Wellness And Weight Loss Tips

Skin Cancer Are You at High Risk For Skin Cancer

2008-12-04T12:50:00.002+07:00

By: James S Pendergraft

If you have been reading newspaper or listening to news regularly over the past few years, you should have come across several warnings telling us to protect ourselves from skin cancer. Whilst there are many who do pay attention to these cautions, a shocking count of women still ignores them. If you are amongst those women that ignore these warnings, you are likely to think that it's impossible for you to get affected by skin cancer. Again, you might feel it to be no harm, if you miss applying sun tan lotion while moving out.

Skin cancer is not a rare phenomenon, as people consider it to be. Whilst it's true that staying unprotected in the sun for short duration seldom leads to cancer, you might still face its wrath. Most women get affected with skin cancer after exposing themselves to the sun for a long period of time. As a matter of fact, almost 75% of women diagnosed with it every year have a history of constant sun exposure. Although cancer might occur after severe sunburns, it usually results for many years in the sun.

Do you stay long in an open environment for long periods and get frequently bathed by sun without having any protection on your skin? If you do, then are you at high risk for skin cancer? Again, is there any spot on your skin, which has been bothering you for long? Can it be cancerous? If you even have a feeling that the spot can be cancerous, you should immediately schedule a visit with your doctor!

Definite diagnosis can only be made once a biopsy is performed.

Over 99 percent of women, who are diagnosed with cancer on their skin, have:

Basal cell skin cancer: Women developing these sores find that a pimple or a scab grows on their skin, bleeds or drains, and then scabs again. This cycle is seen to continue repeatedly and has been found tough to heal completely.

Squamous skin cancer: It looks similar to basal carcinomas. They also appear rough and have scaly patches on the skin, which do not disappear.

These 2 cancer types usually appear in nose and similar other regions of the skin, which frequently receives direct rays from the sun. Skin of your nose is very much tender, and can be at high risk for non-melanoma cancer. Both basal cell and squamous skin cancer are treatable, if you choose to remove them surgically.

Usually, women develop non-melanoma cancers on their nose or face. However, sometimes melanoma occurs on their face too. Such cancer types spread rapidly and can be deadly, if it stays undetected and untreated in its initial stages. Sometimes, it's difficult to differentiate the two types. This is the reason why you should see a doctor, whenever you notice something wrong with your skin.

If you have a belief that you are at high risks of skin cancer, you should immediately schedule appointments with your doctor. Skin cancers can be successfully treated, if they are caught in their initial stages.

Your life might totally depend on the early detection & diagnosis of a bothersome sore on the skin. So don't even think about delaying!

Women's Abortions Clinic Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women's Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including abortions, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory services and sexually transmitted disease screening and counseling. Women's Abortions Clinic

Breathe Your Way Towards Healthier Life - 5 Simple Steps of Tai Chi Breathing

2008-11-22T11:49:00.001+07:00

“I don’t have the time to exercise!”

“I am busy! How can I spend 10 or 15 minutes to just sit there, closing my eyes and meditate?”

“I don’t have the room to do this!”

“I can’t stretch like that!”

“At that specific time, I’m not available!”

Do all the above sound familiar to most people who want to stay healthier but could not do so due to a number of reasons? The list can go on endless…

“How nice if I can get to do something easily – at anytime and anywhere, and stay healthy!”

Yes – now you can!

Huh? How?

By just changing the way you breathe, that’s all!

“Kidding me???”

No, I’m serious!

Most of us, in fact 98% of North Americans do not breathe correctly. Friends, co-workers, students, clients and vendors I came to know around me do not breathe correctly. Some of my friends I keep contact with through the Internet know how to breathe correctly but do not do so.

There are two reasons why they do not do so. First, they do not know the correct breathing methods. Secondly, they know but do not know how to learn and practice so that it becomes a habit. I would like to share in this article on how to solve these two reasons so that you too can breathe your way to healthier life and well-being, easily at anytime and anywhere.

First of all, let me explain what are not the correct breathing methods then only move on to the correct method. Most people breathe using the chest or the upper diaphragm. Worst still if they breathe through the mouth. Breathing in this way will result in shorter, shallower and coarser breath.

Shorter, shallower and coarser breath does not allow the air to go in deep enough to oxidize the cells in the lungs. This of course results in lesser oxygen intake into the blood systems. Breathing through the mouth will let unwanted elements in the air to go into our blood systems. Mouth breathing is one of the reasons that cause you to snore in your sleep.

Even if you are tired or gasping for air after strenuous sports or activities, try to breathe through the nose, except when you are swimming.

The correct breathing pattern is long, deep and in smaller flows. Long breath allows more time for the lung cells to be oxidize and send more oxygen into the blood system. This increase the metabolism rate, and increase blood circulation throughout your mind and body.

I believe most of you know what deep breathing is about, and I’m sure some of you have done this. Felt better each time you did deep breathing? Of course, you did. I will explain this from the Chinese point of view why deep breathing is good.

In meditation practice, martial arts or qigong practice, one of the requirements to make these practices effective is to “Sink the Qi into the Dantian”. Qi here means vital energy, and in the same time – air. Dantian is the acupuncture point (acu-point) at 1-2 inches below the navel which gathers the vital energy Qi for our body.

Sinking the Qi into the Dantian – can be achieved through long and deep breathing. With more vital energy coming into your body, your energy level will increase, and you will have a healthier and clearer energy body.

Breathing should be done in smaller flows. This will result in a calm and relaxed disposition and composure.

How to achieve all this?

The secret to long and deep breathing, with smaller flows is to breath with your abdomen or lower diaphragm. This is called Abdominal Breathing.

Abdominal Breathing is the key areas taught by most instructors, whether they are Tai Chi Chuan instructors, martial arts shifu, Qigong master, Yoga guru or meditation masters. From my experience in energy healing – my master emphasizes on abdominal breathing during healing session and energy meditation!

Unfortunately, some people took abdominal breathing lightly. Sad to say, some don’t even bother to learn and practice. Understandably, they have been breathing using the chest over the past… what, 10 years, 20 years 30 years? It has become their habit. So, if you want to change your breathing pattern overnight and make it a habit, you need to put in the effort to do so.

This comes to the second reason as to why people do not breathe correctly despite of knowing the technique.

First of all, I came to know that most instructor tell their students about abdominal breathing. Some showed them how to do it. But the students have to consciously doing it, and in the same time focus on the movements, motions, postures, steps etc and etc and soon before that, their forgot about their abdominal breathing!

Most of them focus on the form, not on the essence! I have a Tai Chi friend from New Zealand who shared with me that his friends do Tai Chi, but do not feel Tai Chi. Breathing forms the essential parts of the practice and for you to understand and ‘feel’ the flow of Tai Chi.

Secondly, I came to know friends who tried to practice abdominal breathing, and they got confused and breathless – don’t know which is which: the chest or the abdomen! They gave up instantly.

Thirdly, I myself took almost 2 years of conscious and constant practice to make it a habit! Now, I’m doing it unconsciously – as a habit! Thus, to consciously doing it is easy. To make it a habit takes time and effort. That’s why most give up after that!

So, how to make it a habit?

Based on Tai Chi Chuan’s healing and breathing system, plus my 23 years of experience in various meditation forms, martial arts and Tai Chi Chuan, I derived a 5-Step Systems which I call as Tai Chi Breathing to help my friends to ‘habitualize’ abdominal breathing. The 5-Steps are:

Step 1: Connect the channels with the tongue touching the upper palate.
Step 2: Abdominal breathing by using the lower abdomen.
Step 3: Use the nose to breathe, with the mouth tightly closed
Step 4: Breathe deeply, with long, slow and with tiny flows of inhaling and exhaling.
Step 5: Maintain the slow and constant breathing rhythm.

These 5 steps each consists its background and reasons, and I designed many exercises and practices for each of the steps specifically for you to master each of the steps, towards making it your breathing habit.

These steps look easy, but they require exercises and constant practice in order to make it a habit. I have friends e-mailing to me saying that how these steps helped them to keep focus and conscious effort to make abdominal breathing a habit in their life. One of them told me that he stopped smoking because of this!

Where can you get these exercises and practices. Go to my website under my name or author profile to find out more.

Till then, I wish you with great health, great joy and happiness. And may you breathe your way to a better life!

May the Energy of Tai Chi be with you! :)

***** Copyright (C), 2005 C. Guan Soo *****

You are free to distribute or publish this article provided you do not change any of the content, and/or delete my name and URL from the article. Thank you!

Written by,
C. Guan Soo
Tai Chi Chuan Practitioner

C. Guan Soo is a Tai Chi Chuan practitioner who has 23 years experience in various meditation forms, martial arts, healing, charka healing and meditation as well. He is a keen learner of eastern philosophies including I-Ching, Daoism, Buddhism, Veda’s and Jainism. You can find more details about the breathing techniques on his website: http://www.TaichiBreathing.com

How to Cure High Blood Pressure- 7 Blood Pressure Secrets Doctors Won’t Tell You

2008-11-21T23:53:00.002+07:00

Do you know how to cure high blood pressure with no medication? Most people would probably say to eat healthy (lower your salt-intake) and make sure you exercise. Unfortunately, most doctors tell you this and forget to tell you the other treatments you can be doing to lower your score and eventually be med-free.

The truth is that doctors are educated in medical schools were natural health and simple 'common sense' secrets are not taught. Unfortunately, medicine and antibiotics are only being taught because our medical industry is completely reliant upon pharmaceutical companies.

But new research is now showing the sometimes medicines are not the only treatment. In fact, some natural treatments are just as effective as their medicine counterpart.

Which is making some think, "Is there something doctors are NOT telling us?"

Naturally Treat High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure Medications (Diuretics, Beta Blockers, Alpha Blockers, and Vasodilators) work because they lower your blood pressure. The problem is that they make it look that you are healthy but are your numbers showing the truth?

High Blood Pressure medications work because they synthetically alleviate the pressure of the arteries and blood. For instance, with diuretics the blood will become less salty (less thick) and your pressure with drop. Another example would be beta blockers which synthetically cause the heart to beat slower.

Though these medications look good on paper, they are NOT treating the disease known as the 'silent killer'. In fact, they could be prolonging your life but they will never fully treat the disease. And statistics show that users will eventually die from the high blood pressure.

But what if you could naturally treat high blood pressure.

7 Hypertension Tips Your Doctor Won't Share with You

So you want to know, 'how to cure high blood pressure'? First, you need to know how to prevent high blood pressure holistically. Because curing high blood pressure starts with a holistic treatment. Holistically treating hypertension simply means using the 'whole' body to cure the problem. This is completely different than taking a pill to synthetically thin out the blood.

