Smileband Health issues

Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints. Water is needed for overall good health.

Path to improved wellness

You should drink water every day. Most people have been told they should drink 6 to 8, 8-ounce glasses of water each day. That is a reasonable goal. However, different people need different amounts of water to stay hydrated. Most healthy people can stay well hydrated by drinking water and other fluids whenever they feel thirsty. For some people, fewer than 8 glasses may be enough. Other people may need more than 8 glasses each day. If you are concerned that you are not drinking enough water, check your urine. If your urine is usually colorless or light yellow, you are well hydrated. If your urine is a dark yellow or amber color, you may be dehydrated.  Water is best for staying hydrated. Other drinks and foods can help you stay hydrated. However, some may add extra calories from sugar to your diet. Fruit and vegetable juices, milk, and herbal teas add to the amount of water you get each day. Even caffeinated drinks (for example, coffee, tea, and soda) can contribute to your daily water intake. A moderate amount of caffeine (200 to 300 milligrams) is not harmful for most people. This is about the amount in 2 to 4, 8-ounce cups of coffee. However, it’s best to limit caffeinated drinks. Caffeine may cause some people to urinate more frequently, or feel anxious or jittery.

Water can also be found in fruits and vegetables (for example, watermelon, tomatoes, and lettuce), and in soup broths.

Sports drinks can be helpful if you are planning on exercising at higher than normal levels for more than an hour. It contains carbohydrates and electrolytesthat can increase your energy. It helps your body absorb water. However, some sports drinks are high in calories from added sugar. They also may contain high levels of sodium (salt). Check the serving size on the label. One bottle usually contains more than one serving. Some sports drinks contain caffeine, too. Remember that a safe amount of caffeine to consume each day is between 200 and 300 mg (milligrams).

Energy drinks are not the same as sports drinks. Energy drinks usually contain large amounts of caffeine. Also, they contain ingredients that overstimulate you (guarana, ginseng, or taurine). These are things your body doesn’t need. Most of these drinks are also high in added sugar. According to doctors, children and teens should not have energy drinks.

If staying hydrated is difficult for you, here are some tips that can help:

• Keep a bottle of water with you during the day. To reduce your costs, carry a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water.
• If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding a slice of lemon or lime to your drink.
• Drink water before, during, and after a workout.
• When you’re feeling hungry, drink water. Thirst is often confused with hunger. True hunger will not be satisfied by drinking water. Drinking water may also contribute to a healthy weight-loss plan. Some research suggests that drinking water can help you feel full.
• If you have trouble remembering to drink water, drink on a schedule. For example, drink water when you wake up, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and when you go to bed. Or, drink a small glass of water at the beginning of each hour.
• Drink water when you go to a restaurant. It will keep you hydrated, and it’s free.

Smileband Health issues

Nearly 40 per cent of cancer deaths could be prevented with eight simple lifestyle changes, new research has concluded.

Quitting smoking, eating healthier and boozing less would help stop the disease, which claims 8.2 million lives worldwide each year. 

Scientists suggest those three habits can be blamed for 30.4 per cent of all cancer deaths, around 2.5 million - with tobacco proving the biggest burden. 

Five other habits, including excessive UV radiation, obesity and not exercising enough can be blamed for a further 14.4 per cent of deaths - 1.2 million lives. 

Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, said the total amount is greater than 38 per cent because many deaths involved two factors.

Even 'small improvements' would help reduce the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, the Australian researchers claimed. Their findings, which also highlighted irresponsible sun tanning as a cause, were derived from an analysis of the country's cancer deaths.  

Figures showed 44,000 Australians died from the umbrella of diseases in 2013 - of which 38 per cent were deemed preventable. Obesity and infections were responsible for five per cent of the deaths while not exercising enough was blamed for 0.8 per cent.

Dr David Whiteman, lead researcher of the study published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that the bad habits fueled 41 per cent of cancer deaths in men and 34 per cent in women.

