How to achieve exercise success

I know from experience that a lot of people become intellectual experts on health, nutrition, physical exercise and disease prevention, among other topics, without really integrating much of that information into their lives. We often find it easy to agree on the principles of health, but difficult to actually take the steps needed to make those principles a reality in our own lives. I would like to share some tips with you on how to start moving in the right direction toward reaching your personal health potential.

First off, I think a lot of people secretly harbor the belief that medical technology will come along some day and take care of their health challenges without requiring any effort on their part. I know publicly most people deny that's what they're waiting for, but internally a lot of people are holding out for that.

When I was much younger, I knew a high school graduate who chose not to go to college. He said he was holding out for the promise that Bill Clinton made before he was elected to make college tuition free of charge. Today, as a result, he has no college education. A lot of people grasp onto the same irrational hope with their health. They want to hold out until there's some magic pill, surgical procedure or new functional food that will take over for them and reverse all of the poor lifestyle decisions they've been making over the last few years. Let me help you set this aside by saying there will never be a magic bullet solution to good health that doesn't require your participation. There will never be a new surgical procedure, a new chemical or a new discovery from the natural world that will replace you taking action, starting right now. If you want to be healthy, it must begin with action.

Small, incremental improvements

Although I'm a firm believer in taking action, I'm also a huge proponent of taking really small steps as a way to achieve lasting change. I believe that if you want to get results, the best way to do it is to make small incremental improvements. These improvements can be very tiny. For example, if you're trying to make the switch from regular cows' milk to soymilk, you would want to do it one week at a time by mixing soymilk and cows' milk together in progressive ratios.

For example, during the first week you might have your beverage as 90 percent cows' milk and 10 percent soymilk. That might even go on for a couple of weeks. But in time, you'll get used to that taste, and then you can use 80 percent cows' milk and 20 percent soymilk. And after you've made these ten small shifts, you'll be on 100 percent soymilk. This is a much smarter and more effective strategy than trying to just give up dairy products and switch to soy products overnight, because if you make such a drastic shift, you're likely to reject it. Integrating health and fitness information into your life only requires that you be persistent in the application of small incremental changes over time.

Getting to success with physical exercise

Now let's talk about physical exercise, because this seems to be one of the most challenging things for people to take on in an effective way. Here's why most people fail at trying to begin a physical exercise program: They typically try out a few exercises for a few days, but they begin to feel bad, so they give it up. By "feel bad" I mean their joints hurt or their muscles ache, or even the very first 10 minutes of engaging in exercise seems painful to them.

In this way, they're actually following a natural system of de-motivation, whereby the things that hurt in life are routinely avoided. So there's nothing unnatural about avoiding exercise if it hurts. The trick, though, is to stop being dominated by the short-term pains of exercise, and instead allow future factors to be your positive motivation. In other words, if you're going to engage in regular exercise, the positive feelings that you get from engaging in exercise must be greater than the negative feelings produced by the exercise itself.

The only way those positive feelings can be increased is if you manage to associate exercise with things that are very positive in your mind. Because, let's face it, sweating it out in the gym is not going to produce positive results that very instant – unless those results are in your head. I believe that those people who are successful with regular physical exercise programs, whether it's cardiovascular training, strength training, swimming or other forms of exercise, are able to make these associations and keep them strong. They are able to visualize their bodies as healthier and stronger; they are able to visualize feelings of high energy and fantastic health and hold those visualizations so firmly in their minds that they outweigh the short-term pain of engaging in physical exercise. I'm one of these people, but I didn't use to be. So I can tell you this is a strategy you can learn.

For starters, let your physical appearance motivate you

Here's a tip that definitely worked for me in the early stages of this process. I used to be very concerned about how people perceived me – especially on an outside, physical level. This was, of course, because I was overweight. You probably know, if you've been overweight, that you can be very sensitive to people's perceptions of you. So, I set a calendar date about six months in advance for an event where I would see a lot of people that I hadn't seen in a long time. Then I decided I would have a whole new body by the time I showed up at that event in six months.

For you, this could be a family reunion, a school reunion or just getting together with old friends. Possibly even a summertime outing where you might wear a swimsuit and your body will be right out there for everyone to see. It doesn't really matter what the event is; just use some sort of external occasion. Now remember, this is just a short-term strategy. Long term, this should all be based on internal motivations. But I'm saying that in the short term, if you can't find that internal motivation, you can use the threat, so to speak, of the opinions of all your family and friends to help motivate you.

So, for the next six months, your goal becomes to basically impress people (or perhaps to avoid embarrassment) six months down the road on that certain calendar date. So you have both positive and negative motivation at work here. You want to avoid embarrassment by not showing up looking 100 lbs overweight. You want to show up with a slimmer, trimmer body that you feel good about and that looks good to others. Again, I'm not saying this is the long-term strategy, because it's a very bad idea to base your ultimate self-image on other people's perceptions of you. I'm saying that if you need a real boost to get this motivation going, you can use the threat of public embarrassment in your own mind to sort of kick you in the pants and get you moving. Or, you can use the potential reward of feeling great around other people as motivation. Either way, you set a fixed calendar date and you start working toward that goal. That will get you in the gym, sweating off the pounds and engaging in strength training, and it will help you overcome the short-term pain of things like exertion and muscle soreness.

