Showing posts with label HEALTHS. Show all posts

Tuesday, 5 December 2017

Bacteria outbreak kills 36 in South Africa

An outbreak of food-borne listeria bacteria has claimed 36 lives and infected almost 600 people in South Africa, the health minister said Tuesday, warning that newborns and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

Listeriosis is a preventable disease caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria that is typically transferred through contaminated food and is readily treatable with antibiotics. A total of 557 cases have been confirmed so far, according to health minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

“The bacteria is widely distributed in nature and can be found in soil, water and vegetation,” he told a media briefing in Pretoria.

“From these sources, the following foodstuffs can be contaminated and cause the disease: meat and all animal products, fruits and vegetables.”

Contamination in humans can result in flu-like illness, infection of the bloodstream and, in severe cases, infection of the brain which can prove fatal, he added.

People with compromised immune systems, like some of those living with AIDS and pregnant women, are also at a heightened risk, according to the World Health Organization.

In a tweeted factsheet, the health ministry urged South Africans to use safe water supplies, ensure frequent hand-washing and separate raw and cooked food.

Fitness Motivation: Working Out At Home

Going to the gym can be such a chore, especially when you factor in the traffic situation after work. This is why most people think it is easier to work out at home. Whether your place is convenient or not, it is hard to stay motivated when you are so close to temptation (the television and your bed). To help you resist said temptation and get into a solid workout session, here are seven tips that will motivate you to workout at home, even if it’s the last thing you want to do.

1. Find your digital fitness fit

The most important thing you can do is to find a fitness routine you will actually enjoy doing at home. Thanks to technology, you have access to many exercise options you can do with minimal equipment. Do your research and take out time to decide on the types of activities you enjoy. Fitness apps and websites can transform your phone into a personal trainer and your house into a fitness studio.

2. Set a reminder

Set a time for your workout session and write it down. It’s just like having to put down your dentist appointment or meeting to remind you of it. Set out time on your calendar for your workouts and plan your days and weeks around it.

3. Recreate a gym in your house

The tricky part about working out at home is that your house is not a gym (unless you have one). You need to set up a mini gym in your house, even if it just involves you putting your dumbbells next to a yoga mat in a space you’ve cleared up. Set up everything you need well ahead of time so that there are no excuses.

4. Dress the part

Simply wearing workout clothes, especially that favourite spandex item of yours, can help motivate you to exercise. Set out your clothes for your next workout session ahead of time. That way, you won’t have any excuses when it’s time to kick into action.

5. Tell someone

Research shows that social recognition makes us less likely to follow through with our intentions. So hold off on that tweet or snap about your workout plans until after your workout. Then, when you’ve totally killed it, feel free to make noise about it on social media. Add a sweaty selfie for effect. You may find yourself working harder for the extra satisfaction of sharing your progress and accomplishments afterwards.

6. Reward yourself

It’s perfectly okay to use small rewards to persuade yourself to workout. You can hold off on eating dinner or a snack until after your session to motivate you into getting it or promise yourself a new blouse when you reach your goal. Make sure, though, that you’re compensating yourself with something healthy. You don’t want to ruin all that work you’ve put in.

7. Cut it short

Although working out at home sounds like the worst thing ever (side eye at lazy people like myself), make a deal with yourself. You can tell yourself that you’ll do only half of the work you normally do. You may end up finishing the workout because you really only needed to get started. And if you don’t finish, you at least did half and that’s better than nothing. You can also focus on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises to get maximum results in less time.

The bottom line is that you need to find a routine you truly enjoy so that your workout doesn’t feel stressful regardless of where you’re doing it. You also need to make it a habit and control all the factors necessary to make sure it sticks. Your bed may look like it’s calling you, but you’d feel so much better if you only answered it after you’re done working out.

Modern-Day Weight Loss

Increasing amounts of people are opting for weight loss surgery these days, as it seems to have answered our obesity epidemic especially for those who have failed to achieve their weight loss goals through diet and exercise.

Weight loss surgery is a major life change and it has to be permanent if you’ve exhausted all of other options.

