But fast food doesn’t necessarily have to be unhealthy. It can be fast, easy and fun and when planned correctly healthy. Many of today’s restaurants are trying to meet the needs of their diners. With the recent educational push for healthy diets to live long healthy lives restaurants are preparing to meet the needs of their customers.

But customers can also make healthy choices. Healthy eating at Chinese restaurants doesn’t have to be challenging. In fact, it can be quite easy since they are usually quite agreeable to making changes to the dishes to meet your needs. You’ll be looking at the menu with an eye toward choices that are lower in fat and sodium and higher in fiber. Healthy eating at a Chinese restaurant therefore will mean requesting that the food is made without MSG and salt. MSG is a derivative of salt but with more side effects.

Its pretty difficult to find options that include a salad or raw vegetables but you will find options that include cooked vegetables and little meat. You can choose your meat with the same vegetables and sauces beef, chicken or pork. Your choice should be chicken since the beef and pork are higher in fat.

When you order rice chose steamed rice and not fried rice. Steamed rice is lower in fat, is a complex carbohydrate and is lower in calories because it isn’t fried. If you can choose a Cantonese dish youll be ahead of the game. Cantonese dishes are usually made with fresh ingredients and are lighter with less calories.

If you let your server and restaurant know what you are trying to accomplish they will often try to accommodate your wishes if it is possible. They may also have suggestions you wouldn’t have considered. Many Chinese restaurants have vegetarian options that are steamed if this isn’t available ask if it can be done.

Many of the dishes at a Chinese restaurant are fried or deep fried such as fried rice (with eggs and a high cholesterol count), egg rolls, fried wontons, and most of the chicken, beef or pork dishes are fried on the grill with heavy sauces. Heavy sauces include fat content and oil that increase calories, cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. Avoid these food choices in order to accomplish healthy eating at a Chinese restaurant.

Another tip for healthy eating at a Chinese restaurant is to utilize the take out option. Researchers have found that you are more apt to eat more when you aren’t eating at your own table. While eating at home you are better able to judge the size of the portions and your fridge is within arms reach for left overs.

Chinese restaurants are famous for their buffets. Unfortunately this makes healthy eating at a Chinese restaurant next to impossible. All you can eat buffets encourage over-eating, over heaping plates and the eyes-are-bigger-than-the-stomach syndrome. For some reason people feel that they should eat more at a buffet to get their moneys worth. They would pay the same price for a plated meal at the table for which you didn’t have unlimited refills. Doesn’t make sense, but it is human nature.

When you are eating out with friends or family consider sharing an entre. You can share an appetizer and entre, which automatically helps to decrease portion sizes and is cost effective too!

Here is a list of common ailments and symptoms, with the colors that can be helpful in healing them. We also include several easy ways to use colors for healing. It’s all right here:

We do not recommend that you use color therapy instead of allopathic medical treatment, but as a helpful partner along with more conventional therapies.

Red: anemia, cold, leukemia, numbness

Orange: agoraphobia, alcoholism, arthritis, common cold, constipation, depression, fatigue, gallstones, gout, kidney disease, liver disease, rheumatism, muscular stiffness, ulcers

Yellow: arthritis, jaundice, rheumatism

Green: angina, chest pain, gastric ulcer, heart disease, peptic ulcer, trauma, tumors, warts

Turquoise: abscess, acne, asthma, boils, cold sore, dermatitis, eczema, fatigue, fever, hay fever, pneumonia, stings, stress, swelling, tension

Blue: anxiety, acne, asthma, backache, blisters, bruises, burns, cough, cramp, dermatitis, earache, emphysema, flatulence, gallstones, German measles, glandular fever, hay fever, hernia, herpes, hiccups, influenza, itching, laryngitis, lumbago, mumps, PMS, sneezing, sores, sprains, stammering, stiffness, stings, stress, sunburn, tonsillitis, toothache, wheezing

Violet: conjunctivitis, earache, menopause, mental illness, myopia, neuralgia, paranoia, warts

Magenta: fainting, headache, migraine, morning sickness, nausea, shock, stroke, vomiting

How to Use Color for Healing

1) Use colored lights, visualize colors or use crystal massage wands of various colors to stimulate reflexes in your hands, feet and on your body. Combining color with crystals with reflexology stimulation – and even further combining it with aromatherapy oils – can dramatically increase effectiveness.

2. Simply visualize or imagine the color in your mind as you bathe or lie quietly on your bed, in order to restore your well-being.

3. Purchase a colored light bulb in the shade you need. Insert into your bathroom fixture or portable lamp (making sure it is a safe distance from the water) and use it while you take a healing bath.

4. Use natural food coloring in the bathwater. Several drops won’t affect your skin and will tint the water to a gentle hue.

5. Burn a candle in the appropriate color as you meditate, bathe, or simple lie quietly.

Although you may have some interesting twists to your eating habits your nutrition in the second trimester should follow some simple rules. These basic rules will take you through your pregnancy and on into your postpartum period.

You should remember that although you are eating for two you shouldn’t be doubling your portions. Someone who was a normal weight before becoming pregnant shouldn’t gain more than 25-35 pounds; while someone who was underweight can gain a bit more and someone overweight pre-pregnancy should gain between 15 and 20 pounds.

Those pounds are put on mostly at the end of the second trimester and through the third trimester. Some of that weight is actually fluid from the increasing blood volume that you are pumping. By the end of your pregnancy you will have gained 4 pounds of blood!

Your nutrition in the second trimester should include a prenatal vitamin. These are high in iron to support the production of blood that your body will be manufacturing to support your new baby. If you are unable to stomach the iron supplement in your prenatal vitamin because it upsets your stomach there are several options. You can first try taking the pills at night before you go to bed to see if you can sleep through the distress.

If that option doesn’t work or if you aren’t willing to discover you cant sleep through the nausea you can get a vegetable based iron vitamin supplement from the health food store. These iron supplements are more bio-available meaning your body can use more of it so the doses are less they don’t cause stomach upset or constipation. If you do this then ask your doctor for a prenatal vitamin prescription that doesn’t have iron. Don’t just stop taking the prenatal vitamins. These vitamins have higher doses of some vitamins to support your pregnancy.

Your iron supplements are often absorbed better in the presence of Vitamin C, also needed to create collagen in your developing baby. This means you can take the vitamin with a glass of orange juice, or even better with a real orange.

Some women also believe that they should eat what they crave, making the excuse that they don’t want to eat vegetables and fruit now it just doesn’t sound good. That may work for their bodies, which are fully formed and have enough stores to get through a couple of months without good nutritious foods but it doesn’t work for the developing baby.

Although you may be taking a prenatal vitamin they dont take the place of good foods. And those cravings are usually not your body telling you to eat the oreo cookies or potato chips but rather the changes that happen to your digestive system from the flood of hormones its experiencing.

What you eat has an effect on the health and wellness of your baby after they are born. For instance, recent studies have found that there is a link between mothers who ate large amounts of protein and meat during the pregnancy and children who secreted more cortisol under stress when they were in their 30s. This link has an impact on the children’s health since the secretion of cortisol under stress is linked to heart disease and diabetes.

While you cant know exactly what is the perfect diet, you can know that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables and a well balanced diet will be best in the long run for both you and your child. The added fiber from the fruits and vegetables will keep you from gaining too much weight quickly, stop the constipation common during the second and third trimesters and improve your overall health. It really is a win-win situation.

During both the conception process and throughout pregnancy it is important that hopeful moms maintain their physical well-being and as well as their psychological health.

This broad field of women’s health includes psychological issues surrounding mood, stress and relaxation, as well as physical areas such as infertility, nutrition, morning sickness, labor and delivery and more.

At Native Remedies you will find a comprehensive set of herbal remedies to help you manage conception and pregnancy – naturally and safely.

One of the biggest reasons men dont regularly visit the doctor is because theyre just not used to it. Women are used to going to the doctor regularly for yearly reproductive exams and pregnancy-related visits. This makes doctor’s visits more of a habit than they are for men. Men just dont think to go to the doctor like women do.

Another reason women just think to go to the doctor more than men would is that theyre generally in charge of health care for the kids. Kids regularly have to visit the doctor for shots, checkups, and illness, and usually mom is the one who takes them. Shes used to watching for signs of illness in her children, and this easily translates over to herself. Men arent usually conditioned to pay attention or treat signs of illness.

Probably one of the biggest reasons men dont go to the doctor as much as women is that its in their genes. Many animals dont like to show it when theyre sick, because often that would make them a target of attacks. While there arent any real predators after your man, hes still genetically programmed to hide illness. Women are programmed to be caregivers, to others and themselves.

It may be struggle to get your man to go to the doctor, but it is definitely worth the effort. These are just a few of the life-threatening, but treatable conditions men often ignore:

* Cancer. It is pretty well known that early detection is the best defense against cancer. In many cases, stage 1 cancers are much more likely to go into remission. Having regular physicals including prostate exams are the best way to detect the early stages. If you rely only on symptoms, youre more likely to miss the disease until its much harder to treat.

* Heart Disease. Most people should take better care of themselves regardless of whether or not they are at risk for heart problems. If your doctor knows theres a problem, they can treat it and recommend lifestyle changes to significantly reduce your risk.

* Other problems. Even if they have symptoms, men tend to ignore symptoms unless they really affect their lives. The problem is that if your spouse has a problem, it may affect you just as much as them. Problems like sleep apnea are not only dangerous to his health, they can also disrupt your life.

While it may take some poking and prodding, regular check-ups are the best way to keep men healthy and get them used to going to the doctor in case theres a real problem.

The manufacturer believes that its the first step in treating and preventing the flu is the use of Tamiflu which must be taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms. Tamiflu is available in capsule form and fruit flavored liquid form for dosages in younger children. It can be taken with or without food and is usually taken twice daily for five days. At this time the medication has also been approved for flu prevention.

However, as much as a be used of a medication to decrease the effects of the influenza virus or to prevent the contraction of the flu is enticing, there have been some significant side effects from the medication reported in the literature which begs the answer to the question of risk versus benefit.

Tamiflu should not be used in place of getting a yearly flu shot and should not be used in a few have had the flu vaccine nasally within the past two weeks. Individuals who suffer from kidney disease, heart disease, lung disease, any condition causing swelling or any disorder of the brain or any other serious disease or health problem should also not use Tamiflu. This medication is also recognized as pregnancy category C., which means that it is unknown whether or not it is harmful to an unborn baby.

In January 2010 the news media reported that a 19-year-old woman became blind after taking the medication, and reportedly did not even have the flu. She was advised to take the medication by the National Health Services in Great Britain and within 72 hours was in the hospital on life support. She suffered from Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidural necrolysis. Doctors have told her it could take up to two years for her to recover and they aren’t sure that her eyesight will return.

Patients to take the medication are also reporting side effects such as hallucinations, hot flashes, dry mouth, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, fast heartbeat, loss of memory, delirium, strange dreams, night sweats, lack of appetite, cold sweats, shaking, buzzing in the body, anxiety, numbness and tingling in the hands, arms and feet and an extreme lack of energy. In fact, some individuals report that the side effects from the medication are worse than the disease is supposed to treat.

The manufacturer reports that the medication is only supposed to help an individual decrease the amount of time they are suffering symptoms by 24 hours. In these cases, it may be better to wait out the flu virus symptoms and shrieked the individual with good port of care, then it would be to take the medication and potentially experience side effects which are worse than the illness itself.

Tamiflu is also quite expensive and not always covered by insurance companies. In August 2009 the news reported that the number of side effects being reported after the use of this medication had more than doubled, seemingly overnight. Most of the side effects included heart and I’ve problems as well as psychiatric disorders. These particular figures were published only days after a study was released which showed that more than half of the children who took the medication also suffered from nausea, nightmares and other reactions.

Physicians in Great Britain have also learned that Tamiflu may put a significant number of individuals at greater risk for a stroke when on the medication. It apparently is a combination of an interaction with warfarin, a blood thinning medication, that is taken by more than 600,000 people in Great Britain.

While there may be good reason to give the medication to individuals who have underlying medical conditions that place them at greater risk for developing serious complications from the flu, it appears that those same individuals are also at greater risk for developing serious side effects from the medication which would be used to treat the flu. It would be exciting if there were a medication that could eradicate the flu virus or decrease the symptoms by more than 48 hours, but it appears that at this time that medications is not yet exist.

I am notoriously horrible at maintaining good nutrition practices. Oh, I KNOW them.

I know I should follow them, but there’s always something else to handle, some place to go, a phone call to answer, an email to respond to – the list goes on and on.

(And I didn’t even mention laundry, dishes, letting the dogs out, meetings, and oh, yeah, taking a bath!)

The thing is, I’m educated in both natural healing modalities and the principals of good nutrition. I’m mom to six children (my ‘baby’ just graduated!) and I know full well how crucial eating right is to having a healthy body. The problem is, that knowing is not the same as doing.

So, because I know I’m not the only nutritional slacker out there, I’m going to share a few of my ‘short cuts’ which help me stay healthy when time simply does not allow me to eat as I should.

1) Every morning I make a protein shake with greens in it. I use Eseential Greens and Peaceful Planet High Protein Energy Shake. They taste good and are easy to use. I also add a dose of a liquid multivitamin called Tropical Oasis as I detest taking pills.  (as a side note, I also add Native Remedies Detox Drops and Fatigue Fighter to this mix – I simply need the extra boost and I love those two products!)

Health benefits:

Greens: Study after study has shown that anyone who doesn’t consume 5-10 servings of vegetables per day is missing out on nature’s ultimate insurance policy. Vegetables provide the body with compounds not found in other foods including: enzymes, minerals, antioxidants and chlorophyll. Vegetables are nature’s richest source of carotenoids including beta carotene and lycopene. Most greens powders surpass the raw food nutrition of five servings of fruits and vegetables.

Protein Powder: Protein powder is designed to be taken everyday as a dietary supplement. Even if you aren’t a bodybuilder, starting your day with a protein powder shake can provide nutritional benefits. While many nutritionists advise consuming protein throughout the day, a healthy boost of protein first thing in the morning can stabilize your blood sugar levels throughout the rest of the day. A protein drink or meal-replacement shake is a great morning meal for those get-up-and-go types who only are short on time but understand how important breakfast is to losing fat and gaining muscle. Breakfast is the most important meal of any healthy diet, so a quick protein shake is a must for people who just don’t have time to prepare a good breakfast.

