HealthNiche, A Health Blog

Looking into Stairlifts? UK Considerations

2012-01-11T18:08:00.001-08:00

UK residents who are interested in stairlifts in their home probably want to do some research to find the right company to deal with. Here are some areas you’ll want to investigate:

A Stairlifts UK Company to Deal With

Dealing with a local company will help you find someone who has a good reputation in your area and of course it also means that if there are any issues down the road you’ll have someone local for your servicing needs. A UK stairlifts company can come to your home and do an assessment and survey as well as make a presentation to help you make a decision. When the stairlift is installed, you’ll have someone on site to install, clean up after installation, and give you a thorough presentation to ensure you’re totally comfortable with the operation of the stairlift.

Stairlift Features

When looking at your options, you should examine various features to make sure you’re happy with your choice in stairlift. Considerations might include: rechargeable batteries, Wireless remote control to bring it to the floor you’re on (if it was inadvertently “parked” on a different floor, safety cut out sensors, a foldaway design to reduce bulkiness, a swivel seat to make getting in and out easier, and so on.

Other Considerations

What’s the warranty period and coverage like?
Do you have the ability to buy extra warranty, if wanted?
Choosing the right UK stairlift company to deal with will ensure that you are totally satisfied with your purchase.

When you deal with Brooks, a stairlifts UK company that has been in business for 30+ years, you get quality stairlifts and excellent service.

Participating in Clinical Trials: Help or Be Helped

2012-01-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

Looking for clinical trials in a specific city? There are companies that will let you register to participate in clinical trials so that you can help advance medical science. In some circumstances, you’ll be participating because of a specific health condition or illness and in other circumstances, healthy males and females in specific categories volunteer or sign up for remuneration for specific purposes.

Examples of Some Clinical Trials Include:

· Heart and other cardiovascular studies

· Respiratory diseases and / or disorders

· Infections

· Digestive issues

· Nervous system disorders

· And so on

Medical trials are highly regulated and working with an accredited research company is, of course, recommended to minimize the chance of problems. There are different phases of trials to participate in (Phase I, II , III, and IV) and your medical status and the research phase in progress will both dictate where you might participate.

What about Payment for Medical Research Participation?

Some studies do include a fee for your services. This fee will vary, depending on the situation, and is typically paid out after completion of a study.

What about Risks?

Any participation in a medical or drug trial could include an element of risk. You should be made aware of the potential risks before you agree to participate. Not all risks are foreseeable, especially in early phases of research but a research company will make every effort to supervise and to mitigate that risk. Many people who have participated in such research have helped to shape the face of 21^st century medicine. In some cases, the risk was shadowed by the potential benefits of a cure, especially if that volunteer was suffering from a specific illness.

Learning more about options can help you (if you’re someone with a specific illness and if you’re a healthy individual looking to help out medical science and potentially earn some money for your time and assistance, researching volunteer opportunities could be prudent.

Resource:

Looking for clinical trials? London and other cities could have a trial for you to participate in. Check out http://www.drugtrial.co.uk for more info and to register.

How to Participate in Clinical Trials

2011-11-28T10:00:00.001-08:00

Clinical trials are one way medical professionals test new drugs and treatments to determine which should be available to patients and which still need work. Some people like to participate in clinical trials because they feel that it’s a personal contribution to the field of medical research. Others do it because they have a certain illness or disease that isn’t positively reacting to their current medications or treatments, and they hope the study medications will help. Some people participate because it’s a paying market that also contributes to helping people. Whether you’re looking to make a personal contribution to medical research, want to find a medicine that helps you, or just need a little extra money, clinical trials could be a great way to impact your community and earn some extra cash.

Finding a Clinical Trials Institute

Medical trials take place in a facility where doctors and nurses trained in medical research monitor you during the study. For some studies you will be required to stay at the facility for the duration of the study. Most medical research facilities have websites where you can view the upcoming clinical trials and see the requirements for participating in a trial. For trials with a lack of participants, you may be able to find ads placed in newspapers advertising the clinical trial and providing information on how to participate.

If you locate a facility but they aren’t currently conducting any tests, you can be put on a contact list. You will specify exactly which sorts of studies you’re interested in, and probably fill out a questionnaire, and the facility will contact you when clinical trials are available. Many facilities are even putting volunteer databases directly on their website so you can sign up from home.

Participating in a Trial

Clinical trials often take place in stages or phases. The first phase is the part where the facility will monitor you and ensure that there won’t be complications with the rest of the trial. You may need to stay at the facility or visit a few times a week. The second phase may involve medications or treatments that you participate in and report your progress to the institute.

Upon completion of each phase you might be provided with compensation. Many times the compensation is monetary, but some institutes will consider any therapy or free medications as your compensation for some phases of the trial. Once you complete a study, you may be eligible to participate in more clinical trials. Make sure you speak with your primary physician if you have any concerns about participating in a certain study.

Learn more about signing up to be part of a potential clinical trial at http://www.drugtrial.co.uk.

Guest Post - Hip Transplant Recall Alarms Patients with Arthritic Conditions, m

2010-12-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

DePuy Orthopedics announced a large scale recall of the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System total hip replacement and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System for their high failure rates and increased side-effects which have left patients disabled.

One of the most common remedies for degenerative hip conditions, the hip transplant operation has been regarded as one of the most successful and life-changing surgeries developed for those who seek a dramatic shift in one’s mobility, function and health.

Since the first hip replacement surgery was performed in 1960, millions of patients have undergone the procedure to alleviate severe hip problems and to increase their mobility. Generally, patients who suffer from chronic conditions such as Osteoarthritis, Osteonecrosis, hip disorders or Rheumatoid arthritis have undergone hip replacement procedures after other holistic attempts have failed. It is important for patients to be aware of any recalls with popular systems that are used for hip transplant operations.

Indicated by research and test studies, the hip implants have higher failure rates than other models and have caused serious hip problems for many. Five years after receiving the DePuy implants, complications required 12 to 13 percent of patients to undergo a second hip replacement surgery, making the DePuy hip recall a needed consumer awareness situation.

The implants have been associated with a number of problems, including the loosening of the hip replacement within the body and "metallosis," a serious condition that can bring by rashes and nerve damage.

Some believe the DePuy ASR hip implant is too shallow to allow for proper implantation. Others point to the danger posed by metal debris released by the implants. In an editorial that ran in the June issue of The Journal of Arthroplasty, three leading physicians argued that metal hip implants "do not show any clinical advantage," but rather "are producing a new serious of complications."¹ Hip implants made of metal-on-metal components, like the recalled DePuy hip replacements, have only been introduced in recent years.

Although hip transplant surgeries have helped many individuals regain quality of life, it is important to research and discuss all possibilities with your physician. Prior to undergoing surgery, patients should identify the problem and attempt all holistic and alternative healing treatments before making a decision. In many cases, there may not be a need for surgery. These include:

Heat rub treatment with compresses and in the bathtub
Specific folding and leg stretches; Yoga sessions
Eat a vegetarian diet that include fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains; avoid fats and processed foods
All-natural pain relieving creams; Find sleeping and sitting positions that avoid pressure on the designated area of pain

Additional information about drug side effects and medical devices may be found on DrugWatch.com.

Aculife Resources

2009-12-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

Aculife Ireland sells the Aculife Magnetic Wave Therapist in many countries. Check out some resources regarding this amazing machine. The owner of the company is a cancer survivor who has had his own life touched in a positive way by this machine.

Interesting / Helpful Links about the subject:

Aculife Blog
Aculife Blogspot
Ezine Articles about Electronic Acupuncture
HubPage about Magnetic Wave Therapy
Squidoo Lens about using the Aculife Magnetic Wave Therapist
Bukisa Electronic Acupuncture Article
Aculife Book. Learn how to get the most out of your machine.

Want more info or want to Buy Aculife Now?

Check out a video about Aculife's Magnetic Wave Therapist:

Acupoint Therapy Benefits For Helping Recovering Stroke Patients

2009-11-25T05:46:00.000-08:00

Acupoint Therapy Benefits For Helping Recovering Stroke Patients
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=N._Strickland]N. Strickland

There have been a number of studies conducted in China and Japan which showed that stroke patients who undergo acupuncture treatments not long after having a stroke are more likely to recover more of their affected faculties than others without the treatment. While acupuncture is not as mainstream in some parts of the world like the U.S., it is slowly becoming an accepted form of treatment. After all, the Chinese have followed the practice for thousands of years with success.

There are even personal portable devices that deliver acupoint therapy, emitting electromagnetic impulses to acupuncture points in your hands, thereby bypassing the thin, fine needles of traditional acupuncture. Stroke patients can benefit from this type of therapy.

Problems with Stroke Patients

A stroke is sometimes referred to as an attack on the brain. A blood clot basically blocks an artery, interrupting blood flow to portions of the brain. A blood vessel could also break, causing the same problem. When a stroke occurs, brain cells can die, creating brain damage. Unfortunately, the body functions that lie in those dying area are also affected and may become lost permanently. Memory, speech and movement are most often affected.

Some people do recover fully in time after a stroke while others may experience muscle weakness or minor speech or memory problems. Larger strokes may cause more profound damage such as losing the ability to speak or paralysis on one side of the body. In time, physical therapy and medications can help recover some physical ability. However, by introducing Chinese medicine like acupuncture soon after the stroke, patients may be able to greatly improve their chances of recovery. If patients are sensitive or squeamish about needles, acupoint therapy using electromagnetic wave impulses can be equally effective.

How Acupoint Therapy Works on Stroke Patients

The hand has six meridian points or pathways in which the body's life energy flows. Within these meridians, there is an intricate system of connections called acupoints (acupuncture points) which tie into various body functions and organs. With stroke patients, it is hard to keep circulation open, especially when some nerve pathways have closed down. By stimulating certain acupoints using electromagnetic wave impulses, stroke patients can increase circulation to the extremities, boosting mobility and easing pain and numbness.

Basically, this electronic form of acupuncture can ramp up endorphins in the body responsible for easing pain and helping the body relax. The nervous system can be specifically targeted with acupoint therapy, keeping pathways of the nerves open and the nerves firing. The electromagnetic wave impulses released through electronic acupuncture devices can also open blood vessels, providing better blood flow which in turn decreases the chances of blood clots and a repeat stroke performance.

Acupoint therapy is an excellent way to improve the quality life in stroke patients. While not a cure all, it is definitely one of the best ways to augment any treatment protocols the doctor prescribes.

N Strickland is a former cancer patient who is thankfully now in remission. He has a keen interest in pain management, most particularly using alternative therapies. To get more information on hand acupoints and Electro-Acupuncture for recovering stroke patients, visit one of N. Strickland's sites. Visit the [http://www.aculife-ireland.com/blog]Aculife Blog or read the [http://aculifebook.com]Aculife book for more info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=N._Strickland http://EzineArticles.com/?Acupoint-Therapy-Benefits-For-Helping-Recovering-Stroke-Patients&id=3302061

Pain Relief Without Drugs - Acupoint Therapy

2009-10-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tips For Pain Relief Without Drugs
By N. Strickland

Acupoint / magnetic wave therapy and acupuncture are great ways to achieve relief from pain without the use of medication. If you suffer from chronic pain or even sporadic pain as a complication from other illness, you most likely desire immediate relief from the pain. Read on for tips for attaining natural pain relief.

Good Nutrition and Proper Exercise

The foundation for health and wellness includes a regular exercise regimen and a diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Without this foundation, the body doesn't function properly and illness, disease and other problems can arise. One of the best ways to be pain free and healthy is to treat your body well. Although eating right and exercising aren't the easiest to carry out, they are among the most important. Set aside time daily to get a little exercise in. And make small changes to your diet as necessary.

Pain Relief using Acupuncture

Acupuncture is another way to provide pain relief without using drugs. Acupuncture has been around for centuries, and it is known as a safe and effective way to treat illnesses and the resulting pain and symptoms. Acupuncture is done using tiny needles placed at specific points along the body's meridians. Acupuncture restores balance to the body and can resolve many ailments, providing pain relief as well. Acupuncture is done by a trained acupuncturist who knows exactly where to insert the needles for maximum pain relief.

Acupoint Therapy for Pain Relief

Acupuncture is not always a feasible option for some, either because of prohibitive costs, lack of time, or simply a fear of needles. Many who do not wish to try acupuncture would be pleased to know of an effective alternative: magnetic acupoint therapy. Acupoint therapy can be done using magnetic wave therapy to provide the same benefits that acupuncture provides, but it skips the needles entirely. It is also a technique that is simple enough that it can be done at home with very little instruction or training.

The magnetic wave therapy targets acupoints, points on the body that respond to pressure and provide instant relief from pain. The benefit of using acupoint therapy for pain relief is that it is easy, safe, and effective. It also provides a way to find relief from symptoms without the needles required with acupuncture.

For many people, chronic pain is a real problem and way of life. Multiple medications and doctor visits can be standard, but it doesn't have to be. Finding relief through natural methods can change your life. If you suffer from debilitating pain, you may want to explore your options with natural pain relief and give acupuncture or acupoint therapy a try.

Learn to target acupoints for pain relief at Aculife-Ireland. Check out the Aculife blog as well.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=N._Strickland
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-For-Pain-Relief-Without-Drugs&id=3131295

HealthNiche, A Health Blog: Living With Pain? - You Don't Have To - Aculife Guest Post

2009-10-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

HealthNiche, A Health Blog: Living With Pain? - You Don't Have To - Aculife Guest Post

Living With Pain? - You Don't Have To - Aculife Guest Post

2009-10-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Living With Pain? - You Don't Have To
By N. Strickland

Sometimes we accept pain as part of what life throws at us. We get so caught up in dealing with pain one day at a time that we often forget that there may be something we can actually do about it. So what are some of the non-traditional options? You need to think outside the box and try lots of things. There is no cure-all that works for everyone.

Traditional western medicine tends to focus on just a few of the options: medication; surgery; and physical therapy. However, there are lots of other options available if you simply have the faith to try them. Beware of medical practitioners that frown upon alternative therapies because they were not invented by conventional medical practitioners like themselves. After all, you should not care whether the treatment is traditional or alternative so long as it does the business for you.

I get extremely tired of listening to medical practitioners who do not accept that alternative therapies work, because they have no scientific proof of their efficacy. Tell this to the billion plus faithful people that believe in a higher being, although there is no scientific proof that He really exists. You must be pragmatic. If the pain treatment works for you, you should not really care if your local medical practitioner approves of it or not.

Traditional acupuncture has been around for more than 2,000 years. Successful treatments have been offered to patients for pain management long before western medicine, as we know it, existed. Electro-acupuncture is relatively new but it closely mirrors the treatment offered by traditional acupuncture. The real difference is that there are no needles involved and it can be self-administered on a daily basis at home. Thousands of people will vouch for its effectiveness.

Hypnosis has evolved to the point where major surgeries can be carried out using hypnosis to control bleeding and pain and where the patient not only feels nothing, there is minimal bleeding from open wounds. Milton Erickson, MD, who died in 1980, was a pioneer in this area and his use of trance and specific language cues resulted in tremendous success in pain management for his patients. It is well worth considering clinical hypnosis as a method to deal with your pain.

