There’s a new breed of Road Warrior on the country’s highways and back roads. These are people on serious missions; speeding from one stop to another. They communicate with sophisticated mobile devices and close business deals from coffee houses. Chances are you are one of these busy folks. It seems that many of us spend more time on the road these days than ever before. From high priority business meetings to the kids sports practices, there is always somewhere to be. This kind of lifestyle may have transformed many of us into super-efficient workers, but our diets have completely crumbled in the process. Many of us get by on “Road Food” every day. We eat diets filled with fast-food takeout and breakfasts purchased at the local gas station store. When you think about the high calorie, low nutrient content of this road food, it’s no wonder that so many people struggle to lose weight and get in shape.

Road Food as a Lifestyle

It used to be that people only ate junk food once in a while. It’s strange that so many people know the importance of eating well, yet choose to eat road food nearly every day. What people may not realize is that when you stop a few times a week to pick up a doughnut or some other road food, a pattern is being created. Humans are creatures of habit and those patterns soon become a habit. If someone eats a poor diet, filled with road food choices several times a week, it doesn’t take long for obesity and other health problems to develop. People don’t get overweight in a day or two. The nutrition and exercise choices that we make every day have a cumulative effect. Eating road food several times a week may not make you fat immediately, but if you give it a few months, you may notice that you are having a hard time fitting into your clothes. Poor lifestyle and diet choices are deadly because they sneak up on you over time.

If you eat road food and other poor quality foods several times a week, it’s time to break those patterns and habits before it’s too late. Poor dietary habits are the precursors to lots of potentially deadly diseases. Diabetes, heart disease and other deadly health conditions can be prevented for lots of people simply by changing diet and exercise habits. Even if you’re busy and can’t find the time to eat anything other than road food, there is a healthier way to do it that will help you to increase lean body mass and burn body fat. It’s time to find some healthy road food to replace the empty calories that are so readily available at fast food joints and convenience stores.

Healthy Road Food

It’s simple to eat healthy road food; it just takes a little bit of preparation. Fast food restaurants and convenience stores do have healthier alternatives to the typical junk food. For this healthy road food diet, though, you are going to try to avoid those places as much as possible. It’s easy to go into a fast food restaurant with intentions of getting a salad and get overwhelmed by the smell of French fries and hamburgers. Don’t subject yourself to this kind of temptation. Even people that are in excellent physical condition can find themselves struggling with temptation at a fast food restaurant. Make a decision to avoid the sources of bad road food temptation before you even walk out the door in the morning. It might be your routine now to stop and get a greasy breakfast sandwich, but by making a decision and sticking with it – one day at a time – you will be developing healthy new eating habits.

Once you’ve made the decision to stay away from the fast food stops and convenience stores, it’s time to equip yourself with some healthy road food. A cooler is going to be your storehouse to keep all of your healthy road food. Invest in a nice cooler that keeps your foods cool and has plenty of storage room. The road food you choose should vary from day to day so that you will not fall into a diet rut that will exasperate you with boredom. The individual foods you choose should include lots of lean proteins, whole grain breads and cereals, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Mix up your road food selections every few days so that you are getting a good variety of nutrients in your diet.

Supplements can be a big help when you’re trying to get your healthy road food plan into action. Protein bars are a great healthy road food that you can take with you anywhere. You don’t even need a cooler to take some protein bars along with you. Stick a few bars in your briefcase or computer bag at the beginning of the week. If you find yourself craving some junk food while you’re on your commute to work, dip into your bag and have a healthy, protein filled bar instead. Learn to recognize the triggers that make you go after poor quality road food and react by eating healthier food choices. Developing healthy habits is a journey of many steps. As you make an effort each day to eat healthier foods while you’re on the road, you’ll soon find that you are in the habit of every day healthy eating.

