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dutchie

dutchie

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Prevent near-sightedness!

Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. "It's usually caused by near-point stress." In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles -- like the eyes -- into relaxing as well.

Also try closing your eyes massage just above eyebrow, then just below eyebrow and then the eyeball itself (every hour or two).
 
Re: Mens Health

Do you think it has something to do with the nervous system? I just started weight training and the dude in the book I bought reckons that training large muscle groups (squats, bench, etc.) helps to train your nervous system as well. What this means is that your brain/nervous system gets used to making your muscles work harder and harder.

So from that angle, by tensing/flexing your whole body your eyes will be excercised from better nervous system function? If you just close your eyes for a minute that might be enough to work your involuntary eye muscles. So what then flexing all your muscles would do, I imagine, is nervous system related. Is there a doctor in the house? Better still an opthamologist? (sp?)
 
Re: Mens Health

What the guy was talking about in the book is called neural adaptation. Its not so much training your nervous system as a whole but the parts that are used to fire signals to the muscles that you train consistently. Normal people see this everyday when straining to perform a physical action in the form of shaking. The shaking and shuddering you get as you try to lift or push something is a result of inefficient signals being sent along the neural pathways to the neurones which fire to cause the muscle to contract. The boys at gym call these shakes 'neural". After about a month of training this pretty much goes away. The training developes the neural pathways to make usage of the muscle more efficient so that a larger number areas of the muscle "Cooperate" and as a result the muscle is more efficient. This is why people get a large strength gains in the first month. It has nothing to do with muscle gain. I'm no doctor but I doubt these nervous system changes have any effect on the muscle that control our lenses. I think weight training probably helps to relax a persons musculature inclusing those that control the eye.
 
Re: Mens Health

The body should be treated as a unit rather than made up of different parts.

Tensing and relaxing one muscle will have an affect on other muscles and tissues. The more you exercise (muscles) the better - especially for long term health.


Mental Health Tips For Men

Tips for staying mentally healthy are not as straightforward as those for maintaining good physical health. After all there aren't any "mental fitness gyms" to join. But keeping mentally fit is still in your control. Here's the way to do it.

Connect with other people. Find people that you can confide in. Reach out to your wife or partner, your siblings, and your children.

Get involved. Develop some hobbies and interests separate from your work. If you don't have any, think about things that you used to like doing when you were younger.

Exercise. Numerous studies have demonstrated that exercise can combat depression and other forms of mental illness. Exercise affects some of the same chemicals in the brain the way Prozac does, so it can really help with depression and anxiety.

Evaluate your life. Making an effort to evaluate your life along the way can help prevent problems from becoming crises. Are you happy in your job and relationships? Is there anything that you can do to improve the way you live?

Consider getting help. Look at therapy as a source of potential tools with which to deal with life. Don't necessarily give into a knee-jerk reaction against medication. Shop around for someone that you click with.
 
Re: Mens Health

Exercise. Numerous studies have demonstrated that exercise can combat depression and other forms of mental illness. Exercise affects some of the same chemicals in the brain the way Prozac does, so it can really help with depression and anxiety.
Click to expand...
I would add to that a healthy diet and plenty of fresh air. Actually its light not air; if you dont get enough light you can develop what is called the 'winter blues' (thats why the poms are so gloomy! :D ). I know because ive had pretty severe depression and anxiety until recently and it aint fun. Doctors never seem to tell you these things though, just prescribe you some psycho-active meds and away you go and turn into a zombie.
 
Re: Mens Health

dutchie said:
The body should be treated as a unit rather than made up of different parts.
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Agree wholeheartedly, although I am not a medical specialist I understand that if you stimulate the production of calcium by doing weights, for example, the body produces it in all part of the body, not just the part that you were targeting with that exercise.

So provided you apply correct stimulation (ie do it properly) the product of it will benefit the whole system. So doing squats or bicep curls can result in better bone density overall. Martial artists and certain sports people are supposed to have stronger bones for that reason. Great thread btw. Check with a doctor though before doing anything.
 
Re: Mens Health

Rich, your spot on.

Any exercise or weight training is beneficial to your current and future health (of course over doing it to extremes may not be).

Although I don't have any formal medical training I hope to add a piece or two each week that I pick up around the traps.

Men are generally reluctant to seek help when they have physical or emotional problems because of the ( I can handle this on my own and I don't want to appear weak syndrome).

I hope to encourage men to look after their health better.
 
Re: Mens Health

dutchie said:
Men are generally reluctant to seek help when they have physical or emotional problems because of the ( I can handle this on my own and I don't want to appear weak syndrome).
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Hi Dutchie,
It's my turn to say 'spot on'!

That is an important topic imo and I have to admit I have trouble with it myself, it's a long process, I find some of the girls/women I know can be helpful when discussing it with them as they seem to be better skilled at it. Although there are some things which are really tough to discuss without feeling insecure and vulnerable- unless you're referring to it obliquely when chatting with 'the boys', in which case I'm more likely to be making it into a joke rather than anything else.
 
Re: Mens Health

Not being able to talk about our problems (and seeing a professional) is very common with males (compared to females).

One statistic that really brings this home is that the ratio of male to female suicides is 4:1.

A sobering thought and one we will all have to work on.
 
