One Of The Best Kidney Stone Natural Remedies Is To Prevent The Occurrence

October 28th, 2008 by admin

One Of The Best Kidney Stone Natural Remedies Is To Prevent The Occurrence

The kidney stones are the harmful residue that accumulates in the kidneys. This mass is generally hard as stone and therefore they are called as stones. They may occur in numbers at the same time, and they may be of any size ranging from minute to large covering a major portion of the kidneys. Generally, if they are minute in form they leave the kidney through the urine. However sometimes they are blocked in the kidneys and then they cause trouble. The symptoms include the pain in the abdominal region especially during the urination or menstruation. If they are not removed, they may lead to infections and other complications too. This may eventually lead to death. Therefore, it is very important to cure them. However removing them from the body is the only way. For this though, it is very important that they be detected during the early stage. If unexplainable pain occurs in the buttocks area, abdomen, genital area, and pains during the urination and menstruation, then this may be because of kidney stones. You can try various natural things against the kidney stones. They may be either preventive of curative. However removing the kidney stones is very important if they occur. One of the best kidney stone natural remedies is to prevent the occurrence. For prevention of the kidney stones, the people should always consume diet, which is rich in nutrients i.e. the vitamins and proteins. The vitamins and minerals are necessary for the removal of the minute stones from the kidneys and thus, the larger stones, which cause problems, do not develop. In addition to this regular and frequent urinating habit also helps in avoiding the kidney stones. Eating right and healthy food would keep you away form the problems of the kidneys. In addition to this, some things increase the chances of the occurrence of the kidney stones. These are the alcoholic drinks and other toxic substances. These should always be consumed in the least amount as possible. In addition to this they intake of the calcium supplements also increases the chances of the kidney stones. The occurrence of the kidney stones having calcium in them is also common. Therefore, the people suffering from the kidney stones because of calcium should reduce consumption of foods rich in calcium. Ideally, for the prevention of the kidney stones the people should consume more water and thus have frequent urinating habit. However when the kidney stones develop, the water consumption should be cut down. This is because this causes pain during urination. Therefore, avoid urinating frequently. Nevertheless, if you are taking some treatment for dissolving the stones then you should urinate frequently and thus remove the drugs and the other products formed during this. In addition to this, some natural things may be taken for relief from pain. These should be taken orally. As severe pain occurs during urination, they prove to be very useful. Some of them are the herbs as the Cornsilk, Goldenrod, etc. The natural preparations from the herbs also can be used as anti-inflammatory or anti-infectious drugs, for example the Bearberry, Marshmallow, etc.

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Change Your Lifestyle To Avoid Acid Reflux

October 28th, 2008 by admin

Change Your Lifestyle To Avoid Acid Reflux

Many people get hungry because they lack food. Children become malnourished if they are not given the right amount of food which contains the needed vitamins and minerals which in turn make the body strong and healthy. The fact is, not all foods are healthy. The most popular unhealthy food is ‘junk foods’. Just as the word suggests, junk, which means it is like garbage. But many people are still patronizing these kinds of food. People diagnosed with certain diseases often are given a list of foods to avoid. And this is true with the case of a person having acid reflux. Acid reflux or the GERD is a condition wherein stomach acids go back to the esophagus because of the improper functioning of the lower esophageal sphincter. If this condition is not treated, it will only get worse which can cause serious complications. You can effectively tell if you have acid reflux if you experience symptoms like sour taste, burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen and your throat’s back, excessive belching, breathing difficulties, tightness of throat, difficulty in swallowing food, and bad breath. If you frequently experience these symptoms, then you probably have acid reflux. Visit your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis, so that you will know the severity of your condition. There are certain beverages and foods which cause acid reflux, and this includes the following: - chocolate - coffee - spearmint and peppermint - alcoholic drinks - fruit juices - fatty foods and fried foods - onions - citrus fruits - spicy foods - products which are tomato-based - caffeinated drinks A change in your diet is the most effective way to deal with acid reflux. Although at first you may feel deprived of these foods, think of what will happen if you continue to eat or drink these beverages and foods. Start your change in diet by keeping a record of your food intake. In this manner, you can tell which of the foods or beverages causes your acid reflux. So every time you experience that burning sensation, take note of what you’ve actually eaten. Once you have the list accomplished, put it somewhere where you can easily see it, like the refrigerator. A lifestyle change may seem rather difficult. Your doctor can greatly help you in your transition. The very first thing that you should do is to set a goal, like for instance eating small meals, while avoiding those above-mentioned foods. Slowly quit smoking and drinking. Of course, you can’t expect an abrupt change. Every time you feel any of the symptoms, you will be instantly reminded that you’re on the wrong path. Self-discipline is very much important to attain a successful lifestyle change. While many people are taking antacids, others are finding it better to stick with the natural way. On the long run, antacids are not that good for your body, even to your stomach. It would be better to start changing your lifestyle, the sooner the better. Besides, a healthy lifestyle doesn’t only prevent acid reflux but other diseases as well. You will gain more benefit in changing your life entirely, especially regarding food eating habits. Eat the right kinds of food at the right amount, and you’ll stay healthy. Prevent acid reflux, change…

