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Health Dangers of Smartphones Include Insomnia and Male Infertility

Unless you live under that proverbial rock, you are likely familiar with the purported health dangers of smartphones. Although these devices make it easier to manage our busy lives and stay in contact with loved ones, more and more studies indicate that they may also pose health risks, even when not in use.

The Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation

Even when your phone is not in use, it’s still in contact with cellphone towers. It maintains this contact using a frequency known as electromagnetic radiation, allowing your phone to make its distinctive chime as soon as you receive a text or email. Electromagnetic radiation is very similar to microwaves. There have been conflicting studies regarding whether this type of radiation affects your health, but more recent research shows that the suspected health dangers of smartphones are likely a reality.

Exactly what are these health effects? Rats exposed to constant levels of this frequency of radiation develop brain tumors. There are also specific dangers for men who keep cellphones on their person or in a pocket, including infertility and potential testicular cancer. While our brains are partially protected by a skull, male reproductive organs have few defenses against the electromagnetic radiation, which can mutate sperm and make them unable to fertilize an egg. This is particularly unfortunate when you consider how many men keep their cellphone in their pants pocket.

Smart Phones and Sleep

Smartphones can affect not just our long-term health, but our daily lives. They emit a blue-tinted light that is easy to read in almost any setting, much like computers and tablets. However, this light can affect our circadian rhythms and make it more difficult to get the sleep we need. Blue light has a huge effect on melatonin production, and can even shut it down completely. When you read on your smartphone or another device before bed, you are stopping your brain from making the hormone it needs to induce sleep. This is especially true for adolescents.

However, blue light is not the only way that a smartphone may interfere with your sleep. Electromagnetic radiation also may interfere with sleep. Children appear to be more affected, as their growing brain tissues absorb four times as much of this radiation as adults. In addition, children often lack the self-discipline needed to turn off these devices and go to sleep. It is important for children to go to sleep in a room free of televisions, tablets and other devices that could have long-term effects on both their circadian rhythm and whole-body health.

Mitigating the Health Dangers of Smartphones

This news may be shocking to people who always have their phone in hand. However, most of us either cannot or will not eschew our electronic devices completely. We need them not just for work and time management, but for much-needed recreation and fun. If you plan on keeping your smartphone in your pocket despite these health dangers, there are a few ways that you can lessen the potential damage to your body.

Use a headset or speakerphone. Moving a source of radiation away from your body significantly reduces its effect on your cells.
Keep your phone out of your pants pocket. Stash it instead in a bag, on your desk, or in a shirt pocket.
Don’t sleep with devices in your bedroom. Smart phones are not the only sources of radiation; wireless modems and other devices also emit it. By keeping these in another room, you can reduce your exposure immensely.
Avoid using your phone when it has a low signal. It has to send out more radiation to continue making contact.
Limit your children’s usage of devices. Children are especially prone to negative effects from radiation because their bodies are still growing and their cells multiplying quickly.

It may be difficult to break the smartphone habit, but it will likely have a beneficial effect on your health. There are many ways to reduce the health dangers of smartphones, but simply putting it away may be the most effective.

Children and Sleep: The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Behavior and Health

Oct 21 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make them drink. Putting children to bed is a similar experience for many exhausted parents. You can go through a bedtime routine and tuck the little ones in at an early hour, but there is no “off” button. Some children lie awake for hours or get out of bed repeatedly asking for glasses of water and other diversions. This can lead to sleep deprivation for the whole family. Unfortunately, studies on children and sleep show that sleep deprivation can create behavioral issues and even affect children’s future physical health.

Children and Sleep: Is Lack of Sleep a National Epidemic?

There are hundreds of books on the market instructing parents on how to get their children to sleep. Many of these are focused on infants, who notoriously keep their parents awake at night. However, sleep deprivation is an issue for older children as well. Six out of ten middle-schoolers and almost 90 percent of teens do not get the sleep they need, according to pediatricians. School-aged children also are missing out on the valuable shut-eye that they need in large and ever-increasing numbers.