If you have serious fitness goals and want to add some muscle and burn some fat, you should also take along some protein drinks, like Profect, for a healthy road food that will give you plenty of high quality protein in a flash. Ready-to-drink liquid, protein shots, like Profect and Proasis are ideal for today’s road warriors. You can pop a few of them in your cooler and keep some in the refrigerator at work. If you find yourself in a serious pinch for time and don’t have time to eat a healthy meal at home, crack open a Profect protein drink and you’ll avoid the temptation to eat the typical road food junk. The super-busy lifestyle isn’t going to slow down any time soon. Simplify your life and turbo charge your fitness routine by sticking to a diet that is filled with healthy road food that is full of protein, vitamins, and other essential nutrients. Your body will thank you for changing up your busy routine.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein liquid for immunodeficiency patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright

At this point in time, 15 states including the District of Columbia have legalized medicinal marijuana for patients with qualifying debilitating conditions. Yet there are still many people who say marijuana has no medicinal value. There are others who say the natural form of marijuana is unnecessary as the FDA has approved a synthetic marijuana so why not just utilize it.

Modern scientific research has shown the opposite of this belief and that marijuana does have medicinal value. It can stimulate appetite, promote weight gain, decrease some types of chronic pain, reducing vomiting and nausea, and helps decrease eye pressure in glaucoma.

The medical benefits additional show evidence for marijuana to reduce muscle spasticity from spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis, and also decrease the tremors from MS. Reported additional benefits (but not heavily researched), include helping with migraine headaches, depression, seizures, insomnia, and a useful anticonvulsant.

Marinol has been available since 1986 as an FDA approved synthetic THC. There are 2 indications: one as anti-nausea and the other is an appetite stimulant to help with the wasting syndromes of HIV and cancer. A significant amount of people feel that vaporized or smoked marijuana works better than Marinol due to its more rapid onset and the fact that it’s not a pill. If you’re nauseous and take a pill, it may get thrown up.

With most conventional medications being oral, having an available smoked medication is unusual to most physicians. Inhaling marijuana (whether smoked or vaporized) provides blood concentration levels consistent with IV injection.

Marijuana continues to be categorized as a Schedule I narcotic and is federally illegal. Even if a person uses it compatibly with state law then technically federal law is being violated. Yet many thousands of Americans do find medical benefits and continue to utilize it despite the federal law.

There have been numerous national societies who have come out in support of marijuana’s medicinal value. These have included the Federation of American Scientists, the American Public Health Association, the Lymphoma Foundation of America, the Physicians Association for AIDS Care, the and the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research is clear on the medicinal benefits of marijuana for numerous debilitating conditions. In most cases, it represents an extremely effective alternative to medications that have either significant side effects, addictive properties, or are prohibitively expensive.

Want to find out more about Arizona Medical Marijuana, then visit Arizona MMC’s site on how to choose the best Arizona Medical Marijuana Doctors for your evaluation.

Introduction

High blood pressure or HPB means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. It does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can cause a short term raise in blood pressure. Hypertension usually exhibits no symptoms, but it can cause terrible problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. It causes the heart to work much harder and can damage the arteries, causing them to narrow faster. It can also be destructive to many parts of the body and is a major health problem in the United States affecting one third of all Americans, according to the American Heart Association.

Hypertension

Hypertension, aka “high blood pressure”, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically raised and is assumed to be present when a person’s systolic blood pressure is consistently 140 mmHg or higher, and/or their diastolic blood pressure is consistently 90 mmHg or higher. It can be classified as either primary or secondary and is one of the most common complex disorders, with genetic implications averaging 30%.

Hypertension can be a temporary or life time ailment, depending on the cause and is dangerous because it causes the heart to work much harder. Pre-hypertension is high blood tension between 120 and 139 for the top number, or between 80 and 89 for the bottom number. For example, blood pressure readings of 138/82, 128/89, or 130/86 are all in the pre-hypertension range. If your blood tension is in the pre-hypertension range, it is more likely that you will end up with hypertension unless you take preventative action. Should you have this kind of hypertension, you may not need to take medication.

Heart

Some person’s may not know they have HBP until they have trouble with their heart, brain, or kidneys. When it is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause the heart to increase in size, which may cause heart failure. With HBP, the heart works harder, your arteries take a beating, and your chances of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are larger. If you don’t have hypertension by age fifty five, you have a 90 percent chance of developing it at some time in your life, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Unattended, it will cause the heart to eventually overwork itself to the point at which serious damage can happen. About 1/2 of people having first-time heart attacks and 2/3 of people having first-time strokes suffer from HBP.

