.

7. Your lips may look protruding due to age; try using anti aging lip balm lip mask to get a comfortable result.

8. Avoid taking oily stuff.

9. Eat green vegetable, fruits and plenty of milk.

10. And don’t forget to drink sufficient pure water.
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Contact lenses can change the way you see the world. Using lenses drastically alters your vision and appearance. But for maintaining the health of your eyes and protecting your vision you need to care for your lenses. Protein deposits or fungal growth can prove detrimental to your eyes.

Contact lenses can change the way you see the world. Using lenses drastically alters your vision and appearance. But for maintaining the health of your eyes and protecting your vision you need to care for your lenses. Protein deposits or fungal growth can prove detrimental to your eyes.

Once you have had your eyes checked by the doctor and ordered your lenses, request your eye care professional to instruct you on how to care for your lenses. Educate yourself by reading articles and tips on web sites devoted to the care of vision health. Make a list of doubts you want to clear and find out answers to the questions.

Many lens providers give a detailed booklet along with the lenses. Read the booklet thoroughly and understand what needs to be done. Remember, lens care is not standard different kinds have a different regimen. So, the care required would depend on whether your lenses are daily wear, disposables, soft lenses, hard lenses, or continuous wear. Daily wear lenses must be removed at the end of the day, continuous wear lenses at the end of six days and disposable lenses must be discarded.

Basically lens care means:

1. Washing your hands thoroughly with mild soap, then rinsing the hands well and drying with a lint free towel before handling the lenses. Your hands must be free of pollutants and foreign bodies at all times. Never use cold cream, cosmetics, face powder or lotions just before handling the lenses.

2. Always handle lenses with your fingertips. Keep fingernails short and well filed.

3. After removal, the lenses must be cleaned, rinsed, and disinfected well. The solutions used must be approved by the FDA and manufactured by reputable companies. Never compromise on quality, remember you must protect your eyes. Clean lenses immediately after you remove them from the eyes.

4. The lens care solution must be fresh not expired and follow carefully the chemical system of sterilization.

5. For rewetting lenses only use recommended solutions not saliva or any other alternative. Never lick your lens or use tap water.

6. Fix your routine and follow it carefully. Remove lens 1, clean, rinse, disinfect and then place in its chamber in the lens storage case. Then repeat procedure for lens 2.

7. Lenses should always be completely immersed in disinfecting solution when not in use. Never leave lenses exposed to dust or air.

8. Learn the correct method of storing lenses.

9. If recommended use a lubricating solution while the lenses are in use. This will give comfort.

10. If you experience stickiness, discomfort, or any other problem immediately consult your doctor and replace the lenses. No lens with bacterial or fungal growth should ever be worn.

If you experience any irritation from household cleaning fluids, gardening solutions, flying particles, or chemicals rinse your eyes well with tap water and go immediately to the doctor’s clinic or hospital. Treatment must not be delayed.
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1.NOT wear your contact lenses to sleep - this practice increases the chance of infection by 10 times.

2.TAKE your lenses out of your eyes at night, after washing your hands. RINSE and RUB each one in the palm of your hand with a sterile multipurpose solution or hydrogen peroxide. This removes most of the microbes and particulate matter on your lens after wearing them so allowing the disinfectant to work.



3.Place your lens in your storage case with FRESH multipurpose solution or peroxide.

4.In the morning, REMOVE your lens from the solution in your storage case and place it in your eye (if using peroxide remember to neutralize it).

5.THROW AWAY the solution from your storage case (NEVER reuse it ) and shake the case until it is dry or allow it to air dry (a paper tissue may be needed to wipe it dry).

6.Leave the storage case DRY all day. This kills many contaminating bacteria.

7.CHANGE the storage case every month WHEN you change your ‘disposable’ contact lenses so that a FRESH new lens is used with each NEW storage case. Wearers of non-disposable contact lenses should CHANGE their storage case every month.