Reflexology has also been around for several thousand years. Modern day reflexology has its origins in Zone Therapy which was pioneered by Dr. William H. Fitzgerald. He divided the body into ten zones and demonstrated how pressure and stimulation of various points on the body could relieve pain affecting organs, body parts and glands within various zones. Zone Therapy was adopted by Eunice Ingham, a physiotherapist, in her treatment of patients in the 1930's. She concentrated on finding a single area of the body on which the rest of the body was mapped

out. She found that a therapeutic effect could be achieved by using pressure from her thumbs and fingers on specific tender spots which related to problems elsewhere in the body. The important point to bear in mind is that regardless of how and why it works, reflexology does work and regularly benefits thousands of people.

N Strickland is a former cancer patient who is thankfully now in remission. He has a keen interest in pain management, most particularly using alternative therapies. To get more information on hand acupoints and Electro-Acupuncture visit http://www.getaculifenow.com. Get a free full colour Hand Map when you visit our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=N._Strickland
http://EzineArticles.com/?Living-With-Pain?---You-Dont-Have-To&id=2958916

Should You Buy the Weight Loss Grail ebook?

2009-09-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've reviewed the Weight Loss Grail on the Cereal Dieter. Is the weight loss grail a scam? Definitely not. Get info on the Weight Loss Grail from one of the below links:

-Read a Weight Loss Grail Review

-Take a look at my Hubpage on The Weight Loss Grail Hub as well.

This book is fantastic and I'm trying the diet myself to get tone and fit before winter eating!

Click if you want to download a free weight loss grail preview or buy the weight loss grail ebook.

Complementary Mesothelioma Treatments

2009-07-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Asbestos exposure is the main cause of a type of cancer called malignant pleural mesothelioma. This cancer is most often diagnosed in its advanced stages and is very difficult to treat successfully. Many of the conventional treatments of mesothelioma are similar to those used for most types of cancer. But treatments like surgery and chemotherapy can cause the patient to be in pain as well as experience many other negative side effects.

There are a number of complementary treatments that can alleviate these negative side effects as well as the effects of mesothelioma symptoms. These types of treatment options cannot cure asbestos-related illnesses, but can certainly help patients live more comfortably by providing relief from pain and stress.

One of the most widely-accepted complementary treatments is acupuncture. In fact, it is so accepted that some insurance companies even cover it. The foundational theory of acupuncture is rooted in a principle that involves treating the entire body rather than just the affected organ or area. Acupuncture employs the use of fine needles into the body's defined 'pressure points' to improve the flow of the four factors in the body, and improve the body's balance and harmony. Those coping with asbestos-related diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, can use acupuncture to treat symptoms of pain, stress, and anxiety.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation - generally known as TENS therapy - is fairly similar to acupuncture, in that this treatment stimulates certain defined body locations. However, while acupuncture uses fine needles, TENS therapy stimulates body points with the use of electrodes that deliver very mild electrical shocks. There are few side effects to this treatment and many TENS therapy professionals will come to you as this can easily be performed in your own home.

Some patients find relief in aromatherapy (which is often used in combination with massage therapy). Aromatherapy starts with essential oils, which can be used alone for a single scent or combined with others. Essential oils are highly concentrated oils from various plants. The simple inhalation of essential oils brings both physical and mental benefits as it can provide symptomatic relief and improve general health. Those suffering from serious medical conditions should only use aromatherapy under the care of a trained professional, as combining the wrong essential oils can produce adverse side effects or medical problems.

It is important to consult your doctor before proceeding with any type of complementary or alternative treatment as they can affect everyone differently depending on your situation.

This is a guest post provided by:

Mesothelioma Center
Asbestos.com

2008-09-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today's dinner: Lemon Poppy Chicken Breasts. My recipe: http://ping.fm/uJtZv

2008-09-14T10:58:00.001-07:00

Writing an internet mkt'g ebook today and making beef dip sandwiches for dinner. These are SO awesome. My recipe: http://ping.fm/IU52B

2008-09-13T18:54:00.001-07:00

New SeanSEO post: Do You Ping? http://ping.fm/Jum2z

2008-09-10T10:03:00.001-07:00

Today: writing about charity, pollution, internet marketing and candida. Editing about hypnosis and appliances. Plus lots of delegating!!

HealthNiche has moved

2008-08-12T22:03:00.001-07:00

Healthniche now has a sister site at:
http://healthniche.ca

Hope to see you there!!

Help! There's Asbestos in My House

2008-08-12T10:29:00.001-07:00

Asbestos is frightening. People hear about Asbestos, Asbestosis and Mesothelioma and law suits and it's frightening when you find out there is asbestos in your house. Should you remove it?

Removing Asbestos

If it can be safely removed, there are companies that will do this for you. In many cases it makes more sense to leave it undisturbed. There was a time when a lot of different products were made with this product so if you have an older house it could be in your walls, your attic and even your floor tiles could be made with it. Until it goes airborne, it really doesn't pose a risk. A person who can remove asbestos has a special license. Do not attempt to remove it yourself!

In many cases, it makes sense to simply cover up the asbestos so that the fibers cannot be disturbed and go airborne. The problem with asbestos-related illnesses is that they can take twenty or more years to show up and symptoms can be asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia like.

If you suspect there is asbestos in your home, school or work place talk to your local environmental agency to find out what should be done to protect your health.

Should You Random Drug Test Your Teen?

2008-08-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Parenting is the toughest gig in the world and today kids seem to be growing up ultra fast. How do parents ensure that their kids are healthy and safe? Health starts at home and awareness is something we can share with our kids about what they eat and drink and fill their lives with. A healthy foundation can go a long way in life.

In terms of drugs and teenagers, it's important to let your child know that you won't be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand where they're concerned. Communicate with your kids and know who their friends are. Give them the tools to make decisions instead of simply following the crowd and succumbing to peer pressure.

If necessary, tell your teens that if they are caught with drugs even once, they'll be subjected to random drug testing with consequences if results indicate drug use.

Holistic Yeast Infection Approaches: Coconut Oil

2008-07-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of coconut oil and have done a lot of reading on it. Did you know that coconut oil could be a big part of the answer to the candida crisis? Candida can fight against a weakened immune system and coconut oil can strengthen it. Candida remedies often contain caprylic acid which is one of the healthy components of coconut oil.

Those looking for natural remedies for candida should look at organic coconut oil and candida as an option. So many things can help you fight candida off naturally and changing your diet provides the biggest potential for health benefits and yeast infection eradication you can find.

Changing what you put in your body will have the biggest impact on your overall health and will do much more than any medication will do. While medications can work quickly, if you don’t change the underlying cause of the overgrowth it will happen again and candida can become resistant to antibiotics.

Organic coconut oil can help your body naturally fight off yeast infections. Candida albicans grow in a low pH, highly toxic environment. You might not see your body as toxic but if you are sedentary, eat a lot of junk food, are overweight or underweight and don’t take care of yourself you’re creating a toxic environment which is a thriving environment for bacteria such as candida albicans.

Coconut oil that’s organic and virgin contains lauric acid and caprylic acid which will help your immune system substantially. Lauric acid is found in human breast milk and is the component that strengthens a baby’s immune system. Caprylic acid is found in many candida remedies and naturally occurs in coconut oil.

Candida Diet Solutions.

Coconut oil is antifungal. This oil along with oregano oil and garlic are all very effective in helping your body fight off unhealthy yeast levels. Consider following a candida diet high in antifungal foods as well as low in yeast.

Avoid alcohol and white bread as well as sugar. Consider making candida smoothies that contain probiotic yogurt, fresh fruit and coconut oil and consuming daily. Eat prebiotic foods as well as consider taking a synbiotic supplement.

By strengthening your immune system, raising your pH level, sweating out toxins through exercise and oxygenating your blood with healthy living, you can naturally cure candida infections and prevent them from recurring.

Antibiotics are a potential cause yeast infections as well so if you must take any antibiotics, consider increasing your probiotic and coconut oil consumption. Because they kill bacteria, they kill the good and bad bacteria and leave your body susceptible to unhealthy bacteria overgrowth.

Ways To Get Coconut Oil Into Your Diet

While virgin coconut oil is more costly than the regular stuff, it has many more health benefits. Use it on your steamed veggies and in your stir fries as well as in smoothies. If you have a yeast rash, use it as well; it’s great for your skin. Substitute it for butter and use it as your primary frying oil. Put a dab on your roasted potatoes in the oven and watch them turn a beautiful golden brown. It has a long shelf life which is why it’s used in commercial baking and can withstand high temperatures and doesn’t release trans fatty acids either.

A healthy lifestyle and healthy eating choices will help your body naturally fight yeast off for good.

Battling the Childhood Obesity Bulge

2008-07-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

A guest post by Heather Johnson:

Children are bearing the weight of their parents’ mistakes – literally. Bad diet decisions, exposure to junk food due to sheer laziness, unchecked snacking and weekends spent on the couch watching television, absolutely nil or very limited physical activity – these are just some of the things parents knowingly pile on their children, thus loading them with extra pounds that leads to childhood obesity.

Besides the obvious health risks like diabetes, joint trouble, hypertension and heart disease, fat kids are beset with social problems as well. They’re the butt of jokes and pranks at school, they’re ostracized by their peers and called unflattering names, they’re the last to be picked for teams and events, and they have trouble making friends because of insecurity issues. This causes depression and a low self esteem.

Children who are overweight are sometimes too young to understand why they’re being asked to cut down on what they eat, so it’s a tough task to get them on a healthy diet once they’ve let themselves get addicted to snacks and processed junk food. Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to child obesity, but if the inevitable has happened and your child is already tipping the scales, here’s how you can get him/her to shed a few pounds and get back on the healthy track:

* Talk to your child first before you effect any change is his/her routine. Make them understand why you are suddenly cutting back on their snacks and sweets, that it’s not a punishment but a way to become more healthy and fit.
* Set a healthy meal plan that involves the whole family and not just your overweight youngster. Consult a dietician before you make any drastic changes to make sure your other children are not deprived of any nutrition.
* Limit favorite snacks and sweets to special occasions like treats for a job well done or a good grade.
* Make healthy homemade snacks that your kids can munch on while watching a movie.
* Offer your child healthy alternatives at meal times instead of just one option.
* Make your child understand that by filling up on junk food and soft drinks away from your eyes, they are only cheating themselves and aggravating the problem.
* Take the TV out of your child’s bedroom. This discourages lolling in bed and switching channels aimlessly.
* Make weekends a time for the whole family to get involved in some outdoor activity that gets your child away from the television and video games.
* Give them some form of motivation to stick to a healthy diet and exercise more, either the anticipation of fitting into that new dress or being able to ride that new bike once they’ve lost a few pounds.

It’s a tough ask when you’re a child to take on the added responsibility of having to control your weight, but if done in the right way from the start, children are free of having to carry those excess pounds gained in childhood all through adolescence and into adulthood.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of nursing programs. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Natural Ways to Get Rid Of Headlice

2008-06-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

Head lice is a nasty thing to have to deal with. It happens to many people regardless of whether the head is clean or dirty and regardless of whether the child is from a wealthy home or a poor home. How do you get rid of them without dealing with carcinogenic chemicals? Here are some tips:

Natural Lice Removal

-Rinse the hair in vinegar. Vinegar can prevent the nits from hatching
-Cover the hair in mayonnaise, olive oil or Vaseline to prevent the bugs from traveling and then use a lice comb to get all the nits out. Flush them.
-Heat styling with a flat iron can kill them. Get as close to the scalp as you can without burning the skin as this is where they nits live
-Buy a lice brush. There are combs / brushes on the market that detect and kill nits and their eggs.

Removing Lice and Nits from the House

Do remember to launder everything in hot and consider bagging all children's stuffed animals for two weeks. Do a check again in 7-10 days in case any missed nits have had a chance to hatch. It's safe to assume that if one family member has it, the entire family should be treated for lice.

Greens Plus Smoothies

2008-06-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've been using Greens Plus off and on for over three years. We have been making Greens Plus smoothies for ages by mixing Greens Plus with a banana and probiotic yogurt. We often add other fruits into it as well such as pineapple or berries. Today I had an e-mail from Genuine Health to talk about a new product called Greens+ Smoothie A Day. They're now providing instant smoothies with plenty of complimentary health benefits. Hmmm, I wonder if they read one of my blog posts? I also wrote to them ages ago on their forum to ask if this was ok and was told I should use organic yogurt.

I'm not saying they took my idea or anything...I'm just saying smoothies rock and it's a more pleasant way to drink the Greens.

Mosquitoes: Keep Them Away Naturally

2008-06-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

Fighting mosquitoes is a battle for many on an annual basis.Many of us hate using chemicals on our skin and when Deet products are printed with warnings about our kids, it's difficult to ignore. We don't want to put toxic products on our kids and on ourselves for that matter.

We also don't want West Nile Virus, Malaria or the awful swelling/itching/misery that goes along with being a lunch buffet for neighbourhood mosquitoes. Here are some natural tips:

-Plants. Plant things like basil, citronella, marigolds, catnip, garlic and tansies throughout your property. Your herb and your flower gardens can naturally repel mosquitoes

-Standing water. This is a no brainer. Get rid of it!

-Listerine. This one is under debate but many sources say spraying bugs and your patio with Listerine Mouthwash will kill mosquitoes and spraying around your property will repel them. There are sources saying this is an urban myth so be cautious

-oil of eucalyptus. (I tried this on the weekend at the drive in and it did work! I watched bugs hover near us and then leave. We used Off! Botanicals that contained Lemon Eucalyptus. It only worked for just over an hour though and we all had to re-apply.)

- Food. By eating certain foods you can make yourself less appetizing to mosquitoes. These foods include bananas, garlic and food or supplements high in b vitamins.

Today.com Healthy News: Has it Been More than 365 Days Since Your Last Pap Test?

2008-05-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

Visit Healthy New @ Today.com for information about why you need to make sure you get your regular annual pap test.

We have so much power and control over our health if we listen to our bodies and follow doctor's guidelines. Going to the dentist isn't fun but it's essential just like getting your pap smear or your prostate test or going for that mammogram. Don't let the ick factor get in the way of living a healthy, vibrant, LONG life.

Cheers,
Dana Prince, Health Writer

Cariboo Ponderer's Pot of Gold: 7 Pains you shouldn't ignore

2008-05-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

Cariboo Ponderer's Pot of Gold: 7 Pains you shouldn't ignore

Healthy News Looks At Google Health

2008-05-20T07:39:00.001-07:00

http://healthynews.today.com/2008/05/20/google-health-beta-a-review/ Stop by Healthy News, My Today.com blog for a look at the new Google Health tool.

The internet continues to wow me with the wealth of information available for those who want to take control of their own health!

Constipated? Tips For Those Who Want To Go

2008-05-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Healthy News posted a blog this morning with tips to help you go to the bathroom more often. IBS, constipation and other digestive problems often have to do with what we eat and what we don't eat.

Elderly, toddlers, pregnant women and all of us can suffer from constipation from time to time. What you eat and the amount of fiber in your diet can have a significant effect on how often you go to the bathroom and how easy or difficult it is.

