Vitamin D From Sunlight

Spring is here for most of us and with the onset of spring comes the opportunity to get out and enjoy the sunshine. Often we equate that to more activities, acquiring a suntan, planting flowers or a garden.

Another way to enjoy the sunshine comes with the added bonus of enjoying better health.

Studies continue to show that absorbing even a few minutes of sunshine each day is the ideal way to boost Vitamin D levels.

Experts agree that this FREE vitamin is crucial to enjoy good health and has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. We are all aware it promotes good bone health, but it's also been shown to combat both chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. An added bonus is that regular doses of sunlight has been show to greatly reduce depression.

Worried about the warnings of skin cancer? Some believe the warnings have been overstated, but that aside, it's believed that short doses of sunlight will produce a high enough level of Vitamin D without overexposing the skin to harmful damage from the sun.

So take a few minutes today and feel the warm sunshine on your skin. At the same time feel yourself getting a little closer to ideal health!

Want to read more about the benefits of Vitamin D from sunlight? Visit:
Time in the Sun: How Much Is Needed for Vitamin D?

Stretching For Ideal Health

New year, new methods to explore in regards to getting in shape. First, let me say I've never been a fan of "going to work out". I've got nothing against the gym or health clubs for others, my husband goes religiously, and loves it. For myself, however, give me the great outdoors or if the weather says otherwise, the privacy of my own home.

I also prefer something easy. Not easy as far as physical exertion, but easy meaning not a lot of equipment or gadgets to mess with. I prefer to stretch, do some yoga and then exert myself either in an outdoor activity or workout.

I recently discovered a method of working out primarily using stretching to leverage maximum results in your work out. This coincides with my belief that everything feels better after stretching. The first thing I do in the morning is stretch and begin my day better because of it.

In this DVD by Naturecast Products stretching is the basis of the workout.  It teaches you how to maximize your work outs using stretching as opposed weight resistance, but at the same time building strength, muscular definition as well as range of motion and flexibility.  Another advantage that appeals to me is the relaxation and  peace of mind that results from stretching.

The program is written by and taught a personal trainer, I thought it would be kind of nice to have a personal trainer in my home from time to time, without paying those fees, of course!

I signed up for the free newsletter from Naturecast Products and look forward to reading more about improving my health.

Are New Year's Resolutions A Waste Of Time?

Approximately 40 to 45% Americans take a stab at making at least one New Year's Resolution each year.

Not surprising the most common resolutions are weight loss, smoking cessation and more exercise.

Unfortunately almost half of these resolutions are all but forgotten once the six month mark approaches.

Improved health, what ever your perception of that may be, is often achieved by taking baby steps and setting goals at the beginning of a brand new, fresh year is a great time to start.

Sometimes baby steps, while making the task of reaching a specific goal more time involved, can in fact ensure that a goal is reached simply because it no longer appears as an overwhelming, daunting task.

I have set several resolutions to achieve a better level of ideal health and while each year I might slide back on some of my resolutions, I really feel that at the conclusion of each year I come out healthier, more balanced and a better me than when I started.

When I don't fulfill my full resolution, do I feel like I fail? Nope. The only time I feel like I fail is when I quit trying to improve anything about myself at all.

Where do you stand on New Years Resolutions? I'd love to hear from you.

Living Healthy But No Energy?

We are repeatedly told if we eat right, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly we will have plenty of energy.

So in the spirit of self improvement and our effort to seek ideal health, that's exactly what we do.

And then we discover we are exhausted. Our energy levels are not registering or if they are they are found on the negative side of the scale.

What in the world are we doing wrong? Are we wasting our time doing what we are told?

No, you are not wasting your time. Eating right, getting enough sleep and exercise does, in fact, bring us countless benefits that go towards enjoying ideal health. However.....

As far as energy levels, there are other factors to consider. What could be the source of your energy level resembling that of, say a tortoise, is that you are deficient in Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 plays a key role in the production of the chemicals that determine, among other things, your energy level!