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Kick-Starting Your Progress-Fitness

October 27th, 2008 by admin

Kick-Starting Your Progress-Fitness

Experiment with new exercises and activities to keep your body and brain stimulated and avoid reaching a training plateau. For one week at the gym, do not allow yourself to use the machines that you normally use. Using different machines will provide a new challenge and you will feel bits working that you never knew you had. For one week replace all alcoholic drinks with glasses of sparkling water. Make it as nice a drink as your regular tipple - prepare it as lovingly as you would a gin and tonic with ice and lemon or lime and really enjoy it. A week of no alcohol will give you a guaranteed reduction in your calorie intake.Addicted to coffee shops? See if you can steer clear of them for a week. Go back to basics with a simple cup of tea or coffee and avoid the volume of milk that coffee shops provide and you will also resist the temptations of all the extras that go with it. You will feel lighter and less sluggish and you will save yourself a small fortune in the process. Vary your workouts. If you do the same thing every time you go to the gym you will soon reach a plateau in your training and you will get bored. Your body adapts to the workload and soon stops developing so you must always have something in your workout armoury that will keep your body stimulated and continue the great results that you are looking for. Progress leads to more motivation and if you can do your programme easily you are not the master of the gym, you are someone who needs a new workout.Have a selection of workouts. You might have an hour or you might only have 20 minutes to spare so you need a workout to suit all occasions. Plan different routines and then keep them in your workout bag so they are always handy.Have some back-up plans. If you do feel like a night out, you will need to have a morning-after-the-night-before workout lined up. Providing you can see straight and balance OK you will be fine for some gentle cardiovascular exercise. Go easy on the weights until you feel steady on your feet. A light workout will do you a lot more good that lounging around in bed all day moaning ‘never again’. You will feel better generally and doubly virtuous for the fact that you kept your exercise routine going in the face of adversity.

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Warning signs of alcohol addiction

October 27th, 2008 by admin

Warning signs of alcohol addiction

An addiction to alcohol is a disease that is rarely initially self-diagnosed. In other words, individuals who have an addiction to alcohol infrequently realise that they are contracting the disease until it is well advanced.

Indeed, the path to alcohol addiction is generally paved with declarations such as, “I only drink when I am out” and “I can stop drinking any time I like”. For this reason it is vital that freinds and family are able to recognise the indicators of an alcohol dependency, so as to help the alcoholic person come to terms with the nature of their condition.

Alcoholism is a state in which the body is completely dependent on alcohol to feel normal and good. In alcoholism, the individual totally loses control over alcohol in-take and continues to consume it despite the dangerous health problems it is causing.

Typically, an alcoholic indicates four signs that are characteristics of alcohol addiction: his body longs for alcoholic drinks, he loses control over alcohol consumption, he becomes physically dependent upon alcoholic substances, and he has a reduced tolerance level to liquor. These four Indications are briefly described below:

Desire: The patient suffers from the strong craving to drink all the time.

Loss of control: The patient fails to control his alcohol ingestion and, as a result, repeatedly gives in to unnecessary drinking.

Physical dependence: The patient shows withdrawal Symptoms like nausea, dizziness, excessive sweating, and anxiety when he has not had a drink for a while.

Tolerance levels: The patient’s tolerance to liquor decreases, as his body gradually loses its ability to process alcoholic substances. Thus, he gets intoxicated very easily, even with little alcohol consumption.

