We’ve all heard of free radicals before, but what are they, exactly? According to dictionary.com, a free radical is “an atom or molecule that has an unpaired electron and is therefore unstable, capable of causing chain reactions, that destabilize other molecules and generate more free radicals.” Why should we be concerned about them, simply because of free radical damage. Free radical damage is often referred to as the process of aging. 

In other words, they’re unstable little buggers that can cause all sorts of damage if they’re not kept in check. 

Luckily, our bodies have built-in mechanisms for dealing with them – but it’s still important to be aware of free radicals and their effects. 

Not to mention, many of our modern-day habits lead to the accumulation of free radicals, so it is also essential to take these out of the equation.

So read on, and next time someone mentions free radicals, you’ll be able to sound like you know what you’re talking about!

What Exactly Are Free Radicals?

So as you just learned, they are atoms and molecules that have an unpaired electron.

Due to their instability, each of them can seamlessly latch onto other molecules in the body.

As a matter of fact, a free radical will always choose the closest molecule to latch on to and take its electron, and that same molecule, in turn, becomes a free radical.

So you see, once this process has started, it can grow into a hardly controllable chain reaction and cause many negative changes in the organism.

Now, free radicals are naturally found in the body, but the thing is that just like anything else if there’s too much of it, that will likely lead to some damage!

So What Leads To Free Radicals?

This ‘surplus’ of free radicals that we said can be quite damaging can be caused by a variety of factors, such as environmental and habitual factors.

When we’re talking pro-free radical factors, think:

1. Tobacco smoking
2. Environmental air pollution
3. Processed foods
4. Alcohol

Now, it’s important to remember that a surplus of free radicals changes the way that cells function, thus damaging lipids, proteins, and even DNA.

Damaged DNA can significantly impair the immune system, leading to the possible development of a variety of diseases.

The best-case scenario is that you won’t develop any serious conditions but will age rather quickly.

And that, too, isn’t something we want!

The Defense System – Antioxidants

Alright, what we learned so far hints that free radicals are like an evil army trying to destroy the organism.

And we know for a fact that the organism itself can recognize such things and act against them.

In this case, the body’s defense system against free them is built on the foundation of antioxidants!

Essentially, antioxidants are protective substances that help neutralize the potentially damaging effect of free radicals.

As the name suggests, antioxidants buffer the oxidative reactions inside of the cells.

Now, the body naturally produces some powerful antioxidants, such as alpha-lipoic acid and glutathione, but it’s important to remember that food also provides a flurry of antioxidants.

Essentially, the primary food-derived antioxidants are:

1. Vitamins A, C, E
2. Zink
3. Copper
4. Manganese
5. Beta-carotene

An important thing to remember is that the body would naturally control the free radical production and its neutralizing in normal conditions.

However, in our modern-day cities, the conditions are everything else but normal, which implies that we should aim to minimize environmental and habitual factors while also focusing on macro and micronutrient-rich foods.

Both of these combined will ensure that our bodies thrive in the best environment possible while also getting all the nutrients needed to recover, grow and fight off any unwanted free radicals!

Here are our favorite sources of antioxidants:

1. Carrots
2. Walnuts
3. Turmeric
4. Apples
5. Broccoli
6. Grapes
7. Multivitamin supplements

Final Thoughts

Free radicals are the bad guys of your body. They cause damage to cells and DNA, but they can be neutralized with antioxidants. 

You can’t eliminate them, but you should know how to minimize their effects. 

So listen, if you want to age gracefully and live a healthy and happy life, avoid bad habits, breathe fresh air and eat plenty of nutrient-rich foods!

Oh, and stay tuned to our blog as we post more content to help you live your best life!

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Foot massage or foot reflexology has a Chinese origin.  It dates back to more than 3,000 years ago and is used in the prevention and cure of many health ailments by accessing pressure points in feet. 