Liquid Multi-vitamins: Because of their form, liquid vitamins can be assimilated immediately into the blood stream for a more systemic administration of the vitamin and its average absorption rate is approximately 90 to 98%. It is also three to five times more concentrated than vitamin tablets which leads to a higher bio-activity and greater therapeutic benefits.

Detox Drops: Promotes detoxification and toxin elimination, Supports healthy liver functioning and systemic cleansing, Improves energy levels and stamina, Supports healthy weight loss efforts, including the breakdown of dietary fats, Promotes clear healthy skin and Supports overall immune system health

Fatigue Fighter: Supports healthy energy levels, stamina and vitality, Maintains overall systemic health and support the immune system, Supports and maintains healthy systemic adequacy for physical performance and endurance, Addresses common feelings of listlessness associated with routine tiredness, Supports the health of the adrenal glands

2) Throughout the day I drink bottles of water (I actually fill my own bottles instead of creating more for the land fill!) to which I’ve added just a little splash of Bragg‘s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, a dropper of a liquid green tea supplement and sometimes a  flavored drink mix packet – usually one like Special K or nutritionally enhanced single-serve packet.

Health benefits:

Apple Cider Vinegar: Natural Apple Cider Vinegar is a wonderful natural cure for a number of ailments which usually require antibiotics and other medications that have a number of side effects. In particular, this amazing liquid has been known to:

* Reduce sinus infections and sore throats
* Balance high cholesterol
* Cure skin conditions such as acne
* Protect against food poisoning
* Fight allergies in both humans and animals
* Prevent muscle fatigue after exercise
* Strengthen the immune system
* Increase stamina
* Increase metabolism which promotes weight loss
* Improve digestion and cure constipation
* Alleviate symptoms of arthritis and gout
* Prevents bladder stones and urinary tract infections

Green Tea: More than a decade’s worth of research about green tea’s health benefits — particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease — has been more than intriguing, as have limited studies about green tea‘s role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia. There are simply too many to list! For further reading, check out this article on green tea’s amazing properties: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm

Water: An increased intake of healthy water will greatly enhance digestion‚ nutrient absorption‚ skin hydration‚ detoxification and virtually every aspect of better health! So many common ailments and illnesses can be prevented and possibly even cured with an increased intake of healthy water. Headaches, hypertension, back pain, arthritis, ulcers, asthma, morning sickness and fatigue can all benefit and in many cases be prevented by regulating the body’s natural fluid levels. Recently there has been a dramatic swing in medical theory and a long overdue realization about “healing”. The best way to prevent, treat and in many cases cure illness is to give our body the right tools and let it go to work. With the proper intake of healthy water, the right minerals and nutrients our body can over come almost anything.

3) In the morning I also grab either a bowl of nutritional cereal or about a cup to a cup and a half of my favorite yogurt (I love strawberry and strawberry/banana!) and to this I add a TBSP each of Wheat Germ (Toasted) and Sprouted FiProFlax Milled Flaxseed. It is REALLY good!

Health benefits:

Wheat Germ: Wheat Germ is a terrific source of B vitamins such as folate, niacin, thiamin, and vitamin B6, Calcium, Complex carbs, Fiber, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Omega-3 fatty acids, Phosphorous, Potassium, Protein, Selenium, Vitamin E, and Zinc. It also has a phytosterol content which has been shown to lower cholesterol and promote a healthy heart. In addition, it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids helps to lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as being important for nervous system functioning, and help elevate mood. Wheat germ is also a good source of fiber which has many benefits including improved bowel function and may reduce the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes and prevent weight gain.

Flaxseed: Some call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s quite a tall order for a tiny seed that’s been around for centuries. Benefits of flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) levels. Other benefits show that it may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure. It may also keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack. Aside from alpha linolenic acid, flax seed is rich in lignan. Lignan is a type phytoestrogen (antioxidant) and also provides fiber. Research reveals that lignan in flax seed shows a lot of promise in fighting disease — including a possible role in cancer prevention especially breast cancer. It is thought that lignan metabolites can bind to estrogen receptors, hence inhibiting the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer. Recent studies also showed positive benefits of flaxseed oil in IBD (Crohn’s Disease and Colitis). Flax seed oil seems to be able to heal the inner lining of the inflamed intestines.

4) At least a couple of times a day I’ll either have a bagel spread with Manuka or raw honey and then sprinkled with about 2 tsps of bee pollen, or I’ll just have about a tablespoon of the raw honey and dip it in the bee pollen. Great snack, tastes absolutely yummy and is very good for you! (sidenote: Royal Jelly is another great thing to use as a healthy spread!)

Health benefits:

Manuka: Manuka Honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from the Manuka Bush or Tea Tree (also known as Leptospermum Scoparium) indigenous only to New Zealand. Studies on the Manuka Honey benefits have shown that Manuka Honey, a special type of mono-floral honey contains an ingredient with powerful antibacterial, anti microbial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti fungal properties.

Raw Honey: Honey is one of nature’s purest foods for promoting general health. There are so many health benefits to honey; it truly is nature’s super food. You might be surprised to learn that it is a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant. In terms of antioxidants, darker is better when it comes to honey. Processed honey is heated and filtered, robbing it of natural nutrients. Raw honey contains 27 minerals, 22 amino acids and 5,000 live enzymes. It keeps you healthy by fighting disease and boosting the digestive system. One daily spoonful in your tea or spread on your toast is all that is needed to reap these benefits.Honey has been used to treat wounds for thousands of years. The antiseptic properties of honey will clean wounds and inhibit bacterial growth. Its natural antibiotic and antibacterial properties aid in treating cuts and burns. It promotes healing, reduces swelling and prevents infections.

Bee Pollen: Bee pollen is one of many bee products (including propolis, royal jelly, and honey) said to have phenomenal health benefits – from lowering cholesterol to fighting cancer and improving weight loss. Bee pollen is a natural food made by bee colonies for their own use but which offers nutritional benefits to human beings as well. According to alternative health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola, bee pollen is “considered one of nature’s most completely nourishing foods” and is made up of:

* up to 40% protein
* free amino acids (protein building blocks)
* B vitamins which provide energy
* minerals and trace elements
* vitamins C, E, carotenes and other antioxidants
* an “antibiotic factor” which inhibits the growth of bacteria like salmonella
* fiber which may regulate digestion

Supplements I take (although I try to keep them to a minimum!) include: Omega-3 Fish Oils, Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin E , Vitamin A and flax oil. These are all amazing for your heart and circulatory system as well as your skin and hair.

Why do I do all of this? Well, I’m 45 with heart disease in my family; I’m too busy to always plan out nutritionally sound meals, the raw honey, bee pollen, Fatigue Fighter and apple cider vinegar help increase my energy levels, I almost never eat a ‘normal’ breakfast, so I have to find something fast and tasty, and, I’m a snacker. I’d be about 400 lbs if I didn’t have healthy snacks to much on throughout the day.

I hope some of my ideas help you. I do know that if you try a few you will find yourself with more energy, healthier skin and hair and probably losing a few pounds in the process!

To find the products I use, click the links below  and then search for the product name. I’ve tried to find the best products at the lowest prices.

Sprouted FiProFlax Milled Flaxseed

Feng Hua Fen Bee Pollen

Manuka or other raw honey

Wheat Germ (Toasted)

Green Tea (gelcaps or liquid)

Bragg‘s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Essential Greens Drink Mix

Tropical Oasis Liquid Multiple Vitamin Mineral

Peaceful Planet High Protein Energy Shake

Of course, this is not always completely reasonable – you may not want to eat fish every single day. Another thing to consider is the fact that some fish may contain mercury, and this is not good for humans, especially pregnant women. Also, realize that fattier fishes like salmon have a higher percentage of omega-3 fatty acids than other fish, like canned tuna.

That being said, let’s find out why other people take fish oil:

Fish oil is full of omega-3 fatty acids. Yes, the word “fatty” may throw you off, but omega-3 fatty acids are actually very good for your heart. That is why many people take fish oil as a preventative measure against heart disease. People who have a history of heart attacks in their family are likely to want to take fish oil as a supplement.

In fact, fish oil is a great supplement for anyone who already has coronary artery disease (even those who have not yet had a heart attack).

People who have auto-immune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis should also consider taking a fish oil supplement on days that they do not eat fish. About 3 grams of omega-3s a day are recommended. Clinical studies suggest that fish oil can help with joint pain and swelling of rheumatoid arthritis. Omega-3s can suppress the immune response.

People who have high triglycerides may also benefit from fish oil, as well.

Other, possible benefits of fish oil supplements (not all of these are accepted benefits by the medical society at large):

* It can improve lupus symptoms.
* Fish oil cuts the risk of sudden death.
* Used during pregnancy, it can prevent diabetes.
* It could reduce stroke.
* Lowers the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in the body.
* Increases the good (HDL) cholesterol.
* Again, you are much likely to get a dose of mercury from taking a fish oil supplement than from eating fish.
* Helps in the treatment of depression.
* Can help eczema.
* It aids in infant brain and vision development.
* Beneficial to dyspraxic children.
* Helps prevent cancer.
* Improves language and learning skills for autistic children.
* Some even say that it can reverse the brain damage caused by crystal meth.

Again, realize that not all of the above-mentioned possible benefits are necessarily true. More studies must be conducted.

There are, of course, negatives associated with fish oil. In other words, just because fish oil may seem like a panacea, it does not mean that you should take it. Most definitely consult with your physician before you take fish oil or any other supplement that you have questions about.

Some possible negatives of fish oil supplements include:

* People with diabetes could experience an increase in glucose levels when they take large doses of fish oil (a large dose is generally 3 grams or more a day).
* Large doses can also cause nausea, belching (and a horrible taste in the mouth as well as bad breath), and diarrhea.
* A very large dose could actually suppress the immune system – people with weakened immune systems should consult a doctor before trying out fish oil.
* Fish oil causes a decreased ability for blood to clot – while this helps prevent heart attacks, it is a negative thing for people with bleeding disorders, hypertension, etc.

I mentioned it before, and I will mention it again: be sure to consult your doctor before you take fish oil. It is readily available and relatively safe, but for some people, the possible consequences may outweigh the possible benefits.

About the author

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on supplements, please visit this site.

Diabetes can cause your blood glucose level to be higher than normal and when this occurs over a long period of time damage can result in your vessels and nerves. This damage can lead to problems in other parts of your body.

Nerve damage in a diabetic can lead to diabetic neuropathy, which is when nerves have a difficult time sending messages to the brain and to other parts of the body. If you are diabetic and have nerve damage you may feel a painful tingling in your feet and legs.

If you cannot feel your feet or legs you may continue to walk on a foot or leg that has an injury and cause further damage. Diabetics need to check their feet and legs for signs of injury or cell damage daily. A professional should check your feet at least once a year.

Signs you should watch out for that may signal nerve damage are:

Numbness in your feet

Sharp pain or a painful tingling feeling in your feet

Sores on your feet

Muscle weakness in your legs

A burning feeling in your feet or legs

In males an inability to achieve an erection could be a sign of nerve damage

Vision Problems that may signal diabetic problems:

The retina is very sensitive to light and helps us to be able to see. In individuals with diabetes damage can weaken the small blood vessels in the retina. This damage is called diabetic retinopathy.

Swelling in the eye results from a leakage of fluid that can cause blurring of vision. If retinopathy worsens it can lead to blindness when the retina breaks away from the back of the eye.

Treatment for retinopathy is laser surgery.

Individuals with diabetes should have their eyes checked twice a year.

Warning signs to be aware of concerning your eyes:

Blurring in your vision that last for more than 2 days

A sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes

Black spots, cobwebs or flashing lights in your vision

Redness in the eye area

Pain or pressure in your eye

Kidney Damage in the Diabetic:

The kidneys have blood vessels that can experience damage from high glucose levels in the blood. The damage to kidneys in a diabetic is called diabetic nephropathy. Those who have nephropathy eventually require dialysis. Dialysis is a treatment that eliminates waste from the blood. They may also eventually require a kidney transplant.

The first sign of nephropathy is usually protein in the urine. Your doctor will check your urine at least once a year. There are medications that can protect your kidneys from damage that your doctor will discuss with you.

Heart Disease and the Risk of Stroke:

Diabetics are at risk for heart disease and stroke. Smoking and a history of heart disease or being overweight will increase your risk for heart disease or stroke.

Heart disease can be treated if caught early. Your doctor will test for the early signs of heart disease on a regular basis by checking your blood pressure, your cholesterol levels and by checking your weight.

To prevent complications a diabetic should eat a variety of healthy foods, avoid foods that are high in fat and sugar, maintain a healthy weight for body size and shape, control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, be physically active everyday, quit smoking if you do smoke presently, see your doctor on a regular basis, and be aware of the warning signs of diabetic complications so that you can report them to your doctor.

Diabetes is a chronic biochemical disorder which affects the body’s ability to use carbohydrates, sugars and starches. People with diabetes are not able to produce sufficient insulin or are unable to use the insulin they produce effectively enough to break down glucose or sugar in the blood and make it available to the body.

More than 16 million Americans alone suffer from diabetes. Diabetes is often referred to as an epidemic in the Western World today.

There are two main types of Diabetes, referred to as Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes usually surfaces in childhood and is usually associated with the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin. People with Type 1 Diabetes are also called Insulin-Dependent because they have to take insulin for life.

Type 11 Diabetes is also called Adult Onset Diabetes and usually occurs after the age of 40. People with Type 11 Diabetes do produce insulin in the pancreas, but their body cells have become resistant to it.

Although people with controlled diabetes can lead a normal healthy life, uncontrolled diabetes means chronically elevated blood sugar levels which slowly destroy proteins in the body, causing considerable damage to tissues and organs.

Complications from untreated or poorly controlled diabetes include kidney damage, heart disease, nerve damage, and even blindness.

How do I know whether I have Diabetes?

Diabetes must be diagnosed by a medical doctor, endocrinologist, homeopath or naturopath. However here are some of the more common symptoms.

If you are at all concerned about whether you have diabetes, especially if you are overweight and have a family history of diabetes, please seek medical advice.

Some Symptoms of Diabetes:

* Frequent and excessive urination
* Always thirsty
* Chronic fatigue, lethargy and weakness
* Cuts and wounds never seem to heal normally
* Weight loss without dieting
* Loss of libido
* Numbness and tingling in hands and feet
* Recurring infections, especially Urinary Tract Infections, Thrush and Athletes Foot
* Blurred vision

What causes Diabetes?

