Friday, February 23, 2007

Do we need to Micromanage our Bodies?

Copyright (c) 2007 The Brain Code LLC

Do you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin
insensitivity, depression, joint pain, back pain, leg pain,
a pain in the neck . . . No problem, just get down to your
friendly local pharmacy to get the right pills and you're
good to go.

I hope that sounds sarcastic - because it is. Why do we
spend so much money and effort trying to micromanage each
little hormone or chemical imbalance in our body? Often
times these approaches just end up offsetting something
else anyway.

Most drugs have side effects

For example:

. Statins reduce cholesterol but they also reduce coenzyme
Q, important for energy production and maintaining good
blood pressure.

. Aspirin is great for a headache but also reduces vitamin
C, important for immune function.

. Ibuprofen is good for general pain but also reduces folic
acid, important for neural and cardiovascular function.

. Many antibiotics fight bacterial infections but they also
reduce potassium, important for regular heartbeat and they
reduce beneficial bacteria that help you digest your food.

This list is very long and I could go on for pages.

Don't get me wrong. There are appropriate times for
pharmaceutical drugs - when your situation is serious. The
point is that when we try and micromanage our 'imbalances'
we don't really do that great of a job. In fact, many
people are on medication to treat the side effects of a
different medication.

Do our bodies make bad stuff? Let's just challenge dogma
for a second here. I'll use cholesterol as an example since
it get so much press.

I'm sure you've been told that LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol
and HDL is 'good'. But here's a question - do you think
that your body naturally produces things that are bad for
it? Do you think you body makes LDL just to mess you up? Of
course not.

Many medical professionals are beginning to believe that
current definitions of 'high cholesterol' are not accurate.
In fact, new studies show that if your cholesterol drops
too low then you increase your risk for Parkinson's
disease. I predict that this is the first of many
associations that will link a disease with our attempt to
drive down cholesterol levels.

LDL has a role in repairing damaged arteries and in
delivering cholesterol to places where it is needed.
Cholesterol is actually an important component of cell
membranes. LDL is not bad - it's just that the foods we
typically eat cause it's levels to raise higher than
optimal. When the levels get too high then it starts
sticking to the inside of arteries too much.

The 4 pillars of health

So what are we to do? It will probably be no shock to you
that many ailments are the consequences of lifestyle
choices. Simply eating a better diet and getting regular
exercise will improve many conditions, reduce your reliance
on drugs and generally improve your quality of life.

You may be thinking 'Yeah, I've heard that before. Isn't
there anything new?' Well, I encourage you to stop looking
for the latest trick or pill to improve your health.
Lifestyle choices are the fundamental skills of good
health. You can break it all down into what I call the 4
pillars of good health.

1. Nutrition - Diet and Supplements 2. Exercise - Mental
and Physical Activity 3. Sleep, Rest and Relaxation 4.
Positive Mental Attitude

All of these factors will feed each other. When you eat
well and take quality supplements you will have more energy
to exercise, which will help you sleep better, which will
cause your stress levels to drop and improve your mood and
lead to overall improved health.

There is no magic bullet. If you have life threatening
illness, work with your doctor and take your medication.
But you should always go back to the 4 pillars to help you
recover faster and reduce your reliance on life-long drug
therapies. Those are the fundamental treatments that our
bodies are designed to respond to the best.


----------------------------------------------------
Boost your Family's Brain Fitness in 30 days with Natural
Strategies used by an Expert Brain Scientist and Sports
Coach. Learn how at http://www.thebraincode.com

Dietary Herbal Supplements Guide


Herbal Supplements: What are They and What Do They Do?

Are you thinking about adding herbal dietery supplements to
your diet to improve the quality of your nutrition? If so, it
is good that you are taking the time to read about them. It is
important so you can make informed decisions about whether
herbal supplements are a sound health choice for you.

Many people know they do not eat a balanced, nutritious diet
and fear for their health. They feel that adding dietary or
herbal supplements to their daily eating regimen will add what
they need to their diet. One of the most common mistakes people
make is sometimes mistaking dietary herbal supplements for
nutritious herbal supplements.

Dietary herbal supplements are designed to help you lose weight
by suppressing your appetite. Some will block carbs, control
carb cravings, boost energy levels and block fats. Others are
designed to suppress your appetite, boost your metabolism, burn
fat and give you energy.

Nutritious herbal supplements provide you with the nutrients
your body needs. There are six main nutrients the body needs to
receive daily. These nutrients include minerals, carbohydrates,
vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and water. It is important
to consume these six nutrients daily to build and maintain a
healthy body. While taking weight loss supplements, when you
eat it is important that your diet is nutritious and balanced.

Herbal supplements can augment your diet. But given the lack of
controls, it is a gamble to trust that any herbal dietary or
nutritious supplements you might take contains all the
ingredients at the intensity the label says. This is sad but
true. Billions of dollars are spent on these supplements that
may, for all we know, be powdered sugar. Everyday, there are
news stories about supplement frauds and hoaxes.

There is hope though. Manufacturers of dietary, nutritious and
herbal supplements can ask that their products be tested for
free. If they meet the standards established by the U.S
Pharmacopeia, they are allowed to place the USPS Dietary
Supplement Verified Seal on their product. Other groups that
certify herbal supplements include:

1) ConsumerLab.com 2) Good Housekeeping 3) NSF International
(National Sanitization Foundation)

Then there is the FDA, the US Federal Drug Administration.
Supplements that are made using Good Manufacturing Practices
set forth by the FDA, and strict FDA guidelines are considered
safe and effective.