It certainly has an allure. It promises easy answers and a simple fix, yet, weight loss surgery is not a quick fix as some might believe it is. It is just as psychologically difficult as exercise and dieting. Weight loss surgery can be life-saving, but you need to be dedicated to making dramatic and permanent changes to how you eat, exercise, and live.

There are different types of surgeries and you’ll have to decide what is best for you depending on your goals, your health, and your doctor’s recommendation. It is key to note that weight loss surgery is not for everyone.

Doctors only recommend it to people who:

Have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. This would be about 100 pounds overweight for men or 80 pounds for women.
Have a lower BMI (but are still obese) and have a serious health problem related to obesity, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, severe sleep apnea, or high cholesterol.
Have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight by other means.

Below are the types of weight loss surgeries:

Restrictive surgery works by shrinking the size of the stomach and slowing down digestion. A normal stomach can hold about three pints of food. After surgery, the stomach may at first hold as little as an ounce, although later that could stretch to two or three ounces. The smaller the stomach, the less you can eat. The less you eat, the more weight you lose.

Malabsorptive/restrictive surgery changes how you take in food. It gives you a smaller stomach and also removes part of your digestive tract, which makes it harder for your body to absorb calories. Doctors don’t do purely malabsorptive surgeries anymore because of the side effects.

Electrical device implant is the newest of the three techniques prompts weight loss by interrupting nerve signals between the stomach and the brain.

It is important to note that all procedures have pros and cons.

Adjustable gastric banding is a type of restrictive weight loss surgery. The surgeon uses an inflatable band to squeeze the stomach into two sections: a smaller upper pouch and a larger lower section. The two sections are still connected by a very small channel, which slows down the emptying of the upper pouch. Most people can only eat a half to one cup of food before feeling too full or sick. The food also needs to be soft or well-chewed. This operation is simpler to do and safer than gastric bypass and other operations. You get a smaller scar, recovery is usually faster, and you can have surgery to remove the band.

However, the most common side effect of gastric banding is vomiting after eating too much quickly. Complications with the band can happen, it might slip out of place, become loose, or leak. Some people need more surgeries. As with any operation, infection is a risk. Although unlikely, some complications can be life-threatening.

Sleeve gastrectomy is another form of restrictive weight loss surgery, it is more popular as most people opt for it. During the operation, the surgeon removes about 75% of the stomach. What remains of the stomach is a narrow tube or sleeve which connects to the intestines. Sometimes, a sleeve gastrectomy is the first step in a series of weight loss surgeries. For some people, it’s the only surgery they need.

It is a safer option for people who are very obese or sick because other weight loss surgeries may be too risky. It gives them a lower-risk way to lose weight. If needed, once they’ve lost weight and their health has improved (usually after 12 to 18 months), they can have a second surgery, such as gastric bypass. Some potential risks include infection, leaking of the sleeve, and blood clots.

If you want to gain the maximum benefit from weight loss surgery, it is important to adhere to any post-surgical advice, such as recommendations on diet and exercise. Failure to do so could lead to a worsening of your health and possibly regain some of the weight you previously lost.

10 Ways To Relieve Stress Easily

Dealing with chronic stress takes a long time and a lot of effort. But what do you do if you’re stressed right now and need to calm down?

Here are ten easy ways to break through that stress bubble and get on with your day.

1. Cut it short

The smallest things can stress us easily and that can lead to other things feeling more stressful, and on and on it goes. One of the best ways to stop your body from stressing is to fight stress the moment it starts when it’s at its weakest. If seeing too many unread emails in your inbox or five missed calls from your mother stresses you out, give a quick thought to whether you should really get yourself worked up over it and then just face it square on.

2. Take a deep breath

Breathe in and then breathe out. Meditation is a very beneficial way to calm you down, improve your focus and get rid of mental distractions. It’s really simple to do; just sit comfortably and take slow, deep breaths, focusing all your attention on your breathing and away from all that’s raging in your mind (that’s the hard part).