There are no clear answers about the causes of Type 1 Diabetes in which the pancreas stops producing insulin. Some theorists believe that Type 1 Diabetes may be an auto-immune response or could be caused by a virus.

Type 11 Diabetes, which begins in adulthood, is strongly linked to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Both Type 1 and Type 11 Diabetes are known to have a strong genetic link. This means that if you have people in your family who have diabetes, then it is even more important to follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly and to take supplements and herbal remedies which can help to prevent diabetes. (see below for more tips on healthy lifestyles for diabetics).

Can herbal remedies and dietary supplements help?

There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that the use of carefully chosen herbal remedies and dietary supplements can help to both prevent diabetes and to keep it under control in those who have already developed it.

Along with the correct lifestyle changes, herbal remedies and dietary supplements can reduce or eliminate the need for prescription medication and can also aid in preventing some of the tissue and organ damage associated with uncontrolled blood sugar levels.

What is Insulate Plus

Insulate Plus is a complex herbal remedy that assists in the treatment and prevention of diabetes.

Like all Native Remedies products, it is developed with care by our practicing Clinical Psychologist, is 100% natural and is manufactured according to the highest pharmaceutical standards. Individual ingredients are well-researched and have been put to the test over the years as a complement to the treatment of real people with real problems.

Can I use Insulate Plus together with insulin and my prescription diabetic medication?

Yes, you can – but NOT without first consulting your doctor. Insulate Plus is very effective in controlling blood sugar levels and improving the body’s ability to use insulin.

This means that blood sugar levels must be monitored in people who are also taking prescription diabetic medicine as it is highly likely that their prescription medication will have to be reduced or even stopped altogether.

If your doctor is not familiar with natural remedies or is unsympathetic towards your quest for a healthier alternative, seek a second opinion.

Is Insulate Plus recommended if I am pre-diabetic, at risk for diabetes or have a family history of diabetes?

Absolutely! Many people with borderline diabetic symptoms or those at risk for diabetes will benefit from the regular use of these remedies.

Remember that it is also important to make sure that you follow a healthy lifestyle in order to effectively control the risks of diabetes. (see tips on diabetes prevention below)

Use Insulate Plus regularly to:

* Balance blood sugar levels, thereby reducing or removing the need for insulin or hypoglycemic medication
* Enlarge the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production
* Remove the taste for sweet foods
* Improve circulation, especially to the feet and hands, thereby preventing diabetic problems with feet and improving the healing of wounds
* Improve blood flow to the optic fibres, helping to prevent diabetes-related eye disease
* Assist with the breakdown of fats, balance cholesterol levels and help to reduce the risk of heart disease

What else can I do to help myself?

Exercise regularly. It has been shown that people who exercise regularly are 50% less likely to develop Type 11 Diabetes.

Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as foods containing whole grains, which contain Vitamin B and chromium, both known to be important in controlling blood sugar levels.

If you are overweight, lose it! Obesity is one of the major risk factors in Type 11 Diabetes.

Reduce your intake of refined and processed foods containing high fat and sugar levels.

Insulate Plus may also be combined with Vizu-All Plus for visual problems associated with diabetes, as well as macular disease and cataracts.

How has Insulate Plus helped others?

“I recently visited my doctor because I felt tired all the time. He said that I was at risk for diabetes due to my bad eating habits My grandmother had diabetes so I know I have to be careful. I started taking Insulate Plus and my doctor can’t believe the difference! ” Janice L.

“Because of diabetes I had major problems with my feet and always felt tingling and discomfort. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep because of it. Anytime I had a sore, it took forever to heal. Since using Insulate Plus this is a thing of the past and I sleep so soundly! I have used many of these products and have never been disappointed with their effectiveness as well as the fast and efficient service and friendly advice!” Simon.

Insulate Plus contains the following ingredients:

Insulate Plus comes in 100% vege-capsule form and contains the following carefully chosen herbs and minerals to assist in the natural treatment of all the major symptoms of diabetes:

Gymnema sylvestre: A well-known and highly respected Ayurvedic remedy which is also known as the ‘sugar killer’ as it is said to remove the taste for sweet foods. Gymnema Sylvestre has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat diabetes for many centuries and can improve blood sugar control, thereby reducing the need for insulin and hypoglycemic medication .

Galega officinalis: Research has suggested that the use of Galega officinalis can enlarge the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, which are responsible for the production on insulin.

Ginkgo biloba: An extremely effective herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and derived from one of the oldest trees on earth. Studies indicate that Ginkgo biloba has a beneficial effect on peripheral and cerebral circulation and can therefore help to prevent the tissue damage and poor circulation associated with diabetes. It is also suggested that Ginkgo biloba can increase blood flow to the optic fibres of the eyes and therefore help to treat diabetes-related eye disease.

Chromium Picolinate: This is a mineral supplement which has been clinically proven to improve the effectiveness of insulin and is the most easily absorbed form of chromium. It also helps in the breakdown of fats and can therefore balance cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Vizu-All comes in convenient drop form and is intended as a companion remedy for Insulate Plus to assist in the complete and natural treatment of diabetes. Vizu-All is especially formulated to prevent diabetes-related eye disease, retinopathy, macular degeneration and cataracts. It is also an excellent overall systemic tonic, relieving fatigue and increasing energy levels.

How soon can I expect results?

Individual response to Insulate Plus will differ based on severity of the condition, lifestyle and dietary factors, but improvement should be noted within 3 – 6 weeks.

It is advisable to have your doctor, clinic sister or pharmacist monitor your blood sugar levels to assess improvement.

How do I use Insulate Plus?

Dosage: Take one to two capsules two to three times a day, depending on severity of symptoms.

Dosage can be reduced once blood sugar levels stabilize.

Insulate Plus may also be combined with Vizu-All Plus for visual problems associated with diabetes, as well as macular disease and cataracts.

Caution: Safety in pregnancy has not yet been established. Use only under medical supervision if you are also using insulin or other prescription diabetic medication. Because these herbs are very effective in controlling blood sugar levels, the dosage of your prescription drugs may need to be reduced or even stopped altogether.

How long does one bottle last?

Depending on dosage, one bottle of Insulate Plus will last from 10 – 30 days.

The inflammation can be severe, or moderately so, depending on the specific injury. Do not be surprised if your dog responds while touching them on the stomach, this condition can be very painful.

Watch your dog closely, some of the symptoms you can expect to see are: fever, arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), vomiting, increased heart rate, dog assumes ‘praying’ position for relief, lowered blood pressure and signs of shock.

Peritonitis is caused by invaders in the blood. A Secondary type can also occur as a result of an injury somewhere in your dog’s body. Some of the things that can lead to it include bacteria coming into contact with an open wound, rupture of the urinary bladder, prostatic cysts (in male dogs), penetrating abdominal wounds, rupture of the gallbladder, liver abscesses, blunt abdominal trauma and pancreatic inflammation.

When you take your dog into the vet they will give him/her a complete physical examination, blood profile, electrolyte panel, urinalysis and blood count. They will carefully look at the history of your dogs health and probably ask some questions. Your vet might find some valuable clues that can let them know whether or not specific organs are responsible for your dog falling ill.

The vet might also use imaging equipment such as an ultrasound or radiograph. This will allow them to see if there is fluid, gas or an abscess in the abdominal region.

If your dog is diagnosed then they will probably need to be hospitalized in ICU to make sure they are getting plenty of fluids and electrolytes. In the case that heart disease is detected they will need to eat a food that is lower in sodium.

You will likely have to put your dog through surgery. Even with surgery, many dogs still do not survive. This is a very serious medical condition and you need to be prepared for whatever may happen. While your dog is hospitalized, the vet will continue to monitor his/her blood every couple days.

After surgery, make sure that your dog has a nice quiet place to rest and recover. There should not be any kids or other pets near. Make sure that you talk with your vet about what kind of foods would be okay for your dog. It is critical that their food does not put any stress on the abdomen.

Immunity and Liver Support is a natural, safe and effective  herbal remedy for pets which boosts immune functioning and resistance against disease and infection, including viral and bacterial infection; improves liver health and functioning and aid in the elimination of systemic toxins and acts as a tonic for the lymphatic system. Immunity and Liver Support is safe, pharmaceutically manufactured to the highest standards and causes no side-effects.

This condition happens when there is not enough blood and oxygen flow to the heart. The pain is caused by the obstruction of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.

The chest is not the only part of the body that can feel the pain from angina pectoris. It can also be felt in the neck, jaw, back and around the shoulders. More men experience this type of disorder than women. Typically, it only occurs to those over the age of 50 but sometimes younger people suffer from it.

CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) is what causes angina pectoralis. Over time, deposits line the walls of the arteries and eventually lead to a blockage. The buildup of these fatty deposits is medically termed atherosclerosis. When the arteries become brittle and blocked the pain can be felt in the chest.

If you are feeling tightness in your chest you should talk to your doctor, just in case. He/she will give you a complete physical exam, look over your medical history and consider the symptoms you are experiencing. The doctor will then try to rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms, such as, indigestion or some type of physical injury. Once other causes are ruled out they will perform a few additional tests to discover if you are suffering with angina pectoris.

Stopping the progression of heart disease is the first line of defense when dealing with angina pectoralis. This can be done by eating a healthier diet, quitting cigarettes, getting rid of the fat and getting plenty of exercise. Listening to your doctor and living up to your obligations can help you live a longer and more fulfilling life.

Herbal remedies can also help to supplement what your doctor recommends for you. Hawthorn is often used to protect your body from the damage that blocked arteries can cause. Passiflora incarnata has a calming effect on your mind and body. It helps your blood vessels relax and also lowers your blood pressure. Guelder Rose Bark helps to relax your muscles and is a great cardiac tonic. Starting a regimine using these herbs is a good idea if you want to prevent angina pectoris from happening in the first place.

Use these herbs in conjuction with whatever your doctor recommends and always be sure to tell your doctor when you are adding a new herb to your diet. Do not stop taking the medication your doctor prescribes unless you let him know first.

1. Heart Disease. Over twenty-seven percent of all men will die from heart disease. That’s more than one in four men. They can reduce their risk of heart attacks by eating foods that are lower in bad fats and cholesterols, exercising regularly, managing their weight, and drinking and smoking less.

2. Cancer. Most of us are well aware of what a dangerous killer cancer is. The good news is that most cancers can be controlled and go into remission if detected early. That’s why it’s so important that men see a doctor for a regular physical and prostate exam. The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chance of survival. Quitting smoking will also greatly reduce the chances of developing cancer.

3. Unintentional Injuries. This is one cause of death that surprises most people. Many men don’t think twice before getting in their car or climbing a ladder. It’s very important to be cautious when doing any dangerous activity, even if it seems common and trivial.

4. Stroke. While stroke is much less likely than heart disease, they share many of the same risk factors. While they often require very different treatments if a doctor finds a problem, the same preventative measures can be taken to reduce your risk.

5. Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases. While this constitutes a number of diseases, most of them are caused or worsened by smoking. If you are a smoker, there are a variety of new resources and medications available to help you quit.

6. Diabetes. While diabetes is a terrible disease, it is preventable in many cases. While some people will develop diabetes no matter what their diet or level of physical activity, most people can control or even prevent diabetes altogether by eating a lower fat, lower sugar diet and getting regular exercise.

7. Influenza and Pneumonia. While influenza and respiratory infections are inconveniences for younger people, they can be much more devastating for seniors. That’s why it’s very important to get a flu shot every year as you get older. You should also go to a doctor if a cough persists more than a few days.

8. Suicide. This is something that is much more commonly associated with women, but men get depression as well. While women are more likely to attempt suicide, men are much more likely to succeed because of the methods they choose. That’s why it’s important never to overlook the signs of depression and to find your loved ones help if you think there’s a problem.

9. Kidney Disease. The major causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure. You can lower your risk by controlling your weight, avoiding processed sugars, getting regular exercise, and limiting your salt intake.

10. Alzheimer’s Disease. While this disease gets a lot of attention in the media, it only accounts for 1.6% of deaths in men. While there is currently no cure, there are drugs that can slow the progression if it is caught early. Doctors also think the progression and onset can be slowed by keeping your mind active by reading and doing stimulating activities like crossword puzzles.

While no one can live forever, taking some small steps to live healthier may significantly extend your life.

We Recommend:

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It is important to know about how eating certain foods can have an effect on your diabetes, and how other factors can affect your blood sugar, how to check your blood sugar, and who should manage your diabetes, what role your emotions have on your disease and the connection between your diabetes and heart disease.

Certain subjects will become very important to you such as nutrition, weight loss, exercise and lifestyle.

Every newly diagnosed diabetic will need to learn how to make wise food choices and how to plan meals that will lead to better diabetic management.

Nutrition:

Individuals diagnosed with diabetes have the same basic nutritional requirements as everyone else. Nutrition is one factor that needs to be controlled when you are a diabetic. You can no longer eat based on desire and in any amount you want.

Diabetics to remain healthy need to follow a well-balanced meal plan that includes correct amounts of certain foods that will manage your blood glucose level so that it is as close to normal (non-diabetes level) as possible.

Healthy food choices include eating lots of vegetables and fruits, eating non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli and green beans. Choosing whole grain foods instead of processed grain products. Brown rice and brown spaghetti instead of white. Adding dried beans and lentils to your meals and making sure that you have fish twice a week.

When making meat choices, lean meats are best and when eating turkey or chicken remove the skin. Choose non-fat dairy or non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese. Liquid oils should be used in cooking instead of solid fats. Everyone should be more careful about portion sizes; especially those who are trying to lose weight.

Stay away from high calorie snack foods and desserts.

Weight Loss:

The sad fact is that 9 out of 10 individuals who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes are overweight. If you are diabetic and are overweight, losing some weight can help you to better manage your diabetes.

When you decide to lose weight your first step should be to speak with your doctor. Your doctor can give you healthy guidelines to losing weight successfully.

Exercise:

We all should exercise on a daily basis because when we exercise we help our bodies to digest food better. Exercise is any activity that gets you up and moving.

Sometimes the toughest part of exercising is taking that first step.

There are different types of exercising: aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises.

Walking is an excellent exercise for anyone because it improves circulation and your mobility; it promotes weight loss and can even help you to reduce your stress level.

