What is protein?

Millions of different proteins occur in nature. Protein is made of chains of amino acids held together by peptide bonds. There are about 20 amino acids that can be bound together in various combinations to make the millions of different proteins. There are two groups of amino acids: non-essential amino acids, which are made by your body and essential amino acids, which have to come from your food.

Why does my body need protein?

Protein is an important part of muscle fibre, cell walls, skin, nails and hair. You are losing protein all the time as you shed dead skin cells, nails and hair and it has to be replaced. At times your body needs more protein, like when you're growing, when you're pregnant or breast-feeding, or when wounds are healing. Protein is a source of energy for your body and the amino acids are used to make things like adrenaline and antibodies to fight disease.

How does my body digest the protein I eat?

When you eat protein, your body's digestive system breaks it down into its component amino acids. These are absorbed into your bloodstream through the walls of your small intestine and your liver. Your body puts the amino acids together in whatever combinations it needs, e.g. to make hair protein or new skin cells. Proteins include nitrogen molecules and one of the byproducts of digesting proteins is ammonia. This is converted into urea which is filtered by the kidneys and passed as urine.

How much protein does my body need?

Health authorities in the U.S.A., Canada and Australia recommend a daily intake of 0.75 - 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. If you weigh 80 kilograms, that's 60 grams of protein a day. High protein (or low carbohydrate) diets will recommend more.

Can my body store protein?

No. You need to eat the protein your body needs every day. Any excess protein is converted into urea and passed as urine.

Are all proteins the same?

Different proteins are made up of various combinations and amounts of amino acids. Proteins from animals, fish, poultry, soy and Amaranth contain all of the essential amino acids and are they are easily digestible. Proteins from plants and grains do not usually have all of the essential amino acids and you need to eat a selection of them to get all the amino acids you need.

What if I don't eat enough protein?

Most people eat more than enough protein. If you don't eat any animal products, you should eat a wide variety of plant and cereal foods. Some symptoms of protein deficiency are: poor growth, weight loss, muscle wasting, iron deficiency, swollen feet and ankles.

Is it dangerous to eat too much protein?

There are risks associated with following a high protein diet for a long time. Your kidneys have to collect and filter more toxic byproducts. This may affect the function of your kidneys, particularly if you have diabetes. It is possible for calcium to be lost from your body. If animal products are your main source of protein, you should avoid those that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol because they will increase the risk of a number of diseases including heart disease.

The author enjoys preparing and eating good, nourishing food and intends to live a long, healthy and happy life. Read more at http://www.healthywealthyandhappy.com/

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In honor of National Patient Safety Awareness Week the filmmakers who created the video/DVD, Things You Should Know Before Entering the Hospital are sharing 16 tips to stay safe while in the hospital. These tips come in response to the Journal of the American Medical Association reporting that 98,000 people die each year because of medical errors in the hospital. That's more deaths than from AIDS, breast cancer and car accidents. Reports from the CDC estimate that as many as two million patients contract an infection from U.S. hospitals or medical centers each year accounting for 90,000 deaths.

Human error is a fact in healthcare just as in the rest of life, and we all must be educated on what to be watchful of regarding things that might go wrong, said Martin J. Hatlie, Esq., President of Partnership for Patient Safety.

1. Secure advocates, friends and family members to be with you 24 hours a day. When checking into the hospital, be sure to have your advocate/s sign the paperwork that gives them legal permission to know all the details about your treatment. Advocates must be able to ask questions on your behalf. Advocates will need assertiveness training so have them watch this program to ensure they?re not intimidated by hospital personnel.

2. If your advocate is not available in an emergency, do not delay treatment.

3. Make sure your advocate speaks both your language and that of the hospital staff. If not, bring a translator.

4. Select a hospital where your procedure or surgery is done often.

5. Ask your doctor how many times they?ve performed the procedure. Make sure he or she will be doing the procedure themselves.

6. Before you check into the hospital, make sure your doctor knows about any allergy and pre-existing condition, such as high blood pressure, depression or adverse reactions to other medications.

7. Bring a list of all your medications and supplements. Like prescription, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, vitamins and herbs. Make sure your doctor and advocate know everything you?re taking.

8. Each time a nurse brings you medication, ask seven important questions:

1. What is this medicine for?

2. Who prescribed it?

3. When am I supposed to take it?

4. How am I supposed to take it? how often, for how long?

5. What side effects are likely? What do I do if they occur?

6. Is this medicine safe to take with other medicines or dietary supplements?

7. What food, drink or activities should I avoid while on this medicine?

9. When you get a prescription, make sure you can read it. If you can't, your pharmacist might not be able to either and give you the wrong meds.

