Weight Training for Women with Osteoporosis

March 20, 2015

Weight Training for Women with Osteoporosis: Understanding Strength Training

Weight Training for Women with Osteoporosis is very essential for the health of our bones.

The bigger percentage of the general body weight is in the bones. It is the bones that forms the structure which when covered by the flesh then we can say that this is the body. Therefore the stability of the bones is very important if life is to be enjoyable. It is also important to appreciate that it is the bones that bears the greatest burden in carrying the body weight and that is why we want to look into details weight training for women with osteoporosis. If you have been with us through the past articles, we did mention that women are most vulnerable to be attacked by osteoporosis than men. It is because of this vulnerability that we want to offer solutions to women through creating awareness and an elaborate and professional weight training programs tailored to meet your individual needs. We spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about this problem and she is going to be taking us through some of the things we need to do to be safe from the attacks of osteoporosis.

Weight Training for Women with Osteoporosis: Weight Training for Osteoporosis

To bring this to perspective, doctor Akoury raises these questions, did you know that weight training for osteoporosis is not just about walking or doing aerobics? Are you aware that even weight lifting too can help protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis-related fractures? I asked these because ordinarily when one is suffering from osteoporosis, it is believed that their bones are weak and may not need such exercises, nonetheless studies has shown that strength training over a period of time can help prevent bone loss and may even help build new bone.

According to one of the studies, postmenopausal women who participated in a strength training program for a year registered a significant increase in their bone density and particularly in the most vulnerable places like the spine and hips. These are the areas mostly affected by osteoporosis in older women. It goes therefore without saying that it is important to maintain strong muscles during weight training as this will help the patients in keeping up their balance and coordination. These two are very critical elements in preventing falls, which can lead to osteoporosis-related fractures. Osteoporosis is eating on our bones and coupled with the rate at which we lose muscles as we grow annually such that by the time we are very old in late 60 and above we only have just about 55% or even less of our muscles left. If you have been wondering why people get weak as they get older then this can explain your concerns. We are now in the know of the consequences of osteoporosis in our growth and development; therefore if we want to keep fit and age in strong muscles, then we must chose to prevent this by taking weight training seriously.

Weight Training for Women with Osteoporosis: Getting Started on Weight Training for Osteoporosis

Now that we have made a decision to start the trainings, the question would be how should you start weight training for osteoporosis? Focus on the back and the hip, says doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. It is in order to start from there because those are the areas mostly damaged by bone loss, and the area’s most at risk from osteoporosis-related fractures. And owing to the delicate nature of this problem, engaging a weight loss professional would be very ideal. Doctor Akoury recommends that a good exercise should include hip extension, abduction, adduction and hip flexion. In other words the exercise should largely concentrate around the hips. The following are some of the exercises you may opt for:

Backward bending is also good.
Sit on a bench or chair with 5-pound weights strapped to each ankle.
Then “march” in place, lifting the knees alternately.

You’re working the hip flexor muscles, which are attached to both the back and hip, which leads to improved bone and muscle mass in both areas. The following are some of the very important weight training tips you can chose from:

Work under the supervision of a qualified, certified personal trainer, especially at first and particularly if you have any medical issues.
Do strength training two to three times a week, with at least one day of rest between each session (especially if you’re working the same muscles at each session).
Do one exercise for each major muscle group, for a total of eight to 12 different exercises. Do one or two sets of eight to 10 repetitions for each exercise.
Lift the weight slowly; lift to a count of four and lower to a count of four, says Lein. “This decreases the likelihood of injury while helping to recruit the muscle better.”
Don’t use other muscles to compensate. You should only be moving the muscle you’re supposed to be moving!
Tighten abdominal muscles to help protect your spine.
Periodically consult with a trainer about increasing the amount of weight you lift as you become stronger.

