Wednesday, June 30, 2010

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a psychological condition in which a person finds it hard to control a sudden or continuing swing in mood elevation and depression that can usually be treated through changes in diet and lifestyle, herbal and pharmaceutical medication, or in extreme cases, invasive techniques such as shock therapy.

Not everyone who has bipolar disorder will know it. Sometimes the swings in mood that a person experiences are so gradual that the individual does not notice the wide chasm between the extremes. Often the psychological effects of the moods themselves, or the chemical occurrences in the body can cloud judgment or environmental conditioning allow the person to believe that everything is “normal”.

Some people may experience a light euphoria or may go into full blown mania before going on in the reverse direction resulting in feelings of apathy, or en worst cases, possibly suicidal depression. While changes in mood are normal, rushes towards the extremes, whether chronic and prolonged, or with fast onset and short in duration, should be discussed with your doctor and treated by a trained professional.

While medical attention for bipolar disorder is a must, there are still several things that you can do on your own to make sure your body is best helped in its battle to moderate emotions and physical chemical balances.

Eating right and getting plenty of exercise can often elevate mood without resorting to crashes later on. Cutting out empty calories and processed foods high in simple carbohydrate and sugars can not only keep you feeling your best, but can also help moderate levels of insulin and hormone creation in the body.

Lowering stress by discovering and enjoying a relaxing hobby, or even getting a small pet for companionship are all things that can help to keep us in good spirits.

While the physical symptoms of bipolar disorder can be treated in various ways by your physical doctor, the help of a mental health specialist can help you to develop the skills to better deal with the emotional response that comes with chemical changes in the body, as well as the complications and frustrations that can be placed on a persons lifestyle as a result of their bipolar disorder. Following the advice of both your physical doctor, as well as your therapist of counselor, while doing all you can on your own by changing personal behavior patterns, can help you to manage bipolar disorder a lot better than dealing with it on your own.



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Nutritional Value of The Acai Berry

The Acai Berry is a bi-annual fruit from South America that has been hailed as the best super food alive on the planet today, and a “miracle fruit”, correctly pronounced as “ah-sa-ee” and is in actuality a simple palm fruit of amazing nutritional benefit.

The actual fruit of the Acai palm is similar in size and shape as the blueberry with a purple hue. It is rich in antioxidants and is often used in juices and other drink forms as a health shake. The berries are also great in cooking and can be added to breads, or added as topping on desserts. The Acai berry is extremely tasty and has been even been said to have a hint of chocolate in its flavor.

One of the major benefits of the Acai berry is that it is so rich in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are known for their free radical fighting properties are known to damage cells and reduce the body’s ability to fight off infections and disease. Free radicals are also connected with skin disease, so their elimination is excellent for dermal health.

Acai berry not only helps the body cleanse itself of unwanted toxins and promote healthy immunity, but the wide range of nutrients and vitamins it contains adds to the nutritional value of this wonder food.

Nutrients in Acai berry.

The Acai berry is bursting with amino acids known to regulate efficient metabolic levels and promote weight control, as well as a host of beneficial vitamins such as C, A, and Iron. Fiber, calcium, and potassium, as well as ample amounts of protein is also packed into this button sized berry. The nutritional impact of Acai berry alone can help a person stave off the effects of aging, skin problems, eye and bone deterioration prevention, and help in the fight against anemia.

A heart healthy food with a powerful nutritional and anti toxin punch, the Acai berry has recently been entered into research to determine its effectiveness in the fight against cancer. Now that a lot of good from one little palm berry.

Acai berry is available in some health food stores and from reputable online vendors. It can be found in whole fruit, juice, and even powdered supplement form. Convenient, good tasting, natural, and good for you, Acai berry has no negative side effects and does not carry either the inconvenience or the risks associated with other dietary supplements, being simply a super healthy fruit.



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Soda: The Worst Food Imposter On The Planet

Want to know the solid facts?

1/2 of us will die from heart disease; about a 1/3 from cancer;2/3 of us will die obese; and 1/4 of us will get diabetes. All of this is because of our love of behaviors and products that eventually killed us. I will not argue that genetics plays a part in medical propensities for certain diseases, but nothing in my family history could prepare use for a three Big Mac, 2 milkshakes and a diet soda consumer demand driven society. Many people do not even know that the amount of food, and especially the types of food they eat, could be directly increasing their chances for ailment and actually robbing them of the very nutrients they were thought to be providing. One huge, pseudo food market is the soda pop industry. This liquid is manufactured, canned and bottled for distribution worldwide at a rate of 150mg of high power fructose for every person on Earth daily.

Soda pop is liquid high fructose corn syrup and/or artificial sweetener mixed with water and carbonated soda, allowing for an immediate flood of simple, processed carbohydrates and sugars to overwhelm the bloodstream and insulin processing systems in crashing waves. This can serious erode health and contribute to an imbalance in the body’s ability to handle energy usage and storage management efficiency, leading to diabetic problems or the excess storage of fat. Fat storage of the sugars contained in sodas is quite common as the body cannot possible utilize the amount of sugar rushing into its system during consumption, and thus is instead turned into fat and sent to all of your “unsightly” places. A soda usually contains in excess of 150 empty calories each. People who consume 2 sodas a week will gain ten pounds a year throughout their lifetime if these calories are not burned off. Also exacerbating weight is the fact that the main sugar in soda, fructose, when processed by the liver, is often turned into fat and stored instead of burned off as energy calories. Combined with the fact that fructose also has a tendency to create craving but leave little satisfaction for hunger makes for an equation for weight gain disaster.

Not only does soda’s extra calories and lack of nutrients contribute to higher risk of obesity, these products have also been known to strip the body of much needed calcium, weakening or even causing the wasting away of bone mass. The kamikaze style of entry and processing by the body can further complicate the risk of diabetes or other maladies associated with the body’s resistance to insulin.

Some researchers have even contended that soft drink beverage consumption might even contribute to a person’s risk of contracting certain types of cancers. While the sugars in soft drinks can be avoided with the use of artificial sweeteners, studies have shown them to carry and even higher incident of cancer and other serious ailments that fructose. My suggestion would be to avoid the soda altogether, and make all natural, calorie free, water your main beverage and favorite drink. Your body will thank you for it.



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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Water: The Building Block of Life

Without water there would be no life on planet Earth. There is probably no substance on the face of the planet that is more valuable, contributes more to health, and sadly, is the most under-utilized natural preventive remedy for many of today’s health problems.

With two thirds of the earth’s surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. Water circulates through the land just as it does through the human body, transporting, dissolving, and replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material. Further in the body, it regulates the activities of fluids, tissues, cells, lymph, blood and glandular secretions.

While it is possible to live without food for a little over a month, a few weeks without water and you would be a drying corpse. While we constantly talk about how important good diet and exercise is to our overall health, correctly so, we should be spending more time talking about the benefits of getting adequate amounts of the very building block of life itself, good old H2O.

