High Blood Pressure : Prevention

Adults over 18 should have their blood pressure checked routinely. Lifestyle changes may help control your blood pressure: Lose weight if you are overweight. Excess weight adds to strain on the heart. In some cases, weight loss may be the only tre...

Prevention of hypertension centers on avoiding or eliminating known risk factors. Even persons at risk because of age, race, or sex or those who have an inherited risk can lower their chance of developing hypertension. The risk of developing hyper...

Depending on the results of diagnostic tests, childhood hypertension is generally treated with lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise , before antihypertensive medication is prescribed. Lifestyle changes that may reduce blood pressure incl...

Prevention of hypertension centers on avoiding or eliminating known risk factors. Even persons at risk because of age, race, or sex or those who have an inherited risk can lower their chance of developing hypertension. The risk of developing hyper...

Prevention of hypertension centers on avoiding or eliminating known risk factors. Even persons at risk because of age, race, or gender or those who have an inherited risk can lower their chance of developing hypertension. The risk of developing hy...

In today's society, there's much confusion over what constitutes a healthy weight. Here are some ways to find out where you stand on the weight issue.

Here are suggestions to help you help your children attain and maintain a healthy weight.

Which is more important to you -- being able to wear the jeans you wore five years ago, or being able to move better, have more energy and improve your health?

Food is your body’s fuel. You can’t live without it. The key is to give your body enough nutrients and energy without eating too much. Learn new eating habits to manage your weight.

Losing weight with exercise

Exercise is any activity requiring physical exertion done for the sake of health. Activities range from walking and yoga to lifting weights and martial arts .

Detailed information on finding the right exercise program and the right preparation

Methodical and repetitive physical activity benefiting a person's health. Traditionally, exercise has been a concern of adults, the reasoning being that children are naturally active and do not need any structured program of physical activity. Scientists and physicians now generally agree that regular exercise is beneficial to a child's health. Exercise, pediatricians argue, is needed to counteract such alarm ing trends as childhood obesity, resulting from, among other factors, poor nutritional habits and a sedentary lifestyle. While the American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that exercise classes do not benefit children under the age of three, there is general agreement that moderate aerobic exercise (e.g., running, walking, cycling, or swimming), in addition to strengthening the child's cardiovascular system, establishes healthy exercise habits which will positively affect long-range health. However, according to Fitness for Life, children may not be getting the right kind of exercise in school, as school programs emphasize competitive sports, such as soccer and football, which develop skills and endurance, without providing the benefits of an aerobic workout. Experts have noted that younger children need parental supervision while exercising; in fact, parental participation is recommended, as children often need direction for structured activities. Furthermore, children, because of their short attention span, need brief exercise periods. As Bob Glover and Jack Shepherd have observed, children are easily discouraged if adults attempt to impose their own style of exercising. Since children may perceive longer exercise periods as boring, it is important to make simple aerobic exercise fun. This can be done by organizing hikes and games of tag or hide-and-seek; dancing to music is also good aerobic exercise. Experts generally agree that school-age children need about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three or four times a week. The President's Council on Physical Fitness, however, suggests at least 30 minutes of daily exercise. In addition to better physical health, researchers have found that exercise can foster a child's intellectual and spiritual development as well. In fact, University of Toronto physiology professor Roy J. Shephard has found that students who spend an extra hour in gym class improve their academic performance. Subsequent research seems to confirm Shephard's original findings (Olsen, 1994). Exercise also plays an important therapeutic role for children suffering from various physical and mental conditions. Muscular disorders, such as muscular dystrophy, neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy, and various physical injuries are not an obstacle to exercise, and many handicapped children successfully participate in races, games, exercise programs, even competitive sports. Notable among the fitness programs for handicapped children is the Achilles Track Club Youth Program in New York City, which offers physical education enabling handicapped youngsters to participate in races. Researchers have found that children with handicaps can actually engage in quite demanding types of physical activity such as judo. Jorge M. Glaser and Joseph Y. Margulies studied a group of seven blind and mentally retarded children with associated psychiatric disorders. Using a modified form of judo, the researchers organized a biweekly training program for these children. When the six-month program was completed, the scientists found improvements in the children's physical fitness, gross and fine motor skills, and psychological disposition. Exercise is also an important therapeutic tool in the field of child psychiatry. According to research done at the San Diego Center for Children, which offers treatment to children with serious emotional and behavioral problems, exercise may decrease aggressiveness. A special form of exercise used for children with psychiatric conditions is dance movement therapy (DMT), which the American Dan

You know it's important to stay active but still find yourself falling back on old habits. What can you do? Planning for exercise isn't hard if you make it a priority.

