Cartilage

December 3, 2011

Imagine if your body did not have any cartilage. As you move, your bones, will just rub off against each other. That will cause inflammation, irritation, within your joints and bones which will cause various conditions such as arthritis. That must be really painful. That is how important your cartilage is.

Your cartilage is a connective tissue which acts like a cushion between your joints and bones. These are tough and rigid tissues but are softer than your bones. Apart from preventing your bones from rubbing off of each other like that of the cartilage on your knees, your cartilages are also responsible for holding some bones together like those cartilages at your ribs. Also, some cartilages, as you grow older, develop into bones. For example, when you are young, the bones on the end of your arms were just cartilage.

Your cartilage is considered as avascular. This means that the cartilages get the nutrients they need through the matrix and not through the blood vessels. These cartilages are made of cells referred to as, chondrocytes, collagen, and elastin.

There are three types of cartilages, the hyaline cartilage, elastic cartilage, and fibrocartilage. The hyaline cartilage is made up of collagen and contains no blood vessels or nerves. These cartilages are found in the trachea, ribs, larynx, and bronchi. On the other hand, the elastic cartilage which is also called yellow cartilage contains collagen fibers and fiber networks. It also contains a protein called elastin. This type of cartilage is found in the outer ear, epiglottis, and larynx. Lastly, the fibrocartilage contains varying levels of fibrous tissue and cartilaginous tissue which causes this type of cartilage to be flexible, tough, and elastic, respectively. This type of cartilage is found at your pubic symphysis, intervertebral discs, annulus fibrosis, and meniscus.

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Skinny on Fats in the Diet

November 30, 2011

After talking about body composition last week and how a high percentage of body fat can poorly influence overall health, I decided it was important to clarify the role of fat in the diet. If you’ve been confused about what type and how much fat to include in your diet, you’re not alone. Yet one thing is certain: after many years of being told to avoid fat because it will make you fat, we now realize that fat is absolutely necessary as part of a healthy diet, and if eaten sensibly, will help to keep you lean and looking and feeling good.

In general, our diets should include approximately 20 – 35% calories from fat. So for example, in a 2,000 calorie/day diet, this would amount to 400 – 700 calories. At 9 calories per gram, this converts to 44 – 78 grams of fat per day. If that sounds like a lot to you, consider why fat is so important in the diet:

It’s a source of concentrated energy
It is a major structural component of cell membranes
It’s a source of insulation
It’s necessary for healthy skin and nails
It slows down digestion
It’s needed to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients
It keeps our vision strong
It’s involved in cell signaling
It’s a major component of the central nervous system and necessary for proper brain function

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Enjoy A Healthy Life

November 10, 2011

If you’re looking to improve your overall energy level, decrease your chances of depression and improve your physical and mental health, regular exercise, with a juicing program is the shortest way to make those goals! Your physical fitness can have a tremendous impact on other areas in your life, and plays a key role in your physical and psychological health.

Be mindful of what you hope to achieve with your exercise/juice program. For example if you want to lose weight, then ideally juicing of vegetables and fruits will be of great benefit.

The juicing part will give the necessary Vitamins, Enzymes and Nutrition to give you the strength needed to exercise. The exercise part will burn off the calories to take the weight down.

Check with your Health Care Provider the types of exercises that are safe for your practice. Then create a weekly program to help you reach your weight loss goal and fitness agenda.

If you are starting an exercise/juicing program for the first time, you’ll have days when you don’t feel like doing anything. When this happens, visualize the body you are trying to build as this acts as a great motivator.

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Breathing Exercises for Pneumonia

July 7, 2011

Pneumonia is a severe infection of the lungs which is characterized by shortness of breath, high fever and chest pain. This condition can be caused by bacteria, viruses or aspiration. Depending on the cause, the treatment will vary. If the condition cannot be treated effectively by medicines, antibiotics or rest, hospitalization may be recommended. If a person faces difficulty while breathing, doing breathing exercises can assist in treating the symptoms of pneumonia.

The exercise of deep breaths moves air in to the tiniest sacs in the lungs, which are known as alveoli. It is here that the exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide is done. This improved transfer induces better oxygenation to lungs and other body tissues. Good oxygenation promotes better health of the tissues which in turn assists the cells in the body to fight the germs causing pneumonia. The exercise will also assist in controlling of correct breathing pattern thus promoting maintenance of calm state of mind even if the individual is facing stress or illness.

Certain exercises involve inhalation technique which will work towards strengthening the muscles of the chest and avert collapse of alveoli which otherwise worsen the symptoms related to pneumonia. The doctor may also advice the usage of spirometry. This is an apparatus which will show the patient the volume of breaths taken. The person takes deep breaths using a tube. This will be attached to the devise which will display the depth of each inhalation taken. He/she can stand or sit in order to practice deep breathing with the elbows rolled back. The person should inhale slowly, hold the breath for almost five seconds and then exhale slowly.

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