Lifestyle:

Your lifestyle not only includes your work, home life and what you do for fun but it also includes those health habits you have acquired like if you smoke or drink, use recreational drugs etc. Your lifestyle includes your eating habits and your risks that you take such as if you drive a sports car or bungee jump.

A diabetic needs to consider their lifestyle and evaluate if anything about their lifestyle is detrimental to controlling their diabetes? If there are factors about their lifestyle that may hurt their changes for controlling their diabetes such as consuming alcohol or smoking they need to seriously consider avoiding or at least cutting down these habits if they want to remain in control of their diabetes.

Add to this recipe the stimulants prescribed by Dr. Technology, a helpful yet sometimes overzealous and seductive caregiver, and the world does indeed seem to be spinning out of control, or at least at a faster whirl on its axis.

Yoga, learned properly and incorporated into one’s life as a daily practice, transforms. Some who are reading this may know this from experience; others may have dabbled in a class or two and found it helpful at the time, but may never have learned moment to moment use to relieve stress and anxiety.

An intrinsic part of yoga, in fact inseparable from its proper practice, is pranayama, the control of the breath. The breath, and how deeply or shallowly, slowly or rapidly we engage in this prerequisite for staying alive, is intimately connected to how we feel. It reflects our emotional, mental, and physical states in every moment. Changing the breath, consciously, can alter these states.

The ancient therapeutic traditions as well as modern medical research speaks about the intimate relationship between our breathing patterns and our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. They have shown how natural healthy respiration not only increases longevity and supports our overall well-being and self-development, but also helps in medical conditions such as asthma, poor digestion, insomnia, low energy, high blood pressure, anxiety, panic attacks, heart ailments, and many other problems.

How Stress Affects Our Natural Breathing Pattern

With each inhalation, oxygen (pure air) enters into our body and triggers off the transformation of nutrients into fuel. With each exhalation carbon dioxide (toxic air) is eliminated from our body. Presence of oxygen purifies the blood streams and helps invigorate each cell. Sufficient amount of oxygen is required to maintain the vitality of our body organs.

In normal conditions the body follows a natural breathing pattern that is slow and regulated. Under stress when the body shows symptoms such as tightening of muscles, distractions, anxiety, hyperactivity and angry reactions et al, breathing becomes quick and shallow. One tends to hold one’s breath, frequently. With restricted breathing inflow of oxygen is restricted. Lungs are unable to exhale the stale airs and residual toxins build up inside the body. Under stress the stiff muscles restrict the circulation of blood. So, even less oxygen comes in and fewer toxins are removed. It affects the healthy regeneration of cells.

Medical studies show that the oxygen-starved cells are the major contributing factors in cancer, immunity deficiency, sexual dysfunction, heart disease and strokes. Breathing also affects our state of mind and consequently makes our thinking either confused or clear.

When breathing is slow, deep and full, the lungs work more, the diaphragm moves well, the intercostals, back and abdominal muscle work, drawing in extra oxygen to the blood stream. Increased oxygenation purifies blood and stimulates healthy functioning of cells, glands and muscles.

Hence, a regulated and mindful breathing pattern has been held vital to maintaining the highest level of physical health by yoga. Another positive result of conscious breathing is its calming effect on the emotions, reducing fear and anxiety in the nervous system. Regulated and mindful breathing, dynamic movement of the head, shoulders and arms during the practice of breathing and meditation promote concentration and relaxation.

Easy, Practical and Effective Breathing Exercises

Following are some practical, easy to perform exercises that capitalize on this quite dramatic relationship between breath and well being.

Let me begin these instructions by saying this: Perhaps the most difficult aspect of using breathing techniques or any other stress-reduction modalities is the forming of new, positive habit patterns. It is easy to think, “I can’t stop what I’m doing now. There isn’t time.”

Truth is, once you’ve reached the point where stress has begun to make itself known in your neck, your lower back, your eyes, or wherever else that demon tends to possess you, you really have no choice if you want to be productive and enjoy what you are doing. Know that you have become oxygen depleted, and that the very cells of your body are crying out for your loving attention. Beginning to develop awareness of this is the first step in establishing the new pattern: the wonderful habit of self-care.

If you are at home, simply stop what you are doing, and find a spot where the distractions are minimal. Turn off the ringer on the phone, and the volume down on that answering machine. If you are driving, pull over for five minutes. That’s really all it takes. And if you are at work, depending on the environment in your workplace, either just pull your chair back from your desk, or if this is unacceptable, try to find a spot where you can have quiet for that five minute span.

Letting your co-workers know what you are doing can be a good idea. I’m not being a Pollyanna, in that I know that there are some situations where this scenario will be perceived as impossible. However, if tending to your well being is a priority, I do believe that in almost all cases a way can be found.

1. Cleansing Breath: Get comfortable in a chair or in your car seat. Loosen tight clothing or belts. Relax. Breathe normally. Now exhale forcefully and then begin to inhale deeply. When the lungs are really full, exhale through your nose. This is done rather quickly. Assist this exhalation by contracting your stomach muscles. Let the stomach relax completely as the air begins to come back in through your nose. Fill lungs again, exhale through nose quickly once again with the aid of those stomach muscles. (If the exhalation is really complete, you will find that the act of breathing in again is quite sudden and automatic, so that a rhythm is established) Do this inhale-exhale pattern four to six times. Depending on time constraints, you can repeat this cycle once more.

2. One Nostril Breathing: Close one nostril with a finger. Breathe in slowly through the other nostril, and exhale through this same nostril. Continue breathing thus through one nostril for five breaths. Then switch sides. Having completed this pattern on both sides, you may repeat the pattern if time allows, adding one repetition per day. Two repetitions will still be quite effective, however.

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing: Using your right hand, close the right nostril with your thumb, and breathe in through the left. Having inhaled thus, now close the left nostril with the pinky and ring finger of the same hand, and breath out through the right nostril. Immediately breathe in again through that same (right) nostril, and exhale through the left. This pattern: in left, out right, in right, out left, is one unit. Repeating this unit four times makes one round. One is enough to begin with. Increase by one round daily, again depending on time constraints.

4. Complete Yoga Breath: Sitting straight, standing, or lying flat when possible, begin by expanding the abdomen and breathing into the lower lungs. Continue filling the middle lungs, expanding your lower ribs, then the middle ribs, then lifting the upper ribs, expand the upper chest. Finally, to get that air into the lungs highest areas, contract the abdomen just a bit. Hold your breath for just five seconds, no more. Finally, exhale through your nose, slowly, again contracting your stomach muscles. Now, relax all over. Breathe normally for a breath or two, and repeat the complete breath. Twice is good; daily, gradual increases are beneficial.

It may seem like a lot at first glance, but once learned there is nothing to it. You can accomplish the entire series in five minutes, with minimal repetitions. It will still be effective, and you will return to the task at hand refreshed and relaxed.

During more leisurely times you may indulge in longer sessions, but do it gradually: With gentleness, with attention, and with the love inherent in this wonderful form of self-care.

PureCalm is a natural, safe and effective liquid herbal formula that works quickly to eliminate symptoms of tension, anxiety, stress, panic attacks and irritability.  PureCalm helps maintain balanced emotions during everyday pressure, stress and common nervous tension.

Created by a clinical psychologist, this remedy is pharmaceutically manufactured to the highest standards, combining the soothing properties of Lemon Balm with those of Lavender and Passion Flower, to bring you relief within minutes! For those who suffer from chronic anxiety, PTSD and/or severe panic attacks, combine PureCalm with MindSoothe for effective long-term reduction of your symptoms.

In September, seventy-three year old Ed Whitlock shattered his own world age class marathon record by completing a marathon in under 3 hours. Ed is the first 70+ human in history to attain this goal and he has done it twice!

Why is exercise so important as we age? After 50, we begin to loose muscle mass at the rate of 6 percent every decade (about 5 pounds) and we gain 15 pounds of fat every ten years to replace it. Less muscle and more fat stores in the body, combined with inactivity and poor diet, can contribute to a wide array of degenerative conditions and disabilities, among them: osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis. Researchers speculate that Alzheimer’s disease and certain cancers can also be linked to a lack of activity as we age.

The Stanford University Medical Center has conducted several long-term studies on active individuals over 50, particularly runners. They found that runners had a lower death rate and dramatically less disabilities compared to non-runners. They observed that running regularly was associated with an increase of HDL (good) cholesterol, plus a positive effect on muscle mass, as well as heart and lung health.

Other studies have concluded that regular exercise increases bone strength, controls weight gain, and keeps diabetes in check. Active seniors are better able to take care of themselves, perform common household tasks, and remain mentally sharp.

5 Parts of a Healthy-Aging Workout:

1. Endurance Exercise: running, brisk walking, biking, aerobics, tennis, (a minimum recommendation of 25-30 minutes a day

2. Strength Training Exercise: weight lifting, uphill training (walking, running, hiking up an incline).

3. Stretching Exercise: pre- and after workout stretches retain flexibility. Try yoga and pilates.

4. Balance Exercise: use a balance ball for core exercises or stand on one foot without support.

5. Meditative Exercise: reduce stress with yoga and tai chi.

5 Keys to Exercise Success:

1. Dream big and set realistic goals. If you’re not use to exercise don’t try to run a marathon right away. Create a step-by-step plan to increase your stamina, strength and stability. Too much, too soon can end up causing injuries. Gradually work up to your dream achievement, such as participating in the Senior Olympics or climbing Pikes Peak.

2. Exercise daily. Create your own special time for exercise every day. Whether it’s a morning jog through the neighborhood, a mid-day walk with the dog or an afternoon swim at your local gym, daily exercise is much more effective at reaping healthy benefits than the ‘weekend warrior’ approach.

Exports recommend 25-30 minutes of moderate to strenuous exercise every day just to maintain your current weight. If you are trying to loose weight, extend your workout time to 60 minutes.

3. Be aware of your body. If you feel soreness or a slight achy feeling in your muscles, that’s OK. Your body is responding to a good workout. Use ice therapy to ease small aches and pains, and to reduce inflammation. A few 20-minute sessions with a cold pack and you should be ready for your next daily workout. Never use heat on stressed or strained muscles, as it will increase pain and swelling, slowing recovery time. Heat is appropriate to relax tight muscles. If you experience serious problems such as extreme pain, fainting, numbness in arms or legs, or chest pain, seek medical attention immediately.

4. Stay well hydrated. Always a consideration for any athlete, dehydration can pose a serious problem in older athletes as aging bodies contain less body water. Sweating and exposure to heat can easily deplete the body of fluids. Drink plenty of liquids before, during and after your workout.

5. Be a health leader! Encourage others through example and participation. Be positive and motivated. An enthusiastic attitude is contagious! It will also keep you going running through puddles on a rainy day; surviving aching legs on a downhill descent; or arriving at the finish line of your first race!

Keep in mind the words of 90-year old Jack LaLanne, ‘I work at living, not dying’.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment or consultation. Always consult with your physician in the event of a serious injury.

Learn more about keeping fit and healthy at It’s HIP to be FIT!

About the author

John has experience in many areas of health and fitness and shares this Fitness Information on his website http://www.Fitness4Living.co.uk/

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

* cancer
* rheumatoid arthritis
* high cholesterol levels
* cariovascular disease
* infection
* impaired immune function

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don’t other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea – from deodorants to creams – are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six – eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

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There are many forms of heart disease including alcoholic cardiomyopathy, aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, arrhythmias, carcinogenic shock, congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease (CAD), endocarditis, heart attack also called a myocardial infarction, heart failure, heart tumor, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, idiopathic cardiomyopathy, ischemic cardiomyopathy, acute mitral regurgitation, chronic mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, mitral valve prolapse, peripartum cardiomyopathy, pulmonary stenosis, stable angina, unstable angina and also tricuspid regurgitation.

There are many things that can cause or lead to heart disease including narrowing of or a blockage of the coronary arteries that are responsible for supplying blood to the heart. Some cases of heart disease are present at birth such as congenital heart disease and others occur as we go through life and can include hypertension (high blood pressure), abnormal heart valve function, an abnormal heart rhythm, and a weakening of the heart’s ability to pump that can happen when there is infection or a toxin present in the bloodstream.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Coronary heart disease is the major type of heart disease and is the type that causes 71% of the heart connected deaths in the U.S. Almost half of the victims of heart attacks die before getting to the emergency room.

Individuals who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, are obese or are older than 60 are all at an increased risk for heart disease.

Heart disease can be caused by infection, by toxins, by smoking, by other disease or by birth defects and malformation of the heart during the fetal stage of life. Anyone can get heart disease but it is more prevalent as we age.

Some risk factors for heart disease are unavoidable and cannot be controlled such as age, or family history and congenital heart problems. The individual can control other risk factors such as obesity, and smoking.

Heart disease can involve just the arteries, it can involve a part of the heart that is not functioning, or it can involve a malformation of the heart at birth. It can involve a perfectly good heart that becomes damaged by disease, infection or a toxin.

Heart disease can be something that occurs at birth, it can be something that occurs over a lifetime of bad habits like overeating and smoking or it can occur because of an event such as the introduction of a toxin into the bloodstream or the occurrence of an infection.

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When we eat nutritious foods on a daily basis we do give our bodies what they need to grow properly, to renew cells, and to have the energy needed to function properly. The result of eating good nutrition is that we have healthy bodies. We look good, we feel good and we can perform well because we have the foods in us to do accomplish these things.

When we overeat, taking on more calories than our bodies need, we gain weight. Excess body weight is linked to many diseases such as diabetes. When we eat foods high in saturated fats we can increase our risk for heart disease. There are so many connections between the food or the amount of food and disease that everyone should be more aware of what food is put into our bodies if we truly want to be healthy.

Today many diets are geared towards helping improve our health if we have certain health conditions such as the heart smart diet, and the cancer diet. You can also find a diet if you have diabetes, or diverticulitis, There is a diet for those who are lactose intolerant. There is also a Gluten-Free diet, an ADHD diet, and an IBD diet.

Women can go on the Menopause diet, or the Osteoporosis diet, or the Breast Cancer Diet or even the diet designed specifically for the needs of the pregnant woman. There are diets to help you eat healthy while dining out, and diets to help you lose weight. There are bodybuilding diets, and athlete diets. Everyone of these diets use certain types of foods in order to gain a certain result from the body based on what the foods do for the body. These diets are a perfect example of the fact that what we eat has an impact on our health.