8.NEVER wash your storage case or lenses with tap water - this predisposes them to contamination which can cause infection. Only wash the lens or storage case with STERILE solutions.

9.NEVER store your lenses in fresh saline solution or tap water!

10.If you develop a sore red eye, STOP wearing the contact lens at once! The inflammation usually resolves itself but if pain persists for more than 24 hours, visit a doctor or eye-care professional and advise them that you have been wearing a contact lens. TAKE your lens, storage case and cleaning solution with you - it will HELP them establish what has happened. CAREFULLY follow the instructions that you are given.

If you have any of the following:

* an eye disease
* a dry eye
* are using regular drugs for your eyes
* diabetes
* suffer from repeated infections
* are aged under 15 or over 65

You must discuss your suitability for wearing contact lenses with your optician, optometrist or eye care doctor.

1.Keep your hands away from your face. Squeezing blackheads and pimples can make them worse.

2.Keep your hair off your face. Cut, tie, or comb it, but don't let it add to your acne by spreading oil and bacteria.

3.Avoid oily soaps, moisturizing creams, oily hair preparations, and all heavy makeup.



4.If you use makeup, be sure to use water-base preparations.

5.Change the way you wash your face, If you find yourself facing periodic acne breakouts, try changing the way you wash your face. Don't scrub too hard, because that can irritate your skin and make it more vulnerable to bacteria. Use a clean towel (or tissue) to dry your face, so as not to transfer bacteria from a used towel. And be sure that objects that come in contact with your face "like a telephone receiver" are clean. Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day, exercise, and try to take stress breaks. Don't rely on the sun to "dry up" your acne. It won't help and it will only set you up for wrinkles and skin cancer.

6.Within the limits of a healthy diet, eat whatever you like. There is no evidence that diet affects acne. If you believe that you react to certain foods, keep a record of what happens each time you eat the food and eliminate that food if you are convinced that it flares your acne.

7.If tetracycline is prescribed, be sure to take it at least one hour before or two hours after mealtime. Never take milk, ice cream, or other dairy products within two hours before or after taking medicine. It's best to take medicine at bedtime with a glass of water. Other antibiotics can be taken with meals. Please ask for instructions.

8.Remember, treatment only controls acne; it doesn't cure it. Don't stop treatment because your skin clears up. Acne lesions begin at least a month before you can see them.

9.Learn to accept the ups and downs of acne activity. With persistence, you will ultimately see real improvement.

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* Use a soft bristled brush, preferably one with rounded, synthetic bristles.

* Replace your toothbrush approximately every two to three months or as soon as the bristles are worn or bent. A worn-out toothbrush does not clean your teeth properly, and may actually injure your gums. You should also replace your toothbrush after you've had a cold.

* Be sure your brush is the right size (in general, smaller is better than larger).

* Place the bristles at a 45 degree angle to the gum line, and slide the tips of the brush under the gums.



* Gently jiggle the bristles or move it in small circles over the tooth and gums.

* Brush the outside, the inside, and the chewing surfaces of your teeth. For chewing surfaces, use a light back and forth motion.

* For the front teeth, brush the inside surfaces of the upper and lower jaws: Tilt your brush vertically and make several strokes up and down with the front part of the brush over the teeth and gum tissues.

* Brushing your tongue will help freshen your breath. Debris and bacteria can collect on your tongue and cause bad breath.

* Since your toothbrush will only clean one or two teeth at a time, change its position to clean each tooth properly.

* Brush at least once every day, preferably at bedtime. Adding a brush time after breakfast increases your chances of thorough daily plaque removal.

* Take your time: A thorough brushing should take at least 3 minutes.

* Don't brush your teeth too vigorously, and don't use a hard bristled toothbrush, since it causes the gums to recede and exposes root surfaces. It also wears down the tooth structure. Both of these conditions can lead to tooth sensitivity.

* A pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste is sufficient.