10. Hospital procedures should require checking each patient?s wrist-band before drawing blood or giving medication. Check all food and medication to make sure you're not allergic to them.

11. Make sure the hospital staff keeps things clean around you. It is absolutely critical to avoid infections. If anything falls on the floor, just leave it there for the hospital personnel to pick it up. Be sure that nobody gives it to you ? or puts it on your body.

12. It?s been estimated that about 76 million food borne illnesses occur each year in America and result in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Government statistics indicate that at least 25% of these illnesses are due to improper hand washing so make sure everyone who treats you or handles your food washes their hands thoroughly. Even if you don?t have a sink in your room, don?t be afraid to ask everyone coming into your room to wash their hands.

13. Schedule surgical procedures for early in the morning. If possible don't schedule procedures for a Monday or Tuesday. Procedures can be bumped or delayed on Mondays due to weekend traumas and, if you are operated on Friday, you will only have the week-end staff to care for you.

14. Get all pre-operative instructions several days prior to your procedure.

15. Avoid wrong site surgery. The Joint Commission requires surgeons to sign their initials directly on the part of your body to be operated on prior to surgery. It?s called site verification so make sure your advocate is there to make the surgeon do this.

16. Don?t leave the hospital until you and your advocate know your home treatment plan, your medications, follow-up doctor visits and when you can return to regular activities.

Betty Hoeffner has been writing articles for various media outlets for the past 30 years. She is currently producer of a patient safety film called Things You Should Know Before You Enter the Hospital and president of Hey U.G.L.Y., Inc. NFP, a 501C3 nonprofit organization that empowers teens with self-esteem building tools, to help them counter challenges such as eating disorders, bullying, violence, substance abuse and suicide. U.G.L.Y. is an acronym meaning Unique Gifted Lovable You.

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Smoking habits are stronger than people are. That is a well-recognized fact. There are thousands of advice newsletters and hundreds of ways to help you fight this habit.

Most folk find the process extremely frustrating and regularly just give up to the smoking cravings. Others are so determined to leave the smoking habit behind that they seek the help of medicines. There are medicines designed to help you cease smoking and others to fight the depression that usually goes along the smoking cessation process. Although all medicines on the market as soon as possible are scrutinyed and approved for sale by the respective pharmaceutical body, it is a well-known fact that there is no harmless diet.

For this reason, many inhabitants use herbs to help them getting through the withdraw symptoms . Here is a brief overview of the basic natural substances you can use if you are heading on the path to smoke free life.

One of the most well-known among stop smoking herbs is Lobelia. Lobelia, also called Indian Tobacco, has a similar to nicotine effect on the nervous system. That is why it is recommended as a nicotine expediency substance. The good thing about using Lobelia is that you cannot addict to Lobeline. You can buy dried herb or a liquid extract to take it anytime you feel nicotine hunger.

Any smoking withdrawal process is connected with other frustrating symptoms such as headaches, nervousness, anxiety, etc. Most people eulogize Mimosa tea to calm you down and improve your mood. Popular herb that reduces anxiety and has a painkilling effect, mimosa is also a non-addictive herb. That is why it is recommended for use instead of anti-depressant pills or herbs such as valium for illustration).

There is a variety of traditional Chinese stop smoking herbs. For example, a cut of the made of the CaoSu herb will diminish your cigarette desire.

Any ex-smoker knows from experience that the smoking cessation working is very much connected with the smoking habit. If you manage to dispute it you have won half of the battle. However, what should you do when you cannot resist it? There is a natural, herbal solution to this problem as well. Instead of lighting a real tobacco cigarette, light up a non-tobacco one.

Non-tobacco cigarettes come in many favors: Menthol, Burnt sienna and some other with stronger taste. They are made of herbs do not contain nicotine and tar. As they look the same to normal cigarettes and give you the same feeling while smoking, these cigarettes are a great way to resist the physiological desire to smoke. Nevertheless, non-oral Tobacco cigarettes are less expensive than the regular ones.

If you are eager to try the matter-of-course medical alternative to help you quit smoking you better network your physician first. Although herbs are not chemical medicines, they still interact with your body. Some herbs contain substances very similar to substances used in many drugs.

That is why you should check with your doctor if your medical predicament grants you using a distinct kind of stop smoking herbs.

Rene's website helps light and heavy smokers to quit smoking forever. Please visit the site for more information on stop smoking aids.

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Sciatica is not a specific disease, instead it is a condition characteristic of several different diseases. Simply put, it is a mild to intense pain in the left or right leg. Sciatica is caused by a compression of one or more of the five sets of nerve roots in the lower back. These compressions are typically caused by a disc rupture or bone spur in the lumbar spine. It causes pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs. This is referred to as radiculopathy. If the nerve root causing the problem is in the neck it is called cervical radiculopathy. Sciatica is called a lumbar radiculopathy since it occurs in the lower back.

