Infactual Articles

There are many things that can trigger bouts of IBS, but there are times when you might not know what is doing it. There are many things in the diet that can cause the bloating, cramping, constipation, or diarrhea that comes with flare ups, but some of them are easier to pick out than others. Have you considered that hidden caffeine is aggravating your IBS symptoms? It’s quite possible. You may have cut out coffee and caffeinated soda, but there are other places where you might be unknowingly getting enough caffeine to upset your system.

Diet Products:  There are many different diet products on the market that you might be taking. Some are supplements that help with energy or with appetite suppression. There are weight control bars that are much like granola bars, and other products that are closely related. These often contain natural substances that have caffeine in them. It won’t necessarily say so on the label though, so you have to know what to look for. If you don’t recognize anything on the label, make sure you look each thing up to see what it really is and if it might contain caffeine. Guarana is one of these that claims to be a natural alternative to caffeine, but it’s basically the same thing and will have the same effect on your IBS symptoms.
 
Coffee:  You probably already know there is caffeine in coffee, and you may have had to cut it out of your diet. Some like to have decaffeinated coffee instead so they can still enjoy the taste of coffee. The problem is that there are some brands that are called decaf, yet they still have some caffeine in them. The amount may be small, but it still might be enough to aggravate IBS.

Coffee Flavoring:  Though you might think that ice cream and yogurts would only contain an artificial flavor that mimics the taste of coffee, many of them really have caffeine in them. Check the labels carefully to see if there is caffeine. You may have not thought to look, but if you eat these products often, this might be a troublesome source you never considered.

Candy:  Sadly, chocolate contains caffeine, and it might contain more than you think. This includes chocolate drinks like hot cocoa. Something as small as a Hershey’s Kiss has caffeine, though it should only contain 1 mg.

Medications:  There are some medications that claim they are non-drowsy. These are supposed to help with your symptoms while keeping you awake. It makes sense. No one wants to take something for a cold only to fall asleep at work during a meeting. The problem is that some of them use caffeine to help keep you awake, and you probably don’t realize it. This is also a problem with some children’s medications also. Children should have very little, if any, caffeine.

Eliminating these things might help, but if it seems to make no difference, it might not be hidden caffeine that is aggravating your IBS symptoms. You may be able to tolerate some of them on occasion if you choose ones that have a very low amount. When it comes to decaf coffee, you might have to experiment with a few different brands until you find one that it totally caffeine-free.

Grab your free copy of Susan Reynolds’ brand new IBS Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to treat IBS & help you find out about rid of IBS and for information on cause of IBS please visit Irritable Bowel Syndrome Relief Secrets.

Many people with arthritis foot pain benefit from orthotic inserts. Orthotics is the science of constructing or custom designing foot appliances such as arch supports, shoe inserts, shoes, etc., to aid in preventing and correcting deformities that may inhibit normal, comfortable movement in a person. Orthotics also assists in supporting and properly aligning the foot to help improve the overall function of the body’s moveable part.

Although you may think a good athletic shoe (I.E. walking, running) provides you with enough support, this is untrue for someone who suffers or is prone to foot pain. The reason is because while an exceptional shoe can provide your feet with cushioning and motion control, it doesn’t provide adequate arch or heel support, or shock absorption.

Therefore, after you purchase a well-made pair of shoes, you need to take out the insole that came with the shoe, and replace it with an orthotic insole.

What types of foot pain benefit from orthotics? Orthotics are generally recommended for treating those who suffer from the following foot problems causing pain –
- Arch strain and pain
- Bunions
- Calluses
- Corns
- Crooked toes
- Hammer toes
- Heel pain
- Heel spurs
- Metatarsalgia (pain in the ball of the foot)
- Over-pronation
- Plantar fasciitis

Is there more than one type of orthotic insole? Yes. Orthotics come in various sizes and can be used for a number of different shoe styles. However, before we take a look at the different orthotics, keep in mind that not all insoles are orthotics. If the word “orthotic” is not on the packaging, the insoles are not made with the same science. Unlike other insoles, orthotics are designed to mold themselves to the foot when worn. The following are the different types of orthotics -

Functional orthotics – This type of orthotic is designed to correct defects of the arch including over-pronation, common in people with flat feet, and supination, common in people with high arches. Both foot problems can cause heel pain (plantar fasciitis) and puts excessive strain on muscles and joints throughout the back, hip and leg. Functional orthotics provides proper correction of these foot problems.

