Suffering from Andropause: the Male Menopause?
Andropause, also known as the male menopause or MANopause, is the result of a gradual drop in testosterone. Symptoms of low testosterone manifest in a number of ways including physical, emotional, psychological and behavioral changes. Men frequently notice male menopause symptoms as a gradual loss of energy, muscle, mental focus, stamina and libido. Experts directly relate low testosterone to causes of low sex drive. Although a decline in hormone levels will occur in virtually all men with age, there is no way of predicting whose male menopause symptoms will reach the severity of seeking medical help.
BodyLogicMD's Top 10 Signs of Andropause - the male menopause:
Irritability
Sleep problems
Diminished libido
Erectile problems
Muscle loss
Weight gain
Memory loss
Thinning hair
Decreased bone density
Depression
Statistics on Andropause: The Male Menopause
Suffering from symptoms of low testosterone? According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 4 -5 million men have low testosterone levels and only 5-10 percent of them will seek treatment.
According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 4-5 million men have symptoms of low testosterone levels and only 5-10% of these men will seek treatment.
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report stated "male androgens progressively decline with age." The report analyzed male hormones and found that the testosterone level in most 70 year old men was 10 percent of the level in males that are 25 years old. By the time men are between the ages of 40 and 55, they can experience symptoms similar to female menopause, which in men is known as the male menopause or andropause. The symptoms of andropause include changes in body mass, resulting in less muscle and more fat, changes in attitudes and moods, fatigue, a loss of energy and sex drive, as well as physical agility.
Male menopause symptoms are also associated with stress levels, nutrition quality, fitness routine and the environmental toxins the body is exposed to on a daily basis.
Treating Andropause, the male menopause
BodyLogicMD physician-supervised programs use only natural bioidentical hormones, hormones, which are identical to the body's own chemistry, integrated with nutrition and fitness programs. Bioidentical hormone therapy provides a natural treatment that helps men suffering the from male menopause symptoms and allows them to live the best life possible.
Your individualized treatment plan may include a combination of creams, gels, pills, self-injections or pellet therapy. Each treatment plan is customized to your individual needs.
Andropause Exams and Tests for Men
To determine your hormonal needs, BodyLogicMD anti-aging physicians thoroughly evaluate your symptoms of low testosterone using state-of-the-art diagnostics including saliva, urine and/or blood labs to determine your hormone levels and your unique bioidentical hormone needs. After starting bioidentical hormone therapy, BodyLogicMD monitors and reevaluates your hormone levels to insure that they are maintained within optimum balance.
Which hormones do we test?
Testicular Hormones - What makes you a man
• Testosterone - The total amount in your system, including how much is actively available to your body • Dihydrotestosterone - The total amount of used testosterone in your body • Estrogen - To make sure it’s not too high • PSA - Prostate specific antigens – your prostrate health
Adrenal Hormones - Your immune system, your energy level, and your ability to handle stress
• Cortisol – the stress hormone • DHEA – the “mother of all hormones”
Thyroid Hormones - Your metabolism
• TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
Your Body's System
• Prolactin and Luteinizing hormone • Complete blood count, complete metabolic profile, Hemoglobin A1C, Insulin and Lipid Panel • Zinc and Vitamin D
Other Hormone Tests - The physician may suggest other tests for you
Treating Hormonal Imbalance, The Male Menopause: Andropause
In treating a man with a hormonal imbalance including male menopause symptoms, BodyLogicMD anti-aging physicians replace exactly what is missing or low with the body's appropriate bioidentical hormones. Your doctor will prescribe the hormones in a fashion that exactly matches each man's prior hormonal needs.
Treatment Options
Cream
Pill - Oral
Gel
Injection
Patch
Pellet Therapy
Testosterone can be replaced in multiple ways by use of injection, creams, gels, pellets or taken orally. BodyLogicMD's highly qualified, anti-aging physicians follow up with every patient closely, evaluating symptoms and using laboratory tests to determine each patient's customized dose. BodyLogicMD physicians order only the finest and most reputable compounding pharmacies to obtain the exact combination of hormones required to achieve hormonal balance.
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2008
What are hormones
What are Hormones?
Hormones are the body’s messengers that transport information from the brain to the glands, from the glands to the cells and from the cells to the brain.
Hormones rejuvenate, regenerate and restore our bodies.
As doctors, we were taught that as we age, our hormones decline. It is now becoming clear that as our hormones decline, we age!
Hormones are considered the strongest at from age 25-30 years, the same period when the body is at its strongest and healthiest.
Diet and exercise will not be as effective if your hormones are not balanced correctly.
Why Hormones Decline
Hormones decline as we age every year after the age of 30.
The human body was never designed to live as long as we are living today. Advances in healthcare, vaccinations, sanitation and food preservatives have drastically increased life span. However, the glands that produce our hormones do not regenerate and continue to decline, producing fewer hormones with each passing year.
As we age, it becomes increasingly important for both men and women to keep their hormones balanced to protect against fatigue, mood swings, disease, obesity and to enjoy an overall healthier sense of well being.
