Scottish scientists report in a recent edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that a single session of exercise improved the health of blood vessels and reduced lipid levels in men.

They studied 20 middle-aged male subjects, 10 of whom were obese, and 10 lean. They measured blood lipid levels and the reactivity of blood vessels after a fatty meal, twice in each subject, a week or two apart. The afternoon before one of the two measurements, each subject walked on a treadmill for 90 minutes. They did no exercise the day before the other test.

Exercise improved triglyceride blood levels by 25% in both lean and obese subjects, and also improved blood vessel function by 25%. While the fatty meal increased triglycerides and worsened blood vessel function in all subjects, these negative effects of the fatty meal were significantly blunted by having exercised the day before.

DrRich comments:

The striking thing about this study is that one brisk walk was able to improve the function of blood vessels and blood lipid levels to a significant degree, and that the benefits persisted the next day. That is, the benefits of exercise can be measured acutely.

While 90 minutes of walking is a long time, it is likely that shorter exercise bouts will also have a beneficial effect. The testing of shorter exercise sessions is being planned.

But don’t wait for more studies; we already know exercise is vital to good health. Get off your duff now.

(From : http://health-VIP.cn)

How does exercise help prevent colon cancer?

Your large intestine is kind of like a sewage plant. It recycles the stuff your body can use and stores the waste for disposal. The longer waste sits in the colon or rectum, the longer toxic materials have to leach out of the solidifying stool and back into your tissues.
Exercise gets your body moving, which gets the waste in your body moving. This is because exercise stimulates peristalsis, a wave-like muscular contraction that helps push waste through your colon.
Research indicates that exercising can decrease colon cancer risk by up to 40%. Exercise also tends to reduce the incidence of other risk factors for colon cancer, like obesity and diabetes.

Why should you care?

Ahh, good question. There are a lot of things to care about and sometimes it seems like every issue is urgent, so you need to do this and you need to do that, and you need to have done those things yesterday or that’s it, you’re doomed! I’m not big on scare tactics, so I’ll just give you some facts.
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of U.S. cancer deaths for women and men combined. In fact, more lives are lost each year to colorectal cancer than to AIDS and breast cancer combined. If you love yourself and you love the people who care about you, you have good reasons to care about preventing colon cancer.

What should you do?

Intentional exercise seems to be less important than simply leading an active lifestyle. In general, people don’t have to go to the gym three-to-five times a week for an hour in order to reduce their risk of developing colorectal cancer. People can reduce their risk by increasing physical activity in their daily lives. This can be accomplished by choosing a distant parking space, taking the stairs, shopping, cleaning, going for walks, playing with children or pets, and a multitude of other activities.
Of course, intentional exercise isn’t bad either. But it’s hard to do if you’re forcing it on yourself. So, I recommend making a real effort to find a fun, physical past time. Sex works. If you like it and you’re safe and old enough and all the other caveats that should be added. Team sports like volleyball, basketball, hockey, and tennis are great for a lot of people. Individual sports like skating, swimming, walking, and running are great for others.
Exercising helps prevent colon cancer and makes you feel better. It can also be fun, if you let it. Why not incorporate a bit more exercise into your daily routine?

Physically active women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by 25%, according to a review of research published online ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The biggest risk reduction was seen in lean women who enjoyed recreational physical activity, as compared with obese women and those whose physical activity was work or housework-related. This is a negative result for those who log 10,000 steps a day on their jobs without engaging in dedicated exercise activities.

How Much Exercise and When in Life?

Both moderate and vigorous activity were seen to have equal benefit in reducing breast cancer risks. Women who had been active throughout their life had the lowest breast cancer risk. Staying active after menopause had a greater effect as well. Some of the studies showed a dose-response effect — the more exercise, the better.

How Could Exercise Protect Against Breast Cancer?

The authors speculated that the mechanism by which physical activity protected against breast cancer was likely to be complex. It might involve effects on sex hormones, insulin-related factors, the immune system and other hormone and cellular pathways.

Exercise Reduces Breast Cancer Risks for Younger Women

Regular exercise between the ages of 12 and 35 reduced breast cancer risks of developing cancer before menopause by 23%, according to the latest finding from the Nurses’ Health Study II. This study tracks almost 65,000 women. "We don’t have a lot of prevention strategies for premenopausal breast cancer, but our findings clearly show that physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood can pay off in the long run by reducing a woman’s risk of early breast cancer," said lead investigator Graham Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., in a press release.

Previous studies showed that physical activity reduces postmenopausal breast cancer risk. There have been few previous studies showing that physical activity also reduces the risk of breast cancers diagnosed before menopause.

1. See your doctor before you begin any exercise program
2. Begin with a 5-10 minute warm up of light cardio (walking in place, etc.)
3. Perform each exercise for 12 repetitions, resting when you need to, and start with no weights or light weights
4. Stretch after each exercise

Do this workout 1-2 non-consecutive days a week, taking at least one day of rest between workouts. For best results, combine this workout with regular cardio and a healthy, low-calorie diet. Click on pictures for more detailed view.

