Health and Wellness Programs

Overcoming the Fear of Breast Cancer

2015-07-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

Overcoming the Fear of Breast Cancer

If you're scared that you will one day hear the words, "You have breast cancer," you've got plenty of company. Breast cancer is the most feared cancer among women. Sometimes, it's not just the word "cancer" that's at the root of the fear, but dread of issues associated with treating cancer, such as surgical complications and medication side effects. Perhaps you've been through a breast cancer diagnosis with someone close to you and know how difficult it can be.

While these are understandable fears, the danger is that some women are so overwhelmed with anxiety that they postpone screenings, such as breast exams and mammograms, or even skip them altogether for fear of bad news. Yet these are the very examinations that can help save lives by finding cancer early on, when it's most treatable.

Women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer face a different set of fears as they go through various stages of anxiety and acceptance. Many are in a state of denial at first. This can quickly turn to anger and a feeling that their world has been turned upside down. Some women wonder what they have done to deserve this and are unsure about the best road to recovery. Eventually, reality sets in and treatment begins, which is when many women feel better and more in control of their disease because they are actively fighting it.

Those who survive breast cancer struggle with the fear that their cancer might return. Every post-treatment checkup, mammogram and blood test is anxiety-ridden as she awaits the results.

The lowdown…don't let breast cancer blindside you

The reality is that as you age, your risk for developing breast cancer increases. Most of us know women who have battled breast cancer. Advances in methods of detection and treatments have transformed breast cancer from what had been considered a dreaded disease—what some perceived as a death sentence—to one that most women can and do beat. In fact, when breast cancer is found at its earliest, most treatable stage, a majority of women (98 percent) will go on to live full, healthy lives after treatment. So, it's important to keep up with recommended screenings and exams.

If you're 40 years or older, you should get a routine mammogram. In addition to the fear of getting a suspicious mammogram result, you may also be embarrassed to bare your breasts, or perhaps you'd rather avoid the discomfort that comes with positioning and squeezing the breast to take the image. But some temporary uneasiness and minor discomfort is a small price to pay if it means detecting breast cancer early.

If you're new to the task, ask the technician to explain what to expect. Be sure to find out when you can expect the results, so you aren't consumed with worry if you don't hear right away. If you are asked to come back and repeat the test, don't be alarmed. The film may have been difficult to read. If your doctor does notice something suspicious on your mammogram, he or she may order a biopsy to remove a sample of breast tissue and examine it for cancer. To put your mind at ease, consider that four out of five biopsies will not be cancer, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

It's also important for you to talk with your health care provider to learn about your personal risk of developing breast cancer so that you can decide how to stay on top of your breast health. While you're at it, ask about lung cancer and heart disease, too—these are the leading causes of death among women. And don't forget periodic breast self exams. Many women neglect doing these exams for fear of ending up in the doctor's office every month with a new lump and bump, but it's important that you get to know your breasts over time so you notice any changes.

Attitude and support eases anxiety

Having breast cancer is a difficult experience. You are probably worried about the road ahead, how your diagnosis will affect the important relationships in your life and your body image, as well as family and work obligations. Seeking emotional support and maintaining a positive attitude (as best you can) will help ease your anxieties.

Here are some tips:

Practice the art of happiness. It may be easier said than done, but try not to get weighed down with grief and worry. Boost your spirits whenever you can by meeting a friend for lunch, writing (and referring to) inspirational messages in a journal or going for a walk in a park.
Join a breast cancer support group where you can share your anxieties with other women who are going through the same thing and have similar concerns. If you feel more comfortable chatting with others from the comfort of your home, there are safe message boards at sites like Breastcancer.org.
Don't be afraid to express your fears to your loved ones. You're not Superwoman, and it's OK to share the burden. For many women, the old adage "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" applies.
Take a deep breath. If you notice that your mind is swirling with worry, try meditation or deep-breathing exercises.
Ask questions. Your mind may get ahead of you at times, so ask questions to make sure you aren't worrying unnecessarily.
Don't let cancer define you. You had a life before cancer, and there is life after, so don't lose sight of who you are. Stay connected to the people and activities that are important to you.

Source: healthywomen.org

Best Weight Loss Products That Work

2014-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

I will present to you the best weight loss products that work in order for you to be able to take the best decision and have the needed results.

Not only that we change our lifestyle and our working schedule, but also our food behavior too. We are working more and more, we don’t have time for healthy activities and we eat more and more precooked foods or junk food. It’s very clear, along with the changes brought by the modern life, our lifestyle and our body suffered changes too and not necessarily in good.

By reducing the free time, we spend less time cooking healthy foods and doing sports and for this the persons who suffer from obesity and cellulite increased dramatically.

We all know how difficult it’s in these modern days to make time for you to have healthy and balanced life and for this reasons the science felt the need to bring us a help.

On the market you will discover a lot of weight loss product, but I want to present to you the best weight loss products that work. Not only that you don’t have to spend a small fortune, to suffer with plastic surgery or lose hours in a gym class, but you will have real results and you can discover that it’s very easy to have a slim body.

Best Weight Loss Products That Work

1. Kou Tea is one of the best weight loss products that work

There are numerous tea products available on market and many of them promise to help you to lose weight, but Kou Tea stands out. It is a completely different option than most other products available – this weight loss product work and it’s backed by science.

KouTea is a combination of four teas (green tea, oolong tea, white tea and pu-erh tea), and when combined, this supplement has been shown to provide the body with numerous health benefits, such as:

• weight loss
• boost metabolism
• reduce appetite and aid in digestion
• improve energy
• a good source of anti-oxidants
• help concentration and memory function

Kou Tea is one of the best weight loss products that work and it’s designed to not only help in weight loss and increased energy levels, but unlike many other weight loss products, it’s also intended to increase overall health and wellness.

2. Also Phen 375 is known as one of the best weight loss products that work

Phen375 is the result of years of research conducted by the RDK Global company, having over 7 years of experience in the area of fat-burning and diet medicine.

The five ingredients inside Phen375 have been chosen in order to obtain a weight loss product that work and is able to:

• stop the body from depositing fats
• accelerate metabolism
• suppress the need of the body for food (the appetite)
• split apart fatty tissue
• burn fat.

Choose one of these best weight loss products that work in order to change your life and finally to get rid of those extra kilos, especially know that summer is coming. It’s never been easier to lose weight and to enjoy the beautiful days of summer. Take advantage of the modern science and order this products for faster weight lose.

Click on Phen 375 or Kou Tea product in order to find more about the benefits of the products and to discover the reviews of all those who had wonderful results after they tried the products.

Source: www.effective-weightloss.net

Health Wellness Program

2014-05-27T11:37:00.002-07:00

Health Wellness Program

Health wellness programs are increasingly being incorporated by Companies as part of their overall strategy for promoting a healthier workplace. A health wellness program is set up in the workplace to offer employees a kind of comprehensive health service.

Health wellness programs are a new concept and different from the traditional safety and health programs in that a health wellness program does not require a legislative mandate. Whether you are the CEO of a company wanting to retain your employees or a Human Resources professional concerned about your employees rising health care costs, attention to a few points about initiating and implementing a health wellness program can help to ensure its long-term success.

The most important step to implementing a health wellness program is to gain support from the staff as well as senior management for the idea. Develop the objectives, goals and mission of the program and conduct a survey among the employees to ascertain how many of them would participate and what they hope to gain from this health wellness program.

Locate funding and resources to support the program and recruit outside as well as inside help to run and maintain the health wellness program. Design and implement health related activities and make policy changes with a view to improving the environmental conditions.