The average person should be drinking about 8-10 glasses of drinking water a day. Coffee and tea, though they contain water, are actually counterproductive to hydration, as the caffeine content of these drinks can actually be a source of dehydration. Similarly, high sugar drinks such as sodas and Kool-Aid are little help either, as the detrimental effects of high fructose corn sweetener and other simple sugars far outweigh any benefit you get from the actual water content.

Water is a great source of weight control power also. Studies have shown that some people simply over eat because they do not know the difference between being thirsty and hungry, and so they continue to eat when they are in fact simply dehydrated. People who drink high amounts of sweetened drinks and even certain fruit juices are often dehydrated and do not even know it due to the fact that they feel that if they are taking in liquid that this is impossible. Also sweetened drinks that contain fructose do little to curb thirst while dehydrating the body at the same time, creating a vicious circle of continued consumption and dissatisfaction. A few glasses of water and some fruit instead of a six pack and a burger is often much more satisfying, will give you more energy, and healthier for you in the long run.



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Wipe Out Bad Sugar In Order To Wipe Out Bad Health

A regular can of soda contains the same amount of sugar that you would find in 10 teaspoons of table sugar. While sugar is a carbohydrate, and the body needs carbohydrates to function, other types of carbohydrates are available, such as whole grains and many fruits and vegetables. The amount of sugar, especially in the form of glucose, as is found in soft drinks and candy is an extremely unhealthy and high percentage intake compared to what is actually needed on a daily basis for good health. Glucose enters the bloodstream at a very fast rate, and is especially hard for the body to utilize in any efficient fashion. Processed foods, especially bleached or otherwise ‘enriched” breads and pastas produce high amounts of glucose when digested and present the same problem.

Simple carbs are sugars that are formed previous to digestion, and can be found in fruits and vegetables and milk products. While both naturally occurring sugars and processed carbohydrates and sugars are considered simple carbohydrates, the two are not the same. The naturally occurring sugars are accompanied with all of the other nutrients, vitamins, and fiber that the sugar host provides, while processed foods are usually deprived of any nutritional value upon taking their processed form. This state of nutrition-less processing labels these as “bad carbs” and contribute to obesity and other health problem while offering little or no benefits.

Eating processed foods and sugars are not only an easy way to flood the body with an excess supply of simple sugars with no real nutritional benefit, there are also other negative factors that need to be considered when considering the effects of processed foods on the average person’s health.

The chances of becoming obese is increased literally exponential to the amount of sugars consumed and the amount of nutrition value absent due to processing.In pastas and processed breads, the carbohydrates and sugars added significantly increase the chances of tooth decay as they tend to advance damage and change to sugar more rapidly that have complex carbohydrates.Flooding the system with simple sugars at regular intervals can actually result in sugar addiction, making the risk of developing serious health related issues and the inability to control intake often lost without the help of an physician or mental health professional.

In order to protect yourself from the harmful effects of processed carbohydrates and sugars, knowing the other terms and names that these added ingredients go by can be quite helpful. Look for all forms of the word sweetener, as in corn or the words glucose, fructose, and syrups such as malt or maple, any honey, molasses, and even white grape juice (which is almost pure fructose).



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Are you drinking enough milk?

To remain active and healthy, your body needs calcium. Without it you would lose bone mass and weaken, increasing your chances of injury while making it harder for you to maintain the strength needed to exercise. Drinking milk is a great way to get the calcium you need on a daily basis. Drinking milk helps to protect teeth, protect against heart disease, and allow muscle contractions.

Many people have dairy for breakfast, if they eat breakfast. The bad news is that many Americans skip breakfast on a weekly basis at least once, and out of the ones that faithfully get up and eat a healthy meal in the morning, a certain percentage of them either eat the wrong types of foods, or forget to get the other 2/3 of their recommended daily intake of calcium for good bone and muscle health by carrying on the habit during other meals. Dietary guidelines recommend at least 3 servings of calcium rich products each and every day, with dairy products and green leafy vegetables the best sources of natural calcium.

What is at stake?

Osteoporosis affects 1 out of every pair of people on the planet after the age of 50. Lack of calcium in the diet and lack of physical activity can increase your chances of osteoporosis later on in life, but that does not mean that you have time to waste. Bone development in young adults is usually completed by the age of 25, and up to this point, calcium is important to the development of bone tissue and the strengthening of it. after this point calcium is needed to replenish calcium leaving the body and to decrease the amount of bone mass lost as we get older. The first half of life is important to build out defenses, and the second half to preserve them.

Falls become more of a concern for older adults. This is quite reasonable when you consider that a large percentage of older adults who have a fall that results in a broken hip do not live longer than a year after the fact. Getting enough calcium now and in the future can help hedge your chances of not becoming a statistic, and enjoying the ability to remain active and in tip top shape for many years to come.

If a person is lactose intolerant, other foods other than dairy products that are rich in calcium as well. If needed, there are lactose free calcium supplements that can be taken to make up in deficiency.



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Monday, June 28, 2010

Carbohydrates: The Body’s Edible Food Factories

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Protein

, along with carbohydrates and fats, make up the major building blocks in a healthy diet that allow for proper body function. Without any one of these compounds, called macronutrients because the high amounts needed as compared to other nutrient, the body would quickly run into problems and show signs of malnutrition. Carbohydrates supply the blood with much needed sugar fuel, fats provide the body with the ability to gain weight as well as save energy for later use, and s help with muscle production as well as energy production. s are readily found in meats, cheeses and other dairy products as well as certain vegetables. is also an important source of the Amino Acid Phenylalanine which is important to alertness and other brain function. Without an adequate source of in your diet, muscle production would be impossible, and muscle breakdown and atrophy would begin. This is the reason that is so important to bodybuilders and those with muscular dystrophy, as atrophy of the muscles is exacerbated by a lack of , and additional can be utilized for increased muscle mass production.

Most people get enough in a balanced diet for good muscular health, and many get much more than they actually need. In Western culture meat is often considered the main, and largest course in a meal, and while providing the body with much needed , too much meat, especially red meats, can also bring along massive amounts of fat and if prepared in a restaurant, usually plenty of salt to go along with that. The extra fat and salt are retained by the body, and the excess is either stored as fat or exits the body as waste.

The more active a person is the more the body can utilize, and the more muscle can be built. Inactivity causes even the smallest amount of to go to waste or go to the waist. It is either converted to fat and will later be used as energy, or passed from the body. Smaller cuts of meat and the introduction of vegetable, fish, and soybean sources of can be a great way to maintain proper levels without overindulging. The other option is to increase exercise that also brings with it increased benefits in both the present and for the future. rich fish is also high in Omega 3 fatty acids that promote heart health, which can give it a healthy edge over beef or poultry.



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This Is Your Brain On Coffee

As millions people consume caffeinated beverages in ever increasing amounts, the effects of caffeine on the system needs to be better understood. Recent studies have shown that the stimulant in our coffee, teas, and ever more popular by the day, energy drinks is a complex chemical that has a myriad of effects both in the immediate and long term.