So you can use this gimmick to get you motivated and into the gym. But that's not the only place you're going to really transform your body. You'll have much greater results if you get a lot of sunshine and take regular nutritional and superfood supplements. There's no question that you will see much faster results if you have outstanding nutrition. In fact, you will be able to perform considerably better in every physical way with the help of good nutrition. Modifying your diet to maximize healthy nutrition is a commendable thing to take on in preparation for this.

If you do this for six months, you will find yourself undergoing a radically positive transformation. At the end of the six months when you've gone to your public event and people have complimented you on your brand new body and you've felt great about it, you will discover something else: You will come to realize that their opinion of you is not nearly as important as your opinion of yourself. And at that point you will switch to an internal motivation. You'll want to be healthy and keep yourself in great shape just for the rewards you experience personally, even if no one else ever saw your body or you never interacted with any other people.

The self-reinforcing motivation system

Now you'll really be on a roll, because the snowball effect kicks in and you become an unstoppable exercise machine. Now each and every workout will be internally rewarding. The pain and the muscle soreness will have faded away, because your body has adapted to regular physical exercise.

You'll start to notice that you feel good every time you workout. This will all result from making a positive and powerful association that is not based on external events. This is the best kind of association you can shoot for. Now you'll even start to miss your workouts if you don't get them on a regular basis. From here it's just a matter of how much time and effort you want to invest, and how much time your schedule allows, because you can really explore some fantastic health results by pursuing this internal positive association motivation strategy.

But remember, it takes time to get there. I don't expect anyone to just wake up one day, hop out of bed and say, "Gee, I want to make exercise really rewarding right now!" That's not realistic. You may have to use gimmicks to get yourself into that situation, and it may take literally months of regular exercise before it becomes internally rewarding for you. But that's fine. The long-term rewards are tremendous, and I can assure you it's worth every iota of effort you want to put into it.

Lastly, I do want to affirm that those first couple of months in the gym working out or walking around outside in order to lose weight can be very, very challenging. Those are the most difficult months of all. I can tell you that exercise is a heck of a lot easier when you're fit than when you're unhealthy. So remember as you begin and as you're working through the first 30 days or the first 60 days: It does get easier. In fact, it gets a lot easier -- it becomes so incredibly rewarding that in time you'll find yourself going to the gym and looking forward to getting on the treadmill and pumping out a few minutes of exercise just because it feels so good.

That can literally be your outcome if you so choose. So remember, use all the motivators you can, even if they sound gimmicky. And aim for small, incremental improvements in every area of your life. That's the way to achieve continued success in nutrition, physical training, exercise and any transformation you want to make in your life. You don't need to try for an overnight success. Instead, aim for steady, achievable success that grows one day at a time.

Benefits of Swimming

There’s a lot of talk these days about muscle groups and concentrating on them one at a time. You walk into any gym and you hear guys and gals make small talk while taking a break from their sets and repetitions.

“How you doing with those biceps?”

“I pulled my hamstrings the other day. Overdid it on the leg extension machine.”

“I need to work on my deltoids. They’re not as defined as I want them to be.”

Gym lingo, they call it. They’re into triceps, laterals and pullovers and to help build bigger muscles, they add in the protein shake to their sacred rituals.

But there are smart ones. The smart ones learn to vary their routine, so you may not see them in the gym nine times a week.

They’re in the pool swimming their laps.

As old fashioned an exercise it may seem to others, swimming is still one of the best fitness routines you can engage in. You not only benefit from the cardiovascular workout – especially if you do those laps continuously to arrive at an ideal heart rate vis-à-vis your age, but you also get to work ALL muscles in one session. No other exercise provides that advantage: your arms, your legs, your core muscles – all glide in sync in the water. Plus if you’re so inclined, you would also get the added benefit of the equivalent of an aqua workout.

Swimming offers the cardiovascular element that is necessary in any health and fitness program, but like the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic have recommended, 30-minute exercises for most days of the week should be done. The specific recommendation in fact is to do aerobic or whole body activities four to seven days a week.

If you’ve decided that a swimming program is for you, you would worry less about injuries. By swimming at a moderately vigorous pace frequently, you gain considerable stamina.

Given that a swimmer uses most muscles, there are distinct improvements in range of motion and flexibility. A swimmer also builds muscle strength, develops endurance, muscle strength and power.

You can’t mistake them in the crowd. Individuals who swim regularly have that “I’m in the pink of health” look about them, have more zing in their gait, are able to manage pain more efficiently and feel less tired when performing daily activities.

Swimming also helps to protect the joints and cartilage of more mature people, providing them with a better capacity to resist shock.

And don’t be too quick to relegate swimming to that class of exercises for a certain age group, because one look at an Olympic swimming feat and you’ll know that even the youth find the rigors of the sport quite a challenge.

Compared to a jogger, a swimmer has the capacity to burn as many calories in an hour – just as efficiently as a runner who covers six miles in 60 minutes. The activity is a great upper body toner because specific strokes like the breast stroke, the free style, and the butterfly engage most of the muscles in the upper body.

