How to manage your health problems without medication

For people who hate taking pills, a little physical exercise and a controlled diet can help you manage your health problems without taking medication.

Health experts, in the April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter, have offered a little piece of advice for managing seven common conditions without taking medication.

For patients suffering from arthritis, experts suggest that loosing weight can make the condition less painful. A regular exercise can ease arthritis pain and improve mobility even among people who don't need to lose weight.

Cholesterol can be controlled if you keep off saturated fat from your diet. The LDL level may drop by 5 pct and an additional soluble fibre may reduce LDL levels as well. So can margarines fortified with sterols.

For healthy elderly people facing cognitive decline, memory training and other "brain exercises" can help them stay sharp. Moreover, physical exercise may benefit the brain more than mental gymnastics.

Various studies have shown that a regular physical activity can have a potent antidepressant effect on people suffering from depression.

Regular physical activity can also effectively control blood sugar levels among diabetes patients as exercised muscle becomes more receptive to the insulin that helps it pull sugar in from the bloodstream.

Also eating fewer sweets and easy-to-digest carbohydrates can control blood sugar levels.

Eating less sodium and a regular physical exercise to lose weight can help control blood pressure among patients with high blood pressure problem.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that increases the risk of fracture as bone mineral density declines.

Weight-bearing exercise puts stress on bones, and bone tissue reacts by getting stronger and denser, fending off osteoporotic processes.

Diet rich in vitamin D and calcium helps prevent the condition.