There are six typical causes of Sciatica.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is usually found at birth, early childhood or acquired from physical trauma such as weightlifting. It is a disorder that most often affects the lumbar spine. Spondylolisthesis is characterized by one vertebra slipping forward over an adjacent vertebra. Often sciatic leg pain is caused when a nerve root compresses due to the vertebra being displaced and slipping.

Piriformis Syndrome

Due to the lack of MRI or x-ray findings, it may be difficult to diagnose and treat piriformis syndrome. The piriformis muscle connects to the thighbone, assists in hip rotation and is located in the lower part of the spine. When muscle spasms develop in the piriformis muscle thereby compressing the sciatic nerve, Piriformis syndrome develops. The sciatic nerve runs beneath the piriformis muscle. Piriformis syndrome is named for the piriformis muscle and the pain caused when the muscle irritates the sciatic nerve.

Lumbar Bulging or Herniated Disc

When the nucleus breaks through the annulus a herniated disc occurs. It is called a 'non-contained' disc disorder. A bulging disc is also known as a contained disc disorder. This means the nucleus pulposus (gel-like center) remains 'contained' within the annulus fibrosus (tire-like outer wall) of the disc. Because a herniated disc is a ?non-contained? disc disorder, the consequences of a herniated disc are worse. Whether a disc or herniates or bulges, disc material can press against an adjacent nerve root and compress delicate nerve tissue and cause sciatica. Irritation and nerve compression cause pain and inflammation often leading to extremity tingling, muscle weakness and numbness. The disc material itself also contains an acidic, chemical irritant (hyaluronic acid) that causes nerve inflammation. The herniated nucleus causes direct compression of the nerve root against the interior of the bony spinal canal.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The condition of spinal stenosis results in the spinal canal narrowing. The narrowing causes pressure on the spinal cord and spinal nerves. Common in patients over the age of 50 and with causes that are not clear, spinal stenosis has two different types frequently described. A common complaint of spinal stenosis patients is leg pain which gets worse with walking. Another complaint is back pain. Sitting and bending can sometimes alleviate these pains.

There is one type of spinal stenosis that exists where individuals are born with a narrow spinal canal. In people that have this condition even minor structural changes to the spine can cause severe spinal stenosis.

Spinal stenosis related to age is the more commonly acquired form. This form of the stenosis condition may cause various spinal components to sag or bulge from arthritis. Discs, joints, and ligaments can be affected. These changes, which occur with age, can have the effect of narrowing the spinal canal and thus trigger spinal stenosis pain.

Spinal Tumors

Spinal tumors can be benign or malignant, but are fairly rare. They cause sciatica due to pressure on the disc.

Trauma

Another cause of sciatica is trauma caused by accidents. The impact may injure nerves or cause fragments of bone to compress the nerves (lumbar or sacral spinal nerve roots)

If you think you may be suffering from sciatica, be sure and contact your physician to get a proper diagnosis!

Liana Mirkin is the IT Director for Spina Systems International, Inc., a company which specializes in distributing the Accu-SPINA machine, which treats chronic back pain in 86%-94% of patients without surgery. You may find the website at http://www.spinaprogram.com

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Of course, no matter if you've ever experienced anxiety disorder, you know about such treatments as herbal or homeopathy management of it with the use of the essence of Bach flower, berocca or ginger, gotu kola or lemongrass leaves, licorice, magnesium, passion flower, St. John's wort or valerian.

Aromatherapy along with hydrotherapy do not work recent research say. Vitamin C is not effective either, according to these studies. No matter how much you laugh, pray, avoid caffeine in your food and drink or keep to a carbohydrate-rich/protein-poor diet, or how many hours a week you spend on yoga. This measures are absolutely uneffective in anxiety disorder treatment.

But if you swap praying for meditation, and yoga classes for dance/movement therapy together with music, you increase the chance that your effort will be paid off. In the same category alternative myou can find relaxation therapy, exercise, bibliotherapy, autogenic therapy, massage (might be effective for kids only, researchers say), inositol and acupuncture.

Some treatments, such as kava and 5-hydroxyl-L-tryptophan, are effective but kava brings with it severe side effect, such as liver toxity and 5-hydroxyl-L-tryptophan can cause eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome.

The conclusion investigators came to is that the majority of complementary and edicines so popular nowadays cannot be accepted as an adequate alternative for treating anxiety disorders.

You can read more at complementary and alternative medicine articles.

Dr. Elizabeth Robinson is one of the leading specialists at Health Care center where she works more than half of her life saving and helping different people.

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A fill is nothing to be worried about. The actual procedure takes only about 15 minutes. In the majority of cases doctors now do fills under fluoroscopy, or x-ray, so they can see the port and how the band looks.