You see, as we age it becomes more difficult for our body to absorb the necessary amount of B12 through digestion. Overtime, our B12 level decreases and one symptom that reveals this is a decreased energy level no matter how healthy we are living.

The good news is, there is an effective B12 supplement that is calls B12 Sublingual. The word sublingual means literally "under the tongue" and that is where this tiny little supplement is placed and left to dissolve. By dissolving as opposed to swallowing and left for the stomach to digest, the energy boosting B12 is absorbed much quicker into your system.

Country Life Superior B12 Sublingual, 50 tab

Once you begin taking B12 Sublingual, you'll be amazed at how great you feel.

An Alternative Approach

Alternative Medicine or Naturopathic Medicine is based on the belief that the body can heal itself. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?

Yes, the body can certainly heal itself if it's in a natural state or environment, but can it heal itself when it's in an unnatural state?

When we routinely pump unnatural substances like soda's, artificial sweeteners, nicotine, processed foods, over the counter and prescription drugs (all are synthetic), refined sugar and flour, tap water that is chlorinated, air that is polluted....

Wait let me catch my breath...never mind I can't my lungs are too full of well...everything that shouldn't be there and not enough of what should be...like oxygen.

Think about it.

Do our bodies really stand a chance if we continue to put garbage in and no garbage is coming out?

When I first began thinking about this concept I was confused. Afraid. Definitely unsure where to turn. Until I began to really research. I mean really look beyond TV ad's and "news" shows.

You can too.

Don't rely on the news you are fed. Go looking for some answers.

Ask yourself some thought provoking questions.

For example: If drugs really cured us of our illnesses, where would be drug companies be besides out of business? Do they really want us to get better?

What about doctors? If we weren't stacked up in their waiting rooms waiting to be cured and "treated" with drugs, would they have enough business to sustain the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed?

If we were healthy with simple cures and best practices that helped us lead a natural life would insurance companies be profitable?

Ask yourself who turns the wheels of your health? Is the answer the bottom line on a profit and loss statement?

Think about it. Is that who you want holding the end result of your good health in their not so objective hands?

So what can you do?

Well, first read. Your curiosity to something brought you here, didn't it? Read and read some more.

Here are some best practices to start with:

• Eat raw, fresh foods as much as possible.
• Read labels on processed food, educate yourself as to what some of this "stuff" is.
• Drink filtered or bottled water, then drink some more.
• Look for alternative natural solutions to the synthetics you have become used to.
• Think about cooking from scratch instead of a box, microwave container, or eating fast food.
• Read and research a little more every day.
• Find the right natural supplements so you may obtain a higher level of ideal health.
• Build a healthy immune system to prevent your body from becoming sick.

Start making small changes every day. Before long you just might see those timid baby steps you started out with become long confident strides moving toward ideal health, naturally!

What Is Colloidal Silver?

Considering all the media coverage of the Swine Flu or it's more recent name of H1N1, the growing threat of the Superbug MRSA's resistance to antibiotics. Combine this with the fact an estimated 43 million people are living without health insurance, it's no wonder so many of us are turning to alternative natural healing.

An increased interest has been realized in the use of colloidal silver to treat bacterial infections as well as a plethora of viruses.

The first question many people ask is: "What exactly is colloidal silver?"

Well first, plain old silver itself kills bacteria. Think of the silver pails that cow's milk goes into or a silver spoon that goes into the proverbial wealthy baby's mouth which actually happened in Europe during the plague. Even early settlers in America would throw silver coins into their wells to keep the water bacteria free and potable. Now fast forward this thinking and picture Band-Aids recent marketing campaign. Yep, silver is the solution to fighting bacteria. Just Google Curad + silver and see the results.

Now you see from very early times to current times silver has amazing healing qualities. The good news is we don't have to stop at bandages. Colloidal silver is simply nano (massively small) particles of silver suspended in water. These particles are so small they don't settle, or loose their molecular identity. They just hang suspended in the water or solution waiting to go to work providing you with natural healing.

When ingested, these particles go to work in our bodies killing bacteria and viruses so we may enjoy health naturally. Bacterial organisms need a supply of energy to live, the silver blocks this energy supply and the bacteria or virus is no longer able to survive.