Make the program fun and motivate your employees with various incentives. Regularly monitor and evaluate the program and make the necessary improvements and changes.

For a health wellness program to be successful, a wellness committee should be appointed. This wellness committee works towards planning, promoting, operating and maintaining the program. The wellness committee should be made up of individuals who would be helpful to the program as well as those who will be affected by the program.

Ideally the wellness committee would consist of a mix of union representatives, top management and employees interested in wellness and health. Individuals from the Human Resources department, health and safety department and employee assistance program may also be considered.

Another important element necessary for a successful health wellness program is management support. Management should support the program by being involved in the planning, participating in wellness events, reserving funds for the program and supporting the budget and time allotted towards this wellness program.

The management may also show their support of the health wellness program by sending out a letter of support to all employees and allowing flexibility in employee schedules to encourage participation without any inconvenience.

Last but not least, conduct a formal or informal needs assessment survey among employees to increase participation in the health wellness program. This gives employees a sense of responsibility and ownership for the program, and also gives them the necessary encouragement to participate.

Assessing their needs allows you to design a plan suited to the employees ensuring their continued support and participation. Employees are encouraged to lead a more healthy lifestyle, which is beneficial to them and their families in the long run.

Source: www.wellnessproposals.com

The secret to good health

2014-05-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Wash your way to less colds and flu

What’s more powerful than a speeding vaccine? Soap and water! Wash your hands, wash them well, and wash them often, and you’ll protect yourself from illness.

Washing your hands often is the best way to avoid disease. And it’s much cheaper than drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that regular hand-washing with soap could save more lives than any vaccine or medical treatment.

How so? As you go through your day, you touch people, surfaces, and objects hundreds of times. Each time, your hands pick up germs. As soon as you rub your eyes or scratch your nose, it's off to the races for those germs. They’re now in your eyes, nose, or mouth, ready to make you sick.

It's impossible to keep your hands germ-free. But the best way to control bacteria, viruses, and other nasty microbes (tiny germs) is by washing your hands often with soap and water.

When to wash

Before, during, and after preparing food, especially raw meat or poultry
Before eating
Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Before and after treating a cut or wound
Before putting in or taking out contact lenses
After using the toilet
After changing diapers or cleaning a child who has used the toilet
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching an animal, or animal feed, toys, or waste
After touching garbage
After handling anything that could be germy, like a cleaning cloth or dirty shoes
Whenever your hands look dirty

How to wash

Don’t just rinse your hands under the faucet and call them clean. You need to scrub them with soap for at least 20 seconds. (If that seems like forever, think about being in bed for a week with the flu!)

Follow these steps every time you wash:

Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
Lather and scrub well. Don’t forget the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Keep scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. That’s about as long as it takes to hum the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
Rinse your hands well under running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel, or air dry.

If you don’t have soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Antimicrobial wipes or swabs are another choice. Look for wipes with a high percentage of alcohol. Although these sanitizers can quickly lower the number of germs on your hands, they don't get rid of all kinds of germs. Rub the sanitizer all over your hands and between your fingers until your hands are dry.

Sanitizers can’t remove visible dirt. You need soap and water for that. And skip the antibacterial soap. It’s no better at killing germs than regular soap. It may even help grow bacteria that resist the product's antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.

Help kids stay healthier

Regular hand washing with soap could save more lives than any vaccine or medical treatment.

Remind your kids to wash their hands properly and often. Show them how it's done by washing your hands together. Sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice while you're at it. This keeps kids from rushing through the job. If your child can't reach the sink on his own, keep a step stool handy.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are fine for children and teens, especially when soap and water aren't handy. Show your child the right way to use the sanitizer. Remind her to make sure the sanitizer is dry before she touches anything. Store the container safely away after use.
Hand-washing is extra important for kids in school or group child care. Make sure your child’s teacher or caregiver promotes frequent hand-washing. (Sanitizers are OK too.) Ask if kids are made to wash their hands several times a day — not just before meals. Also note whether diaper-changing areas are cleaned after each use, and whether eating and diaper-changing areas are kept a safe distance apart.

Source: www.humana.com

Women’s Health: Tips For Finding The Right Doctor

2014-05-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

FIND THE RIGHT
DOCTOR FOR YOU

If you’re looking for a new doctor, look within before you start asking for recommendations from friends or scouring the Internet. Many of us are so intent on finding any doctor that we forget what matters most to us -- a doctor that meets our individual needs. Here’s how to take charge of your health care and find the right doctor.

ASSESS YOUR HEALTH CARE WANTS AND NEEDS

With all of the options today, putting a little time into your search and being direct about your needs can improve your health care. When you are aware of what you want and know you are getting it, it helps you take charge of your own health care.

Before you even think about searching for a doctor, ask yourself these questions:

What did I like and dislike about my last doctor?
What is most important to get from an office visit?
What kind of services do I need outside of an office visit?
Do I only care if the visit is covered under my insurance?
What is a deal-breaker when it comes to a doctor?
Is comfort and environment important to me?
Do I care more about having a doctor that is the very best in the field?
Do I want a doctor who is more direct or prompt with communication?
How much time do I need for a typical visit?

HOW TO FIND A DOCTOR THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS

Once you answer those questions, you can get a better feel for what you want and need out of a doctor. Here are some requirements different women have — and how to find a doctor that meets them.

A successful visit to the doctor — without the panic attack

If you are sensitive to medical settings, like I am, and want a more soothing environment, pay a visit to the office and scope out the waiting room to get a feel for the place. You can even ask the receptionist to give you a glimpse of an exam room. (Also, check out the practice's website if they have one, which may give you photos of the office and doctor to put you at ease.)

A doctor that incorporates the holistic approach

While most women want to find a great doctor, some want one that integrates holistic options with traditional medicine. In that case, think outside the box and ask your acupuncturist, yoga teacher or massage therapist for a referral.
Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway, a Florida-based obstetrician and author of The Smart Mother's Guide to a Better Pregnancy, advises patients to speak with the staff about incorporating a holistic approach. "It would also give the physician time to research the requested treatments to determine if he or she is willing to participate or not," she notes.

A doctor that offers the time and attention you deserve

How can you avoid the medical heave-ho and stop getting rushed out of the office? Talk to the receptionist and ask how much time patients spend with the doctor. Be up-front and let him or her know an estimated time frame you require, and ask if the doctor accommodates it.
After a botched episiotomy from the birth of her first child, Renee Gordon wanted a different doctor to deliver her second baby. Upon visiting with a new physician who came highly recommended, she wanted to ask a few questions before the exam to make sure he was a good fit. Not only did the doctor arrive on time, but he didn't balk when she wanted to talk. "I had a few questions to ask first, including 'Do you automatically do an episiotomy?' " When he answered no, she knew he was a winner. (Her second birth took place flawlessly, sans any cutting.)

The very best care

When Margery Schwartz, a very active 60-year-old from southern Florida, started experiencing pain in her hips, she researched orthopedic doctors, hoping to find one that would minimize the trauma to her muscles and tissue from surgery. She wanted to ensure that both of her legs were the same length after procedure, since inconsistent lengths can be a common complication of total hip replacement.
Dr. William Leone came highly recommended by friends, but Schwartz was even more impressed to find out that he had invented a device that would minimize the chance of uneven legs. He practiced at one of the top 30 hospitals in the country for orthopedic surgery, which was the icing on the cake.
The result? "I was walking without a limp within three weeks," Schwartz says. "I definitely made the right choice with Dr. Leone," she adds.