One more wonderful thing about swimming is what it does to strengthen to a person’s lower body. The legs get a terrific workout. Notice how much faster you are doing the laps with regular swimming – that’s because your legs feel more robust and your respiratory system has improved considerably.

Many people find swimming to be a relaxing sport. By doing the strokes, you allow more oxygen into your muscles and breathe in a more regulated manner, hence allowing you to rid your body and psyche of stress.

Antidepressants and Blood Pressure

HIGE BLOOD PRESSURE

As our understanding of the biology behind depression and related conditions has developed, many conditions once thought to be purely psychological are now known to have specific links to biochemical changes in the brain. As a result, the treatment for depression increasingly relies on drugs designed to moderate the level of certain compounds in the nervous system.

Most drugs used to treat depression work by increasing the amount of serotonin or dopamine available in the body. These chemicals regulate how cells within the brain talk to one another, and also help coordinate interactions between different brain regions. Low levels of serotonin and dopamine have been linked to alterations in mood, and antidepressant drugs are designed to increase the available amount of these chemicals.

Serotonin and dopamine, however, play important roles in many parts of the body outside the brain, and antidepressant drugs are increasingly used to treat a variety of conditions such as chronic pain. Both of these compounds are known to affect the heart and blood vessels. In concentrated doses, dopamine is used as an emergency drug to support (increase) blood pressure during surgery and when certain conditions –- such as body wide infection –- lead to low blood pressure beyond the body’s ability to correct. To a lesser extent, serotonin has similar blood-pressure-raising effects and may increase how sensitive the heart and vessels are to effects of dopamine.

While antidepressants don’t increase serotonin and dopamine to extreme levels, their use has been known to raise blood pressure. Specific antidepressants that have been linked to increased blood pressure include:

• Buproprion (Wellbutrin, Zyban)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Phenelzine (Nardil)

Increased levels of serotonin and dopamine play an important role in how these drugs raise blood pressure, but there is probably more to the story, and the precise mechanisms are still a matter of some debate. Current thinking is that these drugs increase overall activity in the nervous system, which might amplify certain signals (such as those controlling blood pressure) that the nervous system sends to the rest of the body.

If you have high blood pressure, you can still use antidepressant medications. Your doctor may choose to avoid certain types of antidepressants, and will likely want to monitor your blood pressure carefully during the initial stages of treatment. Many people with high blood pressure are able to use the most common antidepressants with no problems, but some may require adjustments to their high blood pressure treatment program.

The Different Exercises For Women

BEST EXERCISES

If anything women are more in tune with their bodies than men. Wherever you go you will always come across women trying to either lose weight or maintain it. This is all good and fine but sometimes this is not the only reason why there are different exercises for women. Some women do their exercises for health reasons when they have to deal with heart disorders and fat related complications.

For the most part the best exercise regime for women is jogging. And this does not specifically apply to women alone because men also benefit from this as well. The reason why jogging works conveniently for females is that it gives them freedom from the family home as they are immersed in what they enjoy doing.

Jogging gets rid of excess cholesterol trapped in different regions of the body, specifically the heart. When you want to get rid of excess body fats jogging has one of the best results. The heat generated during exercise is that responsible for burning down fatty solids building up in ones body.

Cycling is yet another type of exercise that is suitable for females. When a woman, specifically a housewife, has been at home the whole day working the first thing on their mind is to relax. And if it means they have to run to exercise their bodies they will feel even more tired. Therefore cycling is what is considered as one of the best exercises.

Whilst cycling the body is allowed to relax and tone down from all the pressures of the day. At the same time cholesterol and fats building up in the body are gotten rid of. The only hazard with this form of exercise is that it can lead to tragic accidents if carried out in public highways. Be sure to cycle in the neighborhood where there is very little traffic.

Yoga is one type of exercise I never got to understand until I did it myself. And believe m, apart from the exercises being absurd they give so much relief. They help the body to recover from stress in addition to being a weight loss or maintenance exercise.

Generally exercises for women are pretty much the same as the ones for men. The only difference is that they are lighter and require less endurance. Despite the fact that women love to be seen in the same light as men they always have a lot more to do around the house. Therefore it is important that they be less difficult and appropriate for the purpose for which they are sought.

Hair Loss Help For Men and Women

Male pattern baldness is a type of androgenetic alopecia that is found in men and is most commonly caused by the over production of DiHydroTestosteron also known as DHT. DHT is a combination of alpha reductase and the male hormone testosterone. Once DHT is produced it attaches to the hair follicles and stops or greatly reduces the normal rate of hair growth. Male pattern baldness typically affects the areas around the temples, crown and top of the head. This is greatly due to the increased amount of sweat glands that produce DHT in these areas.