1. Three Miracle Minerals- If you are suffering from high blood pressure, you should be supplementing your diet with 3 miracle minerals that lower high blood pressure. Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium have been shown to help lower blood pressure.

2. Garlic- Garlic has been shown to benefit the heart, lower cholesterol and lower high blood pressure naturally. The compound in garlic, allicin, is thought to naturally lower high blood pressure. Find a quality supplement today.

3. Folic Acid- Vitamin B which is found in green leafy vegetables reduces homocysteine levels in the blood. This vitamin will lower the risk of heart disease and alleviate the pressure naturally.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar- Many or my customers have found success with apple cider vinegar which contains vitamins C, A, E, B1, B2 and B6, in addition to potassium, magnesium, and copper.

5. Relieve Stress- Do you know there are numerous ways to relieve stress? Breathing exercises, exercising, or reading a book are simple ways to relieve stress and lower high blood pressure. And there are even more than this!

6. Your Diet! You know the major Do's and Don'ts about high blood pressure dieting. Just remember to be eating your water-soluble fibers (fruits and vegetables). Fibers, especially water-soluble, will flush your system and plaque. Also, switch to whole grains! With less plaque in the arteries you will eventually be hypertension-free! Our HBP report goes into great detail about how you can treat hypertension with your diet.

7. Green Tea! It is loaded with antioxidants and research shows it lowers high blood pressure. Whether it is the 'relaxing' factor or the natural herbs in green tea, 1 cup of green tea will be helpful for your health!

Normalize your High Blood Pressure in 3 Weeks or Less

What foods should you be eating? What other vitamins are a must? What exercises are an absolute do? What herbs are making doctors scratch their heads? Why is chocolate now good for you?

Are you interested in lowering blood pressure naturally, with out drugs? We offer a 100% guaranteed, medical doctor-approved HBP Remedy Report which shares numerous natural health tips and guarantees to normalize your pressure in 3 weeks or less. If you are serious about living young again, please visit our How to Cure High Blood Pressure Website.

Resource : http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_7162.shtml

Cancer Diet - Minerals

2008-11-17T00:46:00.000+07:00

A cancer diet needs a good balance of minerals because minerals are needed by all cells for proper function. Patients are often found to be mineral deficient, so this is an area of the diet that needs particular attention.

There are two classes of minerals. Macrominerals, such as the well known calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus, and microminerals, such as boron, chromium, copper, iron, iodine, germanium, sulfur, silicon, vanadium, zinc, manganese and molybdenum.

The good news is we will get most of the minerals we need, provided we are eating a diet based on a wide variety of fruits and veggies, with the addition of nuts, seeds and grains.

Where we can get in to trouble is that minerals are washed out of soils with constant rain, and modern fertilizers don't usually contain the wide variety of minerals we need. Organic gardeners usually use rock minerals on their soils and this results in organic produce have a much higher and broader range of minerals.

Germanium is one micromineral that cancer patients are often low on. It is essential for immune function and is critical to tissue oxygenation. Cancer grows rapidly where there is low oxygenation of cells. Germanium is found in broccoli, celery, garlic, onions, rhubarb, sauerkraut and tomato juice as well as aloevera and ginseng.

Iodine deficiency has been linked to breast cancer in more than one study. Seasalt contains iodine and a variety of minerals rather than the isolated highly processed iodine additive in table salt. Asparagus, garlic, lima beans, soybeans, sesame seeds all contain natural iodine along with the nutrients needed for good absorption.

Large amounts of brassicas eg brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, along with peaches, pears and spinach can block absorption of iodine, so ensure there is a balance of iodine rich foods in your diet.

Selenium has been linked to cancer. Selenium and Vitamin E work together to attack free radicals. Selenium is critical for pancreatic function, and pancreatic enzymes are critical to the bodies ability to fight tumour activity. This mineral is generally found in meat and grains, however countries such as New Zealand and much of America is known to have selenium deficient soils.

As there have been several studies showing that good selenium levels have significantly reduced the risk of cancer, this is one mineral you want to have enough of.

Food sources that should be included frequently in a cancer diet are: brazil nuts, broccoli, brown rice, brewers yeast, chicken, kelp, onions, salmon, seafood, tuna, wheatgerm and whole grains. Garlic, chamomile, ginseng and parsley are all easy to use concentrated forms that can be added to the diet daily.

A couple of warnings:

Be very careful about self-dosing with minerals as several of them will block absorption of others if the dose is too high.

Again, eating a variety of foods, with particular notice taken of those that have high mineral levels is the safest way to go. If you wish to explore mineral supplementation further, talk to your naturopath or nutritionist. But whatever you do, don't ignore the importance of these vital elements to your well being.

by: Marilyn Bennett

VITAMIN A AND BIRTH DEFECTS

2008-11-16T23:47:00.003+07:00


    The forthcoming New England Journal of Medicine
article on the possible relationship between the
consumption of vitamin A at levels at, or above,
10,000 IU (200% of the Daily Value, or DV)
or 3000 Retinol equivalents (REs) and some types
of birth defectsraises serious public health concerns.
 A relationship between vitamin A intakes and birth
defects has been known for some time,
but the level of vitamin A that was associated with
earlierstudies was much higher than the levels
indicated by the newstudy.
    As a precautionary measure, FDA has several
recommendationsfor women of child-bearing age
relative to consuming foods containing vitamin A,
including dietary supplements.
    First, the form of vitamin A that is of concern
is pre-formed vitamin A.  Pre-formed vitamin A
is found in animalproducts, primarily liver,
and also may be added to fortifiedfoods such as
breakfast cereals and dietary supplements.
(Examples of pre-formed vitamin A include retinyl
palmitate andretinyl acetate, which are found in
the products' ingredient
                           
 Women need to limit their intakes to about 100% of
the DV for pre-formed vitamin A from these sources of
this nutrient.
    On the other hand, beta-carotene is a substance
found naturally in plants, and it can be converted
to vitamin A in the body.  It is considerably less
toxic than the pre-formed vitamin A.  Therefore,
women of child-bearing age are advised to choose
fortified foods that contain vitamin A in the form
of beta-carotene rather than pre-formed vitamin A,
whenever possible.
The vitamin A in fruits and vegetables is naturally
in the form of beta-carotene, and high intakes of
vitamin A from these sources is generally not of
concern.
    Finally, vitamin A is an essential nutrient and,
as with all nutrients, the good health of women
throughout child-bearing
years, including during pregnancy, is dependent on
consuming needed amounts of this nutrient.
Taking too little vitamin A can result in adverse
effects just as can taking in too much.
The key is in finding the "right amount" through
carefully reading product nutrition labeling.

Fifty Mistakes Men Make When Having Sex

2008-11-13T18:58:00.006+07:00

Just in case you thought the route to sexual bliss was straightforward, here's a list of things to avoid. They're all pretty much guaranteed passion killers for a woman - and if your check list contains more than ten of these, you've got some serious work to do on your sexual etiquette!

1 Going straight for the naughty bits

You've got to be sensitive to the fact that a woman is more likely to be irritated than aroused when a man dives for her breasts and vulva after a few minutes' perfunctory kissing. While you might get to feel the goods, you're not going to be invited back.

2 Not knowing how to kiss sensitively

Passionate or sensitive, firm or gentle, good kissing is an art form which lubricates the wheels of sex and gets everyone in the mood for more intimacy. Learn how to kiss, and do it well. That doesn't mean sticking your tongue in her mouth and wiggling it around like you're trying to floss her teeth.

3 Being too rough when you touch her erogenous zones

Men like a firmer touch than women, especially when it comes to our penises. So if you touch her clitoris with as much force as you apply to your penis when you masturbate, she's most likely to howl with pain - and then kick you out of bed. Remember: the clitoris has twice as many nerve endings as the penis, in a much smaller area. Treat it with respect. It's the only organ in the human body that has no function other than to provide pleasure.

4 Not stroking and caressing her

A woman's second biggest sex organ is her skin. (The first is her mind.) You can make your touch on any part of her body into a sexy caress, but you have to focus on what you're doing and put some sexual energy into your fingers while you caress her. That means not thinking about the baseball game while you're giving her a sensuous massage.

5 Locking onto her nipples like a suckling child

Yes, we know it's fun for you. To her it just feels like she's got a teething infant hanging off her breast. Lick and kiss around her whole breast before you go for the nipple, then flick your tongue gently across the nipple and around the areolae. If she likes what you're doing, you'll know by her moans of pleasure.

6 Biting on her earlobe because you think it's sexy

She may not agree with you. In which case it will just be irritating for her, not a prelude to her turning into the sex goddess you thought you were summoning up.

7 Leaving a hickey on her neck like a teenage badge of honor

If you're over sixteen, this is a no-no. If you need to know why, you're obviously under sixteen.

8 Not shaving before sex

When you're in the throes of passion, having your beard stubble brushing back and forth across her face isn't so sexy, but at least it'll produce a red rash she can remember you by.

9 Not washing your pits and bits before you have sex

If there's one thing that turns women off, it's a lover whose personal hygiene isn't up to scratch. Even though men have a higher smell threshold than women, keeping yourself clean - especially in the more intimate corners of your anatomy (like under your foreskin) - is not just a matter of courtesy, it's a ticket back to the bedroom.

10 Forgetting she has a sensuous body waiting to be stroked

Pretty much the same point we already made up above, but worth remembering: touch doesn't just have to be in the bedroom, a prelude to sex. In fact, if you touch her a lot in a loving way during the day, she'll be ready to melt into your arms by bedtime.

11 Trying to get your fingers in her underwear before she's ready

This is the mark of a gauche teenage lover who wants to get to fourth base just so he feels more accomplished as a lover. Take your time, let things evolve naturally, and apply a little sensuous touch on the fabric covering her vulva before you dive under the elastic. The hint of what's to come is often more erotic than diving straight in there.

12 Dropping the condom on the floor

Must we say why this isn't the most popular move post sex? Dispose of the condom tidily in a tissue - put it in the bin rather than down the toilet, or it's likely to float there for some time to come as a reminder of your sexual encounter.

13 Going straight for the clitoris during oral sex or masturbation

Like we said above, most women just find this irritating - and, if you press too hard, bloody uncomfortable too. Your first caresses should be on her labia, the lips of her vulva, then as she gets more aroused, you can work nearer the clitoris itself. But even when she's aroused a soft touch along the sides of her clitoris may be more acceptable for her than any pressure on the head of her clitoris.

