Anti Aging Solutions

Exercise - is it Linked to Memory?

2008-08-19T03:58:00.003+08:00

We've all heard about the benefits of exercise for our hearts and to reduce cholesterol, but what about for happiness, improving intelligence and memory as well as for alleviating addiction, stress and aggression.

These are the findings from Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and The Brain, a book published this year by John Ratey, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Ratey believes that exercise is like medicine and helps depression as well. This is supported by other studies. Depression scores were measured in a German survey where for 10 days people were asked to walk quickly on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Researchers concluded at the end of the survey that exercise significantly reduces depression.

Scientists at Yale University found that regular exercise stimulates the hippocampus which is an area of the brain responsible for mood. Their study of mice showed that exercise activated a gene in the hippocampus called VGF. VGF is linked to a chemical involved in new nerve cell development.

The findings have lead to scientists developing a drug that mimics VGF gene workings in the brain. If so, this would replace conventional antidepressants.

According to Ratey, exercise doesn't make you more intelligent, rather it stimulates the brain making for improved learning capacity thereby optimizing performance. Exercise increases blood flow to the part of the brain which is responsible for memory and learning. The stimulation improves brain functioning in learning situations.

Some schools around the world have taken note and have instituted exercise as part of the school day with teachers at Naperville Central High near Chicago reporting improved exam results.

Other studies have correlated physical activity with improved cognitive processing with the best results amongst people who were the most active. A study in Germany found a relation between the amount of activity in rats during pregnancy and the amount of cells in the hippocampus of baby rats. The more activity, the more cells. We'll have to wait to find out if this applies to humans as well.

Increased blood flow to the brain also improves memory function. From studies with mice at the Columbia University Medical Centre (NY), new brain cells grew in the dentate gyrus area, an area which is affected in old age. With new cell growth due to exercise, memory would improve.

The findings about exercise reducing aggression are not new –- we know that exercise is a good way to let off steam by burning energy. However Ratey says that the reason aggression is reduced is due to changes in the brain due to exercise which removes the feeling of aggression.

Scientists in Britain found that just five minutes of brisk walking can alleviate withdrawal symptoms caused from giving up smoking. They believe that exercise stimulates how much dopamine (a mood enhancing hormone) is produced which reduces the desire for nicotine.

Ratey believes that a brisk 30 minute walk four to five times a week is the minimum to achieve the benefits. He also recommends interval training where you speed it up by sprinting for around 30 seconds then walking for two minutes.

Information for this article was taken from The Sydney Morning Herald June 7-8 2008 Can jogging make you smarter? by Simon Usborne republished from The Independent.

For more information on John Ratey and his book:
(www.johnratey.com) and (http://johnratey.typepad.com/blog/)

About the author

Lynn Berry is passionate about nutrition, natural health care and spirituality. She has a website promoting healthy eating at www.low-calorie-vegetarian-recipe.com, and a learning site at www.spiritual-awareness-course.com.

Western Diet of Meat, Refined Grains and Diet Soda Linked to Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome

2008-06-16T10:06:00.003+08:00

(NaturalNews) People who eat a typical "Western diet" or drink diet soda have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the journal Circulation.

"This is a red-alert wake-up call," said Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved with the study.

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a cluster of symptoms that are known to predispose people to cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. The symptoms include a large waist circumference, high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugar levels, low HDL ("good") cholesterol and high triglycerides. A person with three or more symptoms is considered to have metabolic syndrome.

Researchers had nearly 10,000 people fill out food frequency questionnaires on their eating habits, then categorized them as following either a "Western" diet pattern or a "prudent" pattern. Higher scores in the Western category were given for more consumption of refined grains, red and processed meat, fried food, eggs and soda, and for lower consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish. A higher score in the prudent category came from a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli and cabbage; carotenoid vegetables, including squash and carrots; fruit; whole grains; seafood; poultry and low-fat dairy.

People with the highest "Western" score had an 18 percent higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those with the lowest score. People with high consumption of meat had a 26 percent greater risk than those with a low consumption. Fried food was also linked with metabolic syndrome.

More surprisingly, the researchers found that the consumption of diet soda increased the risk of metabolic syndrome, while drinking sugary sodas or fruit drinks did not. This is the second study to find such a connection.

"The first time this came up, we didn't believe it," Steinbaum said. "Take two, and it's now part of another large study."

Thursday, June 12, 2008 by: David Gutierrez

Words of Wisdom

2008-06-03T15:05:00.003+08:00

I bargained with life for a penny,
And Life would pay no more
However I begged at evening,
When I counted my scanty store.

For Life is a just employer,
He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages,
Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial’s hire,
Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid.

Addictions

2008-05-31T09:15:00.008+08:00

Team Effort
Addictions not only affect the person with the addiction, but most often several of their friends and relatives are also affected. That is why it often takes a team effort to get the addict to a drug rehabilitation center in order for them to be helped.

Substance abuse recovery has to start with an honest assessment of the facts, but because addicts are generally incapable of objective self-awareness, they often need to hear the truth from someone who cares about them. Drug and alcohol abusers are always emotionally fragile, and if the addict you care about is going to get sober, it’s going to be because he feels loved.

It’s exceptionally difficult to keep your own emotions in check during the intervention process, and that is what is needed. The good news is that the professional intervention services offered by exclusive rehab centers can make a world of difference. In fact, the right intervention specialist will be instrumental in helping you deliver your message exactly as it needs to be delivered.

Remember, the decision to conduct an intervention is the most important one you’ll ever make. Addiction interventions save lives.

Once the decision is made for the addict to enter a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, each person needs to be treated as an individual, as everyone is different, with different needs. At a good facility they will participate in a medical and mental health screening by a physician, a clinical therapist and a psychiatrist. These screenings help you and your therapist design a unique Drug Rehabilitation or Alcohol Rehab plan that reflects the needs identified during this evaluation process. This plan will identify specific challenges you and your therapist believe should be addressed, while also providing a tool for measuring progress.

Individual Effort
Remember, drug detox starts with you, and your decision to seek help. No one can heal you against your will. No one can take you anywhere you aren’t willing to go.

Drug addiction is a personal problem. Drug Treatment can only succeed on a personal level.

The drug treatment center that’s right for you is the one that can help you get sober on your own terms, in a way that’s meaningful to you and no one else.

Rehab can only succeed if it promotes holistic healing. Remember, addiction is a disease with both physical and psychological roots. Addicts are sick both in body and in mind. To get sober, they need to get healed on both fronts. The most effective rehab centers are those which recognize the dual nature of the recovery process, and aim to provide their residents with rehab programs specially tailored to all of their individual needs. In the end, anything less than that simply isn’t good enough.

Facility Effort
The best drug treatment centers are those which respect the individuality of each and every one of their patients. The components of alcohol and drug rehab should at least include detox, individual therapy, group therapy, depression treatment, and alternative medicine.

No one can get better for you - if you’re going to get where you need to go, you’re going to have to make the journey on your own. That doesn’t mean you won’t get help along the way. On the contrary, the right substance abuse treatment center can provide essential support as you pursue meaningful and long-term sobriety.

The catch, though, is that the support can only be as worthwhile as you make it. The day you start substance abuse treatment is the day you take your future into your own hands.

I sincerely hope that if your loved ones consider you need to, you will enrol in a good quality drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and undertake the treatment provided, to enable you to live a happier, healthier life.

Another Side Effect of Heart-burn Medications

2008-05-23T15:12:00.000+08:00

Several popular heart-burn medications may sharply increase the risk of pneumonia, according to a recent study from Denmark.

In a review of medical records of more than 360,000 patients, researchers found that the use of drugs to suppress gastric acid quadrupled the risk of pneumonia compared to patients who didn't use the drugs.

Souce: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

Alternative Therapies Get Rid of Headaches

2008-05-10T16:12:00.004+08:00

Headaches are hard to treat and even harder to prevent, despite their prevalence.

The four drugs commonly used to prevent migraines have proven effective in only about half of patients and all come with serious side effects, ranging from tingling hands to cognitive impairment. Also, overuse of over-the-counter painkillers can lead to "rebound headaches" as the body builds tolerance.

"We have good scientific evidence that some of the alternative therapies often work better than the drugs," says researcher Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center.

Some natural and alternative therapies for headaches and migraines are:-

Magnesium, which has been shown to be deficient in more than half of migraine patients. It is particularly effective in preventing menstrual migraines and migraines with "aura" (visual disturbances). One study had shown that patients who took magnesium daily for 12 weeks saw their migraine frequency cut in half, and the duration and intensity reduced. Some research has also shown intravenous magnesium to quell a migraine in progress.
Recommended dosage is 600 milligrams daily of chelated (slow-release) magnesium tablets (taken with food to prevent diarrhoea).

Acupuncture can do wonders in quelling tension headaches by increasing blood flow to hypercontracted muscles in the head and neck, and promoting production of natural painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents.It has not, however, been found to be effective for migraines (which are believed to be caused by abnormal cell activity in the brain).

Myofascial trigger point therapy may help ease chronic tension headaches. The therapy focuses on irritated nodules, or "trigger points" within the muscles (which tend to radiate pain upward), as well as those in the jaw, neck and head. Human touch alone has been shown to release painkilling endorphins.

Diet can seldom be completely to blame for chronic headaches, but it can exacerbate them, doctors say. Some foods cause blood vessels to constrict and restrict blood flow to the brain (such as caffeine) or dilate, causing pain to the lining of the brain (such as nitrates found in processed meat).

Others such as cheese, chocolate, citrus, fatty foods, ice cream, wine and beer, stimulate the brain stem or neuronal pathways, setting the migraine process into motion.

Peanuts and peanut products, foods that contain caffeine, other diary products, yeast, dried meats, chicken livers, pickled foods, foods containing monosodium glutamate (MSG), ripe bananas, sourdough and foods containing nitrates (such as hot dogs, bacon and cured meats) may also be headache triggers.

If the headache food trigger is not known, it is best to remove those most common food triggers described above for at least seven days. If the headaches improve, one food group is reintroduced at a time as a "re-challenge" to see which foods may be common triggers. A new food group is added every three days.

Exercise should be undertaken daily. This relaxes you after a stressful day, improves circulation in your brain, and releases endorphins and other natural painkillers. Examples of good forms of exercise to relieve stress are yoga and tai chi.

Content provided by Revolution Health Group

Fit Over 40

2008-05-03T19:38:00.001+08:00

Mega Fat-Burning System!
Jon Benson, Aged 43
Author/Creator of “Fit Over 40”

Jon tells us how to burn more bodyfat in 10 days than you have in the past 10 months.
He'll show you the “Insider Pro Secrets” that hardly anyone wants you to know.
These are the techniques he used to DROP 70 POUNDS and stay lean...at 43!

If you're even the slightest bit interested in losing weight with someone who has already done it guiding you along the way, go to Jon Benson's website. Click Here!

The news is full of stories about the health dangers of being overweight, not to mention the discomfort of not being as agile as you used to be, so go on over to Jon's site and check out what he is willing to give you to get you started on the road to health and comfort.

Is the Pill Form of a Vitamin Better than the Food Source?

2008-05-02T20:57:00.003+08:00

10. Is the pill form of a vitamin better than the food source?

Even if you managed to down the recommended five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day, consider this: The soil in most parts of the country is depleted of selenium and contains marginal levels of zinc, magnesium, calcium and other minerals. And nutrient-rich foods don't grow out of nutrient-depleted soil.

Also, most of our food travels a long way -- on average 1,500 miles -- to our table, and produce begins to lose nutrients from the moment it gets picked.

Do the math. Yes, you can do better by eating organic: A study showed that these fruits and veggies have more antioxidants than their conventional counterparts. But most people don't eat five serving a day of conventional, let alone, organic foods, and so a large number of us miss key vitamins and minerals.

So, yes, multivitamins are good insurance.

Reviewed by: David Rakel, M.D.
Date reviewed: December 2007

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LL C.

Should I Tell My Doctor Which Vitamins I'm Taking?

2008-05-01T20:54:00.004+08:00

9. Should I tell my doctor which vitamins I'm taking?

A recent study found that nearly 70% of participants who took prescription drugs and nonvitamin supplements in the same year said they didn't tell their doctors that they used supplements.

In general, experts recommend sharing your pill habits with your doctor, but get ready to ask for a second opinion.

"In biochemistry classes, we [doctors in training] learned that vitamins are necessary for every biochemical reaction in the body," Dean says. "However, when it came to clinical study, we were never told that if cell processes slow down, vitamins can get them going again."

If your doctor lacks vitamin know-how, seek the advice of an integrative medical professional who keeps up with the latest research.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LL C.

Are Cheap Vitamins as Good as More Expensive Ones?

2008-04-30T20:51:00.003+08:00

8. Are the cheap vitamins as good as more expensive ones?

All the experts agree: You usually get what you pay for. To maximize absorption, Dean goes for food-based organic vitamins, which are usually pricier. The budget-priced ones tend to include synthetic vitamins and fillers, she says.

Regardless of cost, the bottom line is that no standard production rules exist for supplements. Look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) symbol or the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) or the Consumer Lab seals in order to ensure the product's purity. These mean that the supplements have passed tests to confirm that they contain the ingredients listed on the label and in the amounts listed.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LL C.

Do Vitamins Lose Potency Over Time?

2008-04-29T20:48:00.004+08:00

7. Do vitamins suddenly become completely ineffective after the expiration date?

They don't become entirely useless. "Vitamins and minerals are components of food, so they lose potency over time," Lieberman says. Regardless of the expiration date, once you open a supplement bottle and expose it to light and air, you should use the contents within a year or throw it away.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LL C.

Do I Need Extra Vitamins if I Exercise?

2008-04-28T20:46:00.004+08:00

6. Do I need extra vitamins if I exercise?

Exercise produces free radicals in the body. (Free radicals are believed to play a role in more than 60 different health conditions, including the aging process, cancer and atherosclerosis.)

If you work out more than 30 to 60 minutes a day, you may want to up your antioxidant intake to counteract this stress.

Also, you lose minerals like magnesium and potassium through sweat, so avid exercisers are wise to add a complex multimineral vitamin to their daily program.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.

Which Vitamin Supplements Should I Take?

2008-04-27T20:40:00.003+08:00

5. I want to take one multivitamin and just a couple of supplements. What should they be?

To round out your nutrition, add a comprehensive multimineral vitamin with calcium, magnesium, zinc and more.

Then put in more detoxifying and stress-sapping vitamin C. Fish oil can provide essential omega-3 fatty acids for healthy heart, skin, hair and nails.

And if you're older than 40, Lieberman thinks coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is worth the investment for its powers against heart disease and cancer.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.

Can Vitamins Harm My Health?

2008-04-26T20:34:00.004+08:00

4. Can vitamins harm my health?

It's possible to overdo fat-soluble vitamins because the body doesn't flush them. Instead, the extra amounts can build up in fat tissues and the liver. But you'd have to chomp a lot to do any damage.

"You could cause harm if you swallowed an entire bottle of vitamin D," Lieberman says. "If you took too much vitamin A, you'd have toxicity. But the first thing you'd experience is a headache."

The adult RDI for vitamin D is 1000 (international units) IU a day (it used to be 400 IU), and the RDI for vitamin A is 5,000 IU a day.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.

Are "Natural" Vitamins Better Than "Synthetic" Vitamins?

2008-04-25T20:32:00.003+08:00

3. Are "natural" vitamins better than "synthetic" vitamins?

It depends. Old studies on vitamins C and B6 showed no difference or greater absorption from synthetic ones.

But fat-solubles are different. Natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) is more available to the body than synthetic vitamin E (dl-alpha-tocopherol or all-rac-alpha-tocopherol).

"The body does judge them differently," says Carolyn Dean, M.D., a naturopathic doctor, wellness consultant and author of The Magnesium Miracle (Ballantine, 2006). In other words, the body has evolved to digest natural food, and so it can tell the difference between real and fake.

Dean recommends downing only food-based organic vitamins in order to make the best use of your vitamins.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.

Are Higher Doses of Vitamins Better?

2008-04-24T20:27:00.003+08:00

2. Are higher doses of vitamins better?

Let the debate begin. According to Lieberman, the government's reference daily intakes (RDI) are minimum-wage nutrition. "They don't take into account that vitamins can treat, mitigate and prevent disease," she says.

Taking high levels of niacin (vitamin B3), for example, can lower cholesterol. The catch? For some people, megadosing on niacin can cause liver inflammation. A more common reaction is flushing -- redness, burning and tingling of the face.

Also, excess fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K don't get excreted like water-soluble vitamins, so they can build up in the body's fat tissues and the liver and potentially cause harm.

In reality, however, toxicity is rare.

Your best bet: Don't take matters into your own hands. Instead, consult with your health care practitioner for your particular needs."Our society thinks more is better," says Jill Place, a Los Angeles-based nutritionist and registered dietitian. "I don't believe in therapeutic doses of vitamins unless someone needs them for specific illnesses."

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.

Vitamins - The Top Ten Questions Answered

2008-04-23T18:57:00.003+08:00

We are told vitamins ward off nutritional deficiencies and, even more, can help prevent dire conditions like cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease. But with the shelves lined with so many options, how do you know which pills are best to pop?

We talked to leading nutrition experts to get answers to your top 10 vitamin questions:

1. Why do vitamins make my urine yellow?

The body flushes out extra water-soluble vitamins, but the bright yellow color comes mostly from B2 (riboflavin), according to certified nutrition specialist Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., author of The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book (Penguin, 2007).

Found naturally in cheese, yogurt, eggs, meat, beans and spinach, vitamin B2 is essential for healthy eyes and helps maintain a strong immune system. B2 deficiencies are also linked to psychiatric disorders.

©2007 Revolution Health Group, LLC.

Color your diet: Fresh fruit 10 ways

2008-04-22T17:16:00.006+08:00

Content provided by MayoClinic.com

Nature offers many sweet choices for eating well: juicy red cherries, plump purple plums, and orange, luscious tangerines, just to name a few. In fact, all fruits fit into a colorful and healthy diet.

You can enjoy fresh fruits as they come: whole or perhaps sliced. But with minimal work, you can transform fresh fruit into lively snacks, side dishes, desserts and meals.

Here are 10 ways to reinvent and
rediscover these sweet options.

