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Can Coffee Stop Some Medications From Working?

Lately, tons of great news regarding the health benefits of coffee i.e. how it acts as a shield against cancer and many other diseases, is floating around everywhere on the internet. But did you know that the world’s favorite wake-up drink shared by cup holders around the globe could also keep some common medicines from acting correctly? As presented in a report in the New York Times, if you consume coffee with some of your prescription drugs, the absorption rate or effects of those medications can be blocked or reduced or in some cases increased too.

With some drugs, the effect is because of the presence of caffeine while for some other drugs, it’s the other compounds of coffee that’s creating trouble. Studies have also proved that coffee affects the functioning of antidepressants, thyroid medication and osteoporosis drugs.

According to research, if the osteoporosis drug alendronate (brand name, Fosamax) is taken with black coffee or orange juice, its absorption reduces by about 60%. For best results, the drug must be digested with water on an empty stomach, minimum 30 minutes before having breakfast or sipping coffee from the cup holder in your car. Another study carried out in 2008, found that when a thyroid drug is taken with coffee or espresso, its absorption reduced by 55%.

Conversely, some prescription drugs can sustain the caffeine thrill for a longer duration while increasing your heartbeat and making you feel uneasy. In fact these drugs decelerate the speed at which caffeine is broken down and disposed of by the human body. Drugs that intensify the effects of caffeine include some antibacterial drugs like Cipro, some antidepressants (particularly MAOIs) and asthma drugs like albuterol and theophylline.

Now, this is something that’s overly important, says the National Coffee Association taking into account that on an average, Americans drink three cups of coffee daily and most of it being consumed in the morning.

With certain medications, you may have to take your daily prescriptions with water and delay the intake of your favorite brew and with some other medicines you may have to cut down your coffee consumption altogether. In case you are taking any medications, do cross check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if coffee has any influence on those pills.

The Flu: The Season Is Upon Us

As the holiday season approaches, so does the dreaded flu season. Although it is not too late to get your flu shot, it takes up to two weeks for the vaccine to be effective. For that reason it is important to know the symptoms of the flu and understand what to do if you should get it!

The flu is a viral illness that occurs seasonally, typically starting in October and extending into April in the Northern Hemisphere. The flu is characterized by a rapid onset of fevers, chills and cough. Most people with the flu report significant muscle aches and fatigue. Many patients will also complain of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The flu tends to last 3-5 days but symptoms can linger for up to two weeks in some patients.

The flu can have serious complications for certain people. People who are at the highest risk for flu complications include infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and patients with chronic health conditions like asthma and diabetes. Diabetic patients are at risk for abnormally high blood sugar levels that could result in hospitalization. In addition, patients with chronic lung disease are at highest risk for pneumonia and respiratory failure from the flu.

For this reason, it is important that all people consider getting the flu vaccine. Those at highest risk for flu complications should be strongly encouraged by their doctor to get this important vaccine. The vaccine provides the best way to avoid the flu, providing protection to up to 80% of patients who get the vaccine. Of those vaccinated who do get flu, these patients will tend to have fewer complications and shorter illnesses.

During cold and flu season, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face to prevent getting the flu. Stay away from sick friends and family members, especially if you are at high risk for flu complications. If you are exposed to a confirmed case of flu, contact your doctor to see if you should start medications to prevent getting this virus.

Best Protein Powder for Muscle Gain: Whey Concentrate and Whey Isolate

Whey protein is without a doubt the best protein powder for muscle gain or growth. One scoop of the best brand of whey protein can provide you with 20 to 25 grams of protein with minimal amount of calories. One of the most popular whey protein brands is Myoplex Deluxe, which have 53 grams of protein per serving with low amount of calories. If you are trying to obtain protein through regular foods, you might end up consuming lots of junk calories and maintaining a well-defined body can be very difficult. That is the reason why most bodybuilders opt for the best protein supplements for their diet.

So what exactly is whey protein? Whey is a natural byproduct of the cheese process. Raw whey coming from this process contains huge amount of fat and milk sugar, but this goes through micro-filtration process, thus making it healthier for the body. There are two types of commercial whey protein products that come out of the micro-filtration process. Whey isolate and whey concentrate. The difference between these whey protein powders is its purity. Both types can be great sources of protein and contains high biological value, thus providing immune resistance as well.