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Treatment

Therapy is focused on reducing water retention and lowering HBP to the normal range. When you first commence treatment, your MD may need you to come to the office regularly. Your MD will review the data with you and decide if your treatment plan is working or if you need to change it. Among the 61 percent who are under treatment, only 35 percent have their blood tension adequately controlled. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, visit your MD.

Conclusion

Hypertension is called the silent killer because it usually has no signs and is a risk factor for heart and kidney disease and stroke. HBP is not proportionly distributed throughout the population and occurs disproportionately more often in minority groups. High blood pressure rates are also rising among American youth, along with an epidemic of obesity. Hypertension in adults will usually be measured on at least two different doctor appointments before a diagnosis is ascertain. It can be treated with both lifestyle modifications, usually as the first step, and, if needed, with drugs. Diuretics work in the kidney and flush excess water and sodium from the body. Nearly 33% of American adults have high blood pressure. Once It starts, it often lasts a lifetime. Fortunately, it can be easily found, and once you know you have it, you can work with your doctor to control it.

R. Henri is the owner of Natural Remedies,Treatments And Cures,a site containing a wealth of information concerning taking care of your health containingout relying on drugs and unneeded surgery. Subscribing to his monthly newsletter @ Natural Remedies Treatments Cures

Ovarian cancer that accounts for over 25,000 newly diagnosed cases of cancer every year only in the United States Of America is by and large detected in the later stages once it has already spread outside the ovaries. Ovarian cancer or a group of malignant tumors begin in tissues of different sorts in the ovary.

Most cancers of the ovary start in the epithelial or outer layer of cells, with rarer kinds starting in the egg forming germ cells or the stroma in the ovaries. However it is incorrect to imagine that all tumors and cysts could be cancerous, for non-cancerous or benign tumors are more frequent than cancer of the ovary.

Cancer of the ovary or ovarian cancer is the 7th most common cancer among women in America; with only one out of five cases diagnosed in the early stage when effectual treatment can be implemented. However most women might like to know the danger factors for ovarian cancer and take care to go in for early analysis.

It is best to realize that risk does not mean a certainty, it only indicates an increased likelihood to develop this type of cancer.

They say that a strong family history of cancer of the breasts, uterus, colon and rectum could expose a woman to cancer of the ovaries also. A family history could include one’s blood relatives like grandmother, mother, daughter or sister, with a family history of cancer at a young age contributing to a higher chance for ovarian cancer. A genetic counselor could suggest genetic tests for you, certain genetic changes indicating an increased risk for cancer of the ovaries.

It is important to note that each woman that has a personal history of cancer and has been already afflicted with cancer of the breast, uterus, colon or rectum stands a higher likelihood to get ovarian cancer.

It is to be noted that cancer has the tendency to spread quickly and chemotherapy and radiation can just treat or remove cancer for some time. In addition to the development of new cells there is every opportunity for it to spread to other organs of the body as well.

It is the case that women that have attained menopause and older women that have never had babies have a higher chance to develop cancer of the ovaries. Postmenopausal use of hormones like hormone replacement therapy for a period of 10 years and more could rise the likelihood of getting ovarian cancer, with estrogen replacement therapy or ERT having the highest danger followed by estrogen-progestin replacement therapy or EPRT. It is also true that obesity and use of talcum powder also create a higher risk factor.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer after it develops to some extent could be pressure with or without pain and bloating felt in the abdomen, pelvis, back and legs, feeling of nausea with indigestion, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea and a feeling of tiredness most of the time. In rare cases you could experience shortness of breath, the recurrent urge to urinate and heavy periods after stoppage of periods.

However it can be hard to diagnose ovarian cancer and the only one who can do it properly is a medical doctor.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with the stages of ovarian cancer. If you want to know more, please visit our web site at Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

Who knows how many individuals are influenced by skin ailments because it has the power to produce such an effect. Since it can affect a lot of people, you may have seen someone you know speak about it. When you start reading more, you will recognize all that is concerned and it could surprise you. There is adequate understanding surrounding this so people know what to anticipate. However, you and many others nevertheless would like to be more educated on this matter. Here are merely a couple of useful guidelines on skin ailments, and you can build from that as you see fit.