14 Breaking off just as she's getting to the point where she wants you to keep going at all costs

Women often get so lost in their sexual arousal that they forget to give feedback. In reality, the fact that she's lying there quietly may actually mean she loves what you're doing; if so, you should feel her pressing her vulva against your mouth or fingers, or shifting like she wants more touch, rather than giving you a sense that she'd rather be out shopping.

15 Undressing her clumsily

Listen up guys: you don't have to be able to take her bra off with one hand, behind her back, while kissing her. In fact, in my experience, it's better if you don't try. She probably puts it on by fastening it first and pulling it over her head anyway. Let her take off the garments you don't understand, and whenever you do lend a helping hand, undress her gently and sensuously rather than pulling at her clothes like you're ripping the paper off a birthday present.

16 Undressing yourself inelegantly - which includes taking your socks off after your underwear

Nothing is more comical (or pathetic) to a woman than a man in his socks and pants. Except possibly a naked man wearing socks. If you don't understand why, just accept that it is so.

17 Expecting her to shave for you

You might like the baby smooth look around her vulva, but she's more likely to see this as a prickly route to itchy stubble. Ask her nicely if you'd like her to go smooth. If she says "no", accept that graciously.

18 Sticking a finger up her vagina before she's ready, willing and able

In general, women do like to be penetrated just as much as men like to penetrate, which, considering how much men like to stick things up there, is just as well. However, she'll only want you to do this when the time is right - i.e. when she's aroused enough to enjoy it. If you're giving her clitoris attention, there'll be a point where she might like to have a finger or two inside her. If so, be gentle, and start with one finger on her G-spot. Make sure she enjoys this before you put another one up there. Two fingers on her G-spot is probably as much as she will want. And be just as firm with your touch as she finds pleasurable. If you don't know what the G-spot is, then do some Google-ing before you get into bed.

19 Entering her without asking her first

What is it with men and these dark, wet places? Just keep in mind that she decides how far sex goes, and if she doesn't want to enjoy intercourse then don't press the point. This applies especially to any strategy that involves nudging your penis into position and then pressing forward without her consent, verbal or otherwise! Having said that, you don't always need to ask "May I enter you?" though it can be a romantic and sexy thing to do if you're looking deep into her eyes. Needless to say, that's most likely to happen in the man on top position, which, by the way, remains everyone's most popular position for sex.

20 Pecking away around her vagina with your penis if you can't find the way in

This is, by all accounts, many women's least desired sexual moment. If for any reason you can't get in, don't pretend you're in control and keep trying. Simply ask her to guide you in with her hand. That way you'll save a lot of embarrassment, not to mention time.

20 Pumping away without regard for her pleasure

When you've achieved your most desired objective, and your penis is inside her, you'll want to show a certain consideration for her pleasure. She may want hard and fast thrusting, but it's best to start slow and shallow. While you're making love, she'll most appreciate your efforts if you're masculine and strong - which is to say, if you act like you know what you're doing, you're considerate and gentle at first, and work up to firm and strong thrusts if she likes them.

21 Expecting her to make love bottom up

Yes, we all enjoy rear entry. But she may be more self-conscious of her butt, she may feel like a sex object, and she may not like the rather impersonal nature of this position. If you really want to do it, and you explain to her why you like it so much (i.e. "It's incredibly exciting to see your gorgeous bottom as we make love", rather than "I get so turned on fucking from behind") she'll probably co-operate from time to time, even if it's only on your birthday and hers.

22 Thrusting too hard

If you happen to be well-endowed, or she has a short vagina, and you thrust too hard, you may end up banging her cervix. This can make her shriek, though sadly not with sexual pleasure.

22 Coming before she's got excited or begun to enjoy sex

There aren't many men who can last long enough to really satisfy a woman who enjoys vaginal intercourse and G-spot stimulation. If you can't be bothered learning how to be a long lasting lover, then at least have the decency to keep going for a few minutes so she gets some pleasure. This isn't hard, and there are plenty of ways you can learn to extend intercourse and not come so quickly. Do some research on Google for "end premature ejaculation". See also number 26.

23 Not coming at all - or losing your erection when you put the condom on

If you're one of that rarer breed of men who has trouble coming during intercourse, may we respectfully suggest you see a sexual therapist? You can then deal with this problem, learn to come more quickly, and avoid giving her a numb vagina and an intimate knowledge of the exact shade of color you painted your bedroom ceiling. If you're one of the many men who lose their erection when the condom comes out of its foil wrapper and onto the head of your penis, it's back to Google for a search on, surprisingly enough, "losing erection when putting on a condom".

24 Asking her how it was for her

This is not the mark of a confident lover, so if you really want some feedback, phrase it thus: "Did you prefer it when I did X or Y?"

25 Not going down on her when she wants oral pleasure

Since oral sex on a woman is so pleasurable for most men, this seems unlikely. But if it's a question of the smell or taste being a bit much for you, try taking a shower or bath together before sex. If you just want her to fellate you and you simply can't be bothered to reciprocate with cunnilingus, then reading these tips isn't going to help you much anyway.

26 Failing to give her pleasure if you come quickly

Remember the motto: "Women come first!" As a man, you're probably going to lose interest in sex once you've ejaculated - at least for a while. In which case, make sure she comes through oral sex or masturbation before you enter her. That way, she gets her pleasure and so do you. (With the added bonus that it doesn't matter so much if you shoot quite quickly.) Just to enter her, thrust a few times, come, roll over and forget about her is the mark of a boorish lover, and you wouldn't want to be one of those, now would you?Click Here!

27 Trying to force her head towards your cock

Let's face it: she's either willing to give your oral sex or she's not. Trying to persuade her to get her lips around your glans by edging her head towards your groin is a bit crass, to say the least. If she doesn't seem to be heading that way as things hot up, just ask her: "There's something you could do that'd give me so much pleasure....."

28 Trying to force her head further down on her cock when she's giving you oral

Yes, once again we know it feels good, but you have to be considerate about it. She's not likely to be a deep throat expert, and there's no reason why she should be, since most of the pleasure of oral sex comes from the action of her tongue on your glans. Keep your hands away from her head unless it's to gently stroke her hair, and you won't feel the temptation to encourage her to go deeper.

29 Holding her head when she goes down on you

Pretty similar to number 28, but this time, holding her head and moving it up and down on your penis is the no-no. If you think that's acceptable sexual etiquette you've been watching too many of the wrong kind of films.

30 Coming in her mouth without asking her if it's OK

The taste of semen is very much an acquired taste; unfortunately it's one that few woman ever acquire. If she doesn't like it, ask her to keep going until the last minute, then tell her when you're going to come so she can move back and finish the job with a well-lubed hand. You'll get just as much pleasure, and she won't have to gag or spit your semen out. By the way, accidentally forgetting to tell her you're going to come is not permitted.

31 Thinking that a porno movie has anything to do with real life

Porn is not good for men's egos. Real life isn't like that, OK?

32 Switching on a hard core porn film without asking whether that's OK with her

Even if you find it arousing, she's not likely to, for the simple reason that much of the porn available today is fairly abusive to women. Ask her first, and if you want to share the erotic thrill of watching people have sex, get hold of some romantic sex movies that will appeal to her emotions as well as her sex drive.

33 Apologizing for the size of your penis

Just in case you ever feel inclined to apologize for not matching up to the guys in the wrong kind of movies, just remember: 98% of women would rather have a sensitive lover than one with a big penis. If you're with one of the other two percent, you need to find a new lover Or Try This.

34 Answering honestly when she asks you what your last lover was like

Guys, when a woman asks you if her butt is too big, do you tell her the truth? Enough said. Your current lover is always the most gorgeous, sexy and desirable woman around. Even if she doesn't really believe it, that's what she wants to hear.

35 Asking her if she'd mind if her girlfriend joined you

Threesomes can be exciting, but they usually just cause jealousy and upset when one partner unexpectedly finds they don't want their partner making out with another person. Needless to say, this usually happens to the woman. So be sure, be very sure, you know what you're doing before you try this one.

36 Making her do all the work

Changing positions is all very well, but asking her to ride you each time you have sex seems a bit one sided. Vary the positions, have fun, and take equal shares of the work. Don't just settle for one favorite position and flog it to death.

37 Trying to slip it in the back door by "accident"

Anal sex is something that a lot fewer couples have tried than you'd believe from what you read on the internet or see in porn. It's something you might like to try, but you both have to want to do it. She's not likely to respond with warmth if you keep pretending you're poking her anus by accident. And she won't believe you if you tell her you just didn't want to ask for directions, even if that's how you are when you're driving around lost, looking for somewhere.

38 Photographing or videoing your lovemaking

Unfortunately, as many jilted lovers can testify, taking pictures while you enjoy sex is putting power in the hands of the person who has the pictures. A good compromise is to link your video camera direct to your TV without recording the images. That way you can have the erotic thrill of seeing yourself during sex without having to worry about seeing yourself having sex on the internet in a few years' time.

39 Getting into the same old same old routine every time you have sex

Above almost everything else (except possibly being deeply in love), ringing the changes when you make love is the thing that will keep your sex life fresh and passionate. You'll be surprised just how exciting it can be when you try a new position. This is simply because every position puts a different pressure on the penis and vagina, or gives you a new perspective of your partner's body, or perhaps allows you to see entering your partner's body, and so on. Exactly which sex position feels most pleasurable will depend on the shape and size and shape of your penis and her vagina.

40 Not romancing her

Women love romance. Men put up with it, or do it to get sex. True or false? Probably true, but the romantic "chase" is deeply rewarding for most men (i.e. seducing and winning a woman makes us feel deeply fulfilled), and romance is an essential part of that process. If you're able to continue being romantic once you're an established couple, then you set yourself head and shoulders above the rest of your fellow men, and you stand that much greater chance of getting regular, passionate sex.

41 Slapping her buttocks without checking if she's into a little dominance play

No mater how exciting you may find the idea, don't land a heavy slap on her butt without trying a few lighter ones first and seeing how she reacts. If you do, you may get a slap in the face. Or a kick in the balls.

42 Trying to do sex by the book (or the film)

Don't copy the moves you see in porn films. They lack a certain something. Consideration for the woman, that would be.

43 Playing with her anus before she's excited enough to appreciate it

When you're masturbating her clitoris, and you have a finger inside her vagina, you may find that she responds well to a little anal play. If you have the position right, you can use your little finger to tickle gently at her anus as your forefinger plays with her G-spot. This may well add to her excitement - especially if she's on the verge of orgasm. If you try this before she's really excited and has stopped caring what's happening to her, you might just turn her off completely, so it might not be a bad idea to check it out with her in advance.

