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MUSCLE VS. FAT -- Muscle tissue is about 70 percent water, 22 percent protein, and 7 percent fat. Fatty tissue is about 22 percent water, 6 percent protein, and 72 percent fat. But one is designed to allow movement and the other to store fat, and they cannot switch roles. You can change only the size of the cells. If someone very muscular stops working out, the muscles do atrophy (get smaller). If you get physically active, your muscles get larger and you burn even more fat, because larger muscles need more fuel. Also, muscles weigh more and no amount of exercise will turn fat into muscle - or vice versa.

INTESTINAL TOXEMIA -- Cleansing and detoxification encourage the body's natural internal processes to eliminate toxins from our system. An effective cleansing program targets two very important organ systems, the colon (for elimination) and the liver (for detoxification). Virtually every degenerative disease condition can be linked to intestinal toxemia. How? Because every tissue throughout the body is fed by the blood, which is fed by the bowel. Every substance your body consumes is absorbed through your intestinal wall directly into the systemic system for distribution to every cell. This means if your intestinal tract contains toxins, this is what circulates through your body. These toxins may contribute to the development of various acute chronic and degenerative disease conditions, as well as lack of energy and premature aging.

DID YOU KNOW? -- Lightly cooking carrots and other vegetables actually frees up more of the beta-carotene they contain.

CLEANING TIPS FOR REMOVING ALLERGENS -- By dry-cleaning carpets and keeping humidity levels low, homeowners can substantially cut down on the amounts of the allergy-triggering substances called allergens. Common indoor allergens include residues from dust mites, cats, and cockroaches, as well as mold spores and bacteria. These allergens are often trapped and held by carpets. Dry-cleaning carpets can remove 75 percent of dust mite allergens, 85 percent of cat allergens, and 85 percent of mold spores, conclude studies conducted by Racine Industries in Racine, Wisconsin. When dry-cleaning carpets, focus on areas where allergens are most commonly found like pet-lounging areas and areas around upholstered furniture and around beds. Reducing indoor humidity and keeping surfaces dry helps keep mite, mold, and bacteria populations low as well. Use humidity gauges to monitor moisture levels and set dehumidifiers to keep the relative humidity below 50 percent. Also, homeowners should fix any leaky roofs, windows, heating and air conditioning systems. Air conditioners in good repair also help reduce humidity.

CALM DOWN! -- Medical researchers have found that extreme anger can trigger a heart attack. They interviewed over 1600 patients after they suffered heart attacks and found that angry outbursts potentially doubled their risk of the attacks.

GARLIC AND HEALTH -- Researchers say garlic may have a variety of health benefits, including possible protective effects against cancer, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease. Study results, presented at the Experimental Biology Meeting in San Diego, indicate aged garlic extract may reduce or inhibit plaque formation in the heart's arteries and lower homocysteine levels in the blood, said Dr. Matthew Budoff, cardiologist at the Research and Education Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. High homocysteine levels are considered a major risk factor for heart attacks. In a year-long double-blind, randomized clinical study, investigators followed 19 cardiac patients. Nine were given regular dosages of Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract while 10 were given a placebo. At the end of the study, patients taking Kyolic had significantly less coronary plaque formation than did those in the placebo group, researchers said. Also, they tended to have lower blood homocysteine levels, they added.

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WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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** Q & A #1:

Is bad breath the sign of a medical disorder?

It can be. Conditions that may cause bad breath include a local infection in the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal disturbance or liver or kidney ailments. Consult your dentist if you have chronic bad breath.

** Q & A #2:

What can be done about bad breath?

If you think you have constant bad breath, keep a record of the foods you eat and medications you take. Let your dentist know about your concern, and tell them if you have had any surgery or illness since your last appointment. Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste to remove any food debris and plaque. Brush your tongue, too. Once a day, use floss or an interdental cleaner to clean between teeth. If you wear removable dentures, take them out at night. Clean them thoroughly before replacing them the next morning.

** Q & A #3:

Is there any way to tell if I am removing all the plaque from my teeth after flossing or brushing?

