VEGETARIAN

DOC I AM A VEGETARIAN

A Vegetarian Diet is important for those people who opt for Optimal Personal and Environmental Health.

It’s been well documented through the years that vegetarians are healthier than people who eat meat.

Vegetarians are less likely to :
1.be obese
2.have high blood pressure,
3.diabetes,
4.rheumatoid arthritis
5.colon cancer
6.less likely to die from heart disease.

Vegetarians have lower blood pressure even when they eat the same amount of salt as meat eaters and exercise less.

Many studies show that vegetarians have less instances of colon cancer, due in large part to the differences in the bacterial flora that is present in the colon.

There are many factors in the vegetarian diet that contribute to better health.
1.Vegetarians consume two to three times as much fiber as do meat-eaters, which has been shown to reduce cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and protect against colon cancer.

2.They also consume more antioxidants, which are found in a wide variety of plant foods and protect cells from oxygen-induced damage and reduce the risk for heart disease, arthritis, cancer, and other diseases.

3.Vegetarians eat more isoflavones than do meat eaters. These compounds, found mostly in soy foods, are a type of phytochemical. Research shows that isoflavones may reduce the risk for prostate cancer and may improve bone health.

4.Vegetarians also consume much less saturated fat and cholesterol than do meat eaters, resulting in significantly lower levels of blood cholesterol, decreased instances of heart disease and possibly for diabetes and cancer.

5.And, since vegetarians do not eat meat, they are not exposed to heme iron, a type of iron found in meat that may increase the risk of heart disease and cancer.

6.Lastly, being a vegetarian is not only optimally healthy for your body, but also for your your environment and the planet’s animals.

It allows you to live more harmoniously with the world around you, which improves mental and emotional health accordingly.

MASSAGE THERAPY

DOC WHAT IS MASSAGE THERAPY?

What is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapy is a form of therapy that a licenced massage therapist or physiotherapist does massage of painful muscles or the body to improve blood circulation in a patient.

Besides being able to help relieve sore muscles, massaging a body needs a massage therapist who know what are the risks, if there are any side effects and how it supplements conventional medicine for stress and improving blood flow in the body.

Types of Massage Therapy include:

1.reflexology,

2.shiatsu,

3.back massage,

4.hot stone,

4.deep tissue,

5.aromatherapy

6.Swedish.

7.Thai

Risks with  massage therapy  can be avoided if you take the proper precautions.

The best thing to do will be to consult with your doctor to see if it is safe for you to see a masseuse.

Patients who have the following conditions should not undergo massage therapy. These include 1.deep vein thrombosis that happens to be a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs,

2.bleeding disorder or taking blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin,

3.damaged blood vessels

4.weakened bones from osteoporosis,

5. recent fracture,

6.cancer.


7.fever, 

8.open injury,

9.damaged nerves, 

10.an infection or acute inflammation.

Certain conditions could also be dangerous if you decide to have a massage. These include 1.pregnancy,

2.cancer,

3.fragile skin,

4. dermatomyositis

5.heart problems,

Side effects associated with massage therapy include:

1.temporary pain or discomfort,

2.bruising,

3.swelling

4.sensitivity or allergy to massage oils.

Massage therapy should not be used a substitute for regular medical care.

If your doctor tells you that you can see a massage therapist, do some research about the person.

You should check on their credentials or licenses, years of experience and training.

If you need massage therapy to help cure medical condition, find out beforehand if they have specialized training in this field.

It would not hurt to also ask if they use other practices aside from massage therapy to help their patients.

Some examples of these include the use of herbs and requiring the patient to go on a special diet.

Some people may even ask for a free ten minute test to see how well they perform.

The best part about massage therapy is that it can provide relief without the need to ingest pain killing drugs and knowing some facts about it is good so you know what you are getting yourself into once you visit the place.

As long as there is no dangers or side effects, going for a session of massage therapy by a licenced massage therapist to relieve some stress or pain may be beneficial for your health

PHYSIOTHERAPY

DOC WHAT IS PHYSIOTHERAPY

Physiotherapy is also known as physical therapy of medical conditions. That answers the question of what is physiotherapy for many people.

As a supplementary type of health care, physiotherapy concerns itself with providing physical healing methods for many different kinds of injuries and illnesses.

Therapy at a Physiotherapy Clinic:

When a patient is referred to the physiotherapy clinic, he or she will be evaluated by a physiotherapist.

After this initial evaluation, he or she will be scheduled for treatments like ultrasound or acupuncture etc as recommended by the doctors in conjunction with the physiotherapists.

They will be assigned exercises to do at the clinic. A good physiotherapist will begin treatment right away.