44 Deafening her by shouting in her ear when you come

An easy mistake to make, especially if you like to have sex in the man on top position lying close to your partner, and you like to let the world know when you come. Unfortunately she won't let you do it a second time, so bury your face in the pillow or something if you're prone to uncontrollable vocal ejaculations as well as physical ones.

45 Talking dirty without checking if she likes it

Generally a little consensual dirty talk between adults adds to the excitement. The first time your partner tells you to f*** her hot wet c*** you'll see what I mean. If that hasn't happened yet, and you'd like it to, encourage her to talk dirty to you when you're making love, and see what pops out of her mouth. You might be surprised. Remember legend has it that the quiet ones are often the most surprising in bed!

46 Lying on top of her without supporting your weight on your arms

Always remember: a gentleman takes his weight on his arms. Or elbows, or knees, or something.

47 Ejaculating on her without asking permission

Coming between her breasts or on her vulva or bottom can be incredibly exciting, but it's nice to ask her first. She may see it less a mark of your ejaculatory prowess or manhood than a mess to clear up.

48 Not controlling your ejaculation

Like we said before, a good lover makes the effort to make sure his partner is satisfied before he is.
If you have this kind of "mistake" Click Here!

49 Not spending some time with her in your arms after sex

A man who gets up after he's done the business and sets about his daily routine is probably top of most women's sexual dislikes. For her, this is a special time when a woman feels very close to her partner. She takes much longer to come down from sex than a man does, she wants to know she's loved and special, and she wants to feel adored by the man to whom she has just given her most precious asset. The very least you can do is to spend a half hour or so cuddling her while you relax after making love, even if you're not going to spend the night with her.

50 Not cleaning up after sex

And since sex inevitably involves a certain amount of fluids, keep the tissues handy for afterwards. If you feel like being chivalrous, offer her a warm towel to clean herself, especially if you aren't using condoms.

Tastes Great...Mixes Great...Works Great

2008-11-11T17:48:00.005+07:00

Advanced Weight Loss is formulated to give you a wide and complete array of nutrients. This ensures you receive all the nutrition that is contained in a well prepared and balanced meal. You can have full confidence and peace of mind that you are getting the very best science can provide to help you reach your weight loss goals.

Lose those unwanted pounds and look and feel great!

• Full meal replacement drink
• Only 134 calories with water, 214 with skim milk
• Great source of balanced nutrition; vitamins, minerals and calcium
• Excellent source of vitamin B12 with 100% recommended daily value
• Excellent source of a high quality protein-10 grams for lean muscles
• Only 21 grams of carbohydrates
• Low fat, just 1 gram
• Cholesterol-free
• Three delicious flavors; Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry
• Sixty-one percent of the 28 essential vitamins and minerals are at 100% of the recommended daily value

Start Destroying Free Radicals Today

2008-11-11T17:40:00.001+07:00

One dose (two capsules) of Veriuni Advanced Antioxidant includes 500 mg of Vitamin C, 400 IU of Vitamin E, and 30 mg of red wine extract.

The potential benefits of these ingredients has been well documented through years of scientific research. According to medical studies cited in the New England Journal of Medicine, for example, Vitamin E, has been shown to reduce risks of coronary heart disease in men and middle-aged women. What's more, scientific evidence continues to mount over the benefits of Vitamin C antioxidants for combating risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses.

For even more benefits, Veriuni's Advanced Antioxidant mixture also includes a red-wine extract, which has been shown in several studies to reduce the risks of stroke and contains polyphenols, a potent antioxidant for even more healthy benefits.

"I just wanted to share what an excellent product the Veriuni Antioxitants are. I just started taking them last week, and I already feel happier and have as much energy as when I was a teenager. It's an awesome product--I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try an SFI product. "
- L. Slye

Why take a liquid nutrition?

2008-11-11T17:24:00.003+07:00

One word--ABSORPTION!!!

The nutrients in Veriuni's Advanced Liquid Nutrition are up to 98% absorbable. This is a large difference when compared to capsules or hard compressed "horse pills" that can have an absorption rate as little as 5-10%. Not only are those pills hard to swallow and so often give that unfavorable vitamin aftertaste, they aren't nearly as effective as a liquid. Why waste money when all you really need is Veriuni Liquid Nutrition? It is as easy as one ounce per day!

Advanced Liquid Nutrition is a truly unique dietary supplement because one ounce contains nearly every daily nutrient required for protracted health. Read the label carefully! 77 plant derived minerals, 13 vitamins, 18 amino acids, 12 herb and 7 other nutrients are incorporated in this great tasting product.

NOTE: Plant derived minerals should not be confused with metallic minerals which come from clay, ground up rocks and soil, sea water, or the Great Salt Lake.

So if you're someone that dreads taking capsules or tablets for your daily nutritional supplement, Veriuni Liquid Nutrition is the answer. The nutrients in Veriuni Liquid Nutrition come from natural sources, such as the plant derived colloidal minerals. They are easily recognized by the body and are absorbed at their maximum capacity.

Customer Feedback

"My VERIUNI Advanced Liquid Nutrition just arrived... That stuff is GREAT! We were without it for a few days and that rapidly becomes intolerable...If you aren't taking this excellent nutritional supplement, I highly recommend it to you. The taste, ingredients, and delivery system are the best I've ever seen. When you try it, you'll feel the difference like we do!"
- E. Roeser

"I received the VERIUNI Advanced Liquid Multivitamin about four days ago. My blood pressure was sky high. I've been taking a one-ounce dose three time a day, and my blood pressure is normal now. I had been so light-headed. Now, I am so full of energy. GOD BLESS SFI. "
- L. Drape

"I recently started taking the VERIUNI Advanced Liquid Nutrition. I was previously taking a competitor's liquid supplement and thought that I was feeling the best that I could. Boy, was I wrong! Within less than an hour after taking the VERIUNI Advanced Liquid Nutrition, I was feeling more energetic. And each day that I take it, I am aware of an increased level of alertness and energy!!! Thanks for bringing this incredible product to the market."
- K. Stieneke

Top 7 Benefits Of Owning A Home Treadmill

2008-11-06T01:20:00.000+07:00

Fitness is a world mantra. Old and young are aiming for fitness, beauty and vitality. The way to stay fit is to exercise. The best form of exercise according to fitness gurus in walking. But world over today treadmills are extremely popular and outsell other fitness machines.

There are over 60 million treadmill owners and the number grows by over 10% each year.

Walking on treadmills has many benefits:

1. Regular walking burns calories and ones muscles. It makes blood flow and oxygenation increases. Treadmills are known to help burn calories at faster rate than any other form of exercise.

2. Treadmills prevent the body from becoming complacent and constant present the muscles with variations as well as increased levels of difficulty.

3. Exercising on a treadmill is perfect cardio vascular exercise.

4. With a treadmill in the home aspects like good weather, rain, snow, or sleet does not matter. The walking can be done from the comfort of home or office and an anytime.

5. Treadmills are low impact and so injuries are minimized. High end treadmills have surfaces that reduce impact and reduce pressure. Achilles heels, tendons, knee joints, back muscles, ankles, and thighs are all protected from injury while burning calories.

6. Treadmills have many options and so you can set fitness goals and stimulate running up and down hills, work on speed training, set conditioning goals, and weight loss aims.

7. Benefits include working of all skeletal muscles, the heart and respiratory system. So with the least amount of effort and time spent the needs are met. THRT , or target heart rate training is achieved.

It is possible to reap the benefits of good health by buying the right kind of treadmill. Buying a treadmill is not important it is its proper use by chalking out an optimal exercise program. Exercise routines can be completed while listening to music or watching television. All that is essential is determination and a good pair of running shoes. A study reported in the Journal of American Medicine indicated that exercising on a treadmill outpaced an exercise bicycle, rowing machine, or cross country skiing machine.

Burning calories is one aspect of using a treadmill. Other benefits are seen in people suffering from hypertension, osteoporosis, back pain, or knee troubles.

According to Harvard Medical School walking for forty-five minutes five times a week will cut your chances of getting the flu or cold by half. Treadmills are beneficial and even have advance features that help track the progress of the user. To reap maximal benefits users must learn all about the correct footwork, hip rotation, arm swing, and footwear. To maximize the work out it is important to aim for the target heart rate zone. For this an user needs to subtract his or her age from 220 to deduce the maximum heart rate or MHR. The ideal target zone should be between 50-90 % of the target zone.

A treadmill can put users on the fast track to good health.

by: Timothy Rudon

Purify Your Body With Natural Body Detox

2008-11-06T01:07:00.000+07:00

Like every thing else the human body needs to be cleansed inside out every now and then, otherwise the accumulation of harmful, or in some cases even poisonous elements, may cause serious diseases, mental and physical fatigue, pains in various parts of your body, and an overall degeneration. So if you are trying to retrieve that lost spark, if you want to regain that zest for life, natural detoxification is the way to go. Get rid of those terrible toxins by natural body detox methods.

Detox methods clean the blood in your liver, through the kidneys, lungs, skin and intestine. And natural body detox methods are the cheapest and safest way of cleaning your body thoroughly.

Obviously, as a preparatory measure, prior to the beginning of your natural body detox, you have to bar further toxins from entering your body. Products which we consume regularly, such as, coffee, nicotine, refined sugar, alcohol, saturated fats, all contain toxins. So stop indulging yourself before you start natural detoxing. Other products of day to day use such as shampoo, toothpaste, soap, floor cleaners etc all contain toxins, so for the time being check the use of all that stuff.

Having stopped effectively the entry of more toxins, you can begin with the actual natural body detox process. Here are some of the ways in which you can have a natural body detoxification:

Natural Body Detox Method #1:Juice Fasting: this method requires you to drink only glasses of juice for up to three days. The juices of fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds except citrus fruits like oranges and lemon. However, before continuing this method of natural body detox for more than three days you should always consult a doctor or a qualified nutritionist.

Natural Body Detox Method #2: Water Fasting: water fasting is perhaps the most effective way of natural body detox. For a day or two, you are supposed to live on a diet of water only. What happens is that the water flushes the toxins out of your system, but keep in mind that before extending this for more than two days consult a doctor or a health specialist. Like juice fasting water fasting too should be done while you are at home, in order to cope with the discomforts like headache etc while the toxins are being flushed out.

Natural Body Detox Method #3: A Healthy Diet: Good eating habits are not only a measure of natural body detoxification, but a healthy diet is something you should follow all year round for general benefits. Fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, raw nuts keep your system healthy and cleanses it too.

Natural Body Detox Method #4: Saunas: a sauna or a steam bath cleanses the dirt out of your body pores, so it not only detoxifies through your skin but also does away with the toxins deposited in the fat cells. Saunas are therefore a must in natural body detoxing.