Read this post on constipation:

http://healthynews.today.com/2008/05/19/foods-that-fight-constipation/

Getting Synbiotics, Prebiotics and Probiotics into Your Candida Diet

2008-05-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

I've written the following post for Candida-Solutions, a Candida / Yeast Infection resource.

Synbiotics is a new buzz word in health and wellness. I expect you'll begin hearing a lot about them in the coming months.

If you’ve been studying the healthy and natural ways that exist to help you fight candida, you might be interested in probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. Not only do probiotics help your body fight off yeast infections but prebiotics do as well. Here’s a term you might not yet be aware of: synbiotic. A synbiotic is a supplement that includes both a probiotic and a prebiotic component in order to positively impact the body’s intestinal bacteria levels.

Candida problems happen when the bad bacteria overpowers the good guys. Candida overgrowth can result in many unpleasant health symptoms and while you can get prescription medication to help, the best defense is an offense and you can offensively fight bad bacteria levels by the intake of positive flora.

What are probiotics? Probiotics are healthy flora that can improve digestive functions.

What are prebiotics? Prebiotics can be thought of as healthy food for probiotics to help them function better and reproduce.

Benefiting from prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics

Eating yeast fighting foods is one approach that can go along with avoiding yeast promoting foods. Here are some ways to incorporate some pre and pro biotics into your candida diet to promote healthy flora populations in your digestive system so you can fight candida and have a healthy digestive system. These components can do great things for your immune system as well!

* Inulin. Inulin is a prebiotic that is derived from some plants. It can be added to food and to smoothies for great results. It can also be used as a sweetener. There are listed pros and cons of inulin so be sure to research it further before deciding to take this product in quantities.
* Probiotic and prebiotic juices are available in grocery stores that have yogurt and / or inulin in them. It’s a great idea to drink these when ill and especially when consuming antibiotics because antibiotics not only kill off harmful bacteria in your body but they get rid of the good bacteria as well which gives candida a chance to replicate at fast levels.
* Kefir. Kefir is a fermented liquid that can be a really healthy health drink for many reasons including the fight against yeast infections. You can buy kefir starters in health food stores and online and cultivate your own. Young coconut kefir is an example you might want to look into for health benefits.
* Prebiotic cheese is increasingly readily available in grocery stores and can be used like any other cheese.
* Eat garlic and onions and asparagus and other foods known to contain prebiotics. You can take garlic pills if you’re worried about halitosis (bad breath problems)
* Supplements. Many supplements can help you increase your health and wellness and eradicate conditions like candida. synbiotics can even help with liver and brain health in addition to your immune system.

Learning natural ways to combat health problems like yeast infections are smart and will help you avoid other health problems as well as increase your energy and vitality. Health does truly begin in the digestive system!

Candida is something you might be battling on an ongoing basis and learning about health news that can eliminate the overgrowth of this destructive yeast can be very beneficial.

Quick and Dirty Info on Coffee Enemas

2008-05-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

This health writer loves coffee but enough to do an enema with it? I took a look at information regarding coffee enemas and it does appear that there are some significant health benefits from it. It sounds a bit messy but for those on a quest for a clean and healthy body, this cleanse might be worth looking at. I just finished an Oxy Powder cleanse myself and was surprised at the results. I'll blog about that on another day.

Organic caffeinated coffee for the enema is recommended and pure water is as well. It's not suggested that you prepare the coffee in aluminum; enamel is recommended and it's also suggested that you retain the coffee for fifteen minutes.

Our bodies rely on our colon for defense and detoxifying the colon can boost your immune system significantly. Your colon can be quickly detoxified with this enema that is said to have very positive liver health benefits as well. With the coffee enema, your liver will produce more bile which can help carry toxins out of your body and any compacted fecal matter will be flushed from your body as well.

In my quest for further information I found a plethora of types of enemas including: yogurt enema, milk, garlic and lemon enemas. Interesting stuff!

Health News Roundup - Today.com

2008-05-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

I'm writing in a new blog at today.com called Healthy News. In my first week, here are some subjects I've written about.

Keep your family safe, especially small children and learn about:

Parenting Alert for Plastic Baby Bottles in Canada. This is of huge concern and the Canadian government needs to quickly make changes to manufacturing laws regarding plastic items.

Looking for an excuse to loosen your housekeeping standards?
Are You Keeping Your House Too Clean is a blog post exploring the fear of having germs around our kids and explores the fact that a bit of dirt might actually help build stronger immune systems.

In Praise of the Smoothie talks about the great shake that's chocked full of nutrition, can be a meal replacement, a healthy dessert and a way to get more vitamins into your and your family's diet.

Want ideas for getting more Getting Superfoods into Your Diet? Read this post to get some ideas.

Metabolism Boosting Food is a post that talks about a few things you can incorporate into your diet to increase your body's metabolism rate.

How Old Are You, Really? looks at your real age and ways you can increase and decrease it.

Improving Your Health One Step At A Time is my intro post on the today.com network that talks about the fact that little baby steps can make a big difference in your health.

Have a healthy weekend!

Reasons to Eat Cinnamon

2008-05-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love cinnamon? Beyond being a flavourful item for your toast, apple cider and your apple pie, cinnamon has some great health benefits as well. Cinnamon is a great anti-inflammatory spice that can be part of a good diet with anti inflammatory foods chosen for warding off disease and discomfort.

What else is cinnamon good for?

Beyond making a Cinnabon roll rather tasty, having this spice present in healthy foods is a good idea. It can act as a natural and safe way of preserving food for longer periods of time as an antibacterial and can slow the affect of spoiling. It can be helpful with recurring yeast infections and can lower cholesterol levels.

Cinnamon is also an antioxidant and is being researched for helping with issues such as diabetes as well as cancer.

The aroma of cinnamon is a great way to naturally create scent in your home and from an aromatherapy perspective, this spice is known for helping with memory and concentration.

Healing With Anti Inflammatory Foods

2008-04-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Foods can be healing. Anti inflammatory foods should regularly be incorporated into the diet, especially when you're unwell or dealing with chronic pain. Those with Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, for instance, can find a significant difference when eating foods that have anti inflammatory properties.

Here is a short list of some of the foods that fit the bill:

-olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil
-lean protein (chicken and fish)
-dark leafy vegetables
-nuts
-berries
-whole grain foods
-red wine or grapes
-green tea
-spices such as ginger, garlic, oregano and cinnamon

Foods that are pro inflammatory include unhealthy fats, sugar and junk food. It's evident that foods that are generally part of a healthy lifestyle overall can contribute to good health in many different ways.

Beyond pain management, you can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's as well. While you might be someone that needs medication for pain management, you might find that increasing the anti inflammatory foods you consume could lessen the frequency of medication. For others who are getting into health and fitness, eating these types of foods could be very beneficial for you for many reasons including post workout recovery.

What Are Probiotic Yogurt Challenges?

2008-04-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

If you're scratching your head about what the fuss is with probiotic yogurts and seemingly mysterious two week challenges, here's a bit of advice that can demystify.

We all have bacteria in our bodies. We have friendly bacteria in our bellies that helps to break down food and overpower unfriendly bacteria. It works as an integral part of our chemistry. Positive flora is something that is in probiotic bacteria which can enhance digestive functions and your immune system.

In a healthy body, we should have enough positive flora to do the job but when things go out of whack, it can make this a challenge and the result can be that we don't digest as easily as possible which impacts how we feel and will impact our colon transit time (a.k.a. how often you have a bowel movement.)

When should you take probiotics?

Probiotics can be needed when:

-You have an infection or are prone to candida or yeast infections
-You've had antibiotics
-You've been feeling unwell or are repeatedly ill
-You have digestive problems like IBS-C, IBS-D or a combination.

Yeast infections happen due to the overgrowth of candida which is the growth of candida albicans bacterium. Probiotics can help the spread of candida by overpowering the candida albicans. Think of positive bacteria such as in yogurt as vigilante bacteria with an attitude who can fend off the bad guys.

Antibiotics are great for killing off harmful bacteria in your body but they also kill the positive flora which can cause havoc on your digestive system. This is why many now stop for yogurt on the way home from the drug store after picking up Penicillin.

Those who are repeatedly ill might also consider taking probiotics to help strengthen their immune system. Probiotics can be taken in yogurt or cheese as well as in vitamin supplements that include live bacteria.

What about prebiotics?

Prebiotics are components that can help stimulate the growth of the positive flora in your body. This way you not only have to consume probiotics but are more prone to making your own.

Many who are prone to yeast infections or who are recovering from an infection that required antibiotics find that having probiotic yogurt regularly helped ward off problems and correct them.

And, for those with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), diarrhea or other digestive disturbances, many found that by taking a serving of probiotic yogurt daily over a few week period they saw positive changes in their digestive functions: Hence the 14 day challenge.

Getting It Down..Learning To Like The Healthy Stuff

2008-04-10T05:32:00.001-07:00

I just drank my Greens Plus shake. I thought it was horrid when I first started drinking it but I've gotten quite accustomed to it and now find it rather pleasant. I know that it's most effective when taken with pure water and drank quickly because of the live cultures in it but if you need to blend it with something to help get accustomed to the taste, it's a good way to get into the routine. I often mix it into a smoothie with probiotic yogurt, fresh juice and a banana.

I take Greens Plus because it is equivalent to six servings of organic green vegetables a day. I want all the antioxidants I can get! It has a long list of ingredients that are very beneficial.

Apple Cider Vinegar is also really healthy for numerous reasons (check my archives) but tastes horrid. I take it because it provides a lot of minerals I need and is great for boosting my immune system. Last week I felt illness coming on and took it preventively. I mix Braggs Organic ACV with orange juice or apple juice to get it down and do it quick. Make sure you don't brush your teeth directly after having your ACV as it can harm your enamel. Mixing it with baking soda can take down the acidity but it tastes rather pastey. Many ACV enthusiasts highly recommend taking apple cider vinegar with a spoonful of honey as it can actually enhance the health benefits.

When I decided to drink more water instead of pop, it was difficult at first but now nothing quenches my thirst like a glass of water. You can unlearn your bad habits and learn new habits.

When you switch from enriched white bread to whole wheat, it will be an adjustment but for me, after a few years of having whole wheat bread white bread just doesn't cut it for me anymore. It feels almost like having a piece of cake instead of a piece of bread and I now prefer the nutty flavour and the texture of whole wheat.

I also started incorporating organic coconut oil into my diet and at first missed the flavours of all the butter I was using. Now, I crave it and enjoy it. It cooks food beautifully and is easy to slip into my smoothie or mix into recipes.

The point to today's blog post is to tell you that while changing lifestyle habits is a bit daunting at first, before long your new habits will feel completely natural and life will feel incomplete without them. Here's to your good health!

Tips to Rapidly Alter Your Health

2008-03-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

If you want to change your health for the better, you can do it no matter what age you are at. It can seem like a big thing to do but if you simply start off with a few small tasks, you will find that you look and feel better. Those small steps can lead to big leaps over time as well.

Drink more water!

Your body needs hydration otherwise you’ll feel tired, sluggish and you’ll crave unnecessary and (probably unhealthy) foods. Most headaches come due to dehydration and most people who snack between meals really aren’t hungry at all but don’t recognize that extra hydration can calm hunger pangs between meals. By drinking more water and less sugary drinks you’ll look and feel better.

Add Colour To Your Plate!

Let's call it a rainbow diet. A colourful plate is going to be filled with vitamins and nutrients. Try to get as many natural colours on your plate as possible. This helps you get 5-10 servings of vegetables in as well which can reduce your risk for serious illness later in life as well as help reverse the aging process with healthy antioxidants.

Eat Breakfast!

Most people who are unhealthy skip breakfast. Taking the time to eat a small amount of food in the morning will not only help you feel more awake and alert but will jump start your metabolism. It’s called break-fast for a reason. Your body needs to break the fast and get moving again. Don’t think breakfast adds on extra calories because if you choose a healthy breakfast like fruit and cereal you have a better chance of losing weight because your metabolism will start working harder.

Take Vitamins

Despite best efforts, most people don’t get all their required vitamins and nutrients every day. While you should strive to get as much nutrition from your food as possible, taking a multivitamin is a very good idea. Take something that’s natural instead of synthetic and take something that is age and gender appropriate to ensure you are getting all your body needs.

Baby Steps To Better Health

Health and lifestyle changes in small steps can lead to a healthier, happier you. The most important aspect to health is knowledge. Learn more about how to get and stay healthy. The more attention you give to your health and wellness the more vital you’ll feel and after a while, being healthy can become more addictive than living an unhealthy lifestyle!

Is Your Candida a Well Fed Infection?

2008-03-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Candida are yeast that live in our bodies that can cause adverse reactions like rashes but is it true that they can also cause you to crave unhealthy food? Yes! Some of your unhealthy eating habits and food cravings could be down to an overgrowth of candida bacteria and the more candida gets, the more it wants. A yeast infection diet can require some strict dietary habits for at least a month to help you starve that bacteria out of your body but it can be worthwhile and result in not only a yeast infection free body but one that no longer craves excessive refined carbohydrates, sugars and junk food.

Candida albicans feed on sugar and the more your body eats the food candida wants, the more rapidly it will grow which can result in many unpleasant symptoms. Stop feeding your candida and you’ll stop it from growing. Continue feeding the unhealthy bacteria the foods that help them proliferate and you’ll continue to deal with adverse problems such as cravings, mood swings, rashes, sinus problems and weight gain. There is a long laundry list of possible health problems as a result of this type of bacterial overgrowth and more time and research is being dedicated to this condition than ever.

What should you eat on a candida starvation diet?

It’s good to eat healthful food but it’s most important to avoid specific foods while trying to starve the albicans out of your body. Cravings can be difficult at first but if you consider the long term health benefits, it can make the battle much easier. Once you’ve helped your body return to a better pH level, you can slowly reintroduce some of the foods in moderation. Be wary of going back to your old eating habits full tilt as you can encourage new growth and be back where you started if not careful. Look for more alkaline food and less acidic food to achieve a better pH.

Foods to avoid include: vinegars, fungi such as mushrooms, sweeteners such as sugar, syrup and honey, refined carbs and food with high levels of gluten, caffeine, alcohol, dairy food and junk or fast food. Minimize dairy food, especially ripened or aged cheeses.

What should you eat while starving out the bacteria?

Organic apple cider vinegar is an exception to the rule about avoiding vinegars. The organic version that contains the mother (a cloudy looking substance in the vinegar) can be very healthy. Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar is a popular brand available at many health food stores for a reasonable price. Probiotic cheese or yogurt are dairy exceptions because they contain live bacteria that can overpower the unhealthy yeasts and create a more harmonious environment. Eat healthy food and drink plenty of water to cleanse your system. It’s also a great idea to exercise as sweating helps your body release toxins as well.

Once your digestive system has a better balance of flora, you will not only see your yeast infection symptoms disappear but you will quickly find that you no longer have heavy sugar cravings. While you might find the beginning days of your candida starvation diet to be a struggle, the benefits can be very worthwhile.