Breathes

3. Make a decision

Decisions, big or little, can be so stressful. While we always want to make the right ones, that can take time. However, if a small decision is stressing you out, make a decision and move on. You can ask yourself if the stress is as important as the decision. As long as it doesn’t have serious consequences, there’s no need to be going through all that stress.

4. Admit how you feel

A lot of times, telling yourself just how you feel can surprisingly calm you down. Admit to yourself exactly what the negative emotion you feel is and give it a name. Saying you’re “overwhelmed” or “exhausted” can go a long way to calming yourself down.

5. Strike a pose

You don’t need to transform into a supermodel in front of a camera, but striking a powerful, confident pose can help reduce your stress level, even if only for a few minutes. Before your big interview or meeting, look in the mirror and find those poses that can make you more confident and feel more powerful.

6. Eat

Stress-eating is bad; we all know that. However, stress can sometimes be intensified by mundane things like not taking care of your needs like food. If you’re anything like me, a few bites of great food can turn that bad mood around. Just ensure that you don’t overeat. That would suck.

7. Exercise

Working out may be the last thing you’d want to do when you are feeling stressed. However, exercise braces your body for stress because your body thinks you’re in a stressful situation (like you’re running for dear life). So, your brain releases chemicals to help fight that stress. A little exercise can make you feel so much better.

8. Laugh out loud

LOL! Laughing puts you in a better mood. It is known. Laughing is a better cure for stress than you know. Laughter really is the best medicine. Save a video that makes you laugh on your phone for when you’re feeling stressed out, or just relax on your couch and watch a good comedy show with someone you love.

9. Switch off your phone

Constant notifications and attention-seeking from your phone can really spike up stress levels, even if work isn’t stressing you out. Regardless of where you are, if you’re feeling a little stressed out, switch off your phone for a few hours. That disconnection may just be what will help you calm down.

10. Start fighting long-term stress now

The tips above will help you get through a quick bout of stress, but if you find yourself feeling that way more often, it could be a different, chronic problem. The best thing to do when that happens is to fight your chronic stress at the source. Start by learning what stress does to you and what you can do about it. Things like changing your expectations of things can help. Remember, the little things can make a big difference.

Five habits to stop for a healthier skin

AFP PHOTO / Yasser Al-Zayyat

Many people strive to maintain youthful, vibrant, and healthy skin on a daily basis. While some are able to sustain flawless looking skin all of the time, for others it may come as a huge challenge. You may know someone whose skin always seems to look like perfection, and wonder what exactly their skin secrets and daily beauty regimen really entail. Though there may certainly be a genetic component partly responsible for their skin type, always keep in mind that there are also environmental factors and certain bad habits that people with healthier skin tend to avoid more than others, in order to keep the quality of their skin intact.

Nonetheless, in recognition of National Healthy Skin Month this November, remember to ditch the following bad habits immediately. They may indeed be what is holding you back from achieving the healthy and beautiful skin you desire all year round.

Not washing your sheets routinely
The frequency in which you wash and change your sheets actually matters. If your sheets are not washed on a regular basis, then they can become an ideal environment for bacteria, germs, and other pathogens to thrive. Past studies analyzing microbial communities in the home revealed that the kind of bacteria and germs found on a pillow case are quite similar to the type found on a toilet seat. If you rarely change your sheets, this is a call to action to break that habit immediately. When using the same sheets for long periods of time, you may expose your skin to a range of microbes that may lead to unwanted breakouts and varying levels of skin irritation. Be sure to always wash your sheets on a weekly basis to avoid unnecessary skin problems.

Smoking cigarettes
Not only can smoking cigarettes have harmful effects on major organ systems like the lungs, but it can also negatively impact the skin. The toxic chemicals in cigarettes can really compromise and damage the integrity of the skin’s collagen and elastin fibers. This subsequently promotes premature aging, fine lines, and wrinkles in smokers. Smoking can also affect one’s skin tone, texture, and elasticity. Remember that it is never too late to quit smoking. Doing so may help slow down skin wrinkling and improve the overall appearance of your skin.