Caffeine is a stimulant, and as such, has serious influence over the central nervous system. Mental alertness is found to be sharpened in the short term, with a lowered ability to concentrate and focus present as the effect of the drug wears off, or when caffeine addiction pushed the body into withdrawal in its absence. The duration and power of the stimulant effect is in direct relation to the amount of caffeine ingested. Though considered a mild stimulant, overuse can lead to insomnia, irritability, and even moderate signs of physical addiction. The recent popularity of energy drinks including guarana as a caffeine source has been of particular notice, as the amount in caffeine contained in this South American Fruit is up to 4 times as potent as the coffee bean and 3 times as strong as stout tea. These drinks also contain high levels of simple sugars, especially fructose, which are horrible for health, and should be considered when evaluating them for use.

While the adverse side effects of caffeine addiction can usually be reversed with discontinued use, the mildness of its effects make addiction hard to take seriously by most people, and the will to discontinue its use low. Longer term side effects do not seem to have an overall negative impact on health in general, but the existence of certain health conditions or the taking of particular medications might make the taking of caffeine a more risky endeavor. While usually considered safe in moderation it is always advisable to talk over dietary and medication conflict over with your health care professional. For now, caffeine is seen to increase temporary mental alertness with minimal negative results. Abuse of any drug increases these results, and caffeine is not different in this matter, and should be respected as the stimulant it is. If you have a history of drug abuse, especially stimulants, then drinking coffee can actually help to trigger this addiction, so precaution is to be taken. Minors, pregnant women, and those with sleep sensitivity issues are recommended to choose caffeine free alternatives because of its stimulant properties.



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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Skin Care: 5 Acne Treatment Tips

Many of us have to battle acne on a constant basis. The only thing that seems to be more consistent than the pimples is the barrage of medical remedies that are being pushed on us on a daily basis as a solution to our problem. While some of these products definitely have the benefit of helping to clear up acne, often you can get the same results by doing self treatment. Here are 5 simple solutions that offer healthy benefits to the skin and general health that often have a positive effect on acne removal, reduction, or prevention.

Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Often the source of our acne troubles is a high sugar and fat, low nutrient diet. Skip the Ho Hos, and instead eat a salad, enjoy a mango, or consume green leafy vegetables instead. Healthy skin usually begins with a steady supply of nutrients and vitamins that fruits and vegetables are chock full of. Instead of a soda, have a fruit juice. Your body will thank you for it.Drink water. The average person is supposed to consume an average of 10 full glasses of water each and every day. However the average person does not. Clear, healthy skin is well hydrated. Dead skin cells are reluctant to make way for new if your skin is dehydrated, and without fresh skin cells, you are more prone to develop acne.Avoid the use of harsh chemicals, especially in the treatment of acne. Natural products are always better than their man made counterparts. With the use of chemical products, there is a higher risk of unwanted side effects from the treatment, often with no understanding of the cause. Not only are natural products better for you, but with lower production and regulation costs, they are also usually more cost effective. Why pay more for less benefit and higher risk?Relax a little- Many people have a tendency to break out more when under stress. On often overlooked method of creating an acne breakout is to constantly touch the face, as people under stress tend to do more than those not under such stress. Stress also releases hormones into the system that exacerbate acne, increase it, while reducing the ability for other treatment options to remain effective. Exercise, meditation, or even relaxing with friends can have a positive effect on the reduction of stress levels that make getting you acne under control much harder.Get some fresh air and a little sun- While not advising to get a tan, getting out of a stale air, indoor environment for 20-30 minutes a day can keep your skin flush with vitamin E, essential to good skin health. Not only that, indoor environments have a dampening effect on the mood, which can also lead to higher stress levels and worsen your acne problems. Take a break from your indoor activities and go outside for a bit. It can do wonders for your complexion as well as your psyche.

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Prevent Photo Aging Before It’s Too Late

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Regain Your Youthful Look Via Facial Exercises

I do not think that there has ever been a time throughout history where women have not resorted to some type of potion or other remedy in the search for perfect skin. Everything from a change in diet, to the use of drugs, and even surgery have been used in order to combat wrinkles and to try to get back the smooth skin that we were born with. The only thing that is different in this day and age is the availability of products and procedures that a person has to choose from, as well as the wealth of information available on each and every one of them.

One thing is for certain. Several of the wrinkle reducers and skin care procedures on the market today come with their own specific set of side effects and drawbacks. Many of the best techniques and products shown to work at reducing the signs of aging are very expensive or only available in a limited region. Others, though widely available and affordable, simply do not produce the results that they claim, and some procedures, such as plastic surgery, while seen as widely effective, in rare cases, can leave a person scarred, and far worse off than they were before the treatment. Drugs, though seen as less invasive than surgery, can also come with a whole host of side effects that have to be weighed before use.

Does this mean that in the search for the dermic fountain of youth one has to undergo the knife, risking possible horrific scarring, take drugs that might lead to further complication, or use foreign creams or even resort to injections to see desired results? Does getting older necessarily mean that your days of smooth skin are gone forever? Is there even a safe way to reduce the signs of aging of the skin, or are risks inherent to improving your skins appearance? One technique that proves to both effective at combating facial wrinkles and aging, and with little risk, is the use of facial exercises.

Facial exercises are definitely safer than surgery, can be done from the comfort of your own home, and cost nothing to perform. Not only are facial exercises good for the reduction of wrinkles in older women, but can also be used as a preventative measure by the young. Like any other boby part, the face can benefit from exercise by improving facial health, tighten muscles, and improve the look and feel of the skin over them. Not mny people think of putting the face through a “workout”, but it is the least intrusive method of improving facial health without surgical or drug intrusion.

The greatest thing about facial exercises, is that a person that practices them regularly can often see results within 4-6 weeks, which is better than several of the more expensive wrinkle medications and creams on the market today. While many of the medications try to improve collagen and elastic levels to no avail, facial exercises improve the blood flow to the face, increasing collagen and elastic naturally and conclusively. This gives way to a more natural looking, smoother looking skin, reducing wrinkles and the effects of dark spots. Even oversize pores are improved upon with the use of facial exercises, leaving smaller pores and a smoother look after only a few weeks of “working out”.



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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Do vitamin supplements encourage fat burning efficiency?

Everybody knows that a healthy diet and an active exercise program are the best ways to lose weight and to the tendency to put on extra pounds under control. What do you do during those times where you have tried everything that you can? You eat a balanced diet, and you work out on a regular basis, but the weight just does not seem to be coming off as fast as it seems like it should. Sometimes the best solution doesn’t lie in getting involved in the latest crash diet or chugging down nasty food replacement shakes. Sometimes the extra push you body needs is a vitamin supplement.

Some studies have shown that certain vitamins help the body in the carbohydrate to sugar and starch processing functions by making sure that the body is able to process the most fuel for your body as possible, eliminating the need for the body to retain the food instead as fat stored in all of the wrong places.

Another benefit of the use of vitamin supplements is that for people on the go, the limited availability of certain food choices allows them to use supplements to replace used nutrients in the body that are missing in the person’s diet.

While the use of vitamin supplements has shown great promise, the idea that taking a multi vitamin in hopes of better body intake processing can simply be dismissed off hand. The ability to make vitamin supplements work for you is to research the body processes that you wish to be affected and which vitamins have shown to progress this process. By targeting specific functions and the vitamins that affect them is not only more effective but more efficient, as you might be getting too much or too little of a specific vitamin with the use of general multi vitamin combinations on your local store shelves.