If you already have osteoporosis, seek out a personal trainer experienced in working with people who have osteoporosis. You may have to find one, like doctor Akoury, at a medical center with an osteoporosis program. And besides, ensure that in your exercise be sure to take these two precautions seriously:

If you have osteoporosis in your spine, don’t lift more than 20 to 25 pounds with your arms or against your trunk, and avoid movements that have you twisting your trunk or bending forward extensively.
If you have osteoporosis in the hips, there is no specific restriction on the amount of weight lifted or types of movement. But people with osteoporosis in any area should ensure that their activities don’t increase the risk of falling.

Finally the result on the bone density may not be realized immediately nonetheless this will become clear as you progress with the exercise and taking the weight measurement from time to time during the training duration. Just to avoid unnecessary discouragement about the outcome, it may be wise that the patients are given a longer period like one year to get the actual result of their bone density. Remember that this should be a process and may not yield to your expectation as in the normal body weight loss. You may be training for the whole year and only realize 1% change in bone density. Doctor Akoury says that this should not discourage you because you are on the right track. If you were to be persistent with that 1% for ten years, then you will achieve 10% which is a lot of bones added.

Weight Training for Women with Osteoporosis: Understanding Strength Training

Reward Deficiency Syndrome In Addiction

March 19, 2015

Reward Deficiency Syndrome and Its Role in Addiction and Treatment

The first people to come up with the term Reward deficiency syndrome were Blum K, Sheridan PJ, Wood RC, Braverman ER, Chen TJ, Cull JG and Comings DE in a research titled; The D2 dopamine receptor gene as a determinant of reward deficiency syndrome in 1996. This term refers to an insufficiency of usual feelings of satisfaction. Reward deficiency syndrome results from a dysfunction in the brain reward system which is a complex interaction among neurotransmitters primarily dopaminergic and opiodergic neurotransmitters. Those who have a family history of alcohol and other drugs addictions may be born with a deficiency in the ability to produce or utilize these neurotransmitters which are known to play crucial in etiology of addiction to substances. This problem can also be caused by corruption of brain reward system that may be caused by exposure to long periods of stress or use of alcohol and other substance for a long time. When the neurotransmitters are low or are blocked from reaching the intended brain receptors, individuals often feel discomfort or pain. Behaviors resulting from a failure of the system that normally confers satisfaction include drug and alcohol abuse, overeating, heavy cigarette smoking, gambling, and hyperactivity. These problems have been linked to genetic defects especially to dysfunction of the dopamine receptors.

A dysfunction in the dopamine receptors obviously leads to myriads of health complications since it is the brain neurotransmitter that controls feelings of well-being and is mostly targeted by drugs of abuse. However powerful dopamine doesn’t work alone, it interacts with other neurotransmitters like serotonin and other neurotransmitters to control moods and cravings. When these neurotransmitters bind on the neural receptors, they trigger a reaction in the reward system, therefore any interference with this coordination will result in abnormal behavior in Reward deficiency syndrome, including addictions, impulsivity, and excessive risk taking. This is the reason why people who have a defect in the DRD2 dopamine receptor gene lack a sufficient number of dopamine receptors in their brains to produce the brain reward cascade. In turn, this leads to Reward deficiency syndrome, including abnormal cravings and resultant strange conduct.

Reward deficiency syndrome and Drug Abuse

The reward circuitry consists of an in-series circuit linking the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum via the medial forebrain bundle. In the past the reward circuitry was believed to encode only the set point of hedonic tone but have since been found to be functionally far more complex, also encoding attention, expectancy of reward, disconfirmation of reward expectancy, and incentive motivation. Here have been speculations that hedonic dysregulation within the reward circuits may lead to addiction. A second-stage dopaminergic component in this reward circuitry is the crucial addictive-drug-sensitive component. All drugs that are addictive are known to enhance the dopaminergic reward synaptic function in the nucleus accumbens. as for most of addictive drugs like cocaine the tolerance to the euphoric effects will develop after a long term use after which a post use dysphoria then comes to dominate reward circuit hedonic tone, and addicts no longer use drugs to get high, but simply to get back to normal. Reward deficiency syndrome as seen here may make an addict chained to the drug of use since the addict will need to feel normal but that will not possible since the dopamine receptors and parts of the reward circuit will have been affected adversely and so the drug use will be continued as a result of Reward deficiency syndrome and not for euphoric purposes.

