Older people are more likely to have additional health problems that are made worse by drinking alcohol. Did you know that drinking alcohol makes you more likely to develop osteoporosis? As we age the body takes longer to absorb calcium.  Alcohol interferes with this process, causing brittle bones and other calcium deficiencies. Calcium loss leads to low density bone mass and the bent, frail physique we often see in the elderly. Alcohol is dehydrating and toxic. It causes wrinkles and lines on the face and is damaging to the liver, bladder, kidneys, stomach, throat, mouth and brain. Alcohol affects virtually every organ in its path. It can cause stroke, high blood pressure, memory loss and mood disorders. For those of us who are serious about looking younger and aging well, it’s important to understand and be aware of the many ways in which alcohol accelerates the aging process.

Skin aging is a concern as we grow older even without the alcohol. Alcohol is  a major contributor to the aging effect on the skin. Alcohol causes the small blood vessels to widen, producing flushed, coarse skin, broken veins deep lines and wrinkles.  Smoking accelerates skin aging even more. Combine alcohol and smoking and the effect becomes far worse.

Alcohol is full of dead calories. We have all heard the term”beer belly”. That is where the fat is stored, in your belly. Consuming a lot of alcohol results in stored fat around the abdomen. One drink every evening adds 15 pounds of fat to your stomach in a year. YIKES!  Exercise is extremely important to keep this added fat at bay. Walking one mile will walk off the excess calories of one drink of alcohol. One can of beer, a single shot of liquor, or a small glass of wine or sherry equals one drink.

Women take much longer to process and eliminate alcohol than men. That is because alcohol is stored in fat and women have more fat than men.  The older we become, especially after the age of 40, the more fat we store. How well I have learned that fact.

Another danger is in prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal remedies. Not only  can they be dangerous but even deadly when mixed with alcohol. Always read the labels on all of your medicines. Many labels tell you, “Do not use with alcohol.” Taking aspirin and drinking alcohol can raise the chance of bleeding in your stomach.  Cold and allergy medicines when mixed with alcohol can cause drowsiness. Check your cough syrups, many already have alcohol in them. Drinking alcohol while taking some sleeping pills, pain pills, or anxiety or depression medicine can be very dangerous. Acetaminophen, found in many painkillers when mixed with alcohol can be damaging to your liver. Always check the warning labels on prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies and of course always check with your doctor.

You are considered an “at risk” drinker if you drink over 7 (for a woman) to 14 (for a man)  drinks per week. This amount of alcohol can result in adverse health and social consequences.

There are some good things about drinking alcohol if you drink in moderation. The French owe their increased resistance to heart disease largely due to wine consumption . Scientists have linked the protective effects of wine to an organic compound known as ‘resveratrol’ that’s found in red wine. British researchers found in a study of over 6,000 people over the age of 50, that alcohol can protect your brain, your mental health and your thinking abilities.
So go ahead and have a glass of wine. If you drink wisely the effects of alcohol on the body can be positive or at least not SO damaging. It could be good for your heart, your brain and your well being.  Keep in mind if you drink more than you should your looks and your health will suffer. Just don’t overdo it.

CHEERS!

This is a beautiful story…. It makes you understand that things happen for a reason and that there truly is a God watching over each and everyone of us.

A brand new pastor and his wife, were newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn. They arrived in early October excited about their opportunities.  When they saw their church, it was  very run down and needed  much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service  on Christmas Eve.  They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.  On December 19 a  terrible tempest – a driving  rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.  On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.  His heart sank when he saw that the roof had  leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the  sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned  the mess on the floor,  and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.   On the way he noticed that a local business was  having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in.  One of the items was a beautiful,  handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth  with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front  wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older  woman running from the opposite direction was  trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor  invited her to wait in the warm church for  the next bus 45 minutes later.  She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor  could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and  it covered up the entire problem area.  Then he noticed the woman walking down the center  aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. ‘Pastor,’  she asked, ‘where did you get that tablecloth?’  The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there..they were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the tablecloth. The  woman explained that before the war she and  her husband were well-to-do people in Austria   When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.  Her husband was going to follow her the next week.  He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.  The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;  but she made the pastor keep it for the church.  The pastor insisted on driving her home, that  was the least he could do. She lived on the other  side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas  Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the  pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized  from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the  pews and stare, and he pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on  the front wall because it was identical to one  that his wife had made years ago when  they lived in Austria before the war and how  could there be two tablecloths so much alike.  He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was  supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and  put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home  again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to  take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor  had taken the woman three days earlier.  He helped the man climb the three flights of  stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas  reunion he could ever imagine.

