Chili Peppers Pack a Nutritious Punch

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans are eating 38 percent more chili peppers than they were in 1996. Per capita, Americans eat more chili peppers (5.9 pounds) than asparagus (1.3 pounds), cauliflower (2.2 pounds) or green peas (3.3 pounds).

Even without these statistics, it's been obvious that chili peppers have caught on. Every day seems to bring a new variety of salsa to the supermarket shelf. Chips and salsa, which most Americans used to eat only in Mexican restaurants, are a mainstream snack, as unremarkable as potato chips or crackers.

Trends in American eating habits are usually nothing to celebrate, but the popularity of the chili pepper may be a happy exception. For one thing, it shows that Americans are rejecting blandness for more exciting flavors. In a small way, it's evidence of the manifold influence of the country's immigrant population. And nutritionally, chili peppers tot up on the asset side of the ledger. Gram for gram, they contain more calcium and vitamin A and C than asparagus, celery and green peas (cauliflower, alas, has a slight vitamin C edge but trails in calcium and vitamin A).

Heart Blockage Test

Many cardiovascular ailments are diagnosed by a heart blockage test. This test helps in diagnosing heart blocks and finding the tangible causes for it. Read this article to know more...

Heart blocks can lead to serious cardiovascular ailments and in extremely serious conditions can prove fatal. One of the most tangible causes of a heart blockage is coronary artery disease, which manifests in the coronary artery in the form of plaques, that are in turn a result of elevated bad cholesterol levels. If there is excess fat deposits in the coronary arteries (blood vessels supplying oxygen rich blood to the myocardium of the heart), the arteries might get damaged or may also catch infection. The plaque deposits further narrow down the coronary arteries diminishing the blood flow and thereby causing angina (chest pain) and other symptoms like shortness of breath. Such heart blockages can be diagnosed by a heart blockage test. But before understanding more about the test, let's have a quick look at symptoms of heart blockage. Read on...

Article: Montaigne & Medical Humanism

One of the greatest benefits of my study of the medical humanities has been the opportunity to take a sustained look at the life and work of Montaigne. Without question, Montaigne is the patron saint of this blog. Both his writings and the man himself are paragons of (medical) humanism, and he remains an inspiration for me both professionally and personally. In the best spirit of the humanists, I have and continue to be deeply and personally affected by Montaigne's work, and I have the strong feeling that he will remain my own Virgil in my practices and my lived experiences, both as a medical humanist and as a human being. (And much of his work will also play a prominent role in my dissertation on pain as well).

Canes

What to look for in a cane

To anyone who has never used one, a cane seems like a straightforward purchase – it's simply a long stick that you lean on, more convenient than a walker, yet greatly assistive when a health condition or personal injury causes mobility problems. But to cane users, the right cane can make all the difference. Here's how to ensure you pick the perfect fit.

Ask yourself the following:

How often will I need my cane?

What kinds of situations will I want to use it in?

Is fashion important to me?

Can I wait for a cane to be specially made?

What can I afford?

Then consider a few different options:

Keeping Up with Meditation

Question:

I would like to know how do I keep my meditation going when I have a million things to do a day? I have had some trouble in the past with keeping up with my meditation, but I'm trying some new techniques. I would also like to know how do I keep my practice thriving even through the rough patches?

Answer:

Bear in mind that meditation is the best preparation for your daily activities. It will save you time by making you more efficient and will make you less stress and tired by making everything easier. Once you have set your meditation practice as a daily priority over the other million things you are doing, then you no longer need to waste energy in deciding whether to do it or when to do it. You simply do it automatically, without giving it much thought, like brushing your teeth. This straightforward attitude will help you ride through the rough patches too, because you aren’t reevaluating whether to do it everyday based on your mood or expectations—you know it is helping regardless so you just do it.

Cayenne Pepper Cleanse

Cayenne pepper cleanse is used for colon cleansing. The pepper is mixed with other herbs for body detoxification. Cayenne pepper is an important ingredient of the popular Master Cleanser Detox Diet.

In this fast faced world we consume meals which are full of chemicals, the air we breathe is polluted and last but not the least our mind is filled with anxiety. Hence, we need our bodies to undergo detoxification. Cayenne pepper cleanse can be used to let the body detox. The lemon cayenne pepper diet became more famous, after it was used by singer and actress Beyonce, before the Academy awards.

What is Cayenne Pepper Cleanse?

Hair and nails – Information and Treatment for the Disease - Diseases Treatment - Symptoms, Causes and Cure for Diseases on A to Z

Hair and nails are dead, hardened structures that are very similar to the surface layer of your skin. Hairs grow from follicles, which are pits of actively-dividing cells that occur in varying numbers in your skin. Nails grow from folds under your skin. The substance that gives both hair and nails their hardness is the protein keratin, which is found in smaller amounts in the skin itself. Because hair has little real function in human beings, diseases that affect it generally cause cosmetic and psychological problems rather than medical problems. Similarly, nail disorders can be unsightly and irritating but are not harmful to your physical health . Nevertheless, because appearance is usually of some importance to a feeling of well-being, hair and nail problems should be dealt with.

Confession Time! How Indulgent Was Your Thanksgiving?

Happy post-Thanksgiving week, darling readers! How was your holiday? Loads of stuffing and pumpkin pie, or something a bit lighter? Mine was...

Mine was indulgent--with a capital I! I had two Thanksgivings. Due to a freak snowstorm where I lived, my family postponed our gathering until Saturday, so I decided to cook a 10-course meal (complete with a turkey and pumpkin pie of course) for my little family. It was fun, exhausting, and yes, caloric. So on a scale of 1 to 10, my Thanksgiving was a solid 7.5! But I'm feeling zero guilt about it. Indulgences are a part of an enjoyable life!

How about you? Eat lots of pie? Did you have a good time with your family? Good food all around?

Diet Patches - Do They Work

Diet patches do they work is the question that troubles a large number of overweight people who are considering to use this product for weight loss. This article discusses some of the important facts about diet patches, how they work and whether they are really effective in promoting weight loss.

Obesity has become a major health problem of this century, which is why people are trying to find out newer and easier methods for losing weight. However, it should be kept in mind that there is no quick fix or shortcut to weight loss. Weight loss demands a lot of perseverance, patience and hard work. Using diet pills or weight loss pills and diet patches may help to reduce weight temporarily. But, one has to follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly to maintain a healthy body weight in the long run. A diet patch or slimming patch is considered by many as one of the easiest ways to lose weight. However, they have also been criticized largely. So, it is quite natural for anyone considering to use these patches to ask the question, "Diet patches, do they work?" Before we discuss more about it, let's take a brief look at what are diet patches, their ingredients and how do they work?