Know what you nutritional goals are and take the correct vitamin combination to promote it. You can have adverse side effects from taking too much of one kind of vitamin, so be sure to also keep track of the nutritional intake of the foods that you eat on a daily basis, so tat you can accurately manage the amounts of specific vitamins that you put into your system.

Remember, that vitamin supplements are just that, supplements. Do not use them as a food substitute or expect positive results without proper diet and exercise.



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Weight Loss Simplicity: Don’t Diet

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Weight Loss The Herbal Way

Western society has a never-ending obsession with weight, while at the same time producing the most obese populations on the face of the planet with no side of subsiding the trend.

This strange irony has led to the multitude of products and services that are promoted to the public in order to help them with their weight loss dilemma. Everything from hypnotism, pharmaceuticals, to surgery has been offered as the sure fire solution to your overweight woes.

One often overlooked method of encouraging weight loss is the use of herbal supplements.

Our emphasis on getting what we want when we want it has created a society of “have it now”. While the positive effects of both natural and synthetic treatment are the same, many opt for the fast results of drugs or surgery at the risk of increased complication, and even death. One alternative to these risks is to opt for a sane progress schedule and the elimination of several of the risks involved with other options through the use of herbal weight loss products.

The use of natural foods and herbal products to control weight should be approached as any other medical decision. When used with physically altering goals, certain herb, though generally safe, may still produce side effects in certain individuals. as many herbal weight loss supplements and products are a combination of more than one ingredient, it is wise to read the label and decide if its contents are going to promote your personal weight loss goals or conflict with any medications you might take or conditions that you might have.

Many of the dietary supplements on the market contain one or more of the following ingredients:

Senna, a natural laxative is often one of the main components in herbal dietary supplements. They promote quick weight loss by stimulating the colon. Be aware that if using Senna, you should monitor to make sure you have a proper water intake, or dehydration may become an issue.

Some dietary supplements contain Chromium Picolinate. This is not a natural but a chemical additive, and has been known to cause genetic problems in high doses. It is best to be avoided if possible, but safe to use at recommended doses in most cases. The risk of dehydration is also a factor in its use, so you should drink plenty of water.

St John’s Wart is also very popular in dietary herbal supplements. This herb is not only used in weight loss solutions, t has shown promise in helping to promote cognitive ability. If abused however, the eyes and skin might become irritated, stomach ache may result, or fatigue may set in after ingestion.

Although Dietary supplements can be found in a variety of forms, two sources of natural weight fighting in their rawest forms are green tea, and organic food. Green tea has long been used to promote enhanced digestion and weight control, and the chemical application or use of chemicals in processing of non organic food can sometimes affect the ability for the body to process food correctly and efficiently.



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Friday, June 25, 2010

Stop Hair Loss Today Before It Is Too Late

natural’ ones. Stress in a multitude of forms can cause hair loss. Stress hits everyone at some time or another through finances, pregnancies, child birth, the death of someone close, disease, job problems, divorce, argumentative situations, etc. The good thing is that stress related hair loss often reverses itself when the stress has been gone for a time. Surgery is a type of stress also and in being such it can be responsible for hair loss, it too will restore after a period of time. A way to speed up the restoration process is upping your amount of exercise, this will help relieve symptoms of stress and help you recover quicker. Massage will often help in that area in addition to relaxing muscles and increasing blood flow to all organs including your hair follicles.

Drugs can also have an effect on your possibility of hair loss, many acne drugs are very good at promoting hair loss while performing their other activities. Viagra may make you happy in other areas but your hair on top of your head may not be as appreciative. Drugs that actively affect such things as moods and emotions are apt to cause hair loss as are acid reducers, cholesterol reducers, heart pills, anti-inflammatory drugs and a whole host of others.

Many of these drugs and situations you cannot help or stop so the best way to reduce their effect is to get plenty of exercise, but also relax, or get a massage. Look for hair treatments that contain Saw Palmetto (which isn’t hard to find) or stinging nettle. Stinging nettle is packed full of vitamins and it shares the ability to block production of DHT with Saw Palmetto.



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Easy Ways To Reduce Split Ends

If you have hair that is longer than just a few inches, you probably have had to deal with split ends. If you are using a good quality hydrating shampoo and conditioner, this will go a long ways towards helping you defeat split ends. There are also deep hydrating treatments that stay on your hair for about three minutes before washing out. They tend to protect your hair from heat damage and sun damage, if you use one of these treatments once a month you will reduce the chances of split ends even more.

Brand loyalty is nice but you don’t have to have it, there are actually many brands out there that have very good quality hydrating shampoos and conditioner, switching back and forth between them will actually benefit your hair, reduce the chance of build up and also reduce the chance of dandruff.

Be careful in combing your hair, if you have to tug on it, you’re likely to be damaging it. Wet hair stretches more than dry hair and is easier to damage but some products make combing out wet hair easier than dry. There are all sorts of theories regarding what combs or brushes to use on your hair. Your type of hair will have an effect on which type of comb or brush you use with the greatest success so in this area, try different options and use the one that works for you.



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Can Acai Berries Really Reduce Signs Of Aging?

The acai berry is becoming more and more common, especially in anti-aging products. It’s available in such things as frozen pulp, juice, powders and many other capacities. This berry from a species of Amazonian Palm is being considered as a miracle, a wonder in the health field.

These palm trees are native to wet, tropical conditions and grow well in floodplains and marshes. The people native to those areas have been using the berry for a very long time in numerous ways including making ice cream and all sorts of other food products. This little berry has been shown to have the highest antioxidant concentration of any food studied to date.

This powerful little berry is believed to contain enough antioxidant power as to be ten times more powerful than the antioxidants in red grapes. They have been attributed with the reduction of aging of the skin, promotion of digestion, lowering of cholesterol and elevating cardiovascular health. It may also help to reverse the effects of diabetes.

The berry is available in a multitude of forms; however, clinical studies show that they are best when consumed in juice or frozen form. The most attractive part of this berry is the way it helps to rejuvenate the skin. It appears the combination of nutrients within these berries make them very effective against the things that tend to cause signs of aging of the skin.



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Thursday, June 24, 2010

5 Ingredients Your Skin Cream Should Include

There are many ingredients that can be found in a multitude of skin care creams however there are five that should be present no matter what the other ingredients are. Vitamin C is currently one of the most powerful anti-aging substances available on the market. It is proven to protect the collagen within skin and keep free radicals from producing aging signs.

Salicylic acid is a keratolytic beta hydroxyl acid and has the ability to smooth the skin without causing irritation. It is also able to reduce such things as acne causing bacteria while reducing oil. It is exceptional at penetrating pores and cleaning out impurities.

Peptides are generally used in anti aging products and have actually been proven to out perform such things as Retinol. This substance smoothes wrinkles and reduces the visual effects of aging.

