Posts Tagged ‘Myths’

Health Myths Exposed Part 1

January 24th, 2010 admin

We’ve all heard things from friends or family about what is the best way to get healthy fast.
These Health Myths will clear the air on a few of some regularly heard myths.

Health Myth #1:You’ll know if you are having a heart attack.

Not always. Only half of those who’ve suffered from a heart attack felt a symptom. That means that the other half never felt any symptom, or didn’t recognize it. There are several signs most common to a heart attack:

chest discomfort (pressure, squeezing, or fullness)
shortness of breath
nausea
cold sweat
discomfort in upper body (arm, back, neck, jaw, or shoulder)
sudden extreme fatigue (without lack of sleep)

Because the heart’s nerves don’t feel pain directly, symptoms can be unpredictable.

Health Myth #2: Pampering can speed recovery from back pain.

False. You know if you’ve ever strained your back that the pain is intense. In fact, if you rated it on a scale of 1-10, it would be a 99! Experiencing back pain is excruciatingly painful and makes it difficult to even walk without great uncomfort. The best medicine seems like a day of bedrest where you’re propped up on pillows. Ringing your bell to have your honey bring you ice packs, ibuprofen, and put on the latest movie. However this is a bad idea. Your sweetheart may feel like they are being kind by offering all this attention, but you really need to move around. In order to recover from that back strain, you need to stay as active as possible, strengthening the back muscles. Staying in bed for two or three days slows your recuperation. Walking is best.

Health Myth #3: Blood in the toilet means cancer.

False. You probably do not have cancer, especially if it is a small amount. Of course it is always wise to check with your Dr. Typically a small drop of bright red blood is a sign of hemorrhoids, and it only takes one drop to taint the whole bowl red. There are over the counter tests that can be done at home to check for even microscopic amounts of blood, just ask the pharmacist. Don’t panic, but do check it out with your medical professional to be safe.

Health Myth #4: You can really eliminate a problem area by doing specific exericses.

False again. If you have a flabby belly, and want to get rid of it, a bunch of crunches will not make your bulge disappear. Unfortunately that’s not how the body works. In order to reduce any problem areas, an overall workout is necessary. Do not expect crunches or squats to spot reduce those extra rolls – although it will tone muscle.

Health Myth #5: Men can drink more than women.

True. Because men have an enzyme that metabolizes more of the alcohol before it’s absorbed into the bloodstream. Women don’t have as much of this specific enzyme and also don’t have as much water in their bodies. This extra water men contain in their bodies also helps decreases blood-alcohol levels drink for drink.

Good health and fitness are not just a trend but a way of life.

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Common Myths From the Weight Loss Crowd

January 24th, 2010 admin

Myth: You’ll be OK with a high protein/low carb diet
Fact: This type of diet aims to secure most of the daily required amount of calories from protein foods, such as meat, dairy products and eggs, with a very small part taken from foods containing a lot of carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes and fruits). The biggest problem with this diet is that many common and popular foods are forbidden, which makes it easy for the user to get bored or frustrated. When boredom and frustration set in, quitting time is never far off. Another problem is the lack of nutrients that are usually brought in by carbohydrate foods, while allowing the user to eat bacon and cheese that raise cholesterol levels.

The bottom line is that high protein/low carb diets result in fast weight loss in some users, but it’s not just fat that goes away. People also lose some of their lean muscle mass and a lot of water as the kidneys work harder to rid the body of excess waste from protein and fat.

The added stress to your kidneys is not healthy at all and, in the long run, will lead to dehydration, headaches, feelings of nausea and dizziness. Before engaging in a long-term diet, you would do well to discuss it with your physician. And if you are really keen on dieting, try a balanced diet first, because it will help you lose weight without hurting your system.

Myth: Permanent weight loss can be achieved with fad diets.
Fact: This is yet another common myth among the weight loss crowd. Like any other diet that tells you to cut this or that food from your daily meals, fad diets are not healthy for you. The cornerstone of any diet is supplying the body with all the calories, proteins and minerals it needs. Diets that cut out foods without regard for the needs of your body cannot be healthy for you. Fad diets fail to deliver on the promise of permanent weight loss because people will always crave the forbidden foods and will always end up breaking the rules and ditching the diet.

The key to making weight loss permanent is more exercise and to avoid eating food that makes you fat without nourishing your body. Our extensive studies confirmed the importance of exercising and of a well-balanced diet.

Myth: Low-fat or no fat food is always a good choice.
Fact: The only low fat foods that are also low in calories are fruits. The rest of the huge low-fat or non-fat group are not a safe choice if you are dieting. These products may have added sugar, starch or flour to make them taste better, which means extra calories that do not belong into your diet. So make sure you check the list of ingredients on packages whenever you decide to buy low-fat.