It is also important to note that the brain circuits that mediates pleasurable effects of addictive drugs are anatomically, neurophysiologically, and neurochemically different from those mediating physical dependence, and from those mediating craving and relapse. Apart from Reward deficiency syndrome other factors that also come to play in addiction include gene variations that may increase vulnerability to drug addiction. Environmental factors also have an input for example prolonged stress and social defeat may also increase a person’s vulnerability to drug addiction as they alter the brain reward system. However dopaminergic dysfunction within the reward circuitry is the biggest contribution to addiction-prone personality effects.

Treating Reward deficiency syndrome

Reward deficiency syndrome has influence in drug addiction and therefore any drug addiction treatment must incorporate strategies to treat Reward deficiency syndrome in order to avoid reoccurrence of the addiction after a hard won fight. In fact when the problem in the reward circuitry isn’t addressed then treatment of addiction will have very narrow chances of success. To help in this pursuit, treatment of cocaine addiction should have in part a dopamine agonist agonistic therapy to heal the dopaminergic system.

When an agonist therapy is to be used, it’s crucial to note that the baseline amount of dopamine receptors has predictability as to differential clinical outcomes in reward deficiency syndrome. In a study of 10 subjects with an allele on the Taq1A DRD2 gene, which is associated with reduced dopamine receptor concentration and decreased neural responses to rewards (A1+ subjects). The 10 subjects were scanned twice, once on placebo and once on cabergoline which is D2 receptor agonist. Consistent with an inverted-U relationship between the DRD2 polymorphism and drug effects, cabergoline increased neural reward responses in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and striatum for A1+ subjects, but decreased reward responses in these regions for A1− subjects. Drug addiction treatment should therefore put in place measures to ensure that reward deficiency syndrome is treated. Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping patients restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. She also holds many conferences in which she offers training on how integrative medicine can be used to fight addiction among other conditions. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

Reward Deficiency Syndrome and Its Role in Addiction and Addiction Treatment

The Need For Addiction Healing Centers

March 19, 2015

Addiction Healing Centers-Restoration of the Mind, Body and Spirit to Treat Addiction

Addiction isn’t a new term that needs to be defined, however it is great to appreciate the fact addiction is a really broad subject. Though many people only relate addiction to drugs of pleasure, addiction to behaviors like sex, food and gambling are a part of us. Regrettably, most of the addicts we have today are addicted to harmful substances that therefore dictate that they be offered a whole person treatment. As known addiction to a drug isn’t only a problem in the sense of financial and behavioral aspects but rather on the damage that these substances do to our bodies. The most affected system in the body is the nervous system which is very crucial in coordination of messages that are sent from various parts of the system to initiate specific action that our daily lives revolve around. The brain and the rest of the nervous system especially the neurotransmitters are highly damaged after a long term use of certain drugs of pleasure. Due to this it is necessary that any attempt to treat addiction and restore the normal functions of the body should include therapies that aim at restoring the normal functioning of the neurotransmitters and the rest of the nervous system that might have been damaged by long term use of these drugs of abuse.

addiction healing centers

The severity of addiction will however determine the type of treatment that an addict is accorded, there are situations where a patient may suffer from a combination of drugs and behavioral addiction. There are also other co-occurring conditions that may work together to make the life of an individual addict miserable. Think of sex addiction, gambling addiction and alcohol addiction all in one brain! Can you imagine the magnitude of damage that such a person will suffer in the whole of his nervous system? Correcting such defects in the entire system of an addict will require multi-facet approach to ensure that the addict is completely healed and his health is restored. Treating the symptoms of addiction as most doctors do or other used to do may only serve as a momentary relief but will not help the patient to quit the use of drugs.

