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High blood pressure is a very common condition, especially for older people. The problem with the condition is that many people refuse to believe that they suffer from it. This leads to almost one-third of the population with high blood pressure to continue living life without a proper diagnosis. Those who have a family history of high blood pressure and hypertension, but have not seen their physician in a while should get themselves checked.

Waiting for the signs and symptoms to show up until acting on the condition is dangerous, but it does help when you know what to look for. Here are the common signs you may encounter when you have high blood pressure. When you reach the end of this list and you suspect that you need a check, head on to your local urgent care downtown Los Angeles facility for a proper diagnosis:

The Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of a person with high blood pressure with differ. Not everyone will feel the same, but generally, these are the symptoms most commonly experienced:

Frequent severe headaches

Feeling of confusion, fatigue, and sleepiness

Difficulty breathing properly

Ringing in the ears or tinnitus

Chest pains

Blurry or unfocused vision

Irregularity in heartbeat

Excessive sweating, even when resting

These symptoms will lead to a person feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. The difficulty in breathing may even cause others to panic and hyperventilate. Stay calm and try to breathe normally. Ask a friend or family member to bring you to the urgent care Downtown Los Angeles clinic to get help.

Reducing High Blood Pressure

Once you get diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is time to make a change in lifestyle. The condition will only worsen if you do not take care of your health and body. Here are a few tips to help you keep your blood pressure at a normal rate:

1. Stay Active – Moderate activities of at least 150 minutes spread throughout the day is perfect for keeping the heart healthy and pumping.

2. Maintain A Healthy Weight – If your doctor advises you lose weight, follow their orders. It is better for the body, the heart, and your blood pressure if you can shed a few pounds.

3. Eat Healthy – As part of a new lifestyle, your diet should change. Stick to a well-balanced meal that gives you all the nutrients you need, minus the empty calories.

4. Cut Down On Salt – Salt is a major culprit when it comes to blood pressure. Too much salt is bad for the body and the blood pressure. While you’re at it, skip the processed food because they contain a lot of salt and other additives.

5. Visit Your Doctor Regularly – Check in with your physician regularly to keep tabs on your progress and health. It is always great to hear that your blood pressure is stable and you are healthier than when you first got diagnosed with high blood pressure.

It isn’t easy to stay healthy, but it is rewarding. If you suspect that your blood pressure is high visit the urgent care Downtown Los Angeles clinic today to get a proper diagnosis. Don’t wait until it’s too late. It is your life on the line after all.

Sugarcane juice helps creates an alkaline environment in the body that prevent diseases like cancer.

There are some certain things we won't get to know until we're told: The health benefits of sugarcane juice is one of them.
Known and enjoyed for its sweetness, sugarcane juice is one of those rare gifts from Nature whose health benefits cannot be overemphasized.

The juice, which is one of a kind, is loaded with abundant carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and potassium.

It also contains vitamins A, B-complex, and C.

In addition, it is a fact that the thirty-six varieties grass plant has no fats. It is a 100% natural drink with about 30 grams of natural sugar.

However, before we proceed to the health benefits of sugarcane juice, it is important to note here that this wonderful plant can also be effective in the curing of skin issues like acne.

All that is required of you is to mix some multani mitti in the sugarcane juice and apply generously, the mask on your face and neck.

Additionally, owing to the presence of antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds in the juice, sugarcane can be said to be an active agent of soft and glowing skin.

What are the health benefits of sugarcane juice?
Here are some of the astonishing health benefits of sugarcane juice

1. Sugarcane juice prevents cancer
The secret to curing most diseases is to create an environment where it is impossible for them to thrive.

Sugarcane juice is alkaline in nature, and this is because of the high concentration of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and manganese.

Thus, sugarcane juice helps creates an alkaline environment in the body that prevent diseases like cancer, because cancer cannot survive in such an environment.

In summary, sugarcane juice helps in fighting various types of cancer which in breast and prostate cancer.

2. Sugarcane juice helps the liver to work better
It is quite sad that a good number of people do not know the usefulness of the liver to the human body.

Among the numerous functions of the liver, one of its major is to detoxify chemicals and metabolizes drugs. It also secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines.

However, once the liver starts losing its functional ability, the result is usually detrimental.

Sugarcane juice, on the other hand, is not only regarded as one of the best treatments for liver-related sicknesses, it also aids the liver to function better.

This can be done by drinking a glass of sugarcane juice mixed with lime, twice daily.

Another important function of this plant is that it maintains the glucose levels in your body. And being alkaline in nature, sugarcane juice helps maintain electrolyte balance, thus preventing the liver from going into overdrive.

3. Sugarcane juice promotes quick digestion
As a result of the high level of stress, processed foods, antibiotics, and chemicals in our food supply, our digestive system is gradually becoming affected on a daily basis.

Be that as it may, the high level of potassium in sugarcane juice makes it very good for the well-being of the digestive system.

In addition, sugarcane juice helps to prevent stomach infections and also aid the treatment of constipation.

4. It helps to fight infection and boost immune system
Sugarcane juice is loaded with antioxidants, and these antioxidants help to fight infections and boost the immune system of the body.

Again, we cannot help but state that it also protects the liver against infections and helps in keeping the bilirubin levels in control (Bilirubin is a reddish yellow pigment made during the normal breakdown of red blood cells. Normal levels vary slightly from lab to lab; they range from about 0.2 – 1.2 mg/dL).