Although you buy herbal supplements that have been tested by
one of these organizations, and they carry their seal or
certificate, or the approval by the FDA, you cannot rely on
supplements for counteracting poor and unhealthy eating habits.
There is no supplement that will work as well as changing your
dietary lifestyle.

If you are taking prescription drugs, you need to be even more
cautious about the supplements you take. You have already
passed the stage of prevention and are in the treatment stage.
Herbal supplements are known to prevent and treat illnesses and
should be used under a doctor's supervision if you currently
take prescription drugs.

There are unique, safe and effective herbal supplemental
products available for certain conditions that help people
supplement their lives. As well as herbal weight loss products
there are products for women's health, men's health, skin care
and general health products.

If you are thinking about using herbal supplements as an
alternative to prescription drugs, the same caution is made -
you need to be certain the supplements you are taking meet
quality standards and are not frauds.

7 suggestions to consider when buying herbal dietary or
nutritious supplements online are:

1) Check how long they have been selling herbal supplements
online, as usually the longer the better.

2) Do they have about me, faqs, testimonial, ingredients pages
etc?

3) Products on their website should contain a full description.
Check when you receive the product the description matches or
exceeds the information on the website.

4) What guarantees do they offer?

5) Subscribing to a newsletter is a good sign.

6) Shipping worldwide.

7) Be leery of herbal supplements made outside the U.S.

Following the suggestions should give you a good idea of the
company you are dealing with. But be a good consumer and let
your antenna go up when a product's claim is too good to be
true.

It's important to remember that whatever promises they make for
the supplements you are taking they will all have the same in
common... They are not instant fixes, they need time to work
and need your help to work. You have to stay the course and
follow the recommended dosage level, and the advice given by
the manufacturer of the herbal dietary supplement.

Nutritional supplements will help improve your health
regardless of what you eat, but taken in combination with a
well-rounded diet, your health can achieve even higher levels.
It could take months before you get the full benefit, but
depending on your condition and the product you use you could
see or feel results within week's even days.

About The Author: Peter Rapport writes on a variety of subjects
of special interest including Herbal Supplements.
http://www.behealthee.com The Specialists In Herbal Products To
Help You In Different Areas Of Your Life

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An Order Of Healthy Food Please

When you have no time to cook your own food, what do you do?
The answer is obvious, of course. You go out to your local fast
food outlet (in deference to your kids' preferences), you go out
to the food strip at the mall, or you order take out. It is
convenient and you can eat your fill at these joints. What's
not so obvious, however, is what such a practice is doing to
you and your children's health.

Healthy eating habits are crucial to achieving a healthy mind
and body. Healthy eating habits refer to eating meals
regularly, eating well-balanced meals, and eating only what's
necessary. Healthy eating habits do not involve eating burgers
and fries for lunch.

The Fast Food Culture

Unfortunately, some people do think that it is healthy to have
burgers and fries for lunch. Advertising spiels have a lot to
answer for this. In a world filled with fast food and
restaurants, it is but natural that the companies serving up
this food have to undermine people's preference for home-cooked
meals or they will become redundant and not make any profit.

As such, big food corporations put millions of dollars into TV
commercials that assert in not so many words that a meal eaten
at a fast food is special while eating at home with your family
the meal your mother cooked is nothing but ordinary.

Such a reversal of values was helped along by the faster pace
of life, where people have no more time to devote to preparing
home-cooked meals. People are always driving or commuting to
work, attending business meetings, or maybe holding one or two
jobs. You cannot expect someone who has already been working 12
hours straight to come home and prepare a lengthy meal. It makes
more sense to buy some take-out or bring the family out for a
meal.

People are aware that they need to eat healthy food. However,
what do you do if you are misled into thinking that restaurant
fare and fast food taste better than home-cooked food? Sadly,
there's also an underlying effort to make people think that
food in restaurant and fast foods are all healthy, that there's
really not much difference when you eat in or out. It's all the
same, but eating out is more convenient.

As people continue to be bombarded with mass media
advertisements advocating the value of fast food and eating
out, and as people become even more busy trying to hold on to
their jobs, more and more people stop cooking and begin taking
these commercials to heart. People have deserted home-cooked
and nutritious meals that need hours of preparation for big
servings of calorie- and fat-rich food that gets served up
within minutes.

The Diseased Nation

The success of the fast food industry in establishing a culture
that thrives in fast food and meals eaten out, our people's
health has been placed on the balance. Thus, America is now an
ailing nation. Incidence of heart disease, diabetes and high
blood pressure continues to rise as obesity becomes even more
prevalent.

I am not saying that fast food is to be avoided at all costs.
What I am saying is that a trip to the fast food should be made
only very infrequently, not three times a week as most people
now are wont to do. A change should be instituted to bring back
the days when there's no doubt about what healthy food is and
where to find it. This is all I ask.


About The Author: Allen is a life-long writer and reader who
writes on a number of subjects including cooking, writing, and
Internet marketing. Allen has several cooking related websites
including: http://www.allbeefrecipes.com
http://www.allvegetablerecipes.com
http://www.pastarecipesworld.com