He said 'this is because men smoke and drink more, spend more time in the sun and don't eat as well', science alert reports. 

Smileband Health issues

Aside from cold weather and winter festivities, the inevitable flu season has begun - and it's only going to get worse.

The dreaded 'Aussie flu' is expected to wreak havoc on an already over-stretched NHS after blighting Australia during the country's winter.

But it's not all doom and gloom, according to various medical experts, ranging from nutritionists to A&E doctors and dermatologists.

Here, in a piece for Health that they have explained which cold and flu remedies they swear by and what they do to avoid catching a bug.

And their answers range from a plant extract, dubbed 'better than anything a doctor could prescribe', to simply drinking more water. I really don’t think you can get enough of it. If I feel a cold or sniffle coming on – I add two Berocca tablets to my shake, which seems to really stop anything nasty in its tracks.

Do you take an precautions to avoid getting sick?

In the wintertime I up my game a little. 

I am a big fan of antioxidants to help the immune system boost itself – particularly glutathione and vitamins C and E so I’ve added these to my supplement range. 

Berocca has been helping me for years and I really swear by it, particularly when I was working in the NHS and was exposed to all sorts of viruses on a daily basis.

I think eating a good range of fruit and vegetables every day is also essential – particularly strongly coloured fruits such as raspberries, blueberries and Concord grapes. 

I eat these on a daily basis, particularly in wintertime when the risk of infections is higher. 

As a rule I try to avoid antibiotics wherever possible and treat things with supportive measures instead. 2. Sarah Flower – nutritionist

Which cold and flu remedies do you swear by?

I swear by adding a good quality probiotic daily. This not only ensures your bowel is in good health but also boosts your immune system dramatically.

I also highly recommend vitamin D, daily throughout the year for those who don’t spend much time outside.

But everyone should take it during the winter months as we do not get vitamin D from the sun in this country during the winter months.

The third is a very good quality fish oil. 

Do you take an precautions to avoid getting sick?

Hydrate. Keeping yourself well hydrated is absolutely vital to help ‘flush’ out the cold, break down congestion and keep your throat lubricated. 

Try to avoid sugary or milky drinks especially if you have a lot of mucus as this can often make it worse. 

I would opt for water (sparkling water with lemon can be very refreshing), you can also try soothing warm herbal and fruit teas. 

Smileband General News

Ecuador's vice president has been sentenced to six years in prison for taking illegal kickbacks from a Brazilian construction giant.

Jorge Glas is highest-ranking politician to be convicted in the sprawling case centred on Odebrecht, whose practice of giving bribes to secure public works contracts has cast a cloud over officials and ex-officials in several Latin American countries.

Glas, 48, had been in preventive custody since October. 

His trial before Ecuador's Supreme Court started last month and he was sentenced today.

Prosecutors said he received a total of $13.5 million in Odebrecht bribes, via an uncle who is also under arrest.

Fallout from the massive Odebrecht corruption scandal has continued to sweep Latin America.

The company, which has admitted to paying bribes to win contracts in a number of countries, has already paid $3.5billion in settlements in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland.

A close ally of leftist ex-President Rafael Correa, Glas served as Correa's vice president from 2013 and retained the position under current President Lenin Moreno. Three other individuals have been sentenced to 14 months in prison in the same case, their sentences lightened by 'effective cooperation' with authorities, according to the verdict read by judge Edgar Flores.

In an October interview from prison in Quito, Glas said he was a victim of the construction giant's revenge after he was instrumental in kicking the company out of Ecuador in 2008 following a dispute over repair of a hydroelectric plant.

Glas, who was minister of strategic sectors before becoming vice president in 2013, denied any link to the Odebrecht scandal, though his uncle, Ricardo Rivera, has been arrested for his alleged involvement.

Under investigation by the US Justice Department, Odebrecht agreed in December to pay the record $3.5 billion fine after admitting to paying $788 million in bribes across 12 countries to secure contracts.