This, among many other reasons, is why doctors’ advice jaundice patients to fight the sickness with sugar cane juice.
5. It prevents heart diseases and reduces weight
The presence of too much cholesterol in the blood walls the arteries, thus resulting in atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease.

Atherosclerosis narrows the arteries and slows, or even block, the flow of blood to the heart muscle.

Sugarcane juice, on the other hand, help reduce the bad cholesterol levels in the body; making it a preventing agent of heart disease.

And owing to the fact that sugarcane juice is high in soluble fibre, it also helps in weight reduction.

Cucumber, a long, green-skinned fruit with watery flesh, is usually eaten raw in salads or pickled. Although native to the Chinese Himalayan region, it is widely cultivated, but very rare in the wild.

Interestingly, cucumber is good overall health, especially during the summer, since they are mostly made of water and important nutrients essential for the body. The flesh of cucumbers is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and folic acid, while the hard skin is rich in fiber and a range of minerals, including magnesium, molybdenum, and potassium. Also, cucumber contains silica, a trace mineral that contributes greatly to strengthening connective tissues. They are known to heal many skin problems, under eye swelling and sunburn.

Cucumber also contains ascorbic and acids, which prevent water loss. Other benefits include:

Protection of brain

Cucumber contains an anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin that plays an important role in brain health. In addition to improving your memory and protecting your nerve cells from age-related decline, fisetin has been found to prevent progressive memory and learning impairments in mice with Alzheimer’s disease.

Reduction of cancer

Cucumber contains polyphenols called lignans (pinoresinol, lariciresinol, and secoisolariciresinol), which may help to lower the risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers. It also contains phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which also have anti-cancer properties.

Keeps body hydrated

If you are too busy to drink enough water, munch on the cool cucumber, which is 96 per cent water. It will cheerfully compensate.

Fights inflammation

Cucumber may help to “cool” the inflammatory response in the body, and animal studies suggest that it reduce unwanted inflammation, in part by inhibiting the activity of pro-inflammatory enzymes (including cyclo-oxygenase 2, or COX-2).

Freshens breath

Placing a cucumber slice on the roof of your mouth may help to rid your mouth of odor-causing bacteria. According to the principles of Ayurveda, eating cucumbers may also help to release excess heat in your stomach, which is said to be a primary cause of bad breath.

Manages stress

Cucumber contains multiple B vitamins, including Vitamin B1, Vitamin B5, and Vitamin B7 (biotin). B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress.

Pumpkin leaf (Ugwu)is one of the commonly consumed dark green leafy vegetables in Nigeria and many of us in Nigeria have been eating Ugwu without really realising the benefits.
This type of vegetable is so versatile and can be recognised as a cure to some of our illness if only we can look deep into its benefits.
While many people prefer to cook it as a vegetable with all the condiments that help wet the appetite, some just boil and eat it plain like that or blend it into a shake.

See the following health benefits of Ugwu:

1. Contains a healthy amount of vitamins.
2. Prevention of convulsion- the young leaves are sliced and mixed with salt and coconut water and then stored in a bottle for treatment of convulsion.
3. Lowers cholesterol- leaves have hypolipidemic effect and may be a useful therapy in hypercholesterolemia.

4. Boosts fertility- a study shows that ugu has the ability to regenerate testicular damage and increase spermatogenesis.
5. Protects the liver.
6. Has antibacterial effect.
7. Rich in iron and can be used to cure anaemia.
8. Can be used by nursing mothers to lactate properly.

9. Is good for diabetics as it has sugar reducing effects.
10. Increases blood volume, boosts the immune system and has a high protein content.

The Federal Ministry of Health has advised Nigerians to avoid eating monkeys, bushmeat and dead animals as doing so could open one to the risk of Monkey Pox disease.

A medical doctor and no fewer than 10 persons have reportedly been quarantined in Bayelsa as a result of the virus. The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said this in a statement by the Director, Media and Public Relations in the ministry, Mrs. Boade Akinola, on Thursday.

Adewole said the disease neither had a cure nor a vaccine, noting, however, that there was no cause for alarm as it was mild.

The statement read in part, "He (Adewole) said the virus was mild and there was no known treatment and no preventive vaccines, hence the public should be at alert and avoid crowded places as much as possible.

He advised the public to avoid eating dead animals, bushmeat and particularly bush monkeys." The minister also revealed that test samples had been sent to the World Health Organisation (laboratory) in Senegal but the result was still being awaited.

He, however, called on Nigerians, who had symptoms of fever, back pain and rashes resembling chicken pox, to report to the hospital. The statement added, "The symptoms include headache, fever, back pains and in advanced cases, rashes bigger than those caused by chicken pox."

A suspected case of MonkeyPox disease has been discovered in Edo State.

The patient is currently receiving treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

Management of the hospital who disclosed this on Tuesday said samples have been taken for test and result was being awaited from the designated World Health Organization (WHO) accredited test center.

Public Relations of the hospital, Mr. Uwaila Joshua, in a statement said the patient was responding to treatment and was undergoing further evaluations.

Mr. Uwaila said the hospital's Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof.Darlinton Obaseki, in preparation for a possible outbreak of MonkeyPox virus in the state equipped an isolated complex designed to give emergency treatment to patients affected with the disease.

According to the statement, "The good news is that the patient is recovering very fast and we presently do not have any reason to worry.

"The UBTH in conjunction with the relevant agencies in the state government and local Government health authorities are working together and monitoring close contacts of this person and so far, no one has come down with the sickness.