Resource:
Yeast Free Cookbook

Some Flax Facts

2008-03-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Want some fast flax facts? How’s that for a mouthful? The tiny flax seed is packed full of all kinds of health benefits. Flax is considered a powerful food and is on most superfoods lists. I’ve started adding it to salads and oatmeal and it has a nice, nutty taste. I also buy multigrain bread and multigrain bagels with flax seeds which tastes great toasted! I’ve seen many juices available with flaxseed oil as well to help increase the Omega 3 and Omega 6 content of foods. It’s important to get the omegas in your diet and flax is a great way to do that since many people haven’t been able to get in recent years due to the decline in fish as part of the staple diet. I try to use them both in ground and whole form. It’s important to note that most of the health benefits won’t happen unless you have them ground or chewed. Flax is cheap to buy and abundantly available and when using whole seeds I do try to chew them despite their tiny size so that they don’t simply exit my body without letting me get some of the benefits beyond help for digestive cleansing. You can chop them in the food processor, blender or coffee grinder yourself to add in recipes.

Here are a few of the benefits I’ve found for flax:

-Great for constipation.
-help symptoms of asthma
-anti-inflammatory properties so helpful with aches and pains
-Great for your mood
-protection against disease such as heart disease and cancer
-high antioxidant levels
-high in omega 3 alpha linoleic acid
-high in omega 6
-fights high cholesterol
-low on the glycemic index
-high fibre
-a source of polyunsaturated oils
-high protein

Increasing your good fats and eating as many superfoods as you can will benefit your health in many ways.

Do You Want To Live Forever?

2008-03-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

Scott at wrevenue.com posted a blogging challenge this week to get people to ponder living well indefinitely. There are some thought provoking points raised on the blog post.

Do you want to live forever?

With what we know today about health we can get to a point where we live longer and where we have the ability to live more vibrant lives. Your body has a built in alarm system that tells you when something isn't quite right. You know what it takes to live longer and healthier. While we know that many people who are diseased simply grow weary and are tired of fighting, we also know that the power of positive thinking and faith has a significant impact on our health. I recently watched a video with Dr Edward Group lecturing about cellular cleansing and it made a big impact on how I think about my own health and wellness.

With areas such as cord blood storage, stem cell research and other health advances I do believe that we can live longer, healthier lives and there may come a point where people can choose to live a lot longer than the average 80 years with enhanced vibrancy in their lives. Healthy living is a choice and can reward you with a longer life. It brings to mind the movie, Cocoon. The idea of being old but enjoying life the same as today is something that appeals to me! I would love to roll on the floor and do somersaults with my grandchildren instead of being brittle and achy and reliant on a large mittful of pills to keep me alive each day. Vibrancy and being able to be flexible and pain free is something that you can have a say in by taking care of your own health.

How can you change your health for the better?

-Eat well. You know what you should and shouldn't eat.
-Exercise. Exercise is addictive and releases natural endorphins so those who exercise are happier AND healthier
-See the doctor when your body tells you something is 'off.'
-Ask for second opinions. Too many people give one single doctor a God complex by not questioning them.
-Support research on longevity and anti-aging!. When you tithe, tithe a little to the medical community and support companies who give to this type of cause. Don't deal with companies that don't support your way of thinking and soon the world will have more responsible corporate citizens.
-Most importantly: Learn. learn about your health and advances and support increased knowledge and research into fighting medical diseases and age related disorders.
Keeping your brain active will also help keep you young. Thanks to Scott at wrevenue.com for an inspiring post and blog challenge!

Should You Use Teflon Coated Pans?

2008-03-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

It’s difficult to find a non-stick pan that is not coated with Teflon. But, is Teflon safe? Websites like Mercola.com got me concerned about it. Jokes about how to get Teflon to stick to things when nothing will stick to it come to mind but I did a bit of research and found out that there’s a mixed bag of responses as to whether or not it is safe to use this material.

Non stick is helpful when cooking and cleaning but at what price? The non-stick coating made by the company DuPont more than 70 years ago is considered safe according to them and many experts but most say that you should only use it at lower temperatures. You’ll find a lot of information stating that it can be toxic and poison and even cause birth defects though. How do you separate myth from fact? I tend to err on the side of caution in life.

I’ve read that when you cook at very high temps it can emit toxic fumes that can even kill birds. On the other hand I’ve also read that it is completely safe. My thoughts are as follows: I prefer not to use any non-stick coated products unless they are ceramic coated.

One safety caution would be to use non stick coated items only at lower temperatures. When you fry food, you typically fry at high temperatures. Perhaps it is better to not use it for frying anything higher than 350 degrees.

What could you use instead?

Ceramic coated cast iron is becoming popular. While it is a bit on the expensive side in contrast to other non-stick coatings, it can do well for preventing sticky food and allowing you to cook at a higher temperature. The pans can also last a very long time where Teflon pans seem almost disposable to me since they show wear and tear quickly.

I also find that using regular pots and pans can be effective provided you cook longer at lower heats to prevent food sticking and prevent sticking by using cooking sprays, butter or oil. My favourite cooking oil is coconut oil which can cook without burning at high temperatures and doesn’t release Trans fats plus has multiple added health benefits. (Dig into my archives to learn more about benefits of coconut oil)

One bit of consensus I’m finding is that if any of your non-stick pans coated with Teflon are flaking and showing excessive wear it is not advisable to continue using them. When you use them at brand new try to use non metal utensils to prevent scratches and the minute they show signs of wear, get rid of them.

The Scoop On Coconut Kefir

2008-03-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

I’ve been on the search for information about Coconut Kefir for a while. I’m almost ready to try making a batch. I first kept coming up empty by searching for coconut kiefer but I suppose that refers to Kiefer Sutherland. Coconut Kefir references come up regularly in my search for healthy probiotic information and I’ve found some resources for making it yourself. I’ve been learning more and more about the benefits of coconut. Coconut oil is something I’m trying to incorporate into our regular diets and I’ve been doing a lot of candida research for a client and so have become fascinated with the positive and negative bacteria living in our bodies. I also know that today’s diet wreaks havoc on the digestive system and especially the colon.

What can coconut kefir do for you?

Coconut water and a kefir starter can produce some great results. Coconut kefir can:
-Cleanse the liver and endocrine system
-enhance the positive flora in your digestive system which can be great for fighting candida
-intestinal toning (great if you have loss of bowel tone)
-help with digestion problems
-help with various areas of your appearance including shinier hair, clearerskin and stronger nails
-reduce sugar cravings so can be great while on a diet
-coconut water is very hydrating so is perfect for thirst quenching. In fact, fresh and sterile coconut water has even been used intravenously for dehydration.
-can ward off or cure a hangover

It’s best to make this with young coconut and and purchase a Kefir starter along with it. I'll be sure to post my findings after making this drink myself.

WuLong Tea Benefits

2008-02-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

I reguarly come across ads for Wulong tea so I decided to look a little closer at it. It turns out it's known as Oolong tea as well and has several significant health benefits. If you are looking to find out the benefits of Oolong or Wulong tea, you can find a wealth of information online as well as a fair bit of hype.

Oolong Tea

Wulong tea is also known as oolong tea and is reported to have many health benefits including that of slimming effects. Wulong tea is in the same family as black and green teas but is reported to have a level of fermentation that provides excellent fat burning potential.

In the quest for eating foods and drinking liquids that increase your metabolism it’s worthwhile to note that some teas also provide significant health benefits such as high antioxidant levels. Green tea, white tea and WuLong or Oolong tea are said to be helpful in many ways. White tea can help with bacteria such as Strep as well as provide aid in preventing dental cavities. Oolong is said to help with the regulation of blood glucose levels and help you have a glowing complexion.

Why do you need antioxidants?

Antioxidants can actually reverse the aging process and fight free radicals or cancer causing agents. You can get antioxidants from many foods and beverages including foods like blueberries, the Goji berry and from green tea, white tea and oolong tea.

In terms of negative effects of Wulong tea, there is a high caffeine content so it might be wise to watch your intake and be sure you pay attention to any symptoms or signs of caffeine excess such as jitters or heart palpitations. Instead of drinking it in addition to your daily coffee, you might want to have your Wu-Long in the morning instead of coffee.

Anything that impacts your metabolism must be carefully considered when taking any medication. Much like the grapefruit diet isn’t recommended for someone on essential medication for heart, blood pressure and other medical issues, because Wulong can impact your metabolic rate you need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about taking it when you are taking prescription drugs.

Managing Your Own Health With Online Tools

2008-02-27T04:39:00.000-08:00

We all need to see the doctor, especially if we have symptoms but we also need knowledge. Today, people want to understand what is going on in their body. We seek medical treatment, we look to non-conventional methods of curing and creating a more vibrant self and we want to know everything we can about what we might be facing.

The patient/doctor relationship is very different today than it was 20 years ago. Today people are more likely to learn about their condition and treatment options. They are more likely to ask for a second opinion or question their doctor. Knowledge is power in every area and that's especially true when it comes to your health.

I was pointed to a very useful article this morning with a vast list of resources.
The Nursing Online Education Database published a list of 100 useful links to tools for medical information and self-diagnosis. The link contains information about self-diagnosing, risk assessment quizzes and tools, medical dictionaries and other useful tools and database links.

This is such a useful list I expect to come back to it on a regular basis. Of course I feel the need to type the obligatory and very true statement that you should never rely solely on self diagnosis if your health could be at risk but having knowledge and resources can compliment your medical care and lead to a healthier, stronger and more informed you. In my opinion, knowledge is essential in this age with varying opinions on medical treatment, medical malpractice and alternative or natural healing.

Cereal Diet Menu Sample

2008-02-25T09:39:00.001-08:00

If you are doing a cereal diet (replacing 2 meals a day with cereal) you might want some help deciding what to eat and how to :

-mix it up so you don't get too sick of cereal
-choose snacks to keep you satisfied and full without jeopardizing your diet
-choose what to have for dinner

Have a look at this post on the Cereal Dieter blog for samples of a cereal diet menu.

Should you exercise while doing a calorie reduced diet? Here's some helpful advice from the Sacred Heart Soup Blog...

Diet Menu Planning Benefits and Tips

2008-02-25T09:27:00.001-08:00

Planning your menu when dieting or doing a healthy lifestyle change is an essential task. If you're trying to lose weight or get healthy the most important advice you can follow is to plan your diet menu. If you set a schedule about what you're going to eat and shop in advance for several days meals you will be less likely to cheat and overeat which will clearly put your eight loss efforts behind. Many people who fail on their diets do so because of lack of planning which leads to cheating and overindulgence. Here are some helpful planning tips:

Shop a few days at a time. This way your food will be fresh and you'll be more likely to eat what you've bought as well as be able to take advantage of sales.

-Make a list when you shop. This way you know what to buy and won't get home and realize you don't have the makings of healthy recipes.

-Don't shop hungry! Eat before you shop and have your list ready.

-Stay OUT of the junk food isle and resist the urge to buy items while in line. Read tabloid mag covers to keep your mind off the candy bars if you must ;)

-Join healthy website recipe sites to help you come up with creative diet menu planning ideas. Surfing for ideas can be a lot of fun.

-Get support! If you aren't planning to diet with a buddy, find an online support group or community forum. Swapping recipes and success stories is a great idea.

-Track your caloric intake and exercise. Fitday.com is a great resource for letting you do both for free.

-Go for variety! Changing your recipe selection a little will make your dieting more adventurous. Diets don't have to be bland. Experience new flavours with spices and be adventurous.

A bit of planning and experimenting can help you increase your chances of losing weight or getting healthier with great eating habits.

The Fat Loss 4 Idiots or, Idiot Proof Diet> includes an online generated menu based on healthy food choices that trick your metabolism, engage fat burning hormones. There's a lifetime membership *here*.

Tips For Dealing With A Toothache

2008-02-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

How do you get rid of a toothache? There aren't many things worse than a nagging, painful toothache and you know you need to get to the dentist asap but what do you do in the meantime? Ibuprofen or acetaminophen is going to help take down the swelling but here are a few other things that can help you temporarily.

-Rinse with h202, hydrogen peroxide. You'll feel bubbling and it might sting a bit but can be really helpful in cleaning out the mouth, dislodging food and getting rid of painful aches in the teeth and jaw

-Eat yogurt. Something about yogurt seems to help with mouth bacterium. It is said to help with toothache and cold sores. Opt for the probiotic yogurt varieties if you can.

-Rinse with alcohol. It'll numb the pain and disinfect

-Orajel or Anbesol can numb and create almost instant relief.

-saltwater rinsing can have a similar impact to H202 and can relieve pain and is especially helpful when you have had mouth surgery.

-dab the sore spot with cloves, clove oil, vanilla extract or almond extract

Get to the dentist soon but these things can help dull or alleviate your toothache pain in the meantime.

Information about the Zig Zag or Calorie Shifting Diet Information

2008-01-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

There are many names for the calorie shifting diet. This diet plan can also be referred to as the zig zag diet or the Idiot Proof Diet and is widely marketed under the name, "Fat Loss 4 Idiots". The goal of this diet is to trick your metabolism so that it doesn't adjust to habitual eating.

When we reduce our caloric intake, our bodies burn energy reserves. The trick according to most is to burn more than you consume. There are many ways that fad diets suggest you do this including the Negative Calorie Diet. Our bodies burn a pound for every 3500 calories that we go over our reserves with.

Many people find that when they change their caloric intake, they lose weight rapidly but all of a sudden, they plateau. A zig zag diet plan where calories are shifted around continuously is said to trick your metabolism so it cannot anticipate how much calories are coming and therefore it can remain high. When our metabolism slows down, it's more difficult to achieve weight loss.

Various plans are in existence including through websites, videos and books. You can even join a site with an automatic menu generated to help you plan for your days when you will be taking in high calories versus taking in low calories. One of the benefits to the zig zag or calorie shifting method is that you don't feel deprivation because you are not going for weeks on end without any treats which can lead to falling off the wagon.

The down side to zig zag eating is that you could have a difficult time if you try to go too low on your low cal days. Some dieters get over zealous and try to drop their caloric intake so drastically that they impact their health and well being.

If you're interested, you can learn more about this method of dieting and read success stories and diet reviews of the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program or calorie shifting in general but whatever you choose to do, make informed decisions always about your health. Take care with your hydration and potassium levels. Anyone dieting on a regular basis should take care to monitor their vitamin intake and consider using a food journal to determine if there are any gaps (there's a free one at www.fitday.com in my sidebar) and consider taking a multivitamin.

Interested in learning more about Fat Loss 4 Idiots?
Click Here!

Benefits of Fasting for Health, Spirituality, Vitality and Longevity

2008-01-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons to learn about fasting for health, fasting for spirituality and for weight loss. If you’re thinking about doing a fast for your health or any other reason, it’s a great idea to do some research and learn as much as you can about what happens to your body while you are fasting. There are benefits as well as some warnings when it comes to doing a fast for any period of time.

Some look to fasting for weight loss. There is a lot of information available to help you learn all the benefits of fasting with guidelines and safety precaution information or supporting herbs and vitamins.

A Few Warnings About Fasting

First: you need adequate hydration when you go without food. Dehydration is very dangerous and can happen quickly. Some people do nothing but drink water while fasting and others do a pure juice fast which can provide you with plenty of nutrients, hydration and electrolytes while still giving you some detoxifying benefits.

Second, if you have any health concerns or issues with blood sugar you might want to talk to your doctor first. Some people who do fasting for health benefits do it through a supervised medical treatment center although the vast majority do so at home. A fast is sometimes necessary regardless of your health status for a short term period due to the need for a specific medical test but you should find out if there are any precautions you need to take while fasting.