Some in fact say foot reflexology massage dates back to ancient Egyptian times due to archaeological findings in cave drawings in Egypt. 

The principle of massaging pressure points in feet rests in the premise that the meridian network connects all tissues, organs and cells in our body. Each organ in the body is connected to a specific reflex point on the foot through the intermediary of nerves.This technique is known as reflexology massage. A trained reflexology massage therapist is usually called a reflexologist or zone therapist. A reflexologist massage therapist can put pressure on different pressure points in the feet. These points correspond with meridians or energy lines on the sole, top and side of the feet to determine the cause of illness.  

By using pressure to these reflex pressure points in feet, the foot reflexology massage is good for stimulating the activity of internal organs, and to improve blood flow and lymph circulation.  Thus, the top to bottom well-being of a person can be made through the feet.

The principles of foot reflexology massage is not usually in congruence with western allopathic medicine.  Western medicine merely sees the foot as a body part comprising of bones, ligaments and joints.

However, foot reflexology massage is fast gaining much popularity and acceptance as an alternative health treatment.  

In fact, over recent years it has become regularly the number one requested holistic therapy amongst complementary treatments s recorded by a number of complementary societies.

Fans of foot reflexology massage believe it can help not only colds and minor ailments, but more serious ailments as well. These ailments include liver dysfunction, constipation problems, chronic headaches, skin allergies and much more. It is not tested or proven that massaging the pressure points in feet can do all of these things but it most certainly cannot hurt anyone. 

Like most Oriental medical techniques, foot reflexology massage is a holistic treatment.  It concentrates on treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms of one particular ailment. 

While Western medicine promises speedy recovery of all unpleasant symptoms, foot reflexology massage therapy does not, nor should it. It can be slow and gradual but with longer lasting effects seeing as it aims to treat the root cause and not just symptoms.  

A series of visits is necessary to strengthen the body and to bring the body back to balance. It is important to understand that this impacts the bioenergetic system and not the biochemical system. When the person is hitting pressure points on the feet they are stimulating their meridens which are their energy centers. 

It is important to see a qualified therapist who will have had many years of training and case studies as this will yield the best outcome.

An average session of foot reflexology massage in the US, can set you back as much as US$40-100. In the UK depending on where you are, the prices can be similar at 30 – 75 pounds per hour, Thus, foot massages over a period of time, can add up in terms of costs. But the benefits will add up too and most therapists will certainly do group booking discounts if you take out a course of treatment.

Naturally, for practitioners and believers of foot reflexology massage, the cost for good health is well worth it.  The alternative would have been money spent in clinics and western hospitals for prescription drugs and perhaps, invasive surgery. Not to mention time away from working or doing those activities which you enjoy.

Your health is always a priority and massaging pressure points in feet or reflexology is certainly one that I would highly recommend you try as it really has many great benefits and is wonderfully relaxing too.

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Fibromyalgia, literally translates to pain in the fibrous tissues or muscles. One of the common fibromyalgia symptoms are pain, inflammation, fatigue, just to name a few. Fibromyalgia treatment is varied, with no definitive treatment paths.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic and sadly common disease that affects 2-4% of the total world population. Although the cause behind this disease is pretty much unknown to date, the fibromyalgia symptoms are all too well known.

It is very painful for the people suffering from this disease. The pain is widespread and produces a difficult fatigue disorder.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain all over the body. It affects an estimated 5 million Americans alone, and whilst it can strike anyone, as it affects people from all walks of life and can affect people of any race, age, or gender, it seemingly affects mostly women.

Fibromyalgia symptoms have been linked to depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality as well as hormonal changes which can exacerbate it.  Symptoms typically worsen during periods of stress. Fibromyalgia Treatment can include managing the symptoms, but it is far more effective to discover underlying root causes. Common causes can be heavy metal toxicity, chemical toxicity, poor nutrition, viral infections, and various other compounded causes. It is never one thing, it is always a combination of things that contribute to the root causes.

