Category Archives: Natural Health

Are These Diet Myths Keeping you Fat?

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

When it comes to the subject of slimming down, there are many things that you’ve been told over the years that might seem to work, but when checked out more seriously, turn out to be another mistake that is preventing you from losing pounds and inches.

Here are the first 6:.

Myth 1: You should count calories to lose pounds.

Our forefathers never considered calories. They didn’t even find out what a calorie was. But still, somehow, very few people were so heavy before food was mass produced in the early years of the 20th century. Research studies show that 95.4 per-cent of the time, considering only calories does not fend off weight during the long term. Counting calories is like madly scrambling through a minefield. In its place, if we eat healthful, natural foods and stop stressing over calories, our bodies will normally settle at a healthy weight.

Myth 2: We can eat anything at all in moderation.
For years we’ve been assured that it’s not what we eat that matters, it’s how much. This standard advice is doing nothing but keeping us heavy. In actuality, it is the quality of the food that counts, not the amount. Eat a lot of higher- quality foodand you will unconsciously stay clear of eating too much and give your body with health and nutrition that reprograms the body to behave more like a naturally thin person.Quality foods mean foods that are unrefined, low in sugar, with healthy oils which include coconut and olive oil.

Myth 3: All calories are created equal.
Some foods won’t satisfy, even if they’re loaded with calories. You want calories but you also need nutrients. Eat foods that are fulfilling, low in calories, and high in nutrients, including salads, because they will be more satisfying than the same quantity of calories from junk foods. Taking a multivitamin is able to also help. In Canadian examinations issued in the British Journal of Nutrition, those individuals who used multivitamins during a diet and exercise program were much less hungry and shed more weight.

Myth 4: Sexual activity burns many calories.
The typical session of sexual relations consumes a modest 21 calories according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. So it’s best not to consider a bedroom romp as a replacement for physical exercise.

Myth 5: You melt as many calories walking a mile as you do running a distance.
At first, this appears to be logical since it requires much longer to walk a mile than it does to run it. So the calories burned should be equal, correct? Only they’re not. A study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise indicated that women lost an average of ninety one calories running a mile. Walking burned only forty three.

Myth 6: Bariatric surgery reduces subjects down to their ideal body weight.
The surgical procedure truly does make individuals less hungry and contemplate food less, but that doesn’t mean all the extra weight will vanish. Most people reduce between FIFTY and 65 percent of their extra fat after gastric band, gastric bypass, or similar procedures. For example, where a 100-pound reduction would be optimal, the actual long-term decrease is more typically to range between FIFTY and 65 pounds, depending upon the type of surgery.

Keeping up a healthy weight will help you root causes of the chronic diseases of aging.

Glutathione & Why We Need It

By | | , , , , , ,
Leave a comment

Glutathione is an antioxidant that is produced by our body. It is frequently described as a small tripeptide molecule, but I’m not certain that information is very useful to many people, although it certainly sounds very official. For most people, I find that what is more useful information is to talk more about; antioxidants, what is unique about glutathione and why you need it.

Antioxidants are molecules that can neutralize other damaged molecules called free radicals. Unlike a stable molecule which includes an even number of electrons, free radicals – for one reason or another- have lost an electron and therefore have an odd number. To re-establish a normal, stable state, a free radical will “steal” an electron from another molecule. This sets up a chain reaction which will eventually damage the cell made up of these unstable molecules. Free radicals are created by forces that are both natural and manmade and which occur both within and outside of the body.

An example of free radical creation within the body from a natural force would be that free radicals are a by-product of our energy production or metabolism. Think of your body burning energy to fuel your cells like a fireplace. What accumulate at the bottom of the fire place are ashes. Free radicals are similarly a by-product of your body’s fire and like the ashes in a fireplace, need to be cleaned out in order for the fire to continue to burn efficiently. To continue the analogy, imagine how the fire progressively becomes smothered by the buildup of ashes until it eventually dies. The same thing happens to the cells in an organ, which eventually can affect the operation of the organ and in time the rest of your body. This is actually a very simplified look at aging.

Back to antioxidants. Antioxidant molecules are structurally able to donate an electron to a free radical without themselves either becoming free radicals or instead becoming free radicals that lack the ability to capture electrons from other molecules. That they accomplish by donating electrons to a free radical is that they stop the chain and the damage it causes.

Most of the antioxidants in your body are specialized and some of the best known antioxidants are Vitamins C and E, Coenzyme Q10, Alpha Lipoic Acid and finally glutathione.