* Grilled fruit slices. Cut apples, pears or peaches into chunks, brush lightly with canola oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place on skewers or wrap in foil. Grill on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

* Peach honey spread. In a bowl, add 1 sliced peach, 2 tablespoons honey and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mash with a fork until the mixture is the consistency of chunky applesauce. Serve as a topping for pancakes or French toast, or serve it over roast chicken or pork.

* Lemon-lime fruit dip. Mix together 1/2 cup low-fat, sugar-free lemon yogurt, 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest. Serve with pineapple chunks, strawberries, diced kiwi, sliced bananas and grapes.

* Frozen fruity pops. In a blender, add sliced strawberries and bananas, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 3/4 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2- to 3-ounce molds or paper cups with sticks placed in the centers. Freeze for 3 hours or until completely frozen.

* Romaine and fresh strawberry salad. Combine 2 cups romaine lettuce and 1/2 cup sliced strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry vinaigrette dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cashews.

* Blueberry-banana smoothie. In a blender, add 2 fresh or frozen bananas, 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, and 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt. Blend until smooth.

* Plum salsa. Mix together 1 cup chopped plum, 1 teaspoon dried cilantro, 2 tablespoons chopped onion, 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Serve with roasted or grilled chicken breasts.

* Broiled (Grilled) fruit kebabs. Place cubed fruit, such as cantaloupe, pineapple, mango or honeydew, onto skewers. Place skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil until slightly bubbly, about 2 minutes on each side.

* Berries a la mode. Place 2 cup berries, such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries, in a baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup low-fat granola. Bake at 350 F until fruit is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Top each serving with 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream.

* Mango salsa pizza. Mix together 1 cup chopped red or green bell peppers, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped mango, 1/2 cup chopped pineapple, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro. Spread over a 12-inch prepared pizza crust. Bake at 425 F until the toppings are hot and the crust is browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.

©1998-2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)

Three Key Steps in the Fight Against Fibromyalgia

2008-04-18T08:30:00.000+08:00

Remove toxins, allergens & stresses from your body.
Reset the autoimmune system (order a cease-fire).
Rebuild the damaged bodily tissues (with high-tech nutrition).

Overcoming Fibromyalgia is a bit like rebuilding a city that has been bombed during an aerial war. The 3 steps are:

1. Negotiate a political decision to stop the bombing - this normally means you have to remove combatants from the city. If the enemy believes that there are still combatants in the city... they will continue to order bombing raids.

2. Recall the bomber planes.

3. Start repairing and rebuilding.

Combatants = toxins or allergens or stresses. When toxins settle into a tissue area... the immune system believes it has an enemy. It will not stop believing that until the foreign elements leave. So, the first step is to detoxify the body of toxins. This includes heavy metals, allergens, etc.

Ordering a cease-fire is only possible because of a substance called Collastin that has been found to help modulate immune system response, essentially telling the immune system to relax and not fight today... and antioxidants that police the town and stop damage from free radicals.

Finally, damaged tissues must be rebuilt by the most effective nutrition possible. This includes a balanced approach of all... not just some of the 25,000 nutrients that the body needs. An approach that is not comprehensive ensures that real healing cannot take place.

Fibromyalgia has been overcome by persons who apply the above tactics.
There is no single magical bullet that conquers Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is developed over time as a person becomes toxic and body systems are degraded. It can be overcome by rebuilding these systems through time.
While many of the body systems replicate new cells every five months, nerve cells take two years or longer. So, efforts to overcome Fibromyalgia are going to be long-term efforts (two years).

Fibromyalgia

2008-04-14T08:14:00.004+08:00

This is part of an article I found - go to this link to read the rest of the article.

Fibromyalgia is a stiffness and pain syndrome involving muscles, connective tissues (tendons, ligaments), bursae, and joints. It is also characterized by severe fatigue that is unrelieved by sleep because often Fibromyalgia patients do not get much, if any, stage 4 (or Delta) sleep—the "healing" phase of sleep where repair of bodily tissues takes place.

Risk factors for developing Fibromyalgia are:
* A family history of depression - research has shown that Fibromyalgia is more common in people with a family history of depression.
* Gender - two-thirds of Fibromyalgia sufferers are women
* Low Thyroid Function - studies have shown that Fibromyalgia is more common in persons with low thyroid function.

What is the cause of Fibromyalgia?
Medically speaking, Fibromyalgia does not have a known cause, however, usually Fibromyalgia sufferers:
1 Do not process lactic acid normally
2 Do not sleep well
3 Have lowered pain thresholds
4 Have low thyroid function
5 Have low serotonin levels
6 Have low progesterone levels
7 Have impaired immune system function
8 Have high toxic/allergic levels
9 Have low glutathione/antioxidant levels
10 Have experienced a structural stress such as a whip lash or fall

Although correlation does not denote causation, the most logical approach for anyone is to treat each of the above correlative factors as if it might be a cause.

In other words, treatment for Fibromyalgia might well include, and should using our logic:
1 Participating in low impact exercise routines and diet regimens that facilitate processing of lactic acid.
2 Endeavoring to sleep more soundly and regularly.
3 Reducing stress and increase dietary calcium and magnesium... which leads to lowered pain thresholds.
4 Endeavoring to increase thyroid function.
5 Endeavoring to increase levels of serotonin.
6 Endeavoring to increase levels of progesterone.
7 Endeavoring to improve immune system functioning.
8 Detoxifying our bodies.
9 Increasing glutathione/antioxidant levels
10 Remedying structural damage to nerves (chiropractic or osteopathic intervention, sauna or massage therapy)

Radiation-Related Fatigue

2008-03-30T14:30:00.000+08:00

Fatigue caused by radiation therapy may be alleviated with regular exercise, according to a study of prostate cancer patients who were undergoing radiation.

Oncologists typically recommend rest in response to radiation-related fatigue, but a study of 65 patients with prostate cancer indicated that increased physical activity helped men maintain energy levels compared to just resting.

Souce: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

Restoring Acid-Alkaline Balance

2008-03-27T09:56:00.001+09:00

The most effective way to reduce acids within the body is by enacting dietary changes. A proper diet should be comprised of 60-80% alkalizing foods and 40-20% acid-forming foods.

The Standard American Diet is mostly made up of acid-forming foods including coffee, tea, wine and most proteins (with the exception of milk, butter, soft cheese and almonds) as well as most fats, cereals and sugars.

On the other hand, almost all fruits and vegetables (except for tomatoes, cranberries and blueberries) are alkalizing.

Dietary supplements can also be very effective at restoring an alkaline state to the body. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and pH balancing supplements like pH plus or Mega Greens plus MSM by perfectlyhealthy help to maintain normal pH levels. In doing so they also help regulate sugar metabolism, blood pressure, enhance energy and stabilize hormones.

Restoring proper pH balance can significantly improve and sometimes even completely reverse chronic conditions. With recognition, dietary changes and supplementation, acidosis can safely be reversed, increasing longevity and improving the quality of life.

About the author
Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D. has specialized in Integrative Medicine for over twenty years, using conventional and natural methods to determine and discover the "root of the cause" in her clinic, South Coast Medical Center for New Medicine in Irvine, California, each and every day. Many people come in to the clinic from all over the world with severe chronic illnesses that conventional medical protocols have been unsuccessful treating. She realized early on that she can truly change lives through education as well as treatment protocols. Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D. and her medical staff strives to look at the whole person while exploring the effects and relationships among nutrition, psychological and social factors, environmental effects and personal attunement. Out of frustration of trying to find the right products to help her patients she formulated the perfectlyhealthy brand of products. All perfectlyhealthy products are clinically tested. For more information on recommended products, please visit http://www.perfectlyhealthy.net/ or http://www.perfectlyhealthy.com/.

(NaturalNews)

The Problem with Chronic Acidosis

2008-03-23T09:32:00.000+09:00

Acidosis begins when the body cannot properly dispose of excessive acids building up in the bloodstream. The body attempts to maintain proper pH balance by eliminating the excess acids through the kidneys, lungs and skin or by neutralizing the acids during the processes of digestion and cellular metabolism. However, when too much acid is produced, the body cannot keep pace. The excess waste overwhelms the system, polluting the blood and impairing the ability of the body's cells to communicate.

In an effort to protect vital organs, the body diverts the harmful acids to store in tissues, joints and bones. This might make the organs temporarily safe, but the diversion can cause joint and skeletal problems such as osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis; skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema; and tissue problems such as chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

Over time, the acids build up in the organs where they begin to disrupt normal functioning. This produces more waste, which further lowers the body's pH level. The decreased pH level means that the body is inundated with more dangerous acids and the problem becomes even more severe. Without restoring balance, cell walls harden and solidify. Our organs deteriorate as the cells die off, which further exacerbates our acidic condition. Now the body's state of acidosis is a prime breeding ground for pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, molds and parasites, which feed off of the diseased tissues and organs. Acidosis literally destroys the body from the inside out, paving the way for disease to take over.

In an attempt to neutralize excess acids, the body draws on its store of alkalizing minerals. Calcium, magnesium and sodium are drawn into the bloodstream at the expense of the bones and organs that these minerals were taken from. The bones are often the hardest hit, as they are drained of their necessary calcium reserves, leading to bone thinning and an increased risk of osteoporosis, rheumatism and fractures. The teeth also suffer as a result of the demineralization, making them more brittle and cavity-prone.

Keeping the body in an acidic state for a prolonged period of time can dramatically accelerate aging. Cellular structures become altered. Cell membranes become narrower and weaker. The cells eventually begin making "mistakes" as they try to repair and regenerate themselves. Acidosis inhibits the production of collagen and elastin. Collagen is the principal protein of our bones, cartilage, tendons and skin and provides rigidity. Elastin is a protein that gives our skin, blood vessels and organs elasticity. Without collagen and elastin, the body loses its youthful appearance, as it is no longer able to sustain moisturized and wrinkle-free skin. Internally, the body is also aging more rapidly. The premature cell death impairs brain function as the neurons can no longer properly conduct impulses. We begin to experience memory loss and the abilities to learn and reason decline.

With untreated acidosis, excess acids within the body attack the tissues and organs, resulting in inflammation, lesions and hardening of organ tissues.
The skin and kidneys are especially sensitive to the harmful acids. Hives, eczema, blotching and itching can occur from acidic sweat passing through the skin's pores.
The kidneys can become inflamed, which can lead to frequent urinary tract infections.
Hardening of tissues and inflammation are also contributors to cardiovascular disease, and the resultant increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

In a state of acidosis, there is less oxygen available to the body. Many pathogens live in oxygen-deprived environments. Acidosis, then, makes the body a prime breeding ground for harmful microorganisms to live. Acid buildup also takes a nasty toll on the body's immune function by seriously diminishing the production of white blood cells. The white blood cells that are generated are of reduced strength, making it even easier for disease and infection to take hold within the body. Dangerous microorganisms can now spread throughout the body, seeking out weakened areas. They break down tissues and interfere with biological processes, leaving behind a deadly wake of waste, which further perpetuates the acidic state.

Chronic acidosis also contributes to a state of insulin resistance within the body by interfering with glucose delivery to the cells. Normally, ordinary levels of insulin will escort glucose into the cells. With acidosis, the cell receptors fail to recognize the insulin hormone and deny it access to deposit the glucose, causing sugar to build up within the bloodstream. The pancreas, unaware of the insulin resistance, steps up insulin production in an effort to pump out enough of the hormone to remedy the situation. The body interprets the lack of glucose within the cells as starvation and begins to convert every calorie into fat. As a result, obesity and diabetes ensue.

(NaturalNews)

Your Health Depends on Your pH Level

2008-03-20T09:25:00.003+09:00

With the aging population of the United States, the incidence of so-called age-related diseases should be expected to rise. In fact the incidence of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and a host of other diseases have been steadily rising for all age groups until it has reached epidemic proportions. That is because the factors of stress, lack of physical activity, environmental pollutants and a diet high in acid-producing foods collectively create the underlying cause of most degenerative diseases: acidosis.

Proper Acid/Alkaline Balance is Fundamental
What is acidosis? It is the reduced alkalinity of our blood and tissues. Why is this so important? Our body stays alive and healthy only because all of its 100 trillion cells communicate with each other. They do this through electrical, chemical and hormonal processes. In order for these signaling mechanisms to work, the body's internal environment must be in a slightly alkaline state.

If our body becomes too acidic, it adversely affects the functioning of all its parts: heart cells, blood cells, brain cells, nerve cells, muscle cells, bone cells, even skin and hair cells. Obviously, this leaves us vulnerable to all sorts of health problems.

The acidity or alkalinity of a substance is usually expressed as a number on the "pH" scale. The pH scale goes from 1 to 14, with 1 being most acidic, 7 being neutral and 14 most alkaline, (The symbol "pH" is the abbreviation for "power of hydrogen," a measurement of the concentration of hydrogen ions). For blood, a pH level of 7.43 - just slightly alkaline - is optimal. Levels lower than 7.0 indicate an overly acidic state (acidosis) while levels above 7.5 indicate an overly alkaline state (called alkalosis).

(NaturalNews)

Why Sunbathing (in moderation) Is Good For You

2008-03-18T09:30:00.004+09:00

This article was published in the New Zealand Herald on Wednesday April 18, 2007
By Jeremy Laurance

"Sunbathers needn't feel guilty any more - they're boosting their vitamin D levels.
Twenty minutes' lying in the sun could provide your best chance of avoiding colds and flu, according to new research which demonstrates that vitamin D, not vitamin C, provides the most efficient protection against cold viruses.

Vitamin D is created by the action of sunlight on the skin. The malign consequences have been revealed in a study from the United States which shows that boosting vitamin D may be the most effective way of warding off infections that cause winter colds.

The authors, from Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, New York, who publish their findings in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, say vitamin D stimulates "innate immunity" by activating peptides in the body that attack bacteria, fungi and viruses. "Vitamin D supplementation, particularly with higher doses, may protect against the typical winter cold and flu ... Since there is an epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency in the US, the public health impact of this observation could be great," they write.

Traditional advice has been to swallow large doses of vitamin C at the first sign of a sniffle. But the latest findings suggest we may have been turning to the wrong vitamin. The revelation is the latest addition to a long list of scientific studies highlighting the beneficent qualities of a previously underrated health resource.

Vitamin D has been described as "the wonder vitamin" after a 40-year review of research found a daily dose could halve the risk of breast and colon cancer. It has also been shown to play a vital role in heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis as well as being essential for bone health.

Widespread deficiency in the vitamin among populations in the northern hemisphere suggests it may account for several thousand premature deaths from cancers alone, American scientists from the University of San Diego said in the American Journal of Public Health in December 2005. They reviewed 63 scientific papers and concluded "public health action" to boost vitamin D levels was needed.

High rates of heart disease in Scotland have been blamed on weak sunlight and short summers. Some experts believe the benefits of the Mediterranean diet have as much to do with the sun as with the regional food. The evidence of its role in fending off two of the commonest infections in the Western world - colds and flu - has come from research by US scientists who gave supplements of the vitamin to 208 women over three years. Half the women were given a 20-microgram dose of vitamin D, increased to 50 micrograms after two years, and the other half were given a placebo. Those who took the vitamin reported a 70 per cent reduction in colds and flu, from 30 episodes to nine over the three-year study.
All the women were Afro-Caribbeans who were being tested with vitamin D supplements to see if they prevented bone loss, which is a common problem following the menopause. People with dark skins make less vitamin D when exposed to the sun and consequently tend to have lower levels.

The startling results offer a new motive to seek, in moderation, the sunlight.
Twenty minutes in the sun, with the hands, arms and face exposed, is all that is needed to get an adequate dose, but it needs to be regularly topped up through the summer. In winter the only way of maintaining levels is by taking cod liver oil or supplements.

Many countries have modified their warnings about the dangers of sunbathing in the light of the growing evidence for the benefits of vitamin D. Australia preached avoidance of the sun with its "slip, slop, slap" campaign. But the Association of Cancer Councils of Australia acknowledged two years ago that some exposure to the sun was necessary to achieve adequate vitamin D levels.

Sun Bathing Using Tanning Beds

2008-03-17T09:07:00.004+09:00

With the modern trend towards embracing anything that is easier and quicker, there has been a rise in popularity of sun bathing using tanning beds. The time spent in a tanning bed is typically much less than an afternoon at the beach, but the radiation levels are more intense than from sunlight and the UVA to UVB radiation ratio is much higher than from the sun. The wavelengths of UVA light are longer and penetrate farther into the skin. UVA radiation is a more potent cause of skin cancer than the shorter UVB light.

UVA radiation, and UVB less so, puts people at risk for DNA damage and skin cancer, but only exposure to UVB radiation will produce vitamin D, which protects against many illnesses. The amount of UVA radiation in the light of tanning beds is typically between 3 to 8 times greater than in sunlight, so you can see that tanning in the fresh air and sunlight in the natural way would appear to be much safer than using tanning beds. Go out and get your healthy glow from the sun at a safe time of day, nourish your body with good nutrition, and you will also get your quota of vitamin D.

Please don't overdo your exposure to sunlight if you want to maintain a youthful appearance. Too much sun on your skin dries it out and forms wrinkles, but not enough sun means you don't get your quota of vitamin D, so as with many things in life it's a balancing act.

Reference Woollons, A., Clingen, P.H., Price, M.L., Arlett, C.F., Green, M.H.L. (1997). Induction of mutagenic DNA damage in human fibroblasts after exposure to artificial tanning lamps. British Journal of Dermatology 1997; 137: 687-692.

Top 12 Strategies for Staying Younger, Longer

2008-03-15T09:53:00.003+09:00

Time goes by day by day, and you can't stop that, but you don't have to sit back and let the effects of aging take place without a fight.

"You have the power to control how much and how fast the aging process works on your body. You can even reverse some of the damage that has already been done," says Tom Monte, author of many health and wellness books, including "Staying Young: How To Prevent, Slow or Reverse More than 60 Signs of Aging."

The aging process is caused by oxidation, the breakdown of cells and tissues as they mingle with oxygen. "It's just like the rust in a car," Mr. Monte says.

You can fight that process by adopting healthful lifestyle habits that:
* Help your immune system fight disease.
* Build up reserves of lean muscle mass.
* Prevent or slow degenerative changes.
* Rebuild damaged tissue and restore lost function.
* Help yourself
Anti-aging strategies can add to the quality of your life and health no matter how old you are, Mr. Monte says. Studies have found people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who start strength-training programs gain increased protection from injury.