Try to keep it low key while you are not eating. Not only will you want to reserve your energy but you won’t want to be around the sights and smells of food unless absolutely necessary.

Understanding ways to do fasting as well as the best way to break your fast are important. The aim is typically to have the body go into autolysis and use up stores of energy and fat and resume to healthful eating before the body starts to use protein as energy and ease back into food in a healthful and beneficial way.

Benefits Of Fasting

When you fast you can go through a detoxification process. Your body can shed toxins and impurities. It can even help you overcome addiction. Fasting can make a lifestyle transition helpful. Rather than trying to wean your body off unhealthy foods and suffer cravings, fasting can be an excellent way to jump start the process and have a speedy detoxification process which can reduce the cravings.

Fasting can also help your body target all its resources to healing instead of processing food. When the body is in fasting mode this can result in damaged cells becoming healed, unhealthy growths and bacteria or yeasts being starved and the lymphatic system being energized.

In many cultures, fasting is linked to an increased spiritual connection and to longevity or increased life expectancy.

Is Fasting Right For You?

Part of our culture has made us believe that that food equals comfort. Deprivation is very different from fasting. Learning the benefits and learning tips for the first time you fast can be very beneficial and there’s a wealth of information available to help you.

Red Wine Pills, Magic Bullett for Longevity?

2008-01-03T11:21:00.001-08:00

Ahh, the dream of a magic pill to make all your troubles go away. Red Wine Pills might be pretty darn close!

If you're interested in benefiting from the virtues of red wine but don't want to sit down to drink it, you might want to look at red wine in pill form. We all know that red wine health benefits are numerous. If you don't want to take in the alcohol levels and don't want the bloating or weight gain associated with red wine drinking on a daily basis, the Red Wine Pill might be right up your alley. Red wine is great for you (better than great!) but has some downsides including a high number of calories and the inability to drive a motor vehicle while drinking it.

Red Wine in a Pill

The Red Wine Pill consists of all the good stuff minus some of the bad stuff in wine. You get the benefits of antioxidants which can slow the aging process and the little pill can help to fight free radical damage and also, you can get the best of the healthful aged grape beverage by taking this pill and benefit from better heart health as well as assist with type-2 Diabetes (per this heatlh news article.)

Red Wine Pills contain Reservatrol which is a potent ingredient that can provide some numerous great health benefits for you and has been shown to extend lifespans in many test subjects including animals and insects. Talk to your doctor about whether or not the Red Wine Pill is right for you. You can find it in health food stores as well as through some great online sources.

Have you tried it? I'd love to hear some feedback.

Should You Do A Candida Detox Cleanse?

2007-12-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Helpful Candida Cleanse Information for you that I got from a project done for: http://candida-solutions.com/.

Do you need to consider a candida cleanse or detox?

A candida cleanse can help you rid your body of harmful candida albicans which can harm your health. By following a suggested candida diet, you can help your body achieve a better pH level and help eSncourage positive flora while ridding yourself of unhealthy yeasts.

If you looking for information on a candida clense, there’s a wealth of info available. Candida problems impact a high number of the population. For some it’s a common problem. Some people have recurring yeast infections and continually go on antibiotics to fix this. This can do your body more harm than good. Instead, following a candida diet or candida cleanse can help your body naturally fight off harmful bacteria while nurturing an environment where positive bacteria can help your digestive system and your immune system.

Many people who do a candida diet find that after a few weeks, they: no longer crave sweets, they have more energy and fewer headaches. Everyone’s body chemistry is different so results vary just as much as candida levels vary.
It’s becoming a well known fact that what you eat along with your lifestyle can directly impact the bacteria living in your body. This impacts your immune system and ability to fight off disease. A candida cleanse can benefit you significantly in all levels of your health.

Some people are divided on the subject of candida and yeast infections but many holistic practitioners will look at your pH level first when you have inexplicable health problems. Your diet and lifestyle impact whether you are acidic or alkaline and those who are alkaline are much healthier and are more able to stay healthy.
Diet changes and exercise can often dramatically impact how often you have problems with yeast. If you have recurring vaginal yeast infections, you might want to consider keeping a food journal to help you determine if your yeast infections occur after you’ve eaten poorly. Many people find that by journaling their diet and exercise levels they can see significant peaks and valleys in their eating habits and their moods and energy levels often mimic their food journal.

By following a candida diet which means that you are avoiding sugars, junk food, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, enriched white breads and fungi you can cleanse your self and boost your immune system.

Resource:
Yeast-Free Cookbook

Connections: Candida and Food

2007-11-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

What you eat can directly impact your ability to have problems with Candida or yeast infections. Conversely, it can also help you by creating an environment where healthy flora flourish and bad bacteria perish. I wrote about this recently for a friend and business contact.

Our bodies house good bacterium and can have bad bacteria as well. Yeast infections or candida can happen when the bad bacteria levels get high. This can happen for many reasons and can result in unpleasant symptoms in the genital area or the mouth. In order to deal with this, you often need to have treatment that kills off the negative bacteria but the problem with this is that treatment can also kill the healthy flora living in your body.

Candida can happen frequently and it can become a pain. We don’t want to overdo it on antibiotics and risk developing a tolerance to them which makes getting well when we really need antibiotics difficult. We also want the positive bacteria in our bodies to thrive as they can help us in many ways. Candida doesn’t just cause yeast infections, oral thrush and diaper rash. It can impact your health in many ways including headaches, mood swings, and sinus problems and is reported as suspected of being linked to other problems as well.

There are foods you can eat to encourage healthy bacteria to flourish in your body and to keep unhealthy levels of yeast from rising. There are probiotic foods which encourage the healthy bacteria to grow and antibiotics which are intended to kill off harmful bacterium. The problem is that when we need to take antibiotics, the antibiotics cannot tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys so they wipe out everything in sight! If your body has a tendency to produce too much yeast and you are prone to yeast infections, you should be cautious about what you eat and drink to help prevent the overgrowth of that yeast. In fact, your diet alone could be the culprit.

There are many types of flora living in our bodies and the culprits for the yeast infection occur when there’s a proliferation of albican yeast growth. Prevent albican yeast growth by eating healthful unprocessed foods. Probiotic yogurt and cheese can be very helpful. Eating junk food and refined carbohydrates is not helpful as it will feed the bad bacteria. Eliminating sugar and bleached white flour is a very good idea and you should avoid all fermented foods like alcohol, cheese and yeasts and fungi such as mushrooms. Instead, eat plenty of live cultures like yogurt and unsweetened kefir. Organic apple cider vinegar can also be helpful for restoring balance in the digestive system.

Opt for food with fast transit times for your food so that it won’t sit and rot in your intestines creating new bacteria. A special diet is typically used for two to four weeks so that symptoms can subside and people who have recurring problems with yeast may decide to stay on this diet as a regular rule. Use oils for cooking such as virgin coconut oil offers great antifungal properties.. Garlic, clove oil, oregano oil and spices like cinnamon, curry and cayenne can also be very beneficial.
If you want bread during your candida diet, opt for whole grain bread that isn’t leavened with yeast. Probiotic or lactose reduced cheese can be taken in lieu of regular cheese. Albican yeast free cookbooks or resource sites exist which help you find more recipes that incorporate great foods without harmful yeast.
Eating well, exercise and good digestive health are all factors for treating and preventing candida yeast infections.

This article was written for my colleague and friend Matthew Bredel. Matt owns the helpful website Candida Solutions.

Resource:
Yeast-Free Cookbook

Fitness Swap: Desk Chair For Stability Ball

2007-11-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

For great health benefits, use a fitness or stability ball at your desk. This is a great idea if you spend a little or a lot of time at your desk. I am a freelance writer who is at my desk up to fourteen hours some days. My large stability ball helps me with my balance, my stability, helps strengthen my core and tone muscles while I work.

Last week I read a blog entry from a man who has used his exercise ball as a desk chair for a few years and has said goodbye to back problems which use to plague him. I also read recently about classrooms where students use a ball to sit on instead of a chair and this can help with focus. Kids get to do a bit of fidgeting to keep themselves stable on their ball and at the same time this can help your cognitive skills due to the brain stimulation required to keep you stable while you work. I'm hoping this will help my creative juices.

Sitting for prolonged periods of time can cause repetitive stress injury and stiffness. By swapping out my ball for a few hours a day I help with muscle tone and core strengthening exercises. Sometimes I even bring my stationary bike over to my desk and prop my keyboard up on the handlebars when I'm working on my novel.

Those who spend long periods of time at their desks can find great benefit in stretching exercises, a stability ball, using a hand weight or stress ball to stimulate hand muscles. It's still a great idea to get up every so often to stretch and help give your eyes a rest but doing whatever you can to help you do low impact exercise while you work can provide great long term health benefits.

Rebounding Exercise Benefits

2007-11-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

I learned recently about rebounding health benefits. Did you know that rebounding exercise is a great way to lose weight and get fit? Rebounding is low impact exercise on a mini trampoline and it can have huge health benefits. Those who rebound can see some great benefits on the outside and can do an awful lot for their internal self as well. It's even a great exercise for fightin off candida.

What is rebounding?

Bounce on a mini trampoline! It's low impact, high result exercising that can be done by people of all ages. Older people with stability and balance issues can have a bar that helps you stabilize. This exercise can benefit anyone at any age.

This type of exercise is easy and provides about double the workout of the same workout routine done on the ground. The exertion is about half and the rate of caloric burning and toning is substantial. Plop your mini trampoline down in front of the television and pick a half hour show to watch while you bounce. You'll tone your legs and your butt and you'll break a sweat. You'll cleanse your lymphatic system, reduce your cholesterol, improve your posture and trim inches off your body.

Rebounders are inexpensive and can be used anywhere that you have around 3+ feet and lots of overhead clearance. I bought my mini trampoline for $40.00 and it folds down to put away when I'm not using it. Follow care and safety guidelines and burn calories while having a fun bounce on your rebounding trampoline.

Quitting Smoking. Just Take It Three Minutes At A Time

2007-11-05T09:48:00.000-08:00

I needed and wanted to quit. I felt imprisoned by my habit for years and had decided in 2003 when I found out I was carrying my second child that I would quit for good. I tried to slow down while getting ready to conceive but the only thing that helped was the plus sign on the pregnancy test. I decided that the only way to do it was just convince myself that my will was stronger than my addiction. Here are a few things that helped.

I had to trick myself into not realizing I wasn’t smoking. We smoked outside the house and my husband didn’t quit but every time I felt the urge to smoke, I would step outside with him and sit and talk to him as if I’d had my cigarette. By the time I came back inside it often felt no different than if I’d have had one myself.

I kept busy. Every time I wanted to smoke, I would do something physical like clean the house or take a walk.

I drank a lot of water and ate healthy food to cleanse my body.

I took it three minutes and three days at a time. I read that after three minutes, the worst of your cravings are gone. So every time I had a craving, I told myself that I only had to survive for three minutes and the craving would disappear so instead of feeling like I had months and months of cravings ahead of me, I believed that after three minutes I would stop wanting that cigarette. I read that after three days, the nicotine leaves your body and you begin to heal.

I moved desks at work and no longer sat near the smokers. This isn’t always possible for others but helped me. I no longer saw a group of people getting their coats on every few hours and that kept smoking off my mind.

I took up knitting and crocheting and crossword puzzles to keep my hands busy.

I had a hard time with thinking I could never have a cigarette again so what helped me the most was by carrying an emergency cigarette in my purse. I carried it for about a month or two. In Canada we have warnings on our cigarette packages with graphic photos of ill hearts and blackened lungs and people hooked up to machines in intensive care but the one I chose to carry around was of an eight month pregnant woman smoking a cigarette while holding her big, round belly. It said, “Smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby” in big bold letters. I carried that emergency smoke around knowing I’d have to look at that package before taking it if I decided to do it. This helped me tremendously because I found that I had a panic attack if I didn’t have access to a cigarette but if it was there, it was easier to choose not to light it. I quit and 4+ years later am still smoke free.

I knew I had the addiction bad and it was ruining my health. I was a young woman with a smoker’s cough and who coughed up phlegm every day. I am very pleased with my decision. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do but the things I’ve written here helped me. It also helped to read others’ success stories. Engulfing myself in my fight to overcome this addiction helped. I fell off the wagon twice in the first week but after that week I was done. I just kept telling myself in three days, the nicotine is out of my body and I begin to heal. After I fell off the wagon the first time I knew I had that three days to contend with all over again so three minutes at a time is the first battle and after three days, you’ve overcome a second battle. If you do want to quit, you will be able to.

Getting Benefits out of Lemons

2007-11-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

When life gives you lemons you can make lemonade and you can also benefit from the lemons too. Lemons are a very important fruit and have some serious cleansing power. Not only can lemon bleach freckles, cleanse your skin and clean your house, it can also cleanse you internally. Lemons have a high amount of vitamin C and have potassium and magnesium too.

A glass of hot lemon water a day can do so much! Instead of artificial lemon flavour or lemon flavoured cold medicine when you’re ill, add some fresh lemon juice to a cup of tea or hot water. This can help fight off the bacteria in your body, soothe a sore throat and loosen phlegm in the chest. A lemon wedge in a glass of warm water is not only refreshing but cleansing for the body and good for the metabolism. Where I live lemons are three for a dollar and I use the rind for cooking and the lemons for baking, cooking and cleaning.

You can find a lot of information online about the vitamins, minerals and benefits of lemon. The master cleanse diet makes use of lemons as well. It can help detox your body, clean your digestive tract and boost your immune system. Those who suffer from heart burn and palpitations may find that having a glass of lemon water in the evenings can dramatically decrease their discomfort and even ward it off before it begins. Citric acid is also great for heart health. So if life gives you lemons make the most of them and use them for your good health!

Boost Your Immune System This Winter

2007-09-22T10:42:00.001-07:00

Many people feel they should avoid the flu shot unless there’s a very specific reason for it I’m one of those people. I’ve sat through many debates on the subject but it’s how I feel. IF you want to read some more about it, stop by www.mercola.com and you can read some compelling stuff.

Anyway, instead of my family marching off to get flu shots, we try to boost our systems naturally. Here are a few of the things we do and some links in the document that explain a bit about some of these ideas.

-Take greens plus. It’s filled with LOADS of good stuff. I always feel healthier & better when I take it.
-Use coconut oil in a lot of my cooking. Coconut oil contains good stuff like lauric acid which is what helps babies get a boost of immunity from their mother’s milk
-up our fruits and vegetables
-wash our hands well everytime we come in from outside. We don’t bother with antibacterial soap at home, we simply sing the tune of happy birthday or the abc’s while we wash to help us wash long enough. I do keep instant hand sanitizer in my purse and the car for when we’re out and feel like we’ve touched something questionable.
-apple cider vinegar helps boost immunity as well
-Drink white tea. It can help kill bacteria like strep and staph.
-Clean your ears with hydrogen peroxide if you think you’re coming down with a cold.
-Get some good flora in your gut by eating yogurt and probiotic cheese

Sometimes our doctor advises us to get a flu shot for a specific reason and if your doctor does, by all means! But, don’t just assume you need one every year if you’re perfectly healthy. I do believe we are harming our immune systems by stopping our bodies from fighting off mild viruses alone. Too many immunizations and antibiotics can do more harm than good!

