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Boxing Day exhaustion syndrome
27th December 2005
Boxing Day is drawing to a close, the kids are finally in bed, and I'm exhausted...
There's nothing as wonderful as a family Christmas, but it doesn't half take it out of me.
Drugged by good food and wine, I've been lolloping after the kids like a big old dog, clearing up bits of wrapping paper, discarded instruction pamphlets and bits of mince pie.
I've watched so many kids' films on DVD, and played so many board games, that my head is still ringing with explosions and yelps.
But at last I've found some solace in my cluttered study.
For this, the last Good Life Letter of 2005, I thought I'd give you a selection of my favourite health tips of this year. You'll discover:
How a tennis ball can stop you snoring
How to relieve pain without drugs
The healthiest way to set up your computer
Exercises that protect your eyesight
Foods that can ease Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Better than aspirin? The secret of willow bark extract
The lazy person's guide to a great physique
I hope these tips get you fit and ready for action in 2006...
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How a tennis ball can stop you snoring
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A quick bit of research shows that the most common treatment for snoring is a face mask that opens the airways to provide a constant flow of oxygen.
Effective maybe, but far from perfect.
But dig deeper, and there are other remedies that are worth taking a look at:
Get gravity on your side! Snoring is only triggered when you lie on your back, causing your tongue to fall back and block your throat. So try sleeping on your sides, so that your tongue falls forward.
If you constantly turn onto your back during your sleep, try sewing a tennis ball onto the back of your pyjamas! You'll soon turn back onto your side again.
Full steam ahead! Nasal congestion can cause snoring, so try inhaling steam before you go to bed. Pour boiling water into a bowl, drape and towel over your head, and breath deep through your nose. This will loosen any clogged mucus and make breathing easier.
Look like Robbie Fowler! Robbie is a footballer who uses nasal strips to open the nostrils and get more oxygen into the body during matches. So give them and try, and have a great night's sleep dreaming of scoring the winner for Wales in the world cup final!
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How to relieve pain without drugs
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Microcurrent therapy sends tiny, pulsating currents of electricity to traumatised areas of your body.
This helps your nerves communicate better with your system, so the body can heal itself more efficiently.
As the blood flows through the painful area, it uses more oxygen, which also speeds up the healing process.
It's not only an exciting step forward in treating new injuries, like sports injuries or whiplash...
But it could also help relieve symptoms of upsetting conditions like arthritis, muscle or joint sprains, tendon pain and scarring.
And not a drug in sight.
You can get this kind of therapy in the comfort of your own home though a 'MicroDoctor' a tiny, handheld device, no bigger than a Walkman.
You simply attach little pads to the sore part of your body and sit back for 30 minutes while the electrocurrent therapy does its stuff.
As I've discovered while investigating it, the MicroDoctor is more famous than I first thought.
I was thrilled to learn that it's used by the Welsh Rugby Union team... as well as less important teams like Ireland and the England Under 21s.
The great thing is, you feel results after just a few 30 minute treatments.
If you're interested in reading more about MicroDoctor, I've included a link to their webpage.
Micro
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The healthiest way to set up your computer
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One of the worst side-effects of modern computers is the effect they have on your eyes. Here's how to minimise the damage:
- Place your computer screen 20 degrees below eye level.
- Dim the brightness of your screen using the controls on your monitor - but not so that it goes grey and dull, as that could also cause strain.
- Position your monitor so that the windows in the room are to the side of it, instead of in front or behind you.
- Don't work at the computer in a room that is too bright. Too much light from too many sources can increase the strain. Dim or switch off the overhead light bulbs.
- Use an adjustable desk lamp. Angle it so that it shines on whatever you are working from, and doesn't reflect off the screen.
- Get an anti-glare screen. With a quick Google search, I found this site: screen
But you may find them cheaper elsewhere. Either way, you might need to spend £13 and over.
There are also some very simple eye exercises that can protect you for life.
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Exercises that protect your eyesight
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First off, you should blink more often.
Sounds strange to say, but it's true. When you work at a computer, you blink less - about five times less, in fact.
So every half an hour, blink ten times very slowly, as if you are falling asleep. This will re-moisten your eyes.
Also make sure you look away from the screen every 30 minutes and focus on something in the distance for at least 20 seconds.