With the large role that DHT plays in causing this condition it is presumed that the best way to stop hair loss or prevent male pattern baldness is by preventing or at least reducing the accumulation of DHT. Provillus has done this by creating a specially designed formula that stops the excess production of DHT in the body. It also contains ingredients that help promote healthy hair growth. There are many ingredients used to make Provillus and all have been proven to be all natural and completely safe to use. Some of these ingredients include:

· Vitamin B6
· Zinc Sulfate
· Biotin
· Saw Palmetto
· Nettle Root
· Magnesium
· Pumpkin Seed Extracts

Provillus has proven itself to work well for men in any age group who have the desire to reduce or completely stop the onset of male pattern baldness. Provillus users generally see a significant difference in about six to eight weeks. If you do not see results within this time frame it may be necessary to increase the dosage you are using.

While the original male version of Provillus should not be used by women, Provillus also has a specially formulated variety created especially for women that is effective in treating the issues of hair falling out that many women are likely to encounter. However the results of this product may differ slightly from the male variety as the causes for hair loss issues in women are not related to the production of DHT such as is the case with men.

Of the many natural products that are currently on the market for male hair loss and prevention of DHT production, Provillus is in the top three. Not only is it completely safe to take because the ingredients are all natural but it does not contain any chemicals or drugs therefore no prescription is required to purchase it. This makes it a much safer choice over prescription alternatives.

Aside from the benefits you can expect from the use of Provillus the makers also offer a full six month money back refund policy for anyone who is not satisfied with the results of their product making it not only risk free to your health but also risk free to your wallet.

Heart Chest Pain

Causes of Heart Chest Pain

Cardiovascular conditions that result in chest pain should always be taken seriously as some of the causes are life threatening and require emergency medical attention. Heart chest pain may be severe and sudden with other signs and symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath (dyspnea) and fainting spells. This should raise the warning flag to seek immediate medical attention.

At other times, chest pain due to heart conditions may not require urgent attention but without medical treatment at some point, these causes can complicate into life threatening situations. Some of the causes of chest pain may also cause breastbone pain as part of the heart lies behind this bone.

HIV/AIDS

HIV and AIDS Facts
FAQ and fast facts about HIV/AIDS:

• What does AIDS stand for?
  AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
• What does HIV stand for?
  HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
• What is the immune system?
  The immune system is a collection of mechanisms within the human body that protects against disease, detecting and fighting off a wide variety of agents from viruses to bacteria.
• What is the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?
  A person is said to be HIV positive if that person is infected with HIV virus. A person is said to have AIDS if the person has HIV infection and also certain signs and symptoms of AIDS disease. In short, HIV is the virus, and AIDS is the disease that it causes. Testing positive for HIV virus does not become AIDS until immune system is compromised which usually takes ten years. There are phases of HIV infection and AIDS is the final stage. Learn more on HIV infection and early symptoms of HIV/AIDS, what is HIV, what is AIDS, ways that the HIV virus is transmitted, and how does AIDS affect the body.
• What is STD?
  A Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) is a disease that is passed from one person to another due to sexual activity.
• Causes of HIV infection, HIV/AIDS Symptoms, Treatment for HIV and AIDS
  • See Early symptoms of HIV and AIDS article for information on first and early stage HIV/AIDS symptoms.
  • See HIV and AIDS Facts article for information on causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and how is HIV/AIDS treated.
  • More articles listed below on this page with information on signs and symptoms of HIV infection, what causes AIDS, HIV virus transmission, AIDS prevention, HIV testing, treatment for HIV, medications and cure for AIDS.
  • See HIV/AIDS Vaccine topic.
• History of AIDS
  • Where Did AIDS Come From?
  • AIDS: The First 10,000 American Cases
• HIV/AIDS Statistics - How many people in the world have AIDS?
  According to the current AIDS statistics published in July 2008, UNAIDS/WHO estimated that 32.9 million people were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide as of end of 2007. This is up from 29.5 million in 2001. HIV/AIDS has been a global epidemic for more than 25 years.

FOOD FOR A HEALTHY BODY

Mainstream North American dietary habits restrict vitamin, mineral and fibre consumption, leading to many undesirable symptoms and health problems. Health experts recommend a daily intake of 25 – 40 grams of fibre for a healthy body. The average North American consumes only 10 grams most due to consuming highly refines processed food.

Fibre is essential for a well functioning gastrointestinal tract, cholesterol reduction, and maintains a healthy level of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. There are two groups of fibre: soluble and insoluble. The latter exerts a mechanical action, whereas the former is more diverse and this depends on their chemical properties. Soluble fibres such as psyllium, flax and guar absorb water creating a greater feeling of satiation thus controlling intake of food.

Fibrous fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of fibre, as well as being low in calories. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate many fruits, vegetables and unprocessed grains.

Researchers determined that there is no substitute to consuming natural vitamins. They are more beneficial, provide more pleasure, and happen to be less expensive.

In fact some peoples in North America (Inuit and First Nations) cannot absorb certain synthetic minerals and vitamins. Natural unprocessed, uncooked foods are better for the body than those grown with the help of pesticides, fungicides, or are irradiated “micro waved” or genetically engineered.