Here are Mr. Monte's top 12 strategies for staying younger, longer:

Don't smoke. Each puff hastens aging's degenerative processes. Plus, smoking lowers your aerobic capacity, making it harder for you to do the things you enjoy and making you feel old before your time.

Eat foods rich in antioxidants. Vitamins A, C and E fight free-radical formation, the oxidation process that damages tissues. Eating 5½ cups of fruits and vegetables daily will help you get enough of these vitamins. Among the best sources are broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers and other red, yellow and green vegetables.

Eat lots of fiber. Dietary fiber found in beans, broccoli, bran and other complex carbohydrates helps lower cholesterol, aids digestion and defends against some kinds of cancers.

Maintain healthful cholesterol levels. Keep your total cholesterol level below 200 and your percentage of protective HDL cholesterol high. Following a diet that limits your fat intake to 30 percent or less of your total calories will help. Maintaining a healthful weight also is beneficial.

Exercise regularly. Age robs you of aerobic capacity. Performing 30 minutes of moderate activity three to four times a week can help you retain your capacity.

Build strength. As you age, you lose muscle mass; this weighs you down and reduces your ability to burn calories efficiently. Regular strength training can help reverse this trend.

Be flexible. Tight muscles limit your range of motion and increase your injury risk. A daily stretching routine that works each of your major muscle groups will help you stay supple.

Get enough sleep. While you rest, your body uses the nutrients you've consumed that day to repair the damage done by the day's activities. Not getting enough sleep keeps your immune system from doing its job and keeps your body in a state of disrepair.

Take care of your back. Keep muscles that support the spine strong and supple with cardiovascular and flexibility exercises. Use good body mechanics while lifting, standing or sitting for long periods of time.

Deal with stress. Stress is linked to many diseases and degenerative conditions associated with aging. Learn to look at problems as challenges and accept situations you can't change.

Stay close to your friends and family. A circle of support helps you deal with problems better, feel healthier and live longer.

Be nice. There's a relationship between hostility, heart disease and other stress-related problems. Look for reasons to be pleasant and to forgive people who make you angry. You may live longer as a result, and you'll probably enjoy life more.

Content provided by Staywell Custom Communications

Nissan's Electric Vehicle - A Fun Car

2008-03-11T12:15:00.004+09:00

Now this may be just what you're looking for. I hope they develop this into a vehicle that everyone can afford, it sounds great!!

Nissan Motor Company has developed an electric vehicle that pivots on its wheel axis, can squeeze into tight spots without backing up, and even tells its driver to relax when stressed out. The car was displayed at the Tokyo Motor show in late 2007.

The Pivo 2 is a three-seater commuter vehicle shaped like a ball. The top portion, where the seats are located, is capable of pivoting independently of the wheel frame, allowing the driver to face in any direction. Combined with the fact that the wheels also rotate 90 degrees, the Pivo 2 has an unprecedented degree of maneuverability. Parking in tight spots does not require complex maneuvering, and no reverse gear is necessary.

According to Nissan, the concept car is still too expensive for commercial sale, but the company is working on making it more accessible.

In a new feature from original Pivo concept vehicle, Nissan has added a talking robotic head to the inside of the Pivo 2's cabin, in order to keep drivers company. The robot's computer is programmed to detect a driver's mood based on their facial expressions, voice volume and speaking speed. When it detects a certain mood, the robot's head speaks preprogrammed phrases. If a driver appears stressed out, for example, the head would say "Relax, don't worry." The head is also capable of bobbing up and down.

According to the vehicle's chief designer, Masato Inoue, the goal was to make a car that people could see as more than an inanimate object and actually grow emotionally attached to.

"We want people to feel how cars can be so much fun," said Shiro Nakamura, head designer for Nissan Motors.

The Pivo 2 is fully electric and can travel up to 125 kilometers (78 miles) without being recharged. It can be charged from any normal wall socket, and does not need a special charging station or device.

Source: NaturalNews.com

Natural Treatment for Skin Ailments

2008-03-04T14:23:00.000+09:00

Combine equal parts of raw honey with pure, cold-pressed olive oil and melted beeswax, and you'll have a recipe for a natural treatment for eczema, psoriasis, and fungal infections of the skin.

In a four-week trial, topical applications of honey, olive oil and beeswax cleared up fungal infections in more than 60 percent of the study subjects. A few drops of vitamin E oil will increase the shelf-life of the mixture.

Souce: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

Dinner Plate to Help Diabetes Weight Loss

2008-03-03T10:58:00.000+09:00

DIET PLATE SYSTEM
Provides measured, sectioned or calibrated areas for the various types of food, such as protein, starchy carbohydrates, vegetables, dairy and fat Once the meal is measured, it is moved to one side of the plate and then the remaining space is filled with fresh salad or vegetables

The plates measure out healthy portions.
Using a simple portion control dinner plate can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and decrease reliance on medication, research shows.
Canadian researchers put people with type 2 diabetes on a calorie-controlled diet for six months.
They found 17% of those who used a calibrated diet plate lost more than 5% of their body weight, compared with just 4.5% who did not.
The study appears in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

In the majority of cases type 2 diabetes is linked to carrying excess weight - 80% of people are overweight at diagnosis, and doctors recognise that weight loss can greatly improve the condition.
However, many people with diabetes find it hard to stick to a weight loss regime.

The researchers tested the effect of using a calibrated dinner plate and breakfast bowl that helps people to eat healthy sized portions.
On average those who used the diet plates lost 1.75% of their body weight, compared with just 0.05% in the group who had to rely on will power alone. As a result, they were also much more likely to be able to decrease their reliance on diabetes-controlling medication, including shots of insulin.

As good as drugs
Lead researcher Dr Sue Pederson said the results were comparable to those achieved by taking expensive weight loss drugs. She said: "The weight loss results are all the more impressive considering that diabetics in general do not respond well to weight loss programmes."
Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: "Losing weight is never easy and even harder for diabetics. "To achieve these results over a six month period is excellent and with no more side effects than an occasional decrease in blood glucose, easily corrected by a reduction in medication, is very impressive indeed."

Tracy Kelly, of the charity Diabetes UK, said eating a healthy balanced diet and taking regular physical activity were the best ways of controlling weight and effectively managing diabetes.
"Cutting down on portion sizes and eating balanced meals will help people control their weight, therefore some people may find this plate useful. However, controlling weight can be achieved effectively without spending extra money. A healthy balanced diet should be based on carbohydrates and be low in fat, sugar and salt with plenty of fruit and vegetables."

Linking Obesity and Cancer

2008-03-02T13:03:00.003+09:00

This continues the thoughts we started yesterday on treating cancer.

"Fueling cancer

Still, this notion might have stalled without two other developments.
* First, epidemiological studies began to find links between cancer and the insulin-IGF axis in people.
* Then, the entire field of cancer treatment underwent a transformation.

"What got people's attention was the epidemiologic data," says Doug Yee of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center in Minneapolis. In 1998, researchers reported in the journal Science that the risk of prostate cancer among men with the highest circulating levels of IGF-1 was four times as great as the risk among men with the lowest IGF-1 levels. Similar findings quickly followed in breast, colon, and other cancers.

So far, colon cancer has the most consistent association with insulin and IGF-1 levels, says Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard School of Public Health, a coauthor of the 1998 Science study. In 1999, he and his colleagues reported that colon cancer rates were more than twice as high among men who had the highest levels of IGF-1 as they were among men with the lowest IGF-1 levels.

Such findings fit with global patterns of the disease. "If you look at the rates of colon cancer across the world, populations where you expect people to have low insulin invariably have low rates of colon cancer," Giovannucci says. Physical activity and reduced calorie intake can lower insulin levels; populations with more sedentary jobs and calorie-dense diets have higher rates of obesity and higher insulin levels.

"Once you become economically developed, colon cancer rates go up," Giovannucci says. Also, the risks for colon cancer read largely like a list of red flags for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes itself is a risk factor for colon cancer.

Scientists are quick to point out that a higher insulin level isn't the only chemical change that can occur with obesity. Levels of hormones that cause inflammation also rise, as do sex hormones, which can be produced in fat tissue. These and other changes in the body could themselves drive cancer. Or all these fluctuations could work in concert to feed malignancies.

And it might be not only the IGF-1 of middle age that matters, but also the IGF-1 production that orchestrates development early in life. Studies have suggested that babies born at the highest birth weights—and children experiencing early growth spurts—have a greater risk of cancer as adults.

While epidemiologists gathered evidence for a relationship between insulin and cancer, a second, unrelated advance gave the insulin-cancer connection new life: treatment success using antibodies that can attach to precise targets. Antibody-based drugs are large molecules that take the parking space so its rightful owner can't use it. Herceptin, an antibody-based breast cancer treatment, came on the market in 1998, followed by others. Targeted antibodies were suddenly more than theory.

"I think once people got more comfortable making these drugs, the floodgates opened," says Yee. And when pharmaceutical companies started casting for other promising targets for antibody development, the IGF-1 receptor suddenly looked attractive.

"They turned around and said, 'You know, there's this IGF receptor,'" says LeRoith of Mount Sinai. Drug development didn't happen, and perhaps couldn't have, until epidemiology and the technology caught up with the laboratory evidence. "

The Link Between Obesity and Cancer

2008-03-01T12:56:00.001+09:00

"Heavy hormones

Lower weight and more physical activity can affect the production of insulin, the hormone that allows the body to soak up fuel. After a meal, food is broken down into glucose, which is the body's main source of energy. Insulin triggers cells to take up and use glucose. As a person gains excess weight, the cells can become resistant to insulin's actions. To compensate, the pancreas begins to produce more insulin, but it can't stay in overdrive indefinitely. Eventually, insulin production will fall and blood glucose levels rise in some people.

The potent hormone IGF-1 and the related IGF-2 are very similar to insulin, helping support rapidly dividing cells, especially during childhood and adolescence. IGF-1 is a powerful driver of cell growth and body size: A toy poodle is a standard poodle with a faulty IGF-1 system.

The link between these insulinlike hormones and obesity is less clear than the connection between insulin and obesity. Although insulin and IGF-1 have individual parking places, or receptors, on a cell, some experiments suggest that at high enough levels, insulin starts to trespass on the IGF-1 receptor, LeRoith says.

In the late 1980s, laboratory researchers demonstrated that IGF-1 might have a role in cancer. Tumor cells were found to contain the IGF-1 receptor. In 1989, experiments with mice showed that blocking the receptor with an antibody could stop tumor growth. Researchers also found that mice bred to lack IGF-1 receptors in all their tissues were born tiny, thereby establishing the hormone's significance in growth. More important for cancer research, cells taken from the miniature mice lacking IGF-1 receptors could not be transformed into tumor cells.

"A cancer cell has to have the IGF-1 receptor," says Renato Baserga of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, one of the field's pioneers. "If not, it cannot grow."

At first, results like these were puzzling. Unlike cancer genes that encode other proteins and start down the path to cancer after mutating, the IGF-1 receptor gene wasn't altered in tumors. Also, IGF-1 receptors show up in normal tissues throughout the body. The hormone itself is such a basic substance for animal life that even flies produce it. It was hard to imagine that a normal receptor found in normal cells could have anything to do with cancer.

Then scientists had an idea. Malignant cells may be overly dependent on IGF-1 receptors, on a scale far surpassing the dependence of normal cells. A tumor is like a car—a gas-guzzling Hummer—with a stuck accelerator and no brakes. Even if IGF-1 doesn't spark the ignition, the hormone keeps the gas tank full. Block IGF-1, according to this line of thinking, and the tumor suddenly finds itself running on empty. "

More on this interesting and thought provoking topic tomorrow.

Obesity's Link to Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

2008-02-29T12:48:00.003+09:00

"Weighty Evidence

Living large can mean dying large, as familiar reminders about obesity's link to cardiovascular disease and diabetes repeatedly emphasize. But those warnings often overshadow another threat from obesity: cancer.

Excess weight accounts for 14 percent of cancer deaths in men, and 20 percent in women, researchers estimate. Among all preventable cancer risk factors, only smoking claims more lives.

Obesity's link to cancer should come as no surprise. Signs of that relationship began to emerge two decades ago. In the late 1980s, laboratory researchers found connections between cancer and insulin—one of the major hormones that responds to obesity.

While the findings got little attention then, today at least a half-dozen companies are developing cancer drugs that interfere with the hormone's cousin—insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
"We've been working on this for 20 years," says Derek LeRoith of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Yet until recently, "nobody ever bought into it." After all, even if a tumor does need insulin, the rest of the body does too. The early research was seen as hardly relevant for disease treatment.

Not so today. If clinical trials find that dampening IGF-1 shrinks tumors in cancer patients, scientists will have not only a new kind of cancer drug but also a new source of insight into the interplay between body weight, metabolism, and cancer.

In 2003, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that if the U.S. population were of a healthier weight, "90,000 deaths due to cancer could be prevented each year." That number may not fall for generations, as obesity rates among even the youngest in the developed world continue to soar. "

This gives us food for thought, and I will continue to reprint this article tomorrow.

The Purpose of Exercise in Aging

2008-02-26T21:24:00.005+09:00

Mental function is improved by physical activity, and conversely a lack of physical activity can lead to a decrease in blood supply to the brain, which is already evident in the aging process.

When the body is exercised it induces the growth of capillaries, or small blood vessels, in the brain which in turn enables nutrients to reach the neurons.

The other really important function of physical activity is to promote deep sleep. This is important because it is during the deep sleep that the brain rebalances the hormones and brain chemicals, consolidates memory, and gets us ready for the next day's activities.

If you haven't exercised regularly up until now it's not too late to start. Begin by visiting your doctor to make sure you are physically able to exercise, or start with a light exercise regime and gradually build up.

Ward off an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

2008-02-25T14:15:00.003+09:00

Elderly people may reduce their risk of catching a cold or developing an upper respiratory infection (URI) by taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement combined with 200 IU of vitamin E each day.

A study of more than 400 nursing home patients showed that subjects who took a multivitamin along with vitamin E were nearly 20 per cent less likely to develop a cold or a URI compared to subjects who took only a multivitamin.

Souce: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

New Research on Ginseng

2008-02-18T06:24:00.000+09:00

Aren't our bodies wonderful!!

An example of this is how the body uses the ginseng root with regard to tumors. Specifically, the root has been shown to inhibit new blood vessel growth in rapidly growing tissue like tumors. The medical term angiogenesis means the creation of new blood vessels, which is a critical aspect of how a tumor will successfully establish in, and invade, healthy tissue.

Paradoxically, other components of ginseng have been found to enhance nitric oxide (a vasodilator) levels by promoting new vessel growth, enhancing wound healing, slowing dementia, slowing hair loss and reducing morbidity from various other diseases caused by poor circulation.

The current research suggests that ginseng works as an adaptogen, that is, if new vessel growth is necessary, ginseng will promote that, but if new vessel growth would be harmful (such as in supplying a tumor) then such vascular growth would be inhibited.

The picture shows a ginseng root, precious for centuries in Asian countries.
It is shaped like a person and known as a whole-body tonic.

About the author
Dr Emily Kane is a practising naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist.
For more info see http://www.dremilykane.com/

A Natural Alternative to Viagra!

2008-02-13T14:36:00.004+09:00

I'm not discounting the benefits of Viagra, Cialis and Levitra to help men with erectile dysfunction and poor sexual health. All three, when properly used under the guidance of a qualified physician, have been able to change poor sexual health into good sexual health.

But understand that these drugs are treating a symptom more than the underlining problem. The underlining problem for poor sexual health is the insufficient production of nitric oxide to help start and maintain proper vasodilatation.

The creation of nitric oxide occurs in the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels. When the endothelial cells are damaged by high blood pressure, high sugar levels, cholesterol, and smoking this decreases nitric oxide production. That's why my physician asked me if I was experiencing any erectile problems. It's a warning sign for other potential health concerns that could affect your wellness.

The main nutrient for the creation of nitric oxide is an essential amino acid call L-arginine. Without going into detail, L-arginine has both a good side and a dark side depending upon how it is brought into your body. Please see my article, "L-arginine, Nitric Oxide and Sexual Health!" for more details.

The natural alternative to changing poor sexual health into good sexual health is to make sure you're addressing your cardiovascular system. Maintain normal blood sugar levels, keep your blood pressure in a normal range, keep your cholesterol under 200 and stop smoking.

By combining this with an adequate intake of L-arginine, many males have found that they don't need to spend money on Viagra-like products to help them with poor sexual health issues. One product that I recommend is ProArgi-9 Plus from Synergy WorldWide. This product may help improve your cardiovascular system, control your blood sugar, properly bring L-arginine into your body, naturally produce adequate supplies of nitric oxide, and do it without side effects. All of which are important for good sexual health!

Until next time, may we both age youthfully!

About the Author
Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years. His website www.Aging-No-More.com provides current information on how to slow down the aging process.

Viagra's Solution to Erectile Dysfunction and its Side-Effects

2008-02-10T16:41:00.003+09:00

The way Viagra solves this poor sexual health problem is pretty ingenious.

To increase blood flow to the male organ you have three options:
1. Increase the amount of nitric oxide produced in the arterial blood vessels.
2. Increase the amount of cGMP produced in response to the nitric oxide.
3. Eliminate the PDE that converts cGMP back to GTP so that cGMP builds up. This causes the smooth muscles of the arterial blood vessels to properly relax and fill with blood.

Viagra uses option 3 to achieve an erection.

Why PDE?
Because there are 11 different kinds of PDE with only one type of PDE found in the male organ. That type is called PDE5.

Talk about creative design. All Pfizer had to do was find a chemical that would selectively block PDE5 and nothing else.

This chemical is sildenafil citrate. Here's how it works:
1. A male takes Viagra.
2. The sildenafil citrate is absorbed into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body.
3. The sildenafil citrate attaches to the PDE5 enzyme in the male's organ to disable it.
4. The male is sexually aroused and the man's brain does its job. A signal is sent to the nerve cell in the male's organ which produces nitric oxide.
5. The nitric oxide turns on the cycle creating cGMP to relax the smooth muscles of the arterial blood vessels.
6. Since the PDE5 is disabled the cGMP doesn't break down but builds up allowing the arterial blood vessels to fully dilate.
7. The man achieves a full erection.

Great stuff when it works perfectly but there are a few minor problems.

Side Effects of Viagra!