Fibromyalgia treatment can be managed in part through physical therapy, medication, and cognitive behavioral therapy as well as mindfulness, meditation, gentle exercise and movement therapies such as yoga, and with the help of the right diet, nutrition, hydration and supplementation.

Fibromyalgia symptoms contributes to a disorder that can cause severe pain and stiffness throughout the body on many different levels. It is often difficult for physicians to accurately diagnose the disorder because there are no tests to diagnose it as such. So it is heavily reliant on fibromyalgia symptoms instead of fibromyalgia diagnostics.

It is usually diagnosed when the patient fits a certain number of specific fibromyalgia symptoms.

This disease mostly affects muscles, ligaments, tendons and other soft fibres in the body; as a consequence, patients feel the pain in the muscle joint areas of body, such as neck, shoulder, elbow and hips, making everyday movements difficult and painful.

Sleep and energy production is also affected.

The term fibromyalgia means “pain in my muscles.” but is a nervous disorder that affects the brain and central nervous system. Whilst it commonly causes pain in the muscles and joints, tenderness to pressure or touch, fatigue and sleep disturbances, it can also cause numbness or tingling in the limbs, stiffness of the neck, headaches, migraines, depression, anxiety, nausea, brain fog, and irritable bowel syndrome. These are just some of the fibromyalgia symptoms.

Some experts take it as a special form of arthritis but the fact is the affected muscles in the body are not deformed like arthritis cases.

In addition to those fibromyalgia symptoms,  patients often feel anxiety, along with depression. They feel lethargic and may feel frustrated in their life. This depression can also lead to emotional and mental health issues.

Women may also face problems in their periods and suffer from other feminine or reproductive issues.

In a recent research it was clarified that women are more affected than men. It is also a  common phenomenon that women lack calcium a little bit more than men, this may be the reason behind that, or not. More research needs to be done.

If Fibromyalgia disturbs sleep; this leads to more cognitive weakness and may even cause mental disorders. The cause behind this disease is still a mystery but the resultant effects are very acute. As established, it generally affects people of any age, but some experts have revealed that after a traumatic disease or a massive flu, fibromyalgia may start.

It is also important to Identify the tender points in the body which helps to make a diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome. At the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, other chronic syndromes such as thyroid disturbance, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome should be checked and not just assumed eliminated. Pain in 11 to 18 tender points often indicates fibromyalgia syndrome, alongside other symptomatic factors. As mentioned fibromyalgia treatment is varied, and often involves symptom management.

Summary :

Fibromyalgia is a type of neuro-muscular pain, which affects the musculoskeletal schema of the human body. Patients can suffer from the following fibromyalgia symptoms amongst others:

* Widespread pain for more than 3 months, in fact daily.

* Tenderness in the neck, shoulder, knee, elbow, or upper buttocks or thigh areas.

* Trouble sleeping.

* Tiredness in the morning or late in the day.

* Mood changes.

* Irritable bowel syndrome.

* Headaches, sometimes migraines.

* Difficulty concentrating and brain fog

* Numbness and tingling in hands, arms, feet, legs or face.

* Abdominal pain.

* Bloating.

* Long lasting morning stiffness

* Constipation.

* Diarrhoea.

* Nausea

* Fatigue that interferes with work and daily activities.

* Sleep problems (difficulty falling or staying asleep, waking up feeling tired).

Fibromyalgia treatment is deeply varied, but can include nutrition support, both in eating as well as supplementation. Detoxification, as well as mental as well as emotional support for the person who is suffering from pain.

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Rather than going around and around, I’m going to put it out there what most medics will tell you, that there’s no existing specific treatment that might treat Celiac illness. There’s no one medicine that can assist in removing the signs. There’s no one operation that can resolve the problem. There are foods to avoid with celiac disease.