True Story – submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

Who says God does not work in mysterious ways?

I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you, His  promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through.So when the road you’re traveling on seems difficult at best.. Just remember I’m here praying and God will do the rest.

Father, God, bless all my friends and family in whatever it is that you know they may be needing this day! May their life be full of your peace, prosperity and power and HEALTH!!!!! as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you.

Amen

Our Zumba class starts with a warm-up session, then breaks into the main session and ends with a nice slow cool down. The hour just flies by. Annie, our instructor does different routines each time, so it is never boring and each class is fresh and fun. Zumba mixes it up with body sculpting movements and dance steps from cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip hop, mambo, rumba, flamenco and calypso. Zumba targets many areas of the body such as your legs, arms, glutes, abdominals and the heart. The routines are a mix of aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms that help to tone and sculpt the body.  Zumba is wonderful for your mind, body and attitude.

Zumba originated in Columbia, South America in the 90’s. The creator, Alberto “Beto” Perez, was a fitness instructor in Miami. One day he forgot his regular music for class. He took the Latin music tapes from his car and improvised with some dance steps for his class that day. Everyone loved it and the rest is history.  It Is and has been a great success.

I found a few You Tube videos of Zumba classes, but since Annie is our instructor and even though this is not the best video for clarity, I thought you might enjoy it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can see for yourself Zumba is loaded with lots of red-hot dance steps, great Latin music that keeps you moving and grooving and even shaking the weight off. It is really bunches of fun. If you haven’t tried it I highly recommend it.  If you live in Siena the classes are Monday and Friday mornings at 8:00 AM. Yep, 8:00 AM.  It starts your day out right and you will be looking forward to the next class. Remember to bring a towel and lots of water. You will do some sweating!

Zumba Zumba Zumba

Chuck and I have entered a contest to promote the new healthy energy drink from Monavie called EMV ( E to the power of Monavie).  The video is posted on  You Tube under the name:  EMV I Get A Kick Out Of You. You all know, of course, that Chuck is the talent, crooner, and comedienne of our twosome. I can only boast from behind the scenes. I worked on the lyrics, directed, produced the video and played at being camera girl. We had a lot of laughs and silly moments while we put it together. We think most of you will get a “Kick Out Of Viewing”our production.

We need everyone’s support with this in order to win. If you think we are deserving then please go in and hit us on You Tube. The more people that view it the more points we rack up. It is important that you actually go to the You Tube site to view the video or we will not get the credit. I have inserted the video into this blog, however, NO points will be given to us for viewing it here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you want to learn more about EMV (E To The Power Of Monavie) and a great business opportunity you may contact Chuck and I at:  grammies1@cox.net or visit our website: www.theactiondrink.com/chuckngayle.

Thanks everyone for your support and please wish us luck!

Gayle Larson and Chuck Marone, Independent Distributors ID#1613472

When I was a young girl, in the late 40’s and early 50’s, it was a great place to be when all of the teams and young boys came to town. Years ago the field was located across the bridge in Williamsport. That first diamond, situated behind a minor league park known as Bowman Field, was initially used for softball.  We had to sit on the dike to watch the games. My Uncle Lewis Browne  was one of the first umpires for the Little League players. The first Little League game took place on June 6, 1939. Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8.  Little League Baseball grew from three teams in this Pennsylvania town to an international organization of nearly 200,000 teams in every U.S. state and over 80 countries all around the world.

