Archive for September, 2009

Portable CPAP machines – now you can go camping!

This article is based on personal experience – the only kind I have!  About 3 years ago,  my wife suggested I see a sleep specialist upon waking to my gasps for air in the middle of the night.  She had gotten used to my snoring somewhat, but the gasping was creepy she said.  After my sleep study I was diagnosed as having “severe” sleep apnea (67 apneas per hour.)

Since using my CPAP machine, my apnea’s have been eliminated, but given the machines dependence on AC power,  I have had to say goodbye to camping trips with friends my family.  As I was looking around on the Internet for updated CPAP info, I came across the subject of portable CPAP machines.  I never thought this was an option, but then I remembered being told that the technology was quickly expanding in this field given how common this  problem is.

What I found was that the company Puritan Bennett makes a small CPAP (GoodKnight 420s) that has an option for being DC powered.  I immediately thought of a car battery, but how would I wire it up and lug that heavy thing around?  So I then looked into an easier method for DC power.  About the only thing I could find was an Absorbed Glass Mat Concorde Battery PVX-1040T.  This AGM battery was twice as expensive as a car battery but it is sealed instead of vented, preventing any spillage of electrolyte fluid.  Unfortunately, this battery weighs around 65 pounds, but at least it offers an option.  To connect a GoodKnight 410s CPAP to the terminals of a battery, a special power cord needs to be ordered with the CPAP.  You will also need to buy some battery terminal adapters.  Hopefully soon as the technology advances, there will be a lighter weight option for portable CPAP machines.


Archived under Sleep Comments

hemorrhoids home cure

Hemorrhoids, dilated veins in the rectum, are categorized into internal and external
hemorrhoids. Internal hemorrhoids occur well inside the rectum. Their most common symptom is bleeding associated with bowel movements. If they become quite large, they can prolapse, or protrude, through the anus and are then visible.

External hemorrhoids, caused by the dilation of rectal veins located closer to the anal
opening, are often symptomless, although they can cause itching and irritation. If a blood clot forms in an external hemorrhoid, there may be pain, but the situation is not dangerous.

Constipation is very common. Many people consumes a diet that is notoriously low in fiber, the components of food that helps the bowels work well. Possible long-term complications of internal hemorrhoids consist of anemia from chronic blood loss, infection, ulceration of the hemorrhoid and after that scarring then it heals, and, as mentioned, thrombosis or clotting in the vein. However, there are not common, especially if one avoids constipation and other situations that can make the hemorrhoids worse.

Some people do have weaker veins than others, but constipation can cause people to strain when defecating, and this increased pressure caused the veins to dilate further. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, whole wheat bread, oat meal and bran cereal as well as drinking plenty of water (some people say at least eight glasses a day) helps prevent constipation. In addition, pregnancy, prolonged standing, and straining to lift heavy objects increase pressure within the veins and can aggravate the hemorrhoids.

When hemorrhoids bleed or become painful, ointments or suppositories can be prescribed. The key treatment, however, is avoiding the straining that can make them worse.

So, how can you cure hemorrhoids naturally? By simply reversing all those modifiable causes.

Diet is one natural way – eating a lot of fibrous foods such as wheat, cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables and by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day can help cure hemorrhoids. Fiber softens stools, helping to make them painless to pass through the anus while preventing the development of hemorrhoids for those lucky not to have it yet.

Another way is the use of herbs and extracts such as aloe and witch hazel. There are claims that these extracts can soothe the pain and relieve the swelling. Applying ice packs can produce a similar soothing effect – by applying cold compress for 15 minutes, three times per day, swelling can also be reduced.

How can you cure hemorrhoids naturally? I’d say: there’s nothing more natural and efficient than having the right diet and regular exercise. It may take some time before you start to see results, so make sure you keep it up!

But if you want to know how to get rid of your hemorrhoids SUPER fast, pay attention!

Archived under Wellness Comments

Fasting and Quick Weight Loss Diets Are a World Apart

This is no story of horror. Instead of opting for quick weight loss diets, people fast and keep fasting on and on to lose weight. Yet how many actually succeed? Time and again studies have proved that fasting has helped man achieve nothing. Our body is not designed to work without the necessary fuel for it and this necessary fuel is provided by the food we eat. Starving your body will harm your body in many ways and to a great extent ruin it.

Many researchers even today claim that fasting could in fact lead to an increase in your weight as starving the body leads to keeping the fats in deposit as reserve for any absence of the next meal. What one achieves by fasting is a rapid weight loss and this will be undone as soon as the fast is called off. What you need is a quick weight loss diet. This diet will help you to feed your body in the right way and then you body can tune its metabolism in such a way as to help you lose weight in a gradual way.

A good quick weight loss diet will help you to maintain your own standard of living. Any diet plan that makes you to starve and makes you restless could not be safe for you. If you have any doubts in regard with the choice of your diet plan, you should immediately meet a doctor in this regard.

It also happens that people start on a quick weight loss diet plan and then not having the patience to complete, go in for a crash fasting course. Not only will this bring in no good for you, but it will undo all the good your body achieved so far from such diet plan. Another common perception of people is that quick weight loss diets and exercising do not go together. Nothing can be farther from the truth. In fact it is quite obvious that a good dieting plan cannot show any wonders unless you couple it with adequate physical activities.

Just a few pounds shed off and you can feel a complete difference in the way you feel about yourself. You will be much more confident to meet people and in fact you can now start your venture out to make a whole new life for yourself.

Archived under Nutrition Comments