The scandal has ensnared politicians in several countries, including Mexico, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.

Ecuadoran prosecutors said Odebrecht spent $47.3 million in bribes in their country to get public contracts.

Ecuador's former president, Rafael Correa, told CNN Spanish from Panama that Glas was a 'political prisoner' and there was 'no evidence against him'.

He claimed the conviction was a way for his successor, President Lenin Moreno, to seize control of the vice president's office. 

Smileband General News

Members of the Royal Family shed tears for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire alongside their bereaved relatives at a poignant and emotional memorial service today.

Princes Charles, William and Harry were joined by the Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge at St Paul's Cathedral for the service, with Kate clearly battling tears as tributes were made to those who lost their lives in the tragedy. 

Celebrities with links to the area were also among the 1,500 guests, including Adele, who had many friends in the Kensington community, who was seen openly weeping as she embraced others in the congregation.

She was joined by fellow singer Marcus Mumford and his actress wife Carey Mulligan, with both also seen crying as they struggled to keep their emotions under control.  

After the service, the Royals were quick to engage with the families, providing comforting words and a friendly face for them to talk to and share their grief with.

It comes after Boris Johnson branded London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the tragedy 'spineless' after Tory councillors were blocked from attending today's service.

The Foreign Secretary launched a furious attack on the London Mayor who he said should share some of the blame over why many victims have still not been rehoused.

And he hit out at the decision to block Tory councillors in Kensington and Chelsea from attending even though Labour councillors were invited.

The blaze at the 24-storey tower in June killed 71 people and injured a further 70, while making hundreds homeless and is believed to have been started by a faulty fridge-freezer before spreading rapidly. As the service ended, the Grenfell banner was held aloft and carried out of the cathedral, followed by survivors and bereaved holding white roses and photographs of their loved ones.

Maria Jafari, 38, and her family met Prince Harry at the end of the service.

Harry told her mother, Fatima Jafari, 78, that she must have been very proud of her daughter for speaking at the front, before congratulating her for taking part.

As Mrs Jafari began sobbing for her husband, who was 82 when he died, the prince asked an interpreter: 'Just tell her I am so incredibly sorry for her loss.' 

Meanwhile the Bishop of Kensington told the community at the heart of the Grenfell Tower fire of his hope that the tower may one day become 'a symbol of the time we learnt a new and better way'.

The Right Reverend Graham Tomlin said six months on there were 'so many unresolved issues and questions', but he trusted that the truth would bring justice and heal the divides in society the tragedy had laid bare.

He told survivors and those who lost family members in the blaze that he hoped that Thursday's national memorial service would assure them that the nation had not forgotten them.

Bishop Tomlin told the congregation at St Paul's Cathedral: 'My hope, my prayer is that today we will pledge ourselves to change, from a city where we didn't listen, where we didn't hear the cries of our neighbours because we were too wrapped up in our own interests and prosperity, to create a new type of life together, where we are turned not inwards to ourselves, but outwards towards each other: a society known for listening, compassion and love.

'In years to come, our hope is that the name of Grenfell will not just be known as a symbol of sorrow, of grief or injustice, but a symbol of the time we learnt a new and better way, to listen and to love.'

Reflecting on the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Bishop said the response from all over London, the UK and beyond had been 'extraordinary', while the emergency services worked tirelessly.

Smileband General News

Two men and two women have been arrested on suspicion of murdering an 87-year-old who has died three weeks after being savagely beaten and robbed.

Widower Arthur 'Bob' Gumbley, who ran a successful heating and plumbing supplies company before retiring, was set upon in his own home on November 21. His gated property was broken into at around 8pm and repeatedly punched him in the face before kicking him as he lay helplessly on the floor, before making off with items including a purse belonging to his late wife.

Mr Gumbley succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Monday. When paramedics arrived at the scene in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, at 10pm to find the retired company director lying in a pool of blood.

He was taken to Good Hope Hospital were he was treated for severe bruising to his left eye, neck, chest, both hands and right arm.