There are healthy eating guidelines set forth with the purpose of helping us to decide what to eat and how much of each food to eat. These guidelines are to help us eat healthy and reduce the risk of developing nutrition-related diseases. Nutrition-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease have been studied along with the effect that certain foods have on them.

Guidelines such as the food pyramid are geared towards individuals without major health concerns and those who are over 14 years of age. Those with major health concerns may need a special diet and should be guided by their doctor when it comes to making food choices. Those who are younger than 14 should be eating foods that are for young children who are still growing.

Your pediatrician can help with meal planning for this age group to be sure they have all the nutrients they need to be healthy while growing. A basic healthy eating guideline for those over age 14 are to eat 30% fruit and vegetables, 30% bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, and 15% milk and dairy foods, along with 15% meat and fish and 10% of the fat and sugary types of foods each day.

The benefits of physical fitness include being able to hold back the hands of time. Well, not literally of course! Exercise will build muscle and strength that often deteriorates as we age. This will allow you to move more easily, accomplish daily tasks and delay the pain and discomfort from arthritis.

People who exercise also find that they are able to lose those unwanted pounds more quickly and with less effort. This is accomplished because exercise burns calories and if you dont replace those calories youll lose weight. Youll also lose body fat.

Other benefits of physical fitness include decreasing the risk of high blood pressure or reducing high blood pressure. Between the weight loss and the chemicals that are released during exercise you have a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure and a greater chance of reducing blood pressure that may already be elevated.

A connected illness with high blood pressure is heart disease. Often those who suffer from high blood pressure also have some degree of heart disease. The benefit of physical exercise is that it will decrease your risk of developing or dying from heart disease.

Another condition that is linked with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes is high cholesterol. One of the benefits of physical fitness is to reduce your risk of high cholesterol, no matter your diet or genetics. By reducing your risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease you also reduce your risk of premature death.

Not only will physical fitness decrease your risk of physical illness but also of mental distress and stress related illnesses. For instance, a benefit of physical fitness is to reduce your risk of depression and anxiety. Youll spend less money on anti-depressants and improve your psychological well-being and work, recreation and sports performance.

The benefits of physical fitness are different for aerobic exercise vs strength training. While aerobic exercise will improve your ability to use and transport oxygen, increase blood supply to the muscles and improve glucose tolerance strength training increases muscle strength, improves flexibility, balance and coordination.

The benefits to physical fitness are numerous. Our bodies were designed for motion and movement. Without that movement we suffer the consequences of stress related illness, and age related conditions.

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Sometimes combining weight loss and a healthy heart diet will accomplish several goals at once. The patient will gain more energy, increase the ability to remain active, decrease the risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke and decrease the risk of stress related illnesses.

The American Heart Association believes that weight loss and a healthy heart diet is so important that they have guidelines for selecting a weight loss and weight maintenance programs.

They believe the food plan should be worked into the persons current eating habits and preferences and set realistic goals for weight loss. Using a plan that cuts calories to quickly will cause the patient to lose motivation and confidence as well as cut necessary vitamins and minerals from the diet. People who want to attempt weight loss and a healthy heart diet should receive some nutritional education and physical activity to increase the likelihood they will achieve and maintain a healthier weight.

There are some red flags if you chose to use a diet plan. Does the plan promise more than it can deliver? Does the program use physical activity? Are you encouraged to be screened for health risks and given a consultation to set realistic weight loss goals?

To be clear, the plan should set realistic goals, encourage physical activity, encourage you to be screened for health risks that may impede your progress and give you a consultation to assist setting realistic weight goals.

Popular diets are just what they seem. Popularized by books, reports of rapid weight loss or celebrity endorsements they often lack the research to back up their claims. In the end, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. You lose weight by decreasing calorie intake and increasing calorie burn. You can maintain the same amount of food intake and decrease calorie intake by eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting out processed foods and fats.

A healthy heart diet is one that incorporates all of the principles of a balanced diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, moderate amounts of protein through natural sources and low to no alcohol intake.

We literally are what we eat. If our intake is mostly hydrogenated oils and fats we cant pronounce that is the food that builds the cells that run our bodies. A living body will function best on living food. That means raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Amazingly research is bearing this concept out.

One pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. A diet plan may promise a 5 pound weight loss in one week but the only way to achieve that would be to cut your calories by an astounding 17,500 calories. If you normally ate 3,000 calories per day (a high amount) and cut to 1,500 calories you would only have a 10,500 calorie deficit in one week.

Instead a healthy weight loss that people have a better chance of maintaining is 1 2 pounds per week. To achieve this you should cut your calories by 500 per day. This can be done by a combination decreasing calorie intake and increasing calorie burn.

Weight loss and healthy heart diet plans often include increasing the amount of fiber intake. This accomplishes several things. Fiber will help to decrease your cholesterol, lower your triglycerides, and make you feel fuller longer using less calories. Foods that are high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains such as couscous.

Weight loss and healthy heart plans will help you to decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Using appropriate plans and maintaining your motivation it wont be long before your cholesterol is down and your energy level up!

Related Natural Product

Cardio-Klenz is the only natural supplement that we are aware of which utilizes enteric coating technology to safely release the active ingredients in the stomach. This delivery method not only protects the enzymes such as Nattokinase but also greatly enhances the efficacy of other ingredients present such as Resveratrol and L-Glutathione. No other formula covers so many �angles’ to manage and protect your cardiovascular system, and yet Cardio-Klenz is still natural with no known side effects.

Other symptoms are feeling a pain or discomfort in the center of your chest, pain or discomfort in the upper body, arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach area. Some individuals feel short of breath, or break out in a cold sweat, or feel faint or woozy.

Women may experience different symptoms from males such as unusual tiredness, or trouble sleeping, difficulty breathing, indigestion, or a feeling of intense anxiety. Signs of a heart attack can come from your brain, your chest area, your skin, your lungs, your stomach and your general body. You can experience symptoms from your chest, your arms, back, jaw, shoulders, or your neck.

A doctor will take a medical history, ask for a list of your symptoms, do a physical examination and also order some laboratory tests that will give vital information about the condition of your heart. It is important to tell your doctor if you have any family history of heart disease (mother, father, brothers or sisters who have been diagnosed with heart disease).

Feeling your heart flutter is not necessarily a symptom of heart disease on its own. As we age we can experience irregular patterns in our heartbeats. These heartbeat changes are usually harmless and to an extent a normal part of ageing. If, however they occur along with another symptoms of heart disease such as dizziness, shortness of breath or extreme fatigue than the flutters may be a symptom of heart disease.

You may now be wondering just when a symptom can take you from wondering about heart disease to getting a diagnosis. You have a few risk factors, you recognize symptoms now what? The next step is to make an appointment with your doctor. After taking your medical history and listening to your symptoms your doctor will want to do a physical examination, which may include getting your weight and height, your blood pressure, pulse and respirations.

Then your doctor will check your heart’s rate, rhythm, and regularity. The doctor will use a stethoscope to do these things. Your doctor will also examine your body, eyes, arms, legs, and your skin for signs of other diseases. Your doctor may order some blood tests that will check your cholesterol and other markers of heart disease.

Your doctor may order some tests such as an EKG, Chest x-ray, Stress test, a Tilt Table test, an echocardiogram, cardiac Catheterization, electrophysiology test, a CT heart scan, a myocardial biopsy, a heart MRI, and perhaps a pericardiocentesis.

We Recommend:

Cardio-Klenz is the only natural supplement that we are aware of which utilizes enteric coating technology to safely release the active ingredients in the stomach.  This delivery method not only protects the enzymes such as Nattokinase but also greatly enhances the efficacy of other ingredients present such as Resveratrol and L-Glutathione.  No other formula covers so many �angles’ to manage and protect your cardiovascular system, and yet Cardio-Klenz is still natural with no known side effects.

Has your Doctor told you that your cholesterol is too high and he/she wants you to use a statin drug to lower it?  You need to be wary about starting a statin drug as there are many dangerous side effects associated with them. Your first line of defense against high cholesterol should be to try the natural approach. Xtend-Life Cholest-Natural is considered one of the world’s best natural options for balancing cholesterol levels. Cholest-Natural only uses natural ingredients with strong clinical evidence supporting their efficacy and safety. Thousands of Xtend-Life customers have found that this product has worked successfully for them.

The lifestyle of the cave person, or ancient hunter-gatherer is probably the best example we can use to help us understand our nutritional requirements as human beings. Remember that there has been little change to our bodies (in a genetic or physiological sense) since that time.

With the exception of regional changes, our foodstuffs are very similar also. Nature takes a great deal of time to make changes. Humans on the other hand can make radical changes in lifestyle, behaviour and diet, in the space of a generation or two.

This is much too fast to expect our bodies and digestive system to adjust. So, what did the hunter-gatherer eat? Remember that they had no storage facilities for their food and a limited ability to cook. It’s unfair to assume that these people ate a very simple diet of fresh food, most of which would have been eaten raw on the spot.

Theirs would have been a relatively mono diet. In other words, when they came to an apple tree they probably sat down and ate only apples. Food would have been eaten in season. Fresh unsprayed fruit and vegetables are extremely rich in vitamins, especially Vitamin C. No doubt they liked variety, but they would not have had the opportunity to combine as many foods at one sitting as modern man does.

With a simple selection of enzyme-rich food, their digestive system would have operated superbly. Whenever possible they probably caught reptiles and small game. This would have been eaten fresh with Most of the animal consumed. Meat was an occasional treat rather than the bulk of the diet.

Of course this hypothetically idyllic lifestyle wasn’t all roses. Early man had to contend with starvation, predators and accidents which no doubt took a great toll. However, from the dietary perspective his food intake was potentially as near to perfect as you can get.

Other factors contributed greatly to the cave person’s health. Plenty of exercise, fresh air and relaxation.

The Primitive Diet

Let’s examine this primitive diet of the cave person. Firstly his food was gathered fresh. This meant that it was just at the right stage for eating. Hardly comparable with our early picking and artificial ripening techniques which mean that nutrients don’t develop fully.

Some nutritionists estimate that a fresh organically grown tomato provides around one gram of Vitamin C. The fact is that these days you are lucky to get 50 mg (1/20 th of a gram) from an artificially ripened and stored tomato. You can see the dramatic difference in the nutritional value of this food according to the growing and harvesting technique.

Fresh food eaten at the right time is also packed with natural Enzymes. Enzymes are the important catalysts for the digestion and metabolism of our food. Food without enzymes is devitalised food. Because enzymes, like many vitamins, are unstable, nearly all are lost in stored fruits and vegetables – the only foods containing enzymes.

Already we have a picture of the vast difference in the quality of nutrition between early man and our present day, and we have only just begun. As a result of vastly improved hygiene and some useful drugs we have conquered the ravages of many of the infectious diseases like Smallpox and T.B. Thus we are living longer lives.

Our problem now is that we are falling victims to Nutritionally related degenerative diseases and stress. These include arthritis, heart disease, hypoglycaemia, diabetes and cancer. Such problems are epidemic and are claiming more people than ever before. Dietary discipline is essential if they are to be overcome.

So why not get with a good diet? After all, these problems are nothing more than a gift showing us where we are going wrong.

Getting back to our cave person … as we’ve seen his diet was simple with not too much variety at each meal. This meant that his digestive juices were only dealing with a few foods at any one time. There was much less chance of incompatible food combinations.

Modern society views our enormous variety of available foods as a sign of affluence. The more varieties, the better. This is great for the taste buds but it is a disaster for the digestive system. Remember that digestion is the first stage in providing the body with fuel to sustain itself. If digestion is not functioning efficiently, you are in trouble.

Storage and Cooking

There were no refrigerators in ancient times so there was little food storage. Our cave person had only limited opportunity to cook his food. Pots and pans weren’t around then so most of his food was raw and packed with live enzymes. Cooking destroys these enzymes, most enzymes are destroyed at 107o F. The stove is very much the curse of modern man.

Relaxation

With a few exceptions, our cave person ate his meal in an unhurried and relaxed way. After all, he had little else on his mind. Food was a major priority in his life and he was going to enjoy it. In this relaxed state, his cardio-vascular system would direct the blood supply to his abdomen and digestion was completed efficiently.

There is little comparison here with us today. With the exception of rich, tasty meals, food is truly low priority stuff. Our taste buds are the only consideration. The stressed state that most of us operate in means that there is always some adrenaline pumping through the system. Thus our blood is directed away from the digestive areas and into the muscles in preparation for all of our little emergencies.

This means poor digestion, indigestion, bloating, flatulence and eventual illness. Stress is the greatest killer in society today. The need to address this problem is inseparable from the need for good, fresh, whole food.

Processing and Bowel Health

Because of the lack of processing plants, our primitive person’s food was eaten whole. He got plenty of FIBRE. This meant that his bowel was stimulated and his elimination was regular and efficient. In contrast, modern man’s elimination is dreadful. Our bowel is the last stage of digestion and absorption of nutrients from our food.

Because of the relatively slow passage of chyme through this organ, it is susceptible to accumulation of debris and waste matter. Refined food provides none of the prickly roughage which is so necessary for regular bowel action.

The result is a clogged bowel and the reabsorption of toxins and waste material. No wonder bowel cancer is one of the greatest killers in Western society.

Refining and Storage

This brings us to yet another major problem … processed food and its lack of nutritional value. The refining and storage process robs most of the fibre and nutrients from our food. Most of the ‘B’ vitamins and the precious ‘E’ vitamins are lost in the processing of wheat and flour.

White flour is not only valueless, it is literally poisonous to the body. Similarly all other processed cereals, fruits and vegetables have lost most of their nutrients and almost all of the very unstable VITAMIN C – which is so important that our bodies require it in abundance.

It is required in even greater quantities if we live under stress – and who doesn’t? The amount of Vitamin C available to us in the average Western diet is often not enough to prevent scurvy, let alone run our bodies efficiently.

The Diet of Modern Man

In comparison to the primitive man, modern man eats almost exclusively of processed, stored and artificially ripened food, grown on artificially fertilised soil and sprayed with poison up to 20 times during the growing season.

He eats anything, at any time, because we have learned how to make most foods readily available through processing and storage. He eats almost no whole food. It is nearly always the tasty parts of the food only. He insists on a large variety for taste, because he believes that this is of greater importance than quality.

More often than not, he eats in a hurried and unrelaxed way and during the few times he sets aside for relaxing and social meals, he drowns them in alcohol, tea and coffee.