Skin bleaching
The prevalence of skin bleaching in Nigeria is quite high. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that over 70% of Nigerian women bleach their skin. This translates into an alarming number of people exposing themselves to dangerous chemicals that may continue to damage the skin over time. There are many harmful health effects of skin bleaching, especially when products that are unregulated are constantly used. Hydroquinone is one chemical that may sometimes be found in certain skin bleaching products. Chronic exposure to hydroquinone at higher concentrations may potentially lead to exogenous ochronosis. This condition can destroy the skin and actually cause blackish/bluish discoloration and hyper-pigmentation. Skin bleaching can be extremely dangerous and should be avoided.

Constant stress
There are times that the amount of stress that you face may be suffocating and difficult to bare. But if stress is constantly a major theme in your life, then it is absolutely essential to work towards better stress management techniques. Chronic stress is another factor that is known to not only accelerate aging of the skin, but it is also linked to acne formation. Stress hormones like cortisol may stimulate the production of certain oils known as sebum that may promote acne. If you are able to keep your stress and anxiety levels at bay, you will start to notice some improvement in the quality of your skin.

Not drinking enough water
Living in a tropical climate in which one is usually faced with lots of heat and humidity, may render one more susceptible to dehydration. Our bodies have a continuous need for water and require adequate amounts of it in order to function optimally. Dehydration can have some damaging effects on the skin. It may not only lead to dry and dull skin, but it may also cause a loss of elasticity of the skin. Drinking water is an essential component of maintaining vibrant skin.

You don’t have to be rich or a celebrity to have beautiful and healthy skin. In order to protect and nurture your skin, continue to uphold good hygiene habits and take the necessary precautions to avoid those bad habits that can have a long-lasting damaging effect.

Why Probiotics Will Make Your Vagina Thank You

As you’ve probably come to know by now, the vagina is just as complex and delicate as it is important. Maintaining a healthy vagina is vital to your overall health, yet we grow up knowing so little about how to maintain it and what it means if something feels “off”. The key thing to understand is that there are steps you can take to maintain your vaginal health and help minimisee issues, like vaginal odour and discomfort. We’re talking about vaginal probiotics. What is a vaginal probiotic, you ask? This article is going to answer this important question and empower you with the knowledge to take control of your vaginal health.

What is a Probiotic?

Probiotic means “for life” and brings friendly bacteria into the body to promote a healthy environment. These friendly bacteria make up part of the vaginal flora. Since the body has limited resources to sustain good and bad bacteria, it is important to promote healthy bacteria to help keep other bacteria from flourishing. By boosting the healthy flora, probiotics promote the body’s normal, healthy functioning.

Uses and Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics may be used to promote a healthy environment in various parts of the human body including the digestive system, urinary tract, and vagina. In each of these environments, friendly bacteria keep bad bacteria from flourishing.

Vaginal Probiotics

Lactobacillus, yeast, and other bacteria are all naturally present in your body, and vaginal health occurs when there is a healthy balance of these elements. Vaginal probiotics provide probiotic lactobacillus that works with your body to balance yeast and bacteria. In order to increase effectiveness a probiotic should:

contain live active cultures and
contain a strain specific to your needs

Many products on the market claim to contain probiotics, lactobacillus, and/or acidophilus. Some products contain probiotic strains that are designed to promote digestive, immunity or other health benefits but are not specific to vaginal health.

It is important to understand the features of these products so that you know if what you are taking is actually beneficial to your overall vaginal health.

Does Yogurt Offer the Same Feminine Health Benefit as a Probiotic?

One question we hear a lot is whether eating yogurt will offer the same benefits as taking a probiotic. This is a great question and the short answer is no. While there are yogurts that have probiotics to support digestive, immune or other health benefits, certain vaginal probiotics are specifically designed to support vaginal health. So, your best bet for obtaining those feminine health benefits is to take a product that contains specific strains known to support vaginal health.