It is because of the gap that existed in the past, when all treatment options available for addicts only focused on treating the symptoms of addiction like depression that has been for a long time been addressed by giving ant-depressants. The antidepressants will work for a short time but the problem that lies deep in the malfunctioning neurotransmitter like dopamine and serotonin will remain unresolved. To address these issues, several addiction healing centers have since been established to give the patients what they need most; whole-person healing. whole person healing is achieved through the practice of integrative medicine that may include both orthodox and traditional herbal medicine as well as dietary approaches to help not only quell the severity of the symptoms suffered by these addicts but also to help correct the damage that addiction to substance and other behaviors does to the brain and the entire nervous system. when the functions of the nervous system is restored, it can now be easy to help an addict to escape the bars of addiction as the body will be naturally fit to quell the craving for the substance of abuse.

Most addiction healing centers deal with addiction of forms as serious, chronic and potentially life-threatening disease that requires a full range of comprehensive, evidence-based addiction treatment services to completely manage and overcome once and for all but this requires full commitment and cooperation of the patient.

Restoration of the mind, body and spirit to treat addiction

Through advances in the medical industry, there are several addiction healing centers that are now offering holistic approach to treatment of addiction victims. These approaches are geared towards Restoration of the mind, body and spirit because it is by this that addicts can achieve healing once and for all. The harmony of the human being is critical in healing of addiction this is because addiction interferes with the chemical composition of the brain which is the engine that drives the entire body. This leads to organs, cells and tissues being maimed hence can’t perform effectively. To achieve wellness of the mind, body and spirit, most addiction healing centers utilize several strategies such as proper nutrition, body cleansing or detoxification, exercise, yoga, tai chi, herbal medication, orthodox meditation, hobby exploration such as like dancing, hiking and even singing. All these are explored to achieve a balance in the body.

The advantage of seeking help from addiction healing centers is that they offer varied addiction healing approaches that may include; cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), 12-step philosophy, somatic therapies, nutritional counseling, psychiatric support, massage, yoga, Tai Chi, herbal therapies and adventure-based therapies that cater to all manner of addictions, both behavioral and substance related. These centers also have staffs who are vastly experienced in handling addiction cases. They can also customize treatment to suit every patient’s condition belief and preferences all in a bid to restore the mind the body and the spirit.

Finally, Behavioral addiction and drug addiction destroys wellness, therefore restoring health of mind, body, and spirit is essential in recovery. Dr. Dalal Akoury has done extensive work in addiction treatment and recovery. You may contact her to fix an appointment. Better still, you may visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and experience the best practices in holistic addiction healing and recovery.

Addiction Healing Centers-Restoration of the Mind, Body and Spirit to Treat Addiction

Natural Remedies for Insomnia Caused By Addiction

March 18, 2015

Use of Chamomile, HOPS, Passion Flower, Valerian Roots, Californian Poppy for Insomnia Caused By Addiction

According to National Sleep Foundation, insomnia is difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person has the chance to do so. People with insomnia can feel dissatisfied with their sleep and usually experience the symptoms of poor sleep that may deter them from enjoying healthy lifestyles. This disease can affect people of all ages but adults are the major victims.

This foundation further stresses that, sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing. But still there are millions of people who do not get enough sleep and many suffer from lack of sleep. NSF conducted survey between 1999-2004 that revealed that at least 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Most of those with these problems go undiagnosed and untreated. In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month – with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more. Furthermore, 69 percent of children experience one or more sleep problems a few nights or more during a week.

