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By HealthWatch, March 11, 2010

It’s a proven fact that the older you get, the more water your body needs in order to perform it’s daily functions. Just because you’re not feeling thirsty doesn’t mean that your body couldn’t use a refill! As an adult we’re made up of 43 to 45 liters of water. These waters need to be filtered, eliminated and then replenished daily. If
they are not, the rivers, streams and oceans of our body become polluted with digestive, respiratory and metabolic acids. We experience what we consider ‘dehydration’ when these acid levels start to build up. The older you are the faster that will happen, including the faster dehydration can turn into a more threatening problem.

It is important to understand that because of a gradually failing thirst sensation, our body becomes chronically and increasingly dehydrated from an early adult age. With aging, the water content of the cells of the body decreases. The ratio of the volume of body water inside the cells to that outside the cells changes from a 1.1 to almost 0.8. This is a very drastic change and causes one to lose their desire for hydration.

It is the loss of water volume held inside the cells of the body which causes a reduction in the thirst sensation! As a result, chronic dehydration sets in which causes symptoms that equal disease when the variety of emergency signals of dehydration are not understood.

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This probably applies to half world population)
* In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
* Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
* One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the University
of Washington dieters studied.
* Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
* Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back
and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
* A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic
math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
* Drinking just 5 glasses of water daily:
– decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%,
– slashes the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and
– 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer

Keep in mind that when we are born our bodies are about 90% water and 10% matter. As an aging adult the body begins losing water, dehydration sets in and hydration falls to about 70% water and 30% matter. Upon death the body is only 50% water. In reality, we die of dehydration. So does our skin over the years.

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By HealthWatch, January 26, 2010

Wondering how to keep skin young looking? Maybe you feel 25 but your skin gives away your real age. Well, you can work to keep skin looking young and it does not have to be that hard either. The right skin care has a lot to do with how young you look, so you need to start taking good care of your skin.

Even if you are getting older, it is not too late for you. You can work on your skin and get it looking younger than ever. Here is a look at some great skin tips that you can use to stay looking 25 – we won’t tell your real birthday.

Cleanse the Right Way

If you want to know how to keep skin young looking, you need to know how to cleanse the right way. Dirt is the enemy so get rid of it. You need to keep skin cleansed on a regular basis, but be gentle. You do not want to irritate the skin. Ensure you go with a nice cleanser with natural ingredients that will not aggravate or be harsh on skin too.

Learn What to Avoid

When you want skin that looks young, you need to learn what to avoid. There are many enemies of skin that looks young and healthy. The sun can be a huge enemy to your skin. Combat that by avoiding the sun and by wearing sunscreen when you are in the sun. Smoking is bad for the skin as well. While it can be tough to quit, you need to quite if you want skin to look young. Stress is another thing to avoid. Stress can really wreck havoc on skin, so work on relaxing and try to cut down on that stress.

Work on Your Diet

Another great idea to use if you want to know how to keep skin young looking is to work on your diet. The things you eat can affect your skin. If you want clear, beautiful, and young skin, you need to eat a diet that includes veggies, fruits, omega 3′s, and whole grains. Foods that include vitamins and antioxidants are important for keeping skin in great shape.

Change Your Skin Care Products

Chances are that you are using the wrong products for skin care. Sure, they may say they will help you keep skin looking young by the ingredients will tell the real story. If those products have various chemicals in them, you are using the wrong products. It may be time for a change.

Instead of using skin care products that include chemicals, it is time that you switch to a healthier option – natural skin care. If you want to know how to keep skin young, your skin care products are important. You need natural ingredients that actually provide results, making skin look younger instead of older. The right products will go a long way towards keeping skin looking young.

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By HealthWatch, July 28, 2009

According to a medical research study released yesterday, overweight Americans spend close to 42% more on health care than your average “normal-weight” citizen.

Consumer as well as corporate spending on weight-loss related treatments is projected to top over $147 billion a year in 2008, according to the new study which started in 2006 to track both a series of test patients as well as national consumer spending trends. That figure accounts for almost 10 percent of all medical spending in the USA for this year!

Overweight and obese Americans spend close to $1,429 more on health care each year than the roughly $3,400 spent by those Americans who fall within the “normal-weight” range.

Most of the excess spending is for prescription drugs needed to manage obesity-related conditions, said Eric A. Finkelstein, one of the study’s authors and the director of the public health economics program at the Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit research organization.

The results were presented on Monday at the first Weight of the Nation conference, which was held in Washington by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they’re getting worse rapidly,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the C.D.C., said.

The average American consumes 250 more calories per day than just two decades ago, Dr. Frieden noted, and don’t forget that thanks to advances in modern technology, the average time spent exercising has decreased compared to that same time period. This could be part of the blame for our rising obesity rate which currently represents the single greatest contributor to the over-all increase in diabetes cases reported in the US. Time spent exercising includes both strenuous physical activity as well as physical labor.

According to a medical research study released yesterday, overweight Americans spend close to 42% more on health care than your average “normal-weight” citizen.

Consumer as well as corporate spending on weight-loss related treatments is projected to top over $147 billion a year in 2008, according to the new study which started in 2006 to track both a series of test patients as well as national consumer spending trends. That figure accounts for almost 10 percent of all medical spending in the USA for this year!

Overweight and obese Americans spend close to $1,429 more on health care each year than the roughly $3,400 spent by those Americans who fall within the “normal-weight” range.

Most of the excess spending is for prescription drugs needed to manage obesity-related conditions, said Eric A. Finkelstein, one of the study’s authors and the director of the public health economics program at the Research Triangle Institute, a nonprofit research organization.

The results were presented on Monday at the first Weight of the Nation conference, which was held in Washington by officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they’re getting worse rapidly,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the C.D.C., said.

The average American consumes 250 more calories per day than just two decades ago, Dr. Frieden noted, and don’t forget that thanks to advances in modern technology, the average time spent exercising has decreased compared to that same time period. This could be part of the blame for our rising obesity rate which currently represents the single greatest contributor to the over-all increase in diabetes cases reported in the US. Time spent exercising includes both strenuous physical activity as well as physical labor.