Over the last few decades we have all been swamped with messages about how essential it is to be out of the sun. We recognize precisely how real skin cancer is along with the risks associated with it so we do everything we can think to do to keep it from happening to us. We don a lot of layers of the highest SPF sunscreens that we can buy. We use huge hats. We don long pants and also sleeves even through the hottest months of the year. We do our best to keep only in the shady areas–some have even started holding parasols and umbrellas all around so that their skin never comes into contact with direct sunlight. Now we’re beginning to find out that sunlight can sometimes be pretty helpful. Can you really be helped by the sunshine?

A new study has demonstrated that individuals who allow themselves some sun exposure are less likely to develop MS than those who try to minimize their sun exposure. The study was actually performed to discover how Vitamin D affects the progression of Multiple Sclerosis. It quickly became apparent, though, that the Vitamin D generated in our bodies as a reaction to sunlight is what is really at the root of things. Although we all have a passion for the sunshine the truth is that too much of everything is not good for us; you have got to think of this as remaining in shape and creating your physique utilising the Truth About Abs For Women or even lose fat quickly. If you eliminate body fat too speedily then you will not keep it off; just as if you acquire your glowing tan too quickly by being out in the sunlight for too long it can destroy your body.

We’ve known for a very long time that the sun’s rays and Vitamin D can impede the way the immune system plays a role in MS. This distinct study, though, is targeted on how sunshine affects the people who are starting to experience the very earliest of MS symptoms. The objective of the study is to observe how sunshine and Vitamin D might have an affect on the symptoms doctors call “precursor” to actual symptoms of the disease.

Unfortunately, there are not all that many approaches to actually quantify the study’s hypothesis. The study would like to show whether or not exposure to the sun’s rays can actually prevent MS. Unfortunately, the scientists found out, the only way to that is to monitor people over the course of their lives. This is only way that it may be possible to calculate and understand the levels of Vitamin D that can be found in a person’s blood before the precursors of the disease show up. The way it appears today, and has stood (widely recognized) for years is that people who live in warm and sunny climates and who get more exposure to direct sunlight are less likely to develop MS than those who live in dark or cold climates and get very little exposure to the sun.

As we have just stated, skin conditions is something that cannot be ignored – or at least should never be ignored. We do understand very well that your situation is vital and matters a great deal. There is a lot, we know, and that is the reason why we are taking a very short break to state a few words about this. We are highly certain about the ability of what we offer, today, to create a difference. As usual, we generally save the very finest for last.

So should you acquire more sun to counteract MS from setting in? Talk to the doctor to figure out if this is an excellent idea. Your health care provider will look into your current state of health and fitness, your health history and even into your genetics to help you figure out if you even sit at risk for the disease at all. From there a family doctor can help you determine the best ways to keep the disease at bay.

One thing you may find quite a surprise is the degree and breadth of all there is regarding MS. We have covered several important points that we know will have a direct effect in many ways. There actually is a tremndous amount of extremely valuable content offered. There is much more that can seriously produce the kind of outcomes anyone would want. What follows after this is the kind of information that most will probably have no idea about.

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Usually it is the grandparents who seem to complain about having sore knees and aches in the back. However that does not necessarily mean that they are the only ones who can experience it. Such a problem can take place in any adult’s life and not only the elderly. The best way you can ensure that such a problem does not take place in your life is by taking some preventive measures as soon as you have entered the stage of being an adult. Consider the following tips:

Being educated about the issue is the most important step. There are various steps which can lead to pain that is chronic, thus one should have enough knowledge about them in order to prevent them from occurring in life after some years.

A few triggers that take place among young people include injuries of the joint and back, engaging in activities such as body lifting and typing regularly, accidents and a lot more. If you make it a point to get treatment for these in the early stages, you will go a long way in preventing chronic pain problems for taking place.

Do make it a point to include exercising in your daily routine; you will be thankful one day about making this decision. Engaging in yoga and attending yoga classes help a lot in preventing back issues from taking place.