Natural Hormones vs. Synthetic Hormones
Synthetic hormones, like Provera or Premarin, derived from plant progesterone and animal estrogens, are chemicals that act as toxins in the body. Because they are not natural to the human body, we can not metabolize them properly.
BodyLogicMD only uses natural bioidentical hormones. Unlike synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones or natural hormones are replicas of the body’s own natural hormones. They’re made from soy, yams and other plant extracts, which are changed in a lab to be biologically identical to the same hormones your body makes.
For optimal safety and results, BodyLogicMD supplements only hormones that are low, evaluates client’s symptoms and retests hormone levels regularly.
Hormones: what they mean and what they do
HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE – the growth hormone
Decreases body fat
Increases muscle mass
Improves tissue healing and protein synthesis
Increases bone density
Quicker illness recovery
Increases capacity to exercise
Increases skin hydration and elasticity
Improves sense of well being
Decreases incidence of illness
TESTOSTERONE – the male hormone
Improves brain function
Increases energy
Increases strength
Increases bone density
Increases libido
Improves sexual sensitivity
Improves sexual function
Improves HDL and LDL levels
Improves cardiovascular health
DHEA – the mother of hormones
Improves neurological function
Increases sense of well being
Improves immune function
Improves stress tolerance
Increases metabolism
Hormones are the body’s messengers that transport information from the brain to the glands, from the glands to the cells and from the cells to the brain.
Hormones rejuvenate, regenerate and restore our bodies.
As doctors, we were taught that as we age, our hormones decline. It is now becoming clear that as our hormones decline, we age!
Hormones are considered the strongest at from age 25-30 years, the same period when the body is at its strongest and healthiest.
Diet and exercise will not be as effective if your hormones are not balanced correctly.
Why Hormones Decline
Hormones decline as we age every year after the age of 30.
The human body was never designed to live as long as we are living today. Advances in healthcare, vaccinations, sanitation and food preservatives have drastically increased life span. However, the glands that produce our hormones do not regenerate and continue to decline, producing fewer hormones with each passing year.
As we age, it becomes increasingly important for both men and women to keep their hormones balanced to protect against fatigue, mood swings, disease, obesity and to enjoy an overall healthier sense of well being.
Natural Hormones vs. Synthetic Hormones
Synthetic hormones, like Provera or Premarin, derived from plant progesterone and animal estrogens, are chemicals that act as toxins in the body. Because they are not natural to the human body, we can not metabolize them properly.
BodyLogicMD only uses natural bioidentical hormones. Unlike synthetic hormones, bioidentical hormones or natural hormones are replicas of the body’s own natural hormones. They’re made from soy, yams and other plant extracts, which are changed in a lab to be biologically identical to the same hormones your body makes.
For optimal safety and results, BodyLogicMD supplements only hormones that are low, evaluates client’s symptoms and retests hormone levels regularly.
Hormones: what they mean and what they do
HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE – the growth hormone
Decreases body fat
Increases muscle mass
Improves tissue healing and protein synthesis
Increases bone density
Quicker illness recovery
Increases capacity to exercise
Increases skin hydration and elasticity
Improves sense of well being
Decreases incidence of illness
TESTOSTERONE – the male hormone
Improves brain function
Increases energy
Increases strength
Increases bone density
Increases libido
Improves sexual sensitivity
Improves sexual function
Improves HDL and LDL levels
Improves cardiovascular health
DHEA – the mother of hormones
Improves neurological function
Increases sense of well being
Improves immune function
Improves stress tolerance
Increases metabolism
Wanted off our Streets
WANTED
Drug Dealers from the beginning; have shown that they will not comply with the Law. The Law is easy to obey. They have to be forced to obey because it is in their attitude to refuse it, to oppose it and challenge it. That goes for any who are of a criminal attitude. We cannot accept it, and say we lost the war on drugs, or other crime.
But we must counter it by increased police activity, especially by the provision of more police officers, until it is brought home to their minds that compliance with the Law is each of ours necessary contribution to the common whole, and good.
Those who do wrong shall be punished; those who do good shall be rewarded.
OFF OUR STREETS
Drug Dealers from the beginning; have shown that they will not comply with the Law. The Law is easy to obey. They have to be forced to obey because it is in their attitude to refuse it, to oppose it and challenge it. That goes for any who are of a criminal attitude. We cannot accept it, and say we lost the war on drugs, or other crime.
But we must counter it by increased police activity, especially by the provision of more police officers, until it is brought home to their minds that compliance with the Law is each of ours necessary contribution to the common whole, and good.
Those who do wrong shall be punished; those who do good shall be rewarded.
OFF OUR STREETS
Men and Hormones
Men & Hormones
Andropause
If we knew we could replace our hormones, they would be flocking to their doctors. Bio-identical hormones: Why is it difficult to get doctors to come along with this thinking? Why can't we do something different? Generally, fear of criticism by our peers. We are exercising, we are