insomnia

However insomnia can also be caused by addiction. And so far it is one of the serious symptoms of addiction. Drugs of abuse for example alcohol has been shown to interfere with normal sleep patterns since they disrupt particular neurotransmitters in the brain which control or regulate sleep. When these neurotransmitters are disrupted, disturbances can result. Small amounts of alcohol can cause early sedation or sleepiness, and is often used as a sedative. However, the use of alcohol as an effective sedative can be extremely misleading because the side effects that can result are usually even more harmful and detrimental to the natural sleep cycle. For instance, due to the natural elimination of alcohol from the body, arousal and sleep fragmentation can occur and the second half of the sleep period can be drastically interrupted. This is due to the fact that, although alcohol will cause sedation, it will also decrease rapid eye movement sleep in the first half of the night resulting in the rebound of rapid eye movement sleep later in the night. Here are some of the natural ways through which addiction induced insomnia can be treated.

Passion flower

Passion flower is a good remedy for sleep disorders that had been previously got approved in the U.S as an over the counter sedative and sleep aid. However by this time its safety and effectiveness had not been approved and it was consequentially taken off market. This product can be used alone or in combination with other herbs to help cure insomnia that is induced by drug addiction. Some researchers opined that when passion flower tea is taken an hour before going to bed it may help to improve the quality of sleep. However there is still need for evidence to show it does all these effectively.

California poppy- also known as Eschscholzia californica, California poppy is a good remedy for sleep disorders. It works as a sedative and is known to promote sleep. Currently it can be found in different herbal remedies sold in the U.S for cure of insomnia, as relaxants and therapies for anxiety. Owing to its mild sedative and analgesic properties, it can be given safely to children. Clinical and laboratory work on California poppy has clearly demonstrated the plant’s sedative and anti-anxiety properties. It has also been shown to improve both sleep latency and quality. You can use it solely or in combination with other herbs to help cure insomnia.

Hops – scientifically its known as Humulus lupulus

The use of Hops dates back to early 1900s when Eclectic physicians used it as a sedative specifically for insomnia due to worry or nerve. This herb that is used as a major flavoring component of beer has been used for a long time to cure insomnia, nervousness, and restlessness. Hops pillows are sometimes used for mild insomnia. Having been used successfully in the past, trying it won’t hurt you.

Chamomile: is scientifically known as Anthemis nobilis. This herb has been used as sedative for a long time and can be safely used with children as well as adults. In South America, Europe and Mexico chamomile tea is a common beverage that is honored for its effectiveness in curing such conditions as irritability, restlessness and insomnia both in children and adults. What’s more? Its oil can also be used in bathing waters to help soothe nerves. Its oil can also be used for massage. Chamomile is still one of the sought after sedatives with proven effectiveness.

Valerian: is scientifically known as Valeriana officinalis. This is a common herb in the U.S where it is used widely for cure of insomnia restlessness and nervousness. This herb can reduce the time people take before falling asleep and is known to shorten sleep latency. When used it reduces chances of a person waking up in the night. As a herbal sedative, valerian has many benefits yet no known side effects that synthetic sedatives are loathed for. It can be used in combination with Hops, California poppy and chamomile among others.

These herbs are an excellent way to help you fight insomnia naturally. We at AWAREmed health and wellness center are dedicated to finding the best natural solutions to health problems. You can visit us at Myrtle Beach South Carolina where you will be attended to by Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) who has vast experience in integrative medicine for lifestyle diseases.

Use of Chamomile, HOPS, Passion Flower, Valerian Roots, Californian Poppy for Insomnia Caused By Addiction

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity

March 17, 2015

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity: Diet, Nutrition and Exercise

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity is the collaboration in eliminating chronic diseases associated with weight gain and obesity

If we have to defeat the problems relating to overweight and obesity, we must do things differently. Experts all over the world are of the opinion that diet alone is not as effective in achieving a healthy body weight. That does not mean that good diet and nutrition is not effective. However combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat obesity is more efficient than each standing alone. It can therefore be concluded that physical activities has many other health benefits as well. It is important that when making the decision to start losing weight, challenges will always be there. However you must never be discouraged because you are losing only a little weight than you had anticipated. Even relatively small weight loss can make a difference in health by reducing blood pressure and improving glucose tolerance and blood lipids. Our role as experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of Doctor Akoury, who is also the founder of the facility, is to add healthy values on the lives of people. We take charge of every stumbling block to ensure that every person who is suffering from any weight related complication is treated professionally and have their lives back.