Cooking at high temperatures reduces proteins available in the food up to 50 percent destroys 60 – 70 percent of vitamins, and processed foods change the structure/ All of the above are vital for building and maintaining energy and health. Yet, most people prefer convenience to health. Convenience comes at a high price in form of time used to acquire natural food, the perishable nature of it, preparation and cooking. Harried life styles prevent time consuming food preparation, and make processed food a necessity for those short-sighted enough to set priorities in their lives.

When food is heated above 118C and consumed at this temperature, it damages inner tissues and enzymes are destroyed, all linked to health and longevity. Enzymes are vital in digestion, nerve impulses, detoxification, repair of tissues and a healthy mind. Properly prepared and cooked foods taste better, they play an important role in slowing the aging process.

Help For Painful Periods

If you are like most women, you have probably experienced menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) at one time or another. For some women, menstrual cramps are debilitating, while others experience only mild discomfort during their period.

Menstrual cramps may be primary or secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea occurs most often in young women who have just begun their menstrual cycles and often becomes less severe when a woman reaches her mid-twenties or after she has given birth . Secondary dysmenorrhea is diagnosed when menstrual cramps are caused by other conditions such as endometriosis, fibroid tumors, pelvic adhesions, and ovarian cysts or by the use of an interuterine device (IUD) for birth control.

Menstrual cramps are thought to be related to a hormone-like, naturally occurring substance called prostaglandin, which causes the uterus to contract. If a woman does not ovulate, it is unlikely that she will encounter cramps during her period. For this reason, physicians often prescribe oral contraceptives to ease painful periods. However, you should be aware that birth control pills cause abnormal bleeding in some women.

How Can You Beat Menstrual Cramps?

Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, used around the clock as soon as you notice the first sign of your period can help to reduce the severity of cramps in many women by inhibiting the release of prostaglandins. Of course, be sure not to exceed the daily maximum as described on the medication's label. Acetaminophen(e.g.-Tylenol) will help the pain, but it does not have the effect on prostagladins.

Regular physical activity often reduces cramping in some women.

Natural progesterone may help reduce the symptoms that are causing menstrual cramps.

Supplementing your diet with zinc and calcium has been found to reduce cramps, bloating, and related PMS symptoms.

Herbal remedies, such as Viburnum prunifolium, Scutellaria spp. and Cimicifuga racemosa, have an antispasmodic effect that may reduce some menstrual cramps. Other useful herbs include cramp bark, squaw vine, unicorn root, bromelain, evening primrose oil, and blue cohosh.

Try taking a warm bath and using aromatherapy or a heating pad on your lower abdomen or back. If you don't have a heating pad, a heating pad substitute can be made at home.
How to Make a Heating Pad Relaxing and letting those around you know that you are not feeling yourself will help by reducing the stress of your everyday life that may contribute to your menstrual cramps.

Is Yoga Right for You?

A lot of women perform yoga exercises not just to lose weight or maintain proper body weight but also because they want to be healthy emotionally and mentally. Yoga is also known to contribute to the decrease of a number of problems during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. There is research to prove this, but it’s easy to see the physical, mental, and emotional benefits evident on those women who practice yoga.

Yoga Helps You Cope with a Busy Lifestyle

If you are still undecided about yoga, then there are a number of things about it that will help you decide. One of these is its relevance to today’s world, even if it is one of the most ancient practices of all times.

Yoga is considered as the perfect solution that helps women cope with their busy days and the resulting mental and physical stress. This is especially true if they are working moms who need to deal with the pressures of both work and home. Sitting behind a desk or even driving a car for several hours every day would already result in a woman’s having shoulder and back problems that will not only affect their lives at the office but also at home when they are dealing with the family and household chores.

Choosing the Best Yoga Style Helps

Deciding if yoga is really right for you would also require you to choose the yoga style that will fit your lifestyle, personality, and needs. If you are a working mom, your yoga needs might differ from those women who are just working at the office for long hours every day. As such, it is very important to find the perfect teacher or trainer who has the right knowledge about yoga who is not only qualified and accredited but also compassionate and sensitive to what you really need.

Yoga Styles:

1)Vini Yoga. This is a personal practice that could be developed through the incorporation of meditation, proper breathing, and posture as well as prayer and rituals. The amount of all these aspects that could be incorporated into your yoga practice will have to be changed though as a woman and her needs change and develop. Therefore, if you are still a student or a young professional, then the physical aspects of yoga might be more important for you, while older women might focus more on the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects.

2)Ashtanga Yoga. Also considered as the power yoga, this style is known to be flowing and athletic. Breathing is very important in this yoga style as a woman flows through a series of postures. This is able to generate a lot of sweat and body heat, thus helping women detoxify their bodies.

3)Ananda Yoga. This yoga style makes use of temperate poses. This is gently meditative and perfect for those who would like to practice a yoga style that helps them to look inwards so they can focus on making their emotions better.

Simple Solutions for Complex Problems

One question I'm routinely asked is "If you had to recommend just one supplement for __________ (fill in the blank), what would it be?" I could easily spout off a laundry list of safe, natural therapies for virtually all common health concerns. Narrowing it down to only one therapy per condition is much more of a challenge, but based on recent patient and subscriber feedback, here goes.