Hyaluronic Acid is a bioactive type hydrating ingredient. It has the capability of binding a thousand times its weight in moisture to the skin and is often found in such things as toners, moisturizers and eye creams. This substance has been in use for years and is one of the most common hydrating ingredients. It has the capability of constantly increasing the skin’s water content which reduces wrinkling. No matter what your skin care routines, this particular ingredient should be a part.

Beta Glucans helps the body to heal itself, when applied to skin issues, it has been shown to help correct a variety of concerns.



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Ingredients Your Skin Cream Should Skip

New skin care products are constantly showing up on the market touting all sorts of different qualities and benefits. This makes deciding on what skin care product to use a very difficult and mind boggling one.

There are many different ingredients that you need to avoid, one such ingredient is parabens. Parabens are used to give products longevity but they may actually have links to cancer. Choose a product that has a shelf life and just buy them in containers you can use within that period of time. Fragrances are also common ingredients; it makes your cream smell nice but can cause irritation or allergic reactions. They aren’t necessary so why subject your skin to them.

Amazingly enough, many moisturizers contain alcohol, alcohol in any form dries out the skin which means that it is working contrary to the purpose of the moisturizer. Mineral oil can indeed soften your skin and make it feel smoother; however, it can clog your pores. This can cause all sorts of skin issues that may require even more substances be applied to your skin.

It pays to read ingredient labels well and understand what is in the product before purchasing it and applying it to your skin. It has been proven that skin is very good at absorbing what has been put on it meaning that any non-desirable ingredients not only sit upon your skin, it infiltrates it and gets into the inner part of your skin surface.



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Make Your Skin Happy With The Food You Eat

Your skin is the largest organ of your body, the question is, why do we treat it so badly at times. We expose it to harsh conditions without protecting it. We don’t take the time to exfoliate it so new cells can come forward and we don’t nourish it properly, yet we expect it to be healthy, soft, clear and without issues. It’s easy to rub lotions and potions on our skin to make it appear softer and younger but why not nourish it from the inside.

Extra virgin olive oil contains essential fatty acids that help to keep our skin moistened from the inside. Olive oil and other seed based oils help to prevent flakey skin. It also helps reduce wrinkles. If you want to do your body a favor, remove the butter and switch to olive oil whenever possible. Olive oil is wonderful on bread instead of butter.

Dark leafy greens have long been known for their antioxidant properties and they generally also contain zinc. Zinc helps with the renewal of collagen and helps clear up acne problems.

Water is the least touted ingredient to good healthy skin, most people are dehydrated to some extent, they have dull, ashen skin. Be consistant with your water intake and be sure you are taking in enough for your body weight, location and exercise level.



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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Antioxidants In Your Skin Cream?

When shopping for skin cream, it is important to know exactly what you are looking for, don’t take a sales person’s advice, their job is to sell you something that is on their shelves, their responsibility ends at that point. In order for your skin to fight off cell damage, you will need to supply it with antioxidants. You can do that through the food you eat, the supplements you take and through the cream you put on.

Your cream should have certain ingredients in them and a dearth of other un-needed ingredients. CoenzymeQ10 is found in every living cell throughout your body. It is responsible for providing energy and effective functionality; your cells cannot do their job and survive without this substance. Nanobelle CoenzymeQ10 is a nano-emulsion version of this nutrient. It penetrates deep into skin cells in order to fight free radical damage. It can also help to elevate production of collagen and elastin protein. Avocado oil is a fantastic anti-oxidant that contains many vitamins in addition to both omega 3 and 9 fatty acids. This means it can deeply moisturize and hydrate skin, improving its health. It is also known to increase soluble collagen within your dermal layer which lies below your epidermal layer (your outer skin layer). Jajoba oil is also packed with anti-oxidants and helps to minimize oxidation. There are many other very helpful ingredients and in order to find out all of them, research is a good idea.



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4 Easy Yoga Positions You Can Do At Work

There are many yoga positions that can be performed at work without any special tools or space. Many can be done at your desk.

Stretch your frame as straight as you can, press down through your sitting bones, and lift your chest. Roll your shoulders back a few times letting them pull and then relax. Inhale deeply through your whole body, and then exhale in the same fashion. Allow the breath to leave you at it’s own pace, let your body relax around the exhalation and stretch up slowly, swelling with the inhalation. Perform this exercise multiple times while you feel your body relax.

Your eyes are easy to overwork in an office environment and eye exercises can help to ease the stress and strain they are subjected to. Lift your eyes from your work or your computer screen and focus on a spot on a nearby wall. Imagine a circle on the wall and follow the line around its circumference, slowly circling, first in one direction, then in the other. Then focus your gaze further away and practice the same exercise. Then focus your eyes back onto something near (but not your computer screen). Repeat this process a few times.

Wrists are subject to repetitious work that can cause problems with the tendons and other parts of the wrist. To reduce the chance of this, do some wrist exercises many times a day. With pinkies facing towards one another, flat on your desk, keep your fingers as straight as you can. Sit back slowly, bringing your wrists closer to your chair. As you stretch your fingertips and wrist, inhale, then exhale as you release the stretch, letting out an audible soft sigh.



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Keep Your Skin Looking Great All Winter

Keeping your skin healthy in the winter is not too much different than keeping it healthy other times, it just requires more of certain things in order to help adapt to the changing weather conditions. Winter tends to bring with it low humidity which has the action of drying out your skin. During these conditions you will want to have a more aggressive moisturizing regimen. Take a hot bath to open up your pores, dry off by patting your skin and before you are totally dry, apply your moisturizer of choice, this will help lock in moisture.

While taking your shower or bath, make sure that you exfoliate your skin, if you don’t remove dead or dried out skin cells then the living ones beneath can gain no benefit from your moisturizing program. You should exfoliate at least two times per week. Skin tends to reduce its oil production in the winter which makes your job of moisturizing much more crucial.

Drink water, drink water, drink water. Most people don’t drink near enough water to replenish what is lost through the skin. The Chinese have a remedy that is supposed to not only detoxify your skin but also boost your energy. This is a concoction includes warm water mixed with lemon.

Sleep. Sleeping lets your body replenish itself and get prepared for the upcoming day. Lack of sleep means lack of preparedness which leaves your body and your skin vulnerable to outside conditions.



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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Avoid The Flu Without Getting A Flu Shot

Obviously, one of the first things you need to do is avoid people that appear to have the flu. Avoiding people with the flu isn’t as easy as it may seem, many people have it and don’t show symptoms till too late. When you are handling things other people have handled, make sure to wash your hands, disinfect the item or both. The more you disinfect things the better off you will be. Don’t rub your face or your eyes with your hands. Hands are wonderful carriers of germs and it appears that most germs we end up fighting have come from our hands. Wash your hands frequently and if you can, carry wipes or disinfectant for hands. Use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, then wash your hands, this will keep viruses from staying on them.

Eat right and make sure you get enough sleep, a body that is undernourished and is lacking in sleep will be more vulnerable to flu than a body that is well taken care of.

Avoid crowded public places. If you feel ill, stay at home and keep your child home if he or she feels ill. Don’t go into work, but don’t go into emergency unless you are having trouble breathing or high temperature. Remember, if you go into a hospital situation, you will be surrounded by infectious people.