Supportive orthotics – These orthotics are designed to fix problems that occur in the arch, and provide the arch with proper support.

Weight-dispersive or accommodative orthotics –These orthotics are designed to provide padding and help support sesamoid bones (bones embedded in a tendon) metatarsal heads, collapsed tarsal bones, inflamed toes and sores. They help relieve pain and pressure from these areas.

Where can you obtain orthotic inserts? There are two ways a person can obtain orthotic insoles –

1. Ready-made orthotics -There are a variety of ready-made orthotic insoles sold online and in local super centers, drug stores and pharmacies. Most ready-made orthotic insoles provide arch support and a certain level of correction and cushioning to a person’s step. The following is a list of ready-made orthotic product brand names you can look for – Dr. Scholls, Spenco Insoles, and Footlevelers.

2. Custom orthotics – Custom orthotics will provide you better relief than ready-made orthotics because they are designed specifically for your foot and to treat your specific foot issue. The only problem is custom orthotics are hundreds of dollars, making them significantly more expensive than the ready-made variety.

Custom made orthotics are prescribed by health care professionals such as a family practitioner, chiropractor or podiatrist. The actual fitting of orthotic insoles is done at an orthotics lab by a pedorthist. The pedorthist constructs custom orthotics based on the diagnosis of the doctor and by taking a plaster cast of the patient’s foot.

Despite the type of orthotic insoles you decide to obtain for your feet, remember that you should always have your doctor diagnose your foot pain and ask for recommended treatment options.

By Dave Wilson. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how to treat your foot pain with targeted footpain relief treatments. Discover how lifestyle changes can get rid of footpain.

Milk protein may be the answer to lowering high blood pressure in some people; however, it isn’t the only alternative. In fact, did you know that making something as natural as eating garlic apart of your regular diet can actually reduce blood pressure and help you manage your hypertension?

Garlic is a vegetable that is extremely beneficial to the heart and the entire cardiovascular system. It is considered to be a natural remedy for high blood pressure that has significant, positive effects when made part of a daily diet. Studies have found that by eating a single small garlic clove per day, a person can effectively manage their hypertension.

In fact some clinical studies have found garlic to decrease the systolic blood pressure by as much as 20 mm Hg to 30 mm Hg, and the diastolic blood pressure by as much as 10 mm Hg to 20 mm Hg in participants.

For instance, one 12 week study concluded that participants with high blood pressure who ingested a single clove of garlic per day had significant reductions in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure by the end of the study.

In addition, studies have also been conducted on testing the effectiveness of garlic powder taken in the form of a supplement for controlling blood pressure. These studies also found a significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in participants who suffered from mild hypertension.

How does garlic lower blood pressure? It is believed that garlic can effectively lower blood pressure because it reduces spasms that occur in the small arteries. It also slows the pulse rate and modifies the rhythm of the heart. In addition, garlic can relieve gas in the digestive tract, numbness, dizziness and shortness of breath. Thus, garlic has been used as a herbal remedy as an effective method for treating various health problems aside form hypertension including infection, inflammation and heart disease.

Moreover, research has found that there are three chemicals found in garlic that are exceptionally helpful in treating high blood pressure. These chemicals are alliin, allinase, and allicin, and are particular effective for improving blood circulation.

How can you add garlic to your daily diet to manage your blood pressure? The following are two recommendations:

1. Eat fresh raw garlic cloves - you can eat a single raw clove of garlic per day with a meal or by itself. You don’t need to eat an exceptionally large clove, a small one should suffice. Just make sure the clove is fresh, as dried garlic no longer contains the properties that are beneficial for health.

