Growing up, our parents always told us not to eat too many sweets. Turns out, they were right! While sweets are and have always been, the smallest quadrant of the food pyramid, it seems that with age, sugar becomes increasingly bad for you. Decreasing your sugar intake can help cut back your risk of the most common health risks- such as heart disease and type-2 diabetes!
Before sugar gets to your tummy, it goes through an industrial refining process that purifies it. In that process, it is stripped of all vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and any other edificial nutrients it may possess resulting in an unnatural substance that the body is unable to handle in mass quantity. (FACT: Sugar is refined in a process very similar to that of Heroin) Today’s accepted lifestyle includes a great deal more sugar then it did in the early 1900’s when heart disease and cancer were virtually unknown!
Today, the average American consumes approximately 115 pounds of sugar per year!
Sugar is addictive! Approximately 95% of people are addicted to it on some level. Stop and think about it. What happens when you don’t get your sugar fix during the day? You crave it, and become moody and irritable! The average American eats sugar with breakfast in their coffee or on their pancakes, you have sugar again with lunch in your salad dressing or a 3 o’clock snack of cookies or candy, and again with dinner. When you don’t get your normal hit of sugar, you crave it more and more and it affects your mood and ability to focus and work. Studies find that sugar addicts are much like crack addicts in their needs, withdrawals, and denial.
Some Risks Related To Sugar Intake:
Not ALL sugar is bad- sugars found in complex carbohydrates are actually good for you. However, the average individual eats far more sugar than their body needs or can handle. The following are a few risks associated with a high sugar diet.
· Sugar Depresses The Body And The Immune System! The glycemic index is a numbered rating system used to measure how fast or slow the absorption and digestion process is for any given food. The lower the rating, the slower the absorption, which gives a more gradual and healthier infusion of sugar into the bloodstream. Foods with a low glycemic index are better for you. However, a high rating means that the blood-glucose levels are increased quickly, which will stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop the blood-sugar back down to a normal level. These rapid fluctuations in blood-sugar levels are not healthy and put stress on the body. Another major drawback of sugar is that it causes the body to raise insulin levels which prevent the release of growth hormones which in turn depresses the immune system.
· A Tired Pancreas May Mean Too Much Sugar! A diet filled with too much sugar can exhaust your pancreas leading to the depletion of your insulin reserve. In turn, resulting in diabetes. The more sugar you eat, the harder your pancreas works to maintain a normal blood-sugar level. If you were to get tested after binge eating sugar for a number of hours, your blood-sugar level may very well be normal still, because your pancreas created enough insulin to offset the sugar. However, your insulin levels would be sky high. This overworking of the pancreas can lead to one day stopping creating insulin all together, which will leave you diabetic.
· Sugar and Heart Disease. Studies have shown that the increase in sugar consumption has lead to higher risks and cases of heart disease. Sugar has been associated with increasing the adhesiveness of blood platelets, increasing blood insulin levels and causing many heart complications and diseases.
So clearly, sugar, which seems more like an addiction problem and less like an enjoyable sweet, can lead to many complications and diseases.
The Lake Shore (http://www.lakeshoreli.com/), a respectable assisted living facility located in the heart of Long Island on beautiful Lake Ronkonkoma where residents can enjoy the great outdoors, fishing, shopping and many other facility activities. The Lake Shore offers a friendly atmosphere with many great activities and top of the line facility staff.
Submitted By Stacey At NewSunGraphics
Search Engine Optimization Experts
www.NewSunGraphics.com
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Assisted Living On Long Island : What Do Seniors Do For Fun?
Long Island is a beautiful place for senior citizens to happily spend their retirement. Far enough away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, Long Island can be a quiet yet entertaining place to spend your retired years.
Retirement on Long Island includes beautiful afternoons on our sunny beaches, gorgeous sunsets, and peaceful walks down quiet neighborhood streets. There is plenty of fine dining, movie theaters, malls and parks to suit your needs. There’s also a lot of fun activities specifically for senior citizens. The following is a list of a number of events that are held all over Long Island for the enjoyment of our beloved seniors!
1. For those seniors who aren’t afraid to do something a little different, the Town of Oyster Bay offers ballroom dance instructions for residents 60 and over. Lessons take place at the William P. Bennett Community Center in Hicksville every Monday at 10am. It’s a great way to learn something new, have some fun, and stay active!!