Adjunct health care providers

While the right doctor is out there, don't rule out other health care providers, adds Dr. Jacob DeLaRosa, chief of cardiac and endovascular surgery at Portneuf Heart and Vascular Center in Idaho. You may be able to see a nurse practitioner or other allied health professional and rely on the doctor for more intensive procedures.

Source: www.sheknows.com

The History Of Birth Control

2014-05-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

HOW OUR FOREMOTHERS DID IT (LITERALLY)

Sure, the pill can cause nausea, bloating and headaches — but would you rather try to prevent pregnancy using crocodile poop? Yep, you heard me: Crocodile. Poop. Or how about using half a lemon so afterward you smell like a really clean kitchen? (Suddenly, Seinfeld's Elaine Benes deciding whether or not a guy is "sponge-worthy" doesn't seem so crazy after all.) Review these shenanigans, and more, as we look back at the life and times of birth control.
Though I'm sure nothing turned a woman on more than using the term "womb veil," this much I know: If I were born any sooner, I would've become Sister Mary Krissy.

From past to present, below is a highlight reel of contraception contraptions that will leave you skipping down the condom aisle singing "The hills are alive... "

1550 B.C.

The earliest known contraception for women was created — a concoction of crocodile poop, honey, and sodium carbonate, the Egyptian pessary was inserted into the vagina to prevent conception. (Oh. Em. Gee.)

1564

The first description of condoms was published by Gabriel Fallopius, who also discovered (you guessed it!) Fallopian tubes. Materials for condoms included animal intestines and skin, along with linen cloth sheaths soaked in a chemical solution. (Is that the sound of my tubes tying?)

1700s

Casanova’s memoirs detail his escapades and experiments — with sheep-bladder condoms, cervical caps made from half a lemon and linen condoms tied with a ribbon. (I’ll never unwrap presents the same way again.) When all was said and done, though, he preferred condoms made from lamb intestine. (Yeah, me too.) To make matters worse, because of how expensive condoms were, they were washed and reused — taking intimacy to a whole new level.

1839

Charles Goodyear invented the technology necessary to vulcanize rubber and used it to manufacture condoms, douching syringes and diaphragms (though at the time, they were being manufactured under their working title, "womb veil").

1873

The U.S. Congress passed the Comstock Act, which made all forms of contraception illegal. The postal service was actually allowed to confiscate birth control sold through the mail! Because of this, contraceptives were being promoted as “feminine hygiene products.”

1916-1950

Birth control activist Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the U.S. Nine days later, police raided the clinic. Sanger was found guilty of “maintaining a public nuisance” and served 30 days in prison. Thanks to Sanger, the Comstock Act was eventually lifted in the 1930s, and in 1950 (at 80 years old, I might add), she raised $150,000 to fund the creation the first birth control pill. (You go, girl!)

1960

The FDA approved the first birth control pill, Enovid. Later, the pill is linked to serious health risks, such as heart attack and blood clots. Feminist groups challenged their safety, which led to the pill's modification.

1965

The Supreme Court established the right for married couples to use birth control. Meanwhile, millions of unmarried women were still denied the option.

1972

The Supreme Court legalized birth control for all citizens, regardless of marital status (and uteruses everywhere rejoiced).

1976

IUD devices are approved by the FDA. The devices were inserted by doctors and were to provide birth control for up to 10 years… until the Dalkon Shield, like a one night stand gone wrong, caused pelvic inflammatory disease in some women.

1980s

Hormonal birth control options expanded and low-dose, two- and three-phase birth control pills became available. By this time, 10.5 million American women were taking the pill (cha-ching!).

1992

The FDA approved Depo-Provera, the first shot to prevent pregnancy for months at a time.

1998

The FDA approved the first morning-after pill, which can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex.

2000

Jennifer Erickson, a 27-year-old pharmacist sued her employer for not covering birth control under their insurance policy, calling it sexual discrimination — and won.

2005

The Today Sponge makes a comeback after being discontinued in 1995 because of deficiencies in their manufacturing plant. (Congratulations, Elaine!)

2010

A study of 46,000 women conducted over 40 years found women on the pill live longer. (High five ladies!) Now, over 100 million women around the world use the pill.

How's that for a history lesson?

Source: www.sheknows.com

The Holidays and Your Hormones

2014-05-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

HOLIDAY

HORMONES

As women, our hormones can take a beating over the holidays. It’s no easy task to stay centered and calm when you’re juggling work and family obligations, navigating the kids’ schedules, planning holiday gatherings and playing Santa!

More than anything else, stress derails our hormones, affecting our mood, mind and weight. That’s why how we manage stress, and how we eat and move can make a big difference as to how much we actually enjoy the holidays.

The following are five stress-induced hormonal imbalances that you may "feel" over the holidays, and how best to prevent them (or hit the "reset" button).

Cortisol

You’ve been up all night because of a sick child. Now you're at the office working overtime to meet a major project deadline. Plus, you’re involved in the kids’ school holiday fundraiser. Meanwhile you’ve promised to host a big family dinner and haven’t a clue what you’ll be serving. As for Christmas shopping, you’re hoping to conjure elves who can lend a helping hand.

Best known as the "stress" hormone, cortisol is produced in two grape-sized adrenal glands (one sitting on top of each kidney). Cortisol activates the "fight or flight" response, and can affect digestion, blood pressure, sleep-wake cycles and your overall ability to cope with stress. Cortisol also helps normalize blood sugar levels.

When the pressure is on, your cortisol levels can run high. Over time, continuously high cortisol levels lead to high blood pressure, weight gain, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), low sex drive and anxiety; it is also a contributing factor to heart disease.

Relaxing your body through diet and lifestyle is key to balancing cortisol.

Rx:

Limit coffee and alcohol. Unthinkable, especially during the holidays, you protest! But realize that both alcohol and caffeine raise cortisol levels, creating more physiological stress in an already stressed-out body.
Stabilize blood sugar. Keep sugar and refined carbohydrates to a minimum to avoid spikes in insulin. In other words, more Christmas goose and sauteed kale; less mashed potatoes and apple pie.
Deep breathing. Whether you do yoga, meditate or simply take a 20-minute time-out for yourself, deep breathing — into the lower and upper lungs — has a calming effect on your body. In a study of athletes who experienced an exercise-induced rise in cortisol levels, researchers found that deep breathing — slowly and deeply into the lungs and flexing the diaphragm (versus rib cage) — can lower cortisol levels and increase melatonin (which helps you sleep).
Reframe stress. How we react to stress depends on how threatening we perceive a particular stressor to be. Instead of automatically projecting the worst-case scenario, which immediately increases stress levels, take a step back and reframe: Shift your focus by viewing a potential stressor (person or situation) in a new way. By changing how you see something, you can lower your stress immediately. For example, rather than feeling angry and annoyed about hosting your cheap in-laws over the holidays, reframe. Consider it a gift that they’re cheap: Since you’re paying, you’re in control of what’s happening — and what’s not — during their visit!
Go "hands-on." Too many cooks in the holiday kitchen? Leave — and get a massage! A 2012 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed that athletes who received a weekly Swedish massage had decreased cortisol levels and increased white blood cells, benefiting their immune system. A massage also increases the production of dopamine and serotonin, the feel-good hormones we release when doing something pleasurable.

Leptin

If you’re on the holiday party circuit and staying out past midnight, then awakening early for a go-go day, you’re setting yourself up for leptin dysfunction.

Leptin, a hormone released from your fat cells, decreases hunger. It helps us feel full by telling the brain that we have enough fat, and that it’s OK to stop eating. A natural weight-control mechanism, leptin regulates appetite, energy and the rate at which you burn fat. For example, when leptin levels rise, your appetite decreases and your metabolism increases — an ideal weight loss scenario. Conversely, when leptin levels are low, your appetite increases and your metabolism slows. Low leptin also increases cortisol, which stores fat and burns muscle.