* Replace your brush when the bristles begin to spread, as a worn out toothbrush will not properly clean your teeth.

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1.Gallstones typically develop over many years, although they can form in months. Gallstones are present in about 20% of women and 10% of men over the age of 55.

2.There are two basic types of gallstones: cholesterol and pigment. Cholesterol gallstones are the most common type in the United States.

3.About 75% of gallstones do not cause symptoms. The most common symptom caused by gallbladder stones is episodic upper abdominal pain.


4.For healthy patients who have no symptoms, no therapy or change in diet is needed. Patients with uncomplicated symptomatic gallbladder stones should reduce dietary fat and consider surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). An alternate approach is oral bile acid therapy. For complicated disease, gallbladder removal is warranted.

5.Patients who undergo rapid weight loss are at risk for the development of small cholesterol gallstones and may benefit from bile acid therapy. Gallstones can seldom be prevented, although a low-fat diet may provide some protective benefit.

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When you're under stress, your muscles tense, and your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. one of the simplest (and best) ways to stop this stress response is to breathe deeply and slowly. It sounds simple, and it is. Most of us, however, do not breathe deeply under normal circumstances, so it may help to review the mechanics of deep breathing and how it helps us
to relax

Breathe to relax

Breathing Under Stress:

When prehistoric humans were in danger of attack, their muscles tensed and their breathing became rapid and shallow, as they prepared to run or fight. Their high level of tension was a means of preparing their bodies for optimum performance. Today, the causes of our "stress" are different, but our stress response is the same. However, since we're not running or fighting, our tension has no release and our stress response builds. One way to counteract the stress response is to learn how to breathe deeply and slowly -- the opposite of how we breathe when under stress.

How Deep Breathing Works:

Deep breathing is not always natural to adults. Watch the way a baby breathes: the area beneath the chest goes in and out. Most adults breathe from the chest. This is shallower breathing, so less oxygen is taken in with each breath. As a result, the blood is forced to move through the system quickly so that enough oxygen gets to the brain and organs. Higher blood pressure results.

Deep breathing can reverse these effects. Take some time to practice this kind of breathing each day, especially when you're under stress. You can be sitting, standing or Iying down, but it helps to wear loose, comfortable clothing. Begin by breathing in through your nostrils. Count to five silently saying the word "in " and let your lower abdomen fill with air. Then silently saying the word "out" as you let the all escape a pursed lips. Do this deep breathing for two minutes or more each time. With practice, you will be able to count slowly to 10 or higher; You can increase your relaxationicon if you imagine breathing in ocean air, the scent of flowers or forest air.

Effects of Deep Breathing:

By helping you let go of tension, deep breathing can relieve headaches, backaches, stomach aches and sleeplessness. It releases the body's own painkillers. called endorphins, into the system. It allows blood pressure to return to normal, which is good for your heart. Deep breathing can also allow held-in emotions to come to the surface, so your emotional health benefits from deep breathing, too. Use deep breathing any time, anywhere. It's one of the best techniques for relieving stress.

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By now, everyone has heard that you're supposed to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. We've all heard it, but how many of us actually do it?

Very few.

Today, I'm going to cover why drinking enough water is so important for your health and why it's absolutely essential if you want to lose weight.

First, let's cover the basics. Your body is 60-70% water. Your blood is almost all water. Your muscles contain water. Heck, even your bones contain water. Water is essential to proper body function. Your body uses water to regulate its temperature, transport nutrients, build body tissue, digest food, breathe, lubricate joints, and a whole host of other tasks.


Basically, without water you die.

When you're dehydrated, exercise becomes more difficult.

Studies have show that even mild dehydration of just 3% of your body weight can decrease your strength by 10%. And if 10-12% of your body's weight in water is lost, death can occur. So before, during, and after exercise, be sure to drink water.