2. The Tanner Park Senior Center in Copiague is a great place for seniors to go with friends or meet new people their own age. Open Monday-Friday 9-4pm, they feature card playing, table games, bingo, billiards, lunch, arts and crafts, and other specially-scheduled programs! The Tanner Park Senior Center is a great place for seniors to socialize and keep their minds sharp!!
3. If you want to stay active but that ballroom dancing simply isn’t for you then the Rainbow Senior Center in Lindenhurst might be! They offer Bend and Stretch classes Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am. This class is designed specifically for seniors, so don’t be afraid it’ll be too intense!
4. The Rainbow Senior Center also offers the Arts and Crafts club. A place to share and discuss craft ideas, open Mondays and Wednesdays 10am-2pm.
5. Another great place for seniors is Golden Opportunities at the Senior Community Service Center in Glen Cove. They offer a wide variety of diverse activities including trips, guest speakers, social cubs, exercise and bridge! Membership is free for residents and guest membership is available for Nassau County seniors!
6. And for all you men out there that simply have no interest in playing bridge with the ladies, the Plainview Senior Housing Facility has the North Shore Men’s Club! A social club just for men 60 and over.
7. There is also the ‘For Men Only’ club at the Samuel Field YM & YWHA in Little Neck. The ‘For Men Only’ club is a discussion group open to men over the age of 80, open daily from 2pm-3pm.
As you can see, there are lots of activities on Long Island for retired senior citizens to stay active. There is plenty of fun to be had and a lot of new people to meet! Before you know it, you might be planning your own trip with your new friends!
The Lake Shore (http://www.lakeshoreli.com) is a Senior Assisted Living facility located in beautiful Lake Ronkonkoma. They’re a well established facility with many seniors already enjoying their services. For your protection, The Lake Shore is an ultra modern fire-proof construction and has 24-hour attendants. They provide fun activities on site or you can venture out to any or all of the listed above! Their staff is friendly and accommodating and will make you feel right at home! With your own room, plenty of privacy, and daily home cooked meals, you’ll have no worries and lots of time to go out and have fun!
Submitted by Stacey Crevoiserat at NewSunGraphics
Search Engine Optimization Experts
www.NewSunGraphics.com
Retirement on Long Island includes beautiful afternoons on our sunny beaches, gorgeous sunsets, and peaceful walks down quiet neighborhood streets. There is plenty of fine dining, movie theaters, malls and parks to suit your needs. There’s also a lot of fun activities specifically for senior citizens. The following is a list of a number of events that are held all over Long Island for the enjoyment of our beloved seniors!
1. For those seniors who aren’t afraid to do something a little different, the Town of Oyster Bay offers ballroom dance instructions for residents 60 and over. Lessons take place at the William P. Bennett Community Center in Hicksville every Monday at 10am. It’s a great way to learn something new, have some fun, and stay active!!
2. The Tanner Park Senior Center in Copiague is a great place for seniors to go with friends or meet new people their own age. Open Monday-Friday 9-4pm, they feature card playing, table games, bingo, billiards, lunch, arts and crafts, and other specially-scheduled programs! The Tanner Park Senior Center is a great place for seniors to socialize and keep their minds sharp!!
3. If you want to stay active but that ballroom dancing simply isn’t for you then the Rainbow Senior Center in Lindenhurst might be! They offer Bend and Stretch classes Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am. This class is designed specifically for seniors, so don’t be afraid it’ll be too intense!
4. The Rainbow Senior Center also offers the Arts and Crafts club. A place to share and discuss craft ideas, open Mondays and Wednesdays 10am-2pm.
5. Another great place for seniors is Golden Opportunities at the Senior Community Service Center in Glen Cove. They offer a wide variety of diverse activities including trips, guest speakers, social cubs, exercise and bridge! Membership is free for residents and guest membership is available for Nassau County seniors!
6. And for all you men out there that simply have no interest in playing bridge with the ladies, the Plainview Senior Housing Facility has the North Shore Men’s Club! A social club just for men 60 and over.
7. There is also the ‘For Men Only’ club at the Samuel Field YM & YWHA in Little Neck. The ‘For Men Only’ club is a discussion group open to men over the age of 80, open daily from 2pm-3pm.
As you can see, there are lots of activities on Long Island for retired senior citizens to stay active. There is plenty of fun to be had and a lot of new people to meet! Before you know it, you might be planning your own trip with your new friends!