This sleep deprivation can have devastating effects on physical health and even behavior. American pediatricians have called for a variety of measures to remedy this, including later school times and earlier bed times. However, the problem appears to be worsening. Children are getting less sleep than ever in the U.S. and throughout the Western world. This is worsening to the point where some pediatricians have called sleep deprivation a public health crisis.

The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Growing Minds and Bodies

Unfortunately, sleep deprivation does not come without a cost. Going to bed late, even in the preschool years, is tied to obesity. Because having a healthy circadian rhythm is necessary to a variety of metabolic processes, children who grow up consistently getting lower than recommended amounts of sleep later are more prone to unhealthy weight gain. This is especially true for children who come from low-income households, who are minorities, or who have less educated mothers—in other words, children who are already statistically at a higher risk of health problems than their peers.

The effects of sleep deprivation do not merely affect weight, but behavior as well. Adults who get less than adequate sleep are more emotionally labile and this appears to be true for children as well. In children, this may manifest as poor behavior. In addition, children who do not get enough sleep are at higher risk of depression and anxiety later on in life. For many families, this creates a downward spiral in which sleep deprivation creates bedtime behavior problems, which in turn create more sleep deprivation for both parents and tots.

Natural Solutions to Bedtime Drama

While melatonin helps many adults to nod off at bedtime, the jury is out as to whether it can be effective in breaking the link between poorly-behaved children and sleep deprivation. Melatonin appears to help children fall asleep faster, but it also has more side effects in those who are young, including headaches and appetite loss. It has been shown to help children with ADHD fall asleep, but these results are preliminary and will have to be further studied. Because its long-term effects on children have not been adequately studied, parents should talk to their pediatrician about whether this is the right choice for their family.

There are other ways that parents can help children to get enough sleep. Experts recommend turning off screens and dimming lights well before bedtime. Having a relaxing and unchanging bedtime routine also can help children to fall asleep. Light therapy during the day may be helpful for children who suffer from a delayed sleep phase, in which children have a circadian clock that runs a bit late. Last, avoid exposure to caffeine and nicotine, which is present in secondhand smoke. These stimulants are always bad for children, but they can have the additional effect of keeping them awake well after they’re tucked into bed.

Getting children to bed in time for a restful night of sleep may not always be easy, but the alternatives can be devastating to physical and emotional health. There are a variety of healthy, natural ways to help children get the sleep they need to be healthy and happy throughout their days and well into adulthood.

Melatonin for Jet Lag: Reset Your Body Clock Naturally When Travelling Across Time Zones

Oct 20 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Modern life requires travel. Americans and Western Europeans have become more mobile than ever, which means that seeing family and building a career often means some type of travel is involved. As a result, jet lag is not just a problem for executives anymore. Millions of people find their circadian rhythm is disrupted by the busy schedule of modern life. Luckily, there are safe, natural ways to get your internal clocks back on track.

What Is Jet Lag?

Jet lag, or desynchronosis, is a state in which your inner clocks are not aligned with the external time. People can get jet lag from traveling across time zones. There is also a phenomenon called social jet lag, in which people have to be awake for work or other obligations during hours that don’t sync with their circadian rhythm.

Regardless of the reason for jet lag, it can have devastating effects on health. People with jet lag feel fatigued, yet often have trouble sleeping. They can feel mentally fuzzy and suffer from lower cognition and memory. Jet lag also puts people at higher risk of suffering from adverse health events such as infections. Despite the huge number of physical and psychological effects of jet lag, modern medicine offers very few solutions to this common problem.

Factors That Can Make Jet Lag Better… Or Worse

You may have noticed that you do not get jet lag every time you step on or off a plane. This is because there are a variety of factors that can make jet lag better or worse. For instance, researchers have found that traveling east causes worse jet lag symptoms than traveling west. It ends up that our natural internal rhythms are actually set for slightly longer than 24 hours, so it is easier to add time to our day by moving to an earlier time zone than to subtract hours in the day. Staying hydrated and eating healthy also can keep jet lag from being as severe. The healthier your body is, the more likely it will be to adjust to challenges such as travel quickly and seamlessly.