Staffordshire Police released photographs of Mr Gumbley's injuries in a bid to catch the perpetrators.

Yesterday police confirmed Mr Gumbley died from his injuries on Monday (December 11) and officers had arrested four people on suspicion of murder.

Two men aged 42 and 34, and two women aged 33 and 29, who are all from Birmingham, are currently being quizzed by detectives. Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Dan Ison, said: 'This was an horrific and despicable attack on a defenceless elderly man in his own home, which has now resulted in his untimely death and a murder investigation.

'He had been punched in the face and kicked while on the floor.

'He was taken by ambulance to Good Hope Hospital where he was initially treated for injuries to his chest, neck, arms and face.

'Despite being in good health prior to the attack, his condition deteriorated last week and he sadly passed away on Monday 11 December. 'The robbery is believed to have taken place between 7pm and 9pm, when thieves ransacked the house and stole items of jewellery and cash, as well as a purse that belonged to Arthur's late wife.

'Crimes of this nature cannot go unpunished, and I want to reassure Arthur's family that every effort is now being made to bring those responsible to justice.'

Speaking at a press conference after the attack, Mr Gumbley's daughter Sue said before he died: 'It's started to become real to him now, and he's said he's scared. 

'His question is, why did it happen to him? What did he do wrong? How do you tell somebody that? That he did nothing wrong? 

'To do that to an old person, to push them around and kick them and punch them, and cut them, it's really frightening. 'To see your dad, that you've looked up to all these years, sitting in a pool of blood is just awful.

'We've shown him a picture of himself and it's frightened him. He's a scared old man now, and he was a tall, upright person that people respected, he's worked hard all of his life.'

Smileband Health issues

A recent Danish study has linked hormone-based birth control methods to an increased risk of breast cancer, but experts say these contraceptives have protective effects.

The research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists collected data from 1.8 million women between the ages of 15 and 49 for nearly 11 years. They found that hormone-based birth control methods were linked to 13 extra cases of breast cancer among 100,000 women using these these contraceptives for a year.

However, the overall risk is small and varies depending on a woman's age and genetics. 

In fact, some experts say women should not be alarmed because the benefits of birth control outweigh the risks.

'The absolute risk cancer is very small,' epidemiologist Dr JoAnn Manson of Brigham And Women's Hospital told Daily Mail Online. 'There are counter-balancing benefits [of hormone-based birth control methods] There are studies that support Dr Manson's claim that hormone-based contraceptives protect against several types of cancer.

Research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics of Gynecology earlier this year,  examined data from 46,000 women for up to 44 years and found that women who had ever used oral contraceptives were less likely to develop colorectal, endometrial and ovarian cancer.

The study revealed contraceptive pills were associated with a 33 percent reduced risk of developing endometrial and ovarian cancer, and about a 20 percent reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Researchers also found that these protective benefits seemed to last more than 30 years after women have stopped using the pill.

A 2015 study published in The Lancet Oncology also found that oral contraceptives reduced the risk of developing endometrial cancer, while another study published last year in the Annals of Oncology found that they protect against dying from ovarian cancer.

Another published in the Journal of Women's Health in 2012 linked contraceptive pills to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's Disease.

Researchers found that women on birth control scored higher on cognitive tests than women who had never taken birth control. These effects could also be seen for years after the women had stopped taking the pill.

Although that study focuses specifically on oral contraceptive pills, Dr Manson stresses that no studies have linked hormone-based contraceptives to an increased absolute risk of cancer and mortality. However, for those who are worried, there are birth control methods that do not contain hormones that are effective and affordable. 

Many people are familiar with Mirena, Liletta and Skyla IUDs which used the hormone progestin. But there's a hormone-based IUDs called Paragard which can protect against pregnancy for up to 12 years. 

Meanwhile, the hormone-based IUDs only work for three to six years.

The Paragard IUD is wrapped in a tiny copper and inserted into the uterus.