Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Dangers Of Using Laxatives For Weight Loss

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following


information of value.

The Dangers Of Using Laxatives For Weight Loss

One popular weight loss supplements available in the market today take the form of tea. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter's tea and others but all of them are actually the same. They may appear to be effective, but what is not seen may actually harm you.

One of the effects of drinking dieter's tea is frequent bowel movement. This gives people the feeling of body cleansing. These people may get toxins out of their body but it isn't exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body.

Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. These include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and are used since the ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and to inducing bowel movement.

Cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are recognized as laxatives available over the counter and are also regulated as drugs. Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not absorb significant amounts of calories taken in the body.

The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intestines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines. If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, it can affect fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and loss of weight. Abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa.

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When it comes to the subject of self improvement, I fully understand (through my own experiences) that it is a lot easier said than done. However, you are here, right now, because you have a desire to improve your self or you are at least interested in this subject. Perhaps you are reading this to help a friend or colleague - great. If this article helps you or you help a friend, paying it forward is what life all about so we all win.

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While weight loss can be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may also cause permanent damage to the gastrointesitinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia.

Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less axpensive and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink dieter's tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and having loose consistency.

Women may even be more susceptible to the effects of slimming teas. Although they may are not known to interfere directly with the woman's menstrual cycle and fertility, they should watch out if drinking them causes them to rapidly shed off weight.

It is also not safe for pregnant women to be taking in laxatives of any kind. Wise and responsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive.

One should be wary about these findings because the labeling of slimming teas in the market today can be absolutely misleading. For instance, they commonly refer to the laxative qualities as "natural bowel cleansing properties" and not specifically use the word "laxative".

Some even use the term "low-calorie" on their labelling. These products in fact, contain essentially no calories nor nutrients whatsoever; unless of course, if they are sweetened.

Adverse effects of misusing laxatives in the form of slimming tea generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. These include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding,electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death.

It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives cause severe constipation and pain for long periods (as much as for decades) due to the colon losing its function. It eventually led to surgery removing the colon altogether.

NOW is the time!

O.K. you have read the article. Now is the time for action. Without action, this article adds no value whatsoever to your self improvement. But remember, without action, you cannot blame this self improvement article or any article for that matter. So, take action NOW.

Even if only one piece of advice, one piece of information, one tip makes a difference, then the whole article has been worth it for all of us. NOW is the time!

Be the person you want to be, you deserve it!



A new on the network weight loss secret

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Hypertension Causes and Treatments

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is a dangerous and deadly disease. Many people each year die from this disease because they never knew they were affected by it. Hypertension is considered to be present when a patient's systolic blood pressure is consistently 140 mmHg or greater, and/or their diastolic blood pressure is consistently 90 mmHg or greater. This is also known as 140/90 when the nurse or doctor tells you what your blood pressure is during a checkup. Hypertension can be difficult to control but it can be corrected by non-drug therapies especially in children. The non-drug therapy includes weight loss, reduction in salt intake and physical activity.

Hypertension can be diagnosed after one reading, if this reveals extreme hypertension. In most cases, an extensive work-up is not needed to diagnose it. High blood pressure can be a major factor in cardiac failure. In fact, many patients who suffer from hypertension wind up either suffering a stroke or heart attack , and it is mainly to prevent these complications that we treat hypertension. The good new is that hypertension can be prevented, blood pressure can be reduced and other cardiovascular risks are favorably impacted by a healthy diet, regular physical activity, moderation in alcohol, reductions in dietary sodium and in some, stress reduction.

Hypertension can be caused by risk factors that you can change in some people and cannot change in others. Age is a factor (45 and over for men and 55 and over for women) and a family history of hypertension or cardiovascular disease are risk factors that you cannot control.

Treatment of hypertension can include a continuous intravenous infusion of prostacyclin. This improves exercise capacity, quality of life, hemodynamics and long-term survival in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. Management of secondary pulmonary hypertension includes correction of the underlying cause and reversal of hypoxemia. Treatment with a non-selective beta blocker is often commenced once portal hypertension has been diagnosed, and almost always if there has already been bleeding from esophageal varices. Typically, this is done with either propranolol or nadolol . Common beta blockers include acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol (Lopressor), nadolol (Corgard), and timolol (Blocadren), nebivolol (Bystolic). Treatment may involve angioplasty and stenting of the renal arteries.

Are You at Risk for High Blood Pressure: Eight Things That Put You at Risk

There are a lot of things that can cause blood pressure to be higher than normal. Some you can't control, but there are a few you can. As hypertension is a silent and deadly hazard, knowing all you can could prevent a tragedy in your life.

There are four levels of blood pressure readings. According to the Mayo Clinic, any reading under 120/80 is normal. Between 120/80 and 139/89 is called prehypertension. Stage one is from 140/90 to 149/99 and second stage is 150/100 and higher.

As I mentioned, there are two types of causes, those you can do something about and those you can't. While you should be aware of both types, it's wise to concentrate on what you can change. It will make what you can't less likely to be a problem.

Heredity: While the wit who commented that you can "choose your friends but not your family" probably referred to more social aspects of familial relationships, it comes true with heredity as well. If you have at least one first degree relative with high BP, you are more likely to develop it. If it runs back in an unbroken chain, well, it's even more likely. By the way, first degree relative means a parent or sibling.

Lack of Exercise: This is both about weight loss and about how your body is designed to need movement. While exercise will temporarily cause your numbers to go up, after you've cooled down, they should settle into a more normal level.

Lack of Sleep: I've heard people brag about being able to chug along just fine with limited sleep and I have to wonder if they think this is a good idea. Study after study shows that we need an average of seven hours of sleep minimum to stay healthy. Less opens the doors for all kinds of serious health problems, including hyptertension.

Obesity: The more you weigh, the harder your heart has to work to get blood to all parts of the body. This increased workload also increases the pressure. As most of us who are overweight have high cholesterol, this just adds to the problem.

Poor Diet: If you consistently consume foods high in simple carbs, fat and cholesterol, you are at increased risk.

Sodium: There's good news and bad news here. If you have normal readings, a little extra salt may not be bad for you. However, if you already have the problem, it will cause the numbers to go up.

Smoking: Like sodium, smoking does not cause high blood pressure. However, it will increase the risk of heart disease and it can affect readings in those who already have the condition. This is because it narrows blood vessels while the chemicals from the tobacco are in your body.

Stress: Deadlines, layoff threats and many other worries are a constant in our lives. Unfortunately, these stressful events are also bad for our BP numbers.

If you have one or more of these risk factors, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor. Many of these things can be mitigated, especially if it is caught early. If you wish to use supplements as part of your overall health plan, make sure to speak to the doctor about them, as well. Most are fairly safe, but some can have bad drug/herb interactions.