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Use Sunscreen Everyday- Even During The Winter

It is common knowledge that anyone going out into the sun in summer should wear sunscreen but many people don’t consider that when they go outside during the winter. Even in the winter skin is exposed to UVA and UVB rays and we are more apt to stay out in the open longer when the weather is cooler or even overcast. This exposes us even more to the harmful rays than we would be under summer conditions. UV exposure has detrimental affects on our skin in a multitude of ways. The danger of skin cancer is extremely strong with long term exposure. Short term exposure can cause aging of the skin, wrinkling and dryness.

In order to protect your skin, use a lotion that has an SPF rating of at least 15, higher if you intend to be out for long periods. Keep your skin protected with these lotions when you are out in the sunlight. Some may feel heavy or sticky, look for a product that feels comfortable on your skin so you won’t resist using it on a daily basis. Use one that is broad spectrum in order to ensure full protection. Whatever you use, wash it off on a daily basis and replace it with a quality moisturizer while you are out of the sun’s influence. This will ensure that your skin will stay well moisturized and protected, keeping it from aging prematurely.



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What’s In Your Flu Shot?

Some flu vaccines as well as many other vaccines contain mercury. Mercury has already been proven to pose a serious health threat and has been removed from many things in our lives due to the risk. In times past, hat makers used mercury in their production which is where the term mad as a hatter came from. Now we are putting this dangerous substance in a needle and injecting it into our bodies. The amount of mercury contained in a normal multi-dose flu shot is shown to be 250 times higher that the legal classification of hazardous waste.

Flu vaccines also contain many antibiotics to eliminate unwanted bacteria present in the mixture. Antibiotics also wipe out the beneficial bacteria within our bodies that help us reach and attain optimum health. Antibiotics also have the effect of lowering the strength of the immune system, which you need at its best in order to fight the flu. Some vaccines also contain an emulsifier known as Polysorbate 80. This has been shown to be highly toxic and also lowers thestrength of the immune system. It can also cause anaphylactic shock which can be fatal. There are many negative things that this substance has been linked to, yet it is still injected into our bodies under the pretense of protecting us from the flu.

On top of all of this, there is no evidence that shows flu shots actually work. They are only able to protect against certain strains of the flu and may not even do that for you, yet they still subject you to all of the toxins within its recipe.



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Monday, June 21, 2010

Getting Great Skin The Natural Way

There are a plethora of creams, oils, notions and potions out there available to help make your skin look healthy, moist and young. All of them have all sorts of ingredients, some that can help your skin and some that can harm. But there are natural ways to help your skin and they tend to cost much less than their chemical laced replacements.

First of all, if you have unhealthy skin, take a look at your diet. Your diet will have a strong effect on the health of your skin. If your skin is in poor shape, your diet is probably just as poor. Change your diet to reflect a healthier way of eating.

If you want a good replacement for your night cream that won’t cost you a fraction as much, take a lime, squeeze it into a bowl and add a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerin. Let it sit for half an hour after stirring, then apply it to your face, hands and feet before retiring to your bed. This will also help to cure pimples.

Have dry rough skin? Take a shower and exfoliate it, then take the yoke of an egg, mix in a few drops of lime juice and extra virgin olive oil. Spread it on your face and leave it until it feels dry. Wash it off with ordinary water and then splash on cold water.

There are many natural remedies you can use for your skin, you have but to research the subject.



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“Healthy” Snacks That Aren’t Good For You

We’ve all been taught to believe that yogurt is very good for us and in truth; the plain yogurt has a lot to offer us including calcium, protein and even healthy bacteria. It is basically pretty good in the calorie counting department as well, however most of us won’t eat plain yogurt, we want the yogurt that contains fruit and other tasty things. Yogurt that contains fruit is another story, with the addition of fruits and other items, the calcium, natural protein and bacteria remained however it was joined by between 14 and 40 grams of sugar per serving. This tends to deplete the health value of the food.

Baked chips are healthier for you than the fired alternatives however, they are still cooked in unsaturated fat. On top of that, a potato is a potato is a potato, no matter how you cook it. Potatos are high in the glycemic index, this means that they absorb fast and are much more likely to be stored as fat.

When looking for healthy foods, don’t be fooled by advertising. Look at the base food itself, is it a healthy food that is good for you? Then look at any additives that have been put into the food, are they healthy for you? If not, you may want to just pass them by in favor of something that is truly good for you.



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Men, Look Your Best Regardless Of Age

Women aren’t the only ones that want to look their best; men are becoming more and more conscious of their looks as far as their skin, hair, and other cosmetic issues.

The first thing you need to do is make sure you are eating a healthy diet, the healthier your body is inside, the healthier your exterior will be.

Taking care of your hair is a multifaceted venture. Stress can cause such things as hair loss and graying, make an effort to deal with your stress by exercising, doing different yoga exercises, to relieve stress. Get yourself a massage, this will get your blood moving and help to remove impurities from your tissues including your hair follicles. Add to that the use of shampoo and conditioner containing moisturizers and you will help your hair maintain healthy vigor.

Skin care for men is as important as it is for woman. This means protecting it from UV rays, harsh chemicals, and any other of the many abuses men inflict upon their skin. Wear gloves if you’re dealing with harsh chemicals, put on UV rated sun screen if you intend to be out in the sun, even in the winter and treat your skin to a good moisturizing lotion.

This type of care will go a long ways towards keeping you younger looking no matter how old you are.



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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Men There Is A Reason You Are Still Fat!

1. Your best friends are Ben and Jerry and Mr. Haagen-Dazs. Face it, we all love ice cream and if we could figure a way to live on it, we probably would.

2. Fat is your favorite food group. Fat in most variations tastes good. Why do you thing marbling is desirable in steak? It’s the fat running through the tissue that gives it taste. We love the taste of fat, pure and simple.

3. Fried is your second favorite food group. Fried food is fried in

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Best Fast Food For Weight Loss

We live in a fast paced world where food is often consumed while driving down the highway over the speed limit and watching for police vehicles. Fast food restaurants have figured this out and are stepping up to the challenge of providing healthier food to all of the patrons that go whizzing by their drive up service windows.

Panera Bread came in first place for their comprehensive menu offering multiple healthy choices for every meal. Panera Bread also received top honors for their kids menu.

Jason’s Deli, located in the Midwest, came in second. This particular deli has a penchant for organic foods and with this in mind, approximately one fifth of all of its ingredients are organic.

Third place belongs to Au Bon Pain, which has been a pioneer in the idea of healthy fast foods. They serve sandwiches, soups, salads and even hot entrees made with whole grains, veggies and even hormone free chicken.

Noodles and Company doesn’t sound like a name you would expect to make it in a top ten healthy fast food list however this Asian food court eatery makes healthy its business, cutting out all the grease and using soybean oil in their cooking. Which puts them in fourth place.

Corner Bakery Café is a Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern based café that has a breakfast menu full of healthy choices. It also has healthy salads, sandwiches and soups. They use whole grains, lean meats and vegetables. They also practice portion control. They land solidly in fifth place.