Boost Your Immune System This Winter

2007-09-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Targeting Your Ideal Heart Rate When Training

2007-09-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Do you know your ideal heart rate for training purposes? Some people that are new to fitness believe they should simply push as hard as they can to get maximum benefits from exercise. This is not true and may actually harm you. Whether you're exercising for health purposes or because you want to lose weight, knowing your ideal training zone for heart rate can help you maximize your workout.

Your ideal zone will help you train the most effectively, burn the most fat, build the most muscle and have staying power for your workout.

Overdoing it can tire you out prematurely, leave you out of breath and make you so sore after a workout that it can take longer to recover for a following workout. Many websites tell you to do a talking test to ensure that you are not overdoing it. If you are unable to carry on a conversation while exercising, you are probably pushing yourself too hard.

You can buy heart rate monitors for your workout and / or you can measure manually. Many treadmills have heart rate monitors directly on the machine.

How do you measure your heart rate?

Many websites publish the formula. This particular method is taken from truestarhealth's website but is very commonly found online. Take 220 minus your age and that number equals your maximum heart rate. The ideal training zone is from between 65 to 85 per cent of this rate.

This rate has a margin of error and everyone is different depending on many health circumstances. If you are new to exercise and have been given the green light by your doctor, give it a go and try to target this range. Some are able to push a little harder and still get great results while others find the range a little too difficult to achieve. As you become more fit and become more aware of your personal levels you can find the best training zone for you.

H202: To Drink or Not To Drink (Hydrogen Peroxide)

2007-09-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

Have you been sifting through all the research you can find on drinking hydrogen peroxide? Me too. Many say that H202 can be healing from many bacteria, diseases, oxygenate your blood beneficially and even kill Cancer cells. Others say that if you ingest Hydrogen Peroxide, it could cause harmful ulcers, rupture your colon, make you violently ill or even be fatal.

Hydrogen peroxide research has been ongoing for many years but when you research whether or not it's safe to drink it, you'll find conflicting reports. Many reports that tell you that it's not safe are concerned about heavy concentrations. Many reports that tell you that it is safe to drink H202, tell you that when you take it highly diluted, it can be very safe and beneficial to your health. In some countries, it's used to purify drinking water.

There are many debate sites that list both sides of the argument. What do you think?

I know that I use it as an antiseptic dental rinse and use hydrogen peroxide on cuts, bruises and in my ears to clear out wax and ward off an oncoming cold or flu. I firmly believe I have been reading about the virtues of it for a long time. I guess I'm still on the fence about ingesting it but leaning towards believing that if you follow naturopath guidelines very carefully it could be quite beneficial.

How To Take Off The Baby Weight

2007-08-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

So you've had a baby and you're ready to get your body back. Don't beat yourself up for not fitting into your skinny jeans six weeks after baby; it can take a lot longer to take weight off than it can to put it on! Start slow and follow some common sense rules to help your body get back in shape slowly. Here are some facts and tips to help:

-Many women hold onto some reserve weight for six months to ensure they have fuel to make milk for the baby. A lot of women feel like the weight starts to melt off at around the point baby begins the transition to solid food

-Breastfeeding burns about 500 calories a day. Many women find that if they breastfeed past the six month mark, they accelerate their weight loss. Do you know how much exercise you'd have to do to burn 500 calories a day? Another reason to breastfeed!

-Count your calories. Use a calorie counter and after you've stopped lactating, try to scale back to 1500 calories a day. Try something to jump start you like the special K diet or the sacred heart that can help you accelerate weight loss (these are quick fix diets though and shouldn't be used long term!)

-Pilates and Yoga. These are low impact sculpting exercises. They can really help you tighten your abs again and get rid of the junk in your trunk.

-Baby exercise classes. Many gyms are now doing strollercize and exercises where you use your baby's weight for resistance training. it's bonding, it's an outing and can help you get tone and trim again.

-drink water! Stay away from the soda pop, switch to skim milk or 1% and drink lots of water. You might be surprised at how many empty calories come from what you are drinking!

Most of all, persevere. Little changes like reducing your meat and potatoes and increasing your vegetables on the plate will give the illusion of loads of food but cut your caloric intake while increasing your nutrient intake. Many vegetables and fruits are actually negative calorie foods that can help you lose weight. Taking off the baby weight can be a lengthy process but you can do it for your health and your body image.

*****

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Using Creatine For Bodybuilding

2007-08-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

If you're looking at a safe way to enhance your ability to build muscles, creatine is a choice worth looking at. Creatine mimics a natural substance in your body that helps you do more reps and recover faster from training related injuries. Many athletes swear by it.

We have natural creatine in our bodies and in our muscles. Having extra can help you be less tired when working out and help your muscles repair themselves faster and can slow down the production of lactic acid in your muscles which can make you really fatigued.

from a safety perspective, this is believed to be a very safe and natural way to help your body do more, work out longer, and lift heavier weights. It's even being used to help people with medical problems related to their muscles and has recently gotten some good press about cognitive skills and mental clarity by those taking it.

How much should you take? There are various creatine substances on the market. Each one will have suggested guidelines for taking it based on your weight. Many people take a creatine supplement for a while and then give their body a break from it (known as cycling).

Writing Cheques Your Body Can't Cash

2007-08-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Are you worried about losing mobility or feeling achy and sore all the time? Can you still get on the floor and play with your kids and do somersaults? I'm in my mid 30's and am a freelance writer that spends a lot of time sitting on my duff writing for a living. As a result, I don't want to grow the middle aged spread in a few years and I don't want to not be able to run and play and roll around with my kids.

Challenge yourself so your body will work hard. If you only do very basic activities every day and never get out of breath or sweaty, you will soon become so sedentary that it will impact your health.

Here are some calorie burning, exerting activities that you can do when you can't get to the gym:

-Skip steps when climbing up the stairs. Skip two steps if you feel really agile!
-Sit on a stability ball to watch tv (or ride your stationery bike while watching tv)
-Get a stability ball for your desk too, you can sit on it at work or at home while you surf
-Do lunges or squats while waiting at the microwave (although I don't endorse microwaves, I mean while you're waiting for timers to ring) or the vegetable steamer, waiting to put the fabric softener in the washer, etc.
-Do ab tightening and kegels in line at the bank, supermarket, etc. To do ab tightening, pull your belly button in for the count of five and then release for the count of five (don't forget to breathe!)
-Fidget. Fidgeters who jiggle legs, etc can burn calories without even trying.
-have sex. Sex is fun and burns calories :)

The 100 Mile Diet, Eating For Change

2007-08-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

The One Hundred Mile Diet encourages you to eat locally. The slogan of the 100 mile diet of " Eating Local for Global Change" makes a heckuva lot of sense. The premise of eating local helps your local economy, your local hard working farmer, means you get fresh food and are minimizing the impact on the environment of the need to move mass amounts of food by pollution causing transportation methods.

This isn't a restrictive calorically managed diet or something where you are not allowed to eat red meat on tuesdays or must drink four servings of cranberry juice a day...it's just about eating food that's come from a 100 mile radius from your home.

The website, www.100milediet.org offers a great resource for information and downloadable tools and resources for you to spread the word. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

-Discover your local farmers market
-Plant a garden
-Shop at your local organic supermarket
-Explore local supermarkets with local produce and local meat or butcher shops

The result of the 100 mile Diet will be that you'll not only be impacting the global environment and the local economy but you'll be eating healthier, tastier food that hasn't had to sit on a truck, boat, plane or train to ripen and you'll be eating more produce and less preservatives and processed food.

Are Artificial Sweeteners Dangerous?

2007-08-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Are artificially sweetened products safe? They never tasted quite 'right' to the few times I tried aspartame or sucralose. It was like my food or drink contained something too 'fake'. One day, I came across the website www.aspartamekills.com. I've also read a lot of information on mercola.com that also suggests that artificial sweeteners are dangerous to your health. I won't rehash it all here but have a look at these sites for more information.

If you're suffering from health problems and drink a lot of artificially sweetened diet softdrinks, try going cold turkey for a month. You might be surprised at what you no longer have as symptoms.

If the government has approved it, it's ok. Right? Not necessarily. Last I heard, one popular artificial sweetener is approved in Canada and not in the states and and another is improved in the U.S. but not approved in Canada. Canada and U.S. have similar laws about safety of food and drug products so that's an odd occurence. We also know that many food and other products that were deemed safe many years ago are no longer safe.

I have a relative (in-law) that worked in the lab of a major soft drink corporation when their 'diet' version was just created and didn't go into a lot of detail but told us that anyone who drank that stuff was not doing their bodies any favours.

I know sugar isn't great for you either. In an ideal world, you should avoid sugar as much as possible but in a world where many health problems appear to be arising from the use of artificial sugar substitutes, I'd rather stick to sugar and try to minimize it.

Honey is a great alternative and I've recently read that honey is the only substance that is **completely** used up by your body. Many benefits to honey are readily discussed online.

Le Mierre's Syndrome, The Forgotten Disease

2007-07-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

I had trouble finding information on Le Mierre's disease or Lemierre's Syndrome. It's pretty rare. I needed to find out about it recently because my 39 year old brother in law was diagnosed. It was kind of bizarre.

He suddenly had this grapefruit sized lump in his neck. The next day it was the whole side of his neck was huge. He was in pain. At first, the doctors weren't sure what it was. Then we heard he had a collapsed jugular vein. Sounded pretty scary since the jugular is pretty vital...

Fast forward a few days and we find out that LeMierre's or Lemierre's Syndrome is rare (less than .8 in a million) and it was coined in the early 1900's. Before antibiotics was almost always fatal. It's so rare that many don't test for it. It starts with a sore throat for many although for my brother in law, it simply started with swelling and we all know that a sore throat doesn't typically warrant antibiotics.

Lemierre's is a staph infection. How it starts looks pretty technical to me so I won't go into it here but if you get the disease you need heavy antibiotics for several weeks. my brother in law spent a week in the hospital and is now home and expects to be on his IV for 6-8 weeks.

Our neighbour joked that since he got such a rare disease, he should probably be told he's much less likely to win the lottery. I think we'll wait until he's fully recovered to break that news to him.

Hearing about the surfacing of rare illnesses and knowing that something seemingly minimal such as a small anaerobic bacterium that can suddenly almost kill you can happen out of nowhere is pretty frightening.

Healthy Life Changes

2007-07-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

If you're looking to change your life, here are a few plaes that can help (beyond my blog of course)

Some of my favourite health resources for health information and news are:

www.mercola.com
Dr Joseph Mercola is someone I subscribe to and a website I visit on a regular basis. His site is a wealth of information about health, dieting, supplementation, alternative medicine and investigative reporting about some of the lies out there about what is and isn't healthy for you.

www.ghchealth.com
Global Healing sells some great products. They have quite a few websites about various issues like colon cleansing, healthy supplementation and more. This is a company I really respect. I recently watched Dr. Edward Group's video about the secret to health and cannot wait to read his book.

www.realage.com
This website lets you do a quiz to find out whether or not you're young or old for your chronological age. It looks at diet, fitness, recreational habits, stress and many factors to help you figure out if you're on the best track. It also takes the negatives that are hurting your health and helps you learn to reduce your "age" over time. I highly recommend their tips of the day and their quiz.

I have many other resources for health information but these few are a good place to start if you want to change your life and life healthier, more vibrantly and for longer!

Cheers,
Dana

Today's Find, Refrigerator Raider

2007-07-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today I had a visit on my writing blog from someone who authors a blog I just had to tell you about. The blog is similar to this one in that it aims to help people learn about health and wellness. I do believe that you are what you eat. Last night in a moment of peer pressure induced weakness I ate fast food at 11:30 at night. I feel like a greasy hamburger today because of it...
Anyway, I digress..
The blog I'm anxious to point you to is the Refrigerator Raider blog. What a great resource for health information!

Stop by and have a read and consider reading the blogger's personal story as well for some great inspiration. Midnight raider stopped the midnight raids and learned about health and is sharing the info with readers.

Cheers,
Dana

Fire It Up!

2007-07-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

How do you rev up your metabolism so you shed more weight?

Here are some tips:

-Exercise. Your body is used to needing a certain number of calories per day and if you do very little each day, your body will not burn much. Exercise can keep your metabolism increased for several hours even after you finish your workout.

-Break the fast. Eating breakfast tells your body to start using energy and gets it moving.

-Water. Drink lots of water. It helps everything move through your digestive track.

-Green tea. Green tea is said to increase your metabolism. Even if it doesn't do much, it's chocked full of antioxidants as well. Coconut oil, grapefruit and apple cider vinegar are also said to increase your metabolism.

-Smaller, more frequent meals will tell your body to use the energy instead of hoarding it. Many overweight people eat only one or two big meals a day.

-Do something after you eat like take a walk to get your body using the calories.

-Eat well with lots of roughage and fiber. These will move through your system faster than unhealthy food which our colons struggle to process. Many of these types of foods are actually known as negative calorie foods and they cause you to burn more than you take in. Visit my blog archives for more information on negative calorie foods.

Cheers,

Healia

2007-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

I've just joined Healia by invitation. Healia is a network that offers a search engine specifically for health. I'm proudly displaying the healia search box here on HealthNiche and hope regulars reader find it useful.

Cheers,
Dana

Gaining Weight The Healthy Way

2007-07-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

Not everyone wants to shed body weight. Some people look for healthy ways to gain weight for various reasons, namely for body building efforts or because they’ve always been just too skinny. Here are some ideas to help you gain weight a healthy way. By simply over eating or eating really fattening foods, you could find yourself with more than you bargained for. Not only will you gain excess weight but you could affect your cholesterol levels, your blood pressure or have a negative impact on your digestive system.

Here are some good ideas to help you gain weight with healthy, high caloric foods.

-Gradually increase your caloric intake. Use a calorie counter like the free one at fitday.com and track what you eat. Adding an extra 500 calories a day will require a bit of effort but can result in a pound or so per week of weight gain.

-Eat nuts! Peanut butter, almonds, trail mixes with lots of nuts are high calorie but also filled with healthy fats and protein which are great for muscle building

-Heavy breads and bagels. Pumpernickel and rye have whole grain wheat and are dense, heavy, tasty breads. Having a slice of bread with each meal can add plenty of calories to your diet.

-Flax seeds. Flax is not only good for you but are high in calories. Adding ground flax to your oatmeal or a smoothie can add lots of good calories and be good for your overall health

-Shakes! Shakes or smoothies can be filled with lots of extra calories with flax, whole milk, peanut butter, protein powder and even by adding skim milk powder to thicken it and give yourself extra calcium

-Milk powder can go into your cereal, shakes, mashed potatoes and other dishes for extra health and calories

-Avocados. Avocados contain lots of calories and lots of healthy fat so are a great vegetable choice

-Cheese. Shred it on stuff, eat it plain, eat lots of it!! Your bones and teeth will thank you too.

-Boost or ensure shakes. These are like the opposite of Slim Fast but used the same way. High calorie shakes can be filled with vitamins, minerals and calories

Lots of good healthy foods can be added to your diet instead of fried foods and can result in a healthier, heavier you.

