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Quercetin: Fitness Without The Work?

2009-08-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

Is it really possible to get fit without all the work that comes along with it like eating healthy& exercising and just get fit while reading your favorite blog or watching TV?

Recently there was a study that followed people that took large doses(500milligrams 2x/day) of a nutrient called Quercetin for a week and were able to increase endurance on a stationary bike much longer than people who did not take Quercetin nutrient. In lam ens terms their fitness was enhanced without the the work.

Quercetin was thought to possibly help build your mitochondria which are the mini energy factories in your bodies cells that convert your food energy to the energy your body uses(ATP). So it would potentially create more body energy so you wouldn't run out as fast during a workout.

So what is Quercetin made of exactly? It is a plant-derived flavonoid shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A diet high in fruits and veges has shown to decrease cancer rates and was thought quercetin might be responsible for this. It is found in vegetables and citrus fruit like apples,red onions, green beans and buckwheat. Usually most food sources of this nutrient don't contain a large amount though. A average apple has around 9 milligrams.

As far a it being able to get fit without the work its not likely to happen since exercise does far more for you than increase your mitochondria. It builds bone density, reduce stress, helps you sleep better, and most importantly increase sex drive! It also has been found to help your memory and cognitive functions.

My advice, quit looking for the easy way out, get your butt off the couch and exercise. I'd come get your butt off your couch for you but i gotta get moving.

How antibiotics can do more harm than good.

2009-08-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

It seems every time me or my family go to the doctor over the last 5 years when we are sick the first thing perscribed is antibiotics. I've heard people criticize doctors over this and wondered if there was something to this so i decided to do a little research. Doctors need to make sure patients understand the pros and cons and explain all side effects of all perscribed medication.

What i found really disturbed me. But first a little background on antibiotics.

First off the term antibiotics means "against life." Antibiotics are used to kill bacterial infections but in the process of killing the bad bacteria it also KILLS THE GOOD! There are several types of antibiotics and some are worse than others for the good bacteria. The antibiotics perscribed are usually to kill the bad bacteria in your gut but in doing so can expose your intestinal walls to unprocessed foods and irritants that can cause inflammation and other digestive irritations.

Some of the problems caused by antibiotics that have been proven in clinical studies are:
1)flatulence or embarrassing gas
2)some constipation
3)painful bloating
4)heartburn
5)diarrhea
6)upset stomach
7)leaky gut
8)food allergies and sensitivities some linked to asthma
9)bad breath
10)yeast infections
11)reoccurring illness or colds
12)anal itching around the rectum
13)prevalence of cold sores(herpes simplex)
14)acne
15)vaginitis
16)headaches
17)hypoglycemia

In more extreme cases where a patient uses them over long periods of time, has high doses or incorrectly uses them can actually cause some of the bad bacteria like Clostridium difficile—or even pestering yeast such as Candida albicans—to grow and colonize in the bowels due to the patient developing tolerance to the drugs. This bad bacteria can cause health problems such as diarrhea, yeast infections, allergies, fatigue and even worse!

Some of the good bacteria in your intestines(colon) like lactobacteria and beneficial flora which synthesize important vitamins for your body like vitamin K and some B vitamins as well as helping your colon maintain a proper pH balance. For adults one of the first indicators that normal bacteria levels are critically low id bad breath. If you are not replenishing these good bacteria you are indirectly setting our self up for future health problems.. Lactobacteria are the only elements in your body that keep candida and harmful infections under control. without these bacteria candida spread like wildfire. A candida infection suppresses the immune system

Bad breath is a result of low intestinal bacterial levels not your mouth that it commonly touted by dentists. That's why your breath stinks even after you brush, floss and use mouthwash.

If your colon has been impaired for prolonged periods the food decays and eventually putrefies your body produces enormous amounts of mucus in your system to try to clear out the toxic side effects.

Yet At times the taking of antibiotics can be necessary, even life saving. My some had a serious bacterial infection when he was 2 years old and was prescribed an antibiotic. As a side-effect he developed a yeast infection(thrush) at the back of his tongue and throat. It took several months to get rid of that after he stops using the antibiotics.