Glutathione is an antioxidant that your body makes. It isn’t possible to ingest it- like we do with Vitamin C. What’s unique about glutathione is that it is found in every cell of your body and is uniquely capable of dealing with every kind of free radical (and there are many different kinds)

Many of the people suffering from what are referred to as the chronic diseases of aging – like heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease to name a few are also found to have low levels of glutathione. Very low levels of glutathione have also been found in children suffering from autism.

When we are young, our bodies produce lots of glutathione but as we age (in fact as we leave our twenties) our natural ability to manufacture this vital antioxidant falls by about 10% every decade. With less glutathione in our systems, free radical damage builds up, more cells and then organs are harmed and our bodies age. Many say that we age prematurely.

So, the reason to get more glutathione into your system is to help avoid or at least hold off, those conditions that come about as our organs function less efficiently and hold off the side effects that come with that – like the pain from chronically inflamed joints or a lack of mental focus, clarity, fatigue and poor sleep that happen with aging.

Glutathione can be administered intravenously, although it is a very inconvenient and expensive process. Glutathione cannot be taken as an oral supplement because its components (in particular and enzyme called Cysteine) are easily destroyed by the gastric juices in your digestive system. What can be done it to supplement with products called glutathione precursors. MaxGXL, MaxONE & Cellgevity are all glutathione precursors, which mean that they are nutritional supplements that boost your body’s supplies of the building blocks it uses to make glutathione. These products have all been proven to increase glutathione levels by over 300% in a few months.

About Hypoglycemia – Low Blood Sugar

By | | , , , ,
Leave a comment

Low blood sugar is “the great mimicker.” That’s because it can copy almost any other condition inside our disease experience. For example, it can look like a heart attack, panic attack, migraine or MS. It can look similar to Lupus, depression, indigestion or tinnitus/Meniere’s disease. Low blood sugar might appear like practically anything and can affect nearly any organ system, but it most usually shows up in symptoms associated with the brain and liver.

Hypoglycemia sets off the famous “fight-or-flight” crisis response. During fight-or-flight, your body turns off non-crisis systems and pours stress hormones to your bloodstream. Any sugar still in your liver is used as fuel (glucose) and this rapidly brings your glucose levels back to normal. (If your liver is depleted and cannot deliver the sugar, your body will strip it from your muscles and kill the muscle cells.) Once your sugar levels return to normal, the fight-or-flight stress response stops and normalcy at some point returns.

Hypoglycemia is not a disease in itself; it is more of a reaction to the 4 problems of all imbalances (toxins, trauma, deficiency and stress). Hypoglycemia is a major trigger for distressing symptoms. Find the cause and low blood sugar can typically be resolved.

Numerous supplements can help, especially those that focus on filling nutritional deficiencies, removing toxins, easing psychological distress and repairing tissue hurt by injury.

There are 4 triggers that create illness: trauma (injury), toxins, nutrient deficiency and stress. Other deficiencies can bring about Hypoglycemia as well. For example, dehydration, too little sleep and nutrient deficiency can generate an imbalance in blood sugar metabolic processes. Given that individuals low in Vitamin D speedily become hypoglycemic, and since Vitamin D is associated with healthy sun exposure, a lack of sunlight can cause hypoglycemia.

Poisons such as heavy metals can lead to hypoglycemia and so can allergies- which can be frequently be confused with low blood sugar.

Even traumas can produce hypoglycemia as a body prompts inflammation in the repair process. Slight injuries brought about by an exercise free lifestyle cause continual blood sugar swings. Exercise – specifically in morning or evening sunlight – can activate Vitamin D and normalize our blood sugar.

There are so many factors that are important to our health and so many ways that we can try to get ourselves healthier. Working out in the early morning or late afternoon sunshine and making exercising a part of our daily life is important. We need to strive for a better diet too, with sufficient nutrition and a healthy consumption of antioxidant rich foods and nutrients to encourage our own production of antioxidants like CoQ10 and glutathione.

Go Green – Recycle your Fat

By | | , , , , ,
Leave a comment

As I write this the wintertime has Ontario in an icy grip. The greenhouse is frosted around the corners and the holidays are just around the corner. working out this morning the gym was quiet but by January the place will be packed. I’m not worried about that though, because within a few weeks most of the new people will vanish again.
I question, how many of the people who quit way too fast will blame it on a shortage of energy, which is pretty dumb considering the best way to boost your energy is to workout. That’s not just me speaking either. Its the truth.

Our bodies produce energy from the fuel we provide – usually fats, sugars and proteins . First we burn the sugar. Next we burn the protein and finally when the other fuel sources are gone we get around to burning the fat. ( While I think of it, product called ASEA will help you burn fat first- check out the research here), protein lasts a little longer and the longest burning fuel is healthful fat. It melts away slowly, which must be why it’s so darned challenging to lose, but when we workout, the fats in our body along with vitamin D, recycle.