Colloidal silver kills an astounding 650 or so strains of bacteria and viruses. A conventional antibiotic kills approximately a half dozen or so. Not much of a comparison is it?

Combine these advantages with the fact that some colloidal silvers are non toxic even when tested thousands of times above the normal dose with no adverse side effects. Perhaps you can now see how using colloidal silver to treat countless varieties of bacteria and viruses allows us to enjoy good health naturally.

Cruise Ship Passenger Dies From Flesh Eating Bacteria

by Scott Carmichael on May 7th 2009 at 2:00PM

Have you had your breakfast/lunch/dinner yet? Because this story is bound to upset your stomach.

While on a Mediterranean cruise, 58 year old Raymond Evans hurt his knee during a fall. The injury was nothing serious, but the ships doctor put Mr. Evans on an antibiotic regimen, just to be safe.

Despite the shots, his widow said his condition started to deteriorate, and that the back of his knee was turning black. This developed into a "blotchy blackness" that spread to his chest, elbow and fingers, and he was admitted into the ships hospital.

When the ship docked in Alexandria, Egypt, Mr.Evans was transported to the intensive care unit of the city's hospital where he died hours later. The total time from noticing the blackness on his knee till death was just 24 hours.

A pathologist told the official inquiry that Mr.Evans had been infected by the flesh-eating bug necrotising fasciitis (warning: graphic images on that page!).

The pathologist concluded that Mr.Evans had not caught the bug during his fall, because the symptoms of the flesh eating bug usually start hours after being infected, so the most probable source was something on the cruise ship that entered through his wounds.

This is of course just another example of the health risks involved with cruise ships. For years, cruise lines have struggled with the norovirus as we previously covered here, here and here. Still, common sense and basic hygiene precautions should help keep you perfectly safe when you get on board.

The New Silver Solution - Safe to Use

Patented:

This is the only colloidal silver producer with a product so unique and effective that it was deemed a new product, and therefore approved for patent by the United States Patent Agency.
The New Silver Solution has the Only 2 Patent Approvals on a colloidal silver product in the last 80 years. The patent has also been filed internationally, as well as specifically in Japan.


To View The Patent Click Here


According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Poison Control Center, colloidal silver is considered harmless. Dr Samuel Etris, a senior consultant at The Silver Institute, reports that there has never been any allergic, toxic, or carcinogenic reactions to colloidal silver. The U.S. Government's Center for Disease Control confirmed that fact in 1995.

Even when it was tested at 200 times the normal adult dosage, the NEW Silver Solution® was found to be completely non-toxic - unlike many antibiotics and other silver products.

Testing


There are numerous independent universities and private laboratories that have been and are currently doing test work on the The New Silver Solution. Test work completed so far includes: antibiotic test comparisons; bacteria work; yeast work; safety and toxicity data; independent tests against other colloidal silver products; water treatment tests, etc.

New Data

We are constantly striving to gain new and important information on the effectiveness and uses of its product. We currently have four new studies and a double-blind clinical trial currently underway, with several more studies already in the planning stages. The new studies include: major disease studies at independent universities and laboratories, a double blind clinical trial on mouth sores, an EPA surface disinfectant study for our EPA surface disinfectant filing, and a new series of water disinfectant tests from an independent certified water purification laboratory. Dr. Bjorn Nordstrom, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has used silver in his cancer cure method for many years. He says the whole thing is very simple. This brought rapid remission in patients given up by other doctors.

Humanitarian Aid


The New Silver Solution is the only colloidal silver approved by an international health consortium as an antibiotic alternative, for use in its hospitals and water treatment units in Africa, South America, and Asia.



Source:

Nutronix International

Antibiotic Threat

There was a time when the question, "When will infectious disease be wiped out?" was a realistic, seemingly achievable question.

Now the new realistic question seems to be, "When will the next deadly plague occur?"

We have read about and feared AIDS and MRSA. Super bug is now a part of our vocabulary as often as the "24 hour bug" was twenty years ago. We find E. coli and Salmonella in our produce and peanuts and who knows what else on an alarmingly regular basis. Old diseases like tuberculosis are "making a come back".