"There is no need or cause for concern or worry and no danger posed to staff or patients of the hospital. The patient is in an isolated complex. The hospital is ready and prepared to contain any situation if there is need to. As at now, there is no cause for alarm", it stated.

The elongated fruit which is usually in a curved form is an edible fruit with soft succulent flesh.
Apart from the fact that people eat bananas because of its sweet taste, there are so many health benefits from just eating them.

An average banana which is about 126 grams contains 110 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrate, a gram of protein without fat, cholesterol and sodium. It also provides a whole of vitamins and minerals in different varieties.

From fighting against depression to fighting cancer, and helping pregnant women with morning sickness.

The banana does have many advantages.

Here are the health benefits of including bananas in your daily diet

1. Depression
Ever wondered why a banana is called the happy fruit. Not just because it looks like a wide smile but because it contains a high level of tryptophan which is converted into serotonin a brain neurotransmitter which put people in a happy mood. It helps to fight depression.

Banana also regulates blood sugar and produces enzymes which relieve stress.

2. Helps Digestion and cures constipation
Bananas are rich in pectin which helps indigestions.

It produces digestive enzymes which help to take in nutrients and also removes toxins from the bloodstream.

It also acts as a prebiotic which stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the bowel which helps to fight constipation.

3. Cancer
Bananas have a high level of vitamin C that aids in the reduction of the formation of free radicals which is known to cause cancer.

HOME > LIFESTYLE > FOOD TRAVEL ARTS CULTURE > WHY YOU SHOULD INCLUDE BANANA IN YOUR DAILY DIET
Healthy Eating
Why you should include banana in your daily diet

Olugboyinwa Ajomale | 20:19 | 31.10.2017
Apart from the fact that people eat bananas because of its sweet taste, there are so many health benefits from just eating them.

24/7 Live - Subscribe to the Pulse Newsletter!

Enter email address...
  Subscribe
Bunch of bananas
Bunch of bananas  (Food.ndtv.com)
The elongated fruit which is usually in a curved form is an edible fruit with soft succulent flesh.
Apart from the fact that people eat bananas because of its sweet taste, there are so many health benefits from just eating them.

An average banana which is about 126 grams contains 110 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrate, a gram of protein without fat, cholesterol and sodium. It also provides a whole of vitamins and minerals in different varieties.

From fighting against depression to fighting cancer, and helping pregnant women with morning sickness.

The banana does have many advantages.

Here are the health benefits of including bananas in your daily diet

1. Depression
Ever wondered why a banana is called the happy fruit. Not just because it looks like a wide smile but because it contains a high level of tryptophan which is converted into serotonin a brain neurotransmitter which put people in a happy mood. It helps to fight depression.

Banana puts you in a happy mood  (Detechter.com)
Banana also regulates blood sugar and produces enzymes which relieve stress.

2. Helps Digestion and cures constipation
Bananas are rich in pectin which helps indigestions.

Banana helps digestion  (Medindia.net)
It produces digestive enzymes which help to take in nutrients and also removes toxins from the bloodstream.

It also acts as a prebiotic which stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the bowel which helps to fight constipation.

3. Cancer
Bananas have a high level of vitamin C that aids in the reduction of the formation of free radicals which is known to cause cancer.

Banana helps to prevent cancer  (Healthyreaders)
They are also rich in fibre which helps to reduce the risk of kidney and colorectal cancer.

This risk of a child developing Leukemia is also reduced if bananas are given to a child in the first two years after being born.

4. It reduces high blood pressure and heart diseases
Bananas are also very rich in Potassium which plays a huge role when it comes to blood pressure. The presence of potassium helps in the reduction of high blood pressure.

The presence of fibre, potassium, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas help to reduce cardiovascular diseases. Eat more bananas to avoid having a heart attack.

HOME > LIFESTYLE > FOOD TRAVEL ARTS CULTURE > WHY YOU SHOULD INCLUDE BANANA IN YOUR DAILY DIET
Healthy Eating
Why you should include banana in your daily diet

Olugboyinwa Ajomale | 20:19 | 31.10.2017
Apart from the fact that people eat bananas because of its sweet taste, there are so many health benefits from just eating them.

24/7 Live - Subscribe to the Pulse Newsletter!

Enter email address...
  Subscribe
Bunch of bananas
Bunch of bananas  (Food.ndtv.com)
The elongated fruit which is usually in a curved form is an edible fruit with soft succulent flesh.
Apart from the fact that people eat bananas because of its sweet taste, there are so many health benefits from just eating them.

An average banana which is about 126 grams contains 110 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrate, a gram of protein without fat, cholesterol and sodium. It also provides a whole of vitamins and minerals in different varieties.

From fighting against depression to fighting cancer, and helping pregnant women with morning sickness.

The banana does have many advantages.

Here are the health benefits of including bananas in your daily diet

1. Depression
Ever wondered why a banana is called the happy fruit. Not just because it looks like a wide smile but because it contains a high level of tryptophan which is converted into serotonin a brain neurotransmitter which put people in a happy mood. It helps to fight depression.

Banana puts you in a happy mood  (Detechter.com)
Banana also regulates blood sugar and produces enzymes which relieve stress.

2. Helps Digestion and cures constipation
Bananas are rich in pectin which helps indigestions.

Banana helps digestion  (Medindia.net)
It produces digestive enzymes which help to take in nutrients and also removes toxins from the bloodstream.