Hard exercise activates your vitamin D which in turn prompts the hormone insulin, which activates your metabolism and then the Vitamin D recycles fat from your bloodstream to feed that furnace that was activated by exercise originally and provides further fuel for more activity.

Its a method that is put into motion when you make that first step to get moving. The more work you do, the more exercise you’ll be ready to do (and want to do) and dare I add, the more energetic you’ll feel?

Naturally, you’ll also have some fat that won’t be burned and it will be recycled within your body in a number of different ways, so its a fantastic idea to only consume the healthy forms of fats. Your brain cells for example are mainly created of fat and so are hormones. With healthy fats in your diet, your brain will be built of healthier fat and your hormones will be better balanced. The same goes for cholesterol- good fats produce healthier cholesterol- bad fats don’t.

We all name fat as the enemy and sure- some types of fats are very harmful. But, we’re really our own worst enemy when we cosy up too much to the couch, our remote controls and our preferred excuses.

If you’re over 30 and feel that your energy levels are below what they should be, you might get a bit of a boost by increasing your glutathione with a glutathione precursor. Click here for information about MAXGXL – a glutathione precursor supplement.

I Wonder How We Got So Heavy

By | | , , , ,
8 Comments

Overweight and obesity is growing at an alarming rate all over the planet, especially in developed countries such as the United States. In October 2002, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that thirty one percent of US adults were considered obese in the year 2000 compared to only 14.4% in 1980. And while re’re on the subject, in 2000 it was reported that around 15 percent of children and teens were overweight in 2000 – 3 times worse that what was reported in 1980.

So, What’s the Difference between Overweight and Obese

The most frequently used definition for the difference between being overweight or obese may perhaps not make very much sense to the majority of folks. Obesity is having a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30. Overweight is having a BMI of 25–29.9. So, what is BMI exactly?

BMI is a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. It is worked out by dividing body weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. (Yes, something I’m sure we do every day) Let’s try this to make it a little easier, go to this online BMI calculator:

In 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General warned that the weight we are carrying aound might soon kill more US residents than smoking. Understand this: With all of the breakthroughs we have made in hygiene, nutrition and controlling diseases, our generation is the first in the history of the USA to have a lesser life expectancy than their parents. We are murdering ourselves and our kids with the habits that have made us so fat.

What’s caused this fat trend?

What has led to such significant and extensive increases in obesity?
Experts say that rising rates of obesity among children and adults may be attributed to a mix of these things:

    Viewing Television
    Sitting at a computer
    Driving long distances (for example, commuting)
    Working long hours at sedentary jobs
    Conveniences which lower physical activity (think “drive-through” coffee shops)
    Lack of usable playgrounds for youngsters
    Elevated consumption of pop and other “market place-driven” factors that promote overeating, like:
    Larger portion sizes in restaurants
    Increased sizes of individual food items (such as soft drinks, candy bars, bagels)
    Too Many vending machines
    Increased number of junk food choices
    Pervasive promoting of high-calorie foods
    Marketing approaches that encourage ordering bigger serving sizes
    Emotional overeating, prompted by increased stress
    Yo-Yo dieting
    Greater acceptance of obesity in specific ethnic groups

Although many complex cultural and lifestyle factors lead to the weight problems trend, in most situations, the calculation is fundamental:

Too much food + too little exercise = Too Much Weight

The obesity epidemic is just one of the many health problems we face with aging, but unlike many other problems you might face in your life, this one is entirely within your control.

Do Something!

Beautiful Skin is More than Skin Deep

By | | , , , ,
11 Comments

The health of our skin can show us a lot about the wellness of our complete body. We need to understand how to examine the message and how to pay attention, because lovely skin is a good indicator of healthy amounts of essential nutrients.

For instance, skin hydration depends on glucosamine just as joint hydration does. So, dried up skin most likely means dried joints. Skin that is simply damaged indicates fast aging, which probably signifies fast aging of our circulatory system. Additionally, skin that is easily burned from the sun may point out that our essential fatty acid (EFA) and antioxidant reserves are low which means other tissues that rely on antioxidants and EFA for safety may also be at risk. You can improve your low antioxidant reserves and specificallyincrease your glutathione with MAXGXL

Skin has a foundation of healthy fats. Many of the topical emollients we put on our skin are some kind of fat. Having said that, we don’t actually absorb fats very efficiently through our skin. The very best way to create a healthy foundation for your skin is to supplement with essential fatty acids. Vitamin D from fish oil and Vitamin E, one of the principal fat soluble network antioxidants are excellent choices to start.