I myself have asthma and require the use of inhalers. If i do not drink liquids after my inhalations of the steroids i will develop a yeast infection in my throat as well. I did experience several of these symptoms myself and went on a week long cleanse. to clear out my colon and replenish all the good bacteria in it. I'm happy to say it was a success. I do not endorse prolonged cleanses since your body naturally cleanses itself it you take proper care of it. The problem in our society is that most do not.

If you want to be proactive some steps you can take to avoid having to take antibiotics in the first place are:

1)eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Raw preferably since chlorophyll feed the god bacteria. cooked and processed food actually feeds that bad bacteria
2)Some dairy products are a good source of friendly bacteria(lactobacillus) like yogurt and kefir.
3)Reduce meat consumption. It's interesting to note that many of the opponents to vegetarianism insist that if one doesn't east meat one has no source of vitamin B-12 and is undernourished. That theory is rather upside-down. Those who eat meat destroy the B-12 as soon as they cook it. Meat eaters generally have a very poor intestinal flora (little or no friendly bacteria) and are therefore unable to produce or assimilate B-12 properly. Vegetarians who have a healthy intestinal flora are able to produce it.
4)Alcohol- it destroys enzymes and lactobacteria, not to mention actual cells (particularly brain cells)
5)Coffee- each cup can destroy 20% of the friendly bacteria in your gut.
6)Bread- especially white flour or any wheat bread that was baked in an oven.
7)Sugar- that includes breakfast cereals, chocolate, cakes, pies, cookies, ice cream, soda pop, etc.
8)Fried foods- e.g. potato chips, fries, and anything fried in oil.

If your already experiencing low levels of good bacteria you should go on a cleanse. Its the first step since using supplementation to revive your bacteria is useless if your bowels are full of garbage. After you clean your system then start with supplementation to revive your intestinal bacteria.
If you are experiencing a yeast infection you can take supplementation to kill off the yeast in your bowels then use the supplements to revive your good bacteria.

Scientists uncork a potential secret of red wine's health benefits

2009-08-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Biology News Net July 30, 2009

Scientists from Scotland and Singapore have unraveled a mystery
that has perplexed scientists since red wine was first discovered
to have health benefits: how does resveratrol control inflammation?
New research published in the August 2009 print issue of The FASEB
Journal (http://www.fasebj.org), not only explains resveratrol's
one-two punch on inflammation, but also show how it—or a
derivative—can be used to treat potentially deadly inflammatory
disease, such as appendicitis, peritonitis, and systemic sepsis.

"Strong acute inflammatory diseases such as sepsis are very difficult to treat and many die every day due to lack of treatment," said Alirio Melendez, senior lecturer on the faculty of medicine at Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre in Scotland and one of the researchers involved in the work. "Moreover, many survivors of sepsis develop a very low quality of life due to the damage that inflammation causes to several internal organs. The ultimate goal of our study was to identify a potential novel therapy to help in the treatment of strong acute inflammatory diseases."

In this study, researchers administered an inflammatory agent to two groups of mice. One group was pretreated with resveratrol and the other group was not. The mice that were not pretreated with resveratrol experienced a strong inflammatory response, simulating disease in humans, while the group pretreated with resveratrol was protected from the inflammation. The scientists then examined the tissues of the mice to determine exactly how resveratrol was able to protect the mice from inflammation. They found that resveratrol used a one-two punch to stop inflammation in the mice by preventing the body from creating two different molecules known to trigger inflammation, sphingosine kinase and phospholipase D. This finding suggests that resveratrol may be harnessable as a treatment for inflammatory diseases and may also lead to entirely new resveratrol-based drugs that are even more effective.

"The therapeutic potential of red wine has been bottled up for thousands of years," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, "and now that scientists have uncorked its secrets, they find that studies of how resveratrol works can lead to new treatments for life-threatening inflammation."

Check out Resveratrol here

A Guide to Vitamin E

2009-08-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

The e vitamin is extremely important for a variety of functions in the body. A healthy heart needs plenty of the e vitamin as it has been shown to actually prevent heart disease. The e vitamin can also help contain any existing heart disease and stop it from getting worse.