Re: Mens Health

dutchie said:
Not being able to talk about our problems (and seeing a professional) is very common with males (compared to females).

One statistic that really brings this home is that the ratio of male to female suicides is 4:1.

A sobering thought and one we will all have to work on.
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Female suicide attempts are double male though aren't they? They are mainly pills or wrist slashing though I think; not gun, rope or exhaust gas. One of dad's mates tried once with pills then the second time used the exhaust pipe. One of these cagey, 'shell be right' types as well. The family court system and a vindictive ex-wife let him down.
 
Re: Mens Health

dutchie said:
One statistic that really brings this home is that the ratio of male to female suicides is 4:1.
Click to expand...

Slightly evens out due to more women being killed by men.

(Shouldn’t joke in this thread, but why not, especially that good sense of humour is essential to well being, OK, sense of humour)
 
Re: Mens Health

Another interesting fact

Expectedly the rate of suicide in an economic downturn is high. However, when the eventual upswing in the economy occurs its is even higher.

Now why is that do you think?

How useful do you think that is to a trader or anyone else for that matter? Think about it!

Cheers
Happytrader
 
Re: Mens Health

Milk Man, you are right about attempt numbers between male and females.

For every completed male suicide there are five attempts.
The four most common methods of suicide among men are: firearms (27%), hanging (26%), carbon monoxide (20%) and poisonings (19%).

For every completed female suicide there are 35 attempts.
The most common methods among women are: hanging, poisonings, carbon monoxide and firearms.
 
Re: Mens Health

i thought this was a thread on ways for men to improve their lives, not stats showing how many end up topping themselves. as for me, i am on a long slow suicide - i got married.
 
Re: Mens Health

Son of Baglimit - your right - getting off topic a bit. Just trying to emphasise that men need to go out and get help if they are having physical or emotional problems.

Know what you mean about getting married - actually in reality being in a good loving relationship will prolong your life (even though it does not seem that way sometimes). On the other side a bad relationship (especially during and after divorce) will be detrimental to your health.

So men stay focused and work on your relationships and don't be afraid to seek help if you need it.
 
Re: Mens Health

Prostrate Cancer:

New tape to boost awareness of prostate cancer
Federal Health and Family Services Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge today launched an audio cassette tape which aims to help inform more Australians about prostate cancer.

The tape was produced by well-known business broadcaster Michael Schildberger, who has personally experienced and survived diagnosis for prostate cancer, and will be distributed nationally through Coles Myer outlets including Coles Supermarkets, Myer-Grace Bros, Officeworks, Target, Fossey's and Kmart stores.

The cassette tape, The Prostate Test, uses a number of compelling case studies to describe the early signs of prostate cancer, provide advice about diagnosis and treatment, and personalise the information through one-on-one interviews with survivors and their carers.

"Prostate cancer affects 10,000 Australian men each year - as many as the number of women who are affected by breast cancer," Dr Wooldridge said.

"Yet prostate cancer has been unable up to now to gain the same sort of public awareness as breast cancer - this cassette will help to change that situation. The more people know about prostate cancer, the better off they will be.

"Generally speaking, until the age of about 45 to 50 years, the prostate remains fairly constant in size, but after this age the gland can enlarge and affect the normal process of passing urine.

"In most cases, the enlargement is non-cancerous (it is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia) but in some cases it is malignant.

"Prostate cancer mainly affects men in older age groups with 62 per cent of deaths from prostate cancer occurring in men aged 75 years and 41 per cent in men aged over 80 years.

"Nevertheless, prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Australian men, causing about 2,500 deaths each year - and as such it has been identified as a National Health Priority Targeted Cancer."
 
Re: Mens Health

happytrader said:
Another interesting fact

Expectedly the rate of suicide in an economic downturn is high. However, when the eventual upswing in the economy occurs its is even higher.

Now why is that do you think?

How useful do you think that is to a trader or anyone else for that matter? Think about it!

Cheers
Happytrader
Click to expand...

Hi Happytrader

"when the eventual upswing in the economy occurs, the rate of suicide is even higher". Really?

It sounds as though you know the reason for this, if in fact it is statistically correct. Can you share it with us? I'm really interested in this sort of thing.
During World War II the suicide rate approximately halved in Britain. This was thought to be due to the greater sense of community support, as citizens rallied together against a common enemy.

Julia
 
Re: Mens Health

these cancer stats really drive me mad - heres one simple stat - the human body was never designed to last into its 70's & beyond, or at least except for a select few due to genetics, and in doing so the human body begins to break down, hence bones, blood, organs all fall to various ailments, including cancer.
so when someone comes up to me hysterically claiming more & more people are dying of cancer, i remind them of that simple fact - WE AINT SPOSE TO LIVE THIS LONG - WHAT YA EXPECT ?.
i just wish the stats given in dutchies latest post (age of people dying of this condition) were shown for ALL TYPES of cancer - it might just reduce the argument of some of society's rant & ravers. ie. current affairs shows.

dont get me wrong dutchie, i agree with your post, your facts are true - i just wish more stats regarding age were made & included in the published arguments.
 
Re: Mens Health

As to Prostate Cancer is there any indication of what causes it, or is suspected to contribute to this condition and are there any ways to prevent or delay progress?
 
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