Manage Pain With MSM
For joint and muscle pain, I've been hearing great things about MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), a naturally occurring sulfur compound and close chemical cousin of DMSO-that doesn't have DMSO's obnoxious smell. MSM relieves pain by several mechanisms. It's a powerful anti-inflammatory, it blocks the pain response in nerve fibers, and its sulfur may help with cartilage regeneration.

One of our patients, the mother of a Whitaker Wellness doctor, was bothered by nagging pain in her neck and shoulders- until she started taking MSM. Another patient, who is an actor, used to have such excruciating pain in his knees that he'd have to take Vicodin before going on stage and was considering arthroscopic surgery. He reported miraculous results with MSM and no longer requires painkillers. The suggested daily dose of MSM ranges between 1,200 and 6,000 mg. Start low and increase as needed.

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep
Occasional sleeplessness is a very common concern. I used to recommend melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your "body clock"; valerian, an herb with mild sedative effects; or L-theanine, an amino acid with profound relaxing properties. Each of these worked for some people, but not everyone. Then I tried them in combination, and bingo! For the majority of patients and subscribers, this combo engenders a good night's sleep.

Tom, a VP at the company that publishes Health & Healing, shared his story. He was eating right, exercising, and taking vitamins, but when it came time for bed, despite the fact he was physically and mentally drained, he still sometimes had trouble falling or staying asleep. Since he started taking this supplement, however, he sleeps like a baby.

Look for combination sleep products in your health food store. Suggested doses are 1,000 mcg melatonin, 500 mg valerian extract, and 200 mg L-theanine 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime.

V8 Gives Hypertension the Boot
Experts predict that an astounding 90 percent of middle-aged Americans will develop hypertension at some point in their lives. This sounds extreme, but I have to admit that many of the patients who come to my clinic have high blood pressure. Fortunately, we are very successful at getting them off drugs with diet changes, exercise, and a handful of supplements. But if I had to select just one thing for high blood pressure it would be Low Sodium V8 Juice.

Low Sodium V8 has a slight blood-thinning effect, which reduces pressure on the arteries, and it's loaded with potassium, which balances sodium and helps lower blood pressure. One of the many patients who has benefited from this therapy is Ted, an old friend of mine. After struggling with hypertension for years, Ted took me up on my suggestion to drink 12 ounces of this juice every day. Much to his surprise, this simple step worked to normalize his blood pressure.

Flaxseed Lowers Cholesterol
It seems like everyone's trying to lower their cholesterol, and millions of Americans are taking dangerous statin cholesterol-lowering drugs to bring it down. When a patient walks through the doors of Whitaker Wellness on one of these drugs, however, we immediately discontinue it and start them on natural therapies that accomplish the same goal in a much safer and saner manner. The one I'd recommend you try first is flaxseed.

Simply grind up a quarter cup once a day, mix it in water or a smoothie, and drink it. The soluble fiber and omega-3 oils in flax can dramatically lower cholesterol. One of my staff members tried it herself, and after three weeks of use her total cholesterol level fell about 23 points. And Health & Healing subscriber James, whose initial cholesterol level was 288, saw his numbers drop to 232 after 15 days, and plummet to an incredible 188 after six months.

DGL Quells Heartburn
People are always asking me about digestive problems, and I always recommend the same thing: DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice). This herb helps boost your natural defenses by enhancing production of protective mucosal cells that line the entire gastrointestinal tract. Many of my patients swear by DGL for relieving acid reflux and heartburn. One in particular, Hortense, hasn't had a single episode since beginning her daily DGL regimen.

DGL's suggested dose is two tablets chewed 20 minutes before meals three times a day. In order for DGL to be effective it must be mixed with saliva, so only purchase chewable forms. Unlike regular licorice, DGL does not cause water retention, raise blood pressure, or lower testosterone levels.

See Clearly With Nutrients
Vision problems plague many people as they get older, and whether it's an inability to read fine print, dry eyes, floaters, or macular degeneration, these impairments interfere significantly with quality of life. That's why for more than a decade I've recommended lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, bilberry, and other nutrients that target eye health.

These nutrients consistently provide good results-in fact, in just the past month I've heard from three subscribers who began using them. One woman reported that her macular degeneration, a progressive condition that is the leading cause of blindness in older people, is now under control and holding steady. Another says they help with her vision and dry eyes. And a 93-year-old man told me that now his 40-year-old relatives depend on him to read fine print! Look for vision products that contain 15 mg of lutein, 600 mcg zeaxanthin, 50 mg zinc, and 320 mg bilberry, among other nutrients.

Rev Up Energy With Ribose
Lack of energy is another common problem that can be caused by a number of things, from low thyroid to sleep apnea to a serious disease. But for run-of-the-mill fatigue, I vote for ribose. It's a simple sugar required in the production of ATP, the fuel that runs our cells. Low stores of ribose mean less ATP can be generated, and that translates into sapped energy. I've written about ribose for the treatment of heart failure and fibromyalgia, but it also shores up energy levels in cells throughout the body, giving you a natural energy boost.