Well, imagining is over.  Researchers have found several foods that are reported to have super qualities that improve the health of the user.  Here is a list of 12 Super Foods that will help to improve your health today!

Blueberries: Blueberries are an antioxidant super food that are packed with phytoflavinoids and are high in potassium and Vitamin C.  They will lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

Actually inflammation is the key to most chronic diseases, so blueberries have lots of benefits.  When choosing your berries recognize that the darker the berry the more anti-oxidants they have.  ½ a cup of berries a day is a serving and reportedly the frozen are as good as the fresh.

Omega-3 rich foods: new super foods are great for the hearts, joints and memory.  Researchers have found that omega-3 fatty acids lower the risk of heart disease, help arthritis and can possibly help with memory loss as well as prevention of Alzheimer’s.

Omega-3 fatty on since are most prevalent in fatty cold water fish such as salmon, hearing, sardines and mackerel.  These fatty acids can also be found in plant foods, most specifically flaxseed.  It’s actually quite easy to get an adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids every day or weekly by adding milled flaxseed to your salad or cereals.  The addition of flaxseed in the milled state adds no additional flavor.

Another easy superfood is soy. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a diet of soy fiber which would also include proteins from oats and barley will help to decrease or lower cholesterol levels.

This award which is needed is from tofu, soy milk or edamame and not soy powder which means soy sauce won’t do the trick.  An important note: if you have a family history of breast cancer is not recommended to eat extra soy because it also contains plant-based estrogen which is necessary in the growth of breast cancer.

Fiber: a diet high in fiber will maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels and will help you feel fuller longer which is a great weight loss tool.  Good sources of fiber are whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

Tomatoes: tomatoes contain lycopenes which are in antioxidants more potent than vitamin C.  These lycopene stimulate immune function and can slow the progression of degenerative diseases.  Work to include at least one medium tomato each day into your diet.

Sprouts: sprouts are highly nutritious and are produced when the seed starts growing into a vegetable.  They’ve very in texture and taste and are high in living enzymes.  Because sprouts are the beginning of a plant they are concentrated source of living enzymes that is lost when the food is cooked or not picked fresh from the garden.  They are also much easier to digest than seeds or beans.

Acai: studies have shown that this little beer he is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world.  Pronounced ah-sigh-ee this berry is from a special Amazon palm tree and harvested in the rain forests of Brazil.

It tastes like a blend of beer he is and chocolate and packed with antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids.  You can find it in several health food stores and go gourmet stores or currently produced as unsweetened pulp.

Nuts and seeds: Venus are an incredible way to dramatically decrease the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes as well as control your weight with no hunger pains.  Nuts and seeds also reduce visible signs of the I Ching like wrinkles and sagging skin.  You can add nuts to your salad, cooking or just grab a handful in the afternoon to enjoy as a filling and satisfying snack.

Tea: recently in green tea has received much press as a superfood for lowering cholesterol and inhibiting cancer.  Green tea also has antioxidant which has been found to lower cholesterol levels and keep them lower individuals who drank a cop of tea a day.

Calcium: you know that calcium helps build strong bones and bodies and helps to prevent osteoporosis but other studies have shown that calcium also helps to improve weight loss.  Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk and cheese or can be taken as a supplement.  Interestingly calcium is also found in green leafy vegetables which means you don’t need to each your ice cream in order to get your calcium.

You may have noticed that these “super foods” are nothing new or unusual.  Instead these are foods which researchers and doctors have been telling us for years to include in our diet to improve our overall health.

Just remember that health is not a sprint but rather a long distance run or marathon.  You must eat good foods every day to maintain your health over the coming years and you won’t change your health by increasing the amount of super foods you eat on a daily basis for just one week.

Heart disease can affect the heart muscle, the heart vessels, heart tissue or the heart valves. Heart disease can be caused by smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, infection, and toxins or from a birth defect. Some people are born with heart disease and most develop heart disease over time.

There are certain factors that put certain people at risk for heart disease such as individuals who have a family history of heart disease, those who smoke, and those who have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol. Individual who are obese or lead inactive lives are also at an increased risk for heart disease.

Age increases your risk for heart disease. Some of the risk factors such as family history and age cannot be controlled. Heart disease present at birth can usually not be controlled if it is heredity in nature. Factors such as smoking, blood pressure and blood cholesterol and controlling diseases such as diabetes that when uncontrolled can lead to heart disease. You can reduce your risk for heart disease by controlling your blood pressure and blood cholesterol, by not smoking, and by getting enough exercise and eating healthy foods.

If an individual suspects heart disease due to having symptoms such as chest pain or discomfort, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, dizziness or a feeling that something bad is going to happen they should contact their doctor for an exam and diagnosis. Doctors are trained and have the skills to make the diagnosis of heart disease. You will first be asked to fill out a medical history form that will list your general health, and your symptoms as well as any family history. During the examination your vital signs will be taken including your blood pressure, weight, height, pulse, respiratory rate and temperature.

The doctor will give you a complete examination to rule out any other diseases. You may be sent to a laboratory for blood tests and to the x-ray department for a chest x-ray. Your doctor will be evaluating your risk for heart disease and any sign of present heart disease. You may also be sent for an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which will reveal any arrhythmias or irregular heart rhythms.

You may then be sent for special tests such as an exercise electrocardiogram, a fluoroscopy, phonocardiography, echocardiography, or an angiocardiography (cardiac catheterization). Your doctor will then put all the test results together and determine if you have heart disease or are at risk for heart disease.

Risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, the presence of diabetes, and smoking. These are the highest risk factors. Other factors are age, family history, and being obese and having an inactive lifestyle as well as stress. These last factors are considered minor risk factors.

After your doctor review your test results and determines your heart health and your risk factors for heart disease the doctor will give you a diagnosis or tell you what you can do to decrease your risk for heart disease.

We Recommend:

Cardio-Klenz is the only natural supplement that we are aware of which utilizes enteric coating technology to safely release the active ingredients in the stomach.  This delivery method not only protects the enzymes such as Nattokinase but also greatly enhances the efficacy of other ingredients present such as Resveratrol and L-Glutathione.  No other formula covers so many �angles’ to manage and protect your cardiovascular system, and yet Cardio-Klenz is still natural with no known side effects.

As you read this, you are probably filled with anxiety with the very thought of being without that reassuring packet of cigarettes in your bag or pocket! You might have been smoking for years. Maybe this is the first time you are seriously considering “giving up” or perhaps you have tried before and failed. Whatever the case may be – don’t be discouraged, you are one of millions!

In my opinion, not enough recognition is given to the fact that nicotine dependency is a serious addiction! Many people see cigarette smoking as a “Bad Habit” and feel that smokers should be able to “just stop”! Although there are many gums, sprays and patches available to help the person gradually wean him/herself off the cigarettes, most smokers are expected to “go it alone”, be crabby for a few weeks and then be fine! If they fail, the insinuation is that they are weak, indulgent, inconsiderate, etc. The medical and moral support and understanding given to other substance abusers (e.g. alcoholics, crack addicts, etc) is usually not forthcoming for those who are struggling to overcome nicotine dependency.

Hopefully, this article will fill that gap a little. Nothing on earth will make it easy and effortless – but, if you are serious about giving up and follow the advice given here, you will find that you stand a better chance of being successful.

Think about why you want to give up. Like all addictions, YOU are the one that must want to quit. If you are quitting because someone else wants you to or is pressurizing you to, your chances of success are greatly diminished. YOU must want to do it, for reasons that are YOURS.

One of the most compelling reasons to give up smoking is that cigarettes are detrimental to your health.

Here are some sobering facts:

1. Smoking is the most important risk factor for cancer and heart disease. In fact, statistics show that smokers are about three to five times more likely to contract cancer or heart disease than non-smokers. (Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals and 50 of these have been identified as carcinogens).
2. Not only do smokers have a far greater risk of contracting lung cancer, but they also have increased rates of other cancers, including cancer of the mouth, larynx, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, liver, cervix, stomach, colon and rectum. Smokers are also at greater risk for leukemia.
3. The overall cancer death rates for smokers are twice as high as those of non-smokers. The more cigarettes you smoke and the longer you smoke for,the greater the risk.
4. Smoking contributes significantly to the development of high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries and therefore places smokers at greater risk of stroke and heart disease.
5. Smoking causeschronic lung disorders like emphysema, asthma and bronchitis.

Heard enough? Well, here are some more!

1. Smoking causes premature wrinkling, especially of the face.
2. Smokers have yellow teeth, and foul smelling breath, hair and clothes.
3. Smoking causes impotence and erectile dysfunction in men and low libido in men and women. It can also contribute towards difficulties in falling pregnant and birth defects.
4. Smoking deprives the body of oxygen, leading to fatigue and low concentration levels.
5. At current prices, smoking is very bad for your bank balance! Think of what you could do with the money you spend on cigarettes!

These are only a few of the known dangers of smoking that pertain to the individual. Still not convinced?

Then think of this:

Not only is smoking bad for you, but it is also bad for your family and those around you! For example, children of smokers are far more likely to develop asthma and other chronic respiratory infections than those of non-smokers. They are also more prone to colds and flu and lose more time off school. Exposed to second hand tobacco smoke on a daily basis, these children also have higher risks of developing all the cancers, disorders and other medical conditions mentioned above. In addition, you are a role model for your child and are not teaching them good health habits when you continue to smoke in the face of overwhelming evidence regarding the serious health hazards associated with smoking. If you don’t do it yourself, do it for your kids!

So what’s new?

Most people who are reading this ebooklet have heard all of this before. When they stop and think about it (which they try not to do), they cannot avoid the fact that the only sensible thing to do is to stop the habit. In fact, research has shown that the majority of smokers over the age of 30 would like to stop smoking. Many of them have tried and failed. This brings us back to Square One.

The Native Remedies Stop Smoking Ultra Pack

At Native Remedies, we have all had personal experience of nicotine addiction and withdrawal. As a psychologist, I have also counseled many people who have struggled to stop smoking. As an ex-smoker, I understand the difficulties involved, as well as the feelings of failure and frustration experienced every time you try and fail to stop smoking. I understand how stressed you feel when you read about the health hazards of smoking, the feelings of irritation when other people point them out to you – as well as the feelings of guilt around endangering the lives of your loved ones who are exposed to your second hand smoke.

Considering the huge cost that smoking imposes on our own lives, those of our children and the economy of the country, it is surprising that there is not more support for smokers who want to give up. Nicotine withdrawal is no joke and cigarettes can be more difficult to give up than many other dangerous drugs.

To help you, Native Remedies has worked together with experts in the field to provide help in the form of specially formulated natural remedies combined with a free step-by-step program to support and guide you through the process of nicotine withdrawal.

Natural Remedies Can Help

Natural remedies can help to prevent depression associated with nicotine withdrawal, reduce nicotine craving and soothe the restlessness, irritability and volatile moods often felt by people trying to quit smoking.

Unlike some nicotine withdrawal programs, the Native Remedies Stop Smoking Ultra Pack does not include nicotine substitutes like nicotine gums, sprays, patches, etc. Apart from the fact that nicotine is the ‘enemy’, using nicotine substitutes may help with craving in the short term, but can also lead to relapse in the long term. Our aim is to keep you nicotine free and we want you to start out that way!

Other programs advocate the use of synthetic anti-depressant drugs or even tranquillizers to help control the depression, anxiety and mood swings that can send you right back to the cigarettes. While this approach does have some merit, it is also true that there are very effective natural substitutes for the synthetic antidepressants and tranquillizers – which can offer the same benefits without the side effects and potential for addiction. After all – you are fighting one addiction and do not want to replace it with another!

With this in mind, Native Remedies has formulated three natural remedies to help address all the major problems associated with nicotine withdrawal. Although they are all excellent stand alone products, Rx-Hale tablets, Crave-Rx Drops and Triple Complex NicoTonic tissue salts are designed to work together and are recommended for use as part of a holistic treatment program.

1. Rx-Hale Tablets are specially formulated to prepare your body to stop smoking and are begun one month before you want to stop. They contain a unique combination of herbs which are well known for their anti-depressant and calming effect and include chromium to help prevent the tendency to overeat as a substitute for cigarettes. Taken during the month before you stop smoking and continued for a few months until the worst is over, Rx-Hale Tablets ensure that your efforts to stop smoking are not foiled by depression, mood swings and sugar cravings. Taking the tablets every day during the 30 days before you stop also prepares you psychologically for nicotine withdrawal and ensures that you begin the process feeling strong and ready to face the challenges ahead of you!

2. Crave-Rx Drops contain a unique combination of selected herbal ingredients to assist with the management of nicotine craving, possibly due to their balancing effect on brain chemicals known to be associated with addiction. Containing herbs which have been clinically proven to reduce the craving for nicotine, Crave-Rx Drops also contain herbs which will help to prevent the sugar cravings and compensatory overeating which often cause people to go back to cigarettes due to unwanted weight gain. Taken in a little water or juice three to four times a day, Crave-Rx Drops act quickly to reduce nicotine craving and keep you calm.

3. Triple Complex NicoTonic is a complex biochemic tissue salt formulation to assist with the ‘short fuse’ syndrome so frequently associated with nicotine withdrawal. Triple Complex NicoTonic helps to prevent irritability, temper outbursts and restlessness and ensures a calmer and more successful path to a cigarette free life! It does this by promoting the bio-availability of nutrients, hormones and bio-chemicals that are usually depleted by the stress of nicotine and drug withdrawal. Presented in convenient sucking tablets which are dissolved under the tongue when needed, Triple Complex NicoTonic can be taken as many times per day as necessary.

STEP ONE: (Four Weeks)

Preparation is important!! Follow these steps. During this first four weeks you can continue to smoke.