It also acts as a prebiotic which stimulates the growth of good bacteria in the bowel which helps to fight constipation.

3. Cancer
Bananas have a high level of vitamin C that aids in the reduction of the formation of free radicals which is known to cause cancer.

Banana helps to prevent cancer  (Healthyreaders)
They are also rich in fibre which helps to reduce the risk of kidney and colorectal cancer.

This risk of a child developing Leukemia is also reduced if bananas are given to a child in the first two years after being born.

4. It reduces high blood pressure and heart diseases
Bananas are also very rich in Potassium which plays a huge role when it comes to blood pressure. The presence of potassium helps in the reduction of high blood pressure.

The presence of fibre, potassium, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas help to reduce cardiovascular diseases. Eat more bananas to avoid having a heart attack.

ALSO READ: Top 7 foods that lower blood pressure

5. Diabetes
An average banana gives about 3 gram of fibre.

Eating banana is a good fruit for diabetic patients. For patients with the Type 1 diabetes, they need to consume high-fibre and bananas are rich in fibre.

Also, patients with type 2 diabetes tend to have an improved blood sugar level and insulin level when they eat more of bananas.  One medium banana provides about 3 grams of fiber.

6. Diarrhoea
People lose a lot of electrolyte in their bodies like potassium when they have diarrhoea. Banana helps to regain all the potassium loss. Banana is a good treatment for diarrhoea

7. Boost the sex drive
Bananas contain an enzyme called bromelain, which helps to boost the sex drive and also helps to combat impotency in men.

Losing just five percent of your total body weight if you’re obese can lessen your risk of several factors linked to diabetes and heart disease.
It’s no surprise that your behaviors can influence your lifespan, but the extent they can do so can be encouraging: Combining three simple lifestyle habits can increase your lifespan by 11 years, a new study published in the journal Health Affairs suggests.
In the study, researchers gathered data from over 14,000 people ages 50-plus on their weight and smoking and drinking habits, and classified them as either high or low risk. “High risk” included current smoking, drinking 14 or more alcoholic drinks a week for men, and having a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30.

They found that a 50 year-old man who never smoked—meaning, less than 100 cigarettes in his life—has a BMI of less than 30, and drinks 14 or fewer drinks a week will likely live more than 11 years longer than a 50-year-old obese man who smoked and drinks more than that benchmark.

And it’s not just years in general these healthy-habits guys gained: They were more likely to live disability-free longer, too. People were considered to be living with a disability when they reported a limitation in one of the five activities of daily living, including walking, dressing, bathing, getting in and out of bed, and eating.

“The years we gain through a healthy lifestyle are years in good health,” study author Mikko Myrskylä, Ph.D., said in a statement.

Some other good news? Even if you smoked up in the past, you’re not completely sunk. Former smokers of a healthy weight who drank moderately and quit smoking 10 years or more before the survey began had overall and disability-free life expectancies that were only one year shorter than never-smokers with the same other criteria.

This study didn’t look at the effects of losing weight on life expectancy, but past studies suggest that reducing the length of time a person is obese can improve their health incomes, the researchers write.

In fact, losing just five percent of your total body weight if you’re obese can lessen your risk of several factors linked to diabetes and heart disease, as we reported.

As guys are getting bigger, one thing is getting smaller: their sperm counts.
Over the last four decades, men’s sperm counts have been declining, a new review and meta-regression analysis from the journal Human Reproduction Update concludes.

Researchers crunched the data from 185 studies containing nearly 43,000 men who provided semen samples from 1973 to 2011. During that time period, they found that both total sperm count and sperm concentration significantly declined for men in “Western” areas, including North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

In particular, sperm concentration declined about 1.4 percent each year, for a total drop of 52 percent over that time period. Total sperm count declined 1.6 percent each year, for an overall drop of 59 percent.

This shows that there was no “leveling off” of the decline in recent years, the study authors write. As a result, more and more men are meeting sperm count criteria for poor fertility or infertility, meaning that conception can be more difficult.

And poor fertility issues are just one possible effect of this: Recent studies have linked lower sperm count to overall health issues, including disease and premature death, the study notes.

“A decline in sperm count might be considered as a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for male health across the lifespan,” the researchers write.

So what’s to blame? This study didn’t delve into the possible causes, but a few jump to mind: Environmental influences—including endocrine-disrupting chemicals—come to mind, as well as a Westernized diet, smoking, and growing rates of obesity.

Cleaning up your diet may help. In fact, a 2015 studyfrom Taiwan found that the more than men followed a Western diet—high in animal protein, processed foods, and fat and sugar—the worse their sperm concentration and the normally-shaped sperm they tended to have. Adding omega-3s, found in things like walnuts, may help sperm quality.

There are lots of ways you can waste a minute: scrolling blindly through your social media feed, picking a hangnail, or simply staring out the window wishing 5:00 p.m. would roll around.
But here’s one way you could actually put that 60 seconds to good use. Take a one-minute test to gauge your risk of prediabetes, a precursor to diabetes that affects an estimated 1 in 3 Americans.

Bonus: Your one-minute task won’t even feel like work at all, since you’ll be watching discoing baby goat, vacationing hedgehogs, or wrestling puppies while you take the test.

That’s thanks to a new joint-venture campaign from the Ad Council, American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They developed these quick, eye-catching videos filled with cute animals to raise awareness for prediabetes detection. It’s a big problem, since despite its prevalence, prediabetes usually goes unnoticed. In fact, nearly 90 percent have no idea they have it, according to the CDC.