How long you sleep affects your leptin levels and body mass index (BMI). When more than 1,000 volunteers participated in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study, those participants who experienced short-duration sleep (less than eight hours) had lower leptin levels and a higher BMI.

Over time, too high or too low levels of leptin can lead to hypertension, obesity, depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease. Like insulin resistance, leptin resistance occurs when both the body and the brain have stopped "listening" to leptin; for example, studies have found that obese women have more fat under their skin, and thereby have higher leptin levels. They make plenty of leptin, but the brain and body react as if the body is in a famine state.

Getting enough sleep and limiting your sugar and refined carb intake promotes healthy leptin levels.

Rx:

Sleep! (and lose weight): This should be your top priority! Not getting at least eight hours of sleep has been linked to low leptin levels, making you susceptible to weight gain.
Be mindful of your sugar intake: Regular consumption of sugar can lead to leptin resistance. This includes sugar in all its forms: table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, maltose, glucose and artificial sweeteners (many of which are derived from fructose). Studies have shown that regular fructose consumption — in soft drinks and processed foods — contributes to leptin resistance.
Take fish oil: Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids which you can get from eating fatty fish, like salmon, or supplementing with fish oil, are linked to decreased hunger and may help fight leptin resistance.

Insulin

From breads, pastries and home-baked Christmas cookies to eggnog, wine and beer, the holidays are a celebration of sugary food and drink. How much and how frequently you eat refined sugar and starchy foods will affect your insulin levels.

A hormone produced in the pancreas, insulin helps "unlock" the body’s cells so that sugar (glucose) from the foods we eat can be used by the cells for energy; it also regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin helps cells in the liver, muscles and fat tissue absorb glucose from the blood. This glucose is then stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. In fat cells, glucose is stored as triglycerides.

Insulin resistance is a condition when the brain and cells of the body increasingly become desensitized to the effects of insulin (its main job is lowering blood sugar), resulting in high levels of glucose in the bloodstream which, over time, can be toxic. Insulin resistance is linked to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and polycystic ovary syndrome.

To reduce or eliminate insulin resistance, eat in a way that balances your blood sugar and reduces inflammation.

Rx:

Eat more protein: Eat high-quality protein at every meal, especially at breakfast. Good sources are free-range eggs, pastured meats and nut butters.
Eat more fat: Eating healthy, quality fats promotes satiety and stabilizes blood sugar. Contrary to popular belief, eating fat does not make you fat! Good sources of fat include organic virgin raw coconut oil, grass-fed butter, extra-virgin olive oil, grass-fed ghee, duck fat and other pastured animal fats, like tallow, as well as nuts and avocados.
Reduce refined sugars and starches: What! Over the holidays? It’s your choice. But know that frequent nibbling on refined sugars (cookies, pie, cocktails) and starches (like bread, pasta and pizza) is the fastest way to gain weight because our cells simply can’t handle large amounts of glucose at one time. And glucose that isn’t used gets stored — as fat.
Exercise: You don’t have to run a marathon or do Crossfit. Basic movement, such as walking for 30 to 60 minutes daily can have a positive effect on insulin resistance.

Thyroid hormones

During the holidays, stress can take on many forms: spending way over your allotted budget on gifts, busy schedules spent shopping, cooking and baking, and dealing with "eccentric" family members, like Uncle Alan whose idea of scintillating conversation is telling dirty jokes in mixed company. Stress also affects your thyroid.

Ideally, your thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your throat, makes just the right amount of thyroid hormones that tell the cells in your body how fast to burn energy. When your thyroid is working properly, your metabolism is balanced and you have energy, just-right body temperature (not too hot or cold) and your weight is stable.

If, however, you’re chronically exhausted, always have cold hands and feet, seem unable to lose weight and experience brain fog, you may have hypothyroidism (low thyroid). Proper thyroid function is closely intertwined with the health of your adrenal glands, which produce hormones that respond to stress.

The adrenal glands and thyroid are highly sensitive gatekeepers to your body’s hormone-producing system. The adrenals, which produce cortisol, are very reactive to stress. Unrelenting stress weakens the adrenal glands. This leads to a slowing down of the thyroid, which you’ll feel as fatigue, sluggishness and persistent weight gain.

Eating quality protein and limiting stimulating food and drink (caffeine, sugar, refined starches), as well as your gluten and wheat consumption, can go a long way to optimizing thyroid health. Especially under stress.

Rx:

Eat the highest-quality protein possible (pastured chicken, turkey, beef, lamb or eggs) at every meal. The thyroid can’t function properly without adequate protein.
Go easy on caffeine: Drinking caffeinated beverages when you’re already run down stresses the adrenals.
Limit gluten and wheat: If you suspect a low thyroid condition, avoid or limit eating wheat and gluten-containing grains. Most people who have an issue with gluten don’t know they do. Approximately one in three Americans have a gluten sensitivity, where some kind of immune reaction occurs in the presence of gluten.

Progesterone

Progesterone is made in the ovaries and also produced (in smaller amounts) in the adrenal glands. Progesterone is the pre-hormone of cortisol, the stress hormone. This means that if you experience chronic stress, you’ll need more cortisol than your body can produce, forcing it to "steal" from cortisol’s pre-hormones — pregnenolone and progesterone — leaving you with low progesterone.

It’s not a fun scenario. Low progesterone can cause anxiety, night sweats, poor sleep, irregular menstrual cycles and mood swings.

Aim to manage stress, since elevated levels of cortisol (see above) can deplete progesterone.

Rx:

Vitamin C: Not only will vitamin C boost your immunity, Vitamin C at a dose of 750 mg a day has been shown to raise progesterone levels in women.
Limit intake of caffeinated beverages. While caffeine doesn’t directly lower progesterone, it does raise your cortisol levels, and high levels of cortisol can block progesterone receptors; the net effect is that you experience symptoms of low progesterone.
Limit alcohol: Again, alcohol raises cortisol (stress hormone) levels. If you’re already stressed out, alcohol takes a further toll on the body, exacerbating anxiety, low mood and headaches. Plus alcohol is stored as belly fat.

Source: www.sheknows.com

5 Ways To Lose Weight For Summer Without Going On A Crazy Diet

2014-04-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

It’s that familiar time of year. Everything is about “getting ready for bikini season,” and the pressure is on to slim down and tone up.

When I used to obsess over my weight and constantly diet, I used to have a love-hate relationship with this time of year. On one hand, I loved it, because the possibility of losing weight and showing up on the beach looking toned and skinny sounded exhilarating. Every year, I’d tell myself, "This will be your year. This year you’ll finally be able to lose the weight.”

However, after a few exciting weeks on a fresh, new diet, I quickly began to hate this time of year. The calorie counting got annoying and confining, the miles on the treadmill became dreadful, and constantly watching what I ate became overwhelmingly stressful.

And that’s always when I’d fall off the wagon. All of the foods I'd been denying would come flooding back in, I would pig out, feel bad about myself, and search for a new diet to start on Monday.

After years and years of going through pre-bikini season like this, I decided to do things differently. Obviously diets weren’t working. They made me feel like I couldn’t have any fun, had a horrible impact on my self-esteem, and were proving to be unsustainable.

So here are my tips for how to slim down without going into crazy diet mode. You don’t need to diet in order to have a fabulous summer and feel amazing in your skin!