It should be added to this last point, that while the alcohol-dependant person’s tolerance to alcohol may decrease, their ability to mask their drunken state may proportionally intensifie. In other words, it may become more difficult for people to tell when the alcoholic person is drunk.

If you or family and friends are showing these Signs, the first rule is not to panic. Remember that a proper conclusion of the problem is the first step towards healing!

The healing process always begins with detoxification, which means the accomplished abstinence from alcoholic drinks. Some people will have the power and self-discipline to get through this without external help but generally it is a good idea to detox in an environment where there are trained staff. This is particularly important in cases of advanced alcoholism, where there can be severe symptomatic reactions to alcohol withdrawl, such as ‘delirium tremens’, which needs to be treated with drugs.

After the physical detoxification is concluded, the patient needs to address the social and psychological factors that led them to an alcohol dependency, in order to stop themselves repeating the same pattern and back-sliding back into the disease. Specialised counselling is freely available in most Western countries, and groups such as ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ are ready to give ongoing support to alcoholic persons.

Remember that the foremost step towards healing is recognising the disease. Be aware of the warning signs, though be careful too how you first confront an alcoholic acquaintance with their problem. Alcoholics almost every time initially deny their condition and can become aggressively defensive. A true friend though will persist in helping an alcoholic family member come to terms with their situation.

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Alcoholism and its Effects on the Body

October 27th, 2008 by admin

Alcoholism and its Effects on the Body

Alcoholism is a lasting malady that can ruin a person’s career and their family. It can also be fatal to their health if left untreated.

Serious alcoholic drinks consupmtion on a regular basis causes chemical changes to a person’s brain. For example, it adjusts the makeup of the body’s gamma-aminobutyric acids, which function to inhibit impulsiveness, and glutamate, which excites the nervous system. Extreme drinking also tends to exhaust these chemicals, which can depress the nervous system and damage significant areas of the brain.

Loss of control over the tongue and stance is symptomatic of an alcohol-poisened bring, as is tiredness, memory loss, weakness of the eye muscles, and paralysis. In severe cases, long-term substantial drinking can even send a person into a coma from which they may never awake.

In addition to the potentially fatal effects of liquor poisening to the brain, other organs, such as the liver, can also be seriously effected. Excessive drinking causes alcoholic substances hepatitis, a disease that is characterized by inflammation of the liver. Its signs include appetite loss, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, tenderness, jaundice, and dizziness. If the serious drinking stays, the hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis, which is characterized by progressive scarring and obliteration of the liver tissues.

Alcohol-addicted persons can also suffer serious gastrointestinal problems, such as inflammation of the stomach, that leads to a illness called ‘gastritis’. A gastritis sufferer is unable to absorb nutrients through their stomach, such as vitamin B, folic acid and thiamin.

When alcohol is consumed in heavy quantities, it also damages the pancreas and messes with with the organ creation of hormones that regulate metabolism of the body by creating enzymes for digestion. It can also led to a array of cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure, and can even damage the heart muscle - a ailment called ‘cardiomyopathy’. Cardiomyopathy significantly intensifies the possibilities of heart attack.

Diabetes is another common same ailment amongst alcohol-dependant persons. High alcoholic drinks drinking prevents the liver from releasing glucose, which builds up the risk of hypoglycemia (characterized by low blood sugar). This condition is particularly dangerous for someone who is already suffering from diabetes and is taking insulin to reduce their blood-sugar level. Further, prolonged alcoholic substances abuse tends to damage the reproductive system, leading to erectile dysfunction in men and menstrual problems in women.

Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is particularly severe, as it can give rise to fetal liquor syndrome, where the child is born with defects, such as a small head, short eyelids, heart defects, and other abnormalities. And finally, research also displays that continued liquor abuse places one at higher risk of cancer and diseases of larynx, esophagus, colon, and liver.

In short, the human body was evidently not designed to handle large amounts of alcohol for any length of time. Heavy drinking may seem like a lot of fun at a distance, and it always seems to appeal to young people as a means of indicating how grown-up they are. Ironically though, careless drinking is the very behavior that has the potential to stop young persons reaching adulthood fully.

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Can An Addiction to Alcohol be Cured?

October 27th, 2008 by admin

Can An Addiction to Alcohol be Cured?

Can an alcohol dependency be cured? Any number of pricey private health clinics would like to give a sure answer to this question, but the traditional perception of groups such as ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ is that alcohol addiction can never be cured, but only tamed.

Of course no one would deny that many of the physical problems connected with unnecessary alcoholic substances consumption can be fixed, though some are more easily treated than others.

The liver can renew. Imbalances to the blood and damage to the muscle tissue can both be fixed. Long-term damage to the brain and central nervous system is less responsive to medical treatment. Even then though, no one would want to underestimate the benefits of proper medical care being given to even the most chronic of diseases.

Similarly, medical science can play a very significant role in helping an liquor-addicted person get through the period of detoxification that is the obligatory first step towards bodily health.

While some helping professionals still discourage the use of sedatives and pain killers during the detox process, few who have seen a person suffering from ‘delirium tremens’ as an effect of alcohol withdrawl would not sympathise with the value of detox medication of some sort.

In all such circumstances though medical science can only treat the warning signs of alcoholic drinks addiction (and alcohol withdrawl). The question is whether the disease itself can ever be cured.

As mentioned above, the traditional wisdom of ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ (hereafter ‘AA’) and its corresponding organisations (’Narcotics Anonymous’, ‘Gamblers Anonymous’, etc.) is that such maladys can never be cured, as the the illness is only ever symptomatic of an addictive personality, and that the character problem is embedded in the addicted person’s genetics.

People who participate in AA meetings always begin their time of sharing by introducing themselves by name and then announcing, “I am an alcoholic”. They will do this even if they have not touched a drop of alcoholic drinks in 50 years, as the self-understanding is that they are now only ‘non-drinking alcoholics’ who are nonetheless only ever one drink away from returing to a life that is completely controlled by harmful drinking!

Such a perspective helps to make AA members humble and non-judgemental, as they never see themselves as rising above their sisters and brothers whose lives are still being destroyed by their liquor addiction. Such an identification though also inevitably minimalises the significance of any non-genetic factors leading to alcoholism, which, it could be argued, might inhibit the recovery process.

A person who drinks alcoholic substances regularly and excessively always has a history associated with their drinking problem. While in some cases it might just be a bad habit picked up during the party days of their youth, in a vast number of cases the drinking problem has arisen in response to an experience of severe personal tragedy, such as family breakdown, the death of a son or daughter, or some other unbearable crisis that has led the person to drink in order to numb the pain.

In the short term of course this can be a very positive way of dealing with an impossible situation. The problem occurs though when the drinker finds that he or she is no longer able to deal with pain or with life itself without the sedative effect of liquor to soothe the nerves. This is the essence of the predicament faced by the addicted person, be they addicted to alcoholic drinks, drugs, sex, work, or something else. They engage in addictive behaviour in order to lessen the pain.

As one good friend of mine who had suffered from a 20-year addiction said to me, when challenged as to why he kept returning to his addiction again and again even after long periods of abstinance, “I just don’t know any other way of dealing with pain”.

According to the ‘addictive personality’ identification, healing can only begin when the addict acknowledges their helplessness in the face of their dependency and hands over control of their lives to God (or their ‘higher power’, to use the more commonly accepted term).

The emphasis on ’spiritual healing’ predictably finds few adherants in the established medical community, even in the absence of successful alternatives to point to. Some religious communities though have also been critical of the ‘personality type’ finding, though obviously not on account of the spiritual dimension.

Some reject the idea that there can be no final healing for the addict. True healing is possible, many believe, though the process of healing may require an extensive working through of the historical factors that contributed to the disease.

If there is no healing for an addiction to alcohol, then the only possibility for health lies in controlling addictive behaviour and channeling addictive tendencies towards more creative alternatives. A person who becomes addicted to ‘working out’ or even addicted to their work is naturally far healthier and generally easier to live with than someone who is addicted to alcoholic substances or narcotics. As is commonly quipped, it is amazing how quickly AA members become addicted to AA meetings. Indeed, I personally know of one member who has not missed a meeting for a single day in almost 30 years!

Perhaps in the end it is unimportant whether or not alcohol addiction can ever technically be ‘cured’ so long as there is a solution to the problem, and so long as sufficient weight is given to the non-genetic factors that lead to alcohol dependency. For while the devestating effects of alcohol dependency start to look depressingly similar from one alcohol-dependant person to the next, the history of the malady is always unique, and needs to be taken seriously if there is to be any hope of recovery.

I’ll never forget one tragic old man who was spending the last part of his life moving between Sydney’s park benches and the various shelters available for homeless men. After I got to know him a little through one of the shelters I was working with, I spoke to him about the possibility of going through detox. Unlike almost everyone else I had spoken to, he was fully disinterested, though originally he didn’t want to tell me why. “Buy why not?”, I pleeded him. He told me: “because my an alcohol dependency is the last weapon I have against my family!”

It is certainly a tangled web we weave, and In fact, medical professionals will always be limited in what they are able to do to help alcohol-addicted persons. They can treat the indicators but not the same ailment, though when we entirely understand the history of our alcoholic sisters and brothers, we often find that the disease itself is only a indicator of a deeper pain - one for which thee is no simple treatment.

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Are you an Alcoholic?

October 27th, 2008 by admin

Are you an Alcoholic?

Am I an Alchol Dependent person? The terms ‘alcoholism’ refers to the ailment of chronic addiction to alcoholic drinks. It is a illness that, if left untreated, almost without doubt wrecks a person’s life, both through the damage the liquor does to the addicted person’s health and due to the wider effects on the alchol Addicted person’s job, family, social life, etc. For obvious reasons, most persons shy away from applying the characterization ‘alcoholic’ to themselves. Even folk who regularly drink obsessively will say, “I know I drink heaps, but I’m not an alcoholic”. For this reasoning it is advantageous to have a list of objective indicators that can help detect whether someone is descending into complete an alcohol dependency. Ask them these nine questions: 1. Do you find yourself drinking lonesome regularly? 2. Do you find yourself making excuses in order to get another drink? 3. Do you sense an inability to stop drinking? 4. Is it tough to lessen your amount of alcohol drinking? 5. Is there a history of alcohol addiction in the family? 6. How do you reply if someone challenges you about your drinking? Do you get violent? 7. Has your diet suffered since drinking often? 8. Are you having promblems maintaining your physical appearance? 9. Are you attracted to take a alcholic bevarge to the workplace with you, or have one while driving? Of course there is indeed only one question that defines an addiction to alcohol: ‘are you able to stop drinking?’, but most heavy drinkers who progress into alcoholism do so while maintaining, “I can conclude drinking any time I feel like it!” For this rationale it is helpful to have the nine questions. If they answer is ‘of course’ to most of them, that would suggeset that the person in question cannot stop drinking any time they want, still their protestations to the contrary! Of course, for a person to realize that they are an alcohlic can be very confronting, to say the least. Such a awareness can easily create suicidal thoughts and tendencies. For this reason, once a person admits that they have the disease, they need to be affirmed that they have made the biggest and hardest step towards recovery, simply through this admission. If the person enters into an Alcoholics Anonymous group, they will discover that every single member of the group will commence their time of sharing by giving their name, than by their confession, “I am an alcoholic”. Approach any AA member. Owning the label is the preface to recovery!

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Why We Should Observe Alcoholism Signs Symptoms

October 27th, 2008 by admin

Why We Should Observe Alcoholism Signs Symptoms

Alcoholism is a serious problem. Observing the signs and symptoms is the first step to get out of this problem. Noticing alcoholism signs symptoms will allow you to help the drinking person to get rid of the problem. This is essential because most of the drinkers will not accept that they have the drinking problem. The following are some of the alcoholism signs symptoms:1. People who have serious drinking problem are likely to drink alone or in secret.2. Severe addiction to alcoholism will lead the person to forget the conversation or commitment.3. They will have regular drinking habit before and after dinner. They will feel irritated when this regular habit is affected.4. They will lose interest in their regular hobbies which are used to give them excitement.5. Compulsive drinking is a clear symptom of alcoholism.6. They feel annoying when their regular drinking time arrives and particularly when alcohol is not available.7. Such people will keep the alcoholic drinks in some secret places at home, at office or in their car.8. They will start getting some legal problems with relatives or in their employment.9. Some people experience physical symptoms like nausea, sweating etc when they do not drink.Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence have fine difference. However alcohol abuse will become alcohol dependence when the drinker crosses his limits. Alcoholism signs and symptoms are discussed in two levels here: Alcohol abuse symptoms and Alcohol dependent signs and symptoms.Alcohol abuse signs and symptoms:Alcohol abuse may cause some health issues to the drinker. The drinker will also face some financial issues like paying bills late or sometimes the drinker may find it difficult to keep track of his money. The drinker with alcohol abuse will experience legal problems like drunken driving. The person will continue to drink though he knows that he has some serious problems in employment or in education due to this alcohol abuse. He will feel irritated when other people pass comments on his drinking habits. He will schedule his day around drinking only and he will focus his recreational activities around drinking only. Drinking alone or in secret is a clear symptom of alcohol abuse.Signs and symptoms of alcohol dependence:The person will have overwhelming desire to drink at a particular time. He will practice the habit of drinking regularly at some specific times like before and after dinner. He will feel annoying when this ritual will be disturbed. He may not be able to control drinking once he started. He may also have some effects on memory. He may not remember about the conversation or commitment. He may experience some symptoms like nausea, sweating, shakiness, confusion, depression, irritation etc when he is not able to drink. He may anticipate when he can have the next drink. These are the clear symptoms of alcoholism.Alcoholism signs symptoms may be found physically also. Loss of inhibition will be one of the alcoholism symptoms. The person with long term alcohol use will get the severe health complications. Such effects can be virtually seen in each and every organ of the drinker.

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Should Alcohol Taxes Pay For Mental Health Programs? Do The Math Article - Health Articles

October 26th, 2008 by admin

Improving the Mental Health System

According to a news release that was dated May 9, 2006, the “Standing Senate Committee On Social Affairs, Science and Technology” in Canada recommended the creation of a Canadian Mental Health Commission that will be responsible for significantly upgrading the Canadian mental health system. As stated by Senator Michael Kirby, the Chair of the Committee, “The Senate Committee is committed to improving the range, quality and organization of health and support services that are required by the tens of thousands of Canadians who are living with mental illnesses and addictions.”

Funding The Proposed Change

Based on an extensive three-year study on mental health and addiction, the Committee determined that it will cost $5.36 billion over a 10-year period for this mental health system upgrade. Where will these funds come from? According to the Committee, the revenue will come from raising the excise tax on alcoholic drinks by 5 cents per drink.

Part of the rationale for the 5-cent increase per drink was obviously the goal of raising the needed funds for the proposed changes in the mental health system. Another justifying factor for the price increase, however, was the fact that since each alcoholic drink will cost more, Canadians will be more inclined to drink lower-alcohol products such as beer and wine instead of liquor.

Let’s Do the Math

At first glance, this proposal seems to make sense. Why shouldn’t those who drink help finance a program that will provide them with a better mental health system? Why not let those who are part of the “problem” become part of the “solution”? This logic seems sound until you do the math. If $5.36 billion is needed to help finance the upgraded mental health system, then how many drinks will have to be consumed in a ten-year period to reach $5.36 billion dollars? The answer: 107,200,000,000 drinks. That’s 107 billion, 200 million drinks.

To arrive at how many drinks this is per year, all we have to do is divide this number by 10 (for the ten-year program) and the result is 10,720,000,000. This is still a huge number that fortunately can be “massaged” even more. According to The World Factbook website, the population of Canada was estimated to be 33 million people in 2006. Dividing 10,720,000,000 by 33,000,000 equals 325. Putting this in terms that the average person can understand, every man, woman, and child in Canada will have to consume 325 alcoholic drinks per year for the next ten years to finance the new mental health system! Simply put, these numbers are not realistic.

More Flaws

The “logic” of this proposed mental health program also breaks down when it is examined more deeply. For instance, why would people drink lower-alcohol products such as beer if the increased excise tax applies to all alcoholic drinks? To help understand this better, let’s use an example. Let’s say that the average shot in Canada currently costs $3.00 and the average beer costs $1.00. Based on the proposed price increase, if Joe drinks an average of 5 shots per week, his weekly average alcohol expenditure will be $15.25. When the numbers are calculated, this figures out to be 1.7% more than Joe would have spent before the proposed tax increase. Let’s do a similar exercise with beer. Based on the projected price increase, if Pete drinks an average of 5 beers per week, his weekly average alcohol expenditure will be $5.25. When the numbers are calculated, this figures out to be 5% more than Pete would have spent before the proposed tax increase. The point: since the proposed price increase affects higher-alcohol products (such as shots) proportionately less than their lower-alcohol counterparts (such as beer), why would Canadians switch to lower-alcohol products?

Alcohol and Mental Health

Another question. What if tens of thousands of Canadians, realizing that drinking alcohol is not good for their “mental health,” significantly reduce their alcohol intake or quit drinking alcoholic beverages altogether? Where will the money come from to offset this lack of revenue? In a similar manner, what if thousands upon thousands of Canadians who drink alcoholic beverages decide that they don’t want to pay the extra excise tax and, as a result, stop drinking alcoholic beverages? If this happens, where will the government get the money needed to transform the mental health system? In other words, does the Canadian government have a realistic “plan B” for this major transformation?

A Logical Contradiction

From a different perspective, isn’t it rather ironic that those who drink alcoholic beverages will pay for the revamped mental health system? Isn’t there a contradiction in logic somewhere in this proposal? Stated differently, if tens of thousands of Canadians have mental illnesses or are addicted to alcohol or drugs, wouldn’t the government want Canadians to drink LESS alcohol in order to reduce the existing alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol-related mental health problems? Yet according to the current mental health proposal, from strictly a financial standpoint, it would appear that the Canadian government is banking the entire mental health system upgrade on historical data that strongly suggests that Canadians will continue to drink at their current or even higher levels of consumption.

Budgetary Miscalculations

What happens, for instance, if there are cost overruns in the proposed mental health system? There are, of course, two “easy” solutions to this problem: increase the excise tax on each drink or motivate Canadians to drink even more alcoholic beverages. Either “solution,” however, is predicated on the fact that in order to “work,” the upgraded mental health system needs to be funded by Canadians who continue to drink alcoholic beverages.

Conclusion

It appears logical to conclude that the Canadian mental health system is in need of a major overhaul. As with most comprehensive government programs, however, the issue of funding becomes a major obstacle to overcome. The proposed Canadian mental health system upgrade is no exception. Based on the reasons given above, it seems obvious that the Canadian government needs to come up with alternate sources of revenue generation for this worthwhile project. Indeed, to point out one of the major “flaws” in the current proposal, consider the following question: When is more drinking a “good thing?” Answer: when it finances a nationwide mental health system upgrade. Something tells me that Andy Rooney from “60 Minutes” would have a lot of fun with this.

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Two weeks tuna diet plan which works

October 26th, 2008 by admin

Two weeks tuna diet plan which works

This is a real tuna diet plan which works and allows you to lose 11 pounds in the first two weeks. Tuna diet plan suits people who like seafood products.Create your own diet menu.You need to choose one meal from four options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Breakfast:1. two slices of black bread, lettuce, tomato, 50 g of tuna in its own juice.2. 25 g of flakes (without sugar) with milk, toast of black bread with a little marmalade, a small banana.3. A toast, 50 g of tuna in its own juice, a glass of lemon juice, tomato.4. 50 g of boiled mushrooms, one boiled egg, and one slice well roasted on grill bacon, a crispy cracker, cup of orange juice.Lunches:1. 150 g of tuna and a large portion of mixed salad, filled lemon juice.2. 90 g of tuna and a large portion of mixed salad, filled lemon juice, a small bun.3. A toast, boiled tuna with tbsp of tomato sauce and a large portion of green vegetable salad, mixed with lemon juice;4. Sandwich of two small slices of black bread with salad and tuna.In addition, the meal must have fresh fruit (choose one) - apple, orange, pear, plum or two small bananas.Dinner:1. 150 g of smoked ham boiled in water, 12 g of spaghetti in tomato sauce, boiled tuna and broccoli or cabbage.2. 250 g of chicken, cooked on a grill (without skin), green beans, baked tomatoes, 50 g of mushrooms boiled in a small number of chicken broth, a large portion of green salad filled with lemon juice and a glass of diet yogurt.3. 75 g of low- fat roasted meat with 150 grams of tuna, mushroom soup with onions, tomatoes and spices; 125 g of boiled potatoes, a large portion of cabbage and cauliflower.4. 150 g of boiled tuna with the addition of lemon juice and 6 g margarine, courgettes or cauliflower, broccoli, lemon slice.It is also necessary to include fresh fruit after dinner.Alcoholic drinks and snacks:A glass of dry wine glass; crispy bun with salad; small chocolate bars or two dry biscuits, 150 grams of grapes.It is recommended to consult health care professionalbefore beginning any new diet.

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