Almost every drug made by man has side effects and Viagra is no exception. Viagra blocks PDE5 but can also affect PDE6 which is used by the cone cells in the retina. This can affect color vision. For some it changes the way they perceive green and blue colors. For others they see the world with a bluish tinge for several hours. Because of this pilots cannot take Viagra within 12 hours of a flight.

The other two main side effects are headaches and flushing. The blocking of the PDE5 can spill over to other areas of the body causing vasodilatation and increased pressure. This raises the risk for stroke and heart attack. Because of this Viagra is a prescription drug rather than an over-the-counter drug.

Additionally, you need to be careful not to combine Viagra with nitric oxide producing drugs like nitrates. Always consult a qualified physician before taking any product like Viagra for poor sexual health issues.

Next post will include details of a safe alternative to Viagra.

About the Author
Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years. His website www.Aging-No-More.com provides current information on how to slow down the aging process.

Explanation of Erectile Dysfunction

2008-02-09T16:28:00.000+09:00

First Clue to Erectile Dysfunction (ED)!

If the arterial blood vessels leading to the male organ do not open properly, it is almost impossible for a male to have an erection. This is the leading cause of ED and poor sexual health in men.

Prior to 1983, most doctors thought the problem of poor sexual health was primarily mental not physical. That was until the 1983 meeting of the American Urological Association in Las Vegas. At that meeting and on stage, Dr. Giles Brindley injected his male organ with the drug phentolamine. The result was an instant erection. And to prove his point, Dr. Brindley dropped his pants to display his drug-induced erection. Needless to say not everything done in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. Dr. Brindley's bold presentation showed that an erection was a physiological issue more than a mental issue.

To understand what happened we need to talk about muscles. Yes, I know I said muscles were not involved. Technically speaking I'm still going to hold this position.

There are three groups of muscles:
* Skeletal - Skeletal muscles are those muscles that attach to the bones allowing us to move.
* Cardiac - The cardiac muscle powers the heart.
* Smooth - Smooth muscles are found in blood vessels, the intestines and the stomach. They usually act involuntarily.

Dr. Brindley injected himself with phentolamine. It is a drug that relaxes smooth muscle. Because of the location where he injected himself, the smooth muscles of the arterial blood vessels relaxed allowing the corpora cavernosa to completely fill with pressurized blood. Instant and uncontrolled erection!

Second Clue to ED!
The second clue to ED and poor sexual health centers on the body's ability to control blood flow. Without some type of control, there would be an even amount of blood flow to most of the body. This might be OK if we were vegetables and inactive but we aren't. We are constantly on the go so the body has designed a mechanism to help divert blood flow to the areas that need it the most.

Think of your circulatory system as an elaborate design of pipes with valves. These valves can control both the flow of blood as well as divert blood to the areas that need it the most. This is going to get a bit technical but the control mechanism incorporates the following steps:

1. The brain sends a signal to a particular nerve fiber. The nerve fiber ends in an NANC nerve cell located in the artery near the point where blood flow needs to be changed. This NANC nerve cell creates nitric oxide, a potentially dangerous free radical.

2. The NANC nerve cell releases nitric oxide into the blood and surrounding cells.

3. The nitric oxide acts as a signaling molecule to stimulate an enzyme called guanylate cyclase. This enzyme keeps the nitric oxide from causing damage by using it with GTP to produce a chemical called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP).

4. cGMP tells the smooth muscles of the arterial blood vessel to relax. This allows blood flow to increase.

5. There is another enzyme called phosphodiesterase (PDE) that deactivates the cGMP by turning it back into GTP.

6. When the cGMP is deactivated, the smooth muscle returns to its original constricted state.

Confused?
Think of a cycle.
Guanylate cyclase turns GTP into cGMP causing smooth muscles to relax.
PDE turns cGMP into GTP causing the smooth muscles to return back to their constricted state. Nitric oxide turns this cycle on from a nerve impulse generated in the brain.
So, cGMP is produced as long as the brain is sending signals that initiate the production of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is produced as long as there is an adequate supply of the essential amino acid L-arginine.

Third clue to ED!

When a man suffers from ED and poor sexual health, the most common reason is the lack of nitric oxide in the blood vessels of the corpora cavernosa. When a man is aroused his brain does its job by sending the proper signal to the nerves located in his male organ. The nerves produce nitric oxide but the amount of cGMP produced is not enough to maintain an erection.

Read on tomorrow to find out how Viagra solves this problem.

About the Author
Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years. His website www.Aging-No-More.com provides current information on how to slow down the aging process.

Poor Sexual Health - A Natural Alternative to Viagra! by Dan Hammer

2008-02-08T16:13:00.000+09:00

I will print this article by Dan Hammer in its entirety, but because it is quite long it will be broken up into sections. Here is part one.

For many, poor sexual health and aging go together. Because of the sensitive nature of sexual health the exact statistics are a little murky, but the following one stands out: Erectile dysfunction affects 50% of the male population over 40!

When I read that statistic I thought it might be on the high side. That was until two other pieces of information came to my attention:

First, Google lists over 17 million web pages that incorporate the word "Viagra." That compares to 3.3 million web pages for the word "aspirin" and 936,000 web pages for the word "Tylenol." When I did an overture search for "Viagra" there were over 310,000 searches. "Buy Viagra" had over 82,000 searches. "Erectile dysfunction" had over 97,000 searches. There are a lot of people (I suspect mainly men) who are looking for information on Viagra and what it can do for them.

Secondly, I went to my doctor for my annual checkup. For the first time he asked me if I was having any erection problems. I'm not going to reveal my answer but I asked him why he wanted to know. His answer had nothing to do with poor sexual health. The reason why he asks that question is because erectile dysfunction (ED) is a warning sign for diabetes and/or circulatory problems.

Creation or Evolution or Both! Whether you believe the Bible and we are created by God or you believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution and we evolved over time, sexual health is important to both. At one time poor sexual health, especially ED, was thought to be a mental and/or spiritual issue. More and more research is slowing that poor sexual health is really a function of poor cardiovascular health.

The development of Viagra is a fascinating study. It incorporates male physiology, chemistry, and the nervous system all working together to create an erection. It also provides keys to slowing down the aging process. One key in particular will help you find a natural alternative to Viagra; one that won't have side effects!

How Viagra Works! Since we all know that Viagra is designed to help males achieve an erection we need to talk a little anatomy. In its simplest terms, an erection is the change in position of the male sex organ from a limp position to a firm, hard and upright position.

When you want to move any part of your body you use muscles. Unfortunately this doesn't work for the male organ. Why? Because there are no skeletal muscle contractions involved in an erection. It is all done by pressure. More specifically blood pressure.

The male organ contains two cigar-shaped structures called corpora cavernosa that run the length of the organ. Arteries bring blood into these two structures with veins carrying the blood away from them. In a non-erect state, the blood flow from the arteries is restricted while the veins are open to drain the blood away. When a man becomes aroused, the arterial blood vessels open up so that pressurized blood can enter the corpora cavernosa. The veins leaving the male organ are constricted. This action traps the pressurized blood allowing for the size increase, movement and full erection.

Come back tomorrow to find out more about Erectile Dysfunction.

About the Author
Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years. His website www.Aging-No-More.com provides current information on how to slow down the aging process.

Affordable Prescription Glasses

2008-02-07T18:15:00.000+09:00

If you love buying things online, and there are lots of reasons why people do, then have a look at Zenni Optical $8 Rx Glasses, where you will find a huge selection of frames, with single vision lenses, photochromatic lenses, tinted sunglasses, bifocal lenses and progressive lenses. They even have rimless glasses starting at $19. (Pictured)

What a great discovery – to get stylish prescription glasses so reasonably priced from Zenni’s.
If you want to know how they can produce the glasses at such low prices, it’s because they manufacture their own frames and sell direct to the public – no middle man to bump up the prices.

Their advertising is probably word-of-mouth, because once you’ve heard about them why would you go anywhere else? This is the best thing I’ve found for quite a while – Zenni Optical. The glasses pictured to the right are available with your prescription lenses in them for only $8. To see more examples of the beautiful frames have a look at the Zenni Optical website. I love it.

Good News For Swimmers

2008-02-02T15:49:00.000+09:00

Long-term swimmers over 40 years old who swim more than four times a week show fewer signs of aging than the general population, according to a study at Indiana University. Dr Joel Stager, who led the study, says the subjects displayed lower blood pressure, blood triglycerides and cholesterol; better pulmonary function, and better muscle mass.

Source: Reader's Digest HealthSmart Summer 07/08

How Will Your Skin Age?

2008-01-28T07:17:00.001+09:00

Dermatologist and researcher Dr Regina Hamlin talks about the amazing skin-care products produced by Usana and labeled under the brand name Sense. The most amazing part is that there are no harmful preservatives in the product, because of a patented system of self preserving. Have a look at what Dr Hamlin says in this seven and a half minute clip.

Order Direct from me at Maggie's Health Quest

Your Children Will Not Live As Long As You Do

2008-01-24T21:22:00.000+09:00

Yes indeed, these are the findings of a special report published by the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world's most prestigious medical journals, earlier this year.

Excluding pandemics of infectious diseases, famine and war, life expectancy has slowly and progressively increased over the past thousand years. During the mid 19th century, improved living conditions and advances in public health dramatically decreased deaths from infectious disease.

However, during the past 30 years the rise in life expectancy at birth has decreased relative to this historical pattern.

Obesity & Future Life Expectancy

After remaining relatively stable in the 1960s and 70s obesity among adults in the US increased by approximately 50% per decade through the 1980s and 1990s. Now two-thirds of the US are overweight or obese. Obesity has been shown to significantly reduce life expectancy by an estimated 5 to 20 years.

The medical treatment of obesity has been largely unsuccessful and death rates from diabetes have risen dramatically. These trends suggest that the relative influence of obesity on the life expectancy of future generations could be significantly worse than it is for current generations.

This review article anticipates that as a result of the substantial rise in obesity and its life-shortening complications such as diabetes, life expectancy could level off or even decline within the next fifty years.

New England Journal of Medicine. March 17, 2005;352(11):1138-45.

Grape juice: Same heart benefits as wine?

2008-01-17T09:07:00.000+09:00

Possibly. There is some evidence that drinking red wine may reduce the risk of heart disease. But this benefit is most likely due to other factors such as antioxidants called flavonoids found in red wine.

Grapes and red grape juice also contain flavonoids.

Red wine also contains a substance called resveratrol, which may reduce the risk of blood clots. Resveratrol is found in the skin and seeds of grapes. But it isn't known if grapes provide enough resveratrol to have a significant health benefit.

The American Heart Association doesn't recommend that anyone start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease. If you already drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Keep in mind that drinking too much alcohol can increase the risk of:

High blood pressure
Obesity
Stroke
Cancer

In addition, even light drinking can lead to alcohol addiction.

Life and Age - James Truslow Adams

2008-01-10T16:54:00.000+09:00

Age acquires no value save through thought and discipline.

Be not afraid of life. Believe that life IS worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,' and when you have found that attitude, follow it.

Quotes from James Truslow Adams

Terms That Describe Forms Of Medication

2008-01-03T17:05:00.000+09:00

* Tablet.
This is a solid pill created by packing the active ingredient together with a binding agent. Tablets are usually the cheapest form of medication, but they may be difficult for some people to swallow.

* Capsule.
This is the term for a hollow gelatin container that holds a powdered medication. Many people have an easier time swallowing capsules than they do swallowing ordinary tablets.

* Caplet.
Caplets are solid tablets in the shape of a capsule with a smooth coating. Caplets, like capsules, may go down more easily than ordinary tablets.

* Gelcap.
This is a caplet with a gelatin coating to aid in ease of swallowing.

* Geltab.
This is a tablet with a gelatin coating to aid in ease of swallowing.

* Liquigel.
This capsule contains medicine that has been dissolved into liquid form to speed absorption by your body.

* Suspension.
A liquid suspension contains drug particles that can't be dissolved. It must be shaken thoroughly before use to redisperse the drug particles.

Strength Training Exercise

2007-12-24T15:05:00.000+09:00

Older women with coronary artery disease (CAD) may improve their quality of life and overall fitness through exercise that emphasizes strength training, according to a recent study.

Women with CAD who combined aerobic training with strength training in three sessions per week improved their upper body strength and general quality of life when compared to women who exercised using only aerobic training.

Source: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

Understanding Bone and Bone Health

2007-12-17T09:38:00.000+09:00

It is important to understand that bone is not a hard and lifeless structure. It is, in fact, complex, living tissue. Our bones provide structural support for muscles, protect vital organs, and store the calcium essential for bone density and strength.

Because bones are constantly changing, they can heal and might be affected by diet and exercise. Until about age 35, you build and store bone efficiently. Then, as part of the natural aging process, your bones begin to break down faster than new bone can be formed. In women, bone loss accelerates after menopause, when the ovaries stop producing estrogen — the hormone that protects against bone loss.

Assessing your bone health

To determine if you have osteoporosis or might be at risk for the disease, your doctor will ask you a variety of questions about your lifestyle and medical history. Your doctor will want to know if anyone in your family has suffered from osteoporosis or if they have fractured bones.

Based on a comprehensive medical assessment, your doctor might recommend that you have your bone mass measured. A bone mass measurement is the only way to tell if you have osteoporosis. Specialized tests called bone density tests can measure bone density in various sites of the body. If the test is conducted at intervals of a year or more, it can detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs, predict your chances of having a fracture in the future, determine your rate of bone loss, and/or monitor the effects of treatment.

What if I have osteoporosis?

Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are steps you can take to slow its progress.
Experts recommend 1,000 mg of calcium a day for women on estrogen replacement therapy and 1,500 mg of calcium daily for women not receiving estrogen therapy.
Calcium should be taken with Vitamin D (400 to 800 units per day).

Although exercise is good for someone with osteoporosis, it should not put any sudden or excessive strain on your bones. Care should be taken when lifting heavy objects, such as bags of groceries, young children, etc.

If you have osteoporosis, it's important to minimize your chances of breaking a bone. Take steps to prevent falls. As extra insurance against fractures, your health care provider can recommend specific exercises to strengthen and support your back.

Guide to osteoporosis prevention

* All women should receive counseling on their risk factors for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a silent risk factor for fractures, just as hypertension (high blood pressure) is for stroke.

* All post-menopausal women who suffer a fracture should be tested for osteoporosis using the bone mineral density method. This test will determine the severity of the disease.

* All post-menopausal women age 65 and older should receive a bone mineral density test regardless of additional risk factors. Women in this group should maintain an adequate intake of dietary calcium (at least 1,200 mg per day using supplements if necessary) and Vitamin D (400 to 800 IU per day).

* All people at risk for osteoporosis should perform weight-bearing exercises and muscle-strengthening exercises to reduce the risk of falls and fractures.

* Avoid tobacco and drink alcohol in moderation.

* All post-menopausal women who suffer vertebral (spine) or hip fractures should be considered as candidates for treatment of osteoporosis.

* Women with no other risk factors whose bone mineral density T-scores are below 2.0 should begin therapy to reduce the risk of fractures. Women whose bone mineral density T-scores are below 1.5 and have other risk factors should begin therapy to reduce the risk of fractures.

* Pharmacologic (medicine) treatment options for osteoporosis prevention or treatment are estrogen replacement therapy, Evista, Fosamax, Actonel and Miacalcin nasal spray.

What is osteoporosis (brittle bones)?

2007-12-10T09:37:00.000+09:00

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that can be prevented and treated. Osteoporosis causes bones to become fragile and, therefore, more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.

Any bone can be affected, but of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk unassisted and might cause prolonged or permanent disability — or even death. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

Millions of people are at risk of developing osteoporosis. Although women are four times more likely than are men to develop the disease, men also suffer from osteoporosis.

Who is at risk for osteoporosis?

There are many factors that determine who might develop osteoporosis. The first step in prevention is to determine whether you are at risk. The risk factors include:

* Age — The older you are, the greater your risk of osteoporosis. Your bones become weaker and less dense as you age.

* Gender — Your chances of developing osteoporosis are greater if you are a woman. Women have less bone tissue and lose bone more rapidly than do men because of the changes involved in menopause.

* Race — Caucasian and Asian women are more likely to develop osteoporosis. However, African American and Hispanic women are at a significant risk for developing the disease.

* Bone structure and body weight — Small-boned and thin women are at greater risk.

* Menopause/menstrual history — Normal or early menopause (brought about naturally or because of surgery) increases your risk of developing osteoporosis. In addition, women who stop menstruating before menopause because of conditions such as anorexia or bulimia, or because of excessive physical exercise, also might lose bone tissue and develop osteoporosis.

* Lifestyle — By smoking, drinking too much alcohol, consuming an inadequate amount of calcium, or getting little or no weight-bearing exercise, you increase your chances of developing osteoporosis.

* Medicines and disease — Osteoporosis is associated with certain medicines (such as cortisone-like drugs) and is a recognized complication of a number of medical conditions, including endocrine disorders (having an overactive thyroid gland), rheumatoid arthritis, and immobilization.

* Family history — Susceptibility to fractures might be, in part, hereditary. Young women whose mothers have a history of vertebral fractures also seem to have reduced bone mass.

Summary

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by progressive loss of bone density, thinning of bone tissue and increased vulnerability to fractures. Osteoporosis may result from disease, dietary or hormonal deficiency or advanced age. Regular exercise and vitamin and mineral supplements can reduce and even reverse loss of bone density.

Stay tuned - there'll be more tomorrow

What causes osteoporosis?

2007-12-03T20:52:00.000+09:00

Aging is one of the main risk factors for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. If you are lucky enough to live a long life, you are much more likely to develop weakened bones from osteoporosis.

In women, the loss of estrogen in menopause causes bone loss of up to two percent per year. White women over age 50 have a lifetime risk of fracture of about 75 percent.

A number of factors contribute to osteoporosis:

* advanced age
* female gender
* low body weight or a thin and slender build
* recent weight loss
* history of fractures
* family history of fractures
* tobacco use
* alcohol abuse
* lack of exercise
* extended use of certain medications (e.g., corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, and thyroid medicine)
* Asian or Caucasian race

These risk factors are just as important as a measurement of low bone mass in determining how likely you are to have a fracture. People with low bone mass but no additional risk factors often don't develop fractures. People with small amounts of bone loss but many risk factors are more likely to eventually develop fractures.

Sodium Nitrite

2007-11-26T12:35:00.000+09:00

Processed Meat for Christmas (comic)

Click here to read the full commentary on this cartoon. You can also vote on this cartoon or post your comments.