It is obvious that having a reasonable weight will help you in preventing any sort of chronic pain related to obesity from taking place.

Do visit chiropractors and physical therapist which work along with doctors to make sure the spine is properly aligned and other parts of your body are manipulated in a way which would heal up them after an injury occurs.

It may not be possible for you to control each and everything when it comes to chronic pain, as at times some of its ailments may not even be recognizable or easy to diagnose in the early stages.

Just keep in mind and realize the importance, as it is just not easy to live through with agony. There are amazing doctors out there who especially focus on providing relief from pain. Just explore this to have a peaceful life.

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If you or a loved one is facing a long recuperation time from a surgery, a chronic illness or an injury, you have to be prepared. The kind of equipment, medical or otherwise, you’ll require will of course depend on your condition, your specific health needs, and the orders given to you by your doctor. For instance, you may need to do dressing changes several times a day and special soaks for the area, but other than that you don’t really need anything. Others will have specialized needs for every aspect of their lives from their nutrition, to their sleeping arrangements, and mobility. Every situation is different and every person’s requirements will differ. As the patient recovers, he or she will find need things to be done differently. In the first few days, you may find that you need to have more equipment, medical devices and assistance than you would have imagined necessary.

How to Determine What You Actually Need

If you are stepping down from hospital care or even from a convalescent home, you should consider everything you have been using there including equipment, medical devices and mobility aids and decide which you could do without. Before you leave, your doctor will probably ask that an occupational or physical therapist evaluate you before your discharge. What they will look at is your ability to feed, dress and bathe yourself as well as how well you can move around on your own. They will want you to be able to take yourself to and from the restroom or expect that the skill will come back to you.

Again, depending on your condition, your need for equipment, medical attention, and the like could be the same as your need in the hospital or lower for your home use.

In some cases, when you need medical equipment, medical representatives will offer suggestions for what you need to have to safely return to your home, however, while the majority of these people legitimately want to help, there are those who will only want to make a high commission on a family that is already dealing with a serious condition.

If there are several pieces of equipment in your hospital room that are not being used at all, then you will know that you obviously do not need those. If there are several that you use every day however, then you may need them- but your doctor might prefer that you do not use them.

How to Get What You Need for Nutrition

After the doctor, the physical therapist or occupational therapist helps you determine what you need, there are several ways to get the various types of equipment, medical supplies, and mobility aids that you need. Some items may require a doctor’s prescription to be covered by your insurance while other items are reasonably priced and can be rented at medical supply stores. Other items, such as nutritional items or wound care supplies will have to be purchased and then replenished as they are used up.

The doctor will have several suggestions for what is needed and may have specific guidelines for nutritional supplies. Meal replacement drinks will probably be suggested, especially for those who cannot or will not handle solid food or those who just do not have an appetite.

There are several options to consider, but many of them are heavy and large and may be very difficult to consume for many recuperating patients. A better option may be Isometric; the world’s smallest and most balanced meal replacement drink; it has two servings of fruits and vegetables making it perfect for recovering patients and others who are not getting the right nutrition. It also has ten grams of fiber, another important need for those who are not moving around enough and may be having problems going to the bathroom. Isometric also has 6 grams of essential fatty acids including Omega 3 and Omega 6 as well as 27 vitamins and minerals. It is just over three ounces in size and is available in several flavors.

Isometric and other protein supplements, snacks, and meal replacement drinks are available online at www.protica.com. Some items from the Protica product line are available in limited retail locations as well.

Other Supplies

Some people just love gadgets and may go crazy shopping for equipment, medical supplies, and renting or even buying things they do not really need. An electric hospital bed is a great thing for someone who is looking for many months of recovery time, but is a big and mostly needless investment for someone who will be back on their feet and back to work in a few weeks. Why get a bedside commode if the person can walk five feet to the toilet? The doctor may want the patient to exercise.

A person who is recovering from a broken hip may be hesitant to use their legs, afraid that they will fall again or that it will hurt. They will grow accustomed to using the bedside commode and may refuse to walk like they are supposed to.

A patient may also need additional supplies such as positioning devices or mobility aids.