Stretching is an easy thing you can do to improve your health, yet it's often the most neglected part of people's fitness regimens. Stretching can reduce your injury risk and help you become more limber, regardless of your age and physical condition.

Detailed information on children and exercise

Detailed information on finding the right exercise program and the right preparation

Detailed information on teenagers and children and exercise, including the benefits of exercise

Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning the body. Exercise consists of cardiovascular conditioning, strength and resistance training, and flexibility.

The best reason for you to exercise as an older adult is to improve your quality of life and help you maintain your independence.

Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body. Exercise is utilized to improve health, maintain fitness and is important as a means of physical rehabilitation .

Several studies support the idea that adding activity that burns calories to your daily routine can help improve your health, maintain your mobility as you age, and prolong your life.

Moderate exercise, once thought to be inferior to more strenuous aerobic exercise, is now understood to confer similar health benefits, primarily reduced risk of heart disease and other illnesses, along with added life expectancy.

Exercise is physical activity that is undertaken in order to improve one's health. Physicians, physical therapists, and researchers have found that exercise plays an important role in the maintenance of brain, nerve, and muscle function in the human body. New research suggests that exercise may delay mental deterioration with age and disease, and perhaps even promote neurogenesis (nerve cell growth).

Exercise is physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body or to improve performance in a specific task. Exercise is utilized to improve health, maintain fitness, and is important as a means of physical rehabilitation.

The Surgeon General of the United States defines exercise as physical activity that involves planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movements in order to improve or maintain physical fitness. As an element of health, exercise involves both strength training of the muscles and cardiovascular fitness, with stretching activities for flexibility. Most research on physical activity for fitness stresses the intensity and regularity of exercise as key elements. Typical exercise activities include fast walking, running, cycling, swimming, or aerobics classes. The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, in conjunction with the American Council on Sports Medicine, recommends that all adults perform 30 or more minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity for 5–7 days per week. The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement on Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health identifies inactivity as a major public health problem in the United States. They have recommended exercise regimens 5–7 days a week for people who are already active, and such leisure activities as gardening, walking, using stairs instead of an elevator, cleaning house and recreational pursuits etc., for people who are largely sedentary.

More than 28 percent of Americans are completely sedentary (they engage in no physical activity), with an additional 60 percent being inadequately active (engaging in less than 30 minutes of activity per day). For those who strive to achieve and maintain a high quality of health, it must be recognized that physical activity is vital to optimal health. This is reaffirmed by numerous studies that have found an association between physical activity, health, longevity, and an improved quality of life. In addition, the number of deaths related to sedentary living or obesity is approximately a half-million per year. Physical activity may impact quality of life in several ways: it can be used to improve self-image and self-esteem, physical wellness , and health. Participation in physical activity can be beneficial for anyone and can be started during any stage of life. One goal of Healthy People 2010, a set of national health objectives established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is to increase the number of people who participate in daily physical activity. This activity can take many forms, ranging from a regimented exercise program to daily life activities such as house or yard work, walking a pet, or walking around town to complete errands.

Researchers aren't sure why, but exercise can lower overall levels of inflammation in the body.

Regular exercise may prevent a recurrence of breast or colorectal cancer, or may decrease the risk of dying from the disease. But the reasons for the benefits are unclear.

This report helps guide you through starting and maintaining an exercise program that suits your abilities and lifestyle. You'll find answers to your questions on how much and what kind of physical activity you need, and advice on fitness products.

