How to minimize the risks for cancer? 1. The right food…

The uncontrolled growth of cells in any part of the body is cancer. It is a group of disease. Cancer kills millions of people every year in our world. Few can be curable if diagnosed in the early stages. We can do a lot to minimize the risk of cancer. The hereditary risk factor is only about 5% to 10%. The rest comes from our lifestyle, diet and environment. We see here the many ways to reduce the cancer risks.

Food plays a vital role in the prevention of many cancers and they include the cancer of:

• Colon
• Esophagus
• Larynx
• Lung
• Oral cavity
• Prostate
• Rectum

There are many studies, but more research is still needed to know more about the exact mechanism of cancer prevention with right foods.

Fruits, vegetables and whole grains have so many phytochemicals that are useful in the prevention of cancer. We don’t know exactly what substances or which food is good since the fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain several hundred phytochemicals that can be helpful to prevent cancer. The important groups of substances that are useful include:

• Antioxidants
• Phytochemicals
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids e.g. Omega 3-fattyacids

Antioxidants – these are substances that prevent or inhibit oxidation process in the body to protect cells. The aggressive free radicals can attack the healthy cells and can change their DNA. The result is tumor growth. More research is necessary to understand the role of cancer prevention of antioxidants from the food.

The important antioxidants include:

• Vitamin C
• Beta-carotene
• Vitamin E

The food rich in these antioxidants, particularly fruits, vegetables and nuts are very important food to minimize the risk of cancer.

Phytochemicals – these are chemicals present in plants to protect them from bacteria, viruses and fungi. Phytochemicals can act as antioxidants or food protectors or prevent cancer forming substances n the body. Brightly colored fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds contain many phytochemicals. Red, yellow, green, orange, blue, purple and white color fruits and vegetables are rich in phytochemicals.

The important phytochemicals include:
• Allicin – found in onions and garlic
• Anthocyanins – found in red and blue fruits and in vegetables
• Biflavonoids – found in citrus fruits
• Carotenoids – found in dark yellow, orange and deep green fruits and vegetables
• Flavonoids – found in fruits and vegetables
• Indoles – found in cruciferous vegetables
• Isoflavones – found in soybeans
• Lignins found in flaxseed and whole grains
• Lutein – found in leafy green vegetables
• Lycopene – found in tomato products and water melon
• Polyphenols – found in fruits, legumes, seeds and tea

It is important to eat the food containing these phytochemicals. We get phytochemicals only from our food. There are no supplements for phytochemicals.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids e.g. Omega 3-fattyacids – Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids belong to the group of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The Omega 3 fatty acids are:

• Alpha-linolenic acid – present in flaxseed and in walnuts
• Eicosapentaenoic acid
• Docosahexaenoic acid

The last two are present in cold water fatty fishes like salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, halibut, striped bass and tuna. The body cannot produce these fatty acids and so must be taken from the food or from good supplements. Consult your dietician or doctor before you tank any food supplements.

Omega 3-fatty acids may reduce or prevent the risk of tumor production in the breast and prostate glands.

There are no recommended daily dietary allowance for antioxidants, phytochemicals and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Excess antioxidants can become pro-oxidants and this is bad for the health.

It is better to avoid processed food, fast food and junk food. If you can’t avoid it you must minimize the intake of these foods. As you know more than 3000 chemicals are used in the food processing industry. If an animal is butchered there is no waste. Almost everything is coming to our plate with the help of chemicals.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best. Frozen fruits and vegetables are equally good.

The above mentioned food is good not only to prevent or minimize the risk for cancer but also to prevent or minimize the risk for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and overweight and obesity.

How to minimize the risks for cancer?

The uncontrolled growth of cells in any part of the body is cancer. It is a group of disease. Cancer kills millions of people every year in our world. Few can be curable if diagnosed in the early stages. We can do a lot to minimize the risk of cancer. The hereditary risk factor is only about 5% to 10%. The rest comes from our lifestyle, diet and environment. We see here the many ways to reduce the cancer risks.