E vitamin is also vital in protecting the cell membranes from the harmful free radicals that are present in the body. Without e vitamin, amongst others, the cell membranes would be damaged and this could lead to serious health problems, including cancer. The reason that the e vitamin is so effective against free radicals is that it is fat soluble so it can be absorbed into the cell membranes. The e vitamin is therefore essential for the immune system. The recommended daily amount of the e vitamin that a person requires depends on their body weight. This is connected to the fact that the more fat a diet contains then the more of the e vitamin that is needed. However, the only foods that really contain any reasonable amount of the e vitamin are vegetable oils, seeds, wheat germ, and nuts. It is for this reason that most people should take some form of e vitamin supplement.

A deficiency of the e vitamin does not affect a person immediately. In fact, it can take months for the effects of insufficient e vitamin to be detected. After years of e vitamin deficiency there maybe some detectable damage to the nerves of the spinal cord or retina of the eye but this is very rare. Most people obtain enough e vitamin from a normal diet but it is essential that the food that a person eats contains a little fat to help with the absorption of the e vitamin.

There are a few medical conditions that may lead to a deficiency of the e vitamin and may require the person to take e vitamin supplements. Cystic fibrosis causes a person to be unable to digest fats well which leads to less of the e vitamin being absorbed. Crohn disease causes to lower absorption rates of the e vitamin and a supplement may be necessary. Some forms of liver disease can also lead to problems absorbing the e vitamin, especially through the intestine. Of course, as fat is required to help absorb sufficient amounts of the e vitamin, anyone on an extremely low-fat diet will need to discuss their options for increasing the amount of e vitamin that their body needs.

Excersise protects eyesight

2009-07-08T04:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so we all know that exercise improves your overall cardiovascular health, reduces weight and makes you attractive to the opposite sex but did you know research has found that it actually lowers your risk of getting two kinds of sight-stealers: macular degeneration and cataracts?

So how much exercise is needed to reap these rewards? Well if you jogged for a little over a mile a day you reduce your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by a whopping 36 %. Those who were really into it and jogged about five miles a day reduced their risk by 54 %.

Studies have also found that men who ran more than five and a half miles a day had a 35 % lower risk of cataracts than guys who ran less than one and a half miles a day.

If you've never jogged a mile in your life or have some kind of physical impairment you could walk which would reduce the risk but not quite as much. Its thought that for the same reason exercise helps prevent heart trouble it prevents eyesight problems by keeping inflammation at bay.

Selenium may worsen prostate cancer

2009-07-04T04:33:00.000-07:00

BOSTON - Higher selenium levels in the blood may worsen prostate cancer in some men who have the disease, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and the University of California, San Francisco, said a higher risk of more-aggressive prostate cancer was seen in men with a certain genetic variant found in about 75 percent of the prostate cancer patients in the study.

In those subjects, having a high level of selenium in the blood was associated with a two-fold greater risk of poorer outcomes than among men with the lowest amounts of selenium.

In contrast, the 25 percent of men with a different variant of the same gene and who had high selenium levels were at 40 percent lower risk of aggressive disease.

The variants are slightly different forms of a gene that instructs cells to make manganese superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that protects the body against harmful oxygen compounds, the researchers said.

The findings suggest that "if you already have prostate cancer, it may be a bad thing to take selenium," senior author Dr. Philip Kantoff, director of Dana-Farber's Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, said in a statement.

Supplements of selenium have been sold and promoted as a means of preventing prostate cancer -- largely based on observational studies that found higher risk of prostate cancer incidence and mortality in areas of the country that are naturally low in selenium, Kantoff said.

The findings are published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

2009-06-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Protect Your Brain from Parkinson's
With THIS Nutrient

You may know that the super nutrient Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) works to support the immune system and cellular antioxidation. But it also appears to help with Parkinson's disease.

The basis for many neurodegenerative diseases is called mitochondria dysfunction. The powerhouse of each cell is the mitochondria. If the powerhouse of the cell is disrupted or loses energy, the body is vulnerable to attack at the cellular level. This can be devastating and can result in many chronic diseases.

Some scientists believe that nerve cell damage can result from diminished energy levels among neurons. That may result in a biologic energy decline and therefore be intimately involved in the development of Parkinson's disease. It appears that CoQ10 may offer protection for neurons against toxicity.