One ribose "success story" is my wife, Connie, who, like the energizer bunny, just keeps going and going. Even though she works full time, travels with me, and is always juggling a number of additional projects, this woman never runs out of steam. Connie says that ribose noticeably perks her up, and it also improves her endurance while exercising. I recommend taking 5 g (one heaping teaspoonful) of ribose mixed in water, tea, or coffee two or three times a day.

Say Bye-Bye to BPH With Saw Palmetto
Women may have to go through menopause, but older men have to deal with enlarged prostates. This condition, called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can be a real inconvenience. My patient Fred wasn't getting enough sleep because he had to make up to five nighttime trips to the restroom. Problem was, despite a sense of urgency, he had trouble going and his urinary flow was little more than a dribble. He tried cutting back on liquids before bed and concentrating on emptying his bladder, but nothing worked. Then I told him about saw palmetto.

Saw palmetto works in a fashion similar to the drug Proscar to treat BPH symptoms- without the side effects of the drug, which include erectile dysfunction and loss of libido. After two weeks of taking saw palmetto, Fred noticed improvements. Over the next three months his nighttime bathroom trips decreased from five to one. The suggested dose is 320 mg daily taken in divided doses with meals.

Magnesium Relaxes Muscles
Charley horses and nocturnal leg cramps plague all of us at some time or another. These painful muscle spasms are not only inconvenient, they interfere with sleep and quality of life. The solution? Magnesium, which relieves cramps by relaxing the muscles. This mineral has been shown to be extremely effective at reducing the occurrence of nighttime leg cramps, especially in pregnant women and older individuals.

At the clinic we use magnesium citrate, a highly bioavailable form of magnesium. Look for powdered magnesium citrate, and take 420 mg in water about 30 minutes before bedtime. In addition to relaxing your muscles, it may help you sleep better too. (Some people are sensitive to larger doses of magnesium; if it causes diarrhea, reduce your dose.)

A Unique Product for Psoriasis
Skin problems, though rarely life threatening, cause patients an inordinate amount of distress- and one of the most distressing is psoriasis. A former employee of mine who suffered with this condition for 25 years described not only the pain of her bleeding, weeping lesions but also told me she felt like a leper during much of her childhood and adolescence. She tried every treatment imaginable for her psoriasis, from steroids to fish oil to fasting, to no avail.

Then she discovered an over-the-counter spray called Blue-Cap (formerly Skin-Cap). It worked like nothing else for this woman, as it has for many, many others. I want to give you a heads-up about some controversy over Blue-Cap. The FDA has reported that it contains a prescription steroid. The product's manufacturer denies this, stating the active ingredient is zinc pyrithione. It's a murky situation, but it hasn't deterred users who swear it's the only thing that gives them relief- including some of my patients who have been using it for years with no adverse effects.

Cranberries for UTIs
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are not something people like to talk about, but they are extremely common- and surprisingly easy to prevent. One subscriber told me she used to have frequent UTIs until she started drinking unsweetened cranberry juice. At the first sign of an infection, she drinks one or two glasses a day, and she says she hasn't had a UTI since she started this preventive measure.

Cranberry juice is one of those "kitchen remedies" that really works. These berries contain proanthocyanidins and a sugar called d-mannose that prevent E. coli bacteria from sticking to bladder walls and setting up residence in your urinary tract. Regular cranberry juice is full of sugar, so I recommended the unsweetened varieties. They are very tart, but you can sweeten them with stevia or xylitol. Another option is cranberry extract supplements, which are sold in health food stores. If you're prone to infections, use cranberry juice or supplements regularly.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Heart disease or coronary artery disease (CAD) occurs when the arteries which supply the heart with oxygen become hardened. This is also known as the process of atherosclerosis. This can eventually result in complete blockage of a coronary artery and result in a heart attack. Heart disease is the Western world`s biggest killer today by far. However, the good news is that 90% of all heart disease is entirely preventable (and even reversible in some cases) through diet and lifestyle changes, making all those drugs used to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure unnecessary.

There are often no symptoms experienced by people with heart disease. For this reason risk markers are used to assess the likelihood of developing the disease.

Risk Markers and Causes

* Increased risk of the disease is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood triglycerides (another type of saturated fat found in the blood), low "good" HDL cholesterol, and high "bad" LDL cholesterol. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol are linked with lower rates of heart disease, while LDL are linked with an increased risk. These are the more traditional markers.

* Only 40% of people who suffer heart attacks actually have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, so there are also more advanced markers that can provide more accurate indicators of heart disease. These include high fibrinogen levels, high apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein(A)and low apolipoprotein A-1 levels. Do ask your practitioner for more details about these markers.

* Recent research also shows other important markers related to increased risk of heart disease including high homocysteine levels. High homocysteine can result from a nutritional deficiency of vitamin B12 folate and vitamin B6.

* C reactive protein is another new marker for heart disease which can reflect the level of inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the immune system`s response to foreign invaders and trauma. Research shows that the process of atheroclerosis is also an inflammatory condition, so eating an anti inflammatory diet is important. This means little sugar and lots of raw fruits and vegetables as well as foods high in omega 3.

* The risk is also higher for people who are obese, who have a family history of heart disease or who have diabetes, smoke and do not exercise.

