Tag: Healthy Lifestyle

5 Success Tips for Your First HCG Diet Program

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Losing weight can be difficult if you don’t love dieting all that much and are not habitual of vigorous exercise. Both eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly are essential for gradual and sustainable weight loss. Unfortunately, most people give up on a healthy lifestyle too fast and too soon, way before it can become a habit.

A key reason for this is the lack of information on how a particular diet program really works and what it would take to keep going until you reach your goal weight. Once you understand the fundamental principles of a diet plan and the supporting physical activity, it will be easier to maintain the rigor and complete your weight-loss program successfully.

HCG Diet, a popular diet program followed by millions, is a special weight-loss regime that helps in rapid weight loss, provided you follow the guidelines related to food, exercise, and lifestyle.

HCG diet has three phases, each of which plays an important role in helping you lose fat and maintain the weight when the program is over. Each phase has a comprehensive diet plan with detailed meal plans that list the ingredients, cooking methods as well as seasoning suggestions. Here is a quick overview of all three.

HCG Diet Phase 1: the Loading Phase

This two-day phase marks the beginning of your HCG diet. It is called the loading phase as during this time you are expected to eat copious amounts of food, including fattening foods such as cakes, cookies, sodas and ice cream. You eat all you want, to your heart’s content, and prepare yourself for the next few weeks of the controlled diet.

Inevitably, some people feel they have gained weight once the loading period is over. But that is normal. The purpose of this deliberate overeating is to satiate your cravings for sweet and fatty foods and energize your body systems for the upcoming low-calorie diet.

HCG Diet Phase 2: the Burning Phase

The third day of your HCG diet plan is the day you get into weight-loss mode. A diet of no more than 500/800/1200 calories per day is prescribed, along with daily intake of HCG drops. The burning or weight-loss phase lasts between three and six weeks based on an individual’s weight-loss needs. It, however, should not exceed six weeks.

As you stick with a controlled diet and follow the instructions regarding food types, portion size, foods to avoid exercise and sleep, you will experience gradual weight loss along with visible changes in your waist size and other body stats.

HCG Diet Phase 3: the Maintenance Phase

As the name indicates, the maintenance phase is where you learn to maintain your hard-earned weight loss and steer clear of falling into a cycle of rapid weight gain after successfully completing the burning phase.

There are strict guidelines for this last phase as well, such as avoiding sugar and carbs and learning to eat a normal diet of 1,500 calories a day. The maintenance phase is crucial as it helps your body systems to stabilize after the grueling burning phase. As your body gets accustomed to your new weight and eating habits, you will feel renewed, rejuvenated and energized.

If you’re planning to go on HCG diet, the following five tips will help you make the most of your experience.

Brace your body and mind

Preparing yourself physically and mentally is essential for the success of any diet program. The more committed you are to the plan, the higher the chances of your success. However, commitment alone will not get you there. Before you go on any diet program, it is important to understand what it can do for you and what could be the repercussions of not following the rules of the said plan.

This will help you prepare yourself for the various ups and downs and keep you sane while you chase your fitness goals.

Don’t starve yourself

Starving only leads to overeating. While 500 calories a day may sound too less to satiate your appetite, the HCG diet program comes with plenty of information to help you choose the right foods that align with such a low-calorie diet.

By choosing to eat low-cal foods that will make you feel full, you will be able to stick to the diet plan day on day. To save yourself from starving while you prepare your meals, don’t wait until you’re hungry and make something well in advance to avoid falling for the pack of chips that you’ve stashed away out of sight.

For once, be strict with yourself

The HCG diet has certain do’s and don’ts, which not everyone is able to follow. As said previously, this HCG regimen demands a lot out of you and only those who follow the guidelines are able to experience substantial weight loss.

To avoid going off track out of frustration, educate yourself by finding out more about HCG-friendly foods and prepare a list of your personal favorites. Stock up on these goodies well in advance so that you always have the raw ingredients to cook up a meal. And, most importantly, don’t allow yourself to cheat.

Make friends with water

The best thing about water is that it can make you feel full minus any calories. Water is a zero-calorie drink, and in fact, the HCG diet calls for drinking plenty of water every day. This will keep your body hydrated and your stomach feeling full.