Myth: Switching to vegetarian food will help you lose weight and stay healthy.
Fact: I know this is a hard pill to swallow, but no food plan will work for you unless you take charge of your eating and make sure that everything that goes past your lips is the right kind of food. The key here is to be absolutely sure that the vegetarian diet will give your body all the nutrients and calories it needs. Eating heaps of foods that do nothing for you from the nutritional point of view, outside maybe of filling your stomach, can bring you a lot of trouble in the future.

Since plants tend to have a lower concentration of nutrients than meat, you will have to eat more food than before to make up for this difference. Not to mention that a strictly vegetarian diet will not get you enough vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium and zinc. These substances are taken mostly from dairy products and eggs in a regular diet, but true vegetarians can’t touch those. You’ll have to rely on the few and uncommon vegetables that can provide these substances.

Myth: Dairy products cause heart problems and make you fat.
Fact: Well, thanks to modern medicine everybody knows that eating a lot of dairy products is a surefire path to high blood pressure and stroke, although a large group of people from France refuse to die despite the large quantities of cheese and wine they consume.

Dairy products are the main source of calcium that keeps your bones strong and healthy. It is absolutely essential for children and can be in no way overlooked by adults. Dairy products also contain vitamin D, which is crucial to maintaining the normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in your bloodstream.

If you don’t want to gain weight from dairy products, then choose low-fat or non-fat brands. There are enough of those around. If you are lactose-intolerant, drink soy or rice milk. It does not taste exactly the same as true milk, but it’s still good and nutritious.

Butter and margarine are the only dairy products you should worry about. They do contain big levels of fat. Still, if you can’t do without them, at least eat butter. Margarine is an over-processed fat that is not particularly good for you. Butter may be a bit fatter, but it definitely is the healthier of these two.

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Top 5 Widespread Yoga Myths Exposed

January 24th, 2010 admin

It is not surprising to those of us who are long time yoga practitioners that the popularity of this profound spiritual science is now exploding on a world wide scale. Unfortunately though some of the authenticity and truths about yoga are being lost and some myths are creeping in with regard to what yoga is and how it is to be practiced. In this article I will look to clear up what I find to be the top 5 myths about yoga.


Top 5 Myths About Yoga:


1. Yoga is a Form of Physical Exercise:


This is perhaps the most common view of yoga. That it is a form of physical exercise. This certainly needs to be clarified and I am going to provide some details about true yoga practice in order to do this.


Yoga is actually has 8 parts to it, with the physical aspect being just 1. These 8 parts, include yoga dos, yoga don’ts, physical exercises (asana), breathing exercises, sense control, concentration, meditation and divine union.


So you can see from above that although the physical aspect of yoga, which is called asana, is an important part of yoga, yoga as a whole is certainly more that just a series of postures and movements. Yoga is essentially a spiritual science whose objective is to still the mind of thoughts, so that the truth of Oneness hidden behind the waves of the mind can be clearly seen and embraced.


2. Yoga is a Religion:


The other extreme and incorrect view on yoga is that is it a religion. Commonly yoga is considered part of Hindu religion, but yoga is not a religion. It is a time tested spiritual science with the goal of revealing the true nature of reality. As indicated above, yoga practice is a step by step process with the end goal of calming down the thought waves in our mind and thus prevent them from distorting the truth.


3. To Practice Yoga You Must be Vegetarian:


There is a notion floating around that in order to practice yoga you must not eat meat and be a vegetarian. This is not true. Although there are tremendous benefits to being vegetarian and this is being more and more validated by the mainstream medical community, there is no requirement of vegetarianism in order to practice yoga.


One point I would like to add here is that, vegetarianism is consistent with the non-violence which yoga advocates and it certainly would be to your benefit to reduce meat intake, nevertheless, you don’t have to be vegetarian in order to be a great yogi.


4. You Need to be Initiated by a Guru:


I have also come across this notion that many believe you need to be initiated and have a guru in order to learn and practice yoga. This is not true. According to yoga, the true guru is within and although it would be to your benefit to learn yoga from an accomplished teacher, this is not a requirement.


5. You Have to be Flexible to do Yoga:


Not so. No doubt yoga will improve your flexibility, along with your strength, balance and overall health, but in order to practice yoga you do not have to be flexible. Yoga is designed to be practiced by all.


Different bodies have different degrees of flexibility and in this case one size does not fit all. For most of the complex yoga posture which require great flexibility to do, there are plenty of modifications which allow you to get the same benefits for those who are less flexible. In fact one of the original reasons I took up yoga because I was not flexible and wanted to improve this aspect of my physical dimension.


Summary:


So there you have the top 5 myths about yoga. Essentially, what these myths do is prevent people from taking up this wonderful science. So if you feel you will have to change faiths, find gurus, stop eating meat or are too inflexible to take up yoga practice, you are wrong. Don’t pass up the wonderful opportunity to learn and practice this amazing science, which helps you discover your true divine and eternal nature.

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