Chipotle takes sixth place followed by Atlantic Bread and McDonald’s takes a surprising 8th place. Einstein Bagels takes ninth place followed by Taco Del Mar. That rounds out the top ten. As with any menu, you will find more and less healthy items in every location.



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Think You Are Doing Your Body A Favor By Ordering A Salad?

Many of us believe that eating salad at a restaurant is good for us. Sometimes we may be right but in most cases it is far from the truth. Most coffee shops serve a salad made from iceberg lettuce. This lettuce has no nutritional value, it is very basically fiber held together by water. In the digestive system iceberg lettuce has the nasty habit of turning into a slime that your body then has to break down.

On top of this leafy non-nutritional plate or bowl full, we pour all sorts of different types of salad dressings. Most of these dressings are a creamy sort that is full of fat and sugars. Why do we use these dressings in such large amounts on this particular salad? Because by itself iceberg lettuce has very little taste and this is because, as I said before, it is simply fiber and water.

So next time you think you are going to suffer through a salad in order to feel like you’re doing your body some good, consider this article and maybe decide to go with soup instead. The soup may not be all that good for you but at least you are getting some good flavor for your trouble and you aren’t telling yourself stories.

If a salad is available that has deep green vegetables of all kinds, that one will be healthy for you, but again, dousing it with a large dollop of dressing will negate it’s value to a degree.



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Saturday, June 19, 2010

Do You Suffer From Anxiety?

Most of us have suffered from some sort of anxiety during our lifetime; many of us suffer from it much more often. Anxiety produces a large number of different symptoms. Some people become obsessive compulsive, washing their hands over and over again, even though they know they are already clean. Maybe they feel uneasy about something, don’t know why, and see that other people are not affected. Maybe the anxiety is about a certain thing like riding an elevator or crossing a bridge or even going to a social event.

Panic attacks are an intense fear that lasts a short period and are more intense than any other type of anxiety. Phobias are also a type of anxiety where the person suffers unwarranted fears.

When suffering from these types of problems a victim will often ask what the matter is with them. This can just intensify your anxiety and possibly your symptoms. Anxiety is considered one of the most common afflictions people suffer from and it can be so strong that it can have a limiting affect on a person’s entire perspective and life.

If you are suffering a debilitating form of anxiety it is a good idea to find a qualified professional that will allow you to interact with an openness and honesty that will allow you to recover.



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What You Might Not Know About OCD

Many people suffering from OCD will not seek help even if they have known for a long period of time that they have a problem. Since therapy is a crucial part of treating OCD, this is detrimental to the person’s healthy life.

It can be hard to find a professional that has an insight and understanding of OCD that also has the strength to keep you moving forward.

Once you find a qualified professional, you will not get full benefit of their help unless you follow their advice. If you have questions, make sure you have them answered to your satisfaction and understanding. Once you are aware and understand what is expected of you, you will need to trust that person well enough to follow their instructions. Give the therapist feedback; while you are not a therapist, you are the only person that truly knows how the therapy is affecting you. Your therapist may not fully understand the effects of OCD because they’ve never had it; however, they have been trained to a certain extent and their interaction with you will allow them to tailor their therapy to your needs.

You may begin to feel that the psychiatrist is your friend and your confidant, but there are boundaries that can never be crossed in that relationship. The relationship is a professional one and no inappropriate behavior should be accepted from either party. If you lose trust in your therapist then you might consider finding another one. Follow your needs and your judgment, however, don’t discount the therapist because you don’t want to follow the therapy.



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Does Your Child Have ADHD?

ADHD is basically an issue with attentiveness coupled with over activity and or impulsivity. Children normally have some amounts of these issues so to be diagnosed with ADHD the child will be outside the normal range for the phase of development. Many children that suffer from ADHD tend to be a disruptive influence in class. They may not be able to pay attention in class and may make careless mistakes while doing their school work, if they do their school work. They can have difficulty paying attention, not only when performing tasks, but also in play. They may also not seem to be paying attention when directly spoken to.

A child that suffers from ADHD may have trouble following instructions includingthose for finishing school work, performing chores or anything else that requires focus for any length of time. They may have trouble organizing tasks or activities because of a lack of focus or too strong of focus on too little an area. They may dislike any task that takes prolonged mental focus. They may lose such things as assignments and school supplies along with toys.

When sitting still, they may fidget in their seats, moving their hands or their feet constantly. They may get up when they know they are expected to stay seated and may create a disturbance by running around inappropriately. They may be loud during play and talk excessively about not much of anything.

If you believe your child might have ADHD, there are tests that will prove or disprove that theory. From there a treatment method can be constructed. There are holistic and traditional remedies that focus on ADHD.



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Friday, June 18, 2010

Alternatives To Medicating ADHD Children

The quality of food we consume has a strong effect on our body health and function. This is profoundly true with ADHD. With some people, nutrition alone can effectively treat ADHD.

Essential fatty acids and amino acids are important in any diet, but studies have shown that they are even more so in individuals suffering from ADHD. For instance in one study, hyperactive children who where fed a meal high in protein did as well, if not better, in school than non hyperactive children. In another study, half of the children were given placebos and the other half were given essential fatty acids. The children that received the essential fatty acids significantly improved over those that received the placebo. There is a strong connection with essential fatty acid deficiencies and ADHD, especially Omega 3 fatty acids.

Physicians are not in business to prescribe natural remedies for problems, they are in business to prescribe prescription drugs that you can’t get except through a prescription from them. They normally prescribe stimulant medications such as Ritalin for ADHD, however, recent studies have shown that children under this type of medication regimine are at high risk of lawbreaking type mischief.

If you believe your child suffers from ADHD, you may want to find a holistic nutritional specialist and discuss the possibilities of essential fatty acid and amino acid deficiencies in your child’s diet and try to remedy the situation in a natural fashion.



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Recognize The Signs Of Depression

Most of us suffer from some form of depression at times in our life. Live isn’t always easy and it isn’t always fun, it is normal to feel depressed once in a while. It’s when the feelings of despair and deep darkness take hold and won’t let go that you may be suffering from clinical depression. This is more than just the blues, it’s a feeling that affects every facet of your life, making it impossible enjoy your life and function well in society. You lose interest in things that used to captivate you, such as hobbies and friends, you feel tired and listless all the time and just getting through the day may seem like an insurmountable task. Many people that suffer from clinical depression don’t feel sadness, they feel empty and lifeless, apathetic. They may have a completely bleak outlook on life and have no interest in anything including eating and sleeping. They may suffer from self loathing and engage in harsh criticism of themselves. There are a whole host of negative feelings that come with clinical depression, even the possibility of suicidal tendencies. If you are suffering from what you believe is clinical depression, you need to get help from a professional that understands the symptoms, the feelings, and what steps to take in what progression in order to help you escape from the depression and regain control of your normal life.



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Manage Your Stress Like A Pro

We all have stress in our lives and how we deal with it will have an affect on our outlook on life and on our long term health prospects. In order to help your body cope with stress, it’s important to eat healthy meals and drink sensibly. Many people turn to alcohol and food abuse in order to try to reduce stress. This can have an opposite effect, increasing the amount of stress the person is under. A better practice is to take up relaxation techniques and perform solo exercising. Swimming would be a good exercise to relieve stress.