Whey concentrate is less pure and is cheaper compared to isolate. It contains lesser amount of protein and more lactose or milk sugar per serving. It also has 70% to 85% of protein content. Whey isolate, on the other hand, contains higher amount of protein and lesser amount of lactose per serving, but this can be more expensive. This contains 90% to 94% of protein. So which is better? This actually depends on your body need.

If you are on a tight budget, then you may opt for whey concentrate as it is easier on your pocket. The main advantage of this is its high lactose content. However, if you are suffering from lactose intolerance, then you might want to spare more for whey isolate. You should know that whey concentrate can also be lumpy and may not mix well with water, may not be good for a shake or for your soup. You might need to properly blend it to obtain a semi-smooth texture. When it comes to mixability, whey isolate is a lot better, as it can be mixed even with cold fluids and is also safe for those who are lactose intolerant. As mentioned earlier, the only disadvantage of isolate is the price.

If you are serious about gaining muscles, you have to make sure that you are consuming about 25 grams to 50 grams of whey protein at least 3 or 4 hours. If you want to combine whey with regular foods, you may do so and to learn more about this, you can read some fitness related articles or ask a dietitian for suggestions.

Preventing Depression by Niacin Flushing Regularly

Health Trend

Niacin flushing has long been a very popular phenomenon in the health and fitness world. It was already known for a long time that niacin flushing regularly can improve cholesterol, but recent scientific research has shown that niacin flushing can also prevent depression. This article will explain how this is possible and more important how you can enjoy the benefits of niacin flushing yourself too.

Niacin Depression

You can become depressed by a deficiency of this essential micro-nutrient in two ways: First of all, when your diet is low in niacin. And second, when you binge drink often. Alcohol can destroy niacin in the body. The daily recommended dose of niacin is about 20 mg per day. When you do not attain this amount, your body will use the amino acid tryptophan in order to produce niacin by itself. This can do no harm, unless all tryptophan in the body is used for the production of niacin. You will also need tryptophan for the production of serotonin, a hormone that causes happy feelings. If your body is not able to produce this hormone, you will automatically become depressed. This phenomenon is also known as niacin depression.

Niacin Consumption

In order to achieve the daily recommended dose easier, it is best to eat foods that are very dense in niacin. The following list shows the foods highest in niacin.

Sun dried tomatoes | 5.0 mg vitamin b3 per 100 grams serving.
Organic chicken| 12.8 mg niacin per 3 ounces serving.
Wild salmon | 6.4 mg niacinper 3 ounces serving.
Lima beans | 1.7 mg niacin per cup.
Lentils | 2.1 mg vitamin b3 per cup.

Avoiding Side Effects

People often complain about niacin side effects like reddening of the skin and severe headaches. This usually occurs when people overdo the niacin consumption. If you take in more than 500 mg, side effects like this are quite common. Therefore, I highly recommend to jot down in a notepad how much niacin you have consumed during the day. Moreover, it is better to spread the niacin consumption throughout the day if you are new to niacin flushing.

Zeltiq Coolsculpting: Freezing Body Fat

If you are an average weight but still battling a stubborn pocket of fat on your waistline Zeltiq Coolsculpting may be the answer for finally ridding yourself of that fat. It’s an ideal way to remove resistant fat cells. The Zeltiq method of CoolSculpting uses cold panels to lower body temperature enough to kill the body’s fat cells in specific areas. The Zeltiq procedure takes place in a doctor’s office for safety and it takes less than an hour to complete. Most patients need only one treatment, but some undergo more than one procedure. Results from the procedure are obvious after a few months have passed and continue to intensify as the months continue; up to six months.

This non-invasive procedure gives patients the ability to return to work the day after the procedure is completed. During the process, the patient feels no pain, just a pulling sensation as the cold panels freeze the targeted fat cells. The cold is intense but soon passes and the patient is left with a distant memory of the unpleasantness. The first results are visible after three weeks and the results continue to become visible for up to six months after the process is complete.