There are a lot of ways to quit smoking and many resources to help you. Family members, friends, and coworkers may be supportive or encouraging, but the desire and commitment to quit must be your own. Most people who have been able to successfully quit smoking made at least one unsuccessful attempt in the past. Try not to view past attempts to quit as failures, but rather as learning experiences. Feel ready to quit? First and foremost, set a quit date and quit completely on that day. To prepare for that day: Identify the times you are most likely to smoke. For example, do you tend to smoke when feeling stressed? When you are out at night with friends? While you are drinking coffee or alcohol? When you are bored? While you are driving; Keep a diary to help you determine such risky times. Record each time you have a cigarette, including time of day and what you are doing; Make a plan about what you will do instead of smoking at those times when you are most likely to smoke. For example, drink tea instead of coffee - tea may not trigger the desire for a cigarette. Or, take a walk when feeling stressed. Remove ashtrays and cigarettes from the car. Place pretzels or hard candies there instead. Pretend-smoke with a straw; Let all of your friends, family, and coworkers know of your plan to stop smoking and your quit date. Just being aware that they know can be a helpful reminder and motivator; Before your quit date, start reducing your cigarette use, including decreasing the number and strength of the cigarettes. However, do NOT do this simply to make your diary "look good." Get rid of all of your cigarettes just before the quit date, and clean out anything that smells like smoke, such as clothes and furniture. Other tips to help you quit smoking and stick to it: Enroll in a smoking cessation program (hospitals, health departments, community centers, and work sites often offer programs; Ask your health care provider for advice, including whether prescription medications are safe and appropriate for you; Find out about nicotine patches, gum, and sprays; Try hypnosis - it works for some people; Avoid smoke-filled settings and situations in which you are more likely to smoke; Get more exercise. It helps relieve the urge to smoke; Learn self-hypnosis from a qualified practitioner. This helps some people. The American Cancer Society's web site - www.cancer.org - is an excellent resource for smokers who are trying to quit, and the Great American Smokeout can help some smokers kick the habit. Above all, don't get discouraged if you aren't able to quit smoking the first time. Nicotine addiction is a hard habit to break. Try something different next time. See also: Nicotine withdrawal; Tobacco use.

Smoking prevalence has been declining in countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, but these declines are matched by increasing rates in most other countries. The Healthy People 2010 goal in the United States is to decrease prevalence from 24 percent to 12 percent by the year 2010. This goal can only be achieved by helping current smokers to quit. Increasing the incidence of quitting is achieved through medications, counseling strategies, and public health approaches.

Questions and Answers About Smoking Cessation1. How important is it to stop smoking? 

Smoking cessation is the medical term for quitting smoking. It is a vital part of cancer prevention because smoking is the single most preventable cause of death from cancer. As early as 1982, the Surgeon General reported that tobacco causes more cancer deaths in the United States than any other factor-30% of all cancer deaths, including 87% of deaths from lung cancer. Although people think of smoking most often in connection with lung cancer, smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box (larynx), esophagus, pancreas, kidney, and bladder. Women who smoke increase their risk of cancer of the cervix. Quitting smoking, however, significantly reduces the risk of cancer; 15 years after quitting, a former smoker's risk is almost as low as that of someone who has never smoked.

Smoking: Yes, You Can QuitLearn how to get help to quit smoking and improve your chances of quitting.This document explains the best ways for you to quit as well as new treatments to help. It lists new medications that can double or triple your ch...

You may think that willpower is all it takes to quit smoking. But the truth is that it takes much more. It also takes planning, support, coping, and changes to your daily routine.

When you are trying to quit, the support of friends, coworkers and family members can make a big difference.

Smoking cessation means "to quit smoking," or "withdrawal from nicotine." Because smoking is highly addictive, quitting the habit often involves irritability, headache, mood swings, and cravings associated with the sudden cessation or reduction of tobacco use by a nicotine-dependent individual.

Life may seem out of control, but you're really making progress. You're going through withdrawal, which is how your body recovers from smoking.

Nicotine Substitutes Can Help You QuitIf you're ready to stop smoking, then you must be ready for the challenge when your quit date arrives. Clean out your ashtrays, and throw away any lighters and old packs lying around.

Know your triggers for wanting a cigarette and figure out a plan to deal with them.

Once you’re addicted to smoking you will always be addicted. The strength of the addiction will gradually decrease, however, and now you are a recovering addict. Many recent ex-smokers have been lulled into a false sense of security.

Teens who smoke are more likely to quit if they can be convinced to participate in a cessation program that emphasizes the health risks of smoking, provides motivational encouragement and coping skills, and encourages a healthy overall lifestyle.

It's Never Too Late to Quit SmokingWhen you’ve been diagnosed with cancer--particularly lung cancer--it may be hard to think or talk about quitting smoking. Why?

