Stress, anxiety and depression are major factors in the
lives of many of us. An estimated 9.1 percent of the population
of the U.S. suffers from depression every year,
which translates to approximately 28 million Americans suffering
from depression for at least two weeks with significant
symptoms each year. This figure does not include greater or
lesser degrees of apathy. Major depression claims 4.1 percent of
the population, which is to say, from 12 to 13 million sufferers.1
Even those who are not depressed according to the textbook definition often are not home free. All too often individuals find themselves on a “seesaw” in which they swing from frenetic activity to lethargy and back. Living habits, choices of foods and beverages, the lack of physical exercise and other everyday factors can play a big role in mood swings, but it can be hard to get back into balance once equilibrium is lost. Fortunately, the proper use of nutrients and herbs can go a long way towards helping us to “beat the blues” naturally without resorting to Prozac and other drugs, most of which have numerous and unpleasant side effects.
A September announcement by the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) stating, “America is losing the war
against hypertension,” is alarming. The report says
almost 54 percent of Americans are diagnosed with
high blood pressure that often goes untreated. Hypertension
is now public health enemy number two, behind tobacco use.
This isn’t some newfangled health idea; they teach
it at Stanford University! A Stanford professor is teaching his
students about the mind-body connection and the relationship
between stress* and disease. The head of the Psychiatry
Department at Stanford said, among other things, that one
of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be
married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best
things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships
with her female friends.
A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition
Education and Behavior concludes you can eat
out and still burn fat.
In this study, 35 healthy middle-aged women participated in a six-week program called Mindful Restaurant Eating, which teaches people how to eat out healthfully.
Now, keep in mind the goal of Mindful Restaurant Eating was to prevent weight gain in women, who fell into that perimenopausal age range where weight gain and ensuing problems like diabetes and heart disease more frequently occur.
Eat Less SALT— and DIE?
Written by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD
I’m being sarcastic, right? The official health
wisdom — the wisdom everybody knows is right (because all
the top health officials repeat it over and over again) — is that
if you “restrict” the salt in your diet, you’ll live longer.
That’s because (once again, according to those official pronouncements) your blood pressure will be lower, putting you at less risk for a heart attack or stroke, the #1 and #3 causes of death in the U.S.
Whether you battle with it daily or it
hits you only when your stress levels
spill over the brim, anxiety is one
of the worst feelings in the world. A constant,
reoccurring feeling of fear, often undefined
and its source unknown, can be frustrating to
both the sufferer and surrounding family and
friends. While there is no cure for anxiety, there
are many things you can do to take the edge
off, naturally.
Plastic bottles have been linked to cancer and other health
problems. But are all plastic containers the same and are
they all potential health hazards? Glass is rarely used for
most personal care, skin care or cosmetic products. On the
other hand, plastic is everywhere in products we use daily, including
food, cleaning products, even care of newborn babies.
In today’s market a symbol and number on the bottom identify
most plastic containers. This information is important and
tells you what type of plastic is used, if it’s recyclable, and if it
is safe or not.
Certain ingredients can affect the plastic they are contained in and some plastics can leach chemicals into the products they contain. If you have sensitive skin, it’s very important to know what ingredients are in your skin care, personal care and makeup products. Make it also a habit to check the tubes and bottles you buy that contain your food and sensitive skin care and personal care products. This article will help you learn the difference between those numbers under the plastic containers.
Consider this example: Imagine eating a healthy carb such as quinoa, lentils or a sweet potato
with your lean protein and essential fats. Sounds
healthy, right? But what if your body interpreted
that carbohydrate as though it were a big bowl of
chocolate ice cream? When we are sensitive to carbohydrates,
our cells do not respond effectively to insulin (a condition called
insulin resistance), which causes insulin levels to increase.
In fact, the vast majority of us have different degrees of sensitivity to carbohydrates or insulin resistance, and we don’t even realize it. If you’re wondering whether you are carb sensitive, take a good look at your waist and pinch your stomach. If you carry excess fat in this area, you very likely possess some level of insulin resistance, which also means you are likely carb sensitive. If you’re naturally lean, it’s safe to say that you can tolerate eating carbs quite readily without weight gain and excess cravings. You can also tell if you are carbohydrate sensitive by asking yourself these key questions:
In the July issue (page 28) I reported on the dangers of synthetic
chemical fragrances, the number of people affected in one way
or another, symptoms manifested from fragrance exposure, and
current research on their toxicity.
This month I’m listing the most common chemicals so that you can use this as a guideline and, hopefully, begin to take seriously the “toxic soup” to which we have all become exposed. Don’t simply “buy into” the marketing campaigns instead of being informed about what you put on your body and the health consequences… remember…what goes on the skin goes in the body!
Name a drink that can increase your alertness, prevent you from fainting after giving blood, and even promote
a teensy bit of weight loss.
Think it’s one of those “miraculous” multi-level marketing elixirs made of exotic juices that sell for about 40 bucks a pop?
Well, think again...continue reading.
The drink I’m talking about doesn’t cost anything, yet most of us don’t get enough of it.
I’m talking about…water.