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity: Follow dietary guidelines

When we receive clients who are struggling with weight problems or just desire to keep fit, we take them through tailor made programs which will encourage them to making healthy food choices. Choices which are in line with the dietary guidelines for people with such weight related needs. The guidelines were developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These guidelines will actually improve your health, help you meet your nutrient requirements, and reduce your risk of chronic disease. Therefore following these guidelines will not only help you reduce or maintain your weight but also keep you healthy in all dimensions?

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity: Drink water

It is always said that water is life; this is not just a wise saying but one of the truth we can’t pretend to know of. It is no wonder health professionals all over the world commonly recommend that people should drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily to help the body’s biological processes, especially carrying nutrients to cells and eliminating wastes.

Talking about the professionals the Institute of Medicine (IOM) advises that men should drink up to 3.7 liters (about 16 cups) of water daily while women to drink 2.7 liters (about 12 cups) of water daily. It is important to note that this recommendation is only applicable when eighty percent of this comes from pure drinking water and other beverages provided that soda, coffee and alcohol don’t form part of the other beverages. The remaining 20% should come from foods items and particularly from fruits and vegetables, which are 70% to 95% water in content.

Drinking this large unit of water may not be easy for many people. However it is worth noting that your water needs may not necessarily depend on you being thirsty but on many factors, including your health, how active you are, and where you live. Let me repeat that it’s generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink. This is so because normally by the time you become thirsty, a lot has already happen to the extent that without you knowing, you are already becoming dehydrated. It is especially important for older adults to drink water quite often before becoming thirsty, because normally our sense of thirst diminished as we become older.

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity: Pay attention to your eating patterns

The other guideline that we need to observe is paying attention to our eating patterns. Therefore what needs to concern you most is how, when, and where do you eat? Like for instance, many people across the globe will be eating simultaneously while doing something else like driving, talking on the phone, watching television, or reading. The consequence of this is that you’re likely to pay very little attention to your food which may result in the following:

You may not always fully taste and enjoy your food.
You may eat more than you need.
You may sometimes suffer from indigestion or other gastrointestinal symptoms.

All these may be very costly to you in the long run in the various sectors of your life and the sooner you address this, the better for you.

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity: Notice the influence of the food giants

What you may not know is that most processed foods if not all of them are market oriented. They are produced with business and profit making in mind. That is why they will be rich in salt or sugar to make them more appealing for you to keep buying. In other words, they are made in a way that when you start using them, you will become addicted to them. The bottom line is that processed foods are not designed to enhance wellbeing, but to exploit natural cravings for salt, sugar, and fat and when coupled with colorful, attractive advertising, many unhealthy foods such as colas and sugary cereals become irresistible staples in most people’s diet.

Doctor Dalal Akoury recommends that grocery stores are the best places to practice your mindful shopping for good health. She says that while shopping, be mindful in checking the ingredients labels since many companies have begun to shovel harmful amounts of sugar and salt into foods you wouldn’t naturally suspect, such as spaghetti sauce, granola bars, and yogurt. Make purchase decisions based on USDA dietary guidelines: buy “whole foods,” such as fruits and vegetables, and skip processed foods, no matter how tempting and flashy their packaging may be. This is especially important if you have children, as much of the food giants’ marketing is aimed at exploiting the vulnerable willpower of young people.

Finally being active is not to be taken for granted. The little activities you do like walking or doing household duties are very healthy in keeping fit. That is why our focus was on combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat obesity. If you are still not home and dry on these processes, then you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for a one on one professional advice.

Combining healthy eating with exercise to defeat Obesity: Diet, Nutrition and Exercise

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