Brightly Colored Foods - JOKE

2007-11-19T15:30:00.000+09:00

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.
My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight and I didn't feel so hot.
My doctor said that I needed to eat right and that it didn't have to be complicated.
It would solve all my physical problems, he said, if I just think in colors.
He told me to fill my plate with bright colors - greens, yellows, reds, etc.
So I went home and did just what he said. I ate a whole bowl full of M & M's and you know what?
He's was right, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy.

The Wrinkle-Free Diet

2007-11-13T08:35:00.000+09:00

Natural Beauty

The creator of this diet is Nicholas Perricone, author of the best-selling books The Wrinkle Cure and The Perricone Prescription, and a former assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine.

The essence of the diet is to cut out sugar, eat more fruit, vegetables, healthy fats, and lean protein, and add fish to the diet. The best fish is wild salmon, not farm-raised because it's higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

It is a good idea when starting this diet, to be fairly strict for three days, and then add more variety for a sustained way of eating. Each day, besides downing one or two servings of wild salmon, you could eat cantaloupe and a couple of cups of romaine lettuce with olive oil and lemon juice at lunch; a few almonds or olives, half a pear or green apple, and chicken or turkey breast for snack; and more cantaloupe and romaine lettuce, plus sautéed asparagus, spinach, or broccoli, for dinner. The only starch you should have at the beginning is a half cup of oatmeal at breakfast. Water -- lots of it -- and green tea or herb teas are suitable beverages.

In the regular diet you could add black bean and vegetable barley soups, chicken and tuna salads, and a wider array of fruits and vegetables to the mix.

It is also recommended that you take good quality antioxidants and anti-inflammatory supplements for general health as well as skin health.

Just as important as eating the right foods, says Perricone, is ridding your diet of the wrong ones. The initial diet should be almost completely free of saturated fat and starchy carbohydrates (especially highly processed carbs like white bread, white rice, and pasta) and allows no sugar or caffeine.

There are many factors that cause skin to wrinkle and sag, including the food we eat, stress, exposure to sun and pollution. What they all have in common is that they unleash free radicals -- unstable molecules that damage cell walls, inhibit the growth of new cells, and destroy collagen, protein fibers that give the skin structure and flexibility. On top of this certain foods (as well as the sun and other skin abusers) also create inflammation in cells, which triggers even more free radical damage.

It's well-established that applying antioxidants directly to the skin can reduce free radical damage, but Perricone believes you can also fight free radicals from the inside out. Perricone points to studies that show using DMAE (an antioxidant obtained from fish) topically for six to 12 months has the same effect on wrinkles as botox. DMAE also helps build a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which nerves use to tell muscles to contract. It's Perricone's belief that one reason we lose muscle tone is because acetylcholine declines as we age. Thus, by increasing acetylcholine levels, DMAE may improve muscle tone and help firm up the face.

Researchers at an Australian university found that elderly people who ate lots of vegetables, olive oil, fish, legumes, and cereal had less sun damage and wrinkled skin than people who didn't. The researchers attributed much of the skin-saving power of that diet to olive oil, because it's high in monounsaturated fat, which, unlike other kinds of fats, is not highly susceptible to free radical formation. The Australian study also found that what you don't eat may be as critical to the look of your skin as what you do eat: The people who consumed a lot of red meat (especially processed kinds), sodas, butter, margarine, whole milk, potatoes, and sugary foods had faces that were noticeably more lined.

But other people aren't so sure about the claims. For one thing, despite the Australian study, there's not much research showing a definite connection between what people eat and the luminosity of their complexions. "On the face of it, Perricone's claims seem like others in a long line of absurd claims based on some truths," says Robert Polisky, a dermatologist in Elk Grove, Illinois, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. "For instance, his book infers that if you get your protein from nuts and beans or from lean meat, you won't look as good as if you eat fish. Let's see the evidence. We know that good nutrition is part of good-looking skin, but only up to a point."

I guess the way to find out, as with a lot of other things, is to try for yourself. If you are committed to making the most of your natural attributes and making yourself look and feel better and healthier, give this eating plan a try. From all accounts you will at least feel better and more alert.

Content provided by Alternative Medicine Magazine

Age, Enthusiasm and Truth

2007-11-09T21:54:00.000+09:00

Here are three different quotes to think about, all taken from the sayings of Aldous Huxley. I think they are quite thought provoking, whether you agree with them or not. What do you think?
The last one probably explains the transition from everything being black and white in youth, to the point where most of us later in life can see many shades of grey.

The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consists in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different.

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

When truth is nothing but the truth, it's unnatural, it's an abstraction that resembles nothing in the real world. In nature there are always so many other irrelevant things mixed up with the essential truth.

Aldous Huxley
07/26/1894 - 11/22/1963
English critic & novelist

Protect Yourself Against Cognitive Decline

2007-11-06T16:02:00.000+09:00

According to a study of more than 18,000 elderly women, regular physical activity - including walking - may provide significant protection against cognitive decline.

The study found that women who walked for three hours each week performed considerably better on cognition tests than women who walked less than one hour per week.

Women who walked for more than six hours per week showed even less cognitive decline.

Souce: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

Losing Your Memory

2007-11-05T15:23:00.000+09:00

Are you worried about losing your memory? There are a few basic things you can slot into your life that will probably make a difference. Once you get into the rhythm of these preventive measures, you will find that your life will improve in all sorts of ways.

One thing to remember is that inflammation damages the brain, and can lead to brain impairment, including loss of memory and dementia.

* Preventive Measures

Eat Smart
Include fish,
whole grains,
beans,
fruit and
vegetables in your regular diet.

Avoid sugary foods.

Plant foods contain antioxidants, which neutralise free radicals, and this enables your body to repair any damage.

* Supplements
There are many vitamin and mineral supplements which can help with optimal brain function, but you should at least take daily:-
500-1000 mg of vitamin C
400-800 IU of vitamin E
60-100 mg of Ginkgo
250 mg of Turmeric

* Life-style
Other measures you can take which are not only beneficial but also very pleasurable are:-
Get enough sleep
Practise some sort of relaxation ie. Yoga
Exercise
Have a good social life with friends and family
Do puzzles, games and other forms of mental stimulation.

Want To Lose Weight?

2007-11-01T15:40:00.000+09:00

One thing you can do is to eat more whole grains. That's the conclusion of an eight-year Harvard study of more than 27,000 men.

Researchers speculate that certain components of whole grains may reduce long-term weight gain by contributing to favorable metabolic functions in the body.

Whole grain intake has also been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

Souce: Health Sciences Institute February 2008

Weight Loss Help

2007-10-29T07:20:00.000+09:00

I've just come across a really neat web site that takes you by the hand and helps in your quest to lose weight. It includes a 100% FREE Calorie Counter and food diary so you can keep track of your meals and exercise quickly and easily. Without these tools the task of recording everything you eat is daunting, and most often puts people off. Studies have shown that the more consistently you track your food intake, the more likely you are to lose weight.

How does it work?

At MyFitnessPal, there is a wonderfully simple tool that actually learns from you! All of us tend to eat the same foods over time. MyFitnessPal remembers what you’ve eaten and done most often in the past, and makes it easy for you to add those foods again to your log and tally the calories consumed. So the more you track your meals, the easier it becomes! There is already a searchable food database of over 6,000 items which is growing every day.

FREE membership to MyFitnessPal includes these benefits:-

* Track what you eat with just a few clicks from anywhere with an internet connection – at home or at work.

* Add your own foods and recipes at any time.

* Get support and motivation from people just like you – the discussion forums let you learn from others, share your own tips, receive and give encouragement, and make friends.

* A personalized diet profile – customized to your unique weight loss goals

* Charts and reports – so you can see your progress and stay motivated

* Flexibility - the system can support any diet like Atkins, the South Beach Diet, the Zone, and more.

All the tools you need for healthy, sustainable weight loss are right at your fingertips — and you'll never have to pay a cent!

Join MyFitnessPal today and get on the path to healthier living!

How Do Worms Help Humans?

2007-10-18T07:49:00.000+08:00

Worms have been used in research to identify a batch of genes that not only prevent cancer but slow the aging process. The scientists say they are now looking to see if the genes have the same properties in humans.

Many of the genes in the worms are already known to have counterparts in humans, and the team at the University of California, San Francisco, are looking to better understand some of the processes that cause both aging and cancer. They are hoping that drugs that mimic the effects of these genes might help people both avoid cancer and also live longer.

Some of the genes the team has isolated cause cell proliferation, which makes a tumor grow and spread, and other genes initiate a process called apoptosis, used by the body to destroy faulty cells, including tumor cells.

Biologist Cynthia Kenyon said
"There is a widely held view that any mechanism that slows aging would probably stimulate tumor growth, but we found many genes that increase life span, but slow tumor growth. Humans have versions of many of these genes, so this work may lead to treatments that keep us youthful and cancer-free much longer than normal."

The genes that stimulated tumor growth also accelerated aging, Kenyon found. The genes that prevented tumor growth slowed down the aging process and extended life span in the worms.

Kenyon said the findings strengthen theories that the controls of life span and cancer have deep, common roots, and because the worms that were used for the research have many genes in common with humans there is hope that a solution will be found to both cancer prevention and slowing down the aging process.

Expensive Urine

2007-10-11T07:45:00.000+08:00

An interesting concept about expensive urine.
How many times have people who take vitamin and mineral supplements heard others, including doctors, say that all they are producing is expensive urine?

What is not mentioned is the other side of the ledger, which you can see on the left hand side of this cartoon. If you don't look after your health by taking suitable supplements, you will face health problems in your later life.

For more information on this subject and other health issues go to the NewsTarget website.

Keep Interested

2007-10-08T15:25:00.000+08:00

The great value of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.

James Truslow Adams

Parkinson's

2007-10-05T21:19:00.000+08:00

CoQ10 appears to slow the progressive deterioration of function in the early stages of Parkinson's, according to scientists at the University of California San Diego. Patients who received the highest dose (1,200 mg) showed a decline in mental function and muscle movement that was about 40 percent less than those in the placebo group.

It is believed that CoQ10 can be used both therapeutically and as a preventative for a number of diseases. CoQ10 plays such an essential role that it is found in every cell in the body.

The human body can create a small amount of CoQ10 but requires supplementation through diet. Supplementing your diet with CoQ10 increases the concentration of CoQ10 within the body without affecting the body’s own ability to synthesize the compound.

Levels of CoQ10 in our body fall naturally with advancing age, starting at around age 20.
Some doctors believe that the supplementation of CoQ10 should begin at age 40.

Some other benefits that may be experienced by supplementing your diet with CoQ10.

* Maintain a healthy heart.
* Heart disease.
* High blood pressure.
* Irregular heart beat.
* Angina.
* Anti-aging - protect against cell degeneration.
* Improved energy levels.
* LDL-cholesterol against oxidization - main cause of strokes and heart attacks.
* Immune system - protects against free radicals - boosts the number of immune cells.
* Weight Loss - CoQ10 stimulates lipid metabolism mitochondria - the body’s energy production system.

Live Life To The Full

2007-10-02T14:58:00.000+08:00

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882

Methuselah lived 986 years and all they said about him was that he died.

Francis Behymer

Build Muscle For Overall Health

2007-09-28T09:22:00.000+08:00

There are many benefits of building and maintaining your muscles. Although there is an emphasis on skeletal muscle, don't forget there is also smooth muscle in your organs, and your heart is made of cardiac muscle.

Weight training plus aerobics.

In a representative study of the evidence, researchers at McMaster University USA compared a ten week programme of weight training plus aerobic exercise against aerobic exercise alone.
* The aerobic group showed only a 2% increase in cardiovascular capacity and an 11% increase in endurance.
* The weight training plus aerobics group showed a 15% increase in cardiovascular capacity and a massive 109% increase in endurance.

For strength the results favoured weight training even more.
* The aerobics group showed no increase in arm or leg strength.
* The weight training group showed a 43% increase in arm strength and a 22% increase in leg strength.

It is intresting to note that muscles are controlled by nerves, and the electrical stimulation of nerves and contraction of muscles are the result of the exchange of electrolyte minerals dissolved in water. It is essential that you drink water for health and muscle building, as without enough water your muscles are not getting enough electrolytes.

Happiness

2007-09-25T14:45:00.000+08:00

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

Joseph Addison 1672-1719

Dare To Be Different

2007-09-18T14:42:00.000+08:00

We are all born originals. Why is it so many of us die copies?

Edward Young

Soothing the nervous system using Meditation.

2007-09-14T07:35:00.000+08:00

Soothing the nervous system using Meditation.

Resting the mind has a dramatic effect on brain activity. When the brain moves into an alpha wave state, many physiological changes occur, starting with the autonomic nervous system.

One of the main roles of the autonomic nervous system is to regulate glands and organs without any effort from our conscious minds. The autonomic nervous system is made up of two parts, called the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.

These systems act in opposite yet complementary ways:
the sympathetic nervous system ‘revs’ the body, while the parasympathetic calms it down. Chronic stress or burnout can occur when the sympathetic nervous system dominates for too long.

During an alpha wave state, the parasympathetic half of the autonomic nervous system comes to the fore. This results in lowered blood pressure and heart rate, a reduction in stress hormones and slowed metabolism.

If meditation is practised regularly, these beneficial changes become relatively permanent.

Research combining current technological innovations (magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI) and the talents of long-term meditators has revealed marked changes in both brain function and structure. Finding evidence of these types of changes adds Western scientific validation to many of the claims made by advanced meditators for centuries.

Your Life

2007-09-10T14:38:00.000+08:00

Where you end up isn't the most important thing.
It's the road you take to get there.
The road you take is what you'll look back on and call your life.

Tim Wiley

Breakfast - Why Fiber?

2007-09-07T12:32:00.000+08:00

Cereal for Breakfast

When considering which cereal to use you should focus on two criteria: fiber content and personal preference. Look for a cereal that provides at least 6 grams of fiber per portion; 10–12 grams would be even better, but you’ll still need lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds later in the day to meet your target of 25–30 grams.

Dietary fiber comes in two varieties, soluble and insoluble. Both are good for you. Most high-fiber cereals are made with wheat bran, which is rich in insoluble fiber. Oats are an excellent source of soluble fiber, but many popular dry oat cereals contain only a trace of the oat bran fiber that really counts.

Insoluble fiber draws water into the intestines, making stools bulkier, softer and easier to pass. That’s why people who consume lots of fiber enjoy a reduced risk of constipation, hemorrhoids, and hernias. And two important 2003 studies link dietary fiber to protection against intestinal polyps and colon cancers.

Soluble fiber delays the stomach’s emptying and keeps your blood sugar from rising too fast after a meal, so it lowers insulin levels. It also helps reduce blood levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. A study of 11,864 American adults found that blood cholesterol levels are lowest in adults who eat cereal and highest in breakfast skippers.

It’s easy to understand how dietary fiber protects your intestinal tract, but can it actually help other parts of the body? Two Harvard studies say it really does protect the heart. The Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study reported that a high-fiber diet reduced the risk of heart attack by 41% over a six-year observation period. For each 10-gram increase in a man’s daily fiber intake, his risk of heart disease dropped by 19% — and just one bowl of high-fiber cereal can provide those 10 grams of protection. Similarly, the Nurses’ Health Study of more than 68,000 women linked a high intake of fiber to a 47% reduction in heart disease over a 10-year period. And when researchers compared various sources of fiber, they found that cereal was even more protective than fruits and vegetables.

Intestinal woes and heart disease should be enough to persuade you to choose a high-fiber cereal for breakfast — but there’s more. Harvard researchers report that whole grains are associated with a 38% lower risk of diabetes and a 31% reduction in strokes. And the Health Professionals Follow-up Study found that men who eat whole grain cereals regularly enjoyed a 17% lower death rate than those who ate them infrequently.

You don’t have to munch on bran fiber from dawn to dusk; men benefited from 29 grams a day, women from just 23 grams. Read the fine print on your cereal’s nutrition label and if there isn't enough fiber content find one you like with more fiber.

Many people assume that skipping meals will help them lose weight. It’s not true, particularly if the missed meal is breakfast.

For example, a study of 16,452 American adults found that breakfast eaters were leaner than breakfast skippers — and people who ate cereal for breakfast were leaner than those who ate meat or eggs.
A study of 2,831 young adults agreed, finding that people who ate breakfast regularly were only half as likely to be obese as those who usually skipped it.
And a smaller Massachusetts study reported that skipping breakfast was associated with a fourfold increase in the risk of obesity. Not surprisingly, eating breakfast at home was more beneficial than eating out.

Fight the Effects of Aging

2007-09-04T10:13:00.000+08:00

In my reading I found an article by Tom Monte about how to fight the effects of aging on the body, so I thought I'd share the main points with you.

We had the first 6 yesterday, now here are the final 6 strategies for fighting the effects of aging.

7. Be flexible. Tight muscles limit your range of motion and increase your injury risk. A daily stretching routine that works each of your major muscle groups will help you stay supple.

8. Get enough sleep. While you rest, your body uses the nutrients you've consumed that day to repair the damage done by the day's activities. Not getting enough sleep keeps your immune system from doing its job and keeps your body in a state of disrepair.

9. Take care of your back. Keep muscles that support the spine strong and supple with cardiovascular and flexibility exercises. Use good body mechanics while lifting, standing or sitting for long periods of time.

10. Deal with stress. Stress is linked to many diseases and degenerative conditions associated with aging. Learn to look at problems as challenges and accept situations you can't change.

11. Stay close to your friends and family. A circle of support helps you deal with problems better, feel healthier and live longer.

12. Be nice. There's a relationship between hostility, heart disease and other stress-related problems. Look for reasons to be pleasant and to forgive people who make you angry. You may live longer as a result, and you'll probably enjoy life more.

I hope this article has helped you get things into perspective with regard to living life in a way that ensures you live longer and happier.

Aging Caused By Oxidation

2007-09-03T10:01:00.000+08:00

In my reading I found an article by Tom Monte about how to fight the effects of aging on the body, so I thought I'd share the main points with you.

"You have the power to control how much and how fast the aging process works on your body. You can even reverse some of the damage that has already been done," says Tom Monte, author of many health and wellness books, including "Staying Young: How To Prevent, Slow or Reverse More than 60 Signs of Aging."