There are however ways to manage the impact of symptoms of celiac disease. The symptoms of celiac disease can be bad and can be even become dangerous, however with proper procedures, you can live a typical life without any issues or problems. The basic, and most likely the very best way to manage the disease is through your diet by choosing foods to avoid with celiac disease. The difficulties of identifying celiac disease lie in the reality that the conditions and symptoms may present like other gastrointestinal conditions or allergic reactions.

Celiac disease is a gastrointestinal condition that is caused when you consume the protein gluten. What occurs is that gluten damages the villi inside the small intestinal tracts. The immune system starts attacking and damaging your gut when you eat foods containing gluten, which is why knowing which foods to avoid with celiac disease is so important. Symptoms of Celiac Disease often includes severe cramps, stomach pains, bloating and diarrhea.

The illness was previously believed as a condition just affecting individuals in Europe. Recent research studies have revealed that the disease is not dependent on age and/or ethnicity.

Eliminating the gluten in your diet plan as foods to avoid with celiac disease is essential to minimize the swelling in the small intestinal tracts caused by the disease. If you have been suffering from the signs and symptoms of celiac disease and have actually been diagnosed with celiac disease just recently, you may be required to take vitamin supplements to recuperate from the dietary deficiencies due to malabsorption. Being conscious of foods to avoid with celiac disease is vital to healing.

Those with celiac disease need to develop an understanding that they may need to be on a lifelong gluten free diet because the swelling of the small intestines can be set off again and again. Sometimes, although rarely however, people do develop the tolerance for gluten at a later date but to make a dedication to a lifestyle modification including strict adherence to foods to avoid with celiac disease is probably the best route. This is certainly needed to be devoid of the symptoms of the illness in the first instance.

Foods to avoid with celiac disease  include foods which contain, are made with, and/or have been prepared from wheat, oats, barley, rye, including farina, gram flour, semolina, durum wheat, couscous and spelt. This means reading carefully all food labels and making certain that the food you will be getting from the supermarket shelves are gluten free. Thankfully, there are many items today which are gluten free. You can come up with many amazing and tasty alternative meals. If you would like a definitive list we have a free Gluten Free Course with recipes, please click here (we need to set up an Contact Form and Email with link)

As a side Note – let’s go back to oats. ‘Oats?’  I hear you cry, ‘Don’t contain gluten, do they?’ Well no they don’t, so you would be right about that. Oats actually do not contain gluten but according to the NHS, many people avoid eating them as they can become contaminated with other cereals that do contain gluten, especially if the oats are prepared or packaged in the same facility – (nhs).

OK so if you want to have oats as one of the foods to avoid with celiac disease ensure that you do source gluten free labelled oats just to be safe. Ok now that sorted, let’s move on.

Aside from the grains, you need to eliminate beer and alcohol items which are some  of the foods to avoid in celiac disease. Food made from wild rice syrup, cake flour, and caramel can also trigger the disease as well as inflammation. Anything creamed or breaded, that includes veggies. Fried chicken has actually been discovered to trigger the illness also.

Other foods to be mindful of consist of pastas, breads, salad dressings, gravies and sauces, soft cheeses, dips, stuffing’s, natural teas and even flavored coffees. It is specifically important that you seek advice from our practice to help you create a list of foods and drinks that you can and cannot consume. We have a plan that outlines all of the foods to avoid with celiac disease, along with meal plans.

This is truly the beginning treatment for celiac illness. The rest includes healing the digestive system. This may take several months to years depending on the quantity of damage triggered by the illness and the age of the individual. So please be patient and give yourself and your intestines, some love and some time 🙂

This post is for informational educational purposes only for those with symptoms of celiac disease.

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The benefits of exercise are immense, not only are you able to keep your body fit and trim, but you also can help your mood as well as stress levels. The following article will discuss not only some of the benefits of exercise but exercises for self care. These tips will keep you motivated and enjoy moving your body for greater health. 