Follow your values, be true to yourself. You don’t need to live by others values and expectations and it’s okay to tell someone

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Need Help To Quit Smoking?

Smoking not only affects your body physically, it affects your emotional stability. If you have been a heavy smoker and have not had a cigarette available when you wanted it, you know the feelings that lack of nicotine cause. There are many different triggers that make you want a cigarette and many of these triggers are simply habit, such as having one with a cup of coffee, having them after each meal, having one when socializing and a multitude of other reasons.

There are many reasons to stop. Some benefits of stopping would be immediate like making our breath, skin, hair and clothes smell better and being able to get that awful yellow stain to leave your teeth, increased energy along with a lowered heartbeat and blood pressure. You could end up with a lot more money in your pocket if you didn’t spend it on cigarettes. Long term benefits would be decreasing the amount of toxicity you are exposing your body to which increases the risk of cancer including lung cancer and also heart disease. Long term serious breathing problems are common in smokers, along with many other negative affects.

If you want to stop smoking, prepare yourself and your surroundings for the venture, get rid of the things that may trigger a desire to smoke. Some triggers you won’t be able to get rid of but with time will be able to overcome such as the desire to smoke after eating. Learn how to handle your stress and to diminish it without the help of cigarettes and if you need medication to help you resist, then get it. Be prepared for a possible relapse and forgive yourself should it happen, just keep yourself on the road towards quitting.



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Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Caffeine

Caffeine is classified by the FDA and generally recognized as safe and there has been no evidence produced that shows caffeine to be harmful to health. The American Medical Association holds a similar view as long as the substance is consumed in moderation.

It has become a common belief that moderation and common sense when ingesting this substance as well as any other substance in anyone’s diet is the key to health. Moderation is considered the equivalent of about three cups of coffee, but of course it depends on the individual’s body mass and ability to process the substance.

Some people display a sensitivity towards caffeine and can only drink a small amount before they start feeling jittery and over stimulated, while others can drink a large amount of caffeine and fall right to sleep soon after. Caffeine does not accumulate in the blood stream or tissues, it is evacuated from the body within hours of consumption. This substance has been used to increase alertness in tired individuals in many different products including some in pill form. There appears to be no difference in the way a child’s body and an adult’s body reacts to caffeine other than the body mass compared to the amount of caffeine consumed.

Very basically, when consuming things that contain caffeine, do it in moderation, taking into account past history as far as its effects on your body.



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Combat Insomnia Without Medication

Many people suffer from a sleep disorder known as insomnia. Insomnia is caused by many different factors including stress and an irregular sleep cycle. Most people opt for the chemical method of dealing with it because it doesn’t take any effort or thought. Take a pill, go to sleep. What they don’t consider is the side effects that come from these types of pills, not the least of which is addiction.

Natural remedies exist for dealing with insomnia, including research to find out the root of the insomnia. Relaxation is important to sleep quality. You need to learn to really relax your body in order to allow it to fall asleep naturally. Progressive muscle relaxation helps the body to systematically release tension, this means start at one point of your body and make it relax. Extremities like toes are a good place to start, or start from your center and radiate the relaxation outward picturing the stress releasing from your body through your fingers and toes, which ever works for you best. You may want to exercise before you begin the relaxation technique as exercise will strengthen, tire out, and help to relax the muscles, giving you a head start.

Follow the same routine every night so your body gets into a habit and is conditioned for a sleep response.



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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bye Bye Bacne

With Mardi Gras and spring break fast approaching, you might be heading to a warmer climate where a shirt is optional attire. To prepare for this you might be putting in some extra hours at the gym, maybe going to a tanning salon, even waxing some not often seen parts of your body.
Before you go on your trip, put on a swim suit, or take your shirt off you might want to look over your shoulder to check out your back for any pimples, black heads, or white heads. You know

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Top 10 Health Tips for 2010



A little over a month into 2010 many of the resolutions that you made in January probably has fallen by the wayside. When the ball dropped on New Years Eve you might have resolved to go to the gym more often or to eat less fast food on, now, in February those promises seem as stale as the fruit cake in the back of your refrigerator. You might be feeling that you still want to change a few things this year but your earlier resolutions didn’t work out; below you will find 10 tips to bring a positive change to your life in 2010:

1.)  Make room for mini meditations through out your day, close the door at your office, hold your calls, and just relax for five minutes. Hubert Benson, the co-founder of Harvard’s Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine, recommends doing this a few times throughout the day. It allows you to turn everything off and recharge.

2.)  With states increasing cigarette taxes and cities banning smoking in bars and restaurants there has never been a better time to quit smoking. Many employers, faith groups, and even some local governments offer resources to help you stop smoking for good.

3.)  Make an effort to have a social life.  Getting bogged down in the stresses of daily life is easy to do. Make a promise to yourself to hang out with your friends at least once a week.

4.)  Be aware of your health. Get a physical this year, even if you had one last year you need to make it an annual event. Being proactive is the best way to maintain a healthy life.

5.)  Stay positive. It sounds simple, but if you try and keep a positive outlook on life you will find that you enjoy your work, family, and life in general a lot more.

6.)  Cut the calories back. This year instead of trying the next fad diet resolve to simply cut back your calorie intake.

7.)  Exercise daily. That doesn’t mean become a gym rat it means incorporate some kind of physical activity into your daily routine. It could be something as simple as going for a walk through the park every day, or going for daily bike rides.

8.)  Make

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Concerned About Aging? Add Apricots to Your Diet


Are your laugh lines looking more like crow’s feet, lately? Have you noticed a few liver spots on your hands? Or do you just want to keep Father Time at bay a little longer? If you answered

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Acai Berry Diet – How to Lose Weight on Acai Berries for Adults

A Blog For Healthy Living Anti-AgingExercisePilatesToningYogaHair CareHealthHealth TipsMens HealthMental HealthNutritionFoodHealthy RecipesSupplementsSkin CareWeight LossDieting TipsWeights

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Acai Berry Diet – Adding meals to your Acai Berry Diet

A Blog For Healthy Living Anti-AgingExercisePilatesToningYogaHair CareHealthHealth TipsMens HealthMental HealthNutritionFoodHealthy RecipesSupplementsSkin CareWeight LossDieting TipsWeights

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What is colon cleanse pro?

Body cleaning and colon cleansing are important to a healthy body. They are both similar except keeping your body clean helps your entire body and doesn’t focus benefit on certain areas like the colon. These are the two main things that are used to remove toxins from our body.
The benefits of colon cleanse pro is how it helps you during your weight loss by reducing bloating, water retention and helps your digestive system run a smooth operation.
The majority of colon cleanse products are made of organic and natural vitamins like licorice root, psyllium husk and flax seeds, these help cleanse and rejuvenate the digestion system. The mix of these natural products allows stimulation of muscle activity and to maintain regular bowel movements, which is important for your digestion. This also helps tone your colon for elimination of wastes.



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