The different types of Physiotherapy:

1.massage or manipulation (hands-on) of the musculo-skeletal system when the muscles and tissues are injured.

2.Traction of the skeletal system to lengthen the spaces between bones so that nerves or tendons are pressed on by the bones

3.Strengthening of the muscular system helps the patient to recover from surgery as well as prevention of tightening of the muscles and tendons and making them more flexible.

4.Heat (heat pads, infra-red light, shortwave diathermy) help the blood circulating after injuries and help earlier recovery

5.ice (cold compress) help to reduce swelling and tissue damage

6.ultrasound treatment, radiofrequency waves , are all useful to relieve pain and stiffness.

7.Hyperbarbaric treatment: Increase in oxygen pressure can improve the faster healing of injuries and recovery from surgery.

All these methods tend to promote better health, both physical and psychological.

The importance of physiotherapy equipment:

Equipment for helping patients regain their strength and mobility are a part of what is physiotherapy. This equipment may allow a person who is partially paralyzed to get the most exercise possible. This is crucial in maintaining the integrity of their spines and muscles.

The importance of Education in Physiotherapy:

Besides the methods used in Physiotherapy, education is a part of what is physiotherapy. A physiotherapist will teach a patient how to care for their injuries. He will teach exercises to do at home so that therapy can continue beyond the walls of the clinic or hospital. He will teach ways to overcome difficulties that cannot be cured.

Rehabilitation is another part of Physiotherapy treatment:

Patients have injuries from sports, car accidents, or assault. These injuries can be treated through physiotherapy. Given the right treatments and an injury that will respond to treatment, much progress can be made. Full functioning may be regained. It may even be possible for them to go back to work rather than being laid up at home.

Physiotherapy is a carefully planned and executed treatment strategy.

It is based upon assessments of the conditions that patients suffer. If all goes well, the patient will return to their original condition. If this is not possible, the goal is for the patient to reach a goal that is the best movement and lack of pain that is possible.

The preventative side of the field of physiotherapy is very important in the overall holistic treatment of a patient.

It is a part of the work of practitioners of physiotherapy to encourage exercises and postures that will help patients avoid physical injuries and conditions requiring their services.

An excellent physiotherapist will have fewer return patients, but the flow of people needing physiotherapy continues.

YOGA

DOC WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India,whose goal is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility.

The goals of yoga are varied and range from improving health to achieving Moksha which is liberation from all worldly suffering and the cycle of birth and death .

The more technical sense of the term "yoga", describing a system of meditation or contemplation with the aim of the cessation of mental activity and the attaining of a "supreme state" .

"Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga").

The Eight Limbs are:
1. Yama (The five "abstentions"):
non-violence,
non-lying,
non-covetousness,
non-sensuality,
non-possessiveness.

2. Niyama (The five "observances"):
purity,
contentment,
austerity,
study,
surrender to god.

3. Asana: means "seat", and refers to the seated position used for meditation.

4. Pranayama ("Suspending Breath"):
interpreted as control of the life force.

5. Pratyahara ("Abstraction"):
Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.

6. Dharana ("Concentration"):
Fixing the attention on a single object.

7. Dhyana ("Meditation"):
Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of meditation.

8. Samadhi ("Liberation"):
merging consciousness with the object of meditation.

Types of Yoga are:
1. Raja Yoga: the first yoga the path of meditation
2. Karma yoga: The yoga of action.
3. Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion,
4. Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge.
5. Hatha Yoga: the purification of the physical body as leading to the purification of the mind.

The Hatha Yoga is generally the yoga accepted by the western world as the yoga which they practiced .

Health benefits of yoga:
Yoga came to the attention of an educated western public in the mid 19th century as a form of purely physical system of health exercises :
1.meditation
2.breathing
3.concentration

Yoga is used for treatment of cancer patients :
1.to decrease depression,
2.reduce insomnia,
3.relieve pain, and fatigue
4.control anxiety.

stress.
Treatment with yoga reported significantly :
1.less mood disturbance and
2.reduced stress
3.positive effects on sleep anxiety,
4.better quality of life,

Schizophrenia:
Yoga's ability to
1.improve cognitive functions
2.reduce stress
makes it appealing in the treatment of schizophrenia because of its association with cognitive deficits and stress related relapse.

Heart disease.
studies of the effects of yoga on heart disease suggest:
1. yoga may help reduce high blood pressure,
2.improve symptoms of heart failure,
3.enhance cardiac rehabilitation,
4.lower cardiovascular risk factors.

Other health benefits:
1. musculoskeletal and mental health improvements,
2.reduced symptoms of asthma in asthmatics.
3.improve mood and anxiety more than other exercises, such as jogging or walking.