At present every third person gets some cancer in his life and one in four dies because of cancer. The number increases continuously. We must take this very seriously from the young ages. It is better to teach the primary school children about this and once learnt they will never forget in their lives.

Most cancers do not develop overnight and it can be a process of decades. This is the reason why we have to think about this big health problem very early.

Cancer prevention is easy and the important points for that include:

• The right food
• No tobacco products
• Alcohol in moderation
• Healthy weight
• Enough physical activity
• Avoid excess sun and other radiations
• Protection from viral infections
• Safe sex
• No needle sharing
• Use of hormones
• Preventive self-examinations and preventive medical checkup
• Environmental poisons
• Poisons in your home and garden
• Detoxification and free radical scavenging

The above tips are very important. What is right for you and what is not is different in different individuals. To understand this better I will write every day about one topic in detail.

Do something so that you can be happy always and enjoy your life even when you are very old. For this the foundation must be put in young years too.

If you want to assess your situation thoroughly you can have counseling. In this case you can contact me. The counseling can be in person or online.

Long working hours and the health risks…

Long working hours means you work more than 60 hours in a week. It can be a normal work time or normal work time plus overtime. Unfortunately this a reality in many countries, developed, developing or emerging. In Germany the normal weekly working hours are between 32 to 38.5 days. At the same time billions of hours of overtime is done every year. The European Union gives a maximum limit of 48 hours work in a week.

There are two risk factors in long working hours. At first the long working hours can be a problem itself. This means in these extra hours many accidents are happening. During the overtime at least 60% get hurt according to studies. Working more than 12 hours a day increases this risk more than 35%. A 60-hour week brought a 23% greater risk, the study of US records from 110,236 employment periods found. These risks were not necessarily associated with hazardous works. All are affected.

The work-related injuries are mostly cuts, burns and muscle injuries. More than half of these injuries have occurred during overtime or in the extended working hours.

There is also increased risk for health problems due to long working hours and they include:

• Depression
• Burnout syndrome
• Sleeplessness
• Back pain
• Heart problems

Long working hours are not only risky for you but also for others too. If you are too tired and make a car accident the others must also suffer. Your family suffers first. Is this the reason that the number of singles drastically increases in many countries?

We miss the social responsibility of the employers here. Interestingly the major reason for overtime is the bad organization in the working place. It is a big duty of the law-makers, trade unions and employers to find solution to this increasing problem.

One side there is millions or billions of hours overtime and the other side millions of unemployed people. This is difficult to understand for a normal person. Profit is the magic word which makes this problem. Hope bad employers get the depression first…

Is preventive medical checkup important?

People, over 40 years who go regularly to their doctor for preventive check up, live longer than the persons of the same age, who don’t do these tests.

This is the result of a study from Japan, which was published in the journal Preventive Medicine. The researchers observed eleven years the preventive check up of 50000 health insurance members.

In the group that took no heed of medical prevention, the death rate during this period is 5.5% of the participants. In the preventive check-active group, there were only about half as many deaths, 2.7%. The positive effect of preventive check up is established.

People, who go to regular preventive check up, usually have generally a healthier lifestyle. This plays a vital role in their health.

Go for the preventive medical checkup and this helps you to live longer and healthy.

I have little elevated blood sugar value? Is this a risk factor for heart diseases?

Diabetes or pre-diabetes increases the risk for heart diseases and stroke. In pre-diabetes one have slightly increased blood sugar levels. Normally people who have pre-diabetes can develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years. Moreover, both with diabetes or pre-diabetes are at risk for cardiovascular diseases and stroke. With right food, weight loss and physical activity it is possible to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes and thus lower the risk of heart diseases and stroke. If necessary, the medications must also be taken.

What are the ways to minimize this risk for heart diseases and stroke? The best way is reduce the risks. The risk factors for heart diseases and stroke in people with diabetes include:

• Overweight or obesity
• Increased LDL-cholesterol
• Increased Homocysteine
• Increased Triglycerides
• High blood pressure
• Excess alcohol
• Smoking
• Family history of heart disease or stroke

We cannot change the hereditary risk. The other risks can be reduced without any problem.