Many infections are able to withstand most, if not all antibiotics. We, however, continue to take antibiotics for the most minor ailments thus causing a plethoa of bacteria and viruses to develop immunity to the drugs that were ironically created to eradicate infections in the first place.

According to the NY Times, there is a "new" bacteria to add to the list. It is Clostridium difficile, an infectious bacterium that attacks as a stomach bug. It causes an estimated 350,000 cases per year in hospitals alone and kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people per year.

The disturbing problem with this bacteria is that antibiotics can actually trigger this bacteria to strike. Because antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria in the body, often times upon completion of an antibiotic our immune system is missing the healthy bacteria. If we come in contact with C. difficile, it can create an opportunity for this bacteria to flourish.

The article further states that in some cases the only treatment for C. difficile is to remove the patients colon, and relapses are not uncommon once a patient has recovered.

To read the article in it's entirety, please click here.

Stories like this continue to reinforce to me the importance of a healthy immune system, in addition to thinking twice about taking antibiotics as well as any other pharmaceutical drug unless absolutely necessary.

It also provides yet again incentive to explore the many choices available to us for alternative antibiotics and many other products that help us live healthy and naturally.

7 Rules For Healthy Eating

7 Rules for Eating

Choose Food Over Food-Like Substances,
Food Writer Michael Pollan Tells CDC

By Daniel J. DeNoonWebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 23, 2009 -- We Americans suffer a national eating disorder: our unhealthy obsession with healthy eating.

That's the diagnosis delivered by food author Michael Pollan in a lecture given last week to an overflow crowd of CDC scientists.

As part of an effort to bring new ideas to the national debate on food issues, the CDC invited Pollan -- a harsh critic of U.S. food policies -- to address CDC researchers and to meet with leaders of the federal agency.

"The French paradox is that they have better heart health than we do despite being a cheese-eating, wine-swilling, fois-gras-gobbling people," Pollan said. "The American paradox is we are a people who worry unreasonably about dietary health yet have the worst diet in the world."

In various parts of the world, Pollan noted, necessity has forced human beings to adapt to all kinds of diets.

"The Masai subsist on cattle blood and meat and milk and little else. Native Americans subsist on beans and maize. And the Inuit in Greenland subsist on whale blubber and a little bit of lichen," he said. "The irony is, the one diet we have invented for ourselves -- the Western diet -- is the one that makes us sick."

Snowballing rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the U.S. can be traced to our unhealthy diet. So how do we change?

7 Words & 7 Rules for Eating

Pollan says everything he's learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words:

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Probably the first two words are most important. "Eat food" means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat -- and to avoid what Pollan calls "edible food-like substances."

Here's how:

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.

2. Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.

3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.

4. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.

5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"

6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.

7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

FDA Reform

My last post discussed the growing need to reform the FDA. While the majority of the media does an adequate job of supplying us with current news about the FDA, it's often fleetingly vague, then off to the next story.

There are organizations, however, that do a thorough job of supplying us with information that is not glossed over. Some organizations have dedicated themselves to just this subject and are focusing on bringing about the reform that is desperately needed.

Below are some links to articles and websites that will provide you with information to educate yourself on this growing issue.

Please take a few minutes and visit these informative sites. Your life may depend on it.

http://www.reformfda.org/FDA_Reform

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/mar2009_FDA-Ending-the-Atrocities_01

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123142562104564381.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000554_melamine_infant_formula_FDA.html

My Story

I began blogging to share my frustration with the health care system here in our country. My first post on my other blog, Angellviews, was about a health nightmare I experienced. While never life threatening, it was none the less a major ordeal and something that I believe was entirely preventable, perhaps without the need for prescription drugs, definitely never to the degree I was prescribed. Since no health care provider could determine my situation, I decided to give it a name, Mad Dog Itch. To read more about my dilemma and the simplicity of the "cure", please pay a visit here.