In the short term, quitters just feel better, and in the long run, their health is better than those who keep smoking.

Is there a safe treatment for a pregnant woman to help stop nicotine cravings?

Quitting is difficult, but people do quit. Each year, three million Americans give up smoking for good.

I recently stopped smoking -- a month ago to be exact -- and now I find that I'm coughing a lot. Is this normal?

I stopped smoking several weeks ago, and now I find that I'm coughing a lot. Is that normal?

Have realistic expectations - quitting isn't easy, but it's not impossible either. More than 3 million Americans quit every year. Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They usually last only 1-2 weeks.

Everyone who successfully quits smoking makes a commitment to stop smoking, then devises a plan to do so.

Several new drugs, if approved for public use, may give smokers additional options to help them quit.

Every day, about 3,000 U.S. teenagers start smoking. If you're a parent of a young smoker, you can take steps to help the child quit. But first, it helps to understand why teens light up.

Summarizes studies that show benefits of quitting smoking at various ages.

Decide what actions will help you quit. Think about the triggers around you. Then create a plan that works for you.

Every cigarette you don’t smoke is a benefit to you and your baby. Deciding not to smoke can be a tough choice, but you can change. Even if you’ve tried before, don’t give up.

The personal motivation list will help you identify the benefits of quitting, for you, for your family, and for your friends.

A smoker's recovery plan includes listing those activities that you have chosen to help reduce the pressures of nicotine withdrawal and staying smoke-free.

If you slip and smoke, don't be discouraged. Many former smokers tried to stop several times before they finally succeeded. Here's what to do.

Among other things, keep a personal benefits log. Write down the benefits you experience from being smoke-free (for example, I can smell flowers again!) Write the specific occurrence, the date it first happened, and your reaction.

This article can help you cope with the short-term discomforts that come with quitting. We also give suggestions on how to avoid or limit the situations that make you want to smoke and what to do if you start smoking again.

Having a plan helps you reach any goal. Your plan to quit smoking starts with a choice. First, pick a way to quit.

As you probably already know, quitting smoking isn't easy. But, millions of other people have done it, and you can, too.

By using nicotine replacement therapy to reduce withdrawal symptoms, smokers who try to quit have a better chance of succeeding.

You know you should quit smoking. But you just haven't gotten around to it yet. Here are some reasons to help you commit to quitting.

Fewer than a quarter of those who attempt to quit are able to make it beyond three months before resuming smoking. Women usually find it harder to quit than do men, even though women have a higher risk of smoking-related diseases. The following suggestions can help you kick the habit, again, for good.

Saying good-bye to cigarettes for good can be difficult. To succeed, you need to make changes to your daily life. But, like the many others who have quit, you too can triumph.

Quitting Smoking During Pregnancy: Let Go of Stress Without SmokingStress is a common way to react to life events. Your body may become tense, your mood may shift, or you may feel worried.

Quitting Smoking During Pregnancy: Beating WithdrawalThe first day after you quit smoking, as the nicotine leaves your body, you’re likely to notice symptoms ofwithdrawal.These are signs of your body recovering form smoking. For some people, withd...

Most people with heart problems, including high blood pressure, need to eat less salt, or sodium. Here are ideas on how to do that.

Here are some ideas for low-salt foods you can easily prepare yourself.

Table salt sprinkled on food accounts for about 15 percent of most people's daily sodium intake. An additional 10 percent occurs naturally in foods. The remainder -- 75 percent -- comes from processed and restaurant food.

Americans consume two to three times more salt or sodium than is healthy.

A balanced diet means getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs, and for supporting normal growth and development.

The rules of healthy eating have changed. Eating a "balanced diet" is no longer the most important goal. Instead, scientists have learned much more specifically which foods can help prevent disease and which promote it.

Reading labels can improve your diet by helping you make more sensible food choices at the grocery store. You also can buy with confidence knowing that foods claiming to be low in cholesterol or fat have met standards set by the Food and Drug Administration.

To better control your calorie intake you need to know how much you eat. But if you're like most Americans, proper serving sizes are a mystery, thanks to mega-burgers, biggie fries and saucer-sized bagels.

Whether you're trying to lose excess pounds or maintain a healthy weight, eating out in restaurants can sabotage your goals.