The super easy test asks you just six questions, including your sex, your age, if you have a family history of diabetes, and if you have high blood pressure, are inactive, or are overweight. Then, you add up your points. If it’s above a certain level, you likely have prediabetes.

Of course, no online test can definitively diagnose prediabetes. You’ll need to go to your doctor for that, who will likely order a blood test to be sure. Results between 5.7 to 6.4 percent on the A1C test or fasting plasma glucose between 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter qualify as prediabetes.

Knowing you have prediabetes is crucial, since treating it—either by glucose-lowering drugs like metformin or diet and exercise changes—can delay or prevent the onset of full-blown diabetes.

That’s important, since avoiding diabetes can protect you from the serious complications of the disease, like damage to your kidneys, nerves, eyes, and heart, as we reported.

​The surprising information was dug up in the wake of President Trump's latest controversy.

By now, you’ve probably heard about President Donald Trump’s tweets that claim medical care for transgender troops would put a “tremendous burden” on the military and the subsequent outrage that’s come from the public as a result.
But there’s some surprising side information that’s come out of this: The U.S. military spends a lot of money each year on erectile dysfunction meds.

The Washington Post crunched some numbers and found that the highest estimated cost of medical care for transgender troops would be $8.4 million a year. Here’s the thing: That’s about 20 percent of what the military spends on Viagra, which, by the way, is $41.6 million. Of course, Viagra isn’t the only ED medication out there. If you total up all of the prescriptions written for ED for U.S. troops, you’re looking at $84.24 million spent on the condition by the government.

That number comes courtesy of a 2015 Military Timesarticle, which analyzed data from the Department of Defense and found that since 2011, the military has spent a whopping $294 million picking up the tab for drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. (That’s the equivalent of nearly four U.S. Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, they helpfully point out.)

USA Today cites data from the Defense Health Agency that found that military beneficiaries—which include active-duty personnel, veterans, and eligible family members—filled nearly 1.18 million prescriptions for erectile dysfunction medications through the Department of Defense’s system in 2014. More than 900,000 of those prescriptions were for Viagra, nearly 186,000 were for Cialis, and about 1,700 were for Revatio.

It can be hard to put those numbers into context, but it’s worth pointing out that 8 million prescriptions were written for Viagra in 2012, per CNN. That’s just for Viagra and it uses numbers from two years before the DoD data, but it seems that the U.S. military provides a solid chunk of business to the ED market.

Of course, it’s important to point out that ED is a serious condition and it can dramatically impact a person’s life—that’s why these medications are used so often. According to USA Today, the rate of ED among active-duty military personnel more than doubled from 2004 to 2014 and more than half of the cases were classified as “psychogenic,” i.e. the ED was related to something psychiatric vs. a physical cause. (ED has many potential causes, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, illness, and aging.)

Want to keep your brain sharp? The answer might be on your plate: People who eat more lutein show brain responses similar to that of those years younger, a new study in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience suggests.
In the study, researchers recruited 60 people ages 25 to 45, and measured their levels of a specific carotenoid called lutein, a nutrient found in green, leafy vegetables like spinach or kale, avocadoes, and eggs. Then, they measured their brain activity and neuron responses while performing an attention-heavy task.

Their findings? Older people who had higher levels of lutein displayed neural responses that were more on par with their younger counterparts who had lower levels of lutein, study author Anne Walk, Ph.D., said in a statement.

It seems like lutein plays a protective role in your brain, since the people with higher levels of it were able to devote more resources to completing the task.

The study didn’t look at how exactly the nutrient helps, but past studies have shows that lutein exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, which may help improve brain function.

Two important notes: The study couldn’t prove cause and effect, meaning we can’t say for sure whether it was the increase in lutein that was responsible for the attention boost. And it was also funded by the Haas Avocado Board—their produce, of course, which is a rich source of lutein.

Still, the study did undergo peer review, and the findings are intriguing. But before firm conclusions can be drawn, more research needs to be done: The research team is currently running intervention trials to see if actually increasing the amount of lutein in people’s diets can increase cognitive performance.

Sensitive teeth can make that summer ice cream a little less sweet. But there may be some help in sight for that cold-induced tooth pain: A new material developed with a green tea extract may fight tooth sensitivity, a new study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces suggests.
Tooth sensitivity occurs when a protective coating on the crowns of your teeth called enamel or the layer covering your tooth root called cementum wear away, revealing a bony tissue called dentin.

Without the protective coating, heat or cold can reach the nerves inside the tooth, causing hypersensitivity or a sharp pain when you eat something hot or cold.

Dentists usually use a mineral called nanohydroxyapatite to plug up tubes in the dentin to stop the liquids and food from reaching the nerves. Problem is, the material doesn’t last long, and doesn’t really stand up well to regular brushing or exposure to acid produced by bacteria in your mouth, the researchers said in a statement.

That’s when the researchers decided to combine a green tea extract called EGCG—which previous studies have shown to fight the bacteria that causes the buildup of cavity-promoting plaque—with nanohydroxyapatite in silica particles, which can stand up to wear and tear.

When they tested the combination on extracted wisdom teeth, they found it plugged up dentin, released ECGC for at least 96 hours, and prevented plaque formation and tooth erosion.

This shows that the material may be good candidate to fight booth tooth sensitivity and cavities, the researchers say.

Still, the research is still very preliminary, and the material isn’t available for use yet. In the meantime, check out 6 weird tooth pains, explained, to see how you can ease your sensitive teeth now.

