Optimum Nutrition

Constipation should be treated promptly. Not only are the symptoms unpleasant, but chronic constipation can lead to hemorrhoids, indigestion, and diverticulitis. If constipation lingers after more than four days of self-treatment, contact your physician. Chronic or recurring constipation may be an indication of a more serious condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome, colorectal cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, or Parkinson's disease. If you suffer with chronic constipation, see your physician.

Arthritis means inflammation of a joint and is a generic, nonspecific term that people often use to describe anything that hurts a joint. Pain, however, is not the only criterion; there must also be some visible sign of inflammation—that is, the joint must be red, warm to touch, swollen somewhat, as well as painful. Although there are many types of arthritis (over 100, really) for the purposes of this discussion, we will use "arthritis" to mean osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type of joint inflammation that comes with age.

Cancers develop from normal cells in the body that have been damaged and as a result have gone haywire. These renegade cells no longer obey the body's commands, no longer perform their usual functions, and grow in a haphazard and disorganized fashion to infiltrate and overtake the normal tissues around them. When all is working as it should, your ever-vigilant immune system recognizes these troublemakers and destroys them before they can take root. When that defense system breaks down, however, a cancer forms.

Health problems

The concept of using food to treat ill health is thousands of years old. As far back as 400 BC Hippocrates said "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food" but it is only in recent years that modern science has enabled us to start to discover and understand the thousands of disease-fighting chemicals in our food.

It is now recognized that nutrition has a vital role to play in the prevention and treatment of some of the most prevalent diseases in our society. In the early part of the twentieth century, interest in nutritional science was heightened by the discovery of the first vitamin and its ability to cure health problems. Other discoveries followed and common disorders such as scurvy and pellagra were cured by including vitamin rich foods in people's diets.

Health problems In the Western world today, severe vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases such as these are rare. In fact, many of the most common diseases in our society are caused by consuming too much of some foods and not enough of others. Diets overloaded with fat, protein, sugar and salt combined with long-term marginal intake of some essential nutrients increase the risk of developing many health problems. Nutrition can also powerfully affect mood, intelligence and mental health problems.

New scientific discoveries are constantly enhancing our understanding of the role that diet plays in health and disease and there is now good evidence that high intake of certain vitamins and minerals prevents and treats some diseases. However, new findings lead to new questions and it is likely that in the future, nutritional science will expand into areas that can presently only be imagined.

It is important to remember that diet is only one of the factors influencing susceptibility to health problems. The information given in this site is not intended to replace appropriate medical investigation and treatment. Foods or supplements should not be substituted for medication without a doctor's approval. This information is not intended as medical advice and individual questions are best answered by a qualified medical practitioner.

Acne treatment depends on the severity of the lesions.

Washing skin properly with warm water and nonperfumed soap, avoiding oily cosmetics and abrasive acruhs, and regular shampooing of hair to stop it becoming too oily can help to control acne.

The only way to get a definite diagnosis of anemia is to get a blood test. If you suspect you have anemia, do not begin a supplement program, especially one that includes iron, until you have a diagnosis from your physician. Iron is very toxic if taken in large quantities.

Iron-deficiency
Iron-deficiency anemia is seen most often in infants younger than two years old, teenage girls, pregnant women, and the elderly.

Folica aciD deficiency

Folic acid deficiency is the most prevalent vitamin deficiency on earth.

What is asthma?

If you suffer from episodes of shortness of breath, wheezing sounds when you breathe, a feeling of tightness in the chest, and chronic coughing of thick clear or white phlegm, you may be one of the 4% of Americans who have asthma.