Wondrous Coconut Oil

2007-07-01T12:35:00.001-07:00

Is coconut oil bad for you?
Surprisingly, No. There are stories that suggest it was a bit of a ploy to raise cash crops. If you look at recently released research, there's great news about coconut oil and all the associated benefits.

There was a time, that I heard that anything with tropical oils was bad for you. Palm oil and coconut oil should be avoided like the plague. A few months ago a client had me research and write an article about organic coconut oil and I was astounded to the point that I decided to use it as much as possible and have been telling everyone I can about the many benefits of organic coconut oil.

Coconut oil contains lauric acid which a component of human breast milk that is known for boosting the immune system. Coconut oil also can withstand much more heat before burning. I started using it and couldn’t get over how well stir fry dishes turned out as well as roasted potatoes. The oil didn’t burn and the food turned out beautifully. Coconut oil has a huge amount of health benefits that are definitely worth checking out. The types I’ve used didn’t even taste like coconut which was a plus for my spouse who really doesn’t like strong coconut flavour.

I can’t get as in depth as I’d like due to the fact that my research was for a client and I ghostwrote the article but one point to mention is that there was a man who lived on coconuts alone for almost a month following the boxing day tsunami a few years ago and he survived unscathed despite being surrounded by bacteria filled waters and rotting corpses. Coconut oil can do wonders for your immune system and I’ve read great things about your metabolism, skin and that it’s antibacterial as well as increases your energy levels.

Organic is best due to the processing. Although organic can be rather expensive, the health benefits make it very worthwhile.

I am looking into more coconut related news due to recent discoveries about coconut water and coconut kefir that I've stumbled upon. More on those subjects later.
Cheers to your health,
Dana

Grab Some Blackberries Even While Using Your BlackBerry

2007-06-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

Has the harried lifestyle got your eating habits at a less than stellar level? Don’t abuse your body by eating garbage. Even if you’re a busy exec who’s always on the run, take good care of your health.

Here are some tips for the busy bee who’s always buzzing with the blackberry.

-Buy good food that makes life easy. Even though it’s best to prepare food from scratch, there are some great healthy quick entrees that re available. Your grocery store might also do prepared fruit and vegetable platters that are done up and can go right in your fridge so you can assemble some healthy snacks to drop in your briefcase. While working, nibble on fresh fruit or vegetables or grab a salad with lean protein instead of a greasy burger and fries

-Grab some yogurt & berries for breakfast. Toss them together with a handful of granola or trail mix and you’ve got a delicious breakfast.

Speaking of blackberries, did you know that blackberries are full of antioxidants so can almost be considered like the fountain of youth? Throw some berries into some probiotic yogurt to not only feel like you’re eating dessert but to feed the healthy flora in your tummy as well as zap those free radicals that cause premature aging and cancer.
They also have lots of vitamin E and folic acid.

Fibre Is Your Friend

2007-06-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of the All-Bran Two Week Challenge? All-Bran has been blitzing to get people aware of how much we actually need fiber.

The average person gets about 7-8 grams of fiber a day and the recommendation is 25 grams a day. Are you riddled with constipation? Are you bloated and gassy or suffer from digestive upset? You need to get things MOVING, friend...

The All-Bran challenge suggests adding a 1/2 cup of bran per day to your diet. Bran based cereal isn't the tastiest thing out there but it really can improve your health. There's a famous article out there called "Death Starts in the Colon" and it's worth a read if you can find it...people need to keep their plumbing systems in tip-top shape to ensure that they're keeping their health at the top of their priority list. Elimination is KEY.

Fast food and fiber-less food will hurt your health in many ways.

Here are a few tips:
-eat lots of fruit and vegetables
-eat whole grains and beans and legumes
-drink plenty of water
-avoid commercial laxative products unless absolutely necessary
-add bran or psyllium fibre to your breakfast cereal every day

Remember the movie, Crazy People with Dudley Moore? I loved the part that said something to the effect of that you needed to take Metamucil otherwise get cancer and die. The slogan was, "YES! I want to go to the bathroom!"
So true.

Block Fat With Alli

2007-06-20T05:31:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the new drug Alli? It apparently blocks 1/4 of the fat that you eat by stopping your body from digesting it. The result of Alli is supposedly safe.

Alli doesn't impact your carbs, your proteins and doesn't stop you from absorbing vitamins and minerals but is said to be effective in taking a portion of the fat you eat and dumping it without it being absorbed.

I've read about many natural health products that block fat or carbs and don't know how Alli differs from those. It also boasts fewer side effects than many other drugs because of the way your body metabolizes it.

One thing to be aware of is the potential treatment effects of this drug by GlaxoSmithKline. You could have negative impact like oily flatulence that could result in leaks. This doesn't sound very pleasant. The whole reason I decided to blog about this drug was the mention of this in a monologue on the Tonight Show.

There are guidelines about how much fat you're allowed to eat in a day with this drug so taking Alli does not entitle you to eat extra fat. This is perplexing...To me, if you are able to manage your fat intake in this way, it would stand to reason that you might be wiser to count your fat grams per day and minimize them instead of needing a drug to block them. Maybe that's just me. I think the alternative of needing to carry a change of clothing and running to the restroom in sheer terror if I feel a fart coming on would be a dealbreaker.

Do you feel the same?

Spice Up Your Life, Rev Up Your Metabolism and More

2007-06-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

Spicy food has the ability to help you burn more calories. Many studies suggest that for a few hours after you eat a dish with lots of hot spice like mustard or chili, you can expect your metabolism to be revved up.

Not only might you end up with a trimmer waistline but hot and spicy foods can keep you healthier overall as many spices act as antibacterial agents so when mixed with food that could be contaminated with a food borne illness or a parasite, you may be less likely to get sick. National Geographic published a great article about this study that referenced people in certain climates having different spice habits due to the potential for food borne illnesses. Cold climates had much fewer spice and much fewer food poisoning cases over tropical climates.

Chili, which contains capsaicin has a whole laundry list of health benefits including anti-arthritic properties, cholesterol lowering, fights headaches, sore throats, muscle pains and more.

Worried about heartburn or ulcers? Spice can aggravate these symptoms but does not actually cause ulcers.

So, adding a bit of spice can do a lot for your health and well being as well as your waistline.

Worried your kids won't eat spicy food? Start them off early. Many kids won't eat variety due to not being offered a variety in their diet. It's never too late to institute the "try one bite" rule which can increase your child's ability to expand their horizons beyond mac & cheese and hot dogs.

Eaten Garbage? Just wash it down with Apple juice.

2007-06-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

Eaten Garbage? Just wash it down with Apple juice.

Will that cure you of all the ill effects of the garbage food (such as high fat fast food or convenience meals)?
Not likely but it might help somewhat as suggested by medical evidence.

Apparently, an apple's pectin acts like an antioxidant against bad cholesterol so it reduces the harm of the bad food that you ingest.

Apple pectin also helps maintain your internal plumbing by cleaning out your intestinal tract which can decrease
the instances of colon cancer.
It can help reduce gallstone, reduce insulin requirements

Apple pectin was even suggested once on a forum I visited to take the day before a 'drug test' in order to completely
clean your system out of all the toxins. I do not know nor do I profess any validity to this statement whatsoever and thankfully have never
needed a drug test OR worried about passing one :)

Apparently it binds and cleans intestinal metals and toxins and many people choose it to use for colon cleanses.

A quick Google on the web for Apple Pectin and you'll find dozens of links of companies trying to sell you the capsule form of this.
I also found a recipe online for making it yourself by boiling down apples and then simply straining them through cheesecloth or
through a clean white t-shirt in order to obtain the pectin.

Another reason to eat jam....COOL!

Watermelon, More Health Benefits Than You Might Think

2007-06-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Some think it's mostly water and not all that great for you. Wrong.

As a kid we loved getting all sticky biting into the juicy fruit but how much of a pain was it to constantly spit the seeds out.
We bought our first watermelon of the season last week and we love it so much that I took a quick look online for some nutritious information.
At only 48 calories a cup it has such a filling effect that I ate a plate of it yesterday morning and didn't feel hungry until dinnertime.
The fruit that originated in Africa is a leader in lycopene for fruit.
It's fat free and a good source of vitamins C & A.
Watermelon helps helps fight high cholesterol, macular degeneration, arthritis, and is full of antioxidants to fight free radicals.
It's an abundant source of potassium which is great for athletes and pregnant women as it helps prevent muscle cramps
It's got a big quantity of vitamin B6 also (helps with feeling of well being, and serotonin levels)
If you haven't yet tried the seedless variety..please do! you're in for a treat.

Fun Ways to Burn Calories

2007-06-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sex

Depending upon how vigorous and how long you do it, you can burn lots of calories by having sex. It's fun and decreases stress and helps you sleep.

Laughter

Laughter is GREAT medicine and laughing uses up loads of muscles including abdominals (when you get a great belly laugh going). Ever laugh so hard your belly hurts? That's the burn baby!

Playing with your Kids

Play with your kids or someone else's kids. Roll around on the floor, give them a piggy back or an airplane ride...do somersaults and have a blast. It will get you laughing too which is like an extra hearty workout!

Exercise while Watching TV

You're sitting there anyway.Why not burn a few calories easily?
Sit on an exercise ball or lay on the floor and do pelvic thrusts or a bit of yoga while you watch your favourite tv show. I often do pilates while watching tv. I'm multitasking and not feeling like I'm over working but every single little bit helps!
If you have a baby, play with your baby while exercising. It's like weight training (do it safely, obviously..)
Every little bit helps get you fit and keep you youthful!

Acai, The Superfruit. Berry Nutritious & Very Delicious

2007-06-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

I try to stay up to date on the latest in health news. I find myself fascinated by all the news about foods of the world that aren't present in many countries that benefit the locals greatly. This morning I came across info on the Acai berry. It's got huge antioxidant punch and is described as being a taste combination of berries and chocolate. Did I say chocolate? Yes, I absolutely did.

Can't wait to try it!

We know that we need antioxidants to fight off those free radicals and antioxidants can actually help reverse the aging process. By filling your diet with them, you'll be younger both inside and out.

It does more than fight free radicals, too. It can contribute to better cardiovascular health, works like olive oil in terms of good fats, is filled with amino acids which are vital to muscles and has antibacterial properties as well as help immensely with digestive functions.

Acai is yet another example of why we need to protect the rain forests. This powerful berry grows in the Amazon and in its organic state is the most nutritious and beneficial to your health.

Many healthfood stores now carry acai and you can buy it online as well.

Here's to your good health.
Cheers,
Dana

The Cookie Diet, A Dieter's Dream?

2007-06-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Who wants to do the cookie diet? To lose weight by eating cookies sounds like a dieter's dream! Even if you're not dieting, it sure sounds like a great way to stay trim and fit while enjoying some yummy baked goods.

What's this diet all about? The cookie diet allows you one lean meal a day and cookies that help suppress your appetite. These tasty cookies are eaten throughout the day and the evening meal is pretty structured but it sure sounds tasty, doesn't it?

There's guidance on how many cookies you eat and there's a list of other rules such as the need to drink at least 8 glasses of liquid a day.

Are you always looking for the latest craze diet? Do you find that you've become a subject matter expert? It might be time to change your thinking on a more long term basis.

A quick fix diet can be a great way to shed some holiday weight or trim up for the summer bikini or speedo (lol) season but in all honesty isn't a great long term solution or something that someone who is morbidly obese would necessarily benefit from.

There are loads of diets out there to try so if you're a serial dieter, the Cookie Diet might just be the new thing to try :)

In all seriousness, if you are a serial dieter, it might be time to look at a lifestyle overhaul. If you try to change how you view food and understand the mechanics of what food does to your body, it makes you a much more conscientious eater. And, exercise can be addictive--in a good way :)

Maximize Your Fruit Intake With Smoothies

2007-06-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Yum. It's a like a healthy and guilt free milkshake without leaving you feel like you're being cheated. You can pack a lot of punch into a smoothie. I often use it to take my greens plus but it's a healthy snack that does a lot for my taste buds and is also a healthy way to snack without racking up calories and fat.

Here's my basic smoothie and you can mix this around any which way you like. If something is in season, load up on extra and freeze it (like berries!) or if you're running out of room in your fridge and don't want all that fruit to go to waste, make a pitcher of smoothies and serve them with breakfast.
This is really versatile depending on the type of fruit, yogurt or juice you use. If you want a calcium boost for you or your kids you can also toss in a few teaspoons of fat free powdered milk which is a great thickener too.

1 banana (per person)
your favourite yogurt (I like to use probiotic ones like Activia or Bio Best)
a glug of any kind of juice or milk
as much fruit as you like.

You can throw supplements in there if you are on them and put in some ground flax seed for an extra omega boost as well.

Remember Your 64 ozs

2007-06-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

We all know we should drink 8 glasses of water a day for optimum health (including reducing food cravings and revving up metabolism)
I forget some days but find when I'm accountable, I do better. I'm accountable to myself when I keep track.

I can use fitday.com (my favourite online calorie counter) or a more manual method of a shot glass and eight pennies beside the sink.

I keep a little shot glass with a Canadian flag on it and 8 shiny pennies near my kitchen sink. Each time I drink a glass of water, I put a penny in the shot glass. I'm near the kitchen sink many times a day so the penny pile serves as a reminder and can be very helpful in helping me see if I meet my goal as well as reminding me to drink.

Don't forget the water rule with hunger cravings. If you feel hungry between meals, try drinking a glass of water and waiting for fifteen minutes before eating. Most times, you'll find you're really not that hungry.

Looking After Your Posture

2007-06-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I was very aware of my posture. Mostly because my mother used to say, "Sit up straight or you'll look like you're ninety before you're twenty."
It worked. I also read a book by Judy Blume called Deenie, about a girl who had to wear a back brace through high school to correct her posture that really stayed with me.

Anyway, I work at a desk and often find myself slouching or with a sore back. I try to practice good desk ergonomics and have found that a good chair is a vital piece of equipment. If I foind myself slouching, I try to immediately correct it and do stretching exercises whenever I can.

If you want to improve your posture, here are a few tips:
-Practice yoga. Yoga helps you lengthen your body including your spine through exercises. You don't have to turn into a pretzel to practice hatha yoga. Some very simple moves can help you improve your posture and can even help you with back pain. Cat stretches help me almost without fail after a day at my desk without much of a break.

-Pilates. Pilates is a great way to improve your posture. Pilates results in longer, leaner muscles and can make a difference to your posture as well.

Exercise can do wonders for your back. If you have a problem with lower back pain, exercises can help tremendously. If you have problems with upper back pains or poor posture, weight training, shoulder presses and tai chi can also help.

If you're worried about your back health, many people recommend seeing a chiropractor for a back adjustment as well.

Spend More Calories Than You Eat Without Trying

2007-05-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

Is there such thing as a negative calorie food?

3500 calories equals a pound so if you eat 3500 calories that your body does not burn, you obviously gain a pound. What if you ate 3500 calories and lost a half a pound?

According to those who believe in the negative calorie diet, you can lose weight from eating certain foods. Foods that fall under this diet are healthy food that make your body work extra hard to process them and therefore they can result in a caloric deficit.