When you arrive for your appointment you will be asked to stand in front of the very large x-ray machine. There will be a screen in front of you where you can see your band, tubing and your port depending on where it is placed.

You will take a small sip of barium so the doctor can see how liquids are flowing through your band. You will see the liquid come down your esophagus and fill your pouch. Then after a second it flows through the band and into your lower stomach.

When you are ready for your fill you will lay down on a table with a support under your shoulder blades. This arches your back somewhat so your port ?rises? and is easier to locate. Once the port is located the doctor will use a syringe and stick the needle into the port. He or she can see the needle on the x-ray and can see it going into the port. Does this hurt? It is a small needle stick. It feels like getting a shot which is exactly what it is. Some people are more sensitive than others to this.

The doctor will then inject the saline into your band. How much he or she gives you is determined totally by the doctor and the patient?s individual needs. Some give more some give less. This is something you will discuss with your doctor.

After your band has been filled you will stand in front of the x-ray again. You will take several sips of barium to see how tight the band is. If the doctor believes everything looks fine and you are able to drink you are on your way. You will be on liquids for the next 24-48 hours in order for your stomach to adjust to the tightening.

The number of fills a patient will receive is a varied as the number of patients. Some will have one, others will have 5. This is purely determined by the doctor and the patient. The same applies to the amount put into a patient?s band. Some do great with 1cc while others may go as high as 2.5cc. Everyone?s body and needs are different so their treatment will be different as well.

Robin McCoy was banded on February 3, 2004 and has achieved her weight loss goal of 110 pounds. Robin is Vice-President and Senior Writer for Lapband Lifestyle, a resource and support group for banded people. http://www.lapbandlifestyle.com robin@lapbandlifestyle.com

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If you are an acne sufferer let me ask you a question. What are the three most common and effective acne treatments? There are many acne treatments available to those who suffer from this type of skin condition. There are hundreds of doctor prescribed and over-the-counter acne treatments. There are herbal home remedy treatments. Chemical peels are a popular type of acne treatment, as well.

Topical Antibiotics must be prescribed by a doctor or health care professional. Common topical acne treatments include Clindamycin? and Erythromycin?. This type of treatment kills acne bacteria. It also helps to keep pores open and reduces infection. As a rule, these antibiotics come in liquid, gel and lotion form. They are usually applied twice daily.

Popular over-the-counter acne treatments contain the ingredient benzoil peroxide. Clearasel? is probably the most well-known benzoil peroxide product. Like topical antibiotics, benzoil peroxide helps to kill bacteria. It also aids in the reduction of clogged hair ducts.

This type of product works best if applied two times each day. To treat acne, apply to all affected areas. If after four to six weeks you notice little change, it is best to then consult your family doctor.

There are several home remedy type acne treatments. Many people report excellent results when trying this kind of acne treatment. Others will tell you that this type of treatment is not effective, at all. It is up to you to make your own decision in regard to home remedy, acne treatment options.

Home remedies are popular acne and skin care treatments because they are much less expensive than prescription drugs and the oils and things used, tend to be good for the skin.

Probably the three most common herbal remedy treatments are tea tree oil, echinacea and goldenseal. Aloe, chamomile, primrose oil, vitamin E and zinc are also said to be helpful.

Tea tree oil comes from Australia and is 100% natural. It has been used to treat problems such as acne, sunburn, blisters, rashes and more, for more than sixty years. It kills bacteria and acts as a natural fungicide. Tea tree oil is very soothing. It is said to go deep beneath the surface of the skin, killing germs and aiding in the removal of pus-like infections. This is something that cannot be accomplished with astringents.

Chamomile has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been used in the treatment of windburn, eczema and numerous types of rashes. Chamomile eases itching and speeds the healing process.

A chemical peel is both a popular and effective acne treatment. It is sometimes referred to as a derma-peel, and is a non-surgical procedure. It removes acne and acne scaring.

Chemical peels are performed by, first, applying a chemical mixture to the skin. This thin layer is then peeled away, when dry. It removes with it the outer layer of damaged skin, revealing new healthy skin underneath.

There are three kinds of chemical peels, used for treating acne. They are light, medium and deep peels. Each one penetrates skin at different levels. Light peels can be performed at home, using an over-the counter treatment. Medium peels can be done at most spas and salons. Deep peels should be performed by a physician.

Light and medium peels are performed to treat acme-damaged skin. Deep peels are done to correct and treat more serious acne damage.

If you would like to get more acne treatment information you can visit our website which contains many acne treatment resources. http://www.acne-secrets.info

This article is copyright 2005, but can be freely reprinted, as long as no changes are made, including hyperlinks.

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