The diabetes treatment is very important. It can be easily controlled with the following blood parameters. They include:

• Fasting blood sugar – less than 120 mg/dl
• Two hours after a meal – below 170 mg/dl
• HbA1c – must be below 7%
• The bad LDL-cholesterol – below 100 mg/dl
• The good HDL-cholesterol; men – above 40 mg/dl; women – above 50 mg/dl
• Triglycerides – below 150 mg/dl
• Blood pressure – below 130/80 mm Hg

This can be achieved with the right food and enough physical activities. If not, your doctor must give you medications. If the above parameters are kept in this levels people with diabetes can reduce the risk for heart diseases and stroke.

What about minerals? Where must I be careful?

It is really a good question. Minerals are part of the body’s composition. Every day the body produces 200 billion red blood cells and the whole blood is totally replaced in every 120 days. Every 90 days the bone structures are renewed. The skin regenerates every 2 to 3 months. Acid-base balance and water content of the body are regulated by minerals. Minerals are also part of the enzymes which help our metabolism function properly. As we know magnesium is present in 300 enzymes and zinc is present in more than 350 enzymes. We know the importance of calcium very much. Iron is important but, very problematic. Selenium is necessary to scavenge the free radicals and to remove poisonous metals like mercury from the body.

If you have to take a mineral supplement it is better to take an organic compound as inorganic compounds are mostly useless.

Calcium must be taken very carefully. Calcium should not be taken after meals. It can disturb the absorption of iron. Calcium also should not be taken with magnesium. Calcium should be taken between two meals. Remember too much of calcium even from the food makes more calcium to excrete. Too much of protein intake influences more excretion of calcium. It is same with the excess sodium. Excess sodium intake makes more calcium excreted from the body. Calcium supplements need not have vitamin D. If you eat normal you get enough vitamin D from your food.

Aluminium can also disturb the absorption of iron as calcium. Moreover excess iron is poisonous. Too much of iron can be stored in organs like liver and heart and produce many hydroxyl free radicals which are very dangerous for our health. If it is necessary we can take iron supplements only few weeks under the supervision of your doctor.
Zinc and selenium should not be taken together. If zinc is taken in the morning selenium must be taken in the evening.

Excess calcium supplements can cause gas, bloating or constipation. For each mineral there are recommendations for daily intake. This must be followed very strictly.

When do you need mineral supplements? Women over the age of 50 need calcium. This is well studied. Here not only calcium is important but also the enough physical activity to make the bones strong. Moreover, from your food intake it is easy for your dietician to tell whether you take enough minerals.

The minerals are also excreted continuously from the body through kidneys. Uncontrolled intake of minerals may spoil the kidneys too. Therefore, before you take supplements you consult your doctor or dietician.

Change your food habits with the help of your dietician and mostly this makes wonders.

Do we need vitamin supplements?

Look at the television advertisements. Calcium and vitamin D is the must for women. Is it right? Think of your teeth and bones. Take calcium and vitamin D. I know many women who take it. They are afraid of osteoporosis. We need most of the vitamins in very small quantities. Vitamins are like pesticides. They are not dangerous in small amounts, but very dangerous in high amounts.

Take for example vitamin D. You can get enough from milk, dairy products, fish and sunlight. In small quantities vitamin D protects from cancer. If we take too much it is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Very high amounts of vitamin D can damage kidneys.

This is the reason why I tell you to be careful with vitamin supplements. We know about pure synthetic beta carotene. In smokers beta-carotene increases the risk of lung cancer.

Excess vitamin A can cause jaundice.

Excess vitamin C can cause kidney stones. It cannot be an antioxidant it can be a pro-oxidant. Never forget in nature in fruits we have not only the vitamins but also several other phytochemicals that are very important for our health.

Excess vitamin E can make problems with blood clotting.

What is my advice then? Vitamins are very important for our health. But they must come from our food and not as supplements.

Consult with your dietician and he could tell you whether you need a vitamin supplement or not. Even if you need a vitamin supplement you must take it only for a particular time. Slowly you must change your food habits so that you get yyou get your vitamins from your food.

If you need counseling come to me and we see what do you need and what not. It is very bad if the industry makes its billions and you have health problems.

I have estimated thousands of blood samples. Mostly we have seen deficits in vitamin B1, B6, B12 and folic acid. We have never seen deficits in vitamin A or vitamin E or vitamin C.

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 8. Late-night meal…

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

What about the food we do eat after 7 p.m. Can they support the weight gain? Many believe this. But, as we know the total calories taken are the deciding one. The metabolism plays no role here. You can eat during day or night. If you take 1500 or 1800 calories they are always the same. It has no direct effect on weight loss or gain.

What really matters is the total calories from the food and drinks you have over the period of a day or a week or a month or longer and how much energy you spend during that period. Excess calories are stored as fat, regardless of whether they are taken before or after 7 p.m. During night we must sleep and during day we work or go to school or do many physical activities. Even if you sleep the body does not stop working. The heart is beating, blood is circulating, lungs are functioning and even the brain is working. Therefore, talking of fast or slow metabolism does not help us here to reduce weight.

But, there are dangers for weight gain if you take the following foods during the night and they include:

• Avoid larger portions in the night
• Avoid fast food. Many feel well to eat fast food such as pizza or burger than steamed vegetables or other usual food.
• A meal in the night is good, but too much of snacks are very bad. The chips and other snacks taking in the night during TV time is the worst and increase the fat content in the body.
• Never avoid meals during day and this makes you to eat unlimited amounts in the night and you take more calories than usual.

Late-night meal has no effect on metabolism and weight gain or loss. However, avoiding big meal and excess snacks is the right strategy to reduce or maintain the weight.

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 7. 3 or 5 meals a day?

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

What is right? Three big or five small meals in a day are good to reduce weight. Many believe that frequent small meal can speed up their metabolism. Three big meals may slow up the metabolism or cause fat gain. Is it true? Is it so easy to reduce weight?

There are many studies to understand the 5 meals advantages. The results are entirely different than the popular belief. 3 meals or 5 meals, it is the amount you eat and the total calories you have taken at the end of the day only play the important role. It is not possible to speed up or slow down the metabolism with food.

Weight loss or weight gain is based on your height, weight, physical activity, genetics and the amount of food you take. With 5 or more meals in a day you have to eat every two to three hours. Moreover, a woman may take 200 to 300 calories every meal. It will make you never full and so it can make you to eat more. The result can be weight increase than weight loss. We need 500 to 600 calories to satisfy our hunger and have the feeling of fullness.

Three main meals and two or three in between snacks are the best. In between snacks can be fruits or carrot or cucumber or tomato.

Nobody is against if you take 5 or more meals. You have to decide whether it is good for you or not. At the end of the day the total calories taken are the only important factor to weight increase or weight loss.

Your dietician can advise you for the right food. Enjoy your food…

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 6. Must I sacrifice meat?

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

Meat and meat products have saturated fats and cholesterol. We must be always careful about the amount what we eat. The saturated fats and cholesterol are also very important to our health. They are not the villains as many think.

Meat is a good food. It has many essential nutrients like protein, iron, zinc and many vitamins. No plant food has vitamin B12 and only meat has it. The quality of the meat must be good. This means fresh meat is the best. We must be careful with processed meat which can have many chemicals which can affect our health.

If it is allowed in your country to use hormones in animal feed you must be very careful. In many countries hormones are not allowed in animal feed.

Be careful to buy the meat in big supermarkets. There are many tricks to keep the meat fresh up to ten days. The meat can look very fresh, but it is not. The butcher in the corner may be little costly, but the meat is good and fresh there.

The meat products like sausages contain excess fat and so must be careful about the amount you eat. Fresh meat is the healthiest.

You can eat meat, poultry, eggs, fish and sea food. 100 to 150 g is more than enough per day. You can take two days meat and one day fish in a week. Organ meat like liver or kidney can be eaten only once in a month. Avoid brain to eat. It makes you healthy and at the same time help to reduce your weight too.

It is important to know that you need not sacrifice anything even if you want to reduce your weight. Select the right foods for you with the help of your dietician and the success is mostly yours.

Enjoy your food and reduce or maintain your weight.

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 5. Separation Diet; carbs and protein…

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

The Separation Diet is said to be a balancing diet, meaning persons who are overweight lose weight and persons who are underweight gain weight. Most people lose weight. You may say wonderful. Is it really wonderful?

During this diet protein containing foods and carbohydrates containing foods should be kept strictly separate from one another.

Acid forming foods such as meat, fish, cheese etc. and alkaline forming foods such as fruits and vegetables should not be eaten at the same time. Neutral foods like yoghurt, milk etc. could be mixed with carbohydrates and protein.

The recommended protein foods are meat, poultry, fish and cheese and carbohydrate foods are whole grains, cereals, bread, rice, potatoes and sugars.

Sounds wonderful and where the problem is, you may ask. There are few serious problems. You gain weight if you mix carbohydrates and protein once again. It works only as long as you separate the foods strictly. Another big problem is the quantity plays always a major role. You can separate your food, but when excess amount is consumed there will be no weight reduction and the weight can go up. The total calories what you take is always important.

The positive effect I have seen is people are giving more care to select their food. Therefore, many eat regularly their fruits and vegetables portions too.

Consult with your dietician to know the best food for you to reduce weight. It is always individual. Enjoy your food and reduce and maintain your weight…

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 4. Carbs or fats and protein?

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

There are persons who take excess carbohydrates and there are others who say excess protein and fat is good for weight loss. As we all know fats have more than double the amount of calories than carbohydrates or protein.

If you consume less fats and protein excess sugar is converted into triglycerides, the blood fat. This blood fat is a risk factor for vascular and heart diseases. Moreover, for our health we need fats and proteins.

If you eat less carbohydrates fats and the sugar produced from the protein by the liver can give you the necessary energy. We need all the three regularly to be healthy. Not enough quantities of carbohydrates, fats or proteins are very bad for our health.

Good carbohydrates are necessary for a good brain function. Moreover, wholegrain products give us valuable fibers, vitamins, mineral and other phytochemicals. These are very important for our metabolism.

Protein is necessary for our muscles, but excess protein brings health problems. It is same with fats too.

Therefore to reduce weight we need good carbohydrates, fats and protein. Consult with a dietician and it is easy to find the right food for your type.

We can eat rice, noodles, potatoes, ice creams, cakes and sweets. Only the amount makes the problem.

Healthy lifestyle and physical activities are also very important always to reduce or maintain weight.

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 3. Fats…

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

Today’s theme is fats: as you know there are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. These are groups of substances. Animal fats are different than plant fats, but we need all fats. The saturated fats intake should not be too much. Plant fats are good as most of them are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. One gram of fat has 9 calories and this is more than double the calories of protein or carbohydrates. That is why it is better to avoid excess intake of fats. Do not avoid fat completely and this is bad for our health.

Monounsaturated fats are very healthy and this makes olive oil healthy. All plant oils are healthy. Mostly the omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio must be right.

Saturated fatty acids have short, middle and long chain saturated fatty acids. Short and middle long chain fatty acids are very healthy. This makes coconut very healthy because 80% of the fatty acids present are short and middle chain fatty acids.

Fats are our reserve energy. They also protect the important organs like heart and reproductive organs. Excess carbohydrate increases the fat in our body as sugar is converted into fat in the liver. It is the case with excess protein intake also. A part of protein is converted into sugar and excess sugar is once again converted to fat.

Never avoid nuts and seeds and these have not only good fats but also the essential minerals what our body needs.

Avoiding fat totally causes constipation.

The fat soluble vitamins need fats; otherwise they could not be absorbed in our intestine.

Plant food has no cholesterol. All animal food has cholesterol.

Enjoy your food and fat gives taste to your food.

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 2. Have light food products really low cal

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

The light food products have mostly low fat. But, this does not mean that they have low calories. They may contain more sugar or artificial sweeteners. More sugar means more calories. Artificial sweeteners are very dangerous. They give the body the feeling that food is coming. Correspondingly insulin is produced and this cannot simply disappear. It lowers the present blood sugar. You are hungrier and eat more. It is better to avoid light food products.

I have seen in persons who drank more light soft drinks significant increase of weight. Moreover, artificial sweeteners are given to animals to increase their weight quickly. There are no long-term studies with artificial sweeteners and few are risk factors for cancer.

Artificial sweeteners are also chemicals and the liver has to work more to eliminate them.

Consult your dietician and select the right food for you and it is easy to lose weight.

The youth have problem with their weight; what is right and what is not about food and weight reduction? 1. Low calories food…

Overweight and obesity is a big health problem at present. In all the countries the youth have problem with their weight. Young women have eating disorders or overweight. Young men have problem with his T-Shirt when the weather becomes mild. The health insurances say that almost 30% of the persons treated for weight problems are below 18 years old. The youth must be given the right information so that they know what they do and what is right. I try to explain some of the important general points from today onwards.

1000 calories food or eating the half of the usual food is the mostly used method to reduce weight by many including the youth. The body gets few calories and so it uses the fat reserves of the body. The weight comes down quickly. You may ask where the problem is. There are two important problems here that you must understand well.

The body gets not enough calories and so it slows down the metabolism. This means that you need less energy to do things than before. The body burns few calories compared to the time when you eat normal. Therefore, the weight reduction is not there always. In course of time you may even gain weight.

Secondly, when you start eat normal the empty fat reserve cells are filled very quickly. You gain weight and it goes more than the weight you had before you started your diet. This is the so called Yo Yo effect. Yo Yo effect is a process in which the dieter is initially successful in achieving weight loss but is unsuccessful in maintaining the weight loss long-term. The dieter begins to gain the weight back when they eat normal. The dieter tries to lose weight once again and the cycle begins once again.

Try to understand our food well and plan well to reduce your weight. Slow weight loss is the best. Here the exercises and physical activities play a vital role. Our children learn so many complicated things without problem, but they don’t learn about food when they are young because we do not teach them. We must teach them properly and that is worth doing. Children will not have any problem to understand and once understood they do always right. Start in your family today to teach the children about food and diet!!!

Why do aged people, especially after 70, not have sound sleep at night?

All human beings follow similar sleeping patterns. One sleep cycle is 90 to 110 minutes. A typical night’s sleep is the repetition of this cycle. There are four stages of sleep.

Stage 1 – Stage one sleep is the lightest of the four stages where the brain wave patterns are similar when we are awake. The body is very active during this stage. The brain temperature rises, blood pressure and pulse rate fluctuates, breathing is irregular and the brain consumes more oxygen. We have several stage 1 sleep periods during a night.

Stage 2 – Stage 2 sleep begins usually within the first 5 to 10 minutes. This is the period where sleep-talking takes place. Stage 2 sleep becomes shorter and shorter with each sleep cycle.

Stage 3 – In stage 3 sleep the breathing is slow and even, the pulse rate has slowed down and the body temperature has dropped. During this period the brain produces five times more electricity as when we are awake. During this stage it is difficult to awake a person. This is the time when most dreaming happens. During this period the body has almost shut down and the brain sends messages to the spinal cord to suppress muscle activity. This is the reason why people cannot run or cry out during a nightmare. In the beginning stage 3 sleep lasts 10 to 15 minutes, but at the end of the night it can last 40 to 60 minutes in a cycle. With each cycle stage 3 sleep time increases.