The process of freezing fat cells at temperatures near 40 degrees forces an early death and then the body goes to work, flushing out the dead cells. This is a targeted approach that relieves the body of 20-40 percent of unwanted body fat. That translates into 10-15 pounds. Follow up with normal diet and exercise and the targeted fat may never return.

The Zeltiq procedure works for everyone who undergoes the procedure. For a treatment which does not employ the use of needles or cutting, is safe and convenient, is clinically proven and effective but natural, this system really creates satisfied customers. Patients walk away free of stubborn exercise-resistant fat and finally reveal the body they always believed was underneath that fat.

Everything You Need to Know About the Benefits of Niacin Flushing

Healthy Habit

One of the greatest trends in the health and fitness world of the last few years is niacin flushing. This entails that you take an overdose of vitamin b3, in order to vasidilate and improve cholesterol. However, there are more benefits associated with regular consumption of niacin. This article will provide you some guidelines in order to enjoy the many benefits niacin flushing offers while avoiding possible side effects.

The Benefits of Niacin

It was already scientifically proven that niacin flushing can improve your cholesterol. This is possible because when you take in niacin, your veins become a little wider. This improves the bloodflow in the capillaries, some sort of smaller branches of the veins, where bloodflow normally is very weak. This also causes the red skin that many people associate with niacin flushing, since the capillaries are located close to the skin. You do not have to worry about this, actually it is very healthy, because often toxic waste of the body is stores in these places where blood flow normally is very weak. Finally, niacin can also help to fight against depression. If you are deficient in niacin by a lack of vitamin b3 in your diet or excessive alcohol use, you will inevitably become depressed (niacin for depression).

Food Sources

In order to achieve niacin overdose, it is wise to take in foods that are high in niacin. You can also take supplements, but I do not recommend this, because often the doses are way too high and the foods also contain other nutrients that are very good for your health. The following foods have a very high density of niacin.

Lentils | 4.1 mg niacin per cup.
Peanut butter | 6.9 mg niacin per 1 ounce serving.
Organic chicken| 14.8 mg niacin per 3 ounces serving.
Lima beans | 6.9 mg per cup.
Tamari | 3.8 mg niacin per tab.

Handy to note is that a healthy adult will need around 20 mg of niacin per day. If you drink a lot of alcohol, you will probably need more, since alcohol destroys niacin in the body.

Avoiding Side Effects

If you consume more than 500 mg in a day, you might suffer some side effects of niacin. These include a red skin, tingling feeling in the chest and headaches. Therefore, it is wise to jot down how much niacin you have consumed in a day, especially when you take supplements. Other things you can do to avoid severe overdoses are taking in an aspirin 20 minutes prior to the niacin consumption or vitamin c pills. All in all, this should be enough to enjoy niacin benefits while avoiding the nasty side effects of niacin overdosing.

A Teeter Hang Ups EP – 950 Review

Do inversion tables work for back pain? Yes, they work because they allow you to hang upside down or to invert at any angle which decompresses the spine that has been compressed by the force of gravity. Gravity causes spinal compressions which results in back pain and other related spine ailments.

In addition to that, inversion using these tables also makes hanging upside down a safer and more comfortable process so if you have been searching for a non – invasive, natural, more comfortable, and cheaper way to treat back pain, then you should consider having your own home inversion therapy table just like the EP – 950 inversion table by Teeter Hang Ups.

A teeter hang ups ep-950 review

As previously mentioned, the EP – 950 inversion table is one of the best inversion tables that can provide you a non – invasive, natural, and cheaper way to permanently treat back pain and help you get rid of the suffering.

Although it is not as cheap as the cheap inversion tables in the market, it is still cheaper than if you will be spend and depend on pain killers each time you will feel pain. Also, it is cheaper than if you will be paying $80 each time you will visit a chiropractor to seek back pain treatment or if you will consider an expensive, paralyzing, and invasive back surgery.

There are many reasons why this is the table that we highly recommend. One of the major reasons is of course, the fact that it is one of the best inversion tables by Teeter Hang Ups and also the one of the best inversion tables in the market this year.