1. Determine your Quit Date! You must set a Quit Date no less than one month away. This gives you four weeks to prepare for beginning nicotine withdrawal.
2. Start using Rx-Hale Tablets one month before your Quit Date to prevent depression and anxiety and to stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent weight gain. Remember to use them every day as directed! Every time you take a dose, remind yourself that you are on the road to recovery from nicotine addiction!
3. Make a list of all the reasons why you want to stop smoking and read this list every day. Glue it to the door of your fridge, your computer monitor and the mirror in the bathroom.
4. Tell at least 10 people that you are going to stop smoking on your Quit Date.
5. Identify times and places which you associate with cigarettes e.g. after a meal, first thing in the morning, when you are driving, watching TV, etc. During the first four weeks, DO NOT smoke during these times and at these places – although you can smoke elsewhere. If you smoke in front of the TV, get up and smoke in the kitchen. If you smoke in bed when you wake up, get out of bed and smoke after you have dressed. If you smoke after a meal, wait for 30 minutes and do something else in the meanwhile. If you light up as soon as you get into the car, rather smoke before and after your journey. If you smoke while speaking on the telephone, hang up if you need to have a cigarette. This helps you to break the ‘habit smoking’ while still allowing you to smoke.
6. Start an exercise program and/or start a new hobby. Regular exercise helps tremendously to improve mood and motivation levels and also gets you feeling healthy and more confident. People who exercise regularly have a running start over those who don’t when it comes to beating the smoking habit! It doesn’t matter what you do – just do it every day for at least 30 minutes. Take up an interesting hobby, preferably one that you can do with your hands – but any hobby will do. Be prepared to invest money in exercise and a new hobby – you will have some to spare because you are not smoking!

STEP TWO: (Four Weeks) Quit Date arrives! NO MORE SMOKING!

1. Throw away, trash or burn all cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters and anything associated with smoking!
2. Remind everyone that you have now officially stopped smoking.
3. Continue using Rx-Hale Tablets and being taking Crave-Rx Drops three to six times daily to reduce nicotine craving, control appetite and prevent the weight gain often associated with quitting.
4. If you experience mood swings or a ‘short fuse syndrome’, suck Triple Complex NicoTonic Tablets whenever needed to reduce restlessness, bad mood and agitation.
5. Ask a friend or family member to be your ‘buddy’ during the next few weeks, preferably one who has also stopped smoking. He or she needs to be ‘on call’ for emergency phone calls, walks, talks and visits for those moments when craving becomes just too tough to manage alone. If possible, email or phone this buddy every night before you go to bed. Just a short message to say ‘I made it today’ does wonders and holds you accountable to someone else besides yourself. If you are tempted to smoke, read the list you have made of reasons why you want to stop and promise yourself you will not have a cigarette before first speaking to your buddy.
6. Continue with your exercise program and hobby.
7. Instead of smoking, chew on raw vegetables like carrots or chew sugarless chewing gum. If your fingers are itching to hold a cigarette, play with a pencil, some ‘worry beads’ or a cool smooth stone.
8. Take one day at a time! This is important. Every morning tell yourself that your goal for the day is to complete it without cigarettes.
9. Reward yourself at the end of this month with a gift equal in value to the money that you would have spent on cigarettes.
. Go out and celebrate with your ‘buddy’, friends and family. Making four weeks without cigarettes is a BIG DEAL and means that you have beaten the physical addiction to nicotine.

STEP THREE: Now that you are a Non-Smoker, maintenance is essential!! Physical addiction to most substances is ‘cured’ after 3 or 4 weeks. Now you have to overcome the psychological addiction!

1. Continue with Rx-Hale Tablets and Crave Rx Drops for at least 6 months. If you feel restless or irritable, suck a Triple Complex NicoTonic Tablet to calm yourself.
2. Don’t let your exercise program slip.
3. Be on guard all the time – ‘only’ one cigarette is one cigarette too many for any Quitter! If anyone offers you a cigarette, say ‘No thanks – I don’t smoke!’ and mean it!
4. Reward yourself at the end of every month. Celebrate your Quitting Anniversary every month.
5. Whenever you feel stressed or tense, practice deep breathing exercises or listen to some soothing music.
6. Realize that the danger is not past. Although the craving for cigarettes becomes weaker and weaker as time goes by, ex-smokers report that the thought of having a cigarette still pops into their minds years after they have stopped. When that happens, visualize a big red STOP sign and say ‘NO’! As a nicotine addict, you can NEVER again have a cigarette. Never give up giving up!

What if I have a cigarette?

Well, what if you don’t?

But seriously, if you do “slip up” and have a cigarette, don’t say, “Oh No, I failed – I’m a smoker again”. Tell yourself “One cigarette doesn’t make a smoker – I am a Non-Smoker, who had ONE cigarette and I am not going to have another one!” Put out the cigarette as soon as you can, forgive yourself (just this once) and move on as a non-smoker.

So, there you have it! You CAN stop smoking. Using Rx-Hale Tablets, Crave-Rx Drops, Triple Complex NicoTonic and the Native Remedies Rx-Hale No-More-Smoking Program you can also enjoy the health and beauty benefits of being NICOTINE FREE!

Keep smiling!

Michele Carelse is a Registered Clinical Psychologist and Licensed Counselor with more than 15 years experience. She runs her own private practice in Cape Town, South Africa.

Depression or a history of attempted suicide in individuals under 40, especially in women, significantly increases the risk for dying from heart disease, according to the results of a nationwide study. The results of this study have been published in the Archives of General Psychiatry November 2011 issue .

“This is the first study looking at depression as a risk factor for heart disease specifically in young people,” said senior author Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, chair of epidemiology at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. “We’re finding that depression is a remarkable risk factor for heart disease in young people. Among women, depression appears to be more important than traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, obesity and diabetes which are not common in young women.”

The researchers analyzed data from 7,641 people between the ages of 17 and 39 who participated in the NHANES-III (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey-III), a nationwide survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics between 1988 and 1994. Deaths were tracked through 2006.

What the Study Found

The study found that women with a history of depression or attempted suicide had triple the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a 14 times higher risk of dying from a heart attack. The corresponding figures for men were 2.4 times higher risk for heart disease and 3 to 5  times higher risk for heart attack.

Much of the previous research into the relationship between depression and heart disease included older individuals, who typically have a larger number of heart disease risk factors as well as associated diseases which may confound the results.

This is the first study to examine the dual factors of depression along with a history of suicide attempts as a marker for future mortality from heart disease. Additionally, unlike most prior studies of depression and heart disease, major depression was examined, which was assessed with a clinical interview based on accepted diagnostic criteria, instead of using questionnaire scores for depression symptoms. The authors suggest that clinical diagnosis may be “a more robust risk indicator.”

The use of antidepressant medication wasn’t included as a risk factor due to the fact that less than six percent of individuals with depression or a history of attempted suicide reported their use, and no cardiovascular-related deaths occurred in that subgroup.

The research team also considered the possibility that depressed individual may have a greater number of lifestyle-related risk factors such as smoking and poor diet. However, they discovered a significant link to heart disease risk coming from depression and suicide attempts, even after statistical corrections for unhealthy lifestyle and  behaviors.

“Direct physiological effects of depression may play a greater role than lifestyle factors in this young population,” the authors reported.

It is thought by the researchers that depression may elevate the risk of heart disease through physiological mechanisms, such as decreased heart rate variability, higher levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and inflammation.

“This is a group that normally should be low risk,” Vaccarino says. “Studying these individuals more intensively could be important for understanding how depression affects the heart.” The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Recognizing Depression

In light of this new research, it becomes even more imperative to recognize and treat depression our our children and young adults. If you or a loved one are suffering from depression, please make an appointment and see your primary care physician or a qualified mental health professional. Treating depression early could literally mean the difference between life and death – now and in the future.

Symptoms of Depression

Depression is characterized by the loss of interest or pleasure in most previously enjoyed activities, as well as a depressed or sad mood felt most of the day, nearly everyday. It can be felt as hopelessness, feeling empty, or tearful. Perspective is also often altered, and the person suffering from depression may view life differently, and seem isolated from the rest of the world – unable to make a connection. Along with this, signs of depression usually include some of the following:

• Weight loss or weight gain
• Sleep disturbances: Difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia) or sleeping too much (hypersomnia)
• Difficulty thinking and concentrating
• Difficulty making decisions
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feeling physically slow, agitated, or restless to the degree that others begin to notice
• Physical complaints such as headaches, joint pains and stomach aches
• Low self-esteem, feeling worthless or excessively guilty
• Low libido or diminished interest in sex
• Suicidal thoughts, or continuous thoughts of death and self-harm

For a formal diagnosis of Clinical Depression to be made, most of these symptoms need to have been present most of the time for at least two weeks.

Tips for Coping With Depression

• Regular exercise! Even if only for 30 min at a time, three days a week, a good workout will increase happiness inducing endorphins while burning the stress hormone cortisol which is associated with depression. If you do not feel motivated, or dislike exercising at first, keep going for long enough and you will definitely begin to see benefits within 3 – 6 weeks.
• Talk it out. Talk to someone you trust, a close friend or a licensed counselor and try and come up with a plan of action. Often it is the first steps to recovery that are the most difficult, so try not to do it alone.
• Eat a healthy diet. A poor diet depletes energy levels and a deficiency in certain nutrients (e.g. iron) can result in fatigue and feelings of depression. Ensure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, and explore serotonin uplifting foods such as oats, turkey, milk, pasta and other carbohydrate-rich foods.
• Set realistic goals and responsibilities. It is important to have a plan of action and to start taking responsibility for the future, but know your limits and set your goals within reason. Small steps taken consistently are better than big steps which cause you to bomb out.
• Prioritize and learn to say no. Avoid unnecessary stress by doing what needs to be done first and learn to look after your own needs. Be careful not to allow others to overload you with their responsibilities.
• Make a conscious effort to stop negative thoughts. Try and change these thoughts into neutral thoughts and do not indulge in pessimism. Remember that this will take time, and may be difficult at first, but it can also be life-changing. Psychotherapy can be very helpful in this regard.
• Take action! While your symptoms of depression may make you feel like crawling into bed or existing in your pajamas and slippers all day, make a decision everyday to get up, get dressed and do something. Simply cleaning your room, going for a scenic drive or doing something creative can be uplifting and help break a bad cycle.
• Turn to nature. One of the best ways to re-energize and uplift your spirit is to get in touch with nature. Go for a walk in the forest, a picnic in the park or a simply sit on the beach and watch a sunset.
• Let others help you. Don’t turn down a helping hand or a comforting hug. When depression hits, you may feel like pushing people away, but this is the time you need love and affection the most. Pets are also a great source of love and comfort!
• Help others. One often feels a loss of purpose when depressed, so regain a positive purpose by helping others. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or help out at an organization that could benefit from your time and skills.
• Make a change. Change is often very invigorating and refreshing. Aim to change your life-style to a healthier one, change your negative attitude towards life, and change your job if you know that your current work makes you miserable. It need not even be a drastic change. Simply re-arranging furniture or giving a touch of paint to a dull room can go a long way to uplifting your mood – better yet, it will keep you busy.
• Read all about it. There are many books which are very helpful in learning how to manage depression. These include books written by experts in the field – as well as books published by ordinary people with a useful or uplifting contribution to share.

Natural Remedies May Also Be Beneficial

MindSoothe is a specially formulated herbal remedy that has been successfully used in the treatment of Depression, Insomnia, OCD, SAD, Panic Disorder, and Anxiety. Being natural, with no artificial preservatives, MindSoothe is safe for adults and children (also see MindSootheJr. for children), is non-addictive and has NO SIDE EFFECTS. It has become the formula of choice by thousands of satisfied customers around the world for treating depression, insomnia, anxiety, ODD and more. MindSoothe is pharmaceutically manufactured to the highest standards and was formulated by a Clinical Psychologist.

This bears repeating: If you or a loved one are suffering from depression, please make an appointment and see your primary care physician or a qualified mental health professional. Treating depression early could literally mean the difference between life and death – now and in the future. Natural remedies are wonderful and effective, but getting the advice of a qualified medical professional should be the first thing you do.

References:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/

Type 2 diabetes is a complex medical condition that results in increased blood sugar from the body’s resistance to insulin. In other words, there is not a depletion of insulin in the body but rather a problem with the insulin being used at the cellular level. This results in an increased amount of blood sugar in the blood stream which significantly damages the eyes, heart, kidneys and brain.

The medical terminology that describes high blood sugar is hyperglycemia. It is estimated that over 15 million people in the United States out of the 17 million who suffer from diabetes experienced Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is also sometimes called non-insulin-dependent diabetes because it changes the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and protein without shutting off the production of insulin.

The resistance to insulin is the major reason that complications occur. This condition can go under diagnose especially when it does not cause extremely high blood sugar and symptoms can be attributed to any other underlying medical condition. Treatment for Type 2 diabetes is also different from Type 1 diabetes because many people are able to control their condition with weight loss, diet, exercise and lifestyle changes.

In the past decade there is that an introduction of new oral medications that can also delay the use of injectable insulin once lifestyle changes are no longer effective. Researchers have found that diabetics who have been experiencing symptoms less than 10 years and you are able to incorporate lifestyle changes can use oral hypoglycemic options for years before requiring insulin a low.

Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. Treatment of this condition should be best addressed by a team of specialists which can include the child, the parents, a nutritionist, and an endocrinologist as well as others who are well-versed in treating youngsters with diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes results when the islet cells which produce insulin in the pancreas completely shut down in the body no longer has insulin available. Insulin is responsible for moving blood sugar into the cells so that energy can be produced. This is the powerhouse of the cellular system and what feeds the body and allows it to work correctly.

Without insulin the sugar builds up in the bloodstream and eventually spills over into the kidneys. The buildup of sugar results in complications which include loss of eyesight, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and nerve damage. Blood sugar will often be higher in individuals who have Type 1 diabetes then individuals who suffer from Type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that approximately 1.5 million people have Type 1 diabetes in the United States today. The exact cause of this condition is not known but many believe that it is the result of an infectious agent or a toxic insult to the immune system. It is not caused by obesity, diet or lack of exercise as what may trigger or Type 2 diabetes.

More frequently the symptoms of juvenile diabetes will occur suddenly and must be addressed as an emergency situation to prevent tragic results. Children will prevent with frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, extreme weakness or fatigue, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, lethargy and drowsiness and a fruity odor to the breath.

New treatment protocols developed in Alberta Canada involve transplantation of islet cells without the use of steroids to prevent rejection. This new technique has resulted in seven out of seven patients who have functioning islet cells without rejection or medications to prevent rejection for over one year!

Diabetes insipidus is another form of diabetes that is not as well publicized and does not involve the metabolism of sugar. Instead it is a metabolic medical condition that involves a large excretion of your and because the kidneys lose their ability to concentrate it and returned fluid to the body. It is caused by a lack of anti-diuretic hormone that controls the ability of the kidney to concentrate urine.