This is a picture of the Howard J. Lamade field as it looks today. You can see the mountains surrounding the city. The view from the field is outstanding. August is a great time to visit Williamsport. The league headquarters are located in South Williamsport, directly across the Susquehanna River from the site of the original league.  The Little League International Complex facility hosts the Little League World Series at Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Little League Volunteer Stadium. It is also the site of the Little League Museum, which provides a history of Little League Baseball through films,interactive games and displays.

This is a picture of International Grove where all of the teams stay for the nearly two weeks during the World Series. There is an outdoor and indoor pool for recreation, a cafeteria and dining hall and a medical facility as well as dorms for the young boys. It is a beautiful setting among the trees. All the teams participating in the series receive room and board for free at the Little League International complex. Each of the 16 teams from around the globe in the Little League Baseball World Series are also provided transportation to Williamsport and back home at no charge.  If you love baseball this is great fun to watch these young boys play ball and a wonderful place to visit. There is great recreation on the river all summer and beautiful scenery to enjoy. If you are a hiker, there are great trails nearby and a museum that provides the history of the lumbering era in Williamsport. We also boast of “millionaires row”where you can see all of the wonderful homes that were built during the “1800’s by the dozens of wealthy lumber barons. Williamsport is filled with history.

Enjoy!

Gayle

How often have you felt like you need some energy? We could all use some extra energy through out the course of our busy day, especially in those afternoon hours after we have just eaten.  No matter what your age a bit of an energy boost can keep us going through all of the demanding tasks we face each day and get rid of the tiredness we might be feeling.  Energy is needed in order to get through the daily exercise we need, like taking a walk or going to the gym. It takes energy to solve a problem or finish a task. It is the enthusiasm or boost our bodies need to tough it out and get going! Does a lack of energy prevent you from accomplishing what you want or need to do? An increased level of energy can definitely contribute to a better quality of life. How do we get the energy we need?  It is vital that you exercise regularly and consume the right diet. Getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, losing those unwanted pounds, cutting out junk food and stopping the smoking will all help in boosting your energy levels.

You may even use a drink, usually with caffeine, such as coffee or an energy drink, to stimulate your metabolism or eat a candy bar for a sugar high. Both of these provide a quick fix but often bring you crashing down or leave you with the jitters or a headache or even nauseated.  There are tons of energy drinks on the market today that can provide that boost or high we are looking for.  Many are extremely powerful. The most obvious benefit of energy drinks is, of course,  the energy or power they provide. But are they all safe? Are they good for you?

Knowing what is in them and what you should be aware of before you purchase these drinks is very important to your health and well being.  Powerful does not always mean they are good for you. The power they provide may raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Caffeine is one of the most common ingredients found in most of these drinks. The caffeine in these drinks is usually much higher than what is found in coffee or colas and other soft drinks. Caffeine can keep you awake at night, cause indigestion, anxiety, agitation and irritability.  Sugar is also an ingredient that is common and loaded in most energy drinks. Sugar, as we know, is a quick source of energy. Too much sugar can cause you to be hyper or over active and can increase the possibility of dehydration. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic and promotes dehydration. Both sugar and caffeine can alter your mood as well as your performance.

Be sure to read the ingredients carefully on the energy drinks you purchase.  Look for healthy energy drinks that have no sugar added are not artificially colored or flavored and contain no caffeine. Be sure there are antioxidants included to promote health and well being and all natural ingredients. Stay Healthy Everyone!

ChucknGayle

My wife, Betty,  of 47 years passed away March 25th, 2005 as a result of  pancreatic cancer. It is one of the most deadly aggressive cancers,sometimes called the silent disease. It spreads rapidly and most often is not diagnosed until it is in it’s advanced stage. Often there is a lack of specific symptoms until it is too advanced for surgery. Unfortunately Betty was not eligible for surgery when she was diagnosed. She was treated with chemotherapy and radiation  for over a year.  She lost a lot of weight, was nauseous and vomiting most of the time. The radiation and chemo treatment itself, I felt, was what killed her. It drained her body of all the remaining healthy cells she had. My son and daughter-in-law, both chiropractors, both understood how serious her stage of pancreatic cancer was. They advised me not to put her through this treatment. Of course Betty and I were desperate and wanted to do whatever it took to help her beat the disease. At this point we would try anything. We made three visits to an alternative medical hospital in Mexico and three more visits to a hospital in San Francisco that specializes in the pancreas and liver. The doctors had us return after the many tests were completed even though they knew Betty was terminal and they could not operate.