1. Focus on reducing emotional eating.

Rather than focusing on every single calorie that you put in your body, if you focus on reducing emotional eating and overeating, you’re going to naturally cut down on the amount of food you consume. Most of us eat when we aren’t hungry, and therefore we eat more than we need. Focus on how often you’re eating when you’re bored, uncomfortable or stressed and work on finding other ways to cope with these feelings other than with food.

2. Add IN healthy options instead of taking OUT unhealthy food.

We don’t do well with removing foods from our diet. We feel restricted, those foods feel forbidden and all we want to do is stuff our faces with whatever food we aren’t “allowed” to have. Instead, make it a point to add IN more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Having pizza? Great, but get a salad too. These foods will help fill you up so that you naturally refrain from eating as much of the less nutritious food.

3. Make exercise fun and reconsider your “why.”

We tend to duck out on exercise plans when they feel boring and like a chore. The more we can make our movement interesting and fun, the more likely we are to stick with it. Change up your workouts, get outside, try a new class or get a group of friends together to move. Also, reconsider your “why” for exercising. If you’re working out to look hot in a bikini, that’s not an empowering reason because it sends a message to yourself that you’re not enough right now. Instead, reframe exercising with a more empowering “why.” Do you want to exercise so that you can run a 10K with your boyfriend? Do you want to feel strong in order to keep up with your kids? Hone in on an empowering “why.”

4. Have more fun.

This one is pretty simple. Have more fun in your life on a daily basis, and food won’t matter quite as much. You’ll naturally eat less without even realizing it. Think back to a time when you were having a blast — maybe on your wedding day, on a vacation, or when you lived abroad. Many clients tell me that during these times they’ve “naturally lost weight.” Focus on having more fun and enjoyment in your life, and food won’t need to play as big of a part.

5. Make it social.

When we start slimming down for the summer, we tend to withdraw from social activities. Happy hour? No, I can’t do that — I need to go to the gym! The problem with feeling the need to diet and exercise all the time can make our lives boring. Instead, create community around your goals. Go for morning walks with a friend, get your girlfriends together for a healthy dinner party, or commit to taking real lunch breaks twice a week with a co-worker (real lunch breaks = more pleasure = less food needed!)

Source: www.mindbodygreen.com

How To Get Started Teaching Private Yoga Lessons

2014-04-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

So many yoga teachers are attracted to teaching private yoga lessons — and for good reason! Private yoga sessions allow yoga teachers to deepen their instruction and the art of designing truly customizable practices for their clients. They also help develop a skill set that differs from group-led classes, and enhance the possibility of teachers reaching more students and growing their bottom line. The best part, though, is being able to deliver transformative one-on-one sessions and connect with yogis in a profound way.

There are so many benefits yogis and yoga teachers can derive from working on a one-on-one basis, but still, one of the most common questions I hear from my mentor clients, in social media circles for yoga teachers, and in private conversations with new and seasoned yoga teachers is, "How do I get started teaching private yoga sessions?"

Like all things new, there can be a learning curve when setting out to teach truly remarkable one-on-one sessions. You’ll find the three steps below are great starting points and wonderful topics to revisit as you are developing your private sessions. Before you read on, the best piece of advice is to just start with one person, one private lesson, and use each opportunity as a point to grow your offering and your business.

1. Figure out who you are serving.

It’s an honorable thought to think that you can help everyone (most yoga teachers have had this thought more than once), but the truth is, you just can’t.

Get clear about your who. Who are you trained to work with? Who do you enjoy working with? What types of people, with what types of problems are you jazzed to work with? The more specific you can get about who you should be serving, the easier it is to speak to them and market to them.

Your call-to-action step: Sit down and come up with some adjectives that describe your dream private client. Give yourself some time to really mull over the question and let it evolve. Once you have some buzz words, think more about who this person is — what they like, where they hang out, what problem they are suffering from that you can solve.

2. Come up with a system for success.

Systems lead to success. One-on-one sessions vary greatly from lesson to lesson and person to person, but you can create a system for before, during, and after that allow you to be professional and consistent and a master of your time.

Begin to outline the steps you take before you meet a new client, while you are with your client, and the things you do after and how you follow-up. These steps are the keys to delivering an excellent offering and can take the stress out of what to do when.

Your call-to-action step: Start your lists small — get a few ideas of things you’d like to do before, during, or after your sessions and jot them down. Think back to the steps you’ve seen others take or of the things you’ve had come up if you’ve taught a few private yoga sessions. This too will evolve as you, your business, and your teachings do.

3. Invite your perfect-fit clients to join you.

You're probably already teaching yoga in some capacity. And it’s likely that your dream one-on-one client is represented in your current student demographic (these people are gravitated toward your message, after all!). What better way to let them know of your new private session offerings than to invite them yourself!

Your call-to-action step: Think about your current students and their needs and then approach them individually to discuss one-on-one sessions. You don’t need to be slimy or sales-pitchy, just tell them the truth — you have a valuable offering that you think they could benefit from immensely, and you’d love to introduce them to it.

There is an art, a science, and a unique skill set to teaching private yoga, but with a strong foundation in place, an eager and can-do attitude, and an awareness of what it takes to deliver potent and professional private lessons as part of a sustainable yoga teaching business — you can get started.

Yoga teachers, weigh in: what was the hardest part when you started teaching private yoga sessions? If you're in the before stage, please share: what is the number one roadblock in launching your private yoga lesson offerings to the masses?

Source: www.mindbodygreen.com

7 Simple Yoga Poses To Keep Your Body Happy On Airplane Rides

2014-04-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

1. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Big toes together, small space between your heels. Knees bend, low belly engages and tailbone lengthens toward the ground. Arms extend overhead for a small lift in heart's center. This one's a basic. I mean, do you really want to put your butt on that bathroom seat anyway? Plus, it helps to bring blood flow back to your legs and warm up your upper back.

2. Ardha Chandrasana (Standing Side Bend)

Stretch out the cramped muscles around your rib cage and side abs from compressed sitting and tight space breathing. With all of the circulated air and germs flying around, I know I breathe shallower on a plane. Standing feet hip distance apart, grab opposite wrist with hand. Lengthen the spine up on the inhale, exhale move into the side bend. Keep length through both sides of the ribs while doing so.

3. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

Take this one into the aisle! Those hip flexors will thank you for giving them some counter love and opening them up after hours of being compressed and shortened in a seated position.

4. Anuvittasana (Standing Backbend)

Feet slightly separated, soft bend in the knees, place hands at lower back or grab opposite elbows behind you. Lifting up through the breastbone, draw elbows in towards one another for a gentle heart opener and a quick jolt of energy (one of backbending's signature benefits).

5. Uttanasana (Gentle Fold, or Rag Doll)

Give your lower back and tight shoulders a rest here, hanging forward with bent knees and hands on opposite elbows or lightly touching the floor (depends on how clean that floor is, I guess).

6. Parivrtta Utkatasana (Chair Twist)

Wring out and reawaken that spine! Keeping an emphasis on your breath with this one, like in all twists. From a chair pose, take hands to heart center. As you inhale, lengthen the spine out; as you exhale, move into the twist placing your elbow over opposite knee. Out with the stale air, and in with the new!

7. Standing Figure Four

This one's a bonus posture. Definitely don't attempt this one during any turbulence! From a standing position, feet hip distance, cross one ankle just above the opposite knee. Keeping your lifted foot flexed (toes curled in towards your shin), stay standing or bend into the standing leg to whatever degree you find comfortable. Optional: interlace hands behind the small of your back and extend your arms with heels of palm together for a sweet shoulder and chest opener. Hint: Try this one on land first before attempting in the air.