So began my need to express myself; hence the blogs, as well as embarking on a career in the Wellness Industry. I've learned much this past year or so, and have even more knowledge to gain. That part will never end, the need for education and knowledge. There is so much we are told in this country that pertains to our health that is either half truths or far too often just outright lies. What concerns me is the shear number of people who are living with blinders on. I surely was. These same people often are heavily medicated with prescription drugs, frequently drugs they don't need or the wrong drugs prescribed in error. The reasons behind this are many, but one common thread prevails, greed. Greed usually at the hand of pharmaceutical and insurance companies, but they wouldn't be there without the helping hand of the FDA.

The FDA was founded to protect you and I, to determine what was safe for us to take as far as prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, as well as the food we eat every day. They were to be our big brother, our check and balance system. Unfortunately that is no longer the case. They have become fat, incompetent and yes, even corrupt. It is time, actually past time, for the FDA to reform.

Please click on this link to educate yourself about the state of the FDA, your life seriously could depend on it. Sign the petition that will put this necessary action into motion. Health care reform needs to happen in many different ways.

This is one where you can easily do your part.

Splenda in the News

I recently posted about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. Following is an excerpt from an article with yet more information, particularly pertaining to the artificial sweetener, Splenda, which is commonly used in many products consumed by you and I each day.

Chairman of Citizens for Health Declares FDA Should Review Approval of Splenda
New Study of Splenda and Sucralose Reveals Shocking New Information About Potential Harmful Effect on Humans
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- James Turner, chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health expressed shock and outrage after reading a new report from scientists at Duke University. "The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study, published this past week in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A, confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label," said Turner.

Among the results in the study by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman is evidence that, in the animals studied, Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. Turner noted that the P-gp effect "could result in crucial medications used in chemotherapy for cancer patients, AIDS treatment and drugs for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines rather than being absorbed by the body as intended."

Turner said, "This report followed accepted policies and procedures and the results make clear the potential for disturbing side effects from the ingestion of Splenda. It is like putting a pesticide in your body. And this is at levels of intake erroneously approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A person eating two slices of cake and drinking two cups of coffee containing Splenda would ingest enough sucralose to affect the P-glycoprotein, while consuming just seven little Splenda packages reduces good bacteria."

To read this article in it's entirety, please go here.

If you are like me, reading, educating and making positive strides to improve your health, please think about putting artificial anything into your body. While difficult to eliminate everything bad from our diets, small steps will make big improvements over time.

Another Apple Cider Vinegar Testimonial

I am compelled to provide a left handed testimonial for Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). I have previously posted about the wonders of ACV and feel the need to do so again.

My daughters and I were having our hair done a couple of days ago. The lady who takes care of us asked me if I knew any alternative ways to take care of acid reflux as she knows about my "natural" obsession. She told me she has struggled with acid reflux for years with no good solution to correct the misery created by this chronic condition. She has taken both over the counter as well as prescription medication. While both would give her some relief after a period of time, she had to take the medication all the time to prevent occurrences and didn't like the side effects of either medication.

I told her about ACV and she told me about a friend who sent her to the grocery store to buy some. When she did, she told me the taste and resulting burn confirmed she would never try that again. I explained the difference of organic versus the distilled, pasteurized grocery store variety. The organic version is alkaline versus acidic with all the natural health miracle's of the "mother" due to not being pasteurized.

She seemed skeptical so while she was attending to my daughter's hair, I scurried to a nearby health food store and picked her up a bottle. Yes, I am that cool and thoughtful, but that's another post.

Today, two days later, I was near the salon so I dropped in and guess what? Her acid reflux is gone, not a hint of it remains. She hugged me and declared her amazement.

It really feels good to help someone. I hope this post reaches someone who is suffering from the same condition. If you are that person, I too, was one who felt the burn of acid reflux as well as my husband and we can both tell you ACV definitely stops it in it's tracks.

To read more about the wonders of ACV go here.

Or here.