Everything we eat is worth a specific amount of calories but everything we do from walking to eating to sneezing to blinking causes us to spend calories. Our bodies go through a complex and strenuous set of activities to process the food that we eat so if that food causes our bodies to work harder, it results in a calorie loss.

You need a specific number of calories every day to do basic functions. Everything you eat above that is either burned off during exercise or activity or it is stored as excess.

For example, if a particular fruit is listed as being a 100 calorie food but takes your body 110 calories worth of effort to process it, you've just lost ten calories.

Judging by the list of foods, they're all easy to eat too. By replacing some of your snacks with these foods and eating them whenever you can, you'll not only have the potential to lose weight but you'll be pretty healthy too.

You can find a full list of negative calorie or catabolic foods but here's a few from the list:

apples, cantaloupe, garlic, strawberries, cauliflower, tangerines, zuchini...
Click Here! for more details.

Greens Plus for Antioxidant Power

2007-05-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

My sister worked for a successful sports medicine chiropractor who dabbles a fair bit in alternative medicine as well. They do an antioxidant measuring test to tell you what your antioxidant levels are at. The higher your levels, the better you are equipped to fight against free radicals (cancer causing agents) and aging.

At my sister's clinic, the highest antioxidant levels were found in people who said that they took Greens Plus on a daily basis. I decided to try it.

We bought the tangerine dream kind and mixed it with water. It was pricey at $22 for a small bottle and tasted nasty but we felt quite perky that day. The next day we mixed it with apple juice. Much better...

To drink the full dose daily is equivalent to eating 6 sevings of organic green vegetables. It has great stuff in it like Japanese green tea extract and bee pollen as well as dandelion and all sorts of other wonderful herbs that I'm learning a lot about through one of my freelance writing projects. I've joined the genuinehealth.com website (the makers of greens plus) and love their company philosophy.

Tips for taking greens plus:
-Take on an empty stomach
-Only gradually increase your dose to the recommended 3 teaspoons a day. Start with a 1/2 teaspoon and increase slowly a week or two at a time otherwise it can be hard on your stomach
-don't mix with any drugs. My husband was on antibiotics and took greens plus about 30 minutes after taking it and broke out in a head to toe rash. If you are taking anything, talk to your doctor. You might be able to take it several hours after taking medicine but talk to your doctor to be safe.
-mix it with a banana, some organic probiotic yogurt and other fruit for a greens shake. I drink one almost every day for breakfast and it's a great way to get my kids to take greens.

Apple Cider Vinegar Tastes Awful And It Just Might Work

2007-05-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Quite possibly.

Apple cider vinegar is supposed to speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight, obliterate heart burn & acid reflux, clear up acne, help detox your body and so much more but it tastes pretty nasty.It's also said to fend off food poisoning if you take it right after an 'iffy' meal.

I buy the organic type (Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar)with the 'mother' (aka a nasty looking cloud in the stuff) and it isn't expensive either (under $4 a bottle)
Apparently the non-organic Apple Cider Vinegar is practically useless for medicinal purposes.
I have found that mixing it with apple juice works or orange the best so far for stomaching it. I have heard great things about mixing it with organic honey to get extra health benefits as well.

You can buy ACV in tablets if you hate the taste and I'm told that it can cause decay of your tooth enamel so do not brush your teeth immediately after using it.

Free Resource for dieters

2007-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

A blogging friend, Jason Parker who owns goldenprose.com which houses my mirrored HealthNiche blog and one of my freelance writing blogs has started a new community that looks like it will provide great help and support to those who are dieting.

If you are dieting, look at it when you get a chance for great conversation, support and a place where you can blog about your thoughts and success while dieting.

It's called www.hotdiets.net

Enjoy.

The One Hundred Calorie Fib

2007-05-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here's me on my soapbox:

Is it a good idea to buy these new snack packs that contain only 100 calories? There are new brands of mini products with junk food in mini portions at low calories and these are marketed as a great solution to your junk food cravings.

In my humble opinion, this is just feeding your bad habits. By continuing to eat these foods, even in small quantities, you are justifying them and you won't be able to change your life. Sandwich cookies filled with white icing are NOT healthy for you even if you only eat a handful of miniature versions. Milk chocolate is no better for you in a thin wafer than it is a thick blob of sugary sweetness and if you eat that little bit, you WILL want a second one.

By changing your snack patterns and what you eat, you change your body chemistry. By eating healthful foods, you are doing yourself a favour. Once you start replacing apples for potato chips, you'll start to crave them. If you need to buy apple chips at first to wean yourself off them, that's ok. You've been eating junk for years so it'll take time, willpower and effort to change the way you eat. Soon after you replace bottled water for bottled carbonated beverages, you will find that nothing quenches your thirst better. Don't switch to diet soda, artificial sweeteners are like poison (see aspartamekills.com or mercola.com for more info about sweeteners like Sucralose and Aspartame dangers) switch to pure water. Don't switch to a 100 calorie pack of the same old junk food, change your attitude about what you eat so that you don't have to keep counting calories!

Wonderful White Tea

2007-05-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Most of us have heard of the virtues of green tea but have you heard about white tea? White tea is something you need to know about from a health benefit and taste perspective.

All tea comes from the same plant but white tea is unique. The tiny unopened buds get the least amount of processing and therefore contain the highest level of antioxidants of any tea variety. We've recently substituted white tea for our regular orange pekoe whenever possible and I don't mind a bit.

White tea can reduce dental cavities and can kill strep and staph infections so in our house we have taken to drinking it whenever anyone is feeling ill. It has a light, sweet taste and I'm telling everyone I know about the many benefits of white tea.

Find white tea that is organic if possible and look for tea from the Fujian province of China to get the most benefit. I usually take sugar in my tea as well but with white tea I find that I need less than half my usual amount. Taking it black instead of milk is also said to be better for you.

White tea boasts many benefits including: blood pressure help, cholesterol levels, protection from free radicals that can cause cancer and premature aging and because white tea contains less caffeine than other teas, it's a healthier alternative all around.

The jury is still out on whether or not white tea will help your metabolism in the way that green tea can but with all the associated benefits of this tea, it's a great idea to give it a try.

I love using brewed tea also to: feed my houseplants and use it as a base for gravy and soups. Next time you make soup, try using green tea, black tea or white tea as a base for a bit of extra flavour or if you'd like something really exotic give Chai a try.

The Grapefruit Diet, Revisited

2007-05-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of the grapefruit diet, I'd be surprised.The Grapefruit diet is one of the original fad diets but there's some proven truth that The Grapefruit Diet works. The Grapefruit diet dates back to the 1970's in terms of popularity and has been making a great comeback as a food that can help you burn more calories. There are differing variations of the diet out there but the premise is that by adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your diet, you can increase your metabolism and burn more calories. Studies have been shown that people who drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruit over a long period of time compared to people who did not, had several pounds of weight loss.

Grapefruit is even indicated as a negative calorie food according to many who believe that some foods take more energy to process in your body than they hold in terms of caloric value which results in weight loss.

There are different schools of thought on the theory of grapefruit diets but grapefruit may be responsible as well for helping with your blood sugar levels.

There is a caution that grapefruit can be contraindicated with many drugs because it can cause your body to metabolize the drug too quickly or in a manner that delivers more into your bloodstream in the case of timed-release medicines than is safe so always err on the side of caution when taking grapefruit with any other prescription or over the counter medication and even when taking herbal supplements.

When you consider that it has a great amount of fiber and that it is chocked full of vitamin C, so long as you aren't taking it against doctor's advice or with contraindicated drugs, you can't go wrong.

The Special K Diet Info

2007-05-23T05:47:00.000-07:00

The Special K diet is a diet where you replace 2 meals a day with a serving of special K cereal. You can eat what you like for the 3rd meal and snacks are either fruit, vegetables or Special K cereal bars.
Following this diet for 2 weeks can expect a weight loss of up to 6lbs.
Me?
I had 5lbs to lose and lost 4 pounds in 1.5 weeks but couldn't go on.
I was just 'done' with cereal.

I highly recommend this for a 'quick fix' diet where you need to lose just a few pounds.
To keep myself from feeling deprived, I'd mix a different type of fruit in with each bowl. Sometimes I'd even chop up a cereal bar and add that for variety. Loads of different vegetables and fruits for snacks really helped too.
I do suggest having a slice of whole grain bread with dinner though because your fibre intake drastically reduces with this diet so you may end up constipated if you are not careful.
I'm a carb-aholic so this diet was not a big stretch for me and I love fresh fruit and vegetables so for the first several days I didn't feel any deprivation.

The Vanilla almond Special K was my favourite and sometimes I'd mix a few flavours of Special K together with more than one fruit to keep it as interesting as possible.

I tracked my eating habits on an online calorie counter called www.fitday.com while I did this and I was averaging only about 1200-1400 calories a day on this diet and my fat ratio was very low.

Ofcourse your carbohydrate count is the majority of what you're eating so you have plenty of energy but on a long term basis, I'm sure this is not the best solution for significant weight loss.

I may do this diet one more time a little closer to bikini season.

But just because it's bikini season, don't expect me to wear a bikini!

Get Thin By Breastfeeding

2007-05-23T05:44:00.001-07:00

We already know how great breastfeeding is for our babies, but now we know it's also good for us...cutting down health risks like breast cancer and other health problems.
There's something else too, burning calories.

I weaned my child at a year old and got back to my pre-pregnant weight by that time but shortly after weaning him (in the last year) I have put back on 5lbs.
A little part of me wishes I'd nursed until he was two!
For one thing, breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day. Do you know how much free chocolate that is? Do you know how much running, pilates, aerobics you'd have to do to burn 500 calories?
I saw on Desperate Housewives a while back, that episode where the mother was nursing her 5 year old and briefly missed it because I could eat like a madwoman (and believe me, I did!) and the weight was falling off me and I had a rack to be proud off (although it was off limits to anyone but the baby :)

Now that I'm smoke-free for three years, I don't have the metabolism I once did.
Probably now being in my 30's hasn't helped that matter either.

If I take the plunge one more time, would there be anything wrong with breastfeeding for a very extended period of time?
LOL.
Bring on the donuts!
~~~

Fend Off The Common Cold With Peroxide

2007-05-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

I read this somewhere a few years ago and every time (except once) that I've tried it, I've managed to avoid getting a cold & flu. This has worked for other people I've told. Not every time but many, many times.

I could write about the wonders of hydrogen peroxide at length...I'm sure I eventually will and will come back here to link the post. It's cheap and readily available and can help you with a whole HOST of health and household issues.

At the first sign of a sore throat or that nasty achiness you feel when you know you're about to get sick, insert a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide in your ear.
Tilt your head to the side and let it bubble. It'll feel really weird and fizzy and might sting a little bit but wait until the bubbling stops and do the other ear.
This also removes excess ear wax, by the way.
I read that a doctor suggested that cold and flu viruses entered the body through the ear canal and disinfecting the ear could kill the bacteria and prevent or shorten the lifespan of a cold or flu.

I've managed to avoid getting sick 3 or 4 times in the last year or two
by doing this two or three times a day for a two days when I've either started to feel sick, a family member has gotten sick or when I've come into contact with people who've later said they had the flu.

Goji Berries...Live To Be 100

2007-05-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

Tibetan Goji berries are said to be a secret to longevity and good health.
I'm anxious to try some.
Apparently they taste like something in between a cranberry and a cherry which sounds delicious.

I'm planning to order some soon to make into smoothies and add to our cereal every day.
I came across a banner ad for these when researching a writing assignment I had to do and upon further investigation found a few facts that make me very anxious to try them.
-They contain 500x more vitamin C than an orange.
-They are so chocked full of vitamins that they are being given to elderly people who report return of many body functions, even sexual functions, improved appetite and excellent test scores for blood work.
-They have even more amino acids than bee pollen!

Goji berries are fat free, low calorie and increase positive outlook and vitality in people who took them into their regular diet.

People's lifespan in Tibet where these are grown is reportedly very high with many living to one hundred years old.

I'm sold!

Sacred Heart Diet Info

2007-05-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

I'm told that the Sacred Heart Diet is a great way to lose up to 10 lbs in a week and to help cleanse your body of toxins. While I don't need to lose ten pounds, I have heard that cleansing diets can do great things for your overall health and vitality. It's also known as the Cabbage Soup Diet and the Mayo Clinic Diet. Supposedly, the diet came from a Sacred Heart Hospital or Mayo Clinic but both institutions deny this claim.

Many websites explain the diet in great detail and I've even found helpful discussion forums that talk about it and users share their experience. One thing mentioned across many of the sources I've looked at is that this diet doesn't leave you hungry because there's an unlimited amount of food required and it promises you'll lose the weight as long as you eat the foods on your list each day.

It's also been said that a colon cleansing is a great way to get your body in better condition and rid yourself of toxins. I've heard many good things about Oxy-Powder by GHC. Many people claim that a dirty colon can be accounted for the vast majority of today's disease.

The Sacred Heart Diet has also been called the Cabbage Soup Diet and you live on an unlimited amount of vegetable soup for the week while adding in different foods on a daily basis. It sounds like a very regimented diet but one where you will not go hungry on.

I'm very interested in natural health and living a healthier life. I'd love to hear any other experiences on soup diets and colon cleansing or body cleanses.
Thanks for stopping by :)

Master Cleanse Diet Info

2007-05-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for info about fad diets, the Master Cleanse diet is one of the latest crazes. Known also as the Beyonce Knowles Diet, the Maple Syrup Diet and The Lemonade Diet, this is a diet that is an organized fast designed to help rid your body of toxins.

The intention of the diet is to cleanse the body of toxins but the side effect is that you can lose up to twenty pounds. The weight loss should be considered short-lived though, because it is more than 50% water weight loss and you will most likely regain that weight shortly after stopping the diet.

This cleansing fast / diet was created in the 1940's to help cleanse the body of toxins. By eliminating food for the 10 days and drinking a special liquid consisting of lemon juice, water, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper and taking a laxative, you can expect to see some dramatic results.

While this isn't a good long-term goal for dieting, the fasting can help you with dramatic results in terms of body cleansing such as with your colon as well as be used as a springboard for healthier lifestyle habits. Many people who see quick results find it easier to persevere with exercise and healthier eating.

There's oodles of information sources online about the master cleanse but you should consider talking to your doctor about the safety of fasting for a period of ten days and how it could impact your specific health.

Welcome To HealthNiche

2007-05-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

I'm Dana and I'm a freelance writer who has found myself writing a lot about health. I thrive on the topic and find that when I'm writing, I'm often enjoying myself when researching on the subject and writing about it. I enjoy finding new and interesting things about our health from alternative or home remedy perspective and I pay attention to warnings and check out urban myths.

I'm interested in making this blog about family health, emotional health, body cleansing and I write about fad diets and anything I find interesting from a health perspective.

One of my blogs that's about freelance writing has earned most of it's comments, clicks and income from the health related posts I've written there out of using it as a bit of a soapbox. It's a great site and a revenue earner is a shared blogging platform so I don't get to use images and profile information the way I could on blogger, so here I am.

I will start this blog as a collection of my health related posts from other blogs and see where it goes from here.

Hope you find something that interests you or helps you with your health.

Cheers,
Dana