Water Is Essential For Weight Loss

I know that some people are afraid to drink too much water or they think they'll get bloated and start retaining water. Actually, the opposite is true. When your body is dehydrated, even a little bit, your body starts to retain water to survive. When your body starts retaining water, your kidneys stop eliminating waste through urine so your body starts building up waste. Once your kidneys stop doing what they're supposed to, the liver steps in and tries to help out. However, when the liver steps in to get rid of waste, it starts to neglect its other jobs, one of which is burning fat. So when you're dehydrated, you're not going to be burning fat. If you want to burn more fat, drink more water.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

The number you hear thrown out most often is that you should drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day (64oz). However, for many people, especially active people, your needs may be a gallon of water or more.

The National Research Council recommends 1-1.5 ml of water for ever calorie (kcal) you use each day. So, if you typically expend 2000 calories a day, then you should drink 66-100 ounces of water a day. If you expend 3000 calories a day, then you should drink 100-149 ounces of water each day.

It may seem like a lot of water, but keep in mind that once you feel thirsty, you're already in a state of mild dehydration. Your goal should be to never be thirsty.

Hungry Or Thirsty?

It's been said that the thirst mechanism is so weak in most people that it's often mistaken for hunger. So next time you think you're hungry, drink a glass of water first and wait 15 minutes. In many cases, you won't be hungry anymore, but if you're still hungry, then by all means eat. So just by drinking water you can stop yourself from overeating and this process alone may help you lose a few pounds.

Can I drink anything besides water?

Yes, but you should still make it your goal to drink mostly water. If you want to enjoy a sports drink after a workout, go ahead. If you want to have your morning cup of coffee, that's also okay.

However, soda doesn't count (you really shouldn't drink soda except on special occasions) and alcohol certainly doesn't count – alcohol actually dehydrates you and stops fat loss dead in its tracks.

Can I Drink Too Much Water?

It's hard to, but yes. I was actually tempted not to even include this section since I don't want to encourage people to avoid drinking water.

So yes, it is actually possible to drink too much water. It's called water intoxication (or hyperhydration and water poisoning) and it happens when you drink more water than the body can remove (i.e. you drink too much too fast). It can also happen if you're drinking a lot of water but not replacing electrolytes during heavy exercise (i.e. you’re running a marathon).

However, this is very rare, and almost everyone doesn't drink enough water, so don't be afraid to drink water. If you're really concerned after a workout that you don't have enough electrolytes, then have a sports drink (gatorade or powerade are acceptable) or eat a banana.

What kind of water should I drink?

I don't like the idea of there being chlorine and fluoride in my tap water, so I don't drink tap water if I can help it. I usually just buy spring water by the gallon at my local supermarket for about 60cents/gallon. However, if you prefer using a water filter or if you enjoy plain ole tap water, then go ahead. There are certain types of water that are slightly better for you than others, but for now, I would just concentrate on drinking the water rather than worrying about any of the other small details.
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Asthma is characterized by coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing. Asthma symptoms can be triggered by several factors, including: allergens or irritants; viral or sinus infections; exercise; reflux disease (stomach acid flowing back up the esophagus); medications or foods; and emotional anxiety.

Asthma Prevention

Asthma Information
Caffeine and Asthma
If you feel an asthma attack coming on and don't have your inhaler handy, try a couple cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or chocolate bars. The caffeine will help open your airways.

Controlling Your Asthma
If you find yourself using your quick-relief inhaler to stop an asthma attack more than twice a week, it may be time for a different medication. In fact, if you have to refill your inhaler more than two times a year or are awakened by asthma symptoms two nights or more per week, you also probably need a change.

Correct Inhaler Use
If you use an inhaler to treat your asthma, remember that it's not a breath freshener. You must deeply inhale the medication into your lungs and hold it for three to five seconds before exhaling slowly.

NSAIDs, Aspirin and Asthma
Asthma sufferers should use the non-aspirin pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) because the use of aspirin and NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), such as Advil/Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen sodium), have the tendency to worsen asthma.

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