Sunlight and Vitamin D

The increasing occurrence of diabetes, osteoporosis and certain cancers could be explained partly through a lack of Vitamin D. A boost in insomnia and seasonal depression tells us that we are not getting adequate early morning sun.

We require more daylight. Now, how will we make it safe?

Acknowledge the requirement for sun and the need for caution. Plan your sun time so that you maximize the benefits while minimizing the dangers. For example, get your sunlight early in the day. Early morning sunlight does not have the excessive ultra-violet intensity that noon sun has. So, take a 20-minute walk in the early part of the day with your skin uncovered to sunlight. This will give you the benefits without the risks of over-exposure.

Or, take a twenty-minute walk late in the day with your skin exposed to sunlight. There are less UV rays in the evening than at noon, though more than in the morning. This will have a less pronounced effect but will nevertheless supply many of the same advantages.

Don’t expose your skin to midday sun for extended periods of time. Wear clothes that protect most of your skin and include a sun hat that offers shade for your face and ears.

Selected nutrients are helpful to protect against sun damage:

    Essential fatty acids work with Vitamin D in the dermis to protect against unsafe radiation.
    Vitamin C neutralizes the problem of oxidative stress.
    Antioxidants, such as those found in berries and superfruits used to make the health drink AIO with AC-11 (from from Uncaria) can help protect against DNA damage from radiation.

Tell me about sunscreen

Sunscreen is a very hot topic, but using it is entirely up to you. Human beings have been living outdoors for thousands of years without serious danger from sun exposure. The boost in skin cancer danger came about as a combination of seriously polluted air, a minimal antioxidant/nutrient diet and the 40-year sunning craze that followed the second world war. We didn’t do that in the past.

More people today die of cancer related to Vitamin D deficiency than of skin cancer caused by sunburn. Again, get some morning and evening sunlight for your health, by no means get a sunburn and keep your skin protected when you are exposed to midday sun. No mad dogs or Englishmen here.

A Spotlight on Vitamin C and Your Health

By | | , , , , , ,
10 Comments

Every person has heard of vitamin C (a.k.a. ascorbic acid (AA) also known as dehydroascorbic DHAA in its oxidized state). In fact, vitamin C is virtually a catch all name for any compounds that exhibit the same biologic activity as AA. It’s importance was originally recognized in 1747 when James Lind observed that men could be cured of scurvy if offered oranges and lemons. It was a lifesaving breakthrough for sailors. The expression “Limey” caught on fairly quickly as a nickname for the sailors in His Majesty’s Royal Navy.

Vitamin C is the most important and readily available water soluable antioxidant within the human body. The fact that it is water soluable means that it can neutralize free radicals before they reach the cellular membrane layer. The relationship between Ascorbic Acid and glutathione– the body’s master antioxidant is unique. Vitamin C reduces glutathione back to its active form. Once reduced, glutathione will revitalize vitamin C from its DHAA or oxidized state. The symbioitic relationship explains why Vitamin C is an ingredient in Cellgevity, available from Whole Earth Health

Vitamin C is vital for the creation of collagen. It is also needed in the development of noropinephrine and serotonin. Ascorbic Acid may possibly also have some anti-clotting and blood flow advancement components by triggering the release within the body of Nitric Oxide, which is the most likely reason that Vitamin C is also a key ingredient in the supplement Pro-Argi9-Plus. (Call 1 866 993 6243 for more info)

Vitamin C is stored in both the tissues and blood in our bodies. The adrenal and pituitary glands, and lens of the eye include the highest concentrations of vitamin C inside of your body. Vitamin C is one of the thirteen essential vitamins. The term “essential” is often confused. An essential vitamin is not necessarily more important than another vitamin, rather it’s one that must come from our food since we are unable to manufacture it within the body.

Heart Disease and the Cholesterol Connection

By | | , , ,
3 Comments

Cholesterol is a wax-like and fatty substance produced in the liver. Cholesterol is observed in selected foods like red meat, saturated and unsaturated fats, oils, butter, cheese etc.

Cholesterol is essential to keep the body working, but too much of the ‘bad’ cholesterol known as LDL can cause more harm than good. The presence of ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body, may lead to formation of plaque in the arteries, preventing free flow of blood to the heart.

The presence of bad cholesterol or LDL (Low density Lipoprotein) increases the risk of heart attack or heart failures due to blockage of arteries. The arteries are blocked due to formation of plaque in the body. The intake of fatty foods; butter, cheese, oils, raises bad cholesterol and is largely responsible for the accumulation of excessive fat in the arteries.