Source: www.mindbodygreen.com

Weight Loss Juice Recipes

2014-04-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

If you think that only foods are important for you weight loss, think again. The studies shown that not only a proper and healthy food it’s important for a diet, but also the fact that we have to take care about the quantities of sugar that we eat. So, for an effective weight loss you have to choose the proper drinks that will help you to lose weight and to hydrate you, and not to increase the body fat. Because the drinks are important in your diet, I will present to you some weight loss juice recipes that will help you to lose weight.

What you should take into consideration is the importance of what you eat and drink. It is true, you have to choose foods that will help you to control and decrease your weight, but don’t forget about this big “detail”; drinks. Sometime an uncontrolled drink diet can harm you very bad and more than this can increase the body fat. Renounce at the soda and try to bring in your daily diet the weight loss juice recipes.

Weight loss juice recipes will help you to fulfill the purpose of drinks, but with the advantage of not ruining your diet. If you do not know how much harm is done to your body by the sodas, look on the product’s label and you will see the big quantity of the sugar. You will see that some drinks have 400 gr of sugar inside.

This weight loss juice will hydrate your body, will bring minerals and vitamins in your body and will have a nice taste in the same time. You do not need to drink sodas from market, you any have to prepare these weight loss juice recipes in your home from fresh and natural ingredients.

o Weight Loss Juice Recipes No. 1 – Green Lemonade

Ingredients for this weight loss drink

Apples – 2 medium (3″ dia)
Cucumber – 1 cucumber (8-1/4″)
Kale – 4 leaf (8-12″)
Lemon – 1 fruit (2-1/8″ dia)
Spinach – 2 cup

Directions to prepare the weight loss juice

Process all ingredients in a blender, shake or stir and serve in a glass and decorated with a leave of mint and one slice of lime. This juice recipe for weight loss will be perfect for you, your family and guests. You will do a nice impression with this drink and also will lose weight in the same time.

o Weight Loss Juice Recipes No. 2 – Green Breakfast

Ingredients for this weight loss drink

Apples (green) – 2 medium (3″ dia)
Carrots – 3 medium
Cucumber – 1 cucumber (8-1/4″)
Grapes (green) – 15 grape
Pepper (sweet green) – 1 medium (approx 2-3/4″ long, 2-1/2″ dia)
Spinach – 2 cup
Tomato – 1 medium whole (2-3/5″ dia) Directions to prepare the weight loss juice

Directions to prepare the weight loss juice

Process all ingredients in a blender, shake or stir and serve in a glass and decorated with slice of carrot and spinach. This juice recipe for weight loss not only that will help you to lose weight but have also medical benefits, such as improving digestion, prevent colon cancer, pain relief, decrease the level of cholesterol.

o Weight Loss Juice Recipes No. 3 – Dr. Oz’s Green Drink

Ingredients for this weight loss drink

Apples – 2 medium (3″ dia)
Celery – 3 stalk, large (11″-12″ long)
Cucumber – 1 cucumber (8-1/4″)
Ginger – 1/2 thumb (1″ dia)
Lemon (with rind) – 1/2 fruit (2-3/8″ dia)
Lime (with rind) – 1 fruit (2″ dia)
Parsley – 1 bunch
Spinach – 2 cup

Directions to prepare the weight loss juice

Process all ingredients in a blender, shake or stir and serve in a glass and decorated with slice of celery and lime. The medical benefits of this weight loss juice recipe, beside the fact that helps you to lose weight are that increase the libido, helps digestions, asthma help, liver cancer prevention, etc.

o Weight Loss Juice Recipes No. 4 – Fruity Punch

Ingredients for this weight loss drink

Apples – 2 medium (3″ dia)
Kiwifruit – 4 fruit (2″ dia)
Lemon (with rind) – 1/4 fruit (2-3/8″ dia)
Lime (with rind) – 1/4 fruit (2″ dia)
Oranges (peeled) – 2 fruit (2-5/8″ dia)
Pineapple – 1 fruit

Directions to prepare the weight loss juice

Process all ingredients in ablender, shake or stir and serve in a glass and decorated with slice of pineapple and/or lime. The medical benefits of this weight loss juice recipe, beside the fact that helps you to lose weight are that helps digestions, stomach cancer prevention, breast cancer prevention, etc.

Combine the healthy foods and meals with above weight loss juice recipes and you will see that not only your body fat will be burned and you will lose weight, but also you will feel much better and full of energy.

Also, during the diet program and not only then, you should take a hunger suppressant to help you to control your appetite. Phen 375 not only that will help your to control your hunger but also to burn the stored fat and to accelerate the metabolism.

Source: www.effective-weightloss.net

Why Happiness Is Healthy

2014-04-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Mercola

The feeling of happiness – whether you equate it with optimism, joy, well-being, personal achievement or all of the above – goes hand-in-hand with healthier habits. People who are in good spirits tend to eat better, exercise more frequently and get better sleep than those who are not. This could be, in part, because leading a healthy lifestyle helps you achieve your goals, leading to happiness.

It could also be that such habits lead to better health, which in turn lends itself to a better mood and happiness. Beyond these rather common-sense associations, however, is intriguing research that suggests there's something more about happiness that makes you healthy.

Beyond its tendency to occur alongside better eating, exercise, and other healthy habits, it appears a positive mental state may have a much more direct effect on your body.

Happiness May Influence Your Immune Function and More

Positive thoughts and attitudes are able to prompt changes in your body that strengthen your immune system, boost positive emotions, decrease pain and chronic disease, and provide stress relief. One study found, for instance, that happiness, optimism, life satisfaction, and other positive psychological attributes are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.1

It's even been scientifically shown that happiness can alter your genes! A team of researchers at UCLA showed that people with a deep sense of happiness and well-being had lower levels of inflammatory gene expression and stronger antiviral and antibody responses.2 This falls into the realm of epigenetics—changing the way your genes function by turning them off and on.

It could be, however, that the type of happiness matters. In one study, participants answered questions about the frequency of certain emotional states, covering two different categories or types of happiness known to psychologists as:

Hedonic well-being (characterized by happiness gleaned from pleasurable experiences, such as sex)

Eudaimonic well-being (originating with Aristotle, this form of happiness comes from activities that bring you a greater sense of purpose, life meaning, or self-actualization)

Interestingly, while both are positive emotional states associated with happiness, the gene expressions they produced were not identical. Those whose sense of happiness was rooted in the eudaimonic camp were found to have favorable gene-expression profiles, while hedonic well-being produced gene profiles similar to those seen in people experiencing stress due to adversity. As reported byScientific American:3

"One interpretation is that eudaimonic well-being benefits immune function directly. But [researcher] Cole prefers to explain it in terms of response to stress. If someone is driven purely by hollow consumption, he argues, all of their happiness depends on their personal circumstances. If they run into adversity, they may become very stressed.

But if they care about things beyond themselves — community, politics, art — then everyday stresses will perhaps be of less concern. Eudaimonia, in other words, may help to buffer our sense of threat or uncertainty, potentially improving our health."

Perhaps people who are happy are less impacted by everyday stressors, and this ability to deflect stress is responsible for many of the gains to their health. Past research has also similarly found that positive emotions –including being happy, lively, and calm -- appear to play a role in immune function. One study found that when happy people are exposed to cold and flu viruses, they're less likely to get sick and, if they do, exhibit fewer symptoms.4

The association held true regardless of the participants' levels of self-esteem, purpose, extraversion, age, education, body mass, or pre-study immunity to the virus, leading the lead researcher to say:5 "We need to take more seriously the possibility that positive emotional style is a major player in disease risk."

