Just Fill Me In! » Health

Popping the Pills: Ibuprofen vs Paracetamol

Laura — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:33:01 +0000

Okay so you are in need of some simple pain relief… Big question is, do you take ibuprofen or paracetamol?

Ibuprofen, (more commonly known as Advil or Nurofen) and paracetamol (aka Panadol) are popular over the counter pain relievers.

Like most people, you probably think that they do the same thing, right? Wrong.

Although ibuprofen and paracetamol are both drugs which reduce pain, the main difference is that ibuprofen also reduces inflammation (swelling), whereas paracetamol doesn’t reduce inflammation, but it can reduce fever.

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen possesses analgesic (pain relieving), and anti-inflammatory properties. It works at the site of pain by blocking the production of the chemicals that cause pain, swelling and inflammation in the tissues of the body.

It is effective for headaches, backache, muscular aches, sports injuries, period pain and dental pain.

Paracetamol

Paracetamol exhibits analgesic (pain relieving) and antipyretic (fever relieving) properties. It does not possess anti-inflammatory activity. Because it doesn’t have anti-inflammatory properties, you can’t use paracetamol to reduce swelling.

Paracetamol is generally the medicine of choice for people with chronic pain such as osteoarthritis, and pain due to cold and flu symptoms, and fever.

Which to take?

So in summary, It all comes down to what type of pain you have.

Ibuprofen is better as a pain reliever when a there is muscular pain due to injury or inflammation- such as a strain, sprain, or arthritis.

Paracetamol is more effective when it comes to cold and flu symptoms, and fever.

I personally prefer ibuprofen over paracetamol for pain relief especially when it comes to headaches, but remember, different strokes for different folks!

For more advice, talk to your pharmacist!

xoxo

Fitness Fashion

Laura — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:46:34 +0000

Okay so we all want to look good when we go to the gym, I usually opt for something that is comfortable and lets me move about! (nothing worse than wearing something too tight in a yoga class, or shorts too short in a pilates class!) Three quarter black leggings are great as they are slimming and easy to move around in. Team with a figure hugging black top so that you create a sporty slick silhouette, and you will be too hot to exercise!

Fila’s polyester and Lycra spandex tank with Nike’s polyester and spandex compression shorts. Donna Karan sunglasses; Timo Weiland scarf; Diesel Black Gold shoes.

Nylon and spandex heart-sensor sportsbra from NuMetrex with nylon and spandex leggings from Adidas by Stella McCartney, under nylon and spandex leggings from Splits59. Calvin Klein sunglasses; flats from Rudolf Dassler Schuhfabrik by Puma.

Nylon and Lycra tank from K-Swiss with nylon and Lycra leggings from Asics.

Nylon and spandex tank from Calvin Klein Performance with New Balance’s polyester and spandex tights.

Photos by George Chinsee, Via WWD

An apple a day keeps the doctor away – and I seriously mean it

Laura — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:31:34 +0000

Remember the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Well that saying is definitely true. I never realised how good apples were until I came across this website, oneadaysuperfood.com.au. Apples are truly the next best thing. Not only are apples easy, fuss free and ready to go, they contain more antioxidants than green tea, the ability to reduce the risk of cancer, aid weight loss and more! Trust me, after reading this you will be wanting to get your teeth into a Red Delicious.

Image Source: Deviant Art

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

Apples have an extremely high antioxidant content

Move over green tea! Not only do apples taste better, ‘apples have almost four times as much antioxidants than green tea’. The graph below shows that apples have the highest antioxidant content of Australia’s most popular fruits, ten times the antioxidant power of goji berry juice, and more antioxidants than a 1500mg mega dose of vitamin C.

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

For those who don’t know, antioxidants help neutralise free-radicals, i.e. the compounds that are produced by stress, pollution, smoking and other environmental hazards. These free-radicals can lead to ‘early aging and also degenerative diseases including cancer, heart disease, and neurological degeneration such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease’. Although the human body has its own protection against free radicals, a vital second line of defence involves dietary antioxidants.

Apples skin may reduce cancer risk

‘An analysis of the Nurses Health study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, revealed that women who consumed at least one apple serving a day reduced the risk of lung cancer’.

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

‘Another case control study in Hawaii also found that apple intake (along with onions and white grapefruit) reduced lung cancer risk in adults by 40-50%. More recent European research as indicated that eating an apple a day or more was linked to a reduced incidence for different cancers including oral, larynx, esophageal, breast, ovary, prostate and colorectal.’

Apples reduce the risk of Cardiovascular disease

‘A new study of more than 34,000 women has shown flavonoid rich apples are one of three foods (including pears and red wine) that decrease the risk of death from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease amongst older women. Flavonoid intake was also strongly linked to a decrease in deaths from heart disease in elderly men in the Zutphen Elderly Study in 1933, where apples accounted for 10% of the flavonoid intake’.

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

Apples can improve lung function and help reduce the risk of Asthma

‘A number of studies have consistently linked apples to asthma protection and improved lung function. Studies also show that mothers who eat apples during pregnancy may protect their children from developing asthma later in life’.

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

Apples aiding weight loss

Obesity and diabetes are rapidly becoming the most important health issues in the developed world. Apples have proven to help reduce diabetes and obesity. Three apples a day (one before a meal) may just be an ideal dietary supplement to aid weight loss and improve overall health too.

A study published in the journal of the American Collage of Nutrition found a significant 28% reduction in risk for Type II Diabetes associated with eating an apple a day’.

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

Remember to eat the apple skin!

‘Researchers have found a dozen different compounds in apple skin alone that have the capacity to slow the growth or even kill cancer cells. Studies involved taking extracts of the apple peel and adding them to various types of cancer cells in the laboratory and measuring the impact.

Apple peel extracts certainly have the ability to limit the growth of cancer cells – and in some cases actually lead to the death of cancer cells and while that doesn’t mean these compounds would have this effect in the body, there is real potential. Research suggests that components in apples may even have a role in cancer therapy as well as in the removal of potentially cancerous cells – meaning they may play both a therapeutic and a preventative role of cancer’.

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

So remember! Next time you want a quick snack, reach for an apple!

Image Source: One a Day Superfood

For more fun apple facts, check out oneadaysuperfood.com.au, or download the full apple report here.

Stretch Marks

Laura — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Think that you have been scratched by a jungle cat in your sleep? No, they are actually stretch marks! Heres how to hide the appearance of those little red lines.

Stretch marks are the result of the rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth or weight gain that overcomes the skins elasticity.

For those lucky enough not to have stretch marks and don’t know what they look like, stretch marks give the appearance of reddish, purple lines, that sort of look like cat scratches.

Stretch marks can appear anywhere on the body, but are most likely to appear in places where larger amounts of fat are stored. Ie butt, tights and belly. Although stretch marks are generally associated with pregnancy and obesity, they can also develop during rapid muscle growth.

There are many creams and potions out on the market. Though cocoa butter is an effective moisturizer, no research studies have shown its ability to either prevent stretch marks, or to reduce their appearance once a stretch mark has already formed, so give the cocoa butter the flick. Instead, look for products that contain ingredients such as Centell asiatica extract, vitamin E, elastin, collagen, panthenol and hyaluronic acid to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Fake tan is a great way to hide stretch marks. Stretch marks on pale skin is alot more noticeable than stretch marks on darker skin.

If all else fails and stretch marks are still getting you down, you can always opt for the mother of all treatments – laser. Using scattered pulses of light only a fraction of the scar is zapped by the laser over the course of several treatments. The body responds to each treatment by producing new collagen and epithelium. This is most expensive treatment, but the most effective, it beats any old cream in a jar.