Natural Body Detox Method #5:Skin Brushing: another method that enables you to detoxify your body through your skin, instead of your internal organs is skin brushing. Take a dry skin brush, and in gentle circular motions brush your skin, starting from your feet. This gets rid of the dead calls of your skin and cleans it.

Before getting started zero in upon the method(s) that suit you best and follow it. Natural body detox is something we all need, but get to know about the various methods and before undertaking a rigorous routine always consult an expert.

by: John Khu

The Best Way To Prevent Cancer And Get Healthy

2008-11-06T00:38:00.000+07:00

It’s not unusual matter if you are asked to consume fresh fruit and vegetables to prevent cancer. Once you took those foods rich with antioxidant, you are preventing various kinds of diseases from your body.

Okay, so what’s the correlation between cancer and antioxidant? Have you got information on those two subjects? Of course you know that cancer is very dangerous, and that it may take your life away if it’s not treated well or earlier. One of the ways of preventing cancer is by taking antioxidant. Now let us see further details about antioxidant and how it’s going to make our body healthy.

Our body naturally produces chemical elements (reactive molecules) called free radicals. They can cause permanent damage to our cells. Cancer, aging, and cardiovascular disease are the causes of this damage. To protect us from these diseases, antioxidant plays a great role.

Antioxidant protects body cells from the bad impacts of free radicals, such as pollution, exhaust fumes, radiation, certain drugs, chemical exposure, and even processed food. How can you get this antioxidant then? Actually, our body has built natural methods of antioxidant in order to neutralize the free radicals. However, today’s environment is hazardous and has increased more free radicals which our body may not maintain anymore. Luckily, we have the nature to help us live longer.

Yes, the nature produces many important substances that function as good antioxidant. Food nutrients and botanicals they produce have great roles in improving body’s health. To be exact, fresh foods like fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants other than those you can get from pills. Thus, eating them will prevent you from cancer and many other diseases caused by free radicals. Talking about fresh foods, oranges, peas, and cauliflower contain a very high capacity of antioxidant.

What you might not now is that antioxidant may prevent prostate cancer, which is mostly found in men. There is a study that finds a good, protective effect in selenium. High blood levels of selenium decrease the risk of advanced prostate cancer. Thus, men who consume high levels of selenium significantly decrease prostate cancer risk. Selenium is mostly found in most plant foods and in some meats and shellfish. If you are nuts lovers, you are very lucky, as they are good sources of selenium.

So now you have gathered information about the correlation of antioxidant and cancer. Will you start a healthier lifestyle now? Yes? Great!

by: Novi White

How To Get A Man To Quit Smoking

2008-11-04T18:34:00.002+07:00

It’s my job to hypnotize people to stop smoking. I also hypnotize people to create

outrageous new possibilities in their lives. But helping people rid themselves of a

life-threatening, debilitating habit is what makes me jump out of bed in the morning.

So if you’d like to know how to help a man make the decision and take the actions to stop

smoking, you’re in the right place. But you need to understand some things first:

1. Men Vs. Women Smokers

Many of my smoking cessation clients are women. They awaken one day with this feeling inside

and say: I’m going to stop smoking!

Sometimes it’s because they want to get pregnant. Or because they worry about the link

between smoking and various cancers, heart conditions, or other diseases that affect women.

Sometimes it’s because they know they smell like smoke, or they’re wasting money, or it’s

getting harder to breathe when they exercise.

Sometimes it’s because a cute little girl said, “Mommy, I wanna smoke, just like you.”

So they make the decision, and then call me and ask how soon they can come in. If I said,

“Five minutes from now,” they’d manage to arrive on time, no matter how far away they live.

That’s how women smokers act when they quit for good. But men? Well…

2. Men Are Different And What That Means

I’m going to be doing some generalizing here, so buckle your seatbelt and know that I’m

trying to make important points that apply to many male smokers, if not all. Mea culpa, but

I believe it’s important.

To a man, smoking means something different than to a woman.

To a woman (alert: I’m generalizing again), it’s a way to hang out with her smoking friends;

something to do with her hands; an ill-advised method for keeping her weight down (she

believes) and a way to create some smoke curls that (she believes) make her look elegant,

graceful, and interesting.

To a man, though he won’t admit it, it’s tied up with his manhood.

It doesn’t really matter how, when or why he began smoking, but here are the favorites:

he learned at his father’s knee
he tried his first cigarette with a crowd of other boys
he took it up because John Wayne smoked
he wanted to rebel
he wanted to feel okay as a loner
he’ll look like he’s doing something so the woman he loves will leave him alone
he smokes outside his office building so he can bond with his boss
he started (again) because George Clooney looked so cool smoking in Good Night and Good Luck

(substitute any hot male star in any noteworthy film)

Regardless which scenario, it’s about masculinity and what that means to him.

3. Ways To Encourage A Man To Stop Smoking

There are four or five solid ways to get a guy to stop smoking. And a hundred ways to make

him smoke more in your attempt to get him to stop. If you’re a woman who loves a man who

smokes, you know many of the hundred. When I retire, I may compile them all. In the

meantime, here are some of the ways that have been tried.

4. Worst Ways

nagging him
getting his mother to nag him
showing him articles that say smoking = death
showing him articles that say smoking leads to a long list of horrible diseases
asking his doctor to tell him, especially if he finds out you did
saying he stinks, literally
saying you won’t have sex with him if he continues to smoke
saying his cough sounds symptomatic of something horrible
reminding him he swore he would stop
naming friends, relatives and celebrities who are ill or dead due to smoking

These don’t work because for most men because every time you make the argument, it will

trigger an answer that proves it’s not true for him. Remind him that so-and-so died of lung

cancer, and he’ll remember that so-and-so smoked filterless cigarettes, smoked more often

and longer.

Every time you nag, he’ll offer himself a counter-example. Every time you demonstrate why he

shouldn’t smoke, he’ll see how his situation is different.

Soon he may tune out your voice entirely when he knows a stop-smoking argument is coming.

5. Best Ways

A. He discovers for himself—physical effects in his own body, or stories about a close

friend who is very sick, or news stories, or a very smart doctor who knows how to talk to

men directly without being an alarmist. He makes the decision.

B. A child tells him, innocently and disingenuously. Kids say the darnedest things. And

spoken with such innocence, it could make a stone cry. Especially if the child is the man’s

own blood. (Bribery is okay for this good cause; just make sure the kid stays quiet.)

C. He reads an article that hits so close to home, he can’t ignore it. He just “happened” to

find this article in the house.

D. He hears from his wife or a beloved daughter these words: “I’m having a baby!” A first

(grand)child or a late-in-life baby are especially compelling.

E. A combination of any of the above.

6. What To Say When A Man Tells You He Is Stopping Smoking

Be pleasantly surprised, even if you were prepping this for months. Be pleased, and don’t

offer to help. Let him ask.

Avoid saying “It’s about time” or “I told you you’d better.” Instead try “That’s great.”

Then stop. If he looks like he is trusting you not to nag, you might quietly add “Can I do

anything?” but if you’ve been a nag, steer clear of even that.

Don’t ask about his progress, let him tell you. If he chooses to talk, be supportive and

proud of him, as if the idea was all his. Because, truthfully, it was.

Enjoy knowing you got what you wanted. Keep this enjoyment private. © 2007 by Wendy

Lapidus-Saltz. All rights reserved.

Protein and Weight Loss - Is there any Relation in these

2008-11-04T18:27:00.005+07:00

Now it has become a trend that we all are trying to switch on to low carb diet. It occurs

mainly due to the fact that high protein diet actually enhances weight loss. A recent

British study confirmed that there is a strong correlation between diet high in protein and

weight loss. The study also said that the diet high in protein triggers in releasing hormone

that influences weight loss.

Protein consumption in diet ensures the release of PYY hormone that reduces the hunger.

Researchers argued that high protein foods start out PYY secretion better than other foods.

Scientific studies also suggest that PYY should be an integral part of weight reduction

plan. Theoretically, as because a proportionate relation exists between protein and weight

loss, therefore an obese individual must eat more calories to trigger PYY compared to a

normal weight individual.

Typically, we avoid high calorie food to maintain healthy balance in life. But the truth is

if we do not get enough protein in our diet, we may suffer from varieties of health

complications. Lack of protein in our regular diet may cause harm to all the organs - from

the heart to kidney. It also causes weaker immune system; hence our health may be affected

by a variety of diseases.

The amount of protein in the diet depends essentially on three factors - sex, age and

weight. However, for normal adult man and normal adult woman the daily protein intake would

be 56 grams per day and 46 grams per day respectively.

About Weight Loss

In recent years, there are few high-protein diet programs available in the market claiming

for weight loss. However, supports received from the diet gurus and health practitioners are

generally inclined with the low calorie diet rather the high-protein ones.

However, the relation between protein and weigh loss is not appreciated by each and every

research fellow. It is said that low carb diets are mainly linked up with reduced calorie

intake and increased diet timing but not with decreased carbohydrate content.

The essential feature of low-carb high-protein diet is rapid weight loss. But it is viewed

from a different perspective by the skeptics. They rejected the theory about the relation

between the diet high in protein and weight loss and argued that it occurs mainly due to the

fact of excessive urination. When the body makes up inadequate supply of dietary

carbohydrates, it uses body's own carbohydrates stored in the liver and kidney. During this

process, the water is mobilized. The mobilized water is then discharged from the body in the

form of urine. Hence the rapid weight loss occurs at the initial stages high-protein diet.

Substituting few dietary carbohydrates with high-protein diet may lead to significant short

term weight loss benefits. But the condition says that the diet must be low-fat one as well.

Protein and weight loss may become a trendy topic in these days because of its known results

contributing to rapid weight loss. But some scientific researches have shown some long term

disadvantages as well. Therefore, a slow but certain weight loss can be ensured with a

healthy high fiber, moderate protein and low fat plan. This is not a short term plan but a

way of healthy living that we can maintain throughout of our lives.

Disadvantages of too much protein

Although, the relation between diet rich in protein and weight loss has become a

up-to-the-minute topic in today's health discussion, but we should remember that high

protein may imply high fat as well. So there is always a high risk for increasing LDL

cholesterol and total cholesterol levels with high protein intake. Hence, there is high

possibility for cardiac problems. High protein may imply low fiber as well. Low fiber diet

is not at all healthy. If we use it on a regular basis, there is an increased possibility of

getting constipated, increased risk of cancer, obesity, cardiac problem and type-2 diabetes.

by: Dr John Anne

The Dairy Calcium Myth

2008-11-04T18:26:00.000+07:00

The Dairy Calcium Myth Milk is not as high in calcium as the dairy industry would have you

believe. In Healthy Vitamins and Minerals by Jane Turner, under the section on Calcium, milk

doesn't even make the first page and sits 35th on the list with 120mg of calcium per 100g.