Picture this: You're out on your deck, enjoying a few cold ones with friends as the sun sets. It seems like a perfect summer night until you're suddenly attacked by blood-sucking, disease-ridden animals.
No, this isn't a cheesy horror flick. It's what happens every time you come into contact with mosquitoes. And the itchy bug bites are the least of your worries.

West Nile Virus, malaria, and Zika are among the many diseases you open yourself up to when skeeters attack.

Thankfully, Dan Rojas of Green Power Science has come up with an ingenious, pesticide-free way of eliminating the little bugs.

Watch Rojas describe below how he killed 8,000 mosquitoes in just two nights, and then check out what you'll need for your own set-up.
Measures to reduce the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry the Zika virus, as well as dengue and chikungunya, will remain in place 
Picture this: You're out on your deck, enjoying a few cold ones with friends as the sun sets. It seems like a perfect summer night until you're suddenly attacked by blood-sucking, disease-ridden animals.
No, this isn't a cheesy horror flick. It's what happens every time you come into contact with mosquitoes. And the itchy bug bites are the least of your worries.

West Nile Virus, malaria, and Zika are among the many diseases you open yourself up to when skeeters attack.

Thankfully, Dan Rojas of Green Power Science has come up with an ingenious, pesticide-free way of eliminating the little bugs.

Watch Rojas describe below how he killed 8,000 mosquitoes in just two nights, and then check out what you'll need for your
What You'll Need
high-powered fan

screen material

a bottle of seltzer water

a few rare-earth magnets

solution of half rubbing alcohol, half water

How It Works
1 Cover the back of your fan with regular screen material. Rojas recommends a MaxxAir drum fan that you can find at normal hardware stores.

2 Use rare-earth magnets to anchor the screen in place.

3 Turn the fan on. The power of the fan sucking in air is strong enough to trap nearby mosquitoes against the screen material.

4 Place a partially opened bottle of seltzer water behind the fan. The carbon dioxide released from the seltzer attracts the mosquitoes to fly towards the trap.

5 After a day or so, spray the screen with your diluted alcohol solution. This will kill any remaining living mosquitoes.

6 Instead of throwing the dead bugs out, you can return them to nature. The alcohol will soon evaporate, making the mosquitoes safe to be eaten by other animals.

There might be a silver lining to your daily after-work beer: People who drink frequently may be more likely to make it to 85 without dementia, a new study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found.
In the study of over 1,300 older adults, the researchers discovered that those who drank almost daily—five to seven days a week—were about twice as likely to reach age 85 without cognitive impairment than those who drank less. And they were more than three times as likely to make it to that age at all.

The amount seemed to matter, too: People who drank moderately to heavily—up to four drinks a day for men—were significantly more likely to hit old age with their cognitive functions intact than non-drinkers were.

Moderate alcohol consumption may boost good cholesterol while decreasing the bad kind, and boost antioxidant activity in the body—possibly preserving optimal blood flow to the brain, the researchers say. Alcohol may also stimulate the release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which may be beneficial for learning and memory.

Still, before you get too excited, the researchers are quick to point out that boozing it up is likely not solely responsible for living longer and sharper. That’s because alcohol consumption—particularly wine—is more common in people with higher income and education levels, which is linked to better health outcomes, due to things like lower rates of smoking and better access to health care, they said in a statement.

So limit your daily booze consumption to up to two drinks a day—that’s the max recommended. And if you want other ways to protect your brain, try upping your fruit intake. Eating citrus fruits nearly every day can cut your risk of dementia by 23 percent, as we reported.

When you look at top model Brad Kroenig’s body, “lean” and “ripped” are probably the first words that come to mind.
For most guys looking to get that kind of physique, there are usually two questions that follow: What does he eat? And how often does he work out?

Kroenig—who has worked with Chanel, Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, and more during his two-decade streak in modeling—hit his peak weight at 180 pounds. After he noticed a dip in his energy levels, he decided to take his diet into a different direction, the New York Post reports.

“In June 2016, he embarked upon a diet that was radical, at least for members of the fashion tribe. No, his weight-loss plan didn’t involve periodic fasting or extreme juicing. Rather, Kroenig started eating carbs—cups and cups of them each day,” the NY Post notes.

“I’m almost 40 and in the best physical and mental shape of my life,” he says.

The thing is, eating carbs shouldn’t be radical for anyone. Kroenig downs about six cups of rice a day, but when you look at the grand scheme of his 2,400-calorie diet, it’s not exactly as unhealthy as it sounds.

That’s because “carbohydrates are the only nutrients that exist solely to fuel the body,” Donald Layman, Ph.D., a professor of human nutrition at the University of Illinois told Men’s Health in 2016. Your body relies on that glucose to power you through a long day or tough workout.

In fact, 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories should come from carbs, according to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. So, say Kroenig was relying solely on six cups of white rice for his daily carb intake. At roughly 133 calories per cup, that would make up about 42 percent of his daily calories, not counting fruit or other forms of carbs he chooses to eat that day. That puts him right in the recommended range.

But keep in mind that the quality of your carbs matter. Complex carbs found in starchy vegetables and whole grains will always outweigh the refined carbs you’ll find in junk food and processed snacks. (Read up on everything you need to know about eating the right kind of carbs here.)