Betty managed to stay with us longer than most pancreatic cancer patients. From the time she was diagnosed until she passed it was one and a half years. The last six months of her life was hideous. Her courage was awe inspiring and her suffering heart wrenching. During her illness and after,  my family and I have learned a great deal about this disease and just how horrible it is. We learned and know how important it is to pay attention to our health and maintain our bodies healthy immune system.  The body must be able to fight a disease as lethal as pancreatic cancer. Eating the right foods, getting plenty of exercise, and not smoking can really make a difference in your life. About 31,800 people in the United States alone are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year and about 31,200 of these people die from it. In spite of the challenges this deadly and aggressive disease poses, there are now many new advances in diagnosis and treatment. Betty met those horrific challenges with courage and determination. She was 67 years old. Betty will remain in my heart and thoughts forever.

Live long and stay healthy everyone!

Chuck

5 Ways to Keep Pancreatic Cancer at Bay
If you’ve ever seen a loved one suffer from cancer, you’d know that it is one disease you hope you never fall prey to. Cancer can eat you away, literally. However, because of the vagaries of nature, none of us are immune to this disease, and the wisest course of action is to try and prevent it the as best as we can. Pancreatic cancer is the fifth-largest cause of cancer related deaths in the USA. It’s an aggressive form of this disease that is asymptomatic until it’s too late – by the time you start feeling the symptoms, it is often too late for treatment and you’re given only five or six months to live. If you want to keep pancreatic cancer at bay, you need to:
•    Stop smoking: Smokers are more prone to this disease, so if you need another reason to quit, this is it. The longer you smoke, the more susceptible you are to both lung and pancreatic cancer. The best way to quit is cold turkey, where you don’t look back at all. It may be hard at first, but think of all that you stand to gain and all that you stand to lose if you don’t do so.
•    Lead a healthy lifestyle: The more you exercise, the more you eat healthy food, the more vegetables and fruits you include in your diet, the more your chances are of not contracting pancreatic cancer. In short, the healthier you are and the more normal your weight is, the better your chances of keeping this disease at bay.
•    Supplement your diet with aspirin: A study conducted by the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health found that women who had their diets supplemented with aspirin or products that contained aspirin were less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who did not take the drug. The anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin were thought to help in preventing the onset of this form of cancer.
•    Keep your gums healthy: A study conducted by researchers at the Harvard University and those from the University of Puerto Rico reports that keeping your gums healthy and preventing periodontal disease may help in reducing your risk of pancreatic cancer. This is because gum disease could cause inflammation related disease in your pancreas and increase the risk of cancer.
As with any kind of cancer, the earlier it is detected, the better your prognosis and chance of survival. So if your family has a history of cancer or if your lifestyle makes you prone to this disease, it’s best to get yourself checked periodically.
By-line:
This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of pharmacy tech certificate at her blog The Pharm Tech Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

Years ago I made a promotional record for Gene Norman, a night club owner and record producer. He owned the “Crescendo” a night club on the Sunset Strip. Billy Strange, Nancy Sinatra’s record producer is the band behind my voice on this recording. Recently my niece who lives in London discovered this recording on You Tube. I was probably in my late 20’s when this was made.  I hope you enjoy it. It sure was fun to hear this lost recording.

There are two recordings on You Tube by me. It Hurts and Ordinary Girl. Click on You Tube and type in Chuck Marone to hear them.