What Drives Happiness? A Combination of Genetics, Experiences, and More

Defining happiness is virtually as difficult as defining how to achieve it, although there is some research to suggest that some people are naturally happier than others. In one study of nearly 1,000 pairs of adult twins, researchers at the University of Edinburgh suggested that genes account for about 50 percent of the variation in people's levels of happiness.

The underlying determinant was genetically caused personality traits, such as being sociable, active, stable, hardworking, or conscientious.6 Further, according to psychologist Nancy Segal, research has shown that the biggest predictor of happiness in identical twins is the happiness level of the other twin.7

In separate research, survey data from two million people in more than 70 countries showed that happiness typically follows a U-shaped curve. Happiness starts high, trends downward into middle-age, and then climbs back up among older people if they do not have severe health problems.8

Studies like these suggest happiness is set in stone, but there is far more to the picture than this. No one is pre-determined to be unhappy, and even those who tend to be naturally negative can decide to change their outlook and become happier. Further, there are many other indicators of happiness outside of your genes (or your age). CNN recently highlighted some of the most interesting research on what makes people happy:9

Emotional well-being rises with income (but only up to $75,000, after which no additional rises are seen)10

Research suggests experiences make us happier than possessions; the "newness" of possessions wears off, as does the joy they bring you, but experiences improve your sense of vitality and "being alive" both during the experience and when you reflect back on it

Older adults tend to have a greater sense of happiness than younger adults, perhaps because they regulate emotions better, are exposed to less stress, and have less negative emotions (and perhaps a diminished negative response)

Self-Acceptance May Be the Key to Happiness (Plus 9 Other Happy Habits)

There's increasing knowledge that happiness is a goal that you can actively work toward each and every day, and one way to do that may be by learning self-acceptance. In a survey of 5,000 people by the charity Action for Happiness in collaboration with Do Something Different, people were asked to rate themselves between one and 10 on 10 habits that are scientifically linked to happiness. While all 10 habits were strongly linked to overall life satisfaction, acceptance was the strongest predictor.

Yet, when answering the acceptance question (how often are you kind to yourself and think you're fine as you are?), nearly half of the respondents rated themselves at 5 or less (only 5 percent rated themselves a 10). Dr. Mark Williamson, director of Action for Happiness, said:11

"Our society puts huge pressure on us to be successful and to constantly compare ourselves with others. This causes a great deal of unhappiness and anxiety. These findings remind us that if we can learn to be more accepting of ourselves as we really are, we're likely to be much happier. The results also confirm us that our day-to-day habits have a much bigger impact on our happiness than we might imagine."

Each of the happy habits included in the survey have been linked to a more positive emotional state. Trying to practice these in your own life is just one way to boost your own personal happiness (together they spell the acronym GREAT DREAM):

Giving: do things for others

Relating: connect with people

Exercising: take care of your body

Appreciating: notice the world around

Trying out: keep learning new things

Direction: have goals to look forward to

Resilience: find ways to bounce back

Emotion: take a positive approach

Acceptance: be comfortable with who you are

Meaning: be part of something bigger

Men's Happiness Leads to a Healthy Marriage

You've probably heard the saying "happy wife, happy life," but new research actually found women's positivity levels had noimpact on the relationship. Instead, the health and attitude of the husband seemed to play a greater role, with women married to men with high levels of positivity less likely to report relationship conflicts.12

On the other hand, women whose husbands scored high on measures of neuroticism and extraversion were more likely to report conflict. Overall, married individuals tend to have better physical and emotional health than people who are not married, but the benefits likely only extend to overall happy marriages. The study suggests there are quite different markers of conflict in marriage among different genders, including even declining health. Whereas women whose husbands were in fair or poor physical health were more likely to report high levels of marital conflict, the same did not hold true for men whose wives were in poor health.

Happiness on Social Medial Is 'Viral'

Emotions are known to be contagious among people in direct contact (this is true for friends, acquaintances, and even strangers), and new research suggests they may also be contagious via social media. After analyzing over one billion status updates from Facebook users, the researchers from the University of California in San Diego found that each happy post encouraged an additional 1.75 happy updates among their Facebook friends.13 The researchers suggested social networks may be an important tool to improve mental, and thereby physical, health:14

"Our study suggests that people are not just choosing other people like themselves to associate with but actually causing their friends' emotional expressions to change… We have enough power in this data set to show that emotional expressions spread online and also that positive expressions spread more than negative.

…If an emotional change in one person spreads and causes a change in many, then we may be dramatically underestimating the effectiveness of efforts to improve mental and physical health. We should be doing everything we can to measure the effects of social networks and to learn how to magnify them so that we can create an epidemic of well-being."

Ready to Get Happy? Practice Mindfulness

Practicing "mindfulness" means that you're actively paying attention to the moment you're in right now, helping you to keep your internal focus. Rather than letting your mind wander, when you're mindful you're living in the moment and letting distracting thoughts pass through your mind without getting caught up in their emotional implications. Mindfulness can help to reduce stress-induced inflammation, and it's a strong example of how you can harness your own sense of power and control to achieve what you want in life, including a more positive, happier mental state. Simple techniques such as the following can help you to become more mindful:

Pay focused attention to an aspect of sensory experience, such as the sound of your own breathing

Distinguish between simple thoughts and those that are elaborated with emotion (such as "I have a test tomorrow" versus "What if I fail my test tomorrow and flunk my entire class?")

Reframe emotional thoughts as simply "mental projections" so your mind can rest

Still, for many, happiness can be a poorly defined, elusive goal. One way to think about happiness is to define it as "whatever gets you excited." Once you've identified that activity, whatever it is, you can start focusing your mind around that so you can integrate more of it into your daily life.

Source: mercola.com

How Diet Foods and Drinks Can Actually Cause, NOT Prevent Diabetes

2014-04-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Mercola

Many people equate eating sugar with the development of type 2 diabetes, and in an attempt to be healthier choose sugar-free diet products instead.

Imagine the irony if those diet products actually contained substances that cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels and contribute to the onset of diabetes. Now stop imagining, because this isn't just a fantasy … it's the disturbing result of a newly published study.

Two Toxic Food Additives Common in Diet Foods May Cause Diabetes

A new study using mice as models showed that two additives often put in everyday foods to enhance flavor and reduce calories can actually cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels, and contribute to the onset of diabetes. The toxins in this startling new study are aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG), and the evidence is stacked against them both.

The research showed that aspartame alone can cause an increase in fasting blood glucose levels and reduced insulin sensitivity. But when the two additives get together, they become partners in crime and cause an elevation in both weight and fasting glucose levels.

This is the first study ever to show the hyperglycemic effects of chronic exposure to a combination of these common food additives. Indeed, the consumer must exercise caution, as many mass-market foods contain both aspartame and hidden MSG – the perfect combination for diabetes development.

Researchers noted:

"Aspartame (ASP) and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) are ubiquitous food additives with a common moiety: both contain acidic amino acids which can act as neurotransmitters, interacting with NMDA receptors concentrated in areas of the Central Nervous System regulating energy expenditure and conservation."

What You Need to Know About Aspartame and MSG

Many conventional nutritionists will actually recommend artificial sweeteners like aspartame as a smart choice over sugar, especially for people with diabetes, but you should know that, as a result of its unnatural structure, your body processes the amino acids found in aspartame very differently from those in a steak or a piece of fish.

Largely due to the unnaturally high ratio of this amino acid resulting in relatively dangerous levels, the amino acids in aspartame literally attack your cells, even crossing the blood-brain barrier to attack your brain cells, creating a toxic cellular environment of overstimulation called excitotoxicity. MSG is also an excitotoxin, and works synergistically with aspartame to create even more damage to your brain cells.