According to a study published in Neurotoxicity, restoring these neuronal energy levels might boost these defenses. Supplementing with CoQ10 will not only boost your cell energy levels, but boost your body's brain and heart health, too!

Resveratrol: How it prevents Aging

2009-06-21T04:50:00.000-07:00

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant found in grapes, pine trees, peanuts and other plants. For years scientists have been fascinated by the "French Paradox", which is the high fat diet that the French have and the low incidence of heart disease. There has been much research on this and it has been concluded that the answer lies in the wine that the French also drink and the high levels of resveratrol found in the grapes that go into producing it.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging have found that resveratrol in high doses let mice eat a high fat diet and somehow avoid the problems associated most commonly with obesity. The liver and other systems of these mice remained healthy and related deaths dropped by 31%.

Another study showed that mice that were feed high levels of resveratrol along with high fat diets exhibited less weight gain, greater physical endurance and better insulin sensitivity.

Resveratrol also showed the ability to increase the life span in yeast, mice and certain fish.

There are other benefits to resveratrol that are related to the fact that is a powerful antioxidant. It has been quoted as "one of the best free radical scavengers". Free radicals in the body are produced by naturally occurring environmental stress and damage healthy cells in the body.

Resveratrol shows promise in a number of human age related health studies focusing on diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A recent 60 Minutes interview highlighted some of the research going on today. There are several clinical trials already underway on this subject. The research being done now is focusing on resveratrol as being a substance which can increase longevity by eliminating some of the diseases associated with growing older such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and heart associated diseases. To do this, they believe it can slow done the aging process. Scientists have long known that one way to live longer and healthier is to always be hungry. Reduced caloric intake seems to trigger a gene known known for its "survival instinct". This someday may allow a 80 year old man to have the health of a 50 year old today. The ability to prevent or delay the onset of life threatening diseases would have a enormous effect on the quality of human life as you can well imagine.

The American Heart Association doesn't recommend that you start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease or any other illness. Alcohol can be addictive. Too much increases your risk of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, liver damage, obesity, certain types of cancer, accidents and other problems. In addition, even small amounts of alcohol can cause cardiomyopathy — weakened heart muscle — and heart failure in some people. If you have heart failure or a weak heart you should avoid alcohol completely. The safest and most effective way of taking resveratrol would be as a dietary supplement. This gives you the advantages of benefitting from this very important substance as well as avoiding the problems associated with alcohol.

Get Younger From The Inside Out

2009-06-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

The goal: You want to keep your heart and arteries young, like they were when you were a kid. The plan: Eat 13 to 21 walnuts a day for four weeks.

Yep, it could be that simple. When people in one study replaced some of the already good monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil and corn oil) in their diets with eight to 13 walnuts a day (they contain omega-3 fats), their blood vessels expanded after just a few weeks, allowing better blood flow.

That's not all that our favorite nuts can do. In another study, raising the walnut ante to an ounce and a half -- that's about 21 walnut halves -- six days a week reduced lousy LDL cholesterol by nearly 20 percent. That's a big deal that translates into slightly more than an 18 percent decrease in your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Traditional thinking is that it's the omega-3 fatty acids in these nuts that have been credited with these heart and artery benefits (they have brain, eye and joint benefits as well). That's still true, but there may be something extra in walnuts that makes LDL drop even more than expected from its omega-3s alone.

But whatever it is that's doing the magic, the point is the same: To fit the fat from walnuts into your diet, take some of the other fat out. Not hard to do; the flavor and crunch of these nuts adds enough to your foods -- be it a main course, salad or side dish -- that you won't miss the fat that was there before.

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The YOU Docs
Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D.-- are authors of "YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty". To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home.

Three Health Advantages Of A Vegetarian Diet

2009-06-14T03:43:00.000-07:00

While many people in my experience lament the nutritional disadvantages
of a poorly planned vegetarian diet, few stress the
health advantages of adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.
In this article, I will cover the major three nutritional
advantages of becoming a vegetarian.

The first major advantage of a vegetarian diet is
increased heart health. Vegetarians, on average, consume
more nuts (often as a supplemental form of protein). Nuts
contain "good" fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6. This
promotes good heart health by reducing "bad" cholesterol
and unclogging arteries.