Resveratrol has also been produced in labs by chemical synthesis.  A few companies sell supplements containing resveratrol.  Not enough is known about the effects of resveratrol to endorse such supplements.  Research is still continuing on the heart-healthy and age prolonging benefits of resveratrol.  Dr. David Sinclair, associate professor in Harvard Medical School’s Department of Pathology, is the lead researcher in the much-reported study about resveratrol and aging. The research he and his team did on mice found that the mice not only lived longer but had lower incidence of diabetes. When asked when do we get this pill?  Dr. David Sinclair answered,  “I would say five years to be conservative that this’ll happen within our lifetimes. I’m fairly certain about it. ”

Resveratrol can be found in peanuts, blueberries, cranberries, red grapes, acai, and camu camu berries. The most powerful ANTI AGING antioxidant berries are coming from the Amazon Rain Forest, such as acai and camu camu. There are 3000 berries that grow wild, with super powerful phytochemistry. The amount of resveratrol in food and red wine can vary significantly. It is not yet known how beneficial eating these foods might be when it comes to promoting your heart health. Basic questions of safety and biological effect in humans remain to be studied experimentally.

Dr. Oz, (Oprah Winfrey show) reports that taking resveratrol regularly could add 20 or more years onto your life.  The National Institute on Aging and  Oregon State University have also found that resveratrol, can counter the effects of a high-fat diet and  may prolong life. Check out this video with Barbara Walters on ABC news.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the meantime we’re going to enjoy our red wine at dinner, add blueberries to our cereal and throw in a few cranberries when making our salad. We also enjoy the acai berry in a wonderful juice we have found to be delicious and healthy. We may not add 20 years to our life, but at least we are on the right track.

Have a great day!

Chuckngayle

chuga3140@gmail.com

People get cholesterol in two ways. The body produces cholesterol, mainly in the liver, and many of the foods we eat contain cholesterol.  Foods that come from animals contain it. Foods from plants do not contain it. The body makes all the cholesterol we need. We do not need to consume it. If your cholesterol level is high you may need to reduce the amount of certain foods in your diet especially those with saturated fats and trans fat. These fats raise the level of cholesterol in our blood and increase the risk of heart disease.

Natural plant sterols may be the answer to cholesterol reduction.  Over 140 clinical studies have proven that they do lower LDL cholesterol. It is recommended that people with high cholesterol get 2 grams of plant sterols a day. That means you would need to eat about 100 pounds of  whole fruits, vegetables or nuts to get the 2 grams of natural plant sterols needed each day. That is a very taxing goal for anyone to achieve. To overcome this many of our foods are fortified with sterols and stanols by food manufacturers. Some of the breads, cereals, margarine spreads, salad dressings, vegetable oils, mayonnaise, orange juice, milk, yogurt and granola or snack bars that you consume already have been fortified with plant sterols.

In 2000 the FDA gave many food products the status of a “health claim”.  This means that it allows manufacturers to advertise the heart-healthy benefits of their product on their labels.

To help reduce the risk of heart disease and reduce cholesterol, we should be eating 0.8 grams of plant sterols a day as part of a diet low in  saturated fat and cholesterol.  Eat foods containing at least 0.4 grams of  plant sterols twice a day with meals.  The plant sterols help remove cholesterol from the body by blocking cholesterol absorption in the digestive tract. They are very similar to cholesterol physically and compete with cholesterol in the intestine, thus allowing less cholesterol to be absorbed in the body and returned to the liver. Instead of clogging up your arteries the cholesterol is eliminated with the waste.  This helps to lower the LDL cholesterol levels in your body.  Corn, soy, nuts, seeds, legumes and wheat products are good sources of natural plant sterols in very small quantities.

Reducing the cholesterol in your body is as simple as paying attention to what you eat and reading the labels on the foods you purchase.

• Use olive oil, canola oil and plant based oils for cooking and baking
• Stay away from fried foods and baked goods.
• Switch from butter to a tub margarine.  Be sure to read the label to get one with zero grams of trans fat.
• Choose the leanest of meats and low fat dairy products.
• Eat more fish and nuts for those good omega-3 fats. At least one good source daily is a good rule of thumb.
• Always follow your doctor’s advice and go in for a screening regularly.

Stay Healthy Everyone,

ChucknGayle