Some of the foods that beat it by far are sesame seeds (670mg/100g, more than 5 times!),

sardines (540), Nori seaweed (470), both more than triple, almonds (240, double!), figs

(230) parsley, spinach, watercress, kale (200-170, and these are green vegetables!) even

hazelnuts and oysters (140).

More importantly though what little calcium milk actually has is offset by the fact that it

is barely absorbable by humans since cows milk is meant for baby cows. Dr William Ellis has

conducted thousands of blood tests in people who drank 4 glasses of milk a day and found

that they had lower levels of calcium than the rest of the population.

This is because milk interferes with the digestion of nutrients by clogging the stomach and

intestines with mucous. On top of all this, cows these days are extremely unhealthy as they

have been pumped full of drugs, hormones and antibiotics (to prop them up from the diseases

they contract) in a bid to produce more milk faster. Milk has been found to have 59 active

hormones, 52 antibiotic residues, scores of allergens and contaminants such as pus from

diseased udders.

The bottom line through all of this is that, on whose authority are you trusting when it

comes deciding what goes into your mouth? Yours or the supposed 'experts' in the health and

food industry with highly toxic hidden agendas? On whose authority are you trusting when it

comes to deciding what food best fuels your body for the intensity of your workouts and post

recovery? Yours or the supposed 'experts' in the health and food industry with highly toxic

hidden agendas? On whose authority are you trusting when it comes to deciding what you

should ingest to keep you not only healthy but alive? Yours or the supposed 'experts' in the

health and food industry with highly toxic hidden agendas?

Get the picture?

Nutrition forms the absolute cornerstone for unleashing the ultimate physique that lies

within you - clean functional nutrition based on what your body requires, not what someone

would like you to eat so they can line their pockets are totally two different things.

Before you eat anything that you believe should form part of your training regime, don't

just take some 'expert's' word for gold, question everything. Seriously, don't even take my

word for gospel - check it out and test out how accurate the above data is compared to what

you hear day in day out from the health and food industry. If you're serious about making

changes to your body and life, even if you do this just once, as soon as you see for

yourself that what you're being told by those you've always believed you can trust is not

always the truth, you will never go back. The truth will empower you to seek the truth out

yourself and ensure your authority becomes rooted in what's accurate because your authority

will be none other than your own.

by: Ben Kong

Diabetes and Food Style: Turn Your Food into Your Medicine

2008-11-04T18:24:00.001+07:00

Fast paced life of modern world has necessitated us to give only lower priority to

nutrition. This is at a time when nutrition awareness of everyone is high. Instead of taking

well cooked food items, fruits and juices, people go after carbonated drinks, fast 'junk'

food, frozen and preserved food, microwave food. People also don’t take the time to enjoy

and appreciate the food they eat. Today most of us just need any food that fills the belly

for sometime.

This food habits have given rise to a variety of health problems. Significantly important

one among them is diabetes.

Ayurvedic principles tell us food is one important element that keeps a person in a balanced

state of body, mind and soul. Taking healthy food translates into healthy body.

Ayurvedic view on diabetes is no different. There are times when diabetes can attack without

any warning sign. Ayurvedic food style combined with certain herbal applications helps one

effectively manage his or her condition of diabetes.

High sugar level is the most dreaded thing about diabetes. Ayurveda recommends food items

that don't release excess sugar into the blood. Food items that are too sweet, ice cream,

chocolate, friend food items, white flour, preserved food, fast food, junk food etc are to

be avoided. Bad habits like smoking and drinking should be given up.

Ayurveda recommends Ayurvedic herbal tea for diabetic patients. Replace sugar with honey or

jaggery (thickened molasses - sarkkara) or better still palm jaggery (thickened palm

molasses - karippatti).

The advantages or drinking more than eight glass of water everyday is not easily told in an

essay. Drink a minimum of 8-15 glass of water in the day time. After sunset take only

minimal quantities of water. Another thing is to drink plenty of water an hour before a meal

and an hour after the meals. Drinking water close to meals dilute the digestive fire (in

Ayurveda it is called pitta) and makes the process of digestion difficult.

Take fruits like grapes, fig, pomegranate, citrus fruits etc. Bitter melon (bitter gourd,

karela) is used as medicine for diabetes.

The point about Ayurvedic management of diabetes is never a hard task. All you will have to

do is to incorporate Ayurvedic principles as your daily routine. Having healthy food and

exercise regime itself can help one control his or her diabetes to a great extent.

Include turmeric and garlic as spices, bitter gourd as vegetable, triphala as a laxative and

drinking lot of water as daily habit. These are not very difficult to follow. You can't eat

or drink all the food items you have. But living a sweeter life sometimes means giving up

some sweet for tongue food items.

by: Dev Sri

Knock Out Weight Loss Strategies: 7 Dynamic Ways To A New You

2008-11-04T18:16:00.001+07:00

I got the phone call early on a Monday. It was from California and I had no idea what I was

about to learn from the amazing Dr. Berneathy. Dr. B, as he is affectionately known, has

created a dynamite weight loss formula for his patients in his Chiropractic clinic. I was

about to embark on a real education.

If you want to lose the weight then you will have to lose any type of victim mentality and

get positive. I learned from Dr. B that weight loss was not that hard to do. This guy had

the secret that so many other programs out there seemed to miss.

I am going to tell you some of these strategies now.

Lesson 1: You Got To Detoxify – Now what does this exactly mean? You have to get rid of all

the junk in your diet. If you are serious about weight loss then you must get rid of the

excess garbage in your daily diet. There is a time period here that you will have to

observe. This is a multi-step process that you must start on if you want to lose the

unwanted pounds.

Lesson 2: Keeping A Positive Mindset – Getting powerful results starts with a healthy

mindset. I suggest getting rid of all the substances in your daily pattern that lead to

racing thoughts. In this category I include caffeinated drinks, alcohol, sugar and other

stimulants. I recently switched to herbal teas from around the world and noticed a huge

difference in every aspect of my life.

Lesson 3: Move – You got to get in motion if you want to lose weight. Life is about motion,

it is about doing, it is about experiencing new things, you got to get out of your living

environment and breathe fresh air. Even if you are not used to exercising you have to get up

and out. Mobility is everything. This is going to help you build up your mindset to finally

exercise.

Lesson 4: Water Based Foods – Just like Dr. B said do not eat junk foods. Artificial colors

and flavors are ultimately bad for you and they must be avoided. Taking the bold step to

water based foods will take some imagination There are a lots of great things to be said

about what kind of vegetables you buy. You can either buy organic produce, eat vegan, or go

totally vegetarian. Avoid taking too many radical steps to reach your goal. Your shifts in

this area should be gradual.

Lesson 5: Love Yourself – I always found that I usually got the munchies around 10 PM every

night. This became a problem but I found ways around it. I was never tempted by late night

advertising by Taco Bell because I had problems with dairy and my sinuses. I was able to

find some guilt free snacks to help tide me over. I found things like black bean dip and

blue corn chips that were fat free. I also found this amazing Green Tea Non Dairy Ice Cream.

If you are willing to stretch your imagination you will come across some incredible finds.

This is totally up to you. The other thing I can tell you is to get plenty of rest and drink

plenty of water.

Lesson 6: Take Control – Avoid being a victim whenever possible. Avoid living in a constant

state of “reaction”, (ex: you’ll never believe what this guy said to me, you’ll never

believe what happened to me today, I could only get that promotion if so and so was out of

the way etc.). These types of inner conflicts are not healthy for the mind. You are

controlling the situations around you. It is for this reason you must have self mastery.

Lesson 7: Eat Often – You can achieve great things with smaller meals. You can eat multiple

times a day and not have to worry about going hungry. If you are eating the right things in

the right combination then hunger pangs are a thing of the past. You are going to be well

settled and will not have to worry about calorie counting. The body will start to adjust to

your eating habits and you won’t have to worry about how much you need to eat. Your portions

will be smaller.

Dr. Berneathy is well schooled in all of these areas. He is an abundant wealth of knowledge

and I decided to take him on as a client. These areas of weight loss intrigued me and yet I

wondered how I could apply these rules to my life.

We talked about fundamentals and what it would take to get fantastic results. Weight loss is

a complicated game if you don’t approach it the right way. That is why there are so many

diets that fail and fall off the market place. But talking to Dr. B made things really

simple. We need to stop stuffing ourselves with fake food. But more importantly we had to

follow a process that would help eliminate waste before the pounds would fall off.

The importance of this subject matter cannot be underplayed. Disease can settle in if the

body is not where it should be. Losing weight is a very serious subject matter and you

should take proper steps to take care of your body.

As Dr. Berneathy says, “You only got one you!”. And I couldn’t agree more.

by: Ted Cantu

How To Lose Weight The Easy And Safe Way

2008-11-04T18:14:00.000+07:00

WHAT IS THE BEST DIET

Many people ask me which is the best diet for me to follow, with practically a new diet

coming out every year I find myself getting frustrated with the mis- information being put

out there. Let me shine some light on some of these fad diets.

Why fad diets don't work

There's no question if you follow these fad diets you will lose weight, but I can also

guarantee you will not be able to sustain these so-called diets which is why millions of

people follow these diets only to pack back on the pounds again.

The simple answer to this is fad diets do not work, the reason they do not work is because

you can only follow such a ridiculous routine for only so long successful long-term weight

loss is not necessarily about a diet but it's about long-term happiness.

I even hate that word diets, because it is linked to feelings of restriction and unhappiness

but what I do believe in is a sensible nutrition plan which allows you to eat five to six

enjoyable small meals a day. To be honest with you I wish all of these fad diets did work

then we wouldn't be experiencing the problems we have today such as obesity, diabetes and

cardiovascular disease.

Before I explain to you the concept of a healthy eating plan I'll cover just a few of these

fad diets.

THE ATKINS DIET.

I'm sure you've all heard of the Atkins diet and heard about the supposed success stories.

The problem is that most of these fad diets work on the basis of calorie reduction. with the

Atkins carbohydrates are severely limited, the atkins diet requires that you get your

calories from just protein and fat.

The way this works is by consuming so much fat and protein it sends a signal to your brain

saying that your full when in reality you are not, this can result in metabolic disorders.

The Atkins diet will allow you to lose weight but at what cost? the side-effects of the

Atkins diet is nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and bad breath (urghh)

I would have to say the Atkins diet is a big no-no, a healthy diet is well rounded and

borrows from all the food groups such as carbohydrates, protein and good fats. Tricking your

body into believing it is full, when it's not, will only can catch up with you and make you

feel ill through the lack of nutrients received in you diet.