* The risk is also higher for people with "Metabolic Syndrome," which is also known as insulin resistance and is linked to problems managing blood sugar levels. Eating breakfast, eating plenty of protein and cutting out sugar and high carb foods such as bread are important for health.

* People who eat a lot of processed and refined foods high in sugar and fat, fail to drink enough water, drink excessive levels of alcohol, drink caffeine and eat lower levels of fiber and fruit and vegetables are at much greater risk for heart disease than those of us who don`t do these things. Therefore, eating a healthy diet of natural whole foods is important for avoiding heart disease.

* Stress is a very important independent risk factor for heart disease. Stressed, anxious people and angry "Type A" personalities are more at risk to higher cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, so dealing with stress with exercise, deep breathing and alternative and mainstream therapies are essential for people who are extremely stressed out.

Traffic Noise Raises Blood Pressure

Living in areas with high traffic noise may lead to higher blood pressure and a concurrently higher risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a study conducted by researchers from Lund University Hospital in Sweden and published in the journal Environmental Health.

"Road traffic is the most important source of community noise," said lead author Theo Bodin. "We found that exposure above 60 decibels was associated with high blood pressure among the relatively young and middle-aged, an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke."

Previous studies have found connections between living near airports and higher blood pressure. Scientists believe that constant noise may place the body in a state of chronic stress, leading to higher heart rate and blood pressure. It may also harm health by disturbing sleep patterns.

Researchers examined health and residence data on more than 24,000 adult residents of Sweden, using their home addresses to determine the average level of ambient traffic noise in their neighborhoods. Young and middle-aged adults being regularly exposed to average noise levels between 45 and 65 decibels were significantly more likely to have high blood pressure than those in quieter neighborhoods, with risk increasing proportionally to noise level.

Among the middle-aged, 28 percent of those living in areas with noise averaging above 64 decibels reported high blood pressure. Only 17 percent of adults in the same age group and quieter neighborhoods suffered from hypertension. The numbers in younger adults were similar.

The researchers did not know why there appeared to be no link between noise and blood pressure in the elderly.

"The effect of noise may become less important, or harder to detect, relative to other risk factors with increasing age," Bodin said. "Alternatively, it could be that noise annoyance varies with age."

Sixty-five decibels is a little louder than a normal conversation. Recent data suggest that 30 percent of the European Union's population is exposed to average traffic noise of 55 decibels or higher continually.

Safe Exercise During Pregnancy

Exercise is healthy and even more so for pregnant women. They should start at the early stages of their pregnancy to prepare the body physically for the added work of the pregnancy, labour and delivery. Follow the tips below for a full body pregnancy workout that is also safe exercise during pregnancy.

Do prenatal exercises which will help strengthen the body structure providing physical comfort, support and good posture.

A brisk walk every day in the fresh air helps to keep muscles in tone. Wear sensible shoes and keep abreast of the distance walked and the weather conditions.

For a more strenuous pregnancy workout than a brisk walk, try activities like running, bike riding and playing tennis. These may be continued after being guided by good judgement.

Use your heart rate as your exercise guide. To check your heart rate, count your pulse for 10 seconds after you stop exercising and multiply this number by 6 to obtain the number of beats per minute. This should be used to monitor your body’s response to exercise. Ensure you remain within 60-65% of your maximum heart rate.

The same exercise routines time after time can become monotonous and boring . A good way to make the safe exercise during pregnancy more exciting and something to look forward to is by adding music. Take your set of headphones to the gym or switch on your stereo at home while doing your workout. Music helps in calming you down and also aids in relaxation. You can also arouse your body with the energy of sounds.

Frequent breaks should be taken during the pregnancy workout to avoid overheating which may harm the unborn baby and you should also be careful to limit strenuous exercises while pregnant.

Here are some exercise guidelines which should be followed:

Ensure you remain within 60-65% of your maximum heart rate.

Drink as much water as you can during and after exercise.

Avoid oxygen deficiency by not exercising to the point of being totally out of breath. You should be able to talk normally and even sing!

Avoid extreme tiredness by not exercising to the point of exhaustion. Limit stretching and bending exercises from the 26th week of pregnancy until delivery.

Take extra care when exercising in hot weather as when doing strenuous exercises your core body temperature can rise. Excessive heat is unhealthy for you and the baby.

Choose an exercise that is non-weight bearing such as swimming late in pregnancy because of increased pressure and discomfort.

Try to exercise regularly at least three times per week. Avoid vigorous exercise when ill or during hot, humid weather. Always exercise on a wooden floor or a tightly carpeted surface. Avoid extreme stretching exercises due to the relaxation of connective tissue. Undertake a five minute warm up such as slow walking before a vigorous pregnancy workout.

Pregnant women should follow a non weight bearing exercise such as swimming or cycling on a stationary bike which tend to have fewer injuries. A study by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has proven that moms-to-be who follow a non weight bearing pregnancy workout are more likely to continue into the third trimester than those attempting weight bearing exercises such as lifting weights or running.

When looking to begin safe exercise during pregnancy, it is always a good idea to discuss any planned exercise with your doctor before you begin.