The Lake Shore (http://www.lakeshoreli.com) is a Senior Assisted Living facility located in beautiful Lake Ronkonkoma. They’re a well established facility with many seniors already enjoying their services. For your protection, The Lake Shore is an ultra modern fire-proof construction and has 24-hour attendants. They provide fun activities on site or you can venture out to any or all of the listed above! Their staff is friendly and accommodating and will make you feel right at home! With your own room, plenty of privacy, and daily home cooked meals, you’ll have no worries and lots of time to go out and have fun!
Submitted by Stacey Crevoiserat at NewSunGraphics
Search Engine Optimization Experts
www.NewSunGraphics.com
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Alzheimer’s Disease : Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Stages
More than 4 million Americans today are affected with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to escalate to approximately 12 million within the next 30 years. This serious disease is plaguing America in such a way that just about every individual has had an experience with someone with Alzheimer’s in one way or another. Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects the mind, and more specifically your memory. 1 in 8 individuals over the age of 65 will develop it.
Risk Factors:
We currently don’t know what exactly causes Alzheimer’s, and it remains a disease that is diagnosed by eliminating other possibilities. However, experts have found a number of factors that reoccur in Alzheimer’s patients. It is believed that a combination of the following factors can cause a person to be predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s.
1. Family history of the disease – especially a parent or sibling.
2. Heart-disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and diabetes.
3. Previous head injury
4. Environmental toxins
5. Advancing age
6. Stress- high levels of anxiety
Symptoms:
When an individual begins to develop Alzheimer’s, there won’t be any easily identifiable outward symptoms to use as evidence. As the disease progresses, memory lapses appear and slowly grow more serious. The individual may begin to forget the names of familiar people and places, forget the location of everyday objects, or have trouble finding the right words to express themselves. These symptoms are similar to that of a simply forgetful older mind. As we age, our memory isn’t as sharp as it once was, however an individual with Alzheimer’s will have a more noticeable and rapid decline in memory. If you notice this in a loved one, it is time to see a physician.
As time goes on and the disease progresses, the memory lapses will become more and more noticeable and serious. They will affect the individual’s daily life, hobbies, and work. As this happens, the person will often develop other cognitive problems such as:
· General confusion, disoriented to date, time, and place.
· Apathy, irritability, depression, and anxiety.
· Troubles with language, math, abstract thinking.
· Personality changes
· Later on in the disease paranoia and delusions may occur.
· At the end of the disease’s development, the individual may suffer total loss of self and control.
Main Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease:
Experts have identified a number of stages to help define and group people suffering from this devastating and difficult disease. With no cure the best thing you can do is be aware of what this disease may bring in the future and use this knowledge to help plan care for your loved one.
The following are the Three Main Stages:
1. Early-State – In the early stage, the individual will suffer memory loss and possibly some other cognitive difficulties, however, they can continue to function independently.
2. Mid-Stage – In the mid-stage, the disease has progressed past basic memory troubles and the individual’s mental abilities have continued to decline. They start to suffer personality changes and physical problems, and in turn become more dependent on caregivers.
3. Late-Stage – The late-stage is the most severe. Individuals will suffer complete deterioration of the personality and loss of control over bodily functions. They will become totally dependent on caregivers for even basic daily needs.
There is no set time as to when a person will progress from one stage to the other. One individual may move quickly from the early-stage to the mid-stage, while another may stay in the early-stage for several years. Every person is different. Here is a basic break down of the types of symptoms and their severity for each stage:
Symptoms of the Early-Stage:
· Confusion, forgets names and words, forgets their own history, less able to plan or think logically, poor judgment, and withdraws from social and mental challenges.
· Has trouble expressing themselves and comprehending reading material
· Becomes apathetic, anxious, agitated, insensitive to others’ feelings, tired
· Hoards objects of little value, forgets to do things like eat or eats only one kind of food.
Symptoms of the Mid-Stage:
· Forgets recent events, if they can’t remember they make something up instead.
· Trouble connecting names and faces of family and friends but still knows the difference between familiar and unfamiliar faces.
· Can no longer follow written or oral instructions, disoriented about the season, day of the week or time.
· Problems speaking, reading and writing, repeats stories
· Aggressive, suspicious, delusional, exaggeration of normal personality characteristics.
· Restless, pacing, talking to oneself, disoriented sleep-wake cycle.
Symptoms of the Late-Stage:
· Doesn’t recognize familiar people, can no longer smile, doesn’t speak or speaks incoherently, may cry or call out, groan or mumble. Cannot write or comprehend reading material.