Make it fun:

Making exercises for self care enjoyable is critical if you want to stick with it and make it a part of your daily routine. Check out the sports program’s offerings. Take a PE lesson, join a student club on fitness, or go for a stroll in nature if team sports aren’t your thing.

If you are going to participate in exercises for self care, enjoy a wide range of physical activities to work with various parts of your body. As for the benefits of exercise, keeping it engaging and intriguing. Isn’t it possible that you may find a new passion?

Finding a workout buddy with exercises for self care to include a social component which may help you remain on track since it’s more difficult to cancel on someone else than it is to cancel on oneself. It’s also a great way to access the benefits of exercise and social time simultaneously, making it a win-win situation, after all being social and having a support system around us is also self-love and care towards ourselves. Which makes exercises for self care with others a win-win all the way around. 

Making time: 

Fitting in a workout might be difficult when you have a hectic schedule. As long as you’re moving, you’re doing something! Remember that the benefits of exercise kick in even ten-minute walks in between tasks might add up if you don’t have time for a 40-minute exercise. Get up half an hour early to access exercises for self care, you’ll be surprised how good you feel when you do that and once you have done it and felt the feeling of being really alive in the morning the more you will want to do it.

Like everything, getting started is the biggest thing.

Plan Exercises for Self Care

Schedule an appointment, sign up for an online course, or make plans to meet with someone to help you keep to your goals. 

Setting goals for the Benefits of Exercise:

Setting precise objectives for exercise for self care might also be beneficial. When we know we have something to aim for it can give us the motivation and incentive to get going and it spurs us on. Don’t set unrealistic goals though as that can have the opposite effect and make us feel that achieving well-being is just too hard and too far out of reach. So start gentle – not too gentle, but start easy and put your goal just slightly out of reach so you can see and feel it’s possible if you just push a little more ☺

Too much of a good thing:

You may have too much of a good thing, so don’t go overboard! Before exercising for self care, fuel your muscles by drinking lots of water and eating something nutritious. Don’t push yourself too hard while you’re just getting started. Exercising too much, particularly if you’re not receiving proper nourishment, may put a strain on your body and can impact the health of the body negatively. And here again, this might put you off continuing if you associate pain with gain like so many say.

Of course, you do need to put in some effort but it shouldn’t be so painful and hard work that it prevents you from either mentally or physically moving ahead.

Above all – get started!

Choose fun things and sensible goals with sensible time frames and don’t forget to rest correctly and refuel. This is self-love too! If you would like a structure to get started check out some of our exercises for self care plans found here: https://holisticfamilypractice.mybodysite.com/holistic-family-practice 

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A well-known fact is that the human body consists of 60-70% water. So one must start to wonder how much is enough to sustain all that water in our bodies and some are concerned with drinking too much water. 

Our body constantly loses fluids throughout the day, mostly from urinating and sweating, but also by functions like breathing.  

To prevent dehydration, you need to stay adequately hydrated from water and food consumption, but do you ever ask yourself can you drink too much water? 

And here comes the actual question – how much water should we drink, and what happens when we overdo it? Also, are you drinking too much water?

The Bare Minimum 

Health experts usually recommend following the 8×8 rule – 8-ounce glasses, eight times a day. This is the equivalent of 2 liters or half a gallon. 

But this is just one of the many different opinions on the matter. For example, some doctors and nutritionists recommend sipping water throughout the day, even if you’re not thirsty. Sometimes people use their thirst as a gauge to determine if they are drinking too much water. Although, it is a challenge to drink too much these days and there is much conflict on the total amount of fluids per day to drink. 

In the end, the two significant things that specialists agree about are that it depends on the individual, and you should not try to substitute water with any other liquid. 

This is a big one – coffee, tea, juice, and other water-based drinks do not substitute water!

According to The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, men should drink 15.5 cups a day and women – 11.5 cups. Drinking more is based on multiple factors such as toxic loads, dehydration, liver health, etc. These guidelines can help to answer the question, can you drink too much water?