Yes. Try this simple procedure to determine if you are removing all plaque from your teeth and gums when brushing. Mix several drops of red food coloring with water and swish around in your mouth after brushing. The red food color will stick to any plaque that you missed. Use this to see if you are brushing correctly. Put Vaseline on your lips before doing this or you could stain your lips red.

** Q & A #4:

What is the difference between starch and sugar?

Both sugar and starch are carbohydrates. Sugar is a "simple" carbohydrate, which means that its molecular configuration is only one molecule, or maybe two. Starch is complex as each molecule is made up of many, many individual units linked together to make a large "complex" carbohydrate. Two examples of sugars are sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). Some examples of starch are baked potatoes and pasta. Sugars taste sweet and are absorbed quickly, which make it more difficult for the body to deal with. However, some of the newest understanding of starch is that it is absorbed quickly too and can be just as difficult to deal with.

** Q & A #5:

Since I am in my late 70's should I continue to have Pap smears?

Pap smears are an important tool for catching problems in their early stages, when something can be done about them. Most experts agree that it is a good idea for all women over 50 to have an annual Pap smear, although some feel every 3 years is okay. If you have had a hysterectomy due to a precancerous condition, testing should be more frequent than not. Always consider more frequent exams when symptoms like bleeding occur.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

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How do you locate the hemorrhoid creams in your local supermarket or pharmacy? It is easy. Look for all the shoppers in trench coats, dark sunglasses, and fake mustaches. For many, hemorrhoids are an enormous embarrassment. But they really need not be. Hemorrhoids are among the most common of all health ailments, striking an estimated eight out of ten of us throughout our lifetimes. Even Napoleon suffered hemorrhoids. It is said that the distracting pain of the emperor's hemorrhoids contributed to his crushing defeat at Waterloo.

But hemorrhoids do not have to be your Waterloo. Much like varicose veins, these swollen veins in the anus are partially hereditary, but they can also be caused by - and be remedied by - such things as diet and proper hygiene. So stop blushing, sit yourself down on a comfortable pillow, and read what the experts say about this common problem.

Strive for soft and easy bowel movements. The most effective strategy against hemorrhoids is to go right to the source of the problem. More often than not, on top of every rear end with hemorrhoids sits a person grunting and groaning. If it is news to you that passing ones stools is not supposed to be a long and arduous affair, you have likely got hemorrhoids. Huffing and puffing on the toilet provides just the kind of strain needed to engorge and swell the veins in your rectum. Hard stools then make matters worse by scraping the already troubled area. Solution? Drink lots of fluids, eat lots of fiber, and refer often to the following remedies.

Oil your inner workings. Once you have increased the fiber and fluids in your diet, your stool should become softer and pass with less effort. You may help your bowels to move even more smoothly by lubricating your anus with a dab of petroleum jelly, says Edmund Leff, M.D., a colon and rectal surgeon in private practice in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. Using a cotton swab or your finger, apply the jelly about 1/2 inch into the rectum.

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Clean yourself tenderly. Your responsibility to your hemorrhoids should not end when you are through moving your bowels. It is extremely important to clean yourself properly and gently, says John O. Lawder, M.D., a family practitioner specializing in preventive medicine and nutrition in Torrance, California. Toilet paper can be scratchy, and some types contain chemical irritants. Purchase only non-perfumed, non-colored (white) toilet paper, and dampen it under the faucet before each wipe. Elect a kinder, gentler toilet paper. If you have never heard of lubricated toilet paper, that is because it is not sold yet. But you can find facial tissues coated with moisturizing cream - and these, says Dr. Lawder, offer the most hemorrhoid-friendly backside wipe on the market.

Do not scratch. Hemorrhoids can itch, and scratching can make them feel better. But do not give in to the urge to scratch. "You can damage the walls of these delicate veins," and make matters much worse for yourself, says Dr. Lawder.

Do not lift any pianos today. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise can act much like straining on the toilet, says Dr. Leff. If you are prone to hemorrhoids, get a friend to help or hire someone to help you move that piano or dresser.