In The News

Docs seek gag orders to stop patients' reviews

Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – Wed Mar 4, 12:14 am ET

CHICAGO – The anonymous comment on the Web site RateMDs.com was unsparing: "Very unhelpful, arrogant," it said of a doctor. "Did not listen and cut me off, seemed much too happy to have power (and abuse it!) over suffering people." Such reviews are becoming more common as consumer ratings services like Zagat's and Angie's List expand beyond restaurants and plumbers to medical care, and some doctors are fighting back.

They're asking patients to agree to what amounts to a gag order that bars them from posting negative comments online.

"Consumers and patients are hungry for good information" about doctors, but Internet reviews provide just the opposite, contends Dr. Jeffrey Segal, a North Carolina neurosurgeon who has made a business of helping doctors monitor and prevent online criticism.

Some sites "are little more than tabloid journalism without much interest in constructively improving practices," and their sniping comments can unfairly ruin a doctor's reputation, Segal said.

Segal said such postings say nothing about what should really matter to patients — a doctor's medical skills — and privacy laws and medical ethics prevent leave doctors powerless to do anything it.

His company, Medical Justice, is based in Greensboro, N.C. For a fee, it provides doctors with a standardized waiver agreement. Patients who sign agree not to post online comments about the doctor, "his expertise and/or treatment."

"Published comments on Web pages, blogs and/or mass correspondence, however well intended, could severely damage physician's practice," according to suggested wording the company provides.

Segal's company advises doctors to have all patients sign the agreements. If a new patient refuses, the doctor might suggest finding another doctor. Segal said he knows of no cases where longtime patients have been turned away for not signing the waivers.

Doctors are notified when a negative rating appears on a Web site, and, if the author's name is known, physicians can use the signed waivers to get the sites to remove offending opinion.

RateMd's postings are anonymous, and the site's operators say they do not know their users' identities. The operators also won't remove negative comments.

Angie's List's operators know the identities of users and warn them when they register that the site will share names with doctors if asked.

Since Segal's company began offering its service two years ago, nearly 2,000 doctors have signed up. In several instances, he said, doctors have used signed waivers to get sites to remove negative comments.

John Swapceinski, co-founder of RateMDs.com, said that in recent months, six doctors have asked him to remove negative online comments based on patients' signed waivers. He has refused.

"They're basically forcing the patients to choose between health care and their First Amendment rights, and I really find that repulsive," Swapceinski said.

He said he's planning to post a "Wall of Shame" listing names of doctors who use patient waivers. Read More..........

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Since doctors run their practices as businesses, shouldn't we, the consumers, be free to voice our opinion good, bad and otherwise, regarding the service we received? We are not tracked down by any other type of business and demanded to retract our statements; are doctors exempt and if so for what reason? The only reason sited in the article is that bad comments could potentially ruin a practice. Yes, I suppose if you continually provide shoddy service, perhaps you are in the wrong business.

The Diet That Works.....Really

I have never been a believer in diets. The Adkins, South Beach, grapefruit, low fat, low carb, no carb, this pill, that pill. Find me the diet that is both effective and SAFE.

Well, it appears the New England Journal of Medicine and Frank Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health actually agree with me (that's a joke in case it slipped by you).

The study led by Frank Sacks followed 800 overweight adults for two years. The group was placed on four different diets ranging from low-fat/high-carb to low-carb/high-fat diets. Regardless of which diet group members were placed into, they all lost the same amount of weight, which was 13 pounds the first year and 8 pounds the second year.

One could conclude from reading this study that the common sense approach of Consume Fewer Calories Than You Burn really works.

Just think of all the money that can be saved not to mention the self deprivation from foods truly enjoyed that we can still consume on a moderate basis.

To read more about common sense diet strategies that really work, click here.

One final bit of advice that is key to weight loss: don't forget to exercise.

Sugar, Oh Sweet Sugar

One of the components I have focused on in achieving ideal health as naturally as possible is to reduce the amount of sugar that myself and my family consumes. Now taking away sugar from children who have always had a love for it has not been easy. Please keep in mind I'm not eliminating anything, just reducing in practical amounts. Sugar is in everything they like it seems. In fact sometimes there is a look in their eyes that translates into something like the need to inflict bodily harm on me. But I still push forward, brave in my quest to get us healthy. Even if they hate me. At least I have more quiet, "me" time while they think they are punishing me. Everyone wins, right? I have had some success, the youngest with the largest sugar dependency now compares cereal boxes and chooses the one with the least amount of sugar...baby steps but we are going in the right direction. The oldest has almost eliminated soda and "energy drinks" from his diet and he was an addict, however his choice is because his football coach told him to, not his all knowing mother......sigh, I guess whatever works.