Brain activity and energy levels

Many researchers claim that not staying hydrated during the day may lead to low energy levels, low attention span, reaction speed, and more. 

Even mild dehydration, especially for men, could decrease muscle strength, power, and endurance.

Other side effects from not drinking enough water include weight gain, mood swings, irritation, problems with some internal organs (mainly the kidneys), skin problems, and constipation.  

What happens if you are drinking too much water?

If you are drinking too much water, you can experience water poisoning, intoxication, or disruption of brain function. 

This happens when there’s too much water in the cells, including the brain cells, and they start to swell.

When the cells in the brain swell, they may cause excessive brain pressure, which could lead to several not-so-fun experiences for you. 

Things like drowsiness, confusion, and headaches are some of the first symptoms of drinking too much water.

How do you know if you can drink too much water? Other signs of over-hydrating include hypertension (high blood pressure), and bradycardia, which is a lower than usual heart rate.  

Sodium is the electrolyte that is affected the most by overhydration. As a result, it could lead to a condition called hyponatremia. 

When sodium levels drop due to a high amount of water in the body, fluids penetrate the cells. 

When the cells swell, there is a chance of having seizures, going into a coma, or even death. 

Recognizing Overhydration and Drinking too Much Water

The first sign that you should look for when drinking too much water is the color of your urine. This is a great indicator to monitor your water consumption.

Urine usually ranges from pale yellow to tea-colored due to the pigment urochrome and the water levels in the body. 

If you digress pale liquid, you are indeed drinking too much water in short periods. 

If you are unaware if you can drink too much water, another sign is too many bathroom trips. A regular daily urination cycle is up to 8 times a day. If you’re going to the bathroom ten or more times, you should slow down on liquid consumption. 

Drinking water, even when you’re not thirsty is a mixed sign due to many specialists recommending doing exactly that. 

Nevertheless, keep in mind that the body has no specific way of telling you that you need to stop drinking water so it can be a challenge to determine if you are drinking too much water.

If you’re dehydrated, you feel thirsty, which is a reminder to drink water, but it doesn’t work the other way around for the most part.

To Wrap It Up if You Can Drink Too Much Water

Adequate water consumption depends on a variety of factors, including personal body parameters and environmental factors.

Of course, if you are in a warmer environment, you’d need more water.

Ultimately, your best bet is to always carry a bottle with you and sip now and then – Don’t overdo it, but don’t completely ignore it either. Shoot for half of your body weight in ounces in water. 

Avoid being extremely thirsty and make water consumption a regular habit!

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Children have constipation just like adults and perhaps more often since they sometimes don’t like to eat food that has a lot of fibre – vegetables and more vegetables.  Children with constipation can use a child constipation home remedy just as adults, but in lesser amounts.

You can use the following child constipation home remedy for children 3 and older.  Children should have a bowel movement every day so if they do not a child constipation remedy will be necessary.  It would be best for them to have at least two, if they are eating three meals a day.  If your child is having three or less bowel movements per week, it is time to get a child constipation home remedy or a child constipation remedy to take action.

If you use a child constipation home remedy, and your child still has only 3 or less bowel movements per week, then it’s time for you to take your child to see a doctor.  Continual constipation can reflect a more serious condition, especially if your child is eating the foods that promote natural bowel movements or you have already exhausted all of the child constipation remedy. 

Here is a list of the various child constipation home remedy that you can do for your child with constipation.  In fact, these recommendations are helpful for maintaining your child’s overall health. 

