Wednesday 14 December 2011

Too much of anything is NEVER good

Somethings in life such as "drinking lots of water', "brushing every day, eating vitamins, sleeping, etc we learn are good for us but what happens when we over do it and obsess over its capabilities???
Here are 5 things that we often consume too much and not realize how harmful they can be to the body:

  1. Water
    -Drinking too much water can cause water intoxication because of a hitherto undiagnosed tricky heart. When the body takes in more water than it loses, it is called 'over hydration'. This happens when the heart, liver, kidneys or pituitary gland are not functioning properly. In these cases your doctor will restrict fluid intake and you may be given a diuretic to increase urinary output.



  2. Vitamins:Vitamins are double edged sword. Some are not passed out gently out of the system after they've served their purpose. They remain there to wreck unsuspected damage.
    -Vitamin B: formally called Folic acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine and so on has become fashionable as pick me up shots. In certain people they cause rash with anaphylactic shock and even death.
    -Vitamin A: taking over 300mcg can cause drowsiness, irrtability, vomitting, peeling of skin. It is dangerous in pregnant women and may put older people at risk for hip fractures.
    -Vitamin D: over 2000 IU and over 2500 ml of calcium daily can cause loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, high blood pressure and may damage the kidneys.
    -Vitamin E: over 1500 UI daily increases the risk of bleeding and can cause hemorrhagic strokes in people who are also taking blood thinner. Weakness, fatigue, nausea, and diarrhoea are also side effects.
     
  3. Dieting
    Instead of meaning sensible meals, the word now implies load shedding, which has become popular obsession. As its simplest weight loss requires consuming fewer calories that the body uses. For example, half a pound of weight loss requires 10 days of consuming 200 fewer calories a day. Most healthy weight loss requires you to consume 1200-1500 calories a day.
    -Fad diets lacks essential nutrients, such a protein, iron, zinc, and provide the same volume of food by upping fibre and fluids.
    -High protein carb diets work like a dream for the first week or so, as the body converts stored carbs into energy and excretes large amounts of water. But after this initial stage the weight loss slows down.
    -Famous diets such as Atkins(high protein) or Pritikins (Low protein) known to cause dehydration, high cholestrol, kidney stress, loss of bone density and metabolic disturbances.

    Exercise
  4. Too much exercise may lead to over training which can make you susceptible to injuries and illnesses.Exercise is a stressor which has a catabolic effect on the body. You know you are overdoing it if your workouts suddenly feel harder than usual or you're losing ground despite the fact that you're working hard. If the pain continues than your body is trying to tell you something.Your body needs time to recover, and your muscles will grow if you chill them so start slow and steady if you're a beginner and same goes with weight lifting.

  5. Brushing
    Over enthusiastic brushing in the push to get sparkling white pearly and banish tooth decay gets the work in reverse. It is the act of brushing that is more important. Anything over 3 times a day, of 2 minutes and with a hard or medium brush can strip away the protective layer of enamel, which is only 1-2mm thick and cannot be reformed as it has no cells. thus, the inner layer of your tooth gets exposed leaving them yellow and sensitive to hot/cold, sweet/sour foods. this is called Tooth brush abrasion.


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