Here are just a few of the effects sugar has on our bodies. It is devoid of minerals and vitamins and interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium. It raises insulin levels, depresses the immune system, provokes mood swings, feeds nervous disorders, contributes to weight gain, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and can help bring on depression. It has the power to aggravate asthma, and is a major contributor in bringing on diabetes and heart disease. And these are just a few of it's favorite things......

Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke, the epitome of sugar intake:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

Sources:
Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007

Wow. Let's face it, sugar is a real bad guy who invades our lives and health more and more. I recently read where twenty years ago the average American consumed approximately 26lbs of sugar per year. The amount of sugar consumed now has risen to 135 lbs per year.

I salute and applaud those of you who eat completely healthy. You are the leaders, the setters of the standard I hope to live up to one day. But what about those of us who are evolving from a certain degree of unhealthy to becoming better at managing our health? Do we pull the plug on our bad habits and switch it up overnight? I don't know about you, but I would be somewhere between a mutiny and a full blown strike in my house. I guess it all comes back to the Balance.

For myself and my family that means no more soda, buying healthier cereal while reading boxes for sugar content, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and eating less processed and boxed foods. Will I give up my homemade brownies and cheesecake? Never!

Baby Steps to Better Health

Have you been meaning to start working out....tomorrow? How about those extra pounds, been thinking about that too? Sometimes just following simple basic principles can go along way to improve and ensure better health.

While a full out assault is a great way to approach an exercise program or improved eating habits, for some lifestyle changes can be so overwhelming that we quit before we begin.

Following are some common sense practices that can start us on a path to ideal health.

Eating Healthier

• Introduce new, healthier foods into your diet gradually.


• What we eat is often times a habit and habits take time create. Begin by eliminating chips for lunch and instead adding one fruit or vegetable. Once this habit takes hold introduce another healthy item while banning an unhealthy one. Over time you will realize you really don't miss those chips and cookies after all.

Portion Control

• Used to seconds on the mashed potatoes? Don't want to give them up? Then don't. Limit yourself to one serving and eat some extra vegetables. You are reducing some of your calorie intake and increasing your vegetable servings all at once.

Hydrate with Water and Only Water

• It really works. If you are not drinking the recommended eight glasses per day, start today.

Soda Junkie?

• Do yourself a favor and research what the stuff does to you. Also don't kid yourself and think about switching to diet soda, it's just as bad if not worse. Many so called "energy drinks" are just sugar in a bottle. Think water and start gradually eliminating soda, sugary juices and "energy drinks" from your daily drinking habits. You will see results fast.

Exercise

Whoever said "getting started is the hardest part" was absolutely right.

Whoever said "I'll start tomorrow" was telling a lie!

If this is you, and so many of us fall into this category, start slow, but start NOW.

• Can't touch your toes? Keep trying until you do.


• Can't make it to the mail box without getting out of breath? Take two trips a day, then challenge yourself to do more.


• At every parking lot you go, park in the last parking place and walk.


• Walk around the block. Then walk around the neighborhood.


• Start an exercise routine, anything at all for 10 minutes at a time and increase that by 5 minutes increments over time.

Reward Yourself

With every accomplishment, no matter how small, celebrate your victory. Keep your rewards healthy!

Of course you have taken baby steps, but the steps have all been in a forward direction. Before you know it, you will see and feel the results. You'll be running full speed ahead in no time.

Drink Your Veggies

Super food supplements and drinks have become a comprehensive way of getting much, if not all, of what we miss in our diets due to poor eating habits. Many people are either too busy and too entrenched in their life-on-the-go-fast-food-no-time-to-cook diets. Some folks just plain don't like their veggies and consequently miss getting the nutrients only found in whole, natural foods.