Go soak yourself. The "sitz bath" - sitting with your knees raised in 3 or 4 inches of warm water in a bathtub - is a remedy that still tops the list of most experts as a way to deal with hemorrhoids. The warm water helps to kill the pain while increasing the flow of blood to the area, which can help shrink the swollen veins, says J. Byron Gathright, Jr., M.D., chairman of the Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery at The Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana, and an associate professor of surgery at Tulane University.

Apply a hemorrhoid medication. There are many hemorrhoid creams and suppositories on the market, and while they generally will not make your problem disappear (contrary to what the ads may say), most are designed as local painkillers and can relieve some of the discomfort, says Dr. Gathright.

Choose a cream. Choose a hemorrhoid cream over a suppository any day, says Dr. Leff. Suppositories are "absolutely useless," for external hemorrhoids, and even for internal hemorrhoids, suppositories tend to float too far up the rectum to do much good, he says.

Work wonders with witch hazel. A dab of witch hazel applied to the rectum with a cotton ball is one of the very best remedies available for external hemorrhoids, especially if there is bleeding, says Marvin Schuster, M.D., chief of the Department of Digestive Diseases at Francis Scott Key Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and a professor of medicine and psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Barbers use witch hazel when they cut you - because it causes the blood vessels to shrink down and contract," he says. While anything cold, even water, can help kill the pain of hemorrhoids, give your hemorrhoids a special treat by putting a bottle of witch hazel into a bucket of ice, just as you would a champagne bottle. Then take a cotton ball, soak it in the witch hazel and apply it against your hemorrhoids until it is no longer cold, then repeat, suggests Dr. Schuster.

Watch your weight. Because they have more pressure on the lower extremities, overweight people tend to have more problems with hemorrhoids, just as they do with varicose veins, explains Dr. Lawder.

Control your salt intake. Sure, you like your french fries covered with salt, but it can make your hemorrhoids worse. Excess salt retains fluids in the circulatory system that can cause bulging of the veins in the anus and elsewhere, says Dr. Lawder.

Avoid certain foods and drinks. Some foods, while they will not make your hemorrhoids worse, can contribute to your anal misery by creating further itching as they pass through the bowels. Watch out for excessive coffee, strong spices, beer, and cola, says Dr. Leff.

Pregnant? Take the pressure off. Pregnant women are particularly prone to hemorrhoids, in part because the uterus sits directly on the blood vessels that drain the hemorrhoidal veins, says Lewis R. Townsend, M.D., a clinical instructor of obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. A special hemorrhoid remedy if you are pregnant is to lie on your left side for about 20 minutes every 4 to 6 hours, says Dr. Townsend. By doing so you decrease pressure on the main vein draining the lower half of the body.

Give it a little shove. Sometimes the word hemorrhoid refers not to a swollen vein but to a downward displacement of the anal canal lining. If you have such a protruding hemorrhoid, try shoving it back into the anal canal, says Dr. Townsend. Hemorrhoids left hanging are prime candidates to develop into clots.

Sit on a doughnut. We are talking about a doughnut-shaped cushion here. They are available in pharmacies and medical supply stores and can be useful to hemorrhoid sufferers who do a lot of sitting, says Dr. Townsend.

Try the ClenZone. This little appliance attaches to your toilet seat and squirts a thin stream of water into your rectum after every bowel movement. It gets you super clean and serves as a soothing mini-sitz bath at the same time. ClenZone is available from Hep Industries, Inc.and the cost is about $22.

MEDICAL ALERT -- Hemorrhoids That Need Help

If you have always had a healthy bottom and all of a sudden you experience discomfort, it may well be hemorrhoids. It could also be something else. If discomfort is accompanied by itching and you have recently returned from a trip abroad, for example, you might have parasites. You will need medical treatment to get rid of them.

Bleeding from the rectum should always warrant a trip to the doctor, says Edmund Leff, M.D. "Hemorrhoids can never become cancer, but hemorrhoids can bleed and cancer can bleed," explains Dr. Leff.

Other times an enlarged vein in your anus can clot, crating "a big, blue, swollen, hard area that is very painful," says John O. Lawder, M.D. In most cases, the clot can be easily extracted by your doctor.

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HEALTHY RECIPE-OF-THE-MONTH