The weight loss achieved in Atkins is mainly muscle mass, and muscle tissue is what helps

speed up your metabolic rate, the more muscle tissue you have the more calories you burn.

Which is why when people realise they cannot sustain the Atkins diet any more they put the

weight on twice as fast because now they do not have the muscle to combat the fat.

Bear in mind when a new diet hits the market and seems too good to be true, your usually

right!

THE ZONE DIET

The zone diet is used by many celebrities such as Jennifer aniston, Renee zellweger,

Madonna, Cindy Crawford and Winona Ryder. The main concept of the zone diet is a balanced

ratio of carbohydrates (40) and proteins (30%) so on this diet you do actually get to eat,

which in my eyes is a good start.

The zone diet works by following recipes with a low-carbohydrate diet plan, it does insist

on watching your calorie consumption while eating eg. A meal must not exceed 500 calories

and a snack must not exceed 100 calories which they call staying in the zone.

I must say weight loss is not the only benefit of the zone diet you also experience improved

energy, improved mental clarity and is also ideal for type 2 diabetes sufferers. This diet

was implemented to reduce hunger and compulsion to eat. Zone diet recipes are customized to

each individual, based on your sex, activity level and proportion of body fat.

The foods the zone diet encourages are fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts, leafy green

vegetables, sufficient protein consumption, and eight glasses of water everyday. How weight

loss is achieved with the zone diet is similar to the low gi diet.

By reducing your carbohydrates your body will not produce too much insulin (a hormone that

tells your body to store up nutrients) consuming too much carbohydrates causes this to

happen which is why carbs are seen as the bad guys. The overload of insulin tells the body

to convert the carbohydrates you ate into fat stores around your belly, thighs, buttocks and

other areas.

Carbohydrates are not totally the bad guys if you limit them and balance them with low-fat

protein this will keep your insulin levels balanced. I like this diet because it's not so

much a diet, it's more of a eating plan. The only problem I have with the zone diet is

calculating meals and snacks every day is not totally convenient, with 5 hours of exercise a

week and a variety of balanced meals consisting of low gi carbs, protein and veg is a

simpler formula to lose weight.

THE SOUTH BEACH DIET

The south beach to me is an improved version of the atkins diet because it does allow "good"

carbohydrates like fruit and foods with a low glycemic (Gi) index. The south beach diet

gives you the freedom to snack all day if you feel the need to and not to worry about

counting calories.

This diet is a complete waste of time because if you give people in search of losing weight

the go-ahead to eat a portion as big as they like, they probably will, I know I would if I

didn't know any better. Even eating the healthiest foods if you consume too much you will

still put on weight.

WEIGHT WATCHERS

Weight watchers have created their own brand of foods with low calories from full dinners to

ice cream. I must say weight watchers have tried to make counting calories as simple as they

can here by running a points system.

Their point system runs something like this: each food has a point value ranging from 0 for

jelly to 8 for pizza. Depending on your bodyweight, you are allowed a certain amount of

points daily, if you stay under your points you lose weight.

With weight watchers you are allowed to bank points and use them over days, exercise also

earns you points. When you're feeling down in the dumps or lacking in the motivation

department you can go to daily weight watchers meetings and get great tips and motivation

from others who have overcome their obstacles and achieved there goals.

I believe weight watchers has stood the test of time because they focus more on long term

healthy eating rather than restrictive dieting, we are all human and sometimes we desire

some of our favorite dessert or pizza without having to feel like a failure. I feel this is

totally acceptable and is a good approach to achieving your goals.

THE GI DIET

This diet definitely takes the No.1 spot for me, because it's more of a eating plan than a

restrictive diet. The GI diet also teaches you that carbs are not the bad guys after all,

it's the type of carbs you eat that is important.

Put simply the GI diet is a scale which charts how quickly a food is converted into sugar in

the body. Foods that chart as a high G.I number are converted into sugar more quickly than

foods that have a low G.I number, the scale is based on a rating of 1 to 100.

So why is the G.I number important?

If a food is rated high on the G.I scale your body is more likely to store fat, this is due

to insulin which is the primary storage hormone in your body and is used to help get

nutrients into the different cells of your body. High G.I foods raise our blood sugar so

rapidly that insulin has to be released in our body to bring our blood sugar down to a

normal baseline, in order for insulin to bring our blood sugar levels down it has to store

the sugar

It's a simple stimulus - response system that works to keep blood sugar levels in balance in

the body.

So how does this affect your fat loss?

I'll tell you how, just remember when insulin is present in your bloodstream, your body is

in STORAGE mode and will NOT release fat from your fat cells to burn. So when your blood

sugar levels are high, your body isn't burning fat.

Another thing is when your blood sugar is high, your body is using that blood sugar for

energy instead of using fat. Sugar is the preferred fuel for your body because it's easier

to use, but it confuses the body so the body takes a guess and always releases too much

insulin to bring your blood sugar level down but too much insulin results in bringing your

blood sugar levels too low leaving you feeling dizzy and lethargic craving for more sugary

foods to perk yourself up again, this is where the vicious cycle starts.

How do you stop this cycle?

To stop this vicious cycle you need keep your blood sugar levels stable so your body stays

in fat burning mode instead of STORAGE mode. You accomplish this by focusing on eating low

G.I carbs (every G.I diet book gives you a list of low G.I foods)

When you eat low G.I foods, the carbs are converted into sugar at a slower, steadier rate

into the body, this way your body doesn't have to panick and send out extra reserves of

insulin in an emergency response, also your blood sugar levels will not drop so suddenly

leaving you craving for more sugar an hour later.

The steady state you recieve from consuming low G.I foods will allow your body to access

stored bodyfat and use this fat for energy instead of constantly relying on blood sugar. The

bonus… you don't get as hungry and you feel more energised throughout the day with a leaner

body to go with it.

G.I diet: A eating plan for life

Another advantage of the G.I diet is that it focuses on good amounts of protein, healthy

fats and fiber, which is a well balanced diet.

The concept of the G.I diet is scientifically sound because it works and can be maintained

for the rest of your life unlike many fad diets which cannot. Eating low G.I foods for fat

loss can have a positive impact not only on your fat loss but on your mood and well being as

well.

A diet that focuses on natural, unprocessed foods such as whole grains, quality lean

proteins, healthy fats and lots of fiber is no doubt going to be a effective diet

by: Rasheed Aladel

Natural Sources of Vitamins and Minerals

2008-11-04T18:12:00.001+07:00

Ayurveda principles suggest people derive nutrients essential for their body through food.

The case of vitamins is no different.

Find below natural food sources of various vitamins. Make sure to include variety of

vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains in your daily diet.

Vitamin D is not produced by plants. Vegans don’t worry; vitamin D3 is produced in our body,

with the help of sunlight. Plants produce vitamin D2.

Food sources for Vitamin A, Natural Sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also called retinol is essential for good eyesight, bone health and for a healthy

glowing skin. The food items that contain vitamin A are carrot, radish, pumpkin, broccoli,

barley, turnip, apricot, wheat, maize, potato, peas, egg, chicken meat, linseed, mango,

orange, sweet potato and cilantro.

Overcooking can lose Vitamin A.

Food sources for Vitamin B, Natural Sources of Vitamin B

Vitamin B complex has several vitamins

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) –

Whole grains, soybeans, legumes, nuts, kidney and liver contain vitamin B1.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) –

Vitamin B2 supplied by grains, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, milk and meat.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) _

Spinach and green vegetables, potatoes, tomato, tuna, shrimp etc are sources of Niacin.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) –

Whole grains, nuts, legumes, egg yolk, chicken and mutton are sources of vitamin B6.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) -

Vitamin B12 Kidney, liver, salmon, sardines, etc are main sources. Almost absent in plant

sources.

Vitamin C

Indian gooseberry, orange, broccoli, cauliflower, pineapple, strawberries, fresh fruits and

citrus fruits are natural sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C in Indian gooseberry is retained

after cooking.

Vitamin D

Produced on human skin with help of sunlight, vitamin D is also present in egg yolk, fish

and liver.

Vitamin E –

Green vegetables, soybean, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, shrimp and cod are good source of

vitamin E.

Vitamin K – produced inside body, vitamin K is also found in green vegetables. Lettuce,

cabbage, spinach, cauliflower and cereals are good source of vitamin K.

Sources of Minerals

Some minerals essential for body and their sources listed below. Body requires some minerals

in very small quantities and some minerals in larger quantities.

Calcium

Essential for healthy bones, teeth and nervous system, calcium is found in milk and dairy

products, cabbage, broccoli, salmon and seafood.

Fluoride

Helps in the formation of bones and teeth and resists tooth decay. Found in seafood.

Iron

Essential part of blood hemoglobin, iron is present in spinach, tomato, broccoli, green

vegetables, parsley, shrimp, beef liver etc.

Iodine

A component of thyroid hormone, that regulates growth and development of an individual,

iodine is found in sea salt and sea food. Milk and wheat also has iodine in very small

quantities.

Phosphorus

Essential for the formation of cells and tissues, bones, teeth and essential element in

maintaining optimum pH balance, phosphorus is found in grains, milk, egg, fish and meat.

Magnesium

Required for healthy bones, teeth, healthy nervous system and proper energy metabolism,

magnesium is found in green vegetables, legumes, fish, poultry and meat products.

There is no point in depending on any single food item for any specific vitamin or mineral

requirement. Include all the different types of fruits, grains and nuts in your daily food.

Vegetarians include an extra amount of pulses and green peas to ensure optimum protein

supply. Include all the different items in your daily menu. It ensures your body gets all

essential nutrients in the right amounts.

by: Dev Sri

Do You Believe In The Herbal Hype?

2008-11-04T18:10:00.002+07:00

In China, herbal method has been treated for along time. Nowadays, it's not strange if

American use that treatment. There is a fast-growing interest among people today regarding

alternative medicines and therapies. This interest includes the herbal remedies and dietary

supplements market. In fact, it's a safe bet that many large supermarkets in your local area

feature an aisle or two specifically for natural medicines alone. A quick browse through the

World Wide Web about health problems and topics will reveal advertisements and articles

about natural health products that claim to help consumers with everything from migraines to

sexual deficiencies.