Even if you are traveling east, there are several ways that you can mitigate the effects of jet lag. Drinking lots of water helps, as travel is dehydrating and this can make jet lag symptoms worse. Avoiding caffeine, alcohol and other substances also help your body to get back on track more quickly. Ensure that you eat a wide variety of healthy foods to get the vitamins your body needs and that you get plenty of exercise. Last, do things that help your body to adjust to your new time zone. Make sure you get plenty of light exposure during the day and eat at set times.

Melatonin for Jet Lag: A Safe, Natural Treatment

Research on melatonin for jet lag has found that this supplement can make a huge difference in helping people to get both the quality and the quantity of sleep they need. Melatonin is naturally produced by your body in preparation for sleep. If you are planning to travel, scientists recommend trying to slowly adjust to the new time zone before you leave by either going to bed progressively later or taking melatonin so you can go to bed earlier. Our bodies take approximately one day per time zone to adjust, but this process can be done before travel to make the transition easier.

There are also other safe, natural remedies besides melatonin for jet lag. Stanford researchers have developed a mask that can be controlled by your smartphone intended to help treat jet lag. It uses light to help your body adjust to changes in time zone. There is also a Stop Jet Lag app that can guide you in preparing for and undergoing a large trip without being devastated by fatigue and other symptoms. The Anti-Jet Lag Calculator is a similar app that helps you to align your circadian rhythm with a new time zone by carefully planning when you eat meals and perform other daily tasks.

Unfortunately, jet lag is a fact of modern life. However, you do not have to live with the fatigue, clouded thinking, insomnia and other effects of this disorder. There are many different ways of helping your body to adjust to a new time zone with as few physical effects as possible. Taking charge of your circadian rhythm is taking charge of your health.

New Research Shows the Health Benefits of Resveratrol Extend Beyond Heart Health

Oct 13 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Resveratrol has been in the news for its heart-health benefits for years. It is believed to help support a healthy cardiovascular system and protect against a wide variety of health concerns. New research on the health benefits of resveratrol suggests that, aside from its benefits to cardiovascular health, resveratrol may benefit your entire body through a mechanism that supports the healthy cellular inflammatory processes that are often thrown out of whack by our stressful modern life.

The Health Benefits of Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a plant compound found in grapes and red wine, as well as some nuts and berries. It is a natural antioxidant made by plants when they are under attack, whether from an insect or an illness. Although the foods containing this micronutrient are delicious, most people in the Western world do not get enough of it in their diets. This is unfortunate, because people who don’t get enough resveratrol may be missing out on some incredible health benefits.

Doctors have long known that supplementing with this natural plant compound can help to protect against certain cardiovascular concerns which can eventually lead to devastating heart attack or stroke. In addition, it can help support healthy cellular inflammatory processes in your body. This can affect your health in a variety of ways because inflammation is often a hidden contributor to many of the most common and most-feared illnesses of our times.

What’s the Big Deal With Inflammation?

Many people associate inflammation with an infection, but it actually can be present even without microorganisms or viruses. In fact, new research suggests that inflammation may be a major cause of almost every type of disease in the human body. Chronic low-grade inflammation is one cause of atherosclerosis and thus heart disease and stroke. However, it also may contribute to the development of diabetes, cancer, and chronic diseases of all kinds.

How can inflammation cause so much damage? When our bodies suffer an insult of any kind, be it a microbe or a toxic food preservative, it sets off a reaction. There is more blood flow to the area, more inflammatory molecules and more immune cells such as T-cells. These cells can help to fight off an infection, but when they are chronically present they damage our own cells. Chronic inflammation can be so subtle it is missed entirely until we begin to develop chronic illness. In the case of atherosclerosis, the vessel gradually hardens because of the constant inflammation, the way our feet and hands can form calluses. These rough spots on the inside of the vessel are prone to cracking and also clot formation. Eventually, the atherosclerosis is enough to completely block the vessel, which is when disease occurs.

