Archive for July, 2010

Pilates – The Thinking Body

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s by Joseph Pilates, the Pilates method is a proprioceptive system that coordinates every movement you make in space and time. In other words, Pilates is as much about the mind as it is the body. Every exercise is designed to get you to know your own body.

Joseph Pilates, the creator of the Pilates, called his method Contrology, as it was created to teach people how to master their minds, giving them complete control over their bodies. For this reason, Pilates is known to create a thinking body.

We are all familiar with the five major senses: smell, hearing, sight, touch, and taste. However, we also get signals from other systems in our body which make up our proprioceptive system, or our own reception. This is where we receive signals that tells us that it’s time to eat, or that we are thirsty, or need to get some sleep. So, deep inside each and every one of us, there is an internal conversation going on between our body and our mind, and our mind has an instinctive way of controlling our muscles so that they do what we want them to do.

The movements designed by Joseph Pilates require the mind and body to work in harmony. They also require a great deal of concentration and precise movement. But with repetition and practice, we are able to fine tune our prioceptive sense and learn to focus our minds. Over time, our bodies will earn to perform these movements with control and precision, without even making us think about what we are doing. By performing Pilates, you can be sure that you will have more strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination than you thought was possible.

Herpes – A Highly Contagious STD

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Genital herpes, known specifically as herpes, is an STD caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is mainly passed on through direct contact with the vagina, genital skin or the mucous-covered linings within the mouth. This particular form of STD is a viral infection that enters ones skin or linings via the microscopic tears. The virus would then travel inside the body to settle permanently in the nerve roots within the spinal cord.

When an individual suffers a herpes outbreak, it means that the virus had already traveled through the nerve fibers and had met the original site of the infection. The moment the virus reaches the skin, blisters and redness emerge. Subsequent outbreaks will then be experienced sporadically right after the initial manifestation of the outbreak. They could emerge every week or years apart.

The HSV-1 or herpes simplex virus-1 and the HSV-2 or herpes simplex virus-2 are two forms of herpes that cause genital lesions. The HSV-1 is the one responsible for the blisters in the mouth area and the HSV-2 brings about lesions or genital sores around the anus area. People having suppressed immune systems, as a result of either stress, medications or infection, would normally experience longer and more frequent herpes outbreaks.

An estimated 50 million people living in the USA suffer from genital herpes. Roughly 60% of adults with sexually active lifestyles are infected with the herpes virus. One of the main reasons for this prevailing high rate of herpes infection is that many infected individuals are not aware that they are infected for the disease show little or no symptoms most of the time. Many would experience outbreaks with only having a symptom of minimal discomfort or mild itching. The longer the infection stays in the body the lesser the emergence of symptoms during outbreaks.

Herpes belongs to the list of the most stubborn viruses that ever afflicted human beings. More than two thirds of its sufferers experience reoccurring outbreaks for the rest of their lives. Although the recurring condition is not anymore as uncomfortable and painful than the earlier attacks, it still continues to be highly contagious. Always be aware that once the herpes comes out again, the skin and the entire body becomes extremely contagious. Thus, one should be careful to manage the repeated outbreaks and prevent transmitting the disease to others.

One of the best places to seek assistance after the outbreaks emerge is the private STD clinics. Visiting an STD clinic will help you control the spread and the severity of your herpes. These private clinics can provide you appropriate treatments and credible diagnosis of your condition. There medical personnel are highly trained to provide you with the proper way to manage and treat the disease. What separate these clinics from others is that they offer 100% confidentiality and are way much faster to provide test results. So, may it be herpes or any other forms of STDs you are experiencing, be wise to visit your nearest STD clinic and have yourself tested.

Genital Herpes – this is such a stubborn STD that keeps on recurring over the course of your lifetime. Learn more about this condition and discover ways on how to deal with it appropriately.

Experiencing Back Pain?

Monday, July 5th, 2010

If you experience daily chronic back pain, you may want to consider different shoes. Many people attribute their back pain to being on their feet too long or sleeping in a bad position and don’t consider the shoes they are wearing. On the soles of your feet are pressure points that can affect all parts of your body. Consider the problems that can occur from shoes that have a bad design or just don’t fit properly. Especially for people who work on their feet all day, the net effect from the wrong shoes can be severe back pain.

High Heels – Why Torture Yourself?

If you are a woman that wears high heels to work, you are setting yourself up for a back ache. Under normal circumstances, standing upright doesn’t cause a lot of stress on your body since it is a normal posture. There are a couple of muscles in your legs, the calf and shin muscles to be exact, which work together to maintain your posture. This is why you will sway slightly while standing for any length of time. This swaying is caused by the muscles working to keep your body aligned properly and is normal.

Wearing high heels causes your heels to be raised up and your toes to point forward which seriously limits the ability of your calf and shin muscles, or plantar muscles, from doing their job properly. In order for your body to compensate for this, other muscles, many in your back, must take up the slack. This extra work from your other muscles can tire them out and put them out of alignment. This is why serious back pain can be experienced after an extended time in heels. Not only do they cause discomfort in the short term, but permanent damage can be done over time.

Are Your Shoes Too Tight?

Tight shoes can also cause you to experience back pain for many of the same reasons that high heels do. Even if you are wearing orthopedic shoes that were designed well, if they are not a proper fit they can cause you pain. Never mind the pain in your feet, but your back muscles can become strained because you are not properly distributing your weight. Since you shoe is compressing your foot, the foot is not positioned in a natural position and the plantar muscles again are limited in what they can do. In order for the muscles in your body to work effectively together, they all must be doing their job properly. When you limit the work some muscles can do, you are effecting many other muscles in your body.

Just Need to Break Them In?

I am sure that many of us have been taught that shoes need to be broken in before they will really be comfortable. Nothing could be further from the truth. A properly designed and fitted pair of shoes should be comfortable from the moment you put them on. If there is any discomfort when you are trying on a shoe for the first time, they are probably not good shoes. If you intend on keeping them and “breaking them in” you are more likely to cause issues with your back and leg muscles. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really care for back pain. I would rather avoid it at all costs. Buy a pair of shoes that is designed to let your body work the way it is designed to, not fight against it.

Although there are certainly a lot of factors that can go into back pain, wearing the proper shoes can eliminate many of them.