When they are used properly in combination with a patient's overall health regimen, these

natural health products can be effective and safe. More and more people are observed to be

taking an active part in taking care of their health, and this is a good thing. What makes

it a problem, though, is the lack of information that patients sometimes have, especially

when it comes to self-presciption medicines. With that in mind, it is valuable to know the

following rules-of-thumb regarding botanicals and herbal remedies:

Don't immediately think that taking a natural medicine is safe for you. Alternative

medicines from plants or herbs can also be dangerous when taken improperly. These natural

medicines are usually needed to be taken in strong dosages, or at least strong enough to be

effective. It's good to remember that they also have contra-indications, just like other

medicines. Usually these contra-indications happen when abnormally large dosages are taken,

or if the herb is taken over a prolonged amount of time.

Goji Berries are getting much acclaim lately for being health food products, usually

marketed as either Himalayan goji or Tibetan goji. One source indicates that Goji Berries

have been a mainstay of Traditional Chinese Medicine for around 1,900 years already.

According to Chinese legend, Goji Berries were also used by Shen Nung who is believed to

have been the First Emperor of China. Goji Berries are now considered a health food because

research has shown that it has antioxidants and nutrients aplenty, which may explain why

Goji Berries are also now classified as one of the superfruits. Demand for superfruits like

Goji Berries is expected to reach the billion-dollar mark by year 2011.

The Goji Berries you may be familiar with are usually of an ellipsoidal shape and bright

red, with each of the Goji Berries filled with up to sixty seeds. Goji Berries that are

planted in countries in the Northern Hemisphere may ripen in the months of July, August,

September and October.

Nowadays, Goji Berries are planted in commercial quantities in north central China (in the

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region) and in western China (in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous

Region.) The size of a typical plantation of Goji Berries can start at 100 acres and extend

to up to 1000 acres in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Ningxia has been found to produce

some of the top Goji Berries variety which are sometimes called the red diamonds commercial

variety.

by: Jon Caldwell

Do You Believe In The Herbal Hype?

2008-11-04T18:10:00.001+07:00

Why Ginkgo Biloba Is The Best-Selling Booster For Brain Function

2008-11-04T18:04:00.001+07:00

The preparations of ginkgo biloba commonly sold as herbal supplements are derived from the

leaves of the ginkgo trees, which are probably the longest living in the world Individual

trees are believed to live for up to 1,000 years and are found most commonly in southern and

eastern areas of the US, southern France, China, and Korea.

Traditional Chinese medicine has made use of the nuts of the ginkgo tree for around 5,000

years, but the use of the leaves is a relatively recent European development. Widespread

recognition of the active properties of the plant have made ginkgo leaf extract products the

best-selling of all herbal medicines and supplements in Europe, and also placed them in the

ten most popular in the USA, where it’s classed as a dietary supplement. In fact it’s

estimated that around 2 billion 120 mg doses of supplement have been sold in the last twenty

years alone.

The principal active elements of ginkgo leaf extract are the flavonoids which, like those

derived from other sources (green tea, for example) are a powerful anti-oxidant; and terpene

lactones.

As an anti-oxidant, ginkgo biloba is particularly effective in neutralizing the most

damaging superoxide free radicals and thereby helping to prevent the atherosclerosis, or

hardening of the arteries, which is a common precursor of serious cardiovascular disease.

And most of the benefits of ginkgo stem in fact from its effect in improving the circulation

of the blood - as numerous research studies have demonstrated.

Ginkgo enhanced circulation in the minute capillaries of the eye has been credited with

protecting against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts and diabetic

retinopathy. Improved circulation in the ears may also protect against tinnitus and hearing

loss.

Studies using supplementation at 240 mg also demonstrated improved exercise tolerance and

reduced pain in those suffering from intermittent claudication, or peripheral vascular

disease, –a painful and potentially dangerous problem with the circulation in the legs.

But as valuable as these effects undoubtedly are, it’s as a stimulant for the brain and a

protector against the dreadful effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia

that ginkgo biloba is best known. Although conventional medicine, as ever, retains its

tendency towards caution when considering the possible effects of “alternative” remedies,

it’s generally conceded that ginkgo biloba has significant therapeutic effects in the

treatment of the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The benefits, in fact, are closely analogous

to those of conventional drug therapies, and although not, of course, offering a cure, may

significantly slow down the progress of this most devastating disease.

Research studies have also indicated clinically significant improvements in performance in

standard tests of memory and learning when healthy adults were given supplements at the

level of 180 mg of ginkgo biloba a day for a period of six weeks. Similar benefits, however,

were not shown at lower levels of supplementation.

The common sense hypothesis is that ginkgo biloba improves the blood supply and circulation

to the brain as it does to other parts of the body, which can only have a positive effect on

the memory and other cognitive functions of the organ. Moreover, improved circulation along

with ginkgo biloba’s anti-oxidant properties play a major role in protecting against the

circulatory problems which can lead to stroke, still one of the major causes of premature

death or incapacity in the Western world.

Although the 180 mg daily dose has been shown to be beneficial, some alternative medical

practitioners recommend higher doses, even as high as 360 mg. The generally recommended

composition of supplements, and that found in most commercial preparations, is in the

proportions 24% ginkgo flavonoids and 6% terpenes.

Ginkgo biloba is recognized as a safe medication and very rarely produces any side effects

in the otherwise healthy even in the high doses mentioned above. But it’s effect in

improving the circulation by reducing the “stickiness” of the blood mean it is strongly

contra-indicated prior to surgery and for those already taking blood thinning drugs such as

warfarin.

In summary it may be said that conventional medicine recognizes ginkgo biloba as a

potentially effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and as an aid to good circulation

with some positive effects in cases of cerebrovascular disease and peripheral vascular

disease in the legs. Alternative practitioners insist that ginkgo biloba is also effective

in improving memory, learning and general cognitive function in healthy adults, but orthodox

medicine remains reluctant to endorse these claims.

by: Steve P Smith

Whiskey: An Antidote For Cancer?

2008-11-04T02:12:00.000+07:00

Some scientists believe that whiskey may be one of the keys to preventing the Big C

For a quite a number of years, liquor has been known not only to bring destructive intoxication and addiction upon its patrons, but also as deterrent to a healthy lifestyle. But as a potential weapon against cancer? Sounds controversial.

Rumors that single malt whiskey may be a tool to combat cancer have begun circulating recently. Whether it actually holds any water has yet to be proven. According to one of the theory’s proponents, a consultant to the whiskey industry, Dr. Jim Swan, the antioxidants present in whiskey, particularly ellagic acid, can reduce the risk of developing cancer, since this acid fights the unstable atoms that aid in rapid cell replication. He added that the more cells were produced, the more likely that rogue cancer cells will be born. “Whiskey can protect you from cancer and science proves it,” he said, speaking at the EuroMedLab 2005 conference in Glasgow. Dr Swan explained that ellagic acid, which is in greater concentration in whiskey than in red wine, breaks down the harmful free radicals present in our body.

However, Cancer Research UK remains unconvinced. The agency has raised concerns that what Dr Swan and his supporters are pushing might mislead consumers into drinking excessive amounts of whiskey just to avoid cancer. Cancer Research noted that liquor intake can eventually lead to certain kinds of cancer, such as those in the esophagus, throat, mouth, bowel and liver. Dr Swan’s idea that whiskey can prevent cancer also received criticism, owing mostly to an absence of population data supporting them. Contrariwise, according to the agency’s head of cancer information Lesley Walker, there exists evidence that high alcohol consumption does increase cancer risks. Ms Walker noted that while ellagic acid is a formidable antioxidant and may greatly aid in the fight against cancer, its presence in whiskey is not reason enough for people to begin drinking up, especially as ellagic acid can also be found in certain fruits.

The concept that a certain type of alcohol may help deter cancer is novel and, for frequent drinkers, even noble. What liquor patron would ignore this theory? But, still, Dr Swan’s ideas remain untested and there does not exist any known positive link between whiskey and cancer. If there would be something that suggest this is true sometime in the future, then it will be considered revolutionary. However, in the absence of adequate information at present, whiskey as a deterrent to cancer is a dubious thought. While we all hope and pray that an alternative treatment to cancer will surface soon, this is probably not the time to become this optimistic about whiskey’s alleged benefits.

by: Charlene J. Nuble

How important are they Vitamin and Mineral Supplement?

2008-11-04T01:48:00.002+07:00

When many of us grew up, our parents taught us the importance of consuming the right vitamins and minerals, but they also taught us we could get all we needed if we just ate the good food they prepared. Of course, that was when most mothers stayed at home and prepared three meals a day for their families, and snacks consisted of fresh fruit with occasional sweets. With the fast-paced lifestyles we live today, do our children get all the nutrition they need from food alone?

Eating Nutritious Foods

It seems easy enough to say we can get all the vitamins and minerals we need by eating nutritious foods, but the problem is that most of us don’t eat food that is good for us. With the fast paced lifestyles we lead today, we are eating fast food and processed foods instead of home-cooked meals like our mothers used to prepare. There is little to no nutritional value in fast food, and because of the amount of fast food children consume today, it’s essential to make sure they receive vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for the lack of nutritional foods.

Unfortunately children are not the only members of our modern society who lack proper nutrition. As they hurriedly rush out the door in the morning with no breakfast and rush through their days often with no lunch, dinner consists of a trip to the local fast food restaurant or a bag of chips to stop the hunger pangs. It isn’t exactly the kind of diet that one considers healthy by any means. The parents must set the example for the child, but too many times parents feed the children and don’t eat themselves because they “don’t have time.”

Are Dietary Supplements a Good Substitute?

Although they are not the best answer, using dietary supplements, vitamins, and minerals to obtain the necessary nutrients is better than not having them at all. Natural sources of vitamins and minerals are certain preferred to that of supplements, but if supplements are necessary in order to give the body everything it needs, then they become necessary parts of our daily routines. The body requires specific nutrients in order to perform its essential functions, and if it doesn’t get these nutrients from food, you must provide it in the form of nutritional supplements.

Failure to provide the body with the nutrients it needs will lead to malnutrition and a host of other ailments up to and including the break down of the body’s natural disease fighting mechanism, the immune system. Choosing the right vitamin and mineral supplements is important to your good health. Do not assume you need to take every supplement on the shelf in order to make up for the foods you are not eating. Most of what you need is available in multi-vitamin form, but you may want to choose others based upon your lifestyle and the condition of your health.

Are Dietary Supplements as Effective as Natural Nutrients?

One thing of which you must be aware is that some nutrients are more effective in their natural state. This is especially true of some of the herbs that have cancer-fighting agents as part of their components. Before you choose any nutritional supplement, make sure you know whether the supplement is going to provide the same benefits you will derive from the natural product. Although in many cases you will find the same nutritional value, that is not always the case. You do not want to spend your money on supplements only to find they do not work as well as the natural form of the nutrients.

by: Mary Watson