HDL (High density Lipoprotein) cholesterol is also known as the good cholesterol since HDL cholesterol drives away the bad cholesterol. HDL protects you from heart disease. Elevated levels of HDL may be as important for the heart as low levels of LDL since each contributes to a lowered risk of heart disease.

Triglycerides are yet another kind of fat that travels in the bloodstream. High triglyceride levels may be due to hypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease or might occur as a result of large intakes of fats, butter, cheese and alcohol.

The ideal way to reduce bad cholesterol is to do it naturally by opting for compound carbohydrates like barley, oats, lentils, wheat, and dried peas in your diet and staying away from simple and refined carbohydrates like sugar, pastries and sweets.

Consume more soluble fiber like fruits, greens and oats, which will significantly boost HDL or good cholesterol levels. The top foods in this category include almonds, apples, apricots, carrots and cabbages – all of which are rich in fiber.

Keep away from smoking and tobacco. Go for a regular walk for at least 45 minutes every single day. In addition, performing yoga and meditation will have twin advantages of quieting both the body and the mind. If you can do these things your bad cholesterol can be decreased in a natural way.

The best bet towards controlling high cholesterol is change in your life style and eating habits.

You Can Avoid Hardening of the Arteries

By | | , ,
3 Comments

The coronary systemis one of the most important parts of the body and when it is not taken care of properly, several unhealthy conditions can arise like hardening of the arteries. Medically, it’s referred to as arteriosclerosis and often appears along with high blood pressure.

The arteries transport O2 and nutrients from the heart to the other parts of the body. Over time, fat deposits can build up in the arteries and harden which then reduces the supply of blood to the organs. When this is not properly handled, the arteries can be come blocked,or worse, the plaque can break free into the blood stream causing heart attacks or stroke.

There are several factors that are associated with hardening of the arteries which are categorized into modifiable and non-modifiable. The non-modifiable factors are those which you can’t change such as hereditary factors, advancing age, gender (males have a higher risk) and race. The modifiable factors are the ones that you can manage which include cigarette smoking, obesity and lack of exercise, eating a diet that is high in saturated fat, high blood pressure, diabetes and high LDL cholesterol levels.

The indicators and symptoms of hardening of the arteries depend on the location of the affected arteries. If it is happening in the arteries that supply the heart, you might experience chest pain, profuse sweating, shortness of breath and anxiety. Arteries that supply blood to the brain when affected will be manifested through numbness or weakness, paralysis typically in one half of the body, loss of speech, blindness and difficulty when swallowing. For the ones that supply the legs, severe leg pain will develop while you walk but disappear when you stop. Kidney failure and high blood pressure are the signs when the arteries affected supply the kidneys.

As to this date, there is no medically recognized cure for hardening of the arteries but the symptoms can be treated with anti-hypertensives, cholesterol decreasing medicines, diuretics and medications to control the chest pain. To re-open the artery when it is blocked, angioplasty is generally performed.

Even if there are non-modifiable factors for hardening of the arteries, you can do a lot to help decrease your risks. Life style changes are warranted and included smoking cessation, choosing a balanced diet that is low in fat and LDL cholesterol, getting enough exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. Hardening of the arteries is a serious cardio vascular disorder so while you can, you have to prevent it.

Tell Me About the Food ACAI

By | | , , , ,
8 Comments
Bowl of Acai berries

Acai is a Portuguese name for a kind of palm tree that is indigenous to Central and South America. It commonly grows in Brazil and Peru, in swampy areas and floodplains. Scientifically the plant is referred to as Euterpe oleracea. The Portuguese name means a plant that cries or expels water. Currently, acai has become very well-known especially for its fruit; which is small, round and black-purple in color. Acai fruit is used by the indigenous populations in the Brazilian amazon region as food. It is also served as a pulp and a beverage.

Globally, the curiosity in acai has been mainly based on it’s anti-oxidant qualities and of course the use as a weight loss option. The nutritional content of the fruit is composed of proteins, carbohydrates, fat, dietary fiber, nutritional vitamins and low sugar value. In the market, acai is sold as a supporting the immune system of people eating it. It has flavanoids that are responsible for countering conditions such as heart disorders. Extracts of acai are believed to have an effect against peroxyl, peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals. Scientists have shown a link between damage caused by free radicals and chronic sicknesses such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts and Alzheimer’s disease among others.

The dense nutritional value of the fruit is also shown to suppress appetite, hence its use as a weight loss option. Acai increases the libido, reduces inflammation and is believed to boost stamina and energy as well as delay some of the signs of growing old