In addition to nuts, vegetarians also consume more soy
milk (often to replace milk), which reduces "bad"
cholesterol and has been linked to good heart health.

The second major advantage vegetarians enjoy is increased
skin health. In addition to consuming larger quantities
of nuts (which contain healthful oils), vegetarians tend
to consume more fruit and vegetables, which are rich in
essential vitamins, including A and E, which are linked
to good skin health.

Fruits and vegetables also contain high amounts of fiber,
which helps flush toxins out of the body, further
contributing to better skin health.

The last health advantage vegetarians enjoy is an increased
natural consumption of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are foods that help prevent cancer by
destroying free radicals. Vitamin C and Vitamin E, two
strong antioxidants, are commonly found in vegetarian
meals.

Vitamin C can be found in berries, tomatoes, citrus fruit,
kale, kiwis, asparagus and peppers.

Vitamin E can be found in wheat germ, seed oils, walnuts,
almonds, and brown rice--all foods that are commonly a
part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.

So what does this all mean for you as a prospective
vegetarian?

It means the popular mythology about vegetarian diets
is false. Not only can a vegetarian diet be nutritionally
sufficient, but it can also affect better skin
health, prevent cancer, and increase your
heart health.

Starting as a hard-core carnivore and then becoming vegetarian for 2 years and then converting to a vegan for the last year I can honestly say I dont miss meat at all anymore knowing that it will likely enhance my health for a lifetime as well as longevity.

If you are interested in learning how to cook simple, great tasting, quick and low cost vegetarian meals I'd recommend How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food or Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

One of the Best Anti Aging Recommendations ..Staying Active

2009-06-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

You know you should break off -- or at least take a break from -- your cozy relationship with your chair and couch, and get moving. But if you need an extra push (or shove) here's something that ought to do it: possible protection from cancer.

A large study of Japanese men and women found that the more active you are on a daily basis, the lower your odds are of dying from cancer. That was true regardless of what people did -- whether it was butt-kicking runs on the treadmill or quiver-inducing strength workouts or leisurely rounds of golf and long walks with the dog. Yes, you heard right; people didn't have to work up a huge sweat to see a reduction in risk (though we recommend that you do work up a sweat for 20 minutes at least three times a week for plenty of other health reasons, including heart health).

Physical activity turns on a gene that binds cancer growth factors as well as fights stress and squelches inflammation. Don't waste time wondering what kind of physical activity to do. Pick the one you like and can fit into your life easily. If in doubt, walk. It's the workout you're practically guaranteed to stick to. And it's no wonder: All you need are you and your shoes. No special training, no need for a gym, no spandex required. Go now and enjoy getting younger!

Supercharge Your Health With This Fruit

2009-06-07T04:23:00.000-07:00

A sliced sweet, succulent strawberry is more than a perfect cereal topper, meal-ender, afternoon snack or treat to smother in dark chocolate. These little fruits have more powers than the whole cast of "Twilight" (but they use those powers for good). Here's what a few berries can do for you:

Fill you up without pudging you out. Check it out: Just 50 little calories in a whole cup (if you skip the chocolate).

Help you keep the beat. Strawberries help your heart by shaving down levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of heart-hampering inflammation. These berries also might smack down the effects of lousy LDL cholesterol to give heart disease an extra boot. And they get a "best supporting actor" award for making oatmeal even healthier. Somehow, the vitamin C in the strawberries has a Chia-Pet-like effect on compounds called phenols in the oats, causing their heart-helping powers to grow.

Stop cancer in its tracks. Certain compounds in strawberries, especially one called ellagic acid, may be able to block cancer at its starting point as well as keep tumors from progressing and spreading. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees here, but if you don't get cancer, you can thank those berries for helping.

Maintain your processing speed. Strawberries -- like most other foods whose name ends in "berries" -- are high in flavonoids, plant compounds that help shield cells from molecular damage, reducing the risk of needless brain aging.

Oh, and there's a whole different type of processing that these berries can boost. With 3 grams of fiber in every cup, they help keep your digestive system running smoother than a Mercedes.

And help the earth as you help your health: Buy local and organic (but still wash well) while these satisfying fruits are in peak season.

The YOU Docs