1. Drink more water – children are very active and will perspire more than an adult during the day and lose water.  If the body needs water, it will take from the stools and make them hard and difficult to expel. Drinking half of the body weight in ounces is a way to support the fluid and is the first child constipation remedy. 
2. Eat more fibre – fruits and vegetables are where the fibre is.  Using artificial fibre and laxative products is not a good idea.  The body can become dependent on these products and lose its bowel sensitivity and colon wall tone.If the child has difficulty eating these you can blend them, or use psyllium husk as a child constipation home remedy.
3. Having a bowel movement when it is time – teach your children to go to the bathroom when they get the urge.  A lot of times they will put it off if they are playing or doing something they like.  Putting it off will de-sensitise the colon and it will stop giving the bowel movement signal after a time.  This will lead to constipation. Breathwork, and teaching children to pay attention to their urges is a child constipation remedy.
4. Use natural products that promote bowel movements – there are many fruits and vegetables that promote bowel movements.  Use these as snacks.  In cases where you use a child constipation home remedy that is bitter, remind your child that it is medicine to help them go to the bathroom more frequently. Digestive bitters are extremely helpful, as well as nutrients such as magnesium is a healthy child constipation remedy. 

Drinking Water

Have your constipated child drink more water throughout the day.  Use distilled water.  Minimise the use of sodas, tea, and sweetened juices, as these are not water.  Eating fruits and vegetables provide the body with distilled water since they contain up to 70% water.  Drink unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices which provide water and promote bowel movements as a child constipation remedy.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables

The best time to give your child fruits is in the morning.  From the time they wake up to noon time is when the body is detoxifying.  Heavy foods like meat, milk, cereal, and eggs hinder the detoxifying process.  Fruits and their juices accelerate the detoxifying process and promote bowel movement, provided no protein or carbohydrates are eaten.  A good breakfast is simply a bowl of fruit.  A glass of fresh natural juice can also be provided as a child constipation remedy. 

When in season use a big bowl of watermelon and cantaloupe slices.  Otherwise, use a variety of seasonal fruits.  Using fruits with skins for fiber is a child constipation home remedy as a snack between meals.  But do not give fruits after a meal as dessert.  Wait 2-3 hours after a meal before giving fruit.  This helps digestion and promotes bowel movements.

Vegetables should be eaten with each meal at noon time and dinner.  Vegetables provide water, fibre, and an array of minerals and vitamins necessary for good digestion and colon function.

To make the salad more appealing for your child add raisins or pieces of apple to it to make it sweeter. 

Look to other articles for other natural remedies. For a child, any herbal products that are used as a child constipation remedy should be used at 1/3 the amount listed for an adult. If in doubt always check with a homeopath, naturopath, herbalist or doctor.

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Like most people, you probably don’t think much about blood tests or understand blood test results.

You go in for your annual physical, the doctor gets you through a few tests, and then you go on with your life. Typically, your allopath will tell you everything looks fine unless you have a diagnosis. 

But what are these tests actually measuring? And why are they important? We will share common blood tests explained in an effort to help you in understanding blood test results.

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most common blood tests explained and what they can tell us about our health. 

 So read on to learn more!

Complete Blood Count

 Believe it or not, the most commonly ordered blood test is complete blood count, also known as CBC. Whether you are sick or healthy, CBC is done as a routine test due to its low cost and the value it provides.

CBC can detect a wide range of disorders by measuring hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Don’t get confused. Although they sound complex, they are easy to understand.

Hemoglobin count, hematocrit, and red blood cells are usually examined together. These are indicators of whether your body is producing enough red blood cells or not.

Hemoglobin is a protein present in red blood cells, and it is responsible for carrying oxygen to your body. 

Therefore, if your blood cannot produce enough hemoglobin, it won’t be able to synthesize enough red blood cells.

When you are deficient in hemoglobin and, thus, red blood cells, this is called anemia.

There are many causes of anemia. It can be due to iron deficiency (the most common cause), vitamin B9 deficiency (folate), or vitamin B12 deficiency (cobalamin).

Other causes that can lead to anemia include genetic disease and chronic diseases. Your doctor will suspect the cause of anemia based on your readings of common blood tests explained and understanding blood test results.

Regarding white blood cells, these are your defenders. They would fight for you against infections. Their number increases in response to an infection.