Pro-B Probiotic Feminine Supplement

There are various probiotic supplements on the market, If you’re looking for a vaginal probiotic to be taken daily, look no further. fem flora contains seven patented and clinically tested strains of probiotic lactobacillus that have been shown to maintain vaginal health. Taken orally every day, Fem flora helps balance yeast and bacteria to maintain feminine health.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF HONEY

Honey is called liquid gold for a reason and reason is pretty good. Well, honey is that elixir that can prevent you and gives you relief from many health problems and even dreadful diseases. It is an ultimate healer for almost all kinds of ailments.

Honey is known to possess many medicinal and healing properties. It has been used since the ancient times for its antifungal and antibacterial properties. Moreover, it is the best replacement for sugar. In fact, it is the only sugar I’d recommend to you.

Honey comes packed with the vitamins, amino acids, trace enzymes, and many important minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium chlorine, and phosphate. Due to its pH ranging from 3.2 and 4.5, it is acidic in nature and known to reduce the bacteria growth inside the body.

It also contains many anti-oxidant properties that are known to flush out the toxins out of the body.

Jar of honey with honeycomb on wooden table

Health Benefits of Honey

In this section, I am going to list 10 health benefits of honey that are truly amazing and you’ll find absolutely relatable.

Sharpens Your Memory

Our memory starts to fade away with time as we age. But we can still keep our memory sharp with certain foods. Honey is one of them. As honey is rich in anti-oxidants, it gives proper nutrition to your brain cells and keeps it in an optimal state. You can regularly consume honey by mixing it in tea and it will keep your memory sharper as you age.

Boost Your Energy

Honey is the greatest energy booster I have ever known and it is one of the best health benefits of honey. If you never feel like waking up early in the morning and you can’t hold your head up in office after the lunch time then honey is for you. It gives you the energy to do things actively without getting bored or tired.

Cough Suppressant

How many times your mom or your grandma has asked you to eat honey whenever your throat is sore and you catch a cough? A lot of times, right? Well, this is because honey is an excellent cough suppressant that helps you get rid of a cough in less time than other cough syrups. Moreover, it’s completely natural and doesn’t have any side-effects which other cough syrups make you sleep.

Helps you sleep better

If you’re feeling insomniac, honey might help you a lot. Lack of sleep is the number one cause of fatigue, stress, and crankiness. If you too are feeling sleepless these days then honey might help you sleep by releasing the sleep-promoting chemicals in your body.

Remedy for burns and scratches

Honey is being used as an antiseptic for burns and scrapes from the ancient times. As honey is antibiotic in nature, it is known to give a soothing and relieving effect on the burns and scrapes. Penicillin and honey are collectively used for the infection waned. It is the best remedy for treating fresh wounds and burns.

Boosts the Immune System

The antioxidant properties of honey help in making your immune system stronger by warding off the diseases and sickness. It is good for your digestive system and hence helps in making your body function properly. You can drink it daily in the morning mixed with warm water to boost your immune system.

The cure for hangovers

Drinking might feel like a complete fun but no one wants to wake up with the hangovers, right? Here’s where honey has a role to play. Honey helps in speeding up your liver for the faster oxidation of alcohol and thus provides the relief from the hangover. You can add a couple of teaspoons of honey in a glass of orange juice to relieve hangover.

Do you find yourself too busy, too tired, or too distracted for sex? Or does your drive just not seem to be there like it used to?

Your sex drive is a good overall indicator of how healthy you are. If you are a male and you aren’t waking up with regular erections (especially if you’re a male under 50 years old), then that can be an issue.

The happier your body is the more sexual desire it will have.

Testosterone is not responsible for libido alone. Especially for women, desire stems from a much more complicated set of hormonal and emotional interactions. But for men, while testosterone is not the whole story, it does play a leading role and the modern lifestyle may be your T’s worst enemy.

There is a new syndrome called Irritable Male Syndrome, or IMS, that’s due to testosterone deficiency. It goes beyond low libido, and includes emotional withdrawal, lack of motivation, aggression, personality changes, and anxiety. It can also present as self-destructive behaviours like gambling, alcoholism and workaholism.

If this sounds like you or your man, you’re not alone. Low testosterone affects at least 13.8 million men, with a significant number of those being men in their 30s.

While hormone replacement is an option for some, men who take the following seven steps are often able to rehab their testosterone, their sex drive, and the many other symptoms of Testosterone deficiency that go along with it.

1. Stay fit.

Belly fat and obesity are testosterone killers. One study showed that obese teen boys have up to 50% less testosterone than their non-obese peers. One reason for this may be that fat cells contain more aromatase, an enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen.

Unfortunately, obesity and low testosterone reinforce each other, leading to a spiral of weight gain and hormone imbalance in men. The good news is that reversing the spiral is mutually reinforcing as well.

2. Get eight hours of sleep.

One study showed that after only one week of just five hours of sleep nightly, testosterone levels dropped 10-15%. While surviving on only a few hours may sound macho to some, it’s actually eroding your most important male hormone.

3. Avoid toxins that harm the testicles.

Phthalates and parabens in personal care products like lotions and shaving creams, and BPA in plastic bottles and on store receipts, are anti-androgens, meaning they disrupt the production and function of multiple hormones including testosterone.

So, green your bathroom cabinet, use stainless-steel reusable water bottles, and say no thanks to receipts at stores to avoid these chemicals.

4. Reduce stress.

Stress is a major driver of low T. Ultimately your adrenal hormones, thyroid hormones and sex hormones are all interconnected in a beautiful but complicated dance.

A stress-driven phenomenon called “cortisol steal” can lead to a hormone imbalance where the production of testosterone is decreased in favor of cortisol. Stress also increases the production of aromatase and 5-alpha-reductase, two enzymes that break down testosterone.

If you relax and breathe, meditate, do yoga or otherwise boost your parasympathetic nervous system, even for just 10 minutes a day, you give your hormone system a chance to reboot and rebalance, lowering cortisol and increasing testosterone.

5. Take your vitamins seriously.

Vitamins A and E, and minerals zinc and selenium are like fertilizer for androgen production and testicular function. While in the developed world we may eat a lot of food, most of it is low or totally missing these important micronutrients.

Supplements are one targeted way to get more of these critical nutrients, or, eat more shellfish for zinc and selenium, carrots and kale for vitamin A, and almonds and sunflower seeds for vitamin E.

5 Of The Best Foods To Eat After A Workout

What should you eat after your workout?

In a lot of ways, that depends on the type of workout you enjoyed in addition to your fitness goals. If it was a fat-burning workout and your goal is to lose weight, you may want to focus on lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. The foods are similar if you had a strength-oriented workout with slightly more emphasis on protein (a protein shake is a good idea, for example).

Generally speaking, you want to eat something light and healthy — such as a yogurt, piece of fruit, or energy bar — prior to getting your workout on. That way you’ll have the energy to power through your workout without getting bogged down by the digestive issues that might accompany a heavier meal.

But what foods, more specifically, should you be eating after a workout? here are a few great ones to consider.

1. Potatoes

If you’ve just finished a workout designed to burn as many calories as possible — in essence, a high-intensity cardiovascular workout — then you’ll want to restore much of the glycogen spent by your body. That means consuming carbohydrates, and there are few better carbs for this purpose than potatoes.

The good news is that potatoes are cheap, easy to find, and incredibly easy to prepare. Try boiling some potatoes before tossing them in garlic powder and salt and serving them alongside egg whites. Or, if your workout was a little later in the day, use tinfoil to wrap some potatoes with extra virgin olive oil and rosemary and bake in the oven or barbeque.

2. Eggs

Egg

Eggs are one of the most popular post-workout foods, for a number of reasons. For one, they’re extremely cheap — in fact, in a lot of places their cost is subsidized, meaning you pay market value for them. On top of that, they’re very easy to prepare; in fact, most young chefs learn to perfect the omelet before moving on to preparing any other dish.

Eggs are great for eating after a workout because they’re packed with protein and good fats that your body desperately wants shortly after expending a lot of energy. If you’re determined to lose weight, you can cut the fat and cholesterol out by purchasing egg whites, which have all the protein but none of the yolk.

3. Chicken Breast

One of the healthiest sources of protein is skinless, boneless chicken breast, which can be found at just about any grocery store. With the skin gone and bone removed, this is easily the lowest fat cut of poultry. Of course, it’s important to keep health in mind when preparing your chicken — rather than frying in heavy oil, try baking your chicken after rubbing some salt and other spices in to give it flavor. If you simply must fry the chicken, lightly spray a pan rather than filling it with oil.

Great pairings for your chicken breast include boiled potatoes and an extra-large side of vegetables, like broccoli. If you’re set on going ultra-healthy, consider boiling the chicken, too.

4. Salmon

Fish is often an excellent food choice, but it’s especially smart to eat it after a workout. That’s because salmon is relatively light, full of protein, and contains healthy fats known as omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help improve hearth and brain functionality.

Salmon is also relatively easy to acquire and even easier to prepare. Just spray a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, add the salmon, and flavor with salt and citrus juice. Or, you could add some fresh dill to give it a unique flavour. Pair with brown rice and steamed vegetables for the ultimate post-workout meal.

5. Protein Powder

A lot of health experts recommend you consume a full but light and healthy meal — such as salmon with brown rice and salad — following a workout. But sometimes we just don’t have the time or appetite for preparing a larger meal, even one as quick as salmon, rice, vegetable.

If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to reach for a protein powder, such as whey protein. Throw a spoonful in a glass of milk or water and drink it down. Because many whey protein powders contain carbohydrates in addition to protein, they’ll start the process of helping your muscles recover and get ready for the next workout. Additionally, a protein powder drink can help settle the stomach after a particularly grueling workout session.

Anaemia: Causes And Treatment

The body makes three types of blood cells- white blood cells to fight infection, platelets to help your blood clot and red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.

Anaemia occurs when your blood does not have enough red blood cells. This can happen if the body does not make enough red blood cells; bleeding, which causes loss of red blood cells more quickly than they can be replaced or the body destroys red blood cells.

The body makes three types of blood cells- white blood cells to fight infection, platelets to help your blood clot and red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body.

Red blood cells contain haemoglobin – an iron-rich protein that gives blood its red colour. Haemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body and to carry carbon dioxide from other parts of the body to the lungs so that it can be exhaled.

Most blood cells, including red blood cells, are produced regularly in your bone marrow- a spongy material found within the cavities of many of the large bones. To produce haemoglobin and red blood cells, the body needs iron, vitamin B-12, folate and other nutrients from the foods we eat.

Causes of Anaemia
Different types of anaemia and their causes include:
. Iron deficiency anaemia: This is the most common type of anaemia worldwide. Iron deficiency anaemia is caused by a shortage of iron in the body. Your bone marrow needs iron to make haemoglobin. Without adequate iron, your body cannot produce enough haemoglobin for red blood cells. Without iron supplementation, this type of anaemia occurs in many pregnant women. It is also caused by blood loss, such as from heavy menstrual bleeding, an ulcer, cancer and regular use of some over-the-counter pain relievers, especially aspirin.

. Vitamin deficiency anaemia: In addition to iron, the body needs folate and vitamin B-12 to produce enough healthy red blood cells. A diet lacking in these and other key nutrients can cause decreased red blood cell production.
Additionally, some people may consume enough B-12, but their bodies are not able to process the vitamin. This can lead to vitamin deficiency anaemia, also known as pernicious anaemia.

. Anaemia of chronic disease: Certain diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, Crohn’s disease and other chronic inflammatory diseases can interfere with the production of red blood cells.
Symptoms
Anaemia signs and symptoms vary depending on the cause of the anaemia. They may include fatigue, weakness, pale or yellowish skin, irregular heartbeats, shortness of breath, dizziness or lightheadedness, chest pain, cold hands and feet, headache.

Risk factors
A diet lacking in certain vitamins- Having a diet that is consistently low in iron, vitamin B-12 and folate increases your risk of anaemia.
Intestinal disorders- Having an intestinal disorder that affects the absorption of nutrients in your small intestine such as Crohn’s disease and Celiac disease puts you at risk of anaemia.

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