The ABCs of Acid Reflux

By Mae Summerville

Normally, when food is swallowed, the lower esophageal sphincter valve will open to allow food to enter the stomach for digestion but with this condition the valve does not close properly. However there are times when the lower esophageal sphincter does not remain closed, when this happens acid from the stomach can reflux or flow back into the esophagus.The conditions proper medical name is called gastroesophageal reflux disorder. At the moment it is considered that a poor diet is the underlying reason for the acid reflux problem but not the main cause of the condition,although overeating may also contribute because when you overeat, the stomach cannot keep up with the demand to process all the acids.

Many people that overeat find they have this condition because their eating habits affect the stomach walls and place pressure on the muscles surrounding them,as this pressure builds up, the lower esophageal valve starts to weaken and can eventually open, allowing food and acid to move up into your esophagus causing that unpleasant burning feeling centered in the chest. Easing this pressure should stop the esophageal valve from opening and acid escaping into the esophagus causing further damage.if this is a problem you have to live with then you should eat smaller meals during the day which will help the situation. Your mouth, esophagus, and stomach are the first areas of food processing so if something goes wrong in this area, if will affect the health of the entire body.the stomach carries out not only the breaking down of food but processing it into nutrients that can be absorbed by the body.

Using drugs and other acid reducing drugs readily available from drugstores will block the natural processes of your stomach on a temporary basis,the problem is these short term remedies can create other problems as they interfere with the natural functioning of the digestive system. It may take a while but the best solution is to make adjustments to your drinking and eating habits which may have caused the acid reflux condition,this should be done for a period of a few months to strengthen your stomach's normal processes. If you can reduce the heartburn occurrences, in time you may well be able to slowly start eating those dishes that have needed to be cut out.

Lifestyle changes extend beyond those of just eating habits as other contributing factors to acid reflux can be:

*Regular smoking *Having allergies to particular foods e.g. peanuts *Prescription medication *Drinking to much alcohol *Lying down after a meal

Changes in lifestyle are generally all that is required to make a big difference to your life,the thought of reducing the incidents of heartburn should be sufficient incentive. It only requires a little effort on your part to dramatically reduce the number of occasions when you suffer the pain of acid reflux; you may even cure the disorder completely,no-one can force you to change but improvements to your life are within your control. - 17269

About the Author:

Kelly Williams is an author and wedding planner. She has several websites that offer cheap wedding chair covers and wedding decorations.

Workouts To Burn Fat: Useful Advice for Building Muscle

By Brad Morgan

If you have a busy life ? and most people do ? you know that it can be hard to find time to exercise. The demands of children, work, or school can keep you from sticking to your goal to burn fat.

An alternative many people turn to is short workouts. Do three or four ten minute workouts produce the same effects as one long one?

You often hear that it takes the body about twenty minutes to start burning serious calories and fat, so wouldn't that make shorter workouts ineffective? What is the best way to burn fat on a tight schedule?

The American Heart Association has found that several short exercise sessions benefit your body just as well as one long session, provided that they equal the same amount of time.

This means that if you do four ten minute workouts, you are doing the same great things for your body that a single forty minute workout can do. To make it even more effective, the AHA recommends that you make these short workouts as intense as possible.

So the key to making your short workouts count is to make sure they are rigorous and challenging to your body. Here are some ways you can do this:

1. Run like the wind.

With a short workout, go faster than you normally do during a long workout. Run for ten minutes at a fast pace. If you prefer to walk, go much more briskly than you usually do. The key is to get your heart going.

2. Hop on the treadmill or elliptical.

If you are at the gym or have equipment at home, jump on and exercise extremely rigorously for ten minutes.

3. Hills and stairs are made for climbing.

Sprint up a hill or staircase. Walk down more slowly. At the bottom, sprint up again. Repeat for ten minutes.

4. Try some jumping jacks.

5. Jump rope.

What makes a good ten minute workout is intensity. Work hard, go all out, and you'll burn fat. Strength training is also great for your mini-workouts.

Your body needs a variety of activities in order to burn fat. Warm up for a few minutes with light cardio, and try the following moves:

* Squats ? these are the moves to get the most out of your workout. They are very effective.

* Pushups

* Bicep curls

* Tricep dips

* Squats. Squats are one of the most effective moves to tone your lower body.

Do a few sets each, or better yet, combine the moves (compound moves work more effectively and build more muscle). You can try squats with overhead presses, lunges with chest presses, knee lifts with tricep kickbacks, and more.

It is also important to warm up and cool down. They don't have to be extensive ? simply walking briskly for a few minutes is sufficient for warming up, and moving a more slowly is fine for cooling down. Stretching before and after you exercise also helps loosen your muscles and prevent injury.

If you can only fit in short workouts into your schedule, you are doing great things for your body. Above all, you will burn fat and lose weight.

Short workouts are also very motivating. You know you can do ten minutes, so you stick with your workout regimen.

Doing a forty minute workout can be a hardship when you have a busy schedule. But ten minutes is manageable for everyone. - 17269

About the Author:

A wonderful way to lose fat is with the Warp Speed Fat Loss program. An excellent fat loss diet is fat loss 4 idiots.

Be a better basketball player and learn to jump higher

By Lynn Lopez

In sports, being stronger and doing things faster and higher are always good things that could most certainly secure a victory for you. After all, how many sports victories were won by the slowest, least capable participant? Basketball is one particular sport that requires a number of skills, but one of the skills that will give you an advantage over the other players is if you can jump higher than any of them. Remember how "His Airness" Michael Jordan would sail through the air and make a winning shot? Jumping higher in basketball guarantees that you can sink a basket that many other players would probably find impossible to do and maybe even win you the game.

Unfortunately, coaches don't exactly teach you how to jump higher in basketball, which is why you should undertake some additional exercises to train yourself to jump higher. Jumping requires the use of your leg muscles, so increasing their strength and agility is your priority. When you teach yourself how to jump higher in basketball, always ensure that you don't overdo it or you might risk getting an injury. Always start with the proper warmups exercises to condition your muscles for the entire set of workouts for your legs.

Some exercises can help tone you up and make you jump higher. Doing a series of squats can help strengthen your legs and help make sure that you can carry your body weight in your legs when you push yourself down and propel your body upward when you jump. Jumping exercises are a staple of any basketball training session; all you need to do is to crouch or squat down then launch yourself into a vertical jump. Various jumping rope exercises can also increase your legs' muscle power, as these can develop your calf muscles.

There is also a set of exercises called plyometrics that you can do. Plyometrics involves movements performed in a rapid sequence to ensure that the muscles of the body lengthen and contract as quickly as possible; one of the main goals of plyometrics is to enable a person to jump higher. Keep in mind, however, that plyometrics is best performed by athletes in good physical condition while under supervision.

These are just some of the exercises you can do in order to jump higher in basketball--or in any sport, for that matter. Remember to pace yourself when doing the exercises and don't expect to see results in a flash. Try to ask your coach or trainer to develop a training program that can improve your leg muscle strength and help you jump higher. - 17269

About the Author:

Learn how to jump higher and improve your health, sport skill and tone your muscles. One of the workouts that are most over looked are the ones that teach you to improve your jump. Discover today how to jump higher and dunk.

The Original Amalaki Fruit

By Emily Hunsaker

The amalaki fruit is known as the all-purpose health botanical because of its ability to help people in many different ways. Amalaki juice is said to stimulate the production of red blood cells, enhance cellular regeneration, and support proper function of the liver, spleen, heart and lungs. Amalaki juice from Zrii is available for natural health and is a great solution for a variety of problems.

Because it is the botanical for cellular rejuvenation, the amalaki fruit is the keystone of Zrii's juice formulation. The amalaki grows in northern India at the base of the pristine Himalayan mountain range. Zrii hand picks the amalaki fruit for their juice from amalaki trees as they are originally found in their native environment, and then processes them using whole plant processing technology.

No bigger than a golf ball, amalaki fruit is extremely nutritious and well known for being the only food that contains five of the six essential tastes. Zrii's juice is blended with amalaki and six other powerful herbs and fruits that unlocks the potency of amalaki and enlivens the tongue. Zrii is confident you'll be satisfied with amalaki fruit juice, which contains no artificial sweeteners.

Compared with other natural health supplements in the market, Zrii amalaki juice is one of the best known. Amalaki juice from Zrii may be more beneficial compared to other products in its class because the amalaki fruit is traditionally known as the great rejuvenator. Being totally natural and safe are the amalaki fruit's greatest attributes.

Deepak Chopra, bestselling author and wellness expert, endorses amalaki juice. The logo for the Chopra Center can be found on the side of every bottle of Zrii amalaki juice. A daily dose of amalaki has been encouraged by the Chopra Center for over a decade.

Zrii amalaki juice is full of potent Vitamin C from the amalaki fruit. The amalaki juice comprises almost twenty times as much Vitamin C as the juice of an orange and is known as an immune enhancer. Amalaki fruit also contains a high concentration of amino acids, trace minerals and other beneficial phytonutrients.

Zrii amalaki juice is used in ayurvedic medicine as a foundation of alternative health. Amalaki is a potent source for better body, mind, and spirit as identified by Ayurveda. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle with the amalaki juice health drink, Zrii founders have a reputation for caring about emotional well being and personal health.

As a provider of numerous benefits contributing to general well being, amalaki fruit is also a great benefactor to young children. Products like Zrii amalaki juice populate the worldwide market and the amalaki fruit is now also made into health supplements. Drink the amalaki juice and obtain the health benefits even if you are hesitant to commit to a total lifestyle change. - 17269

About the Author:

Drinking amalaki juice will result in improved health and general well being and is the keystone of the zrii amalaki recipe.

Old Wives' Tales About Remedies to Heal Bruising, Debunked!

By Carolyn Cooper

A humorous thing about old wives' tales is that sometimes they can end up as being believable. Consider, it was not very long ago, that we had no way of knowing how beneficial things like blueberries and apple cider vinegar could be for us. However, the contrary can also be true, and you'll learn that there are many of these urban legends out there that get promoted as fact, in particular when we are discussing natural conditions like bruising. Bruises are present for different lengths of time for each of us, and it is too easy to accept that someone has found a magic cure for bruising when truth of the matter might just be the existence of a unusually strong immune system. Take enough time to ponder how to weed out any of these unproven cures that might have been relayed to you as the finest bruise treatment ever. You may just discover that there are no silver bullets.

Massaging the Bruise

Although massaging a bruise can help break down the blood clot, use of massage is only help the area if it is done gently, or it will antagonize the area if done too roughly. Although a massage can be done gently, you'll discover that it increases the flow of blood to the affected area. When you are dealing with bleeding from broken blood vessels, improving blood flow is not something that you need to encourage at this point. If you do decide that you want to massage the area, do it extremely gently and with the realization that you could be making the discoloration worsen.

Black Pepper

I've heard an old wives' tales about how pepper can actually make the blood leave the bruise location. Pepper may contain substances in it that can ease the pain a small amount, but if the truth be known, the application of pepper onto your bruise is probably just going to make a mess. There are other cures that do the exact same thing and do it in a much better way, so just leave the pepper in its shaker.

Baking Soda

We are now getting to remedies that may help out a little bit, but probably not nearly as well as people say. Baking soda may be very helpful when you're trying to calm down irritated (as in burned) skin, and it might actually soothe part of the inflammation out, but the truth of the matter is that it will not help with a bruise that is overly dark, and it is not going to make the bruise heal any faster.

Raw Meat

We've all heard this one, and a lot of us have seen, or perhaps we have even experienced, but raw meat, no matter how expensive the cut, is unable to help you cure the bruise. I've listened to plenty of discussions over what variety of meat is best suited for the job, and the simple fact is that they are all similar. The only benefit for putting raw meat against a bruise is that it presumably just came out of the freezer, and the coldness may help reduce swelling. The meat should be on your dinner plate, not on a bruise.

Try to determine which, if any, of these old wives' tales is going to be beneficial for you, and which ones are just so much bunk. Discover a remedy that actually works for you, and leave these old, purported remedies for others. - 17269

About the Author:

Carolyn Cooper is known as a well known expert on bruising causes through a collaboration of her educational experience in nutrition and her real life experience with natural supplements for athletes ranging from children to the professional ranks. Get a free Special Report on bruising causes and see what she's done to get beyond the heartaches of easy bruising and prevent bruising.