Therefore, your doctor can use this number to determine if you have an infection or not.

They also rise in other unfortunate cases like leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. Usually, the numbers here are extremely high and are accompanied by other symptoms.

The final part is platelets. You should be grateful for your platelets. Without them, you will end up dying from losing excessive amounts of blood.

The function of platelets is to make blood clots in cases of injury to avoid excessive bleeding, contributing to a process called homeostasis. This is to help you to understand your CBC in common blood tests explained and understand blood test results. 

You can also add a differential to have an expanded view of your immune system

Basic Metabolic Panel

The basic metabolic panel (BMP) comes after the CBC in importance. It is required for routine checkups because of the various diseases detected through it.

 A BMP measures 8 substances: blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, calcium, carbon dioxide, chloride, glucose, potassium, and sodium.

The most important of these 8 are BUN and creatinine. These two are measurements of how well your kidney is working as common blood tests explained and understanding blood test results

Basically, BUN and creatinine are metabolites produced in response to protein metabolism in your body.

They are present in your blood in a very tight range. Your body gets rid of them by excreting them through the kidney. If your kidney is not working well, their level will rise.

This will make your doctor think you have a kidney problem and need further investigations.

The other measurements are electrolytes. Discussion about them is extremely complex and beyond the scope of this article, but you should be aware that the most important of them are sodium and potassium.

We typically add the CMP 14 which is the Comprehensive Metabolic Panel which includes the liver panel as well to view liver function. 

Albumin is a protein made in the liver.

Total protein, measures the total amount of protein in the blood.

ALP (alkaline phosphatase), ALT (alanine transaminase), and AST (aspartate aminotransferase). These are different enzymes made by the liver.

Bilirubin, a waste product made by the liver.

These are to help you to have a deeper understanding blood test results in common blood tests explained

Lipid Panel

This one is the most interesting of them. Although it is not routinely done for young people, it is very important for the elderly.

The lipid panel measures the level of lipids in your blood. Your body has different forms of lipids like cholesterol, low-density cholesterol (LDL), and high-density cholesterol (HDL).

Did you know that if you have high cholesterol levels, this means that you are at risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes?

This is why it is important for the elderly because they are at the highest risk for developing such conditions.

Out of the 3 parameters mentioned above, scientists found that LDL (also known as the bad cholesterol) is the strongest predictor of heart disease, thus given this name 🙂

Don’t be afraid if your doctor detects any abnormalities in your lipid panel. You should know that a healthy lifestyle is a great way to lower your lipid levels in common blood tests explained and understanding blood test results

If that doesn’t work for you, your doctor will make recommendations to help you improve your lipid panel such as looking at diet, supporting liver function, etc. 

Some Interesting Facts About Your Blood

Did you know that you are a millionaire? Yea! As far as we are talking about blood : )

Your body has 5 million red blood cells per microliter of blood. Imagine how tiny these things are!

Did you know that your bone marrow (the organ responsible for producing red blood cells) creates 17 million red blood cells per second? I wish we were as productive as the bone marrow.

The lifespan of a red blood cell is only 3 months. This is why they have no time to waste and work 24/7 for us.

Finally, did you know that your body has around 0.2 milligrams of gold? Unfortunately, there is no way we can separate from the blood. 

Looking at your red blood cells help in understanding blood test results and common blood tests explained.

Conclusion

Vampires have many reasons to be obsessed with blood. Imagine that tiny drop of your blood has millions of red blood cells, millions of white blood cells, platelets, lipids, proteins, and so much more!

Hopefully this helped your understanding blood test results and common blood tests explained.

Thanks to the technology that enabled us to examine these things at the molecular levels and use them to predict diseases via blood tests like complete blood picture, basic metabolic panels, lipid panels, and much more!

Have you ever had to do any of the blood tests mentioned or any blood tests? Let us know in the comment how was your experience, and share what you learned about your health!

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