Protecting Against Inflammation the Natural Way

There are many ways that you can change your lifestyle to reduce the occurrence of inflammation and thus help protect against the diseases that it can cause. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and omega-3 fish oils is a delicious way to protect against inflammation. In addition, you can enjoy green tea or an occasional glass of red wine, both natural antioxidants. These are both better choices than sweetened beverages like colas that can increase inflammation. Getting enough sleep is also important because this is the time when your body performs critical repairs of cell damage that have occurred throughout the day. Last, taking the time to de-stress through yoga and meditation will help lower inflammation levels while improving your outlook on life.

Healthy eating and positive habits are important in reducing inflammation. However, inflammation does not have to negatively affect your health, even if you don’t always maintain the healthiest diet. According to a recent study, a substance found in grapes called resveratrol can help to reduce or even eliminate the effects of eating an unhealthy diet. Monkeys who are fed a high-fat and high-sugar diet tend to have muscles that become fatigued quickly. Adding a resveratrol supplement to their otherwise unhealthy diet led to less fatigue and inflammation in the muscles, partially compensating for the cost of a poor diet. This indicates that one of the health benefits of resveratrol may be that little “cheats” don’t have as large of an effect on your tissues, including the delicate tissues in your heart.

The health benefits of resveratrol may be just what someone people need to withstand the negative effects of modern life. While it’s important to try to eat healthily and lower your risk of inflammation through lifestyle changes, supplementing with this grape derivative can help you to get the boost you need to feel and be healthier over your lifetime.

Vitamin D and Asthma: Supplementation Found to Lower Risk of Severe Attacks

Oct 10 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Most of us take breathing for granted. While everyone must breathe to stay alive, it happens unconsciously and we only notice it when we have a cold or another illness that makes breathing difficult. Asthma is a health problem affecting millions of people in the United States alone. While there are medications available, many people with asthma still suffer from debilitating symptoms and even have to seek emergency medical care just to stay alive. New research on vitamin D and asthma suggests that taking this supplement along with your current medications can reduce your daily symptoms, your number of asthma attacks and the amount of rescue medication that you need to breathe.

The Physiology of Asthma

Although many people have asthma, it is often misunderstood. Asthma is not a minor disease, but rather one that can lower your quality of life and even cause death when left untreated. Asthma is a disease affecting the passages that carry air to your lungs. Asthmatic people have airways that are prone to inflammation, which can reduce the amount of air that both enters and exits the lungs. Many asthmatics have low level chronic inflammation, but also sometimes experience an asthma attack. In an asthma attack, the inflammation increases quickly and compromises the ability to breathe. In many cases, this can be life-threatening.

The symptoms of asthma are primarily caused by inflammation of the airway passages. Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing. Some people can identify triggers that cause an asthma attack to happen, such as seasonal allergies, dust, or aerobic exercise. Although the risk of having an asthma attack is 100 times greater during the night, for many asthma sufferers, the attacks appear to happen randomly. While treatment regimens vary for each unique individual, they usually include daily medication to reduce chronic inflammation as well as rescue inhalers that can be used when an attack is beginning. When these medications fail, steroids are used to immediately open airways. While many people can manage their disease effectively with modern medicines, others struggle with symptoms regularly and live in fear of a deadly attack.

Vitamin D and Asthma Attacks

Because asthma can be difficult to manage effectively and the medications have intense side effects, many people are searching for natural remedies to help them breathe easily. New research on vitamin D and asthma suggests that this vitamin may help to prevent severe attacks. People who add vitamin D to their current asthma treatment regimen may see their number of attacks reduced by half. Six percent of people in this study using just their standard medications had to get medical care for an attack while three percent of the group that took additional vitamin D required this help. In addition, people taking vitamin D needed steroids less often.

How can vitamin D make such a difference in the number of asthma attacks? The exact mechanism remains unclear, but previous studies have found that vitamin D deficiencies are linked to worse asthma symptoms. It is possible that many asthma sufferers are suffering from a vitamin deficiency that worsens their symptoms, which is easily treated. Researchers noted that it is not clear whether vitamin D supplements will reduce attacks in people who already have high levels of this vitamin in their bodies.

Natural Approaches to Treating Asthma

Because asthma is difficult to treat even with the best modern medication regimen, many people are turning to natural remedies to improve their breathing. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E may help by reducing overall inflammation levels in your body. Caffeine can help some asthma sufferers, as it dilates air passages. While some of these supplements may be effective, every asthma sufferer is different and has a treatment plan tailored to their needs. It is important to talk to your physician before adding a new treatment to your current plan.

A variety of modern studies are finding that chronic diseases, even potentially deadly ones like asthma, can be effectively treated with safe and natural remedies. Vitamins and minerals are essential to our health, so supplements can often make a huge difference. Getting a wide variety of essential vitamins may be a breath of relief for many asthma sufferers.

Ten Effective Natural Supplements for Andropause

Oct 07 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Most people have heard of menopause, the time at the end of a woman’s reproductive life during which hormone levels dip considerably. However, many don’t realize that men undergo a similar process. As men age, levels of androgens (male hormones) decrease, often contributing to a variety of health problems. This time period is called andropause, but is also known as men’s change of life or “manopause.” In addition, during this time many men deal with physical changes such as hyperplasia in their prostate and other new health concerns.

The effects of gradually-decreasing levels of testosterone and other male hormones can affect almost every part of your health and your life. Men often report a lower libido, fatigue, depression and weight gain. In addition, they may experience more subtle effects such as a higher risk of diabetes. Unlike menopause, andropause happens slowly and subtly over decades, which means many men never realize that they are going through it and don’t seek out the treatment that they need. The good news is there are many natural ingredients and supplements for andropause that can support your body in optimal health as you go through this natural transition.

Changing Needs Over a Lifetime

From birth through old age, our bodies are constantly changing and undergoing different processes. As a result, we have unique health needs in each stage of life. For example, infants need a diet rich in fats and cholesterol to support rapid growth in their brains. Children have higher calcium needs because their bones are growing quickly. Gender also plays a role; women of childbearing age need extra folic acid because this is so important to fetal development.

Like all people, men in andropause and beyond have a special set of health needs. They benefit from B vitamins to provide energy, vitamins E and C which function as healthy building blocks and other natural ingredients that can support healthy androgen levels without harming their prostate or their heart. While this may seem like a tall order, there are a variety of natural supplements for andropause that promote good health in aging men.

Supplements for Andropause

Our bodies are designed to experience declining levels of sex hormones as we age and our fertile years wane. However, there are several supplements for andropause that can offer support during this adjustment. These include:

L-arginine

L-arginine is a natural amino acid that encourages healthy blood flow and supports cardiovascular health. It accomplishes this by supporting healthy levels of nitric oxide, a natural blood vessel and muscle relaxant.

L-taurine

This amino acid functions in the human body as a “membrane stabilizer.” L-taurine has been found to help maintain muscle strength and proper nerve transmission.

Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto has been found to help protect against prostate problems that often occur as men age. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common health problems in older men and can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms such as urinary retention and frequent urination.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo promotes normal cognitive function, supporting healthy memory and attention span. These are both major concerns for many aging men.

Lignans

Lignans are a class of plant phenols that act as powerful antioxidants in the human body. Supplying the body with sufficient levels of antioxidants can help protect against some of the deleterious effects of aging and specifically support cardiovascular and cellular health.

Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus is a derivative of the terrestris or puncture vine plant that works to naturally support healthy testosterone levels in men.

Piperine

Piperine is a black pepper derivative that has been found to have a wide range of health benefits, including helping to soothe minor pain.

B Vitamins

B vitamins act as vital co-factors to help boost energy and support a healthy metabolism.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant vitamin that helps your body to resist the biochemical stressors it encounters on a daily basis over the years.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for the creation and repair of connective tissue. The breakdown of connective tissue and the collagen that supports it is the main culprit behind wrinkles and other visible signs of aging.

There are many natural, affordable and side-effect free supplements that can help you to age more gracefully and enjoy better health along the way. If or someone you love is a man approaching the golden years, research supplements for andropause and the difference that these can make in your quality of life.