Positioning devices can include bolsters and wedges and household pillows or rolled towels can be used as substitutes for these items. Mobility aids, such as walkers, canes and crutches, should be custom fitted to you so that they are safe. Your doctor will also want you to be instructed on their safe use before you go home. You may also need to use a wheelchair when you are going out of the house for longer periods of time.

For those who are going to be in the wheelchair for longer periods of time, there are additional considerations, including gel pads that prevent pressure sores to the backside and lower back. Whether you need a power chair or just a manual folding chair will depend on your exact condition and your expected recovery.

When You Are Done with the Equipment

If you have rented your equipment medical, you simply return the items as arranged. If you bought items and then find out that you no longer need them, you can return them if unused (in some cases and with some products), you can try to sell them or you can store them in case of need in future years. With certain types of nutritional supplements, it is best to use them only for the person they were prescribed for. Isometric, on the other hand, can be used by anyone at anytime, whether they are recuperating from illness or not.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey liquid protein for dialysis patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright

Chicken pox is extremely general in the kids, so it can be called a children’s disease. The most insensitive thing about this disease is being contagious. As normally assumed it is not any fungal infection, but it is a viral infection. Varicella zoster is the virus which causes this dreadful disease. Medically chicken pox is called as varicella because of the virus name. Very few obstacles crop up in the chicken pox cases, but whenever they are on screen they are very severe.

Children around the age of 10 years are the targets of chicken pox. In very exceptional cases it can also occur in Adults. It is believed that once you suffer from chicken pox you may not get this infection again in the life time. But the exception here is if you were not among the many that were infected around the age of 10, then the chances of getting infected remains in your stride. Adults and children older than 10 probably develop this disease there is a probability of more brutal problems. Spring and winter are the two seasons where the probability of infection is too high. Immunosuppressed or newly born children are especially susceptible to infection.

The moment you are in contact with a targeted guy or gal who is experiencing the chicken pox you are 100% at the risk of infection even though you might not show visible symptoms. The symptoms do not shell out as chicken pox has an incubation period of around two to three weeks. Chicken pox symptoms will come upon you after this incubation period. The initial symptoms are a mild fever and headache. After some hours of these initial symptoms rashes comes upon the skin. This is definitely the first official symptoms of this annoying disease. In the beginning days the rashes appear to be small, red spots which at later stage turn into blisters and also fluid fills in. These blisters are the second official symptoms of chicken pox. These blisters are awfully itchy. After some days the scabs of the blisters wither away, after getting dry. In the above-mentioned way the symptoms come up. There is an exception though that in some cases the symptoms does not come upon skin and the disease goes unobserved.

The infection may not be similar across the body; some parts have more rashes than other. First symptoms like rashes start to come upon the chest’s upper part and the back of the children.

Don’t let the chicken pox to get to secondary infections. Have it checked with the doctor for medication as secondary complications can be deadly in nature.

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The kidneys are organs that are about four inches long, and are found in the back wall of the abdomen on either side of the spinal column. Their main function is to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood as it flows through these organs. They are not huge in size, but the role that they play is significant. Though they are small (both of them together weigh less than a pound), they process over 18 gallons of blood each hour and filter over half of all of the fluid that is taken in by the body. In the end, the kidneys will excrete up to two quarts of urine during a day’s time. (Source: Every Woman’s Health, 1993). The kidneys are prone to a number of diseases and conditions, some of them very serious and even potentially life threatening. As with many other problems in the body, treating or preventing a number of conditions can begin and end with a better diet by either adding or eliminating certain foods.

Kidney Diseases and Conditions

The most common of the urologic disorders is also one of the most painful. Kidney stones are formed in a number of ways and from a number of different crystals. In the average person, a chemical process keeps these crystals from sticking together and forming a hard mass in the urinary tract. Once the mass forms, it can continue to grow, causing pain as it moves along, or if it is too large, may block urinary flow and become a medical emergency. Most kidney stones are not so dire however, and will pass without notice on their own.