The aging process is caused by oxidation, the breakdown of cells and tissues as they mingle with oxygen. "It's just like the rust in a car," Mr. Monte says.

You can fight that process by adopting healthful lifestyle habits that:
* Help your immune system fight disease.
* Build up reserves of lean muscle mass.
* Prevent or slow degenerative changes.
* Rebuild damaged tissue and restore lost function.

Help yourself

Anti-aging strategies can add to the quality of your life and health no matter how old you are, Mr. Monte says. Studies have found people in their 40s, 50s and 60s who start strength-training programs gain increased protection from injury.

Here are Mr. Monte's top 12 strategies for staying younger, longer:

1. Don't smoke. Each puff hastens aging's degenerative processes. Plus, smoking lowers your aerobic capacity, making it harder for you to do the things you enjoy and making you feel old before your time.

2. Eat foods rich in antioxidants. Vitamins A, C and E fight free-radical formation, the oxidation process that damages tissues. Eating 5½ cups of fruits and vegetables daily will help you get enough of these vitamins. Among the best sources are broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers and other red, yellow and green vegetables.

3. Eat lots of fiber. Dietary fiber found in beans, broccoli, bran and other complex carbohydrates helps lower cholesterol, aids digestion and defends against some kinds of cancers.

4. Maintain healthful cholesterol levels. Keep your total cholesterol level below 200 and your percentage of protective HDL cholesterol high. Following a diet that limits your fat intake to 30 percent or less of your total calories will help. Maintaining a healthful weight also is beneficial.

5. Exercise regularly. Age robs you of aerobic capacity. Performing 30 minutes of moderate activity three to four times a week can help you retain your capacity.

6. Build strength. As you age, you lose muscle mass; this weighs you down and reduces your ability to burn calories efficiently. Regular strength training can help reverse this trend.

I'll finish off with the next 6 strategies tomorrow.

Secrets From Around the World

2007-08-29T07:45:00.000+08:00

We can’t do anything about the natural aging process, but here are some interesting methods that people around the world use to stay looking as young as they can for as long as they can.

In Brazil, it’s common to see women reclining on the beach and rubbing handfuls of sand on their bodies. Why? It supposedly helps with cellulite and smoothes and stimulates the skin.

Camellia oil is said to be the Japanese geisha’s secret to smooth and flawless skin. White camellia nut oil used for centuries in Asia, contributes its moisturizing, conditioning, nourishing, and softening benefits to the skin. Camellia oil gives the skin a texture and glow unmatched by any other skin care product. This special formulation helps eliminate wrinkles after giving birth, revitalizes hair growth, and treats burns. It helps restructure the skin and strengthen nails. It is one of the most rapidly absorbed oils, making it an excellent choice as a facial oil.

China’s anti-aging secret is white tea. White tea comes from the silver tip of the green tea plant. It’s also known as the emperor’s tea. It houses all the antioxidants in the tip. It acts as an environmental shield that free radicals can’t penetrate through. They supposedly bounce off free radicals and fend off aging.

For Scandinavians, they simply drink at least 1.5 liters of pure spring water every day and splash the face 15-20 times twice a day with ice cold spring mineral water which will encourage the skin's own natural functions. It regulates itself without the aid of expensive exfoliating and rejuvenating lotions. The ice cold water helps to reduce puffiness as well.

Getting Thin On Top?

2007-08-23T09:31:00.000+08:00

Hair loss is a big worry to many people, both male and female. Hair loss usually develops gradually and may be patchy or diffuse (all over).

The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs, and roughly 100 hairs are lost from your head every day. This is normal loss, but some people lose much more and there are many causes.

* Hormonal problems may cause hair loss. Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance.
* Hair loss has few medical complications, but several serious conditions can cause it.
* There are some psychological effects associated with going bald.
* Medicines that can cause hair loss include blood thinners , medicines used for gout, medicines used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, vitamin A (if too much is taken), birth control pills and antidepressants.
* Certain infections can cause hair loss.
* Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children.
* Finally, hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes.

For Men hair loss is male pattern baldness, and in the UK two-thirds of all men will eventually be affected by male pattern baldness. Other types of hair loss, including rare conditions such as alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis, where the entire scalp and entire body, respectively, become completely bald due to a viral condition can be irreversible.

For Women hair loss is different. There is no set pattern for women's androgenic hair loss, which like MPB, occurs in the overwhelming majority of cases. Women can suffer from alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis just like men. Sometimes there is a condition where the hair follicles make thinner and thinner hair, until eventually they pack up completely.

Treatments (Always consult your medical professional)

Surgical techniques for restoring hair have improved greatly in the past couple of decades, but this is still an option that requires careful consideration.
Medicines may also help slow or prevent the development of common baldness. One medicine, minoxidil (brand name: Rogaine), is available without a prescription.
Hair transplantation - tiny punch-holes of skin containing a few follicles of hair are taken from elsewhere in the body (such as the back of the head, if this is still well covered) and implanted into the thinning areas.
Scalp reduction - devices are inserted under the skin to stretch areas of scalp that still have hair, then the redundant bald areas are removed. Alternatively, flaps of hairy scalp can be moved around the head.
Regular aerobic exercise can help keep androgen levels (particularly free testosterone levels) naturally lower while maintaining overall health and lowering stress.
Eating a balanced, healthy diet is important for a lot of reasons, and it really benefits your hair.
Modern mini-grafting and micro-grafting techniques have resulted in convincing, natural looking hair transplants

Natural Skin Care

2007-08-14T07:35:00.000+08:00

Oatmeal paste.

Mix 2 tbsp oatmeal,
4 tbsp plain yoghurt,
1 tbsp lemon juice,
1 tbsp chopped parsley,
and 1 tsp olive oil together.

Massage into the skin, rinse off after about 4/5 minutes. This is great for oily or irritated skin.
You can put a handful of oatmeal into the toe of your old pantyhose and use it to scrub your whole body, too.

Mask to treat wrinkles.

Beat 1 egg into 2 tbsp of milk.
Wash your skin first then gently dab this concoction on.
Rinse with warm water after 4/5 minutes.
Add moisturizer.

If brown spots trouble you, use a vitamin C lotion under your make-up. This will help to neutralize free radicals that sabotage your skin after exposure to sunlight.

Copper peptide is one of the newest patented ingredients that works against sagging. It is an antioxidant thought to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin in the skin.

From about age 30 the skin's natural ability to get rid of dead skin is impaired and this makes it look dull. Exfoliating your skin regularly, will keep it in good condition and help to create that translucent look.

Look for products that contain alpha-, beta-, and poly-hydroxy acids. They will help slough off the dead skin, bringing fresh new cells to the surface.

Nutrition Quiz

2007-08-12T16:15:00.000+08:00

Understanding how your body works and having a healthy diet is essential to your long term well-being.

How much do you know about nutrition and what you eat?

Try this nutrition quiz and find out.

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1) The UK recommended daily calcium intake for an adult woman is 700mg per day. Which of these foods contains around 700mg of calcium?

a. 3.5oz (100g) of cheddar cheese
b. 3.5oz (100g) of low fat fruit yoghurt
c. 3.5 oz (100g) of boiled spinach
d. 3.5 oz (100g) of dairy ice cream, with 3.5oz (100g) of dried apricots

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2) Which of these vitamins can be taken into the body from sunlight?

a. vitamin A
b. vitamin B
c. vitamin C
d. vitamin D

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3) If a food label in the UK says 'contains organic ingredients' what proportion of the product must be organic?

a. 100 percent
b. 95-100 percent
c. 70-95 percent
d. at least 50 percent

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4) What is the difference between a 'use by' date and a 'best before' date?

a. a 'best before' date shows how long a shop can sell a food, 'use by' shows when you need to eat it
b. they mean exactly the same, but 'best before' is used for packaged foods
c. 'best before' gives a deadline for freezing food, 'use by' gives a date for eating it
d. a 'use by' date is given for foods that could be dangerous if you eat them after expiry, a 'best before' date just shows it might not taste as good

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5) According to studies, what proportion of UK adults have a food intolerance?

a. 1-2 percent
b. 5 percent
c. 15-20 percent
d. 50 percent

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6) As part of a healthy diet, which of the following foods has been highlighted as helping to cut your risk of a coronary heart disease?

a. pasta
b. lean steak
c. oily fish
d. skinless chicken

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7) Which of the following counts as one portion towards the recommended five plus portions of fruit and vegetables per day?

a. a dessert bowl of salad
b. a 150ml glass of fruit juice
c. three heaped tablespoons of beans or pulses
d. all of the above

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8) For a general healthy diet, approximately what percentage of your daily calories should be made up from starchy foods like bread and potatoes?

a. 10 percent
b. 33 percent
c. 66 percent
d. 75 percent

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9) The recommended daily salt intake in the UK is 6g per day. But how much salt does the average man and woman in Britain actually consume?

a. men consume an average 7g, women an average 6g
b. men and women both have about 6g per day
c. men consume an average 11g, women an average 8g
d. men and women consume an average 15g

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10) According to nutrition experts what percentage of body weight lost in fluids may result in reduced mental and physical performance?

a. one percent
b. two percent
c. five percent
d. ten percent

Click here to see the answers...

How To Stay Young

2007-08-05T15:52:00.000+08:00

From the "Catholic New Times", Jan 30, 2005 by George Carlin

1 Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2 Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3 Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4 Enjoy the simple things.

5 Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6 The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7 Surround yourself with what you love, Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8 Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Skin Test

2007-07-27T14:50:00.000+08:00

.....Apply directly to the forehead.....and chin, cheeks, arms.....wherever you have skin. That's the suggestion from the results of a new study that tested the topical application of retinol, a form of vitamin A, on a group of elderly subjects.

With each subject, researchers applied retinol lotion to one arm and a lotion with no retinol to the other arm.

Roughness, wrinkles, and overall signs of aging were found to be considerably reduced among subjects in the retinol group compared to the non-retinol subjects.

Summary of the Four Types of Exercises for Older Adults

2007-07-26T21:59:00.000+08:00

* Build up to all exercises and activities gradually, especially if you have been inactive for a long time.
* Once you have built up to a regular schedule, include endurance, strength, balance, and stretching exercises.
* If you have to stop exercising for more than a few weeks, start at half the effort when you resume, then build back up to where you were.
* When bending forward, always keep back and shoulders straight to ensure that you are bending from the hips, not the waist.
* If you have had a hip replacement, check with your surgeon before doing lower body exercises.

Endurance

* To build stamina, you can do specific exercises, like walking or jogging, or any activity that raises your heart rate and breathing for extended periods of time.
* Do at least 30 minutes of endurance activities on most or all days of the week.
* If you prefer, divide your 30 minutes into shorter sessions of no less than 10 minutes each.
* The more vigorous the exercise, the greater the benefits.
* Warm up and cool down with a light activity, such as easy walking.
* Activities shouldn’t make you breathe so hard you can’t talk. They shouldn’t cause dizziness or chest pain.
* When you are ready to progress, first increase the amount of time, then the difficulty, of your activity.
* Stretch after endurance exercises.

Strength

* Do strength exercises for all your major muscle groups at least twice a week, but not for the same muscle group on any 2 days in a row.
* Gradually increasing the amount of weight you use is the most important part of strength exercise.
* Start with a low amount of weight (or no weight) and increase it gradually.
* When you are ready to progress, first increase the number of times you do the exercise, then increase the weight at a later session.
* Do an exercise 8 to 15 times; rest a minute and repeat it 8 to 15 more times.
* Take 3 seconds to lift and 3 seconds to lower weights. Never jerk weights into position.
* If you can’t lift a weight more than 8 times, it’s too heavy; if you can lift it more than 15 times, it’s too light.
* Don’t hold your breath while straining.
* These exercises may make you sore at first, but they should never cause pain.
* Stretch after strength exercises.

Balance

* Add the following modifications to your regularly scheduled lower-body strength exercises: As you progress, hold onto the table or chair with one hand, then one finger, then no hands. If you are steady on your feet, progress to no hands and eyes closed. Ask someone to watch you the first few times, in case you lose your balance.
* Don’t do extra strength exercises to add these balance modifications. Simply add the modifications to your regularly scheduled strength exercises.
* Another way to improve your balance is through “anytime, anywhere” balance exercises. One example: Balance on one foot, then the other, while waiting for the bus. Do as often as desired.

Stretching

* Stretching exercises may help keep you limber.
* Stretching exercises alone will not improve endurance or strength.
* Do stretching exercises after endurance and strength exercises, when your muscles are warm.
* If stretching exercises are the only kind of exercise you are able to do, do them at least 3 times a week, up to every day. Always warm up your muscles first.
* Do each exercise 3 to 5 times at each session.
* Hold the stretched position for 10 to 30 seconds.
* Total session should last 15 to 30 minutes.
* Move slowly into position; never jerk into position.
* Stretching may cause mild discomfort, but should not cause pain.

Example of an 85 Year Old

2007-07-22T19:53:00.000+08:00

There are lots of ways to increase your physical activity. Exercising at home is just one of them, and we feature it here because it’s within the reach of most older people. Or, you might decide to follow Phyllis Wendahl’s example, instead, and do something different.

Ms. Wendahl is 85 years old and lives in the small town of Bothell, Washington. On the phone, she sounds much younger. She is a widow and lives on her Social Security income, and, like many older adults, she won’t let her kids spoil her as much as they would like to. She would rather do things on her own.

That’s why, when she was scouting around for a fitness club where she could use strength-building equipment, she bargained the owner down to a monthly fee that she felt she could afford — $25 a month for unlimited use.

“Look, I know that not everybody is as bold as I am about that kind of thing,” Ms. Wendahl told us. Nonetheless, she has some advice for older adults who are thinking about going to a fitness center: “They don’t need to feel self-conscious about going to the club. The owner of my club holds me up as an example now.”

Ms. Wendahl said that she has always been active, but never as much as she is now. She began doing aerobic exercises in her 70s, moved on to water aerobics, and most recently to strength-building and stretching 3 times a week. She lives on her own and drives herself wherever she needs to go. After 6 months of endurance and strength exercises, measurements showed that Ms. Wendahl was able to perform household tasks — carrying groceries, making her bed, and transferring laundry — more quickly. She could also carry more weight.

“It has just done me a world of good,” she said of her physically active lifestyle. “My family is so thrilled and proud of me,” she added.

She wants older adults to know that, when it comes to exercise and physical activity, “there’s always something within someone’s capabilities. There’s no reason older people need to be sitting in a rocking chair.”

How Hard Should I Exercise?

2007-07-20T21:46:00.000+08:00

We can’t tell you exactly how many pounds to lift or how steep a hill you should climb to reach a moderate or vigorous level of exercise, because what is easy for one person might be strenuous for another. It’s different for different people.

We can, however, provide some advice based on scientific research: Listen to your body. The level of effort you feel you are putting into an activity is likely to agree with actual physical measurements. In other words, if your body tells you that the exercise you are doing is moderate, measurements of how hard your heart is working would probably show that it really is working at a moderate level. During moderate activity, for instance, you can sense that you are challenging yourself but that you aren’t near your limit.

One way you can estimate how hard to work is by using the Borg Category Rating Scale. It was named after Gunnar Borg, the scientist who developed it. The numbers on the left of the scale don’t indicate how many times or how many minutes you should do an activity; they help you describe how hard you feel you are working.

For endurance activities, you should gradually work your way up to level 13 — the feeling that you are working at a somewhat hard level. Some people might feel that way when they are walking on flat ground; others might feel that way when they are jogging up a hill. Both are right. Only you know how hard your exercise feels to you.

Strength exercises are higher on the Borg scale. Gradually work your way up to level 15 to 17 — hard to very hard — to build muscle effectively. You can tell how hard an effort you are making by comparing it to your maximum effort. How hard does your current effort feel compared to when you are lifting the heaviest weight you can lift?

Once you start exerting more than a moderate amount of effort in your muscle-building exercises, your strength is likely to increase quickly.

As your body adapts and you become more fit, you can gradually keep making your activities more challenging. You might find, for example, that walking on a flat surface used to feel like you were working at level 13 on the Borg scale, but now you have to walk up a mild hill to feel like you are working at level 13. Later, you might find that you need to walk up an even steeper slope to feel that you are working at level 13.

The Borg scale is simple to use. But if your level of effort doesn’t match the numbers you see on the Borg scale — for example, if you think you are doing the exercises correctly, but you aren’t progressing or you are exhausted by your effort — check with a fitness professional. These experts are likely to understand the science that went into developing the Borg scale, and they can teach you how to match your level of effort with the right number on the scale.

Building Strength, Inner and Outer

2007-07-19T19:12:00.000+08:00

At the age of 70, Harriet Erickson, of Durham, North Carolina, tended her husband through the terminal illness that took his life. The loss of her husband hurt her deeply. “It was a horrible time for me. I wasn’t in very good shape, physically or emotionally,” she told us.

Soon after, Ms. Erickson volunteered to take part in a study of exercise for older adults. Participants did endurance and flexibility exercises. Erickson liked how the exercises made her feel and kept doing them at home after the study ended.
She has this to say about exercise: “It’s made my life a lot better. I was slumped over. Now, I stand up straight, and I can look the world right in the eye. I don’t intend to stop. I know what a difference it has made for me.”

Researchers have shown that exercise can help relieve anxiety and stress, and can improve mood. They just aren’t able to tell you that in quite the same way Ms. Erickson can.

Sticking With It: What Works

According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s report, you are more likely to keep doing physical activities if you:

* think that, overall, you will benefit from them
* include activities you enjoy
* feel you can do the activities correctly and safely
* have regular access to the activities
* can fit the activities into your daily schedule
* feel that the activities don’t impose financial or social costs you aren’t willing to take on
* have few negative consequences from doing your activities (such as injury, lost time, or negative peer pressure)

In other words, set yourself up to succeed right from the start.
Choose realistic goals, learn to do the exercises correctly and safely, and chart your progress to see your improvement.

How to Keep Going With Your Exercises

2007-07-17T19:39:00.000+08:00

Starting with one or two types of exercises or physical activities and a schedule that you really can manage, then adding more as you adjust, is one way of ensuring that you will keep exercising.

You are also more likely to keep exercising if you feel you can do your exercises correctly and safely, feel that they fit into your schedule, and don’t feel that they result in negative experiences, such as financial burdens or lost time.

Just knowing that physical activity can improve your health and abilities can be enough to keep you exercising, but you might need extra motivation sometimes.

