Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

5 Simple Steps To Lower Cholesterol

You can lower cholesterol without drugs by following some basic steps that will not only change your cholesterol readings, but also improve your health today and in the future. So often we use a prescription drug and hope it will magically cure whatever ails us. The truth is prescription drugs for lowering cholesterol do work. The problem is both the short term and long-term side effects.

Even more dangerous than the side effects of prescription drugs to lower cholesterol is not getting cholesterol under control. Over time, high cholesterol can lead to numerous conditions of the heart and arteries, not the least of which are atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), stroke or heart attack.

Here are 5 steps you can take today to lower your cholesterol without prescription drugs.

Eat right. May sound simple, but diet has such a significant impact on lowering cholesterol that it should be the number one factor you look at in determining if your high cholesterol is hereditary or a matter of dietary choices. A low fat and low cholesterol diet is the first step toward lowering cholesterol.

Exercise. Improving cardiovascular health is a step toward reversing the effects of high cholesterol. Exercise itself doesn't directly lower cholesterol, but will strengthen the heart and entire circulatory system.

Quit smoking. If you smoke, the plaque build up in the arteries due to high cholesterol is accelerated. When plaque blocks the flow of blood to the heart, the muscle has to work harder to get oxygen. This can lead to a heart attack. If the arteries get completely blocked with plaque from high cholesterol then a stroke can occur.

Relax. Chronic stress can affect cholesterol levels. If you are constantly stressed and eating a low cholesterol diet, you may not seen any improvement in cholesterol readings until you learn to relieve stress.

Talk to your doctor. Not all doctors are quick to prescribe medications. In fact, the more enlightened doctors will help you form a diet and exercise plan that is suitable for your current overall health and abilities as a first step toward lowering cholesterol. It is always important to ask your doctor if your decision to follow a specific diet or exercise plan is right for you. In addition, do not stop taking medications before consulting with your doctor. You can lower your cholesterol with diet and exercise, and under the care of your doctor, see about removing drugs from the process.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

7 Tips to Hiring a Great Personal Injury Lawyer

If you suffer an injury resulting in significant damages you will need to hire a personal injury lawyer. But in any given city, there are probably over 20 pages of personal injury attorney listings in the phone book. How do you pick the right one? What do you look for? What questions should you ask?

Here are 7 things you should know before hiring your injury lawyer...

1) The sooner you hire your lawyer the better. Begin looking for your personal injury lawyer within a week or two after your accident. If you're not physically capable you should have a friend or loved-one start looking. The sooner you start building your case the better.

2) Hire a personal injury lawyer that specializes in your specific type of injuries. Do your homework before signing the retainer agreement. Visit the firm's website and read up on it's history and each lawyer's biographical information. Ask the lawyer for some referrences and ask how much experience they have in handling cases with similar injuries. What settlement awards did they get in those cases?

3) Have a face-to-face meeting with your prospective lawyer. Your personal injury lawyer is going to be your closest advisor during this difficult time. You must feel comfortable and trust your lawyer. The only way you'll get a feel for the lawyer is by having a sit-down to discuss your case. Any good personal injury lawyer will give you an initial consultation free of charge.

4) Hire a lawyer that will take your case on a contingency fee basis. This means that your lawyer won't get paid unless you get paid. He will take his fee out of the money you receive for your injuries. You can expect your lawyer to take about 33% of your final settlement - that's after expenses are taken off the top. Make sure you clearly understand the payment structure before you sign the retainer agreement.

5) Beware of ambulance chasers. The goal of these lawyers is to get lots of minor personal injury cases and settle them quickly - they make their profit from high turnover. So naturally they won't put as much time and effort into each case as they should. (If you're looking for a quick settlement be prepared to accept less than what your case is really worth.)

6) Hire a lawyer with a good Martindale-Hubbell rating. This service evaluates lawyers in the U.S. and Canada based on peer review. Their website, Martindale.com has a helpful lawyer locator service and will explain the rating system.

7) Always be completely open and honest when discussing your case with a lawyer. Tell the lawyer as much as you can about what happened. Try to remember every detail. Any documentation and pictures you have of your injuries and treatment will be a big help when evaluating your case.

Bonus Tip:

8) NEVER give a recorded statement to a representative from any insurance company until you've consulted a lawyer. When the rep. asks for one simply say, "I'm not prepared to give a statement at this time." A recorded statement can be used as evidence and if you're not prepared you might overlook important details. Anything you miss (or misrepresent) can be used against you in settlement negotiations and in the trial.



About the author:
Learn more about how to hire a great personal injury lawyer at http://www.Injury-Settlement-Guide.com

Very Early Signs Of Pregnancy - Do You Know The 10 Pregnancy Signs?

Very early signs of pregnancy - are there 10 pregnancy signs? Yes, there are signs that indicate very early that you are pregnant. Some women will experience one or two of them, others will have several of the very early signs of pregnancy.

Once you have conceived, it will take about a week for the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus. As implantation happens, it is now possible to experience one or more of the 10 pregnancy signs and begin to know you are pregnant. Around this time, hormone levels begin to change, and the body reacts to these new hormone levels.

Here are 10 pregnancy signs:

1. Light Spotting - if you have conceived, spotting can happen when implantation occurs before your menstrual period should begin. Pregnancy bleeding from implantation is pinkish or brownish and not heavy. A normal menstrual flow should begin light, become heavy, then taper off again before ending.

2. More Frequent Urination - urinating more often is one of the very early signs of pregnancy. Many women experience more frequent urination even before a missed period, usually from about 7-12 days after the temperature rise at ovulation. The changes in hormone levels produced by implantation of the embryo, especially the hormone "human chorionic gonadotropin" (hCG), cause more frequent urination.

3. Elevated Body Temperature - it is normal to have an increase in body temperature at ovulation. Your basal body temperature staying elevated after ovulation is completed and remaining elevated through when your period should begin can be one of the very early signs of pregnancy.

4. Missing a Menstrual Period - a missed period is one of the obvious 10 pregnancy signs. However, you can miss a period for other reasons including illness, stress, hormone imbalance and reactions to foods or medications. If your menstrual cycle normally occurs very regularly, missing a period can be a sign.

5. Fatigue - lack of energy as one of the very early signs of pregnancy may be hard to distinguish from other kinds of exhaustion. Feeling tired is related to the change in hormones in the body, which usually disappears as the body adjusts to the new hormone levels.

6. Cramping - the uterus can contract often and regularly. Moving around, exercise and orgasm all can trigger uterine cramping in early pregnancy.

7. Nausea - morning sickness is the name given to feeling nauseated when pregnant. Of the 10 pregnancy signs, only about half of pregnant women experience nasea, and feeling nauseated can happen any time of the day or night.

8. Tender Nipples and Breasts - one of the very early signs of pregnancy is a feeling of tenderness in the breasts and nipples. The good news is that these feelings of tenderness go away as the body becomes accustomed to the new hormone levels.

9. Darker Areolas - the area around the nipples becomes darker as early as one week after conception. The bumps on the areolas may look more prominent.

10. Constipation - you may notice a change in your bowels in early pregnancy. The intestines may relax and function less due to changing hormones and be one of the 10 pregnancy signs.

Once the very early signs of pregnancy are experienced, confirm pregnancy by using one of the better home pregnancy tests. There are major differences in the reliability of the home tests for pregnancy. A blood pregnancy test can be accurate as early as 8 to 10 days after conception, and a urine pregnancy test can be accurate as early as 10 to 14 days following conception. Pregnancy tests are not 100
ccurate. If you feel you are pregnant but your pregnancy test result is negative, do the test again in a week or so and see your physician.

Remember to take good care of yourself and your body even before you become pregnant. Give up smoking and alcohol, eat healthy and begin exercising. Those first few weeks and your health are vitally important to help support healthy development of your new baby. Becoming pregnant and enjoying a successful pregnancy is a complex but wonderful experience. Besides knowing the 10 pregnancy signs, learn as much as you can about fertility, pregnancy and your health so your new baby will have the very best beginning to life that is possible.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

About the author:
Read more on the most accurate pregnancy test at http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com/first-response-early-pregnancy-test.htmland finding it. Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com- visit for more on ovulation, fertility, prenatal vitamins, pregnancy and caring for yourself.