The Guardian recently reported that your surroundings can have a profound effect on your daily outlook, mood and health. Studies have shown that those who live near greener spaces, such as parks and gardens are less likely to suffer from depression and some of the most common health conditions.

Not only is a green environment better for adults, but it’s also said to be greatly beneficial to young children too. Spending time in a green garden or at your local park can be great for you. Studies have now shown that those living in the greener areas don’t suffer from as many common health problems, unlike those in the more built up and inner city areas. Not only is it important for us to spend time outside and top up on the essential vitamin A, but it can greatly increase our moods too.

The number of people with asthma was far less, for those living in green areas. The most surprising results came from the difference in adult depression rates. Again, those who lived in close proximity to greenest spaces were far less likely to suffer from any form of depression or anxiety disorder.

Reality TV celebrity Jade Goody, who lost her life to cancer at the young age of 27, seems to have had a profound effect on women in the UK. Goody’s televised battle with cervical cancer, has successfully raised women’s awareness of the disease, and encouraged more and more women to regularly get cervical screenings.

The number of screenings in the UK was slowly falling, and many women were ignoring there reminders, and not bothering with the tests at all. It’s thought that Jade’s public battle has been a reality check for women, and has prompted them to take action before it’s too late. The number of cervical screenings has drastically increased since Goody’s death, and numbers still seem to be on the rise. This surprise increase has seen more and more younger women attending screenings all over the country.

On average, 4,500 lives are saved by these screenings every year, and early detection is key to the treatment of this cancer type. It was also reported that the turn around time for results are also on the rise. This increase in testing will in turn save thousands of more lives, and health care professionals hope that Jade’s story is not quickly forgotten, and that this number will continue to grow in the future.

Many people use detox diets to quickly shed those unwanted pounds, but are quick fix detox diets safe? Read on to find out more about this dangerous dieting trend, and how it could effect your health.

Celebrity fad diets seem to be all the rage at the moment, but are a few pounds of weight loss worth risking your health? Health care professionals are now advising dieters to avoid all forms of detox diets, due to adverse health effects associated with these fad weight loss programs. It was recently reported that a women was hospitalised and actually suffered minor brain damage, just by following this type of diet.

Detox diets often require that the dieter drinks excessive amounts of water, in order to lose weight. Drinking too much water can actually have an adverse effect on the body, and eventually reduces the amount of essential salt needed in the blood. In severe cases, the additional water can cause organs such as the brain to swell, which can lead to a number of very serious health problems, such as seizures.

In addition to this, regular detoxing and antioxidant detox products has recently been linked to an increase in diabetes. The sharp increase of antioxidants can be just too much for our bodies to handle, and can in some cases, end up damaging our cells.

Detox diets can be effective and in some cases beneficial, but they must always be followed properly. Many dieters are still taking their detoxes too far, by starving themselves and causing a whole host of health complications. The hydration based detox plans should be avoided at all cost, as these are often the most dangerous dieting programs.

Doctors are now suggesting that the detox fad is just another new way for the dieting industry to make money, and simply a waste of our time and money. Eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and drinking enough water each and everyday, is far more effective than regular detoxes. Our bodies are well equipped to cope with the build up unhealthy toxins, and our livers and kidneys are able to get rid of them effectively, without the need for harsh and harmful detox plans.

Short term fad diets and detox plans can never offer long term solutions to weight loss, and dieters often find that they quickly re-gain the weight after using such programs. The best way to lose weight, is to follow a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is dangerous, and can be damaging to your health.

There is still no real proof to suggest that detoxing your body, or fashionable celebrity cleanse diets actually work, or have any real beneficial effects on your overall health. Health care professionals have now suggested that plenty of water (tap – not bottled) and a enough sleep each and every night, is far more beneficial than any detox diet or plan out there. So, there’s no need to waste your hard earned cash on detoxifying foods, books or products. Instead, all you need in order to stay healthy is top up your tap water in-take, and get a good nights sleep.

The BBC broke the news that a new diabetes drug is more effective for weight loss, than the leading obesity aid Orlistat. Research has so far shown that the drug is extremely effective at promoting weight loss, whilst also reducing the risks of type 2 diabetes.

Liraglutide an injectable drug, encourages the body to produce more insulin than it needs, and in turn suppresses the appetite. If it’s used with a healthy daily diet, it can be an extremely effective way to lose large amounts of weight in a relatively short period of time. Some of the most successful test cases were placed on a diet of just 500 calories a day, and exercised just once every day. Most participants saw on average just over a stone in total weight loss, or up to a loss of 5% of their total body weight.

Health care professional have predicted that in the future half of the UK population will become obese, and are confident that this new drug will be key in reducing these growing numbers of obesity cases. Unfortunately, once a patient stops using Liraglutide, the weight loss is unlikely to continues, unless patients are able to maintain a healthy diet and a regular exercise program.

Have you ever wondered why you have trouble losing weight, whilst those around you seem to melt off those pounds with little or no effort? The answer is in your metabolic rate, and in the foods you eat. Read on to find out more about your metabolism, and how you can boost your weight loss efforts with just a few simple changes to your lifestyle.

Some folks just seem to be lucky enough to eat whatever they want, and never seem to gain an ounce of weight. Well, it has nothing to do with luck. It’s all to do with our individual metabolic rates. And when it comes to metabolisms, we’re all very different.

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