Stage 4 – Stage 4 sleep is the deepest level of sleep. In the first cycle this will be usually 20 minutes or more. Stage 4 becomes shorter and shorter during the sleep and before the end of the sleep there is no stage 4 sleep in the cycle.

In stage 4 sleep only the growth hormones are released into the body and so teenagers need more of this than adults.

People over 70 may have almost no stage 4 sleep in their sleep cycle. This is the reason why they do not have sound sleep. This makes them sick.

Can you give me some tips for a good sleep?

We can do many things to have good sleep. Every individual is different and so everybody must find their right way for this. The general information gives you what to d and what not. In this changed and quick world a good sleep becomes more and more important.

The tips for a good night sleep include:

• No long afternoon sleep. If you sleep it should not be more than 20 min
• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Avoid excess coffee after dinner. You may not have problems with coffee for many decades, but the problem can start from a day to the other. In many cases a strong coffee in the afternoon can affect the sleep.
• Avoid excess alcohol
• Avoid smoking as nicotine is a stimulant
• Do your exercises in the morning, not before you go to bed
• Your bedroom must be dark, external lights can also disturb your sleep
• Mattress and pillows must be comfortable. The bedroom must be clean and ventilated good. You must also know which temperature is good for your sleep.
• Don’t work till you go to bed. Relax with good music and warm bath.
• Don’t eat much before you go to bed. You need 2 to 3 hours gap between dinner and sleep.
• Don’t drink too much water before you go to sleep
• If you are hungry groundnuts are the best. But, don’t eat much. If you want to drink milk, take warm milk, but always with a piece of bread or toast. Only milk can increase the production of the acid in the stomach and bad for your sleep.
• About your tomorrow’s work you can think in the morning and not before sleep
• If you have health problems consult with your doctor and don’t wait for weeks.
• Low hemoglobin and iron values in the blood can also be a reason for sleeplessness. If necessary to control this talk to your doctor.
• Turn off your television

We all know we can sleep well if we are happy. Try to reduce your stress and this also you can learn.

Wish you a good sleep every night!

Can you tell me the reasons for sleeplessness (insomnia)?

The sleeping difficulties are called insomnia. The definition of insomnia is the difficulties in initiating and/or maintaining sleep or a poor quality of sleep associated with impairment of daytime functioning. People of all ages including children are affected by insomnia. Approximately 10% are suffering continuously with this problem. Almost every second person experiences this problem sometimes in his life.

The three classes of insomnia are:

• Lasting one week or less
• Lasting more than a week but less than three weeks
• Lasting more than three weeks

Insomnia can be a sign or a symptom. The factors that cause this problem include:

• Stress
• Excess heat or cold or noise or lighting
• Unfamiliar surroundings including a different bed
• Jet lag
• Working in shifts
• Excess alcohol
• Smoking
• Abuse of illegal drugs
• Strong coffee in the late evening
• Side effects of certain medicines
• Symptom of some diseases

The sleep disorders that cause insomnia include:

• Sleep apnea – abnormal pauses in breathing
• Restless leg syndrome – burning, itching or tickling sensations in the leg during sleep
• Periodic limp movement disorder – repetitive cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep
• Circadian sleep disturbance – have changed biological rhythms
• Sleep walking

The other important conditions that can cause insomnia are medical, psychiatric and physiologic and they include:

The medical causes include:

• Breathing problems from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Acid reflux
• Obesity
• Frequent urination or urinary incontinence
• Chronic pain
• Heart diseases
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Hyperthyroidism
• Diseases like dementia, fibromyalgia and Parkinson’s disease

The psychiatric problems that can cause insomnia include:

• Depression
• Mania
• Anxiety
• Psychosis
• Posttraumatic stress disorder

The common physiologic conditions that can cause insomnia include:

• Menstruation
• pregnancy
• Menopause
• Midlife crisis
• pain

It is important to consult with your doctor to find the causes of insomnia. There are many treatments to help you and your doctor can suggest the right one for you. Sometimes you need the help of a neurologist or a psychologist.