For those times:

* try exercising with a friend,
* listening to music,
* charting your progress,
* marking your calendar for exercise sessions,
* giving yourself exercise “assignments” ahead of time,
* rewarding yourself when you achieve your goals.

Overall, your fitness should improve. If you stick with your exercises for more than a month, it’s a good sign that you are on your way to making it a permanent habit.

Is It Safe for Me to Exercise?

2007-07-15T18:28:00.000+08:00

Contrary to traditional thinking, regular exercise helps, not hurts, most older adults.
Older people become sick or disabled more often from not exercising than from exercising. Those who have chronic diseases, or risk factors for them, may actually improve with regular exercise, but should check with their doctor before increasing their physical activity.

There are few reasons to keep older adults from increasing their physical activity, and “too old” and “too frail” are not among them.

If you plan to work your way up to a vigorous level, check with your doctor first if you are a man over 40 or a woman over 50. Also check with your doctor first if you have any of the conditions listed under “Checkpoints.”

Your doctor or cardiac rehabilitation specialist can give you guidelines for physical activity if you have had a heart attack recently. Controlled exercise usually is an important part of long-term heart-attack recovery.

People with conditions called “abdominal aortic aneurysm” or “critical aortic stenosis” should not exercise unless their physicians tell them they can.

Almost all older adults, regardless of age or condition, can safely improve their health and independence through exercise and physical activity.

Checkpoints

You have already read about precautions you should take if you have a chronic condition. Other circumstances require caution, too.

You shouldn’t exercise until checking with a doctor if you have:

* chest pain
* irregular, rapid, or fluttery heart beat
* severe shortness of breath
* significant, ongoing weight loss that hasn’t been diagnosed
* infections, such as pneumonia, accompanied by fever
* fever, which can cause dehydration and a rapid heart beat
* acute deep-vein thrombosis (blood clot)
* a hernia that is causing symptoms
* foot or ankle sores that won’t heal
* joint swelling
* persistent pain or a problem walking after you have fallen
* certain eye conditions, such as bleeding in the retina or detached retina. Before you exercise after a cataract or lens implant, or after laser treatment or other eye surgery, check with your physician.

Chances are good that, if you have a chronic disease, you see a doctor regularly (if you don’t, you should, for many reasons). Talk with your doctor about symptoms that mean trouble — a flare-up, or what doctors call an acute phase or exacerbation of your disease. If you have Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), for example, you know that the acute phase of this disease should be taken very, very seriously. You should not exercise when warning symptoms of the acute phase of CHF, or any other chronic disease, appear. It could be dangerous.

What Can Exercise Do for Me?

2007-07-13T17:24:00.000+08:00

Research suggests that growing older does not mean you have to lose your strength and ability to do everyday tasks and the things you enjoy doing. But an inactive lifestyle does mean that you probably will lose some of your strength and ability, and that you will be at higher risk for diseases and disabilities.

Fortunately, even many frail people can improve their health and independence by increasing their physical activity.

Challenging exercises and physical activities done regularly can help many older adults improve their health, even when done at a moderate level. They may prevent or delay a variety of diseases and disabilities associated with aging.

Four types of exercises are important:

1. Endurance activities increase heart rate and breathing for extended periods of time. They improve the health of the heart, lungs, and circulatory system, and help prevent or delay some diseases such as diabetes, colon cancer, heart disease, stroke, and others, and reduce hospitalization rates.

2. Strength exercises build your muscles, but they do more than just make you stronger. They give you more strength to do things on your own. Even very small increases in muscle can make a big difference in ability, especially for frail people. Strength exercises also increase your metabolism, helping to keep your weight and blood sugar in check. That’s important because obesity and diabetes are major health problems for older adults. Studies suggest that strength exercises also may help prevent osteoporosis.

3. Balance exercises help prevent a common problem in older adults: falls. Falling is a major cause of broken hips and other injuries that often lead to disability and loss of independence. Some balance exercises build up your leg muscles; others require you to do simple activities like briefly standing on one leg.

4. Stretching exercises help keep your body limber by stretching your muscles and the tissues that hold your body’s structures in place. Physical therapists and other health professionals recommend certain stretching exercises to help patients recover from injuries and to prevent injuries from happening in the first place. Flexibility also may play a part in preventing falls.

Exercise as much as you can. It’s best to increase both the types and amounts of exercises and physical activities you do. Start at a level you can manage and work your way up gradually, building up to include: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility exercises.

* If you do too much too quickly, you can damage your muscles and tissues.
* Also your enthusiasm needs to last a lifetime.
* Start with one or two types of exercises that you can manage and that you can fit into your schedule, then add more as you adjust to ensure that you will stick with it.

How much you exercise depends on you and on your unique situation. For some, muscle-building exercise might mean pushing more than a hundred pounds of weight at the local gym to keep your legs in shape for hiking or jogging. For others, it might mean lifting 1-pound weights to strengthen your arm muscles enough to use a washcloth. That might mean the dignity that comes from being able to wash yourself, instead of having someone else do it for you.

The goal is to improve from wherever you are right now.

Some people are reluctant to start exercising because they are afraid it will be too strenuous. Researchers have found that you don’t have to do strenuous exercises to gain health benefits; moderate exercises are effective, too.

Every Crisis Is An Opportunity

2007-07-11T18:24:00.000+08:00

Dr. Andrew Puckett is a busy man with an impressive list of titles after his name. The 60-year-old associate dean for medical education at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, has a Ph.D. in adult education and a minor in clinical psychology, and he has been a counselor for years. He also has Parkinson’s disease, a chronic condition that causes muscles to tremble and become rigid. He was diagnosed with it a few years ago.

Has his chronic condition slowed down his activities? It doesn’t appear that way. In addition to his regular activities, 2 years ago, Dr. Puckett volunteered to take part in a study of how stretching exercises affect people with Parkinson’s disease. He enjoyed the feeling of stretching so much that he kept doing the exercises after the 10-week study ended, and now does them at least 3 days a week for 40 minutes at a time.

It’s not yet clear whether or not stretching exercises have an effect on Parkinson’s disease specifically, but it’s very clear to Dr. Puckett that they have helped him feel better overall.
“I literally feel so much better from doing the exercises,” he told us. “I’m more flexible than I’ve been in 20 years. Stretching has given me so much ease of movement. It’s a fluid feeling,” he said. In addition, Dr. Puckett finds that stretching exercises give him a sense of well-being. He likens it to the “runner’s high” that some joggers experience.

Dr. Puckett noted another positive aspect of his stretching exercises: the feeling that he is nurturing himself. He described it as a secure feeling; a feeling that he is doing something good for himself.

Another motivator for keeping up with his stretching exercises is “the fear of being stiff and rigid; bent over. I want to keep that from happening,” he told us.

Besides working at the university, Dr. Puckett splits his own firewood, plays tennis, gardens, mows his lawn with a push mower, and walks a mile or more at least 3 days a week.

“But people shouldn’t feel that physical activity has to be some super-human or highly disciplined effort,” he said. “I don’t want them to be scared off from the idea of exercising. I think once they experience how much better they feel, they’ll want to keep on doing it. It has so many built-in benefits.”

Driving Keeps Seniors Out of Nursing Homes

2007-07-09T10:47:00.000+08:00

As we age it's incredibly important to maintain social ties and stay active. One of the key factors in allowing us to do this is being able to drive -- to see friends, to volunteer, to feel independent.

In fact, a 10-year study of 1,593 people aged 65 to 84 has found that seniors who don't drive are four times as likely to enter assisted living centers as those who do. Driving, as long as you are able to safely do so, can help combat loneliness (a malady shown to increase the risk of heart problems and weaken your immune system) and ensure that you can maintain a full, happy life at any age.

Of course, staying healthy is essential in order to stay behind the wheel, and this Web site has many simple secrets to help you live longer and happier.

American Journal of Public Health July 2006, Vol 96, No. 7

LiveScience July 19, 2006

Exercise in the garden

2007-07-07T22:20:00.000+08:00

His Garden Grows

“My exercise focus is on gardening,” Arthur Canfield, 83, of Fairfax, Virginia, told us. “I hate the thought of exercise for exercise’s sake. I’ve never done that,” he said.

Mr. Canfield grew up close to the soil. He remembers driving horses pulling hay, sometimes all day, and carrying water down to the garden on his uncle’s farm. His wife grew up in a family that made its living in the wholesale florist trade, so she, too, understood gardens.

Mr. Canfield and his wife brought their lifelong affinity for gardening with them into their marriage. When they settled in Fairfax, near Mr. Canfield’s job as an economist, the house they bought had about an acre of land, and they worked it — and worked it. “I didn’t want to be deskbound when I became a bureaucrat. That’s when I decided to become a serious gardener,” he said.

Gardening, Mr. Canfield told us, gives you an opportunity to exercise every part of your body and get satisfaction out of it at the same time. He said that gardening does more than build muscle and endurance.

“You have to keep your balance. You’re reaching up to prune trees, bending over to check your tomato plants. The actual energy output at any given moment may not amount to much, but your whole system is participating the whole time,” he said. It adds up.

Mr. Canfield lives on his own and drives himself wherever he needs to go. He works in his garden 3 or 4 hours every day.

“It’s got to be fun,” he said. “I like to work what I do into a rhythmic pattern. Splitting wood, chopping down trees — the rhythmic pattern of exercise is like music. You’re absolutely a free spirit. You forget about it as you’re doing it.”

Mr. Canfield thinks that the idea of exercise sounds grim to most people — as though they have to do it, because there will be penalties if they don’t.

“But raking leaves is not something you should dread; it’s a joyous thing. In New England, it’s as much of an event as sugaring-off the maples; it’s the center of things for a while,” he said.

He wants to give other older adults the following message about increasing their physical activity: “Once they start, they’ll see that it builds on itself. It feels so good.”

Grapes: Nutrition Facts

2007-07-05T08:16:00.000+08:00

Coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease or atherosclerotic heart disease, is the result of the accumulation of plaque build up on the walls of the arteries. This can ultimately lead to a blockage of the vessels that supply blood to the heart or the brain, resulting in a heart attack or stroke respectively.

A study that appeared in the Journal of Nutrition shows that eating fresh grapes may prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol as well as the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Naturally occurring antioxidants in fresh grapes known as polyphenols are believed to be responsible for this beneficial impact.

One polyphenol in particular, called resveratrol, has been shown to help protect against arterial wall damage by “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. Contained in the grape’s skin, resveratrol is found in grapes, grape juice, grape jelly, and wine.

Grapes may also be potent against viruses and tumors because of their high concentration of another polyphenol, tannin. A team of Canadian scientists discovered that grapes eliminated disease-forming viruses in test tubes. Tannin, a virus fighter, seems to be the reason. These tannins are absorbed directly into the intestinal tract where they do the most good.

Grapes also contain high levels of caffeic acid. This acid is a strong cancer fighting substance. Johanna Brandt tells us about her experience with grapes in her book The Grape Cure. She describes how she healed herself with a four-stage program, eating nothing but grapes. She even chewed the seeds.

Time for a Glass of Wine?

Dr. Mercola, author of Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program:
The Proven Plan to Prevent Disease and Premature Aging, Optimize Weight and Live Longer says:
“While red wine may appear to provide some great health benefits, I do not advise drinking it at all, as I am convinced that the alcohol itself is actually a poison and will unbalance your hormones. Also, drinking two or more glasses (of wine or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) may offset the benefit and actually increase your risk of certain cancers. So if you absolutely insist on drinking red wine, check on the growing conditions of the grapes used and how the wine is made.

“Additionally, if the wine isn't made with organic grapes, it may not contain resveratrol, which rules out the benefits you seek. It is also important to understand that consuming large amounts of wine or grapes — which have a lower concentration of antioxidants than wine — will likely increase insulin levels and eventually have a negative impact on your health. Thus, it may be most beneficial to eat grape skins and pass up the meat of the grape, which has no resveratrol but a lot of extra fructose.”

Precaution

2007-07-01T07:37:00.000+08:00

Precaution... Please Read

Not very common, but if any unusual contamination due to mold-growth is found growing on the surface of the mother-culture, one should discard the vinegar and start or obtain a new culture. Some species of fungi or molds, especially of the Aspergillus family, have been known to propagate on MOV (Mother of Vinegar) cultures. These molds usually have green coloured spores, while some strains may produce black spores.

Never culture vinegar with a contaminated MOV. Instead, inoculate the fresh media with about 10% of a previous non contaminated brew. In other words, an active-brew [non-pasteurized] may also be classified as a mother-culture and used as such. A new MOV colony will begin to propagate within a few weeks when culturing vinegar. But PLEASE, do not attempt this process by inoculating fresh ingredients with a previously contaminated brew! It's best to inoculate with a previously saved brew, which had no evidence of mold propagating on the MOV itself.

Never culture vinegar near a compost or rubbish bin. If a compost bin is near by, mold spores may contaminate the mother-culture. This is especially in the case where acid-fruits, potatoes or their skins are spoiling.

A clean cloth should be placed over the mouth of any brewing vessel. I recommend using a tightly woven piece of pre-washed, then hot- ironed cotton or linen cloth, doubled over to form two layers in thickens. This is placed over the mouth of the vessel, secured in place with an elastic rubber band.

TIP IN PREVENTING MOLD-GROWTH ON SURFACE OF SCOBY OR MOV

I've never found any evidence of mold-growth propagating on the surface of any of my MOVs. I culture Vinegar in close vicinity to where I prepare, and ripen my kefir-cheeses. Some of these cheese are prepared by incorporating such molds as Pennecillum roguenforti and Pennecillum candidum [used to inoculate varieties of blue vein, brie or camembert pure kefir cheeses, and are quite safe]. I've observed that gently rocking the vinegar once daily, is an effective preventative measure, to ensure that mold does not propagate on the surface of a MOV. This is due to the fact that rocking forces some of the or vinegar to wash over the surface of the MOV. Performing this once daily, maintains the surface of a MOV wet at all time, which is the main factor in the prevention of mold-growth.

A MOV that may become submerged due to a heavy rocking action, will force the brew to form a new MOV within a few days. This action also provides soluble oxygen for the specific aerobic bacteria [oxygen lovers], Gluconacetobacter xylinum, which synthesize cellulose from glucose in the presence of oxygen. Cellulose is what the opaque pellicals of MOV are composed of.

VINEGAR LINKS
The Vinegar Institute explaining uses and tips for vinegar, you may well be amazed by the versatility of vinegar!

Making Apple Cider Vinegar

2007-06-27T07:21:00.000+08:00

Vinegar is one of the easiest culture-products prepared at home, either from wine-- resulting in wine vinegar, or e.g., apple juice, for producing apple cider vinegar. In fact, vinegar may be prepared from non alcoholic juices such as fresh fruit or vegetable juice, including cereal grains [maltgar] and honey [honeygar]. Bee pollen vinegar is also a possibility, with 1 part bee pollen, 2 parts honey and 3 parts water. Adding about 5% by volume of either kombucha tea, or a non-pasteurized vinegar as an inoculant [to seed], and let stand for a few months in a container, will produce a wonderful, light amber coloured Pollengar. The pollengar that I produce has a delicate light flavour, which is not overly acidic.

Common traditional vinegar is mostly produced by inoculating [seeding] either fresh fruit juice e.g., apple juice, with the addition of a small amount of non-pasteurized vinegar [also classified as a mother-culture].

Alternatively, wine may be stored in a container with a cloth placed over the mouth of the vessel, to let in air while keeping out dust and insects. Left for 3 to 6 months to ferment at room temperature will produce natural vinegar.

It is important to place the ingredients in a covered but vented container [left at room temperature], so that the liquid or juice [medium] receives ample amount of oxygen throughout fermentation. This is because the acetic acid producing organisms are aerobic, and need ample amount of freely available oxygen to do their job well.

The addition of a small amount of non-pasteurized vinegar, say 5% by volume, hastens the culture-process ensuring a satisfactory vinegar is produced, however, in most cases this is not essential, for wine will turn to vinegar if aired over a period of time.

After some days to a few weeks, an opaque film should form on the surface of the brew. This film is often referred to as mother of vinegar [MOV]. Undisturbed, the film will remain afloat in the forming vinegar. The film may sink into the liquid if the container is agitated even slightly. If this occurs, within time a new pellicle forms, replacing the previous submerged colony. The newly formed pellicle will once again form on the surface of the vinegar or kombucha. This process may occur many times over, doing so when ever any colony, or pellicle becomes submerged in the liquid brew.

Culturing Apple Cider Vinegar

This mother-cultured apple cider vinegar is quite easy to prepare at home, from a few simple ingredients. Any MOV that forms, should have a clean sour odour. No mold should be found on the surface! Any brown spots or web-like tentacles as seen in the photo, are due to yeast lees and possible coagulated tannins or colloidal substances found in the initial juice. These are regarded as safe.

This batch was prepared from scratch from freshly pressed apple juice. Fresh apple juice was inoculated with the addition of about 5% non-pasteurized vinegar. A cloth placed over the mouth of the container keeps out dust and insects. The container is stored in a dark cupboard for 3 - 4 months. When the cider vinegar acquires a sour taste, with no fizz, it is ready. Half the volume of vinegar is siphoned into a bottle ready for consumption and the brewing container is topped up with freshly pressed apple juice, and left to ferment as before. This ongoing process may be performed on an indefinite basis, producing a constant supply of cider vinegar.

More on Apple Cider Vinegar

2007-06-26T23:09:00.000+08:00

Jogging in a Jug

In 1985, Jack McWilliams, an Alabama farmer, concocted a potion he called "Jogging in a Jug." It consisted of apple cider vinegar combined with a variety of fruit juices to give it a more appealing taste.

Acetic acid, claimed McWilliams, was lacking in the modem diet, and this deficiency was the root cause of many health problems. He claimed that the potion had cured his arthritis and heart disease, and it could reduce the risk of cancer in the internal organs. McWilliams marketed his product through the media, receiving extensive coverage in small community newspapers and broadcast outlets. He reportedly sold $9 million worth of his potion in one year.

The FDA, however, did not look kindly on Mr. McWilliams's vinegar product and its advertised claims. The federal government seized the product in 1994 due to the unproven health claims.

In 1995, thousands of bottles of the potion were ordered destroyed because the product was considered an unapproved new drug due to the claims made by the producer. Subsequently, Mr. McWilliams's company, Third Option Laboratories, Inc., paid the Federal Trade Commission a $480,000 fine to settle charges of false advertising. "Jogging in a Jug" is still on the market today with a new label that meets FDA guidelines.