Aside from that, it also comes with the EZ Ratchet Ankle Lock System and EZ Stretch Traction Handles as it special upgrades which are not found in other EP inversion models and in other inversion tables in the market.

Best of all, the EP – 950 inversion table can be had for only $399 with an excellent warranty of 6 years so it is really worth the cost especially if you will just look closely at its best quality and magnificent features.

Highly Recommended Snoring Remedies

Snoring is not only a health problem, but it is also a social one. Not only snorers suffer from the effects of this habit, but also those who sleep next to someone who snores. Imagine you are sleeping at this loud soaring sound that wakes you up at the middle of the night. Imagine the mood you will be in, in the next day and how poor your performance in any activity you do will be like. This is more than just a sound or a physiological problem. In many cases, this has led to break ups and collapses of many relationships. Add to this the psychological state of the snorer. Put another way, snorers usually feel guilty for being a cause of someone else’s health problem due to lack of sleep caused by their snoring.

Sometimes the snorer does not even know that he or she snores at night. Therefore, the family and friends of the snorer must know how to support him or her and help them overcome this problem instead of accusing them for being a cause of sleep deprivation and whatever else. Therefore, it is important to not neglect this problem and treat it as soon as possible with effective snoring remedies.

First off, it is very important to understand the structure of the cavities in the neck as well as in the head. The air flows through these cavities are which there are layers of soft tissue like the soft palate and uvula. In order to understand the mechanical cause of snoring, you have to know that these soft tissues get loosened when you sleep on your back, which makes them vibrate when the air flows inside them and this is what produces the snoring. After understanding such mechanism, you probably already guessed that the simplest solution for this is to sleep on either sides to prevent any air obstruction. Or, you can just get the well-known sobakawa pillow: a Japanese neck pillow that aligns your sleeping position to prevent snoring.

If you already sleep on either of your sides yet still snore loudly, then you probably have different causes for snoring and you should seek other methods than what stated above. The reason why you snore could have nothing to do with your sleeping position at all.

One of the most common reasons for snoring is overweight. A big number of the snoring population is those who have extra weight. The gathering of fat around the neck disturbs the air circulation in the throat. This causes a vibration in the soft tissues which produces the loud snoring sound. The only way to treat this is to lose weight by exercising and following a proper diet. This definitely the hardest way to go but it will surely show significant improvement not only in the quality of your sleep but in your health in general.

Furthermore, a dry throat is one of the common reasons for snoring. The throat can get dry because of cold or other factors such as opened mouth or alcohol. There are sprays that keep the throat lubricated during sleep, which eases the air circulation in the throat in order to reduce snoring.

Got A Skin Rash But Don’t Know What It Is? Read On

Any outbreak of spots, marks or patches on the skin is usually referred to as a rash. The texture of the skin can also change, for example becoming bumpy, raised and/or scaly. The paragraphs below outline 5 of the most common skin rashes that you will encounter, but if there is any doubt you should book an appointment with your doctor.

Contact rashes – Often referred to as contact dermatitis this is most often a mild allergic reaction to a specific material or substance. Nickel in jewelry for example can often provoke this kind of reaction. Anti-itch creams may help minimize the irritation.
Eczema – A chronic skin rash that is thought to run in families. Although it may be provoked by contact with an allergen, it is not always possible to link a flare up to a particular cause or risk factor. Treatment is normally concentrated on minimizing the irritation. The rash occasionally becomes swollen and inflamed.
Fungal skin rashes – There are many different types of fungal skin rashes. Some (such as athlete’s foot or jock itch for example) are caused by a dermatophyte group of fungi, while others are caused by yeast species such as Candida. Here’s more on how to get rid of yeast infections. At times the same fungus can cause infections to the toenails – causing ugly looking thick yellow toenails – or to the hair follicles of the scalp – a condition known as scalp ringworm or tinea capitis.
Prickly heat – A common rash that occurs in hot and humid climates when the sweat pores are obstructed for prolonged periods of time.
Christmas tree rash – Sometimes mistaken for ringworm due to its ring-like appearance, this rash causes an itchy red dry lesion to form. It is not entirely clear what causes the rash, but it is not considered serious and normally disappears after a week or so.

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