On the web I found some exercises designed by Dr Marc Grossman, who suggests the following:
- Rub your hands together for 15 seconds, then gently cup them over your closed eyes for another two minutes.
- Place a bowl of hot water (not hot enough to burn you) and ice cold water in front of you. Dip a cloth in the hot water and place against your closed eyes for 30 seconds. Then do the same with the cold. Alternate the hot and cold a few times, then dry off.
- Relax, exhale and drop your chin to your chest. Inhale and lean your head to the left, then the right, then back to the middle again, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Now repeat this in the other direction.
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Foods that can ease the pain of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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- Brown rice, barley and oats are a good staple for IBS sufferers. Also cooked greens, mushrooms, lentils, chickpeas and other beans.
- One of the best herbs for irritable bowel syndrome is Mentha Piperita, (or peppermint to you and me). Drink plenty of peppermint tea - 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf per 8 ounces of water.
- If you have constipation, eat fibre and drink plenty of hot water.
- Get hold of some 'gentian root'. This is a bitter herb that grows wild in Europe and Asia. It's believed that when bitters activate sensors on your tongue, they stimulate your digestive organs into digesting properly. But you can also just swallow it in a capsule - or take 10 to 20 drops in a small amount of water. (Don't use this if you have an ulcer)
You should also get some acidophilus into your system.
Yes, it sounds grim, but your digestive tract is host to about 400 different kinds of bacteria and yeasts. Among these, Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of the most important.
It's a 'probiotic' bacteria that helps to keep your intestines healthy.
What's more a recent study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that acidophilus helped 50% of patients with the symptoms of IBS.
So it's wort |
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Better than aspirin? The secret of willow bark extract
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Willow bark extract comes from the white willow tree, which grows in parts of Europe, North America, and Asia, and has been used by Western herbalists since the 18th Century.
It contains salicin acid, which was first isolated by German and French scientists in 1828... leading to the development of a painkiller you've no doubt heard of...
Yes - our good friend aspirin.
Experts claim that white willow bark's effects last longer than aspirin's, but without the serious risks, such as bleeding in the stomach.
A German study has tested willow bark extract against Vioxx, the controversial painkilling brand. It found that both were equally effective.
But here's the key...
The side effects from Vioxx were 'more severe', while only 4 out of 114 people had allergic reactions to the willow bark.
As you probably know as an avid Good Life reader, Vioxx currently stands accused of increasing the risk of heart attacks in some people.
So I strongly suggest you try willow bark extract as a pain relief alternative.
But make sure you look out for any side-effects, just to be on the safe side.
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The lazy person's guide to a great physique
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'What you learn in gyms and health clubs is robbing you of the results you should be getting,' says Richard Collins.
'99% of gym members don't seem to make any progress at all. They spend up to £400 a year on membership, but look pretty much the same as the day they first walked through the door.'
Instead, he recommends a body sculpting program created by a super-fit 73 year old academic from Canada.
If you thought you were getting a bit too old for all that gym malarkey, then you'll like his approach. He can show you:
- How to turn your sitting room into the most effective gym on earth... in 30 seconds or less!
- How an ingenious twist to some 'standard exercises' can multiply their effectiveness by over 400 per cent and slash the time you need to spend on them to make the breakthrough to dramatic results.
- How to pack more than 2 hours of training into just 7 minutes of boiled down, not-a-second-wasted activity.
Continuous tension is a key principle in his system, because it ensures what is known as 'peak contraction' within the muscles - where all the muscle fibres are working together.
Understanding this will dramatically accelerate your results.
He uses the press-up to illustrate his point...
Most people perform a press-up by starting with hands and toes in contact with the floor with their arms locked out, bending their arms at the elbow and lowering their body towards the floor, then pushing themselves up and locking their arms straight again.
Big, big mistake.
When you raise your body back up you MUST NOT straighten your arms and lock your elbows. By keeping them slightly bent before performing another repetition, the rest period will be eliminated and your muscles will be in continuous tension.
If you're interested if finding out more about Richard's system, click on this link:
Body Sculpting
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Onwards... and upwards?
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So that's it for this year, then...
A year in which I put out my back in the most painful way... got angry about Bird Flu... praised the virtues of fish until my wife almost slapped me with a halibut... and nearly fainted in the heat on the way to an allergy show.
What do you think we've got in store for next yea |
I hope you'll keep reading...
Until 2006...
Yours,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter |
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