This is one of the major reasons why I do not recommend taking isolated amino acid supplements.

But the damage does not stay confined to your brain, as food additives like artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and MSG can lead you down a path of food addiction, obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, while increasing your risk for numerous chronic diseases.

Consider MSG, which is added to 80 percent of all flavored foods. MSG excites the part of your brain that's in charge of your fat metabolism and storage, and has even been shown to scar the hypothalamus gland, inducing what is known as hypothalamic obesity.i So while MSG is most known for its excitotoxic properties, it's also used to fatten up mice in scientific studies. Yes, MSG is the perfect obesity drug.

Aspartame and MSG Can Make You Fat

It's speculated that the hormone leptin may be involved in weight gain, as those who consumed more MSG also produced more leptin.ii Researchers noted that MSG consumption may cause leptin resistance. The way your body stores fat is a highly regulated process that is controlled, primarily, by leptin. If you gain excess weight, the extra fat produces extra leptin that should alert your brain that your body is storing too much fat and needs to burn off the excess.

To do this, signals are sent to your brain to stop being hungry and to stop eating.

It is very important that your brain is able to accurately "hear" the messages leptin sends it, as otherwise you will continue to feel hungry and will likely continue to eat and store more fat. Leptin resistance occurs when your body is unable to properly respond to leptin's signals, which means your body can no longer hear the messages telling it to stop eating and burn fat -- so it remains hungry and stores more fat.

This will not only contribute to your weight gain, but also increase your risk of many chronic illnesses, as leptin resistance plays a significant, if not primary, role in heart disease, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, reproductive disorders, and perhaps the rate of aging itself. How does this all happen? By overexposure to high levels of the hormone, which is triggered by the typical American diet full of sugar, refined grains, and processed foods -- including those that contain MSG.

Animal studies have also shown that dietary MSG induces markers of insulin resistance,iii a direct cause of type 2 diabetes, while prior research by Ka He and colleagues found the additive may increase your likelihood of being overweight by three-fold.iv

Similarly, one reason for aspartame's potential to cause weight gain is because phenylalanine and aspartic acid – the two amino acids that make up 90 percent of aspartame -- are known to stimulate the rapid release of insulin and leptin, which are both intricately involved with satiety and fat storage. Insulin and leptin are also the primary hormones that regulate your metabolism. So even though you're not eating calories in the form of sugar, aspartame can still raise your insulin and leptin levels. Elevated insulin and leptin levels, in turn, are two of the driving forces behind obesity, diabetes, and a number of our current chronic disease epidemics.

Why Our Food is Making Us Fat

It's likely that the cumulative effects of food additives in a highly processed diet are in large part to blame for the rising rates of obesity in the United States and other developed countries. This includes not only MSG and aspartame, which the featured study showed work synergistically to cause even more health damage, but also other ubiquitous food additives like corn and sugar.

Indeed, corn's weight-promoting property is highly prized in animal husbandry where it is used to fatten up cattle before slaughter. Corn oil is commonly used in fried foods, which are notorious for their ability to pack on the pounds. But corn's main deleterious effects come from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is used in so many processed foods that it's now almost impossible to avoid thanks in large part to the collusion between the food industry and government that serves to provide lavish subsidies to grow corn, which manipulate normal market forces.

Ultimately, sugar in all forms (including fructose, date sugar, molasses, coconut sugar, agave syrup, HFCS, etc.) increases your insulin and leptin levels and decreases receptor sensitivity for both of these vital hormones, and this is anothermajor factor in premature aging and age-related chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as a leading cause of the climbing rates of overweight and obesity in developed countries. So while MSG and aspartame in diet foods should certainly be avoided, the answer isn't to simply swap them out for sugar-laden processed alternatives...

Number of Kids Hospitalized With High Blood Pressure Doubles in 10 Years

This startling statistic is another product of our increasingly nutrionally devoid, food-additive-laden processed diets. The number of kids treated in U.S. hopsitals for high blood pressure nearly doubled from over 12,660 in 1997 to more than 24,600 in 2006.vThe researchers speculated that the biggest factor behind the massive increase is the corresponding rise in childhood obesity.

Unfortunately, children often mimic their parents, and without a positive role model for healthy diet and exercise, may fall into the same traps that many adults are finding themselves in. But the key to remember is that swapping out your child's regular soda for diet soda is not the answer... swapping out most processed foods for pure, healthy, whole foods is.

Rising Diabetes Rates Worldwide May Have Unforseen Consequences...

Also an interesting study came out last month that showed rising rates of type 2 diabetes in Africa could actually encourage the spread of malaria. As diabetes rates rise, so do cases of hyperinsulinemia, or high levels of insulin in your blood. Insulin actually suppresses mosquito's immune systems, which means that as more insulin enters the mosquito, their imune systems become less able to fight off the malaria infection, which means they are much more likely to spread malaria among humans.

Every year, malaria results in about 1 million deaths—which is half as many people as are killed by HIV/AIDS annually. It is such an enormous problem in Africa that each African child has, on average, between 1.6 and 5.4 episodes of malaria fever every year, so the fact that it could get even worse -- because of the ill effects of eating a poor diet, which is increasing rates of type 2 diabetes -- is an alarming prospect.

Did You Know Type 2 Diabetes is Nearly 100 Percent Preventable... and Reversible Without Drugs?

It's important to understand that many of the conventional recommendations for treating diabetes are not only flawed but dead wrong, and I discussed the reasons why in this previous article. To reverse the disease, you need to recover your body's insulin and leptin sensitivities – the ones that are so badly upset by eating a poor diet. So the ONLY way to accomplish this is through proper diet and exercise. There is NO drug that can correct leptin signaling and insulin resistance...

Adhering to the following guidelines can help you do at least three things that are essential for successfully treating, and reversing, diabetes: recover your insulin/leptin sensitivity, help normalize your weight, and normalize your blood pressure:

Severely limit or eliminate sugar and grains in your diet, especially fructose, which is far more detrimental than any other type of sugar. Following my Nutrition Plan will help you do this without too much fuss.

Exercise regularly. Exercise is an absolutely essential factor, and without it, you're unlikely to get this devastating disease under control. It is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to lower your insulin and leptin resistance. I recommendreviewing my exercise program for tips and guidelines. It is also critical to work your way up to include some Peak Fitness exercises.

Avoid trans fats.

Get plenty of omega-3 fats from a high quality, animal-based source, such as krill oil.

Optimize your vitamin D levels. Recent studies have revealed that getting enough vitamin D can have a powerful effect on normalizing your blood pressure.

Optimize your gut flora. Your gut is a living ecosystem, full of both good bacteria and bad. Multiple studies have shown thatobese people have different intestinal bacteria than lean people. The more good bacteria you have, the stronger your immune system will be and the better your body will function overall.

Fortunately, optimizing your gut flora is relatively easy. You can reseed your body with good bacteria by eating fermented foods (like natto, kefir, raw organic cheese, miso, and fermented vegetables) or by taking a high-quality probiotic supplement.

Address any underlying emotional issues and/or stress. Non-invasive tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)can be extremely helpful and effective.

Get enough high-quality sleep every night.

Monitor your fasting insulin level. This is every bit as important as your fasting blood sugar. You'll want your fasting insulin level to be between 2 and 4. The higher your level, the worse your insulin sensitivity is.

Source: mercola.com

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1550 B.C.

1564

1700s

1839

1873

1916-1950

1960

1965

1972

1976

1980s

1992

1998

2000

2005

2010

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HOLIDAY

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Cortisol

Rx:

Leptin

Rx:

Insulin

Rx:

Thyroid hormones

Rx:

Progesterone

Rx:

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