Sometimes if you are like me, you try to eat all the right things and do a pretty good job most of the time. I am always pushing myself to eat healthier, but a little help now and then would sure give me a boost. Which brings me to a super food I've been drinking, Berry Greens Boost. I mix one little scoop in a glass of water and drink the nutritional equivalency of eating eight salads. That is a lot of veggies in just a few gulps. A huge benefit is that it does not have the caffeine, stimulants or massive amounts of sugar that many of these drinks have. The ingredients are all natural, nothing artificial at all. The energy boost, however, after drinking my veggies is amazing. Just good pure energy without the jumpy stomach and shaky hands.

I did have an adjustment period while I got used to the taste. It has a berry taste, but you can taste the green stuff as well. I combine it (which is the only way my kids will drink it), with banana's, fresh pineapple, kiwi and orange juice. Now we get our fruit and veggies all in one delicious drink. I also add it to my daily drink of apple cider vinegar and for some odd reason the two flavors compliment each other. What I can't do is drink this after 6:00 PM or else I find I have a little trouble sleeping as soundly as I usually do.

If you are looking to enhance your nutritional intake each day, whether you already eat enough of the good stuff or if you need to improve your nutritional intake, this is definitely an effective way towards achieving Ideal Health.

Antibiotic Overkill

After contracting the Mad Dog Itch and the resulting futile trips to various doctors who shook their heads and gave me a variety of ineffective prescription drugs, I made a commitment to take the correct vitamins and supplements, eat better, and make my body healthier to prevent illness from striking. In the event I got sick, however, I surmised would still go to the doctor and get an antibiotic. I have since thought otherwise. First let me say we are completely overwhelmed by antibiotics. We run for one at the first sign of a symptom. We demand one for every infection and every perceived infection, ear, throat, respiratory, tooth, cut, you name it. Then there are viruses, we want antibiotics for those too, but the reality is antibiotics do nothing for viruses. Now here's the scary part, many doctors will give you one, (just ask, you'll see) even when you have a virus....."just in case" they will say.

Allow me to share a little scenario on the vicious cycle of antibiotics. First of all, antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. This statement in and of itself is vitally important due to the major overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Let's say you scurry to the doctor in panic mode because your throat is sore and you had strep throat two years ago and you certainly don't want to go through that again. The doctor sees no sign of infection, but gives you a "just in case" prescription of antibiotics and after a few days of taking them you feel better. The reality is you actually had a virus that came and went all by itself. The antibiotic you pumped in your body had to do something, so off to work it went eagerly killing good bacteria right and left. So now you are enjoying a yeast infection because good bacteria that naturally corrects the overproduction of yeast has met it's untimely demise from the antibiotic. While you are busy fighting that nasty yeast infection, you realize you feel bad, downright awful. Before you know it you have a cold that turns ugly and evolves into a sinus infection. Since your body was depleted from good bacteria, it's worn out and just doesn't have the fight it used to. Ironically this is the same fight a healthy body would have to kill off this infection. So of course off you go to the doctor to get yet another antibiotic and this time it has to be bigger and badder than the last one because the first one is no longer effective as your body is now immune to it. And so on and so on.

Do the drug companies care? Heck no, they are selling you multiple drugs and after all that's what they are in business for, to sell lots of drugs. The more the better for them. Does the doctor care? Perhaps, but if we were all healthy and didn't run to his office for every little bug, how long would he continue to have enough customers to sustain the nice, cushy lifestyle he has become accustomed to?

So what to do? If you are sick, really truly sick and there is a drug that will save your life, will you take this drug? Of course you will, I will too. However, to back up a few dozen steps, the ideal scenario is to prevent your body from becoming sick in the first place. Build your body into a fortress of ideal health that bacteria and viruses can not penetrate. Rid your body of toxins to build up your immune system. A strong immune system is your first line of defense to combat bacteria and viruses. In the event you need to fight a virus or infection, educate yourself and consider some natural treatments before resorting to drugs. Alternatives are out there.