Obviously, rice isn’t the only thing Kroenig eats. Grilled meats and steamed vegetables paired with rice are a go-to for lunch and dinner, while his breakfast consists of hard boiled eggs and black coffee, sometimes with a piece of fruit on the side. If he gets sick of basmati rice, he’ll opt for sweet potatoes instead. Based off that, Kroenig sticks to an extremely disciplined plan, and balances his carb intake with hefty doses of protein, too.

Plus, “cheat days” aren’t really a thing for him: “Maybe some pizza or cake for my kid’s birthday, but really that’s all,” he tells the NY Post.

It’s also important to note that a big part of the reason Kroenig rocks visible abs has more to do with how muchhe’s eating rather than what he’s eating. He’s taking in 2,400 calories a day, which is slightly under the USDA’s recommended amount of 2,600 calories for a moderately active man his age, and quite a bit below 3,000, the recommended amount for an active guy. (Find out how many calories you need here.)

Combine that with his workout plan—he completes a 40-minute strength workout three times a week, supplemented with walking or hiking with his kids throughout the rest of the week, according to the NY Post—and that may explain how he stays so lean.While Kroenig admits that his diet can be hard to stick with, the results have been worth it for him—but that doesn’t necessarily mean what works for him will work for you. In the end, the best diet will always be the one you can actually follow, whether that is the ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, or loading up on healthy carbs. Finding a plan that your body personally responds to that you can consistently follow is key—male model or not.

Here’s a secret that you probably won’t hear from your friends at the gym: As long as you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, there’s a good chance that you don’t need to take supplements at all.
Yes, it’s true. Unless you have a medical condition, the average guy should eat his vitamins in real food—not swallow them in pill form.

“The purpose of a supplement is to correct a deficiency,” says Leslie Bonci, R.D., a nutrition consultant for the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Pirates. “You can’t take lot of supplements and eat a crappy diet, which is something that can end up happening.”

While you can’t bottle up a healthy diet, you can plug up the nutritional gaps and give yourself an extra edge in the gym with the best supplements for men. Here are four supplements that can help—but seriously: talk to your doctor before you take them.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays a major role in boosting our bone health and warding off osteoporosis by helping the body absorb calcium. It shores up our immune system health, helping to fight off viruses and other bacteria, and may also reduce your risk for prostate and colon cancer. Unfortunately, however, vitamin D is notoriously hard to find in food.

Adults need 600 IUs of D each day, but studies suggest up to 75 percent of us are lacking in this vitamin. Your doctor can measure your levels of D with a blood test; if your numbers are low, you may want to pop a supplement. A follow-up test can tell you how well you’re absorbing the vitamin; different people metabolize D at different rates, says Bonci.

What to look for: A capsule that contains 1,000 IUs is a reasonable starting point, says Bonci. Supplements that contain vitamin D3, which is the same type of vitamin that your body makes after being exposed to the sun, are your best bet.

Creatine
Commonly found in seafood and red meat, creatine is a chemical that can help boost muscle growth and increase short-term athletic performance (think: sprinting, not endurance running), mainly by helping the body generate ATP, or energy stores.

Vegetarians might see more benefits in creatine supplementation than their meat-eating counterparts, says Bonci, since their diets can be lower in creatine-containing foods. She also notes that the effects can vary from person to person: “Some people respond to creatine very well, whereas others don’t, even in higher doses,” she says.

What to look for: The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends opting for a form of creatine called “creatine monohydrate.” Not only is it the most widely studied form, but is more effective at boosting lean muscle mass and high-intensity exercise performance than the other available types, including creatine citrate, serum, nitrate, and more.

Whey Protein
This protein supplement is made from the watery part of milk that separates from the curds when making cheese. Whey protein powders are commonly used by athletes and weightlifters who are looking to build muscle. Long considered the gold standard of protein powders, whey protein is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the amino acids necessary for muscle growth and repair. It also contains one of the highest amounts of leucine, an amino acid that’s thought to be the most important player in the muscle building process.

What to look for: Whey protein should contain about 2 to 3 grams of leucine for every 30-gram serving. Research suggests that leucine’s muscle-building benefits hit a plateau after we exceed the 3-gram threshold.

Multivitamin
Experts overwhelmingly agree that supplements aren’t a substitute for a healthy diet. That’s because whole foods contain more than just vitamins and minerals—they also contain fiber, protein, and more. But for people who are missing out on certain nutrients—take, for example, someone who avoids the sun and might not be absorbing enough vitamin D—it makes sense to fill in the nutritional gaps with a supplement. “Think of your diet like a symphony,” says Bonci. “You need all the instruments available in the right amounts and tones.”

What to look for: Supplements should contain both vitamins and minerals, says Bonci, mostly in doses that are under 250% to 300% of the daily recommended intakes. “You don’t need mega-doses,” she says. “Our body can only absorb so much of these nutrients at a time.”

Best Multivitamin: One a Day Multivitamin, Men’s Health Formula. With 20 vitamins and minerals, this all-in-one tablet contains (reasonably!) high amounts of nutrients, including 700 IUs of the hard-to-get vitamin D3.

You may need a colon cancer screening sooner than you think

New research suggests younger people are at a greater cancer risk than we thought.

It’s pretty much a rite of passage as you get older: Once you hit your 50th birthday, you get a colonoscopy. But now, new research presented at the 25th United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week Barcelona suggests that men might be waiting too long for that important colon cancer screening.
In the study, researchers analyzed more than 6,000 colonoscopies performed in France, and broke down the results by age. They discovered a sharp rise in the number of abnormal findings once the participants hit age 45.