· Cannot control their movements, cannot walk, stand or sit up without assistance. Can’t easily swallow and may choke on food.
· Needs complete assistance with all daily activities, requires full-time care.
· Frequent infections, seizures, abnormal reflexes.
· May refuse to eat or drink, little response to touch, exhausted
Submitted by Stacey at NewSunGraphics
Search Engine Optimization Experts
www.NewSunGraphics.com
Risk Factors:
We currently don’t know what exactly causes Alzheimer’s, and it remains a disease that is diagnosed by eliminating other possibilities. However, experts have found a number of factors that reoccur in Alzheimer’s patients. It is believed that a combination of the following factors can cause a person to be predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s.
1. Family history of the disease – especially a parent or sibling.
2. Heart-disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and diabetes.
3. Previous head injury
4. Environmental toxins
5. Advancing age
6. Stress- high levels of anxiety
Symptoms:
When an individual begins to develop Alzheimer’s, there won’t be any easily identifiable outward symptoms to use as evidence. As the disease progresses, memory lapses appear and slowly grow more serious. The individual may begin to forget the names of familiar people and places, forget the location of everyday objects, or have trouble finding the right words to express themselves. These symptoms are similar to that of a simply forgetful older mind. As we age, our memory isn’t as sharp as it once was, however an individual with Alzheimer’s will have a more noticeable and rapid decline in memory. If you notice this in a loved one, it is time to see a physician.
As time goes on and the disease progresses, the memory lapses will become more and more noticeable and serious. They will affect the individual’s daily life, hobbies, and work. As this happens, the person will often develop other cognitive problems such as:
· General confusion, disoriented to date, time, and place.
· Apathy, irritability, depression, and anxiety.
· Troubles with language, math, abstract thinking.
· Personality changes
· Later on in the disease paranoia and delusions may occur.
· At the end of the disease’s development, the individual may suffer total loss of self and control.
Main Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease:
Experts have identified a number of stages to help define and group people suffering from this devastating and difficult disease. With no cure the best thing you can do is be aware of what this disease may bring in the future and use this knowledge to help plan care for your loved one.
The following are the Three Main Stages:
1. Early-State – In the early stage, the individual will suffer memory loss and possibly some other cognitive difficulties, however, they can continue to function independently.
2. Mid-Stage – In the mid-stage, the disease has progressed past basic memory troubles and the individual’s mental abilities have continued to decline. They start to suffer personality changes and physical problems, and in turn become more dependent on caregivers.
3. Late-Stage – The late-stage is the most severe. Individuals will suffer complete deterioration of the personality and loss of control over bodily functions. They will become totally dependent on caregivers for even basic daily needs.
There is no set time as to when a person will progress from one stage to the other. One individual may move quickly from the early-stage to the mid-stage, while another may stay in the early-stage for several years. Every person is different. Here is a basic break down of the types of symptoms and their severity for each stage:
Symptoms of the Early-Stage:
· Confusion, forgets names and words, forgets their own history, less able to plan or think logically, poor judgment, and withdraws from social and mental challenges.
· Has trouble expressing themselves and comprehending reading material
· Becomes apathetic, anxious, agitated, insensitive to others’ feelings, tired
· Hoards objects of little value, forgets to do things like eat or eats only one kind of food.
Symptoms of the Mid-Stage:
· Forgets recent events, if they can’t remember they make something up instead.
· Trouble connecting names and faces of family and friends but still knows the difference between familiar and unfamiliar faces.
· Can no longer follow written or oral instructions, disoriented about the season, day of the week or time.
· Problems speaking, reading and writing, repeats stories
· Aggressive, suspicious, delusional, exaggeration of normal personality characteristics.
· Restless, pacing, talking to oneself, disoriented sleep-wake cycle.
Symptoms of the Late-Stage:
· Doesn’t recognize familiar people, can no longer smile, doesn’t speak or speaks incoherently, may cry or call out, groan or mumble. Cannot write or comprehend reading material.
· Cannot control their movements, cannot walk, stand or sit up without assistance. Can’t easily swallow and may choke on food.
· Needs complete assistance with all daily activities, requires full-time care.
· Frequent infections, seizures, abnormal reflexes.
· May refuse to eat or drink, little response to touch, exhausted
Submitted by Stacey at NewSunGraphics
Search Engine Optimization Experts
www.NewSunGraphics.com
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