Bench Sit & Stand
Stand in front of a chair (sit down first to make sure it’s behind you!) with feet about shoulder-width apart. Contract the abs and sit down on the chair. As soon as you make contact with the chair, stand back up and try to do so without rocking back or using momentum. You can place your hands on your thighs if you need to. For added intensity, hold a medicine ball or a dumbbell and don’t sit all the way down–stop just before your backside touches the seat (picture 3).

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Ball Taps
Sit in a chair and place a ball front of both feet (a mid-sized ball works best). Sit straight up and try not to rest against the back of the chair, keeping your back straight and your abs contracted. Lift your right foot and tap the top of the ball and take it back down to the floor. Switch sides and do the same with your left foot, alternating each foot for all repetitions. For added intensity, sit on an exercise ball to challenge your balance or try the exercise while standing.

Step Ups
You can do this exercise on a staircase or on a step if you have one. If you’re on a staircase, stand at the bottom step and step up with your right foot. Bring your left foot up onto the stair next to your right and then step back down on the floor (hold onto a rail if you need to). Perform all reps by stepping up and down with the right foot. Then switch sides and start with your left foot. If you don’t have a staircase or a step, you can simply do another set of ball taps.

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Hamstring Curls
Stand in front of a chair and hold onto it for balance if you need to. Bend your right knee, bringing your foot up behind you (like you’re kicking your own butt) and keeping the right knee pointing towards the floor and right next to your left knee. Slowly lower back down and repeat all repetitions before switching to the other leg. For challenge, do it without holding onto the chair or add light ankle weights.

Knee Lifts
Hold onto the wall or a chair for balance if you need to. Keep the abs contracted and bring the right knee up to hip level, knee bent at 90 degrees, and lower back down. Repeat all reps on the right leg and then switch sides. Add ankle weights or a resistance band for added intensity. You can also do this without support for a challenge.

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Side Leg Lifts
Stand sideways to a chair or wall for support and lift one leg out to the side, foot flexed and hips, knees and feet in alignment. Try to lift the leg without tilting at the torso–hold the torso upright as you lift the leg a few inches off the ground. Lower back down and repeat all reps on the same leg before switching sides. Add ankle weights for added challenge.

Wall Push Up
Stand a few feet away from a wall and place hands on wall at shoulder level, a few inches wider than shoulders. Pull the abs in and, keeping back straight, bend elbows and lower body towards the wall until elbows are at 90 degree angles. Push back to start and repeat. The further away from the wall you are, the harder the exercise. Make sure you don’t sag in the middle–keep the abs tight and the back flat.

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Chest Squeeze with Med Ball
Sit on ball or chair, back straight and abs in. Hold a medicine ball at chest level and squeeze the ball with the palms of hands to contract the chest. While continuing to squeeze the ball, slowly push the ball out in front of you at chest level until elbows are almost straight. Continuing the pressure with your hands, bend the elbows and pull the ball back to chest.

Lat Pulls With Bands
Stand or sit holding a resistance band in both hands up over your head. Hands are wider than shoulder-width apart and back is flat, abs engaged. Keep the left hand in place and contract the lat muscles (at the sides of your upper back) to pull the right elbow down towards the ribcage. Press back up and switch sides, alternating right and left for all repetitions.

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Lateral Raises
Stand or sit holding light dumbbells in both hands at the sides. Keeping the elbows slightly bent and wrists straight, lift the arms up to the sides only to shoulder level (palms face the floor). Lower back down and repeat for all reps. You can use full water bottles or soup cans for weights if you don’t have dumbbells.

Bicep Curls
Sit or stand holding dumbbells in both hands, palms facing out. Contract the bicep (front of the arm) and curl the weight up towards your shoulder (without touching the shoulder). Lower back down, but keep a slight bend in the elbow at the bottom–don’t swing the weight and keep the elbows in place as you curl the weights.

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Tricep Extension
Sit or stand and hold a dumbbell in the right hand straight up overhead and directly over your shoulder. Your palm should face the front and you can use your other hand to support the right arm. Bend the elbow and lower the weight down a bit behind your head (the elbow should be facing the right side of the room) to about 90 degrees. Contract the back of the arm to pull the weight back up and repeat.

"Getting older sucks!" This is what *Jenny, my 47-year-old client said to me, right before she broke down in tears over the 15 pounds she’d gained since going through menopause. Jenny had always been thin and never struggled with weight problems…so what changed? When I told her it was most likely due to getting older, changing hormones, slowing metabolism and lack of activity, she didn’t seem terribly impressed. The truth is, women’s bodies do change as they get older and go through menopause, but weight gain isn’t inevitable; we have more control over our bodies and how they age than we think.

What Happens During Menopause

Beginning around the mid-thirties, the ovaries decline in hormone production. This accelerates in the 40’s, which makes hormones fluctuate and by the 50’s, periods usually end completely. What many women don’t like about this process are the symptoms and problems that come with these shifting hormones such as:

    * Hot flashes
    * Depression, stress and anxiety
    * Sleep disorders
    * Irritability
    * Osteoporosis
    * Cardiovascular disease

Another experience many women have is weight gain, especially around the belly and waistline. Part of this has to do with those declining hormones, though researchers aren’t sure how or why. Experts at Oregon Health & Science University have found intriguiging evidence that, for some, menopause may increase appetite. By studying hormones in monkeys (which are virtually identical to humans), researchers concluded that, with decreased hormones, many monkeys increased their food intake by 67%. (OHSU Researchers Reveal Relationship Between Weight Gain And Female Hormones).