There are several types of kidney stones, including the calcium oxalate stone and the phosphate oxalate stone. A less common type of stone is called a struvite uric acid stone, with an even rarer stone called the cystine kidney stone. Stones are most common for white men between the ages of 40 and 70, especially those who have a family history of kidney stones or other kidney disease. In addition, metabolic disorders of any kind can boost your chance of developing kidney stones.

Several inherited conditions may increase the chances of developing kidney stones, including:

- Hypercalcuria: increased calcium in the body, which may be the cause of up to half of the kidney stones.

- Cystinuria: an inherited but rare metabolic disease which causes a buildup of cystine (an amino acid produced by the breakdown of proteins during digestion)

- Hyperoxaluria: an inherited but rare metabolic disease related to a buildup of calcium oxalate in the blood. Calcium oxalate itself is a salt that is typically kept in balance. (Source: Medical Dictionary 1988)

In addition, there are other conditions that may increase the risk of developing kidney stones of any kind:

- Gout

- Excessive vitamin D

- Blockage of the urinary tract

- The use of diuretics

How Protein Can Affect Kidney Stones

Protein can affect kidney stones both negatively and positively. An excessive intake of protein (defined as over 35% of daily calories) can cause calcium oxalate stones. In addition, the rare, inherited metabolic disorder, cystinuria, can be caused by excessive protein-derived amino acids being present in the body. When protein is broken down in the body, it is broken down into amino acids, which are then absorbed and used to make new amino acids, hormones and enzymes for a number of functions in the body. There are a number of amino acids, eight of which cannot be made by the body. These are the essential amino acids and must be received from food sources. These are leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and lysine. In children, there is an additional amino acid that needs to come from food, but most adults are able to create the protein themselves (Source: The Vegetarian Society).

More Serious Kidney Diseases

Though kidney stones are by far the most common condition, there are others which are more serious. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 26 million Americans, with many millions more at a serious risk of developing it. (Source: www.surgeryideas.com/kidneydisease ) The risk factors for CKD include:

- Hypertension

- Diabetes

- Family history of kidney disease

- Being of a certain ethnic background

CKD, when left unchecked and untreated, will progress to renal failure.

How Protein Can Affect CKD

One of the symptoms that is most quickly noticed during lab tests is proteinuria, an excess of protein in the urine. Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet with the right amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats can keep the body in better condition, reduce the chance of developing high blood pressure and lessen one of the risk factors for the condition. While CKD is caused by hypertension, it can also cause hypertension as well. One of the risk factors for high blood pressure is being overweight. Maintaining a healthy weight through healthy diet and exercise is one of the easiest ways to keep from developing high blood pressure. Each of the macronutrients is vitally important, including fat, carbohydrates and protein.

How Much Protein is Needed for a Healthy Diet?

The American Heart Association recommends that a diet that has no more than 35% of its calories from protein. To determine how much protein you need each day, you can ask your physician for a recommendation for your daily diet or you can estimate your own need. The average person needs around .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, however, there are other factors that can influence your need, including how old you are, how healthy you are and your activity level. If you are very active, your need can go as high as a full gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, while if you are not active at all, you may only need half of the regular amount.

If you are interested in the formula to calculate protein amounts for yourself, it is simple to do so: divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms. Multiply that answer by the right number, as determined by your activity level:

- .4 if you are sedentary

- .5 to .8 if you are moderately active

- .8 to 1 gram if you are very active

- Body builders might require between 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kg of body weight.

Building a Healthy Diet to Treat or Prevent Kidney Disease

Before changing any aspect of your diet, always check with your doctor for safety. Because excessive protein can cause additional problems with the kidneys, it is important to get the right amount. In addition to getting healthy proteins in the right amount, it is also important to get healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. One of the easiest ways to ensure good nutrition, especially with proteins, is by using supplements. Profect, from Protica , is a good choice: it is 100 calories, less than three ounces and gives a full 25 grams of protein per serving. There are a number of flavors to enjoy such as: Grapefruit-Mango, Passion Fruit, Orange Pineapple, Cool Melon Splash Fresh Citrus Berry. Again, it is very important to make sure that you are getting the right amount of protein, especially if you are at increased risk for any of the various kidney diseases.

Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein bullets for bariatric patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright