HIV Foundation Health Recommendations for Health and Wellbeing

Recommendations for Health and Wellbeing

Tо bесоmе a steward оf health, оnе ѕhоuld know hоw tо prioritize thеіr basic needs. Thеѕе cover thе physiological, physical, emotional, psychological, social, аnd spiritual aspects. Hоwеvеr, thе main ingredient tо achieve аn optimum level оf wellbeing іѕ thrоugh addressing thе requirements оf bodily аnd cognitive ѕіdеѕ.

Thе physical wellbeing involves thе requirements оf avoiding common illnesses аnd maintenance оf a normal bodily conditions. Thе psychological wellbeing focuses оn thе person’s perspective tоwаrdѕ thеіr healthy living.

Thеѕе twо aspects work hand-in-hand tо bесоmе a healthy person. Thе reason fоr thіѕ іѕ thаt psychological aspect саn influence bodily reactions, whісh mау result іntо different physiological responses causing abnormal balance wіthіn thе bоdу.

Men’s Health

Thе physical need оf men focuses оn thеіr ability tо sustain sufficient аmоunt оf calories. Men exert mоrе energy consumption thаn women. Thеrеfоrе, thе caloric need fоr men іѕ higher. In line tо thіѕ, men tend tо bе mоrе assertive, whеn іt соmеѕ tо thеіr health.

Unlike women, men’s tolerance level tоwаrdѕ illnesses іѕ greater. It means thаt men оftеn consult a doctor іn terms оf whаt thеу felt. Instead, thеу wіll end uр bеіng admitted іn thе hospital іf thе case іѕ tоо severe fоr thеm.

Thе psychological health оf men focuses оn stress reduction. Men bеіng thе common bread winner оf thе family tend tо work harder аnd earn income fоr financial obligations. Thіѕ tells еvеrуоnе thаt men аrе mоrе exposed tо work-related stress аnd tensions, whісh places thеm аt risk оf developing mоrе health problems.

Thе best wау tо prevent stress fоr men іѕ tо tаkе proper pacing оf thеіr job аnd personal life. Thrоugh thіѕ, thеу regain normal composure tо withstand thе threat оf stress.

Women’s Health

Thе physical need оf women іѕ lesser thаn men. Thеу аrе mоrе conscious оf whаt thеу eat аnd drink. Women аrе keener оf thеіr health аnd аnу minimal signs оr symptoms thаt саn affect thеіr activities аrе immediately reported tо thе doctor.

Thе psychological health оf women іѕ mоrе dramatic thаn men. Thеу аrе emotionally mature аnd tend tо voice оut thе tension іn аn erratic behaviour. Women аrе mоrе subjective thаn bеіng objective. Thіѕ places thеm аt risk оf developing lоw self-esteem оr confidence.

Women mоѕt оftеn саn easily cope wіth thеіr psychological problems. Hоwеvеr, thеу аrе predominantly affected bу psychological fixation. It means thаt women hаvе extreme reactions tоwаrd stress оr pressures. Eіthеr thеу саn easily adapt wіth thе crisis оr fail tо mоvе оn.

Kids’ Health

Physically, children’s health іѕ thе mоѕt basic. Thе focus оf thеіr wellbeing includes:

1. Growth аnd development whісh аrе addressed bу sufficient аmоunt оf vitamins аnd minerals.

2. Proper exercises tо boost thеіr bodily functions.

3. Outdoor оr indoor games саn improve thеіr social needs аnd leadership skills.

4. Sufficient sleep аnd rеѕt fоr proper mind functioning аnd bесоmіng аn active child іn thе following days.

Thе psychological need оf children mainly involves independence. Mоѕt kids dо nоt want tо bе controlled. Hоwеvеr, thіѕ behaviour ѕhоuld nоt bе disregarded bу adults bесаuѕе іt mау nоt bе a favourable consideration оn thе child’s end.

Minimal supervision untіl a child іѕ fostered wіth proper decorum саn help thеm bесоmе аn independent person оf thеіr оwn health.

In today’s fast paced lifestyle, еvеrуthіng еlѕе hаѕ bесоmе important еxсерt health. Wе run аt оur maximum pace whеn іn youth, but аѕ wе grow аnd age, thе strength, immunity аnd tolerance оf thе bоdу reduces. Thіѕ іѕ thе reason whу thе age оf 40 аnd аbоvе brings іn wіth itself various illnesses, disorders аnd diseases.

Health іѕ like аn investment thаt wе dо whеn wе аrе іn оur prime, аnd іt gives uѕ happy returns оnсе wе mature аnd grow old.

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Bad habit or dangerous? That’s why it cracks when we pull our fingersBad habit or dangerous? That’s why it cracks when we pull our fingers

Crack, Crack, Crack: Some people can pull their fingers apart so that it makes quite loud noises. Scientists wanted to know where this pop is coming from. 

  • So far there have been various theories about the origin of noise.
  • Researchers observed the process in the magnetic resonance tomograph.
  • There is no indication of whether the cracking is bad or good for the joints.

The cracking noise when pulling apart of fingers formed according to a study by the formation of a cavity in the joint.

Finger in the magnetic resonance tomograph

In the investigation, Greg Kawchuk’s team from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, took a closer look at a man’s metacarpophalangeal joints in an MRI scanner. The scientists present their results in the journal “PLOS ONE” .

Is there a threat to health?

Some people can crack their joints when they pull their fingers apart. There is currently no evidence as to whether this phenomenon is bad or good for the joints. “So far, no one has ever been able to prove that this  cracking is harmful to health in the long term,” says Professor Jörg van Schoonhoven from the Clinic for Hand Surgery at the Rhön Clinic in Bad Neustadt an der Saale.

Different theories

For a long time there have been various theories about where the popping sound when clicking your fingers comes from. Some scientists suspected that the crackling sound was caused by a bursting bubble in the joint space.

Other researchers hypothesized that the sound is caused by the flapping of ligaments.

Another explanation for the origin of the cracking is what is known as tribonucleation: a mechanism in which the movement of surfaces creates gas bubbles in a liquid.

Study author as guinea pig

To date, there has not been any direct experimental evidence that solidly supports any of the theories. Kawchuk’s researchers wanted to change that. 

For their study, the scientists needed someone who had the ability to crack their metatarsophalangeal joints on request. These joints connect the bones of the metacarpus to the base members of the fingers. The choice fell on Jerome Fryer, one of the study authors.

Pull until it cracks

In the experiment, the researchers examined each finger of the test subject in isolation in a special magnetic resonance tomograph, with which movement sequences can be recorded.

The finger was attached to a kind of tube that was connected to a cable at the other end. Then the cord was pulled until Fryer’s fingers cracked. The entire process in the joint was recorded with an MRI scanner.

Is a cavity the cause?

Shortly before the cracking could be heard, the researchers were able to observe the formation of a cavity in the images.

The scientists therefore assume that tribonucleation has taken place in the joint: “It is a bit as if a vacuum is being formed,” explains Kawchuk in a communication on the study. “If the joint surfaces suddenly separate, there is no longer any liquid left to fill the increasing joint volume. This creates a cavity.” The noise is generated by this event. 

“It is interesting to know what acoustic phenomenon is behind the cracking of the fingers,” said the hand surgeon van Schoonhoven. However, by including only one person in their study, Kawchuk’s researchers would be able to explain the phenomenon only for that person. “The experimental setup does not allow any generalized statements,” said van Schoonhoven.

 

These tricks help against the bellyThese tricks help against the belly

From the age of 30, German men are growing rapidly. It doesn’t look good and is a health hazard. Nevertheless, the stronger sex has difficulties with weight loss programs. FOCUS Online explains why this is so and which diet works best for men.

Surveys by the Federal Statistical Office show that Germany’s men are getting fatter year after year: If the body mass index is used as a benchmark, 62 percent of men are currently overweight (BMI over 25) and 18 percent are obese (BMI over 30) . And while only a third of the 20 to 25 year olds are overweight, the proportion among the over 50 year olds rises to more than 70 percent. Among women, 43 percent carry too many pounds around – but the proportion of people who are overweight shrinks slightly every year.

Visceral belly fat is a health risk

But while many of the overweight women have the word “lose weight” at least in the back of their minds, the term “diet” bounces off most men. Somehow, around 30, they gradually lose their firm body, but they feel comfortable with their figure, which they do not find too fat at all. Men seem to be more tolerant of their paunch than women of their love handles.

This has nothing to do with reason, because it is now known that so-called visceral belly fat in particular poses a health risk. The metabolically active tissue releases inflammatory substances and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and erectile dysfunction.

The traditional image of the man promotes obesity

Papa gets the biggest piece of meat because a man has to eat properly – this age-old belief persists in Germany. And so men eat an average of 1.1 kilograms of meat every week. That is twice as much as for women and twice as much as recommended for a healthy diet. In addition, there are plenty of carbohydrates in the form of pasta, potatoes or white bread, sausage, butter and cheese – and the plates are often scooped up on the “all-you-can-eat” principle.

Many men get fat because they eat and drink too much of the wrong things, for example six times as much beer as women. And they stay fat because it is very difficult to change established eating habits.

Men need a lot of motivation to diet

Doctors and nutritionists find time and again that men rarely lose weight because they find themselves too fat. It almost always takes an external spark for the average man to change something in his lifestyle, for example when the doctor diagnoses diabetes or a heart problem, or when a relationship breaks up.

This was also the result of an evaluation of two major diet programs by the British health authority NHS. And there were even more men-specific issues on the subjectLose weight:

  • Only ten percent of men had received a referral from their doctor for the programs.
  • But: Once men start with such a measure, they develop ambition to lose weight and get out less often than women.
  • Men are more likely to respond to programs that avoid the word “diet” and place great emphasis on exercise.

Proper diet and exercise

Weight loss results mainly from diet changes. However, if men also expand their muscle cushion in the process, the effect is increased because of the high energy requirements of the muscles. Men should exercise all muscle groups in the body and not just squint at the fast-growing biceps.

A sporting program that includes a mix of strength and endurance is often better accepted by men than women. Sport should be fun in any case, because after actively losing weight, exercise can stabilize the desired weight – without the man having to constantly watch the calories.

What men should eat for weight loss is no different from a diet for women:

1. less red / fatty meat, sausage and animal fat

2. more vegetables

3. less white flour and sugar (carbohydrates)

4. more white / lean meat, tofu, or legumes (protein)

5. no alcohol

Intermittent fasting – as invented for men

Intermittent fasting is a suitable diet method for those who like it simple and uncomplicated. With the simple principle, there are time windows for food intake, which alternate with fasting episodes. The fat metabolism is activated, excess pounds can melt – especially if you keep an eye on the calories.

  • The popular “16: 8” method is suitable as a permanent nutritional principle: During the day, people eat in an 8-hour window, two to three meals without snacks in between. The nocturnal eating break is extended to 16 hours – ideal for men who do not like breakfast.
  • The “5: 2” interval fasting allows you to eat normally on five days, then there are a maximum of 500 calories on two days.
  • The “1: 1” method is considered to be the most difficult to stick to: alternately eat one day and one fast.

For men (and women), the combination of two protein shakes and a normal meal a day is a good start to losing weight. US presenter and comedian Jimmy Kimmel lost over twelve kilos before he switched to intermittent fasting “5: 2”.

The man’s body is the best weapon against obesity

Once men have decided to lose weight, they enjoy a great advantage over women. Men are taller, heavier and have more muscles – as a result, their bodies burn more energy even when they are resting.

If they also save calories, they lose more weight and lose weight faster than women. This was shown by a study with 2000 male and female participants who had exactly the same general conditions. After eight weeks, the men saw 16 percent more weight loss. Their bodies cling less to fat deposits, which in women are a stubborn reservoir for pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Osteoarthritis in the knee: How stem cells can repair damaged cartilageOsteoarthritis in the knee: How stem cells can repair damaged cartilage

It crunches and cracks, and some movements during exercise are really painful. When the knee shows signs of wear and tear, those affected want a miracle cure that rebuilds the cartilage. Hope rests on stem cells.

  • The body’s own stem cells have a positive effect on osteoarthritis-related inflammation in the knee.
  • A study now wants to clarify whether they actually build up permanent cartilage.
  • A transplant can repair minor cartilage damage in young patients.

After a certain age, signs of wear and tear become noticeable in the knee . After the age of 30, the risk increases linearly. The painful, inflammatory breakdown of cartilage in the operating room and with an artificial knee ends 150,000 times a year. Then smooth metal has to replace the cartilage layer, which allows round, painless movements in a healthy knee.

The idea frightens many people suffering from osteoarthritis. They hope for new methods to rebuild lost cartilage: stem cells should help.

Belly fat provides the best stem cell material

The doctor uses the patient’s belly fat as a starting material. The idea behind it: stem cells can be obtained particularly easily and in relatively large numbers from vascular fat tissue. Injected at the location of the defect, they learn from the microenvironment into which cell type they should develop.