There are actually four different types of diabetes insipidus and almost be treated differently. The most common cause is by a lack of vasopressin, which is produced by the pituitary gland. The goal is to treat the diabetes insipidus to prevent dehydration and then find the reason for the distraction of the pituitary gland so that it can also be addressed.

About half of the time diabetes insipidus is caused by reasons that aren’t known or cannot be identified. The condition is permanent but there are medications which can easily control the symptoms. Individuals will continue to have several restrictions even though medication will help them stay under control. They must make good efforts to prevent dehydration and must always take their medication in order to be able to live a normal lifestyle.

New York City has also begun to oppose the bombardment of noise. Its Department of Environmental Protection has a Quality of Life Hotline. 70% of the calls received concern noise. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has established a Council on the Environment. There is a citywide group (with a somewhat unfortunate acronym) called Friends Against Noisy New York. On April 25th, there were observances of International Noise Awareness Day. The mayor also established Operation Silent Night, a citywide quality of life initiative to combat loud and excessive noise in New York City.

It’s not that the state of New York is less tolerant than the rest of us. It’s that they’ve realized something a lot of communities don’t know yet.

We all know that we’re exposed to more excessive noise today than at any other time in history. Modern life can seem like an ongoing struggle to rise above the din. Home life fills our ears with barking dogs, air conditioning units, televisions, boom boxes and the kitchen vent-a-hood. When we leave the house or office, we yell to be heard over construction projects, car alarms, traffic and other people’s music. The list goes on and on. The US Census Bureau has reported that noise is Americans’ top complaint about their neighborhoods and their main reason for wanting to move.

What New Yorkers have found and the rest of us need to know is that noise pollution is more than just annoying; It can be dangerous. One Rochester police officer explains that when blasting music in neighborhoods goes unchecked, it indicates that respect is not required.

”This type of environment is friendly to other, more serious types of crimes,” he says. That’s why police officers and neighborhood residents have decided to crack down on excessive noise in their community. Police and concerned citizens have been walking the streets together, knocking on the doors of noisy neighbors and warning them about possible fines and legal action.

Noise is not only a health issue for communities, but also for individuals. Research has shown dramatic physiological effects from exposure to excessive noise. In addition to its damage to the ears, Dr. Luther Terry, former U.S. Surgeon General identifies a host of other negative health effects due to noise. A partial list includes cardiovascular constriction, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, more labored breathing, measurable changes in skin resistance and skeletal-muscle tension, digestive system changes, glandular activity that alters the chemical content of blood and urine, vestibular effects, balance sense effect and changes in brain chemistry. It bears repeating that this is just a partial list. Terry details the negative effect of noise on fetal development, as well.

The Surgeon General echoes the voices of many health professionals. Researchers have found that after extended exposure to high noise such as aircraft flyovers or workplace noise, blood pressure rises as much as 30%. Increasing the negative impact is the fact that blood pressure stays at that elevated level for a significant period after the exposure ends. So if you’re close enough to a landing plane that your blood pressure rises, it stays up and affects your body long after the airplane noise is gone.

You don’t have to live near an airport to be affected by traffic. Even noise that we might consider moderate has its effect. A German study found that those living on busy streets were 20% more likely to have a heart attack than those living on a quiet one.

Studies have also linked learning problems to noise. It affects the ability of children to learn to speak, to read, and to acquire knowledge in schools. These effects have been documented near airports, train tracks and major roadways. The inability to hear and understand all that a teacher is saying can translate to poor grades and could even lead to a higher dropout rate in schools.

Moreover, noise pollution has impact on the behavior of both children and adults. One study looked at how passers-by responded to a person in need in the presence of noise. While a noisy lawn mower roared nearby, a woman with a broken arm dropped some books and tried to pick them up. No one stopped to help her. When the lawnmower was turned off and the scene repeated, several people stopped to help her retrieve her books.

With all that being said, it’s no wonder that Americans have more problems with sleeping, concentrating and dealing with stress in our noise-polluted environment. Fortunately, there is more to sound than the negative effects of noise. The opposite of noise is music. The ability of music to repair and encourage health and harmony is as powerful as noise’s ability to destroy them. So powerful, in fact, that there is an entire field called music therapy.

The full benefits of music therapy are still being studied, but we know of quite a few already. Studies in mental health, for example, have shown that music therapy is effective in relieving anxiety and stress, promoting relaxation and treating depression. Music therapy allows people with emotional problems to explore feelings, make positive changes in mood, practice problem solving, and resolve conflicts. It has been used successfully by mental health institutions during group therapy sessions.

The healing effects of music therapy are not limited to mental health. They have been observed in hospitalized patients with burns, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As a complement to rehabilitation care, music therapy seems to strengthen communication and physical coordination skills, as it improves the physical and mental functioning of those with neurological disabilities or developmental disorders. Those with learning, speech and hearing problems may also find music therapy helpful.

Music therapy reduces the need for medication during childbirth and complements the use of anesthesia during surgery and dental work, especially when children undergo medical and surgical procedures. It is useful in newborn care of premature infants. Aside from these acute situations, music therapy helps ease chronic pain.

Music therapy can also improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients and enhance the well-being of the elderly, including those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It has been used to complement the treatment of AIDS, stroke, Parkinson’s and cancer. At the same time, music therapy is useful in the support of the families and caregivers of such patients.

Most of the reviews published on the subject have been published by the American Music Therapy Association. The broad applications of this tool warrant more formal reviews. We still don’t know just how many conditions could be helped by music therapy. Still, changes are that you could enhance your mental and physical health with music therapy.

If you consult a music therapist for a particular condition, the therapist will first talk to you about your symptoms and needs. In addition, the therapist will assess your emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities and cognitive skills. Using this information, your therapist will design an appropriate treatment plan that would probably include playing and listening to music, analyzing lyrics, composing songs, improvising and/or using rhythmic movement.

During your regular sessions, the therapist may participate in these activities with you or simply guide you. You may also be encouraged to talk about the images or feelings that are evoked by the music. You and your therapist will select the music used for your therapy according to your needs and tastes. You can choose any kind of music, from classical or new age to jazz or rock. You do not need previous musical experience nor any musical ability to benefit from music therapy.

Some music therapy is conducted in a group setting. You might perform music with others who have the same condition as you, or you may just interact and relax with others as music plays in the background. If you are in the hospital for surgery or to give birth, your music therapy might simply entail listening to your favorite songs to help you relax and reduce pain.

As you may have guessed by now, the presence of a professional is not always required in music therapy, though you may need help in getting started. Westerners are only beginning to use music as medicine, though it has long been used successfully in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. To encourage you to create your own music therapy sessions, I will share with you the basics of my own brand of music therapy. Take what you like and leave the rest.

When I practice music therapy, especially for relaxation, the first thing I do is to find a calming environment, where I won’t be disturbed or interrupted. Next, I light incense or a scented candle, as I find that aromatherapy helps to calm my body.

Next, I choose the music, which becomes easier the more you learn about your body’s response to different kinds of music. I then sit on the floor, in an upright position with my legs crossed. I breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling very slowly through my nose.

As the music plays, I listen intently to the instruments as if the players were right there in the room playing to me. Often I position myself directly in front of the speaker, so I can feel the vibrations as well as hear the music being played. Some people use headphones. This is fine, but I recommend you feel the sound coming into your body, and not just into your head.

Visualize the sound waves coming from the speakers and going through you. Not only should you position yourself physically to catch the sound energy in your body, but you should also focus your mind. Focus on where you want the healing vibrations to go. Listen as you visualize the sound waves beaming through your body and replenishing your cells, tissues, and internal organs.

As you practice music therapy you will develop the method that works best for you. Once you know how your body responds to certain instruments, timbres, and musical styles, you can design sessions in the sequence you find most beneficial to you.

Ideally, you practice music therapy for at least 30 minutes to an hour per day, although even a 20-minute daily session would yield positive results. It can take 10 minutes just for your mind to unwind, so I recommend 30-40 minute sessions.

Those are the basics. As you can gather from all of the above, music therapy can be as involved or as simple as the situation warrants. The main thing is just to get started. In this world of noise pollution, practicing music therapy may well be the way to start your own peaceful revolution!

References:

American Academy of Audiology (Consumer guides)

World Council on Hearing Health (In the news)

Friends Against Noisy New York (2005 Newsletter) National Campaign for Hearing Health

About the author

Sam Pasco is founder and director of http://www.InnerHealingMusic.com. He is also a Practitioner of music therapy, as well as a Composer and Performer who has performed at some of the largest health and wellness expos in the US. He frequently leads workshops on the vast benefits of music as therapy.

People who experience bulimia feel a need for perfection and also have a distorted body image and view of reality. They frequently obsess over exercise and have rigid diet regimes from which they will binge at least twice a week and then subsequently purge with a combination of self-induced vomiting, laxatives or excessive exercising.

People who suffer from bulimia often go unrecognized because they hold near normal weight and dont become intensely thin. However, the effect of the induced vomiting and laxatives causes a malnourished state that has many long term effects of bulimia.

Some of the side effects of bulimia nervosa are fatigue, muscle weakness, fainting, dizziness and missed periods for women. These side effects are caused from the malnourished state of the persons body and lack of vitamins and minerals, most notably iron which causes anemia.

Because the blood of the sufferer doesnt have enough iron there are also pulmonary and long term cardiovascular issues as well.

Another of the side effects of bulimia nervosa is a depressed immune system. The bodys immune system is bolstered by good nutrition high in vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins B and zinc. When the sufferer continues to purge the nutrition they take in they also lose the vitamins and minerals that are so important to a strong immune system. This loss sets them up to be more susceptible to frequent illnesses such as viral colds and flu and to be in general poor health.

Side effects of bulimia nervosa are also related to the physical acts that people do to prevent weight gain such as self-induced vomiting and the use of laxatives. When a person vomits the large amounts of food they just consumed they bring up gastric acid as well. This acid eats away at the tooth enamel and destroys the teeth of the sufferer. They also risk esophageal tears from persistent vomiting.

The use of laxatives leads to dehydration, heart arrhythmias, muscle weakness and gastrointestinal distress.

Some of the more long term effects of bulimia can have life long consequences and even be life threatening. The condition of anorexia has been made most famous through television and the media attention to models and television actresses who suffer from this condition. But there are life threatening issues that happen with some of the more long term effects of bulimia.

Women are more likely to lose their menstrual periods and become infertile. Some research has shown that with recovery they will regain fertility but other research shows that even after a complete recovery people continue to suffer from some of the side effects of bulimia nervosa for a life time. Years of abusing the body through malnutrition and purging habits takes its toll on the body.

Some of these long term effects of bulimia nervosa include but are not limited to:

• Hormonal changes to the body that affect the menstrual periods of women
• Unbalanced thyroid and growth hormone that may result in a retarded growth of a teen
• Heart disease which includes lethal heart arrhythmias
• High cholesterol
• Low blood pressure which affects the health of other organs such as kidneys resulting in kidney failure
• Starvation of the muscles including the heart muscle
• Restricted blood flow through the body
• Electrolyte imbalances such as potassium that results in irregular heart rate, fatigue, weakness
• Loss of bone causing osteoporosis
• Organ failure

Both the physical side effects and long term effects of bulimia nervosa are serious and shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is a disease process that shouldn’t be ignored just because the sufferer appears to be of normal weight. This is a deceiving predicament since although the person may be carrying a near normal weight they also have a body starving from lack of nutrition.

Mom, Please Help! 

From Karen Phillips:

When my daughter nearly died in hospital from Anorexia-Bulimia I was absolutely determined to find a cure for this dreadful disease. Now a few years later she is completely healthy – physically and emotionally, and I am very proud of her and myself for what we’ve achieved.

Even a doctor was surprised by the effectiveness of the treatment I discovered and now she recommends this treatment to her anorexia- bulimia sufferers. I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you. Please learn more about ‘Mom Help Me Please!’ today and start you or your child on the road to recovery from this terrible disease. ~ Karen Phillips

And there are also emotional and psychological side effects of bulimia that result from lifestyle of binging and purging. Many feel social isolated from leading an embarrassing secret life of pigging out and then purging with vomiting or laxatives. They are fearful of being found out, anxious, lonely, suffer from low-self-esteem and feelings of guilt, self-disgust and hopelessness over their situation over which they find no escape.

If you suspect that you or someone you love has a problem with bulimia you should seek the advice and counsel of a physician or counselor trained in dealing with eating disorders. There is help for this disorder and there is recovery when addressed with the help of a professional trained in the different methods of helping bulimics with their individual problems.

MindSoothe is a specially formulated herbal remedy that has been successfully used in the treatment of Depression, Insomnia, OCD, SAD, Panic Disorder, and Anxiety. Being natural, with no artificial preservatives, MindSoothe is safe for adults and children (also see MindSootheJr. for children), is non-addictive and has NO SIDE EFFECTS.

It has become the formula of choice by thousands of satisfied customers around the world for treating depression, insomnia, anxiety, ODD and more. MindSoothe is pharmaceutically manufactured to the highest standards and was formulated by a Clinical Psychologist.

Some of the repair procedures that dentists can use are crowns, tooth colored fillings, bridges, dentures and full mouth reconstruction. These procedures are time consuming, expensive and often dont last a lifetime. This means youll need further work as you grow older.

Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease that children suffer in the United States. Because of the importance of identifying poor oral health early it is recommended that all children have their first dental visit by the time they are one year old.

Preventative care of dental caries is important in younger children because this is when good habits are formed. Children who are taught when they are young how to do preventative care of dental caries are more likely to continue to care for their teeth as young adults. This decreases their risk of cavities, gum disease and poor nutrition.

Children with special health care needs are more likely to receive appropriate preventative dental visits because they are already in the health care system. Other children, who are from low income families and those from Hispanic families seem to have the lowest rates of preventative dental care.

Preventative care of dental caries begins with good tooth brushing techniques and flossing every night. Children can be taught proper techniques by using songs and modeling. They can also be taught how to floss using a floss holder that makes placing the floss string between the teeth properly. Children should be taught to floss daily at night. Flossing at night should be done after all eating is finished and children should be encouraged not to eat after they are finished flossing and brushing.

Preventative care of dental caries also includes good nutrition that will support the immune system. The bodys immune system should be strong to fight the bacterial infections that cause plaque build up. The plaque build up will cause tooth decay and gum disease that can lead to loss of teeth. Good nutrition and the proper amount of calcium will support the bones that hold the teeth in place and the vascular system that supports the gums.