The Real Story according to Beth Fontenot

There is no scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar has any medicinal properties. While the folksy anecdotes from those who claim to have benefited from apple cider vinegar tonics may be amusing to read, they are simply that -- anecdotes.

Apple cider vinegar is anything but a storehouse of nutrients. A nutritional analysis of one tablespoon (more than the one or two teaspoons suggested to make a tonic) reveals that the golden liquid contains less than a ram of carbohydrate: minuscule amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium. copper, manganese, and phosphorus; and a mere 15 mg of potassium. The fiber, vitamin, and amino acid content is zero.

As for the presence of any beneficial enzymes in apple cider vinegar or the "mother," food scientists doubt that any could thrive in the acid environment of the vinegar. Assuming any were present, though, they would be destroyed in the acid of the stomach when consumed and be of no use to the body.

The Arthritis Foundation calls vinegar a harmless, but unproven, arthritis remedy. It points out that arthritis symptoms come and go, and that a person using an unproven remedy may think a remedy worked simply because they used it at a time when symptoms were going into natural remission. Such is undoubtedly the case for many of the "cures" connected to vinegar.

Beth Fontenot is a nutrition consultant and freelance nutrition writer in Lake Charles, LA. She serves on the adjunct faculty at both McNeese State University in Lake Charles and Lamar University in Qrange, TX.

Apple Cider Vinegar

2007-06-25T23:00:00.000+08:00

Some New Twists

Apple cider vinegar is sold today by "health food" companies and others who claim it has remedial properties. The claims are similar to those in the past, but some have taken on a modem twist based on more recent medical research.

Marketers contend that the beta-carotene in apple cider vinegar destroys free radicals in the body which are involved in the aging and mutation of tissues and in destroying the immune system. Apple cider vinegar's beta-carotene is said to be in a "natural, easy to digest form."

Its use as a remedy for arthritis is based on the notion that acid crystals harden in the joints and tissues which cause the joints to become stiff and the tissues to harden. These acid crystals also cause the body to age prematurely, so the ads state. Apple cider vinegar is supposed is put these acid crystals in solution so they can be flushed from the body.

Producers also claim that apple cider vinegar can lower cholesterol and blood pressure. These assertions are based on the assumption that people naturally crave acids when eating animal proteins in order to lessen the thickening influence of "heavy proteins and fat." Apple cider vinegar supposedly thins the blood so it can circulate more freely. Thick blood, they say, puts a strain on the heart and up goes the blood pressure.

Another source states that the pectin present in apple cider vinegar works its way through the digestive system, binding to cholesterol and removing it from the body.

Apple cider vinegar is also available in tablet form. One brand is merchandised as a "digestive aid for vegetarians." The manufacturer of this product alleges that the tablets help acidify the stomach and help digest protein. Another tablet, which contains apple cider vinegar as one of its components, is sold as a fiber supplement and supposedly assists in weight loss. Still other companies add herbs to their apple cider vinegar "so people see relief from even more ailments."

The rubbery mass of goo called the "mother of vinegar" is reputed to have magical healing properties as well. Nibbling on a bit of this moldy slime every day is purported to prevent most infectious diseases and keep germs and parasites from invading the body.

One company's advertisement for organic, raw, unfiltered, unheated, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar is particularly alarming. This company's ad maintains that "there is nothing in this wonderful natural apple cider vinegar that can in any way harm your body!" Apparently, they have never heard of the danger of E. coli 0157:H7 in unpasteurized fruit juices.

Normally vinegar is too acidic to support bacteria. However, should the acidity weaken (pH reaching 4.6 or higher), then pathogens will survive and grow.

I'll finish this article tomorrow - stay tuned.

The Sour Truth About Apple Cider Vinegar

2007-06-24T22:52:00.000+08:00

Evaluation of therapeutic use
Nutrition Forum, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Beth Fontenot

Apple cider vinegar is an old folk remedy claimed to be beneficial in treating a long list of ailments. Proponents say that it can cure arthritis, guard against osteoporosis, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, prevent cancer, destroy infection, assist in digestion and weight control, maintain memory, and protect the mind from aging.

Vinegar is said to have been used for medical ailments for at least 10,000 years. The Babylonians first converted wine into vinegar in 5000 BCE using date palms, grapes, and figs, and believed vinegar had exceptional healing properties. Hippocrates is said to have used vinegar as an antibiotic. Samurai warriors supposedly used a vinegar tonic for strength and power. During the U.S. Civil War, soldiers used vinegar to prevent gastric upset and as a treatment for various ailments including pneumonia and scurvy. It was used to treat wounds during World War I.

The name vinegar comes from a French word meaning "sour wine." It is produced by the action of yeast and bacteria on grains or fruit juices. Vinegars take their name from the material used to make the vinegar, i.e., apple cider vinegar comes from apples, wine vinegar comes from grapes.

Apple cider vinegar is made by crushing apples and squeezing out the liquid. Sugar and yeast are added to the liquid to start the fermentation process, which turns the sugars into alcohol. In a second fermentation process, the alcohol is converted by acetic acid-forming bacteria into vinegar. Acetic acid gives vinegar its sour taste.

"Mother of vinegar" is a term used to refer to the mass of scum that forms on top of cider when alcohol turns into vinegar, or to the cloudy substance that sometimes develops in stored vinegar. It is actually bacteria and yeast cells that have died.

Folk Claims

In 1958 Dr. D. C. Jarvis, a "noted Vermont country doctor," wrote a book entitled Folk Medicine in which he extolled the virtues of vinegar. He claimed that Vermonters knew how to cure migraine headaches, diabetes, chronic fatigue, arthritis, and a variety of other ailments. They used apple cider vinegar.

Among Dr. Jarvis's many tenets about apple cider vinegar was his advice to pregnant women to drink an apple cider vinegar tonic daily to assure that the infant is born with "an excellent chemical pattern with which to meet its new environment." He recommended the same tonic for those suffering from arthritis. Believing that apple cider vinegar would destroy bacteria in the digestive tract, he advised those with gastro-intestinal problems to consume a tonic with each meal. He also declared that the regular consumption of an apple cider vinegar tonic would make body fat disappear because the vinegar would cause the fat to be burned instead of stored.

His book quickly sold 500,000 copies and is still in print. Apple cider vinegar is still promoted as one of the chief "natural" remedies for arthritis.

Those who believe that apple cider vinegar has miraculous properties attribute its powers to an abundance of nutrients in the liquid. One company's sales pitch states, "Each golden drop is a natural storehouse of vitamins and minerals." Marketers point to the trace minerals, bacteria,. and enzymes present in their product as the ingredients that give apple cider vinegar its curative characteristics. Another company suggests that their apple cider vinegar is superior because it contains pectin, beta-carotene, and potassium in addition to enzymes and amino acids. Apple cider vinegar is also said to contain an abundance of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Dr. Jarvis believed that the healing properties of apple cider vinegar were due in large part to its rich potassium content.

Low estrogen increases hip fracture risk in men

2007-06-22T08:25:00.000+08:00

Health News, Oct, 2006

Men with low levels of the hormone estrogen may be more likely to sustain a hip fracture, according to a study in The American Journal of Medicine.

What's more, men with both low estrogen and low testosterone levels have the greatest risk for hip fracture, the study found.

Each year, 80,000 men sustain a hip fracture and one-third of these men will die within a year, according to statistics from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease in Bethesda, MD.

Though many people associate testosterone with men and estrogen with women, men possess both hormones. Estrogen levels are known to have an effect on bone mineral density and testosterone, too, is thought to have a positive effect on bone.

In the study, researchers examined 793 men with no record of prior hip fracture who had their estrogen and testosterone levels measured between 1981 and 1983. They followed the men until 1999.

The men were categorized as having low, midrange or high levels of each hormone.
Men with low estrogen levels had 3.1 times the risk of hip fracture compared to men with high estrogen levels. Men who only had low testosterone levels did not have an increased risk for hip fracture, but men with both low estrogen and low testosterone levels had 6.5 times the risk of hip fracture compared to the men who had both estrogen and testosterone levels in the high range or midrange.

Drinking water - do you need 8 glasses a day?

2007-06-18T21:07:00.000+08:00

Almost every dermatologist tells us we should drink water for skin health and to hydrate the skin. Respected dermatologists like Daniel Maes (Head of Research for Estee Lauder), Nicholas Perricone, Dr Murad and countless others less famous but no less qualified all say drinking water is important to keep skin hydrated. And hydrated skin is younger looking skin as we all know.

The fact is skin - just like any other part of the body - is made up of cells. All the cells in our body are interconnected. You simply can't separate your 'insides' from your 'outsides' and say they are somehow different and that the water taken into your body doesn't get to the skin cells. And skin cells like any other cell in the body are almost entirely made up of water.

Without water the organs in the body - and the skin is the biggest - won't function properly. Loss of hydration in the skin shows in all sorts of ways - dryness, tightness, flakiness. Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling. Water is essential to maintain skin moisture and is the vehicle for delivering essential nutrients to the skin cells. As water is lost in large quantities every day - it stands to reason you have to replace it somehow.

Taking water into the body by drinking sufficient during the day is important but most dermatologists will tell you that to maintain the skin's moisture levels you need to keep it there too.

"The Water Principle is not just about drinking four, eight or 12 glass a day, its about getting water into cells and keeping it there"
Dr Murad, Clinical dermatologist and creator of Murad Skin Care

Here's a quick summary of the main points of a recent interview with Dr Murad:

* drink water throughout the day at regular intervals

* eat fresh fruit and vegetables which add a lot of water to the diet as well as antioxidants and fiber

* drink milk and fruit juice as additional sources of water

* take essential fatty acid supplements like evening primrose oil or flaxseed

* take glucosamine supplements to hold moisture in cells

* use a good daily moisturizer

Another skin care adviser is Dr Todorov at Smart Skin Care

"It is true that drinking lots of water helps keep the skin moist. However, it is best to drink most of your water during the day, and not drink excessive amounts of fluids at night, particularly within 2 hours before going to bed. Otherwise, many people tend to get morning puffiness that promotes facial sag."
Dr Todorov has a Phd in Biology and an MS in Molecular Biology,

Four more super anti-aging fruits and vegetables

2007-06-17T15:18:00.000+08:00

Any fruit or vegetable you eat is bound to make known and unknown chemical contributions to your quest for youth. But here are ten with so much known potential you shouldn’t ignore them.

There are 5 today and the other 6 were posted yesterday.

7. Citrus fruit: The orange is so full of anti-oxidants that experts call it a complete package of every class of natural anti-cancer inhibitor known, including carotenoids, flavonoids, and Vitamin C.
Grapefruit, too, has a unique type fiber, especially in the membranes and juice sacs, that reduce cholesterol dramatically and even may reverse the aging diseases atherosclerosis. Grapefruit is also high in glutathione, the so-called master anti-oxidant that fights off all kinds of free radical damage to cells and thus aging.

8. Grapes: the anti-aging secret of grapes is simple and powerful: Grapes contain twenty known anti-oxidants that work together to fend off free radical attacks and protect against disease and aging. The anti-oxidants are in the skin and seeds, and the more colourful the skin, the greater the anti-oxidant punch. That means red and purple grapes and purple grape juice are more powerful.
Grape anti-oxidants have anti-clogging activity, inhibit oxidation of LDL cholesterol and relax blood vessels.
The anti-oxidant quercetin, also plentiful in onions and tea, appears to be one of the grapes’ foremost anti-aging components.
Raisins, which are simply dried grapes, count too, in fact, raisins are reported to contain higher concentrations of anti-aging compounds than fresh grapes, but not as much as red wine. One and a half ounces of raisins have three times more anti-oxidants than a glass of white wine, and one third as much of anti-oxidants as a glass of typical French red wine.

9. Onions: A close kin of garlic, the onion too, has diverse anti-aging activity. Full of anti-oxidants, onions help prevent cancer, especially stomach cancer, ‘thin the blood,” discouraging clots, and raise good-type HDL cholesterol. Red and yellow onions (not white onions) are the richest foods in quercetin, a celebrated anti-oxidant that inactivates cancer-causing agents, inhibits enzymes that spur cancer growth, has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral activity. Quercetin also keeps bad LDL cholesterol from turning toxic and attacking arteries.

10. Spinach: This green leafy vegetable is packed with a variety of anti-oxidants. No wonder spinach and its components often show up in studies as warding off a broad variety of free radical-inspired diseases, including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, cataracts, muscular degeneration, even psychiatric problems. One of the most striking anti-oxidants in spinach is lutein, thought to be as strong an anti-aging agent as well known beta carotene; spinach, however, is rich in both. Eating high amounts of spinach cuts the risk of macular degeneration, a potential cause of blindness, by 45 percent. Eating a cup of raw spinach or a half cup of cooked spinach daily may slash lung cancer odds in half, even among former heavy smokers. Spinach is very rich in folic acid, a brain and artery protector as well as an anti-cancer agent.

11. Tomatoes: The familiar tomato is an unexpected anti-aging power house. Tomatoes are by far the richest and virtually only reliable source of a remarkable anti-oxidiant, lycopene. Research shows that lycopene is more powerful in snuffing out specific free radicals than even much-touted beta carotene. Mind-boggling new research suggests that lycopene preserves mental and physical functioning among the elderly. High blood levels of lycopene also reduce risk of pancreatic and cervical cancer. Tomato suppresses cancer causing nitrosamines. Only tomatoes and watermelon conain substantial amount of lycopene. Cooking the tomatoes does not destroy the lycopene. That makes all kinds of tomato sauces a potent preserver of youth.

Adapted from the book "How to stave off aging".

Six super anti-aging fruits and vegetables

2007-06-16T10:40:00.000+08:00

ANY fruit or vegetable you eat is bound to make known and unknown chemical contributions to your quest for youth. But here are ten with so much known potential you shouldn’t ignore them.

NOTE: We'll have 6 today and 5 tomorrow

1. Garlic is a super anti-aging food that you can also take in oil or pill form.

2. Avocado: It’s one of the super guardians of cells because of its abundance of glutathione, the “master antioxidant” that, among other miracles, helps neutralise highly destructive fat in foods.
True, avocado is high-fat, but much of it is good fat - monounsaturated, a type that resists oxidation. Eating avocados also lowers and improves blood cholesterol better than a low fat diet does, according to recent research. The fruit is also rich in blood-vessel protective potassium.

3. Berries: Blue berries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, they are all loaded with anti-oxidants to save your cells from premature aging. Blueberries, for example, have more anti-oxidants called anthocyanins than any other food, three times more than the second richest sources, red wine and green tea. Both blueberries and cranberries help ward off urinary tract infections. In one study, older people who eat strawberries had the lowest rate of all kinds of cancer. Berries are particularly rich in anti-oxidant Vitamin C, an overall youth potion.

4. Broccoli: It’s hard to say enough for the awesome array of anti-oxidants in broccoli. It is packed with free radical fighters, Vitamin C, betacarotene, querectin, indoles, glutathione and lutein. Broccoli is one of the richest food sources of the trace metal chromium, a life extender and protector against the ravages of out-of-control insulin and blood sugar. In women, broccoli helps the body get rid of the harmful type of estrogen that promotes cancer. Broccoli eaters also have less colon and lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Eating broccoli has even been linked to longer survival in lung cancer patients.

5. Cabbage: Like broccoli, cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable with potent anti-oxidant activity. Cabbage also seems to deter stomach and breast cancer. A specific anti-oxidant in cabbage accelerates the disposal of a harmful form of estrogen that promotes breast cancer. To get the most anti-aging benefits, eat cabbage and other cruciferious vegetables raw or lightly cooked.

6. Carrots: Carrots are legendary in fighting off aging diseases. Countless studies pinpoint beta carotene, carrots’ main anti-oxidant asset, as a powerhouse against aging and diseases. The beta carotene in a daily medium carrot will cut lung cancer risk in half, even among former heavy smokers. People with low levels of beta carotene in their blood are more apt to have heart attacks and various cancers and to die or to be disabled by strokes.
Beta carotene helps protect the eyes from sight-robbing diseases that develop with aging. The orange pigment also boosts immune functioning. One medium carrot contains about 8 milligrams of beta carotene. For a real injection of beta carotene try carrot juice. One cup contains 24 milligrams of beta carotene.

Stay Connected

2007-06-15T11:16:00.000+08:00

Principle 5: Stay Connected
Reach out to family, friends, and community

Feeling connected to others is a great source of joy. When we reach out to others, and they to us, we experience love in our life. Our links to family, friends, and community are vital to our sense of belonging and well-being. They create a safe haven. They offer us the opportunity to give of ourselves, and to be ourselves.

"We always need our family and our community ties to be strong.They are both the world we live in and our refuge from the world."

Tips for Staying Connected:

* Seek out a place in your neighborhood, like a restaurant or coffee shop, creating a spiritual home for all your friends to come together.

* Make that phone call or send a quick note and say "I miss you" or "thank you."

* Connect with someone who needs you. Volunteer

* Create celebrations

* Give a birthday party for a friend or plan your own

Discover Your Wisdom

2007-06-14T11:08:00.000+08:00

Principle 4: Discover Your Wisdom
Draw on your experience and know that you are wise

The advantage is ours now. We've had time to know what works and what doesn't and we need to realize that we're sitting on an amazing bank of wisdom, a library of firsthand knowledge.

Let's treasure it. Embrace it. Make the most of our hard-earned wisdom. Instead of thinking that we have lost worth by aging, that we are no longer young or viable, let's actively honor and appreciate the wisdom that age has brought us.

Let's recognize that experience has made us better--and a whole lot wiser.

"This is your life. Everything you intend can be made manifest."

Tips for Discovering Your Wisdom:

* Get in touch with your wisdom through journaling

* Access your wisdom and do the things you've dreamed of

* Discover a hidden talent

JOURNALING

Journaling is one of the best ways I know to tap into wisdom. The simple act of writing down what we think and feel invites us to pause and be conscious of what it is we are thinking and feeling.

One way to get started journaling is to write down what comes to mind as you contemplate these thoughts.

* What have I always wanted to do but never tried?

* What gives me joy? What gives me peace?

* What am I grateful for? Who am I grateful to?

* Who have my greatest teachers been?

* What are my fears and how can I conquer them?

* What would I like to change about my life?

* If I knew I wouldn't fail, what would I attempt to do?