For more information on the HCG weight-loss program, do check out https://hcgdiet.com/, a leading and trusted resource for credible information regarding the HCG diet.

Take up supporting activities

While most of the advice on HCG diet revolves around food, the importance of your lifestyle during the three phases is often ignored. There is plenty you can do to keep yourself calm and motivated through the program. For instance, explore meditation and yoga to ward off feelings of anxiety. Go cycling or running or hang out with a friend who is trying to lose weight to keep your mind off food.

Understanding parasites and the importance of cleansing

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Parasites are present inside the human body and a parasite cleanse is a dietary supplement regimen which helps the body detoxify and get rid of the parasitic infections. The purpose of the cleanse is to achieve the results without any prescription medications or drugs. There is an effective way to treat a parasitic infection and although it might seem difficult initially, it is the best way for the long term.

What are parasites?

The organisms which infect the body of a living being and lives of their hosts are known as parasites. There are some parasites which create no symptoms in their hosts and there are many others which can lead to severe illness. Infections occur when the parasites grow, reproduce and then invade the organs which make you ill.

Symptoms

Most parasites come from the consumption of food and water which is contaminated. Additionally, when you travel abroad, you expose yourself to tropical parasites. Based on the type of parasites you have and the way it affects your body, there are certain symptoms which include stomach pain, nausea, stomach cramps, weight loss, vomiting, dehydration, gas, fever, constipation, diarrhea, upset stomach, itching, swollen lymph nodes, flu like symptoms, aches and pains, redness and irritation.

Diagnosis

An infection is typically diagnosed by a stool sample and the doctor may ask for the sample more than once before you test positive for the same.

Treatment

Depending on the type of infection you have, you can decide how you want to treat it. Some infections tend to disappear on their own if you eat healthily and maintain a balanced diet. In cases when it does not go away on its own, the doctor might prescribe oral medication which is effective and has worked well in the past. Many also choose natural remedies to cleanse their body off the parasites instead of undergoing medication or treatments.

Home remedies for a parasite cleanse

It is highly recommended for everyone to go for a parasite cleanse at least once in a year. There are a lot of natural health practitioners who recommend cleansing the human parasite infections with various herbal supplements like barberry, anise, clove oil, black walnut berberine, goldthread, curled mint, goldenseal, propolis, oregon grape, grapefruit seed extract, oregano oil, and wormwood.

There are plant-derived, natural medicines that claim to cleanse the parasites from your body including the liver, intestines and other parts of the digestive tract. There are also homeopathic treatments available for the elimination of specific parasites from the body. You need to choose gentle herbs for your detox otherwise it could have a side effect on your body. Before you begin any supplemental detox program, you need to ask the doctor or the health practitioner about the same.

There are some herbal detox programs which last two weeks on and two weeks off. There are others which can last for up to one month. Hence, it is important that you contact your health practitioner regarding the duration of the supplements and how long should your program last. A lot of remedies interact with medications, hence, it is important to contact the doctor.

Parasite cleansing diet

In a parasite cleanse, it is very important to follow a balanced diet which is high in nutrients and is very low on refined sugars as well as processed foods. Fiber is important for your body and it will keep the bowel movement regular when you cleanse. Additionally, you need to have a nutrition rich diet in order to strengthen the immune system as the parasites will be flushed out of your body.

You can include pumpkin seeds, garlic, honey and papaya seeds in your diet because they are considered to be anti-parasitic food. A lot of health practitioners recommend a sugar-free and grain free diet. Many also recommend limiting the fruit intake so as to reduce the dietary sugars from the body. However, when you try to limit the intake of sugar, your body will crave for it and these are the common symptoms that you will notice once you start the cleansing program. The symptoms have a cure and are easy to handle. You should also avoid eating raw meat and seafood. If you are traveling, you need to ensure that you do not consume water that is not purified, do not consume ice and fruits that you cannot peal.

Side effects and their solutions

There are a number of side effects of a parasite cleanse and these include flu-like symptoms, headache, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. All supplements are not safe to take and they may interact with the current prescription medicines that you might be consuming. Some supplements also cause problems for pregnant women and children. Parasite cleansing could worsen the autoimmune symptoms or other chronic health conditions. Hence, the supplements should be avoided by those who are anemic. If you are constipated, you need to avoid the process of parasite cleanses. Get plenty of fiber in the diet before you begin taking the supplements and ensure that you are having regular bowel movements. In an intestinal cleanse, it is important to have a regular bowel movement because the parasites inside your intestine need to be removed over the course of the cleanse.

If you think you have a parasite infection, you need to consult the doctor for a testing and then start a cleanse program. Talk to the doctor about different options. You will be able to find the right parasite therapy under the doctor’s care and it will also help you fight the die off symptoms. You will be able to take the right precautions and cure the symptoms in an efficient manner. Lastly, you need to find out if you have parasites and what kind they are before you begin with a cleanse. When you gain information about the types of parasites and its impact on the human body, you will be able to cleanse your body in the right manner.

4 Alternative Vegan Diets You Can Try

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Adopting a vegan diet is one of the healthiest things you can ever do when it comes to looking out for your body. The over-consumption of meat and animal products has been linked to many serious and degenerative diseases, so regulating your daily consumption of such foodstuffs can certainly help in preventing those health conditions from compromising your health. Besides this, sticking with a vegan diet will also do wonders for you when it comes to helping you lose weight and feel much better overall.

However, for those of us who have grown up with having a large amount of meat in our daily diets, giving up meat entirely can prove to be very challenging, or even outright impossible. Thankfully, there are alternative vegan diets you can try out that can start you off on the healthy and virtuous path of complete and total veganism. Here are some of them.

Lacto-ovo Vegetarian

This is the most common type of diet that many aspiring vegans would adopt at the start of their zero-meat intake journey, often sticking with it for long periods of time until they either convert back to a carnivorous diet or graduate into full veganism. As its name suggests, the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet consists of a healthy amount of greens, dairy, and eggs. Meat is naturally left out of the equation.

But what about those who suffer from lactose intolerance, but still wish to pursue this particular vegan starter diet? We recommend you drink milked nuts as a dietary alternative—i.e. almond milk, peanut milk, and so on—instead of regular dairy. This way, you get just as much protein with the same creamy deliciousness, but without the added calories, cholesterol, and other potentially harmful stuff that comes with the regular consumption of animal-derived dairy products.

Other versions of this diet include Lacto vegetarian and Ovo vegetarian, which focuses on supplementing their vegetable diet with either milk or eggs respectively.

Pollotarian

If eggs and dairy products aren’t quite enough for you to subsist on alongside your leafy greens, then you might want to ratchet the difficulty factor for yourself down a few more notches and go with the pollotarian diet instead. This vegan alternative eating style forbids red meat of any kind, along with all types of seafood. Meat and other food products derived from poultry and fowl are allowed. Dairy is considered included in the diet as well, although some pollotarians choose to exclude such food sources.

As this diet forbids red meat along with seafood, it helps health-conscious dieters and foodie lovers slowly wean themselves off of meat products while still allowing them to partake on healthier and leaner meat choices. Of course, those who decide to go pollotarian should take heed to only cook their allowed meat products in healthy ways to fully enjoy the benefits of their diet.

Pescatarian

Somewhat the opposite of the pollotarian diet, going pescatarian means avoiding all meat except for aquatic sources, such as fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and other types of seafood. Dairy, like pollotarians, are also considered as an optional source of nutrition.

The pescatarian diet is a bit easier to handle than the other vegan diet alternatives, simply due to the fact that seafood consists of so many textures, flavors, and cuisine types. In contrast, the pollotarian only has one single type of meat to enjoy, and in a limited number of ways at that. Finally, the consumption of fatty types of seafood, such as tuna and mackerel, bestows a lot of important health benefits to the dieter.

Flexitarian

If you’re really finding it hard to commit to the vegan lifestyle but still want to give it an honest shot, then this alternative diet might be for you. The flexitarian dieter seeks to keep to a wholly plant-based diet while also enjoying the meat dish. How occasionally the meat comes up is completely up to the flexitarian, of course, but some choose to indulge once a week, or once a month.

Of all the vegan alternative diets, this may be the easiest to handle since the dieter is able to enjoy their favorite meat dish while still increasing their vegetable intake by a considerably high amount. However, the fact that there is no limit to the type of meat allowed in their indulgent periods means that they are still being exposed to the potential health consequences of meat consumption. The frequency of their “meat breaks” may also have a detrimental effect on the health benefits of their majorly plant-based diet.

Conclusion

Adopting a wholly plant-based diet can really improve your health as well as the quality of life you’re enjoying. However, you don’t have to go cold turkey right away when it comes to eating meat. By taking up these alternative vegan diets, you can slowly ease yourself into this healthier and more rewarding lifestyle.

 

Quick-Fire Questions: The Health Edition

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Health is the most important aspect of anybody’s life, which is why keeping yours in the best condition should be top of the agenda at all times. For many, however, the hardest challenge revolves around building a winning plan of action.

Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding this field.

What Is The Best Diet?

Anyone that says there is a one size fits all diet for everyone is either a liar or a fool. For starters, person A may be 6’1” and wanting to gain muscle, person B could be 5’2” and wanting to lose weight. This in itself should underline the need to focus on finding a strategy that works for you.

In your case, this could mean getting tested for various food allergies or merely focusing on the foods that you love. It’s far better to discover nutritional habits that suit your needs as well as your lifestyle. When you do this, your chances of sticking to the plan become far greater too.

There is one tip that should be embraced by all, however: stay hydrated!

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How Much Exercise Should I Do?

The experts say that you should be getting at least 30-minutes of moderate activity at least 3-4 times per week. While this is a good starting point for beginners, most people will find that this isn’t enough to unlock optimum health or performance. Crucially, you need to exercise in a smart manner.

Exercise should be fun and rewarding. Team sports, gym workouts, and class sessions can all be used to significant effect. Meanwhile, you’ll want to focus on targeting your weak points as well as the strongest areas. Mixing up the intensity levels and workout types can keep you on your toes too.

Remember that rest and recovery is equally vital, though, especially when you suffer an injury.

Are Mistakes Final?

No. While you cannot turn back the hands of time, there’s no point in feeling sorry for yourself. After all, we are all guilty of making mistakes with our health. A proactive response is the only way to learn from those errors and develop into a better person. This should be a target for all.

Those errors can come in many aspects of our lives, not least with regards to sexual health. Getting checked for infections is vital after unprotected sex. Meanwhile, an abortion pill can stop the threat of bad decisions impacting your entire life. Be sure to follow this up with further education on the subject.

Or if you’ve been guilty of habits that harm your health, it’s never too late to change.

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What Are The Best Ways To Stay On The Road To Recovery?

No two people are identical. Nonetheless, despite the fact that it has to be a personal journey back to the top, embracing helping hands is vital. With the right support, the journey ahead will feel less daunting. This should, in turn, ensure that the ride is less bumpy too.

Whether battling addictions or recovering from an illness or injury, outlets are vital. Having an activity that helps focus your mind elsewhere and stop dwelling on your problems is vital. Meanwhile, setting daily milestones will break down the process into bitesize chunks.

You can get back to your best, and the right plan of action will undoubtedly aid the cause.

Is It OK To Self-Diagnose My Illnesses?

We all encounter minor health issues such as flu throughout the year. In those cases, buying over the counter medication is the fastest and most cost-effective solution. However, in a world where we can drag up information on any subject, it can be tempting to take things further. Resist the temptation.

While it is possible that you’ll find the right diagnosis, getting it wrong will prevent you from getting the best treatment. Given that fast, accurate responses are the only way to restore your health to its best, this is the only option. The experts boast that status for a reason.

If it’s anything other than common cold symptoms, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

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Oral Health – Cosmetic Vanity Or Genuine Necessity?

Do you need a Hollywood smile to enjoy great health? Absolutely not. In fact, many would argue that the clearly fake smiles look ridiculous. One thing you cannot ignore, however, is the fact that the underlying oral health issues are of huge significance.

Good oral health should start with effective daily cleaning. Millions swear by electric toothbrushes, but it’s perhaps even more crucial to add mouthwash and flossing to the daily activities. Meanwhile, regular checkups, especially if you’ve experienced pain, are essential too.

So, to recap: Hollywood smile? No.Winning smile? Definitely.

Just How Important Is The Right Frame Of Mind?

If nothing else, the answers to the questions above should highlight the fact that mental health is as crucial as physical health. Unfortunately, other people cannot notice the damage quite like they’ll spot physical issues. Only you can take responsibility, but that doesn’t mean you have to be alone.

Vocalizing a problem to yourself can be the first step to accepting the need to treat it. Meanwhile, opening up to friends and family often leads to love, support, and advice. If the thought of discussing those issues with loved ones feels too much, online forums or local experts can help.

When your mindset is in the right place, you can achieve anything. Do not underestimate it for a second.

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Any Other Tricks For Great Health?

It may not seem like a major issue, but establishing a routine is vital for your health. From sleeping at the same times to working out on the same days each week, plenty of evidence backs up the claims that this can be hugely beneficial.

If nothing else, it’ll keep you on the right track and help train your mind. Having said that, the chance to take a break and recharge the batteries is something that everyone should want to grab. Otherwise, it can all get a bit too much.

Most importantly, though, you have to do what works for you.

The Importance of Finding An Outlet in Recovery

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The Importance of Finding An Outlet in Recovery

 

By Kevin Repass

Experience

As a former drug addict and alcoholic in recovery, I have found that it is extremely valuable to find some type of outlet or activities you can enjoy to relieve stress, focus or express yourself. Finding an outlet can help maintain sobriety and prevent relapse. My outlet is the gym and writing. Sticking with a gym routine makes me feel better about myself both mentally and physically. Another outlet I use is writing. If I find myself feeling stuck in my head or having a craving for substances, I have found writing poetry or lyrics clears my head. I can capture my feelings at the time and release it onto a piece of paper. Outlets can come in the form of anything- exercise, music, meditation, prayer, arts, and crafts- anything that can keep you in the moment, find inner peace and allow you to release whatever it is you’re feeling at the time. It can also pull your attention away from triggers and curb or prevent cravings.

Way Out

Finding an outlet isn’t just a form of release but also a replacement. In fact, finding a healthy outlet can replace your old, unhealthy habit of drinking and drug use. Finding an activity you can actually enjoy sober is vital. You must find activities and outlets that can help you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I highly suggest finding ones that you never tried sober. Try to avoid activities you enjoyed while drinking or using, as those can be potential triggers for relapse.

Way Forward

If you feel lost and don’t know where to begin when it comes to finding an outlet, the simple answer is an experiment. Step out of your comfort zone. Take advantage of everything and everyone around you. Don’t be afraid to explore new places and try new things, even if you don’t think you would enjoy it. You never know until you try. Who knows, maybe you had a hidden talent or niche that you otherwise wouldn’t have known existed. Finding an outlet can also help you connect with other people. Getting yourself out there can help you find other people who share similar interests which, in turn, can build a positive environment and social network valuable to your recovery. Finding an outlet can also help you rediscover, reinvent and find yourself again.

Kevin Repass is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. He is a writer for https://yourfirststep.org/ a south Florida-based company dedicated to providing resources and information to all those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help Treat Anxiety Disorder

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Have you ever undergone severe panic attacks, compulsive thoughts, or inescapable tensions? Though it isn’t yet proved that the listed symptoms are observed in the patients suffering from anxiety disorders, the risk to develop the same is high among the people suffering from intolerable phobia or worries.

 

There exist a plethora of medication and treatment that can help you tackle anxiety, however, counseling and therapy are often considered to be the best possible measure to begin your treatment with. Some specific kind of therapies such as exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy direct the patient on how to diminish your anxiety disorder, get rid of troublesome thoughts, and overcome your phobia. Here’s how you can treat anxiety disorders with effective therapy:

 

Get rid of Anxiety disorders with appropriate therapy

 

As per the recent studies, therapy is termed to be the best possible technique and alternative to medication to treat even extreme anxiety disorder. Not only does it evaluate the reasons behind this disorder but it helps you to create an effective coping ability.

 

It is worth noting that there are diverse sorts of anxiety disorders, hence, an appropriate therapy is executed taking into the account your symptoms and problems. For instance, a patient experiencing compulsive thought related problems would be provided with a completely different therapy than the one who suffers from regular panic attacks. Though the span of counseling is more or less short-term, the duration of the procedure mainly relies on the symptoms and severity of the disease and can take up to 7-10 sessions to get full recovery. Let’s learn the major therapies for an anxiety disorder:

 

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Apart from aiding the patient to recover from panic attacks, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) has proven to be effective enough in eliminating phobias, obsessive thoughts, depression, and worries, social as well as comprehensive anxiety disorder, and the list goes on. The therapy is categorized into two major parts i.e., cognitive therapy and Behavioral therapy.

While the contribution of off-putting thoughts to your disorder is determined in the former case, the later identifies how the sufferer response to the worrisome situations. As said ‘improving the way you take on the situations would help you feel better while encountering them’, the foremost measure the therapy focuses on is to change your thinking. Here’s how it happens:

 

  • Determining the negative thoughts: One of the major challenges faced by the patient suffering from an anxiety disorder is that they tend to consider the situation more hazardous than they actually are. For instance, for a person dealing with germ phobia, touching another person would be as dangerous as killing themselves. Though it might appear a ridiculous fear, determining your very own illogical fears isn’t an easy task. And that’s when a therapist comes into the play. He/she helps you identify your phobia, fear, worries, and negativities that have made you suffer from anxiety disorder.

 

  • Getting rid of negative mindset: While finding out the issues seems quite effortless, overcoming the same can turn out to be the major challenge of your life. In this phase, your counselor would instruct you on how to analyze the harmful thoughts. This stage includes: evaluating useless thinking, checking out the accurateness of the anticipated negative concerns, performing multiple experiments, guiding you on how to avoid the things you’re scared of, and analyzing the probability that what the patient is worrying would in reality happen.

 

  • Changing negative concerns into practical thoughts: Once you’ve got an idea of the concerns that are affecting your lifestyle, you could change the same with more sensible and rational thoughts. In this phase, your counselor would assist you to be more practical. He/she will also make necessary statements that work as an evidence of virtual reality.

 

Apart from the mentioned phases, cognitive behavioral therapy helps you ascertain the causes behind your intense anxiety disorder, learn problem-solving skills, and challenge your phobia.

 

Final Verdict

Is anxiety disorder negatively affecting your daily life? Get cognitive behavioral therapy and get the positive results within a few sessions. Furthermore, you should aim to boost your relation with your friends, colleagues, family, and other beloved people, adopt a healthy lifestyle and opt for regular exercise to get rid of the issue with ease. Good Luck!

 

Author Bio

Hello Readers !! Natalie and Caitlyn Bell are the founders of Healtholine, They started Healtholine to provide a platform where they could share informative articles related to health, fitness, beauty, weight loss etc Natalie is a featured author at various authoritative blogs in the health and fitness industry. Connect with both sisters to know more.

 

At What Age Should My Children Not go to a Paediatric Dentist?

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Pediatric dentists are ideal for children as they have the special education, training, and experience necessary to provide children of all ages with quality dental care. If you have a baby, toddler, elementary school child, pre-teen, teen, or special needs child, you can count on a pediatric dentist to care for your child’s oral health.

By taking your child to a paediatric dentist, you can ensure they are at ease when undergoing a teeth cleaning or another dental procedure. A paediatric dentist will do everything they can to make your child feel comfortable in their office.

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Should Teens Visit Paediatric Dentists?

If you have a teenage son or daughter, you may be wondering whether they are too old to visit a paediatric dentist. The truth is that even though your teen is no longer a small child, they are going through an important growth stage in their jaw and face. They are also receiving their last permanent teeth, which are especially susceptible to cavities.

Should You Get Two Teeth Cleaning A Year From A Dentist– Read More

You may switch your child to a regular dentist once they turn 18 or encourage them to continue to visit their paediatric dentist who knows their history until they graduate from college. Your child’s specific needs paired with their behavior, maturity level, and overall dental health will all help you determine whether they should be visiting a pediatric or regular dentist.

5 Common Mistakes When Looking After Teeth- Read Here


If you’re in search of top-notch pediatric dentists that are ideal for children, teens and college students look for a highly rated local dentist in your area.

Should You Get Two Teeth Cleanings a Year from a Dentist?

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The importance of visiting the dentist to get your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year should not be overlooked. By receiving two cleaning per year or one every six months, you can ensure optimal oral health while preventing conditions such as cavities and gum disease. Here are several other reasons bi-annual teeth cleanings are so vital:

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Whiter Teeth

You likely eat or drink food and beverages that stain your teeth. A professional tooth cleaning at the dentist can remove these stains and help your teeth appear whiter. If you are particularly concerned about the stains and/or discoloration on your teeth, you may opt for professional teeth whitening services.

Also Read– Tips for Getting Whiter Teeth, Naturally

Early Oral Cancer Detection

During teeth cleanings, a dentist will examine your mouth to search for signs of oral cancer. In the event a dentist notices a sign of oral cancer, you may undergo a test to determine whether it is present. Oral cancer screenings are essential as they can detect oral cancer in its early stages when it’s most treatable.

Are You Doing Everything For Your Teeth- Read Here

Reduced Risk of Teeth Loss

In addition to reducing your risk of developing cavities and gum disease, professional tooth cleanings twice a year can lower your chances of tooth loss. Tooth loss can hinder the way you speak and chew and can also lead to bone loss. Although you can replace missing teeth with bridges, dentures, and implants, natural teeth are always preferred.

5 Common Mistakes When Looking After Teeth- Read More

If you’re searching for a highly skilled and experienced dentist in Raleigh, North Carolina, contact Lane & Associates. We’ll be happy to clean your teeth twice a year and help you achieve optimal oral health.

11 Great Reasons To Drink More Water

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Every day, you hear that it’s important to drink more water. But why? You feel fine, so why should you increase the amount of water you drink? It turns out that there are a wide variety of reasons to drink more water.

The traditional wisdom is that you should drink eight 8-oz glasses of water every day. Is that accurate? It sounds like a lot, but that’s actually not enough. According to the Mayo Clinic, men should drink about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of water every day, and women should drink 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) every day. How much does that look like?

Picture a 2-liter bottle of soda. Men should aim to drink one and three quarters 2-liter bottles full of water every day, while women should aim for one and a quarter of 2-liter bottles.

Better yet, get a 24-ounce water bottle. Men should aim to drink five full water bottles every day. Women should aim to drink nearly four full water bottles every day.

Without making this list long enough to bore you, here are 11 great reasons to drink more water.

1. You’re constantly losing water

According to Kaiser Permanente nephrologist Steven Guest, MD, “Fluid losses occur continuously, from skin evaporation, breathing, urine, and stool, and these losses must be replaced daily for good health.”

Dehydration occurs when your body loses more water than you consume. Are you drinking enough water to compensate for how much your body is getting rid of? Are you sure?

2. Your body is 60% water

Your body requires water for a surprising number of functions including digestion, absorption of nutrients, blood circulation, the creation of saliva, transporting nutrients, and maintaining steady body temperature.

Failing to drink enough water can slow down all these processes. If you don’t feel right, drinking more water may help you feel better if your body isn’t doing what it needs to due to lack of hydration.

3. Water reduces your heart attack risk

A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that drinking more water decreased the risk of developing coronary heart disease while drinking other liquids increased that risk.

This is because drinking water helps prevent a buildup of plaque that can lead to a heart attack. Drinking more water seems like a fairly simple way to reduce your risk of having a heart attack.

4. Drinking water can improve physical performance

While you can start to feel the effects of dehydration after losing only 2% of your body’s water content, athletes can lose 6-10% of their water weight from sweating. This can lead to symptoms like reduced ability to maintain the temperature of your body, reduced motivation, and increased fatigue, which can make exercise feel physically and mentally harder.

When you’re in the middle of an intense workout, you may not want to stop and drink water, but you’ll have a better, easier workout if you do.

5. Dehydration can impact your mood and memory

Studies have shown that only 1.36% water loss has a negative effect on the mood and concentration of women while increasing their reported rate of headaches. At the same time, losing 1.59% of their water weight caused men to suffer from increased anxiety and fatigue while experiencing a reduced function in their working memory. If you’re feeling rotten or foggy, try drinking water to positively affect your mood and memory.

6. Water helps you lose weight

According to Penn State researcher Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan, “What works with weight loss is if you choose water or a non-caloric beverage over a caloric beverage and/or eat a diet higher in water-rich foods that are healthier, more filling, and help you trim calorie intake.”

The next time you think you’re hungry, try drinking a glass of water instead of reaching for a snack. Most likely, your body is actually thirsty instead of hungry, so water can help you feel full better than a small snack.

7. Your skin will look better

Hydrating your skin by adding a moisturizer to its surface will only do so much. You can hydrate your skin more effectively from the inside by drinking plenty of water. If your skin seems dry, try drinking more water. That’s a much cheaper solution than buying progressively more expensive moisturizers.

8. Drinking water reduces your odds of developing kidney stones

Studies have shown that increasing the amount of water you drink can reduce your odds of developing kidney stones if you’ve suffered from them in the past.

Since increasing the amount of water you drink also means you’re increasing the amount of fluid passing through your kidneys, the minerals that cause stones to form don’t have as much of an opportunity to crystallize into painful clumps.

9. It prevents constipation

A certain amount of water is required to move everything smoothly along your digestive tract, so it’s only natural that failing to get enough water through your diet can lead to constipation. In fact, drinking plenty of water can help make up for lack of fiber in the diet when it comes to digestive regularity. Don’t put away the prunes just yet, but try drinking more water to see if you get symptom relief.

10. Water prevents hangovers

Since alcohol makes you lose more water than you take in, drinking plenty of water during and after consuming alcohol can reduce the terrible morning after effects of indulging in a good time. For best results, drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink and a large glass of water right before going to bed. No more cottonmouth!

11. Your joints will feel better

Your joints contain synovial fluid to keep them lubricated and moving smoothly. Without enough water, the bones in your joints will rub together more, causing a lot of pain and inflammation.

Maybe it’s time to stop reading and grab a nice large glass of ice-cold water. What do you say? Not many things can bring you quite as many benefits as drinking plenty of water.

About Dr. Brent Wells

Dr. Brent Wells is a graduate of the University of Nevada where he earned his bachelor’s of science degree before moving on to complete his doctorate from Western States Chiropractic College. He founded Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab in Alaska in 1998.

He became passionate about being in the chiropractic field after his own experiences with hurried, unprofessional healthcare providers. The goal for Dr. Wells is to treat his patients with care and compassion while providing them with a better quality of life through his professional treatment.

Dr. Wells is a member of the American Chiropractic Association and the American Academy of Spine Physicians.

Tips for Staying Motivated When You Go to the Gym

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

If you go to the gym then you will understand more than anyone how much work you need to put in to try and get a good result out of your fitness. On top of this, you also have to make sure that you are consistent as well. If you are not consistent then this can cause you real issues and you may even find that you lose your motivation as a result. This won’t help you to achieve your goals at all, but there are things that you can do to stop this from happening.

Set Goals

The first thing that you need to do is start out with simple goals. You then need to use these goals to help you to progress to longer-term goals. One problem that a lot of people have is that they make their goals unrealistic and in some instances, they are unachievable as well. If you are too ambitious then this will knock your confidence every single time you don’t achieve your goal and this can cause real issues for you. For this reason, you have to know your body, what it is trying to tell you and even what you need to do in order to make the most out of the workouts you do.

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Just Have Fun

It helps to have sporting activities that you love. This way you can find a routine that will help you to stay on your toes. If you have never considered trying a sport before then look into things like basketball, football, softball or even badminton. The options are limitless here, and if you don’t like the idea of a sport then you could even try out a martial arts class, yoga or even ballroom dancing. Anything that gets you up, out of the house and moving is surely going to benefit you and it can make all the difference to your routine.

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Write Everything on Paper

Do you want to sleep better? Try and manage a chronic condition? Maybe you just want to try and be healthier. Either way, it helps to write down the goals that you have because when you are able to do this, you can then see how many things you are ticking off as you progress through your workouts. Of course, if you want to try and take things to that next level then you need to try and invest in Fitbit watches and Fitbit bands. This will give you the chance to write down achievable goals that are to do with your physical body. This could include your weight, your heart rate or anything else of the sort.

So there are so many things that you can do to try and get a better result out of your fitness and when you are able to put the work in, you will soon start to see that everything pays off. Of course, if you are not sure how to start then it may be worth you investing in a personal trainer or even looking up exercise programs at your local gym.