For example, the number of colon polyps—small growths which can develop into cancer—nearly doubled from the 40 to 44-year-old age group to the 45 to 49-year-old group. That’s much smaller than the 19 percent increase in polyps detected from the 45 to 49-year-old group to the 50 to 54-year-old group.

The researchers looked at the detection rate of neoplasms, or the abnormal, uncontrolled growth of tissue that’s characteristic of cancer. They discovered the detection rate in the 45 to 49-year-old group was about 400 percent more than that of the 40 to 44-year-old group.

Even when the researchers excluded patients with a personal or family history of polyps or colon cancer—factors which can up their risk, too—they still found that detection rates for polyps and neoplasm were significantly higher in the 45 to 49-year-old group than in those under 45.

“Regardless of the type of screening that is in place, the results of our research strongly indicate that screening for colorectal cancer should begin at the age of 45," study author David Karsenti, M.D., said in a press release.

So what does this mean for national colon cancer screening guidelines? Currently, the American College of Gastroenterology recommends that colon cancer screening for non-symptomatic, average risk people—those without a family history of the disease—should begin at age 50. Average-risk African Americans, however, should already be starting screening at age 45, since they tend to have a higher chance of developing it at a younger age.

Plus, if you have a family history of colon cancer, your doctor may recommend you get screened earlier—at age 40, or 10 years before the cancer was first diagnosed in your relative, whichever is earlier.

It’s important to note that these recent findings were presented at a conference, so they haven’t yet undergone peer review—a vetting process necessary before research is published in medical journals, for instance.

Another important note: The people in the study who underwent colonoscopies were referred to gastroenterologists. That may mean they were already showing concerning symptoms that prompted that visit in the first place. Colon cancer symptoms include blood in your stool, a change in bowel habits, cramping or abdominal pain, or unintended weight loss.

“If these patients had symptoms and the colonoscopy was done for diagnostic rather than screening purposes, they may represent a higher risk cohort,” says Mark B. Pochapin, M.D., FACG, vice president of the American College of Gastroenterology.

So it’s still premature to talk about whether these findings will change the current screening guidelines. That’s a bigger process, and the guidelines take into account a whole bunch of relevant research out there on the topic to come to a consensus—they’re not just based on one study.

“We are always reviewing our guidelines to reflect the most up-to-date data,” says Dr. Pochapin. “Any new data, such as that presented at the UEG Week, will be assessed and considered in the context of the current knowledge.

Bottom line: current guidelines, as mentioned above, still apply for colon cancer screening. But it's important to note that they are talking about preventive screening, though: If you are showing possible colon cancer symptoms, you need to see a doctor. He may recommend a colonoscopy to look for colon cancer.

The best thing you can do for your health? Know your family history—make sure to relay that info to your doctor—and don’t ignore any digestive symptoms you have, says Dr. Pochapin.

“Be persistent about getting an accurate diagnosis and resolution of those symptoms,” he says. “Especially for people having rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, don’t just assume it’s hemorrhoids. You need to see a doctor to rule out a more serious problem—and to treat and resolve the symptoms.”

A Libyan coastguard guards some of 147 migrants rescued attempting to reach Europe on June 27, 2017
» more A Libyan coastguard guards some of 147 migrants rescued attempting to reach Europe on June 27, 2017  (AFP)

The bodies of at least 25 migrants who drowned trying to reach Europe were found near Tripoli Tuesday, the Libyan Red Crescent said.
Some of the corpses were washed ashore on a beach near the Libyan capital, but most were on rocks off the suburb of Tajoura in a state of decomposition, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

The onset of warm weather has seen a surge in migrants boarding boats for the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, putting pressure on rescue services.

Italy's coastguard said more than 8,000 migrants had been rescued off the coast of Libya in a 48-hour period to Tuesday.

Its Libyan counterpart said it had rescued 147 migrants, including 19 women and four children, off the western town of Sabratha on Tuesday morning.

Most were young people from Cameroon, Sudan, Mali and Senegal, said Libyan navy spokesman General Ayoub Qassem.

A migrant carries a baby after they were rescued off the Libyan port of Zawiyah on June 27, 2017
» more A migrant carries a baby after they were rescued off the Libyan port of Zawiyah on June 27, 2017  (AFP)
They were found crammed aboard a makeshift rubber dinghy, said an AFP cameraman who was on the rescue boat.

The coastguard moved them one by one onto a rescue vessel.

Once on board, the migrants remained silent, tired and visibly disappointed at not reaching their destination.

On their arrival in the port of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, they were put in a truck to be taken to a detention centre in the town.

A woman clutching her baby sobbed in the truck, her dreams of reaching Europe having evaporated in a matter of hours -- along with the money she paid for the journey.

The navy spokesman, Qassem, said several migrant boats were spotted off Libya on Tuesday along with at least six privately operated ships "claiming to carry out rescue operations".

One of the vessels entered Libyan waters before the coastguard forced it to leave, he said, accusing the boats' operators of "complicity" with people smugglers.

Migrants intercepted or rescued by Libya's coastguard are usually held in detention centres until they are sent home.

But many become prey to extortion and abuse at the hands of human traffickers, who have exploited years of chaos in Libya to boost their lucrative but deadly trade.

More than 73,300 migrants have landed on Italy's shores since January, a 14-percent rise on the same period last year.

Just over 2,000 people have died or gone missing feared drowned while attempting the crossing since the beginning of 2017, according to the UN's refugee agency.