Menopause isn’t the only cause of middle-age spread. Other factors include:

    * Reduced activity. Women often exercise less when they enter menopause, which can lead to weight gain.
    * Decreased metabolism. One reason metabolism declines with age is the loss of muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so when you lose that muscle (about 1/2-lb a year if you don’t preserve it with weight training/exercise), you don’t burn as many calories.
    * Increase in calories. As metabolism drops, many people don’t adjust their calories accordingly, which often leads to weight gain.
    * Genetics. Your genetic makeup and where you’re predisposed to gain and store fat also plays a role in weight gain, making it more difficult to maintain your figure.

      Easing into Menopause

      There are any number of ways to manage menopause symptoms, from alternative therapies (such as acupuncture) to eating a healthy diet. However, one simple thing you can do right now is exercise. As the American Council on Exercise states: "The good news is that a regular program of physical activity can help manage many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause as well as the related health concerns, such as heart disease and osteoporosis." (Exercise and Menopause)

      Other benefits of exercise include:
          o Reduced stress. Menopause can often lead to depression, anxiety and stress. Exercise is proven to help reduce stress and improve your mood.
          o Weight loss. Exercise can help create a calorie deficit, which is what you want when it comes to losing body fat.
          o Reduction of hot flashes. Some research has found that exercise increases estrogen levels, which can decrease the severity of hot flashes.
          o Increased bone mass. Strength training and impact activities (like walking or running) can help strength the bones and prevent osteoporosis.
          o Reduced risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

      The North American Menopause Society goes even further, stating that "Exercise may cause the same magnitude of change as that induced by estrogen therapy." (The Effects of Physical Activity on Menopausal Symptoms and Metabolic Changes around Menopause) If I’ve convinced you how much exercise can help, it’s time to get moving.

      Getting Started

      Even if you’ve never formally exercised, it’s never too late to start…nor is it too late to reap the benefits. The key is to start slowly and do things you enjoy such as:
          o Walking
          o Cycling
          o Vigorous yard work
          o Swimming
          o Cardio machines
          o Group fitness classes

      Strength training is equally important, especially if you want to increase your metabolism and lose body fat. You don’t have to train like a bodybuilder to get the benefits, but you do need to use resistance (such as dumbbells, machines or resistance bands) and you do need to challenge your muscles and body. You might want to work with a personal trainer to get started or visit Workouts for Beginners to find cardio, strength training and flexibility workouts specifically for those just starting out.

      Whatever you do, make the commitment now to become more active. Move more throughout the day…get a pedometer and start tracking your steps…get your family involved and spend some quality time with them through movement. Taking control of your health is one way to make menopause a more pleasant experience.

      (*Name changed, From http://health-vip.cn )

What is it?

Abnormal fluctuations in blood sugar can lead to someone with diabetes becoming unwell and, if untreated, losing consciousness.

There are two conditions associated with diabetes – hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar).

A first aider is most likely to encounter hypoglycaemia, which affects brain function and can lead to unconsciousness if untreated.

Signs and symptoms

Hypoglycaemia:

• Hunger
• Feeling ‘weak’ and confused
• Sweating
• Dry, pale skin
• Shallow breathing

Hyperglycaemia:

• Thirst
• Vomiting
• Fruity/sweet breath
• Rapid, weak pulse

First aid aims

Hypoglycaemia:

• Raise blood sugar level as quickly as possible
• Get casualty to hospital, if necessary

Hyperglycaemia:

• Get casualty to hospital as soon as possible

Actions

Hypoglycaemia:

• Sit casualty down
• Offer casualty food or a sweet drink
• If there’s an improvement, offer more to eat or drink
• Keep casualty resting

From: health-vip.cn

What is it?

Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 35°C (95°F). Children are most at risk when they’ve been active outside for a long time in low temperatures, or have become wet (by falling into cold water, for example).

Symptoms

• Shivering
• Cold, pale, dry skin
• Listlessness or confusion
• Failing consciousness
• Slow, shallow breathing
• Weakening pulse

First aid aims

• Prevent further body heat loss
• Warm the casualty
• Get medical help

Actions

• Give the child a warm, not hot, bath
• When their colour has returned, help them out of bath, dry them quickly and wrap in warm towels or blankets
• Dress child warmly (including a hat) and put them to bed, covered with plenty of blankets
• Ensure room is warm
• Give warm drinks
• Stay with them
• Call a doctor

Hypothermia in babies

Babies can respond very quickly to being cold.

Symptoms

• Unusually quiet and refusing to feed
• May not necessarily change colour

Actions

• Check whether baby’s skin feels cold
• Call a doctor
• Warm baby gradually by wrapping in a blanket
• Cuddle to transfer your body warmth to baby

From: health-vip.cn