2. Take garlic supplements in capsule form – This is often the preferred method, as most people don’t enjoy chewing on a raw piece of garlic. Herbalists recommend taking 300mgs of garlic capsule supplements three times daily (I.E. 3 capsules per day). Note: Be sure to read the instructions on the back of supplements before taking them.

If you decide to take garlic supplements, keep in mind that you should only do so under the supervision of a health practitioner. The reason is because garlic can thin the blood and can interact with other drugs and supplements that are prescribed for blood thinning such as Trental (pentoxifylline) and Coumadin (warfarin), aspirin, gingko, and vitamin E. Furthermore, it is often recommended that those who will be undergoing surgery should stop taking garlic as treatment a few weeks before and after surgery.

If you think garlic is a remedy you would like to try as treatment for managing your high blood pressure, be sure to talk to your doctor first for recommendations.
By Paul Johnson. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover proven natural methods to help you lower blood pressure naturally. On the site you’ll also find more about suitable hypertension exercise and the most common sign and symptom of hypertension.

Despite what joints may be affected by gout, this particular form of arthritis can cause another complication – kidney stones.

What are kidney stones and what causes them?  Kidney stones are small masses that are rock-like in substance.  They can be small enough to be passed through urination, or large enough to block the flow of urine.  Passing kidney stones is often an extremely painful experience that most people don’t soon forget.  Kidney stones can occur for different reasons.  However, in the case of gout, kidney stones form as a result of too much uric acid in the urine.

Who is most at risk for developing kidney stones?  Essentially, anyone who has recurring cases of gout is at risk for developing kidney stones.  However, middle aged men, and the elderly (both women and men) are more likely to develop kidney stones, due to the fact that they are the primary gout sufferers, and have higher levels of uric acid.

Furthermore, kidney stones are most likely to occur in those who suffer from secondary gout and primary gout.  Approximately 42% of those diagnosed with secondary gout will experience kidney stones.  However, only 10 – 25% of primary gout sufferers will develop stones.  

Why is the risk so much higher for secondary gout sufferers?  The reason is because unlike those who have primary gout - high levels of uric acid without a known cause, those with secondary gout have high levels of uric acid because of their long-term medication (IE. diuretics, aspirin, levodopa, etc.) or health condition (IE. alcoholism, obesity, diabetes, kidney dysfunction, etc.)

Additionally, people who have experienced kidney stones are more likely to develop stones again in the future.

What are the signs and symptoms of kidney stones?   Although in some cases there may be no symptoms at all, most people who suffer kidney stones report the following:
- Sudden extreme painful cramping that occurs in the lower back, side, groin or abdomen.
- Nausea or vomiting caused by severe pain
- Blood in urine
- Fever and chills may occur if there is an infection in the urinary tract

If you have any of the above symptoms, you should visit your doctor or the emergency room to make sure that what you are experiencing is indeed kidney stones.

How are kidney stones treated?  Although the sudden onset of pain may compel you to take a trip to the emergency room, the chances are after you’ve been x-rayed and diagnosed, a doctor will likely prescribe you pain medication and tell you to drink plenty of water and wait for the kidney stone to pass naturally.  Most stones pass within 48 hours when significant fluid is ingested.  Symptoms should stop as soon as stones pass.

If the stone will not pass naturally due to its size, a doctor may perform:
- Lithotripsy – A common procedure that uses a shock wave to break up the large stone into small pieces so they can be passed.
- Surgery – there are a few techniques used to surgically remove the stones.  These surgeries are often uncomplicated.
 
How to prevent uric acid kidney stones – The following are ways a gout sufferer can reduce their risk of developing stones:

- Avoid or limit alcohol intake
- Eliminate or limit foods in your diet that raise uric acid levels such as: organ meat, red meat, shellfish, mushrooms, asparagus, dried peas and beans, etc.
- Drink plenty of water and stay well hydrated all the time
- Exercise regularly
- Loose weight realistically – If you are overweight or obese avoid crash diets to lose weight quickly.  Losing weight too fast can cause a rise in uric acid levels and increase the risk of stones.
- Medication – Talk to your doctor about medication that can help lower and control uric acid levels.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover whether you are experiencing a gout symptom treatments. On the site you’ll also find more on proven gout remedy options and how deal with a gout attack.  

Toys are a great way to stimulate autistic children, but what about adult autism?  All autistics, regardless of their age or degree of autism require proper care and support.  That being said, although high functioning autistics do require support, they don’t always require constant care like those who have low functioning autism.

High functioning autistics (HFA)
 High functioning autistic adults can be very successful and live relatively normal lives.  They can work, care, and support themselves, live independently, and in some cases, even have a family.  However, in order to be successfully independent an HFA adult must have had the proper education growing up.  If an HFA child is effectively taught and understands accepted behaviors and social responses, by the time they reach adulthood, they can contribute to society like everyone else.

Of course, not all high functioning autistics are independent, and even those that are may still struggle with finding suitable employment and suffer with social interaction.  For this reason, those with high functioning adult autism require support to help them take care of themselves, and live the best life they can live.

Support for high functioning autistics
The following are ways in which HFA adults can find support:

Locally – Finding support locally may be a challenge if you don’t know where to look.  Nevertheless it doesn’t hurt to try searching with the help of:
- Health care providers – Talk to any doctors or those who provided you therapy over the years.  They may be able to get you in touch with local organizations or support groups.
- Government – Call or visit the government website to learn about support for those with adult autism
- Yellow Pages – Search the phone book to see if any support groups are listed locally
- The internet – Conduct a search by using the name of your city and “autism support”
Online - There are many support groups online.  The following are some websites that offer support and may be helpful for employment and information:
- http://www.csaac.org/
- www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger

Low functioning autistics
Low functioning adult autism means that these individuals are unable to measure up to societal standards and can not function independently, regardless of how they are educated as children.  Therefore, these autistics typically live at home with their parents or in special residences where their needs can be continually addressed.  Nevertheless, due to the fact that residential facilities or group homes are quite costly, many low functioning adults (and even some HFA adults) live with their families.

In these cases, the ones who require support and assistance are the caregivers.  Caring for an autistic can be extremely overwhelming and stressful, especially when you are faced with:

- Learning everything you can about adult autism
- Locating the necessary services, treatments and supports needed
- Dealing with different health care service providers
- Financial burden
- Socially isolating yourself in your home, as making social calls can be difficult
- Focusing all your attention on one child and giving less attention to the rest
- Discrimination from others

Support for caregivers of autistics
There are different services you can look for to help you cope with adult autism, such as counseling, reducing stress, learning new techniques, financial advice, etc.  Support can be found in the following ways -

Locally – The same methods used in HFA support listed above can be used to find local support.
- Friends – If you have made friends who also have autistic children, use them as support and find out if they have any new information they can provide for a particular problem you may be facing.

Online – There are many support groups online.  Check out the following:
- http://www.autism-society.org/
- http://www.autismsociety.ca/
- http://www.bbbautism.com/
- http://www.autismlink.com/
- http://www.udel.edu/

Each provides you with information, resources and support groups for adult autism.

By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter and discover how to understand and manage an autism diagnosis. On the site you’ll find more information about high functioning autism.

Trigger point therapy is a treatment that has helped many people who suffer from fibromyalgia. It is an impressive therapy that effectively reduces trigger point pain. Trigger point therapy is used to relieve pain, and is a massage treatment that is frequently used to treat a variety of conditions including sports injuries, repetitive strain injury, accident trauma, myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia.

Trigger point therapy is also known as myotherapy or myofascial trigger point therapy. It was established in the United States during the 1940’s by Dr. Janet Travell.

What is trigger point therapy?
Trigger point therapy is a technique that applies pressure through touch to sensitive muscle tissue known as trigger points. Pressure is applied by fingers, knuckles or elbows and is maintained for up to 10 seconds and released. Pressure is then reapplied in a pumping motion for another 30 seconds and released. After this treatment, the muscles are then stretched to improve flexibility.

The purpose of the therapy is to alleviate pain and dysfunction in other areas of the body, and improve muscular flexibility. Trigger point therapy is able to effectively reduce pain because the pressure that is applied during treatment increases blood flow to the targeted area. As a result, oxygen and nutrients can freely flow to the spot and work to heal the muscle. Furthermore, the applied pressure stimulates the body to release endorphins (natural painkillers) to help reduce pain.

What are trigger points?
Trigger points are the areas of your body that are extremely sensitive. Usually when they are touched, trigger points are painful, increase stiffness in muscles and limit motion. A trigger point will feel like a tight knot in the soft tissue that lies just beneath your skin. Trigger points generally form as a result of poor posture, exertion, stress or an illness such as fibromyalgia.

There are two different trigger points:
1. Active trigger points – These points result in pain when they are pressed, but do not cause pain in other parts of the body.
2. Latent trigger points – These points result in pain when they are pressed but can also cause pain in other parts of the body. For example, a trigger point in the neck may cause pain in the back when pressed.
If trigger points are not looked after, they can develop into satellite trigger points, the term given to trigger points that have spread from the original source. Satellite trigger points evolve into more painful symptoms.
How can trigger point therapy help fibromyalgia? Trigger point therapy has been proven to be very beneficial for fibromyalgia sufferers. Fibromyalgia is a disease that causes various tender areas in the body. These sensitive spots often cause muscle stiffness, pain and other discomforts. This is why trigger point therapy is usually a successful treatment for those with fibromyalgia, because the treatment helps to eliminate the tender areas and the resulting symptoms. The following is how trigger point therapy works to help fibromyalgia sufferers:
• Decreases the stiffness in muscles
• Improves motion range and flexibility
• Encourages circulation to allow the body to heal
• Reduces anxiety and depression
Trigger point therapy should only be performed by a qualified therapist who has previous experience with treating fibromyalgia. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to tell the therapist the exact location where you are feeling pain, so that they can focus the therapy on these particular points to provide you with the best relief.
If you are not ready for trigger point therapy, and would like to try something first that doesn’t involve a therapist, consider trying relaxation techniques.

For more information on other Fibromyalgia treatment options please go to EliminateFibromyalgia.com

Although there are many factors that can contribute to a build up of uric acid within your system, alcohol consumption appears to be a leading factor in gout development. However, this doesn’t mean that people who drink alcohol modestly on a regular basis will develop gout. Furthermore, research has discovered that different types of alcoholic beverages have different impacts on uric acid levels.

For hundreds of years, medical researchers have suspected that gout is linked to specific lifestyles such as diets high in red meat, salt and alcohol, combined with little to no exercise. This type of lifestyle, which many people in Western countries tend to adopt as they become older and closer to middle age, is very much like the lifestyle that was once led by English kings. In fact, gout is often called “the disease of kings”.

Today, researchers that have conducted studies on men in relation to alcohol consumption and its link to gout, have found that men who drank excessive amounts of certain forms of alcohol – especially beer – greatly increased their risk for developing gout.

What has been discovered is alcohol may not only affect the production of uric acid, but also its removal from the body. It appears that when alcohol is changed into lactic acid, it decreases the quantity of uric acid that the kidneys are able to remove from the body. The reason is because uric acid has to compete with the lactic acid in order to be removed by the kidneys.

In addition, researchers have found that certain types of alcohol have less risk of causing gout than others. Of all the alcohols studied, it appears that Beer poses the highest risk of gout, while moderate consumption of wine or spirits has little to no increased risk of gout.

What’s so risky about beer? Some researchers believe that beer has a non-alcoholic ingredient that makes the increase of gout even higher than other alcoholic beverages. Beer is apparently the only alcoholic beverage to include purines, and an excessive amount of purines in the system can lead to higher production of uric acid. Conversely, other researchers do not believe it is the purines in the drink that increase the risk of gout. These researchers don’t believe that having too many purines in the diet increase the risk of gout. Their reasoning is based on a study that was conducted on vegetarians from Taiwan who indulged in a diet that was high in purines. The study revealed that theses individuals actually had a lower risk of developing gout.

So, if it’s not the purines in beer then what is it? Some experts have a hunch that excessive beer drinkers have a higher risk in contracting gout due to their lifestyle. For instance, a person who drinks wine usually has their alcoholic beverage with a meal, or with healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, crackers and cheese. A beer drinker, on the other hand, will often indulge in eating salty and fatty snacks such as peanuts and chips, while they sit and watch TV on the couch hour after hour. Thus, enthusiastic beer drinkers are likely to have a more sedentary lifestyle.

Regardless of the alcohol beverage you enjoy, you can dramatically reduce your risk of developing gout by drinking modestly (IE a glass of wine or beer per day). Overindulging in alcohol on occasion isn’t going to have a dramatic effect on your chances of getting gout, but regular overindulgence may eventually lead to a serious pain in the big toe.

For more information about Gout diets take a look at Cure Gout Now.

Biofeedback is a system that provides you with real-time information about your body — blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and skin temperature, for example — on the theory that if you are aware of this information, you can control it. You’re not usually aware of your heart rate, for example, so you may not know if it’s too high. Biofeedback makes you cognizant of it, thus allowing you to take measures to regulate it if necessary.

In recent years, people have begun to use biofeedback as a means of lowering their blood pressure. A biofeedback device called Resperate, helps people relax by slowing their breathing, which in turn reduces hypertension. There are other things you can do, too, that involve keeping tabs on your blood pressure and responding accordingly to keep it in check.

First is something called autogenic training, which involves learning to control body conditions such as muscle tension, heart rate, and blood flow. Much of this involves a mind-over-matter attitude. By seeing your blood pressure go up (through a monitor you can use yourself), you can identify the stressors that are causing it to happen. Then, having identified the things that cause your blood pressure to rise, you can take steps to overcome them, either by eliminating the stressors or learning to deal with them positively.

There is ample information on the Internet about autogenic training, including many stress-reducing exercises you can do from your desk or at work.

Another way to deal with hypertension through biofeedback is “temperature training.” Some research indicates that the temperature of your finger is an accurate indicator of your blood pressure. High stress causes your finger temperature to drop as the fight-or-flight response sends blood quickly away from the extremities and toward the vital organs. This means an increase in blood pressure — thus, lower finger temperature equals higher blood pressure.

There are devices you can buy that monitor your finger temperature. Then, with relaxation techniques and stress management, you can lower your blood pressure, which will manifest itself in a higher finger temperature.

These techniques usually won’t help people with extreme hypertension. Those who can benefit from biofeedback include people with normal-to-slightly-high blood pressure or mild hypertension, and those with a family history of high blood pressure who want to take preemptive measures against getting it themselves.

It should be stressed that while biofeedback and relaxation techniques can be helpful in reducing blood pressure, they are not to be substituted for a healthy diet, regular exercise and whatever medication your doctor has prescribed. Biofeedback should be in addition to those things, not instead of them. As a medical technique, biofeedback has proponents and detractors. It’s certainly not going to hurt your health, but it may not always help it, either.

If you are looking for more help for Blood Pressure Reduction symptoms please visit NaturalBloodPressureReduction.com and sign up for a free newsletter.

There are different dietary and herbal supplements that can be taken to help alleviate symptoms caused by endometriosis. That being said, before taking any form of supplement, you should always consult your doctor first. This is especially important for any woman who suffers from kidney, liver or heart problems.