Running on Empty

What's good for runners is also good for the runs. Doctors at the University of Texas southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say one of the best ways to avoid dehydration from a bout of diarrhea is to sip diluted sports drinks. Mixed 50 - 50 with water, these drinks replace not only lost fluids but also essential minerals, says Ronald Charles, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine. he recommends drinking as much as possible for the first 12 to 24 hours that your suffer with diarrhea. If you experience symptoms of dehydration, which include dizziness on standing and rapid pulse, see a doctor. Source: Men's Health

Send Flowers to your Dentist

Nervous about that upcoming root canal? Before you go to the dentists, take time to stop and smell the flowers. Researchers published in the Journal of the American Dental Association suggests that certain aromas may have a soothing effect on panicky dental patients. 

In the study, more than 80 percent of patients given a whiff of a floral scent said they felt less anxious at the dentist. The less tense and anxious you are, the quicker dentists can finish the job-and the less pain you're likely to feel afterward, explains Ann Boyle, D.M.D., principal investigator of the study. so don't be surprised if your dentist suddenly develops a green thumb. Source: Men's Health

Forty-percent-off deal

Folic acid, a vitamin found in fruits and vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, spinach, apples and oranges, is highly regarded these days as crucial in preventing birth defects. Now there's reason for men to be concerned about getting enough, too. 

Experts say a diet high in folic acid can help men prevent heart attacks and strokes. In a review of the effects of folic acid are men. Judith Hall, M.D., a geneticist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, says folic acid can reduce the incidence of heart attack and stroke by as much as 40 percent.

Sooner is Safer

The African-American men are at greater risk for prostate cancer than white men.  An African-American man has a 1-in-9 chance of developing the disease, while a white man has a 1-in-11 chance.  duke researchers have found that survival rates for both African American and whites are nearly equal if their cancers are caught at the same stage.  

As a result of the findings, the researchers are suggesting that African-american men should start getting regular prostate examinations at the age of 40, 10 years earlier than generally recommended. "By lowering the age for African-Americans by a decade, we hope that the cancer can be detected earlier, while it's still confined to the prostate and most successfully treated, says Duke urologist George Ibrahim, M.D. Source: Men's health

From Mice to Men

It was discovered that may hold new promise for the million Americans who rely on daily insulin injections to control diabetes.  In a study with mice, scientists were able to grow actual insulin-producing tissue from individual cells and successfully implant them back into the rodents.  

The University of Florida researchers saw new growth of pancreatic tissue, the kind needed to produce insulin (the hormone that converts food into energy). And since the mice received tissue grown from their own cells, no harmful rejection occurred, eliminating a major concern with any tissue transplant. While it's too soon to say when this might be tested in human, doctors are encouraged by the findings. Source: Men's Health

Brat Packs

Cigarette smoking has long been linked to heart disease in older people. Until now, doctors didn't realize how strong an impact it has on the hearts of younger people. In a study of 14,000 heart-attack survivors, British researchers report that smokers in their 30s and 40s suffer five times as many heart attacks as non-smokers in the make age group. The results show that when a smoker has a heart attack at this age, there's an 80 percent chance taht cigarettes caused it. Source: Men's Health

Exercise to Cope with Vertigo

IN BED

1. EYE MOVEMENTS

    Do the following eye movements, start from slow to quick motions.

        A. Look up then look down

        B. Look from one side to the other side.

        C. Using a finger, follow it moving from 1 foot to 3 feet away from your face.

2. HEAD MOVEMENTS

    Do these head movements, from slow to quick motions.
    Do it alternately with open eyes first then closed eyes later.

        A. Look up then look down

        B. Look from one side to the other side.

        C. Using a finger, follow it moving from 1 foot to 3 feet away from your face.

SITTING POSITION

1. Follow the same eye and head movements.

2. On shoulders, shrug upward then down, followed by circling movements done clockwise.

3. From upright position, bend forward to pick up objects lying on the ground in front of you.

STANDING POSITION

1. Follow the same eye, head and shoulder movements.

2. Move from sitting to standing position then back. Do it alternately with open eyes and eyes closed.

3. Using your hands, throw a small ball from one to the other or vice-versa.

4. Do ball throwing exercise in no. 3 with hands slightly below bended knee level.

5. Do no. 2 exercise with a twist: make a turn around motion in between movements.

MOVING ABOUT (in class)

 1. With a person at the center, circle around him/her as he/she passes a large ball to and from you.

 2. Walk within the room area alternately with eyes open first, then with eyes closed.

 3. Walk up and down an inclined floor or slope, with eyes open first, then with eyes closed.

 4. Walk up and down the stairs, with eyes open first, then with eyes closed.

Ideally, these activities should be done with a supervised group. Individual patients should be accompanied by a friend or a relative who is also learning the exercises.

Whistle While You Work Out

Listening to music while you exercise increases brainpower.  People did twice as well on cognitive tests after exercising with a soundtrack than after sweating in silence.  Exercise fights off decay in the area of the brain responsible for "executive function" tasks, such as reasoning and sequencing.  Music may enhance organization of cognitive material, which is also an executive-function tasks.