According to this principle, the doctor and stem cell researcher Eckhard Alt uses the undifferentiated cells : Stem cells from the patient’s fat tissue are processed in the operating room within an hour and injected into the patient where he needs them – for example into the osteoarthritis knee.

The founder of the “Interdisciplinary Stem Cells Research Center” in Houston and a private clinic in Munich sees stem cells as the future therapy for chronic inflammatory diseases of the musculoskeletal system – among other things.

The cell extract in the knee does not guarantee success

Some orthopedic practices that offer the procedure honestly state that it is a not generally recognized attempt at healing with no guarantee of success. Rather, it is a final experimental attempt to remedy knee problems without a joint replacement.

“In this so-called ‘point-of-care’ application, a cell extract is injected that not only consists of stem cells,” explains Oliver Pullig from the Fraunhofer Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine in Würzburg. How many stem cells that are supposed to develop into cartilage material actually get into the knee is just as little regulated as the preparation of the suctioned off belly fat.

Development of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis most commonly occurs on the fingers, thumbs, knees, hips and big toes.

Arthrosis is always preceded by cartilage damage. Cartilage is considered to be a “shock absorber” for the joints. Initially, the damage to the cartilage is often superficial and limited to a small area. In the advanced stage, the symptoms worsen. Tension pain occurs and the joints change.

The joints react to the cartilage damage with pain, swelling or inflammation.

Stem cells instead of knee prostheses

A Europe-wide study is currently looking for scientific evidence of the anti-osteoarthritis potential of the body’s own stem cells.

A small one with six patients in Würzburg and twelve in Montpellier, France, led to success in 2013: Almost all participants canceled their previously unavoidable operation for a knee prosthesis. “Your complaints had improved throughout,” explains Oliver Pullig. “A reconstruction of cartilage was unlikely with such a large damage.”

The follow-up study that has just begun with 153 participants at ten European locations therefore fulfills a requirement that the German study director Ulrich Nöth from the Evangelical Forest Hospital Berlin-Spandau formulated back then: Stem cell therapy is best suited for patients with middle and middle-aged osteoarthritis. You are no longer eligible for a cartilage transplant, but you are too young to have an artificial joint.

New cartilage from stem cells? A study should show it

Like the pilot study, the ADIPOA2 study uses so-called mesenchymal stem cells from the abdominal fat of each subject. These precursor cells of the connective tissue have the ability to develop into cartilage, bone or fat cells.

Biologist Oliver Pullig explains: “We take 100 milliliters of belly fat from each participant. The stem cells obtained from this are multiplied millions of times in special laboratories. That takes a good two weeks. 51 patients then receive two million of these pure stem cells injected into the joint, 51 patients receive an injection with 10 million cells and 51 patients receive a placebo. “

Results should be available by the end of 2018, and thus scientific proof of whether stem cells fulfill the hope of permanently building cartilage. The scientist is optimistic: “If successful, the therapy with stem cells as a drug could be ready for the market at the next study level. It doesn’t take five years. “

Cartilage transplant only helps to a limited extent

Another method to restore lost cartilage is transplantation, which has been tried and tested for 20 years. So far, however, it has only been successful in the case of centimeter damage in an otherwise intact knee. The operation is laborious and the healing process long.

In the first keyhole surgery, the doctor removes a small piece of healthy cartilage, hardly larger than a grain of rice. These cartilage cells are propagated in the laboratory in three to four weeks. In a second operation, the surgeon places these cells or the cartilage patch on the defective area in the knee.

After that, the knee must not be subjected to any load for six weeks, then only lightly for another six weeks. Only after a year is the joint stable enough for sport to be possible.

Cartilage from the laboratory is expensive

The transplant is only suitable for younger knee patients whose cartilage and joints are free from osteoarthritis. If this therapy is successful, it can prevent further cartilage damage and a later threatened knee prosthesis.

Then, in the long term, the costs of several thousand euros for cells grown in a laboratory will pay off.

Hyaluronic acid can at least relieve pain

If these methods are out of the question, another remedy can help: synthetic hyaluronic acid is often misunderstood as a substance for building up cartilage. However, it cannot produce worn cartilage, but serves as a lubricant and for joint care.

Orthopedic surgeons inject the moisture-retaining gel three to five times at weekly intervals. Hyaluronic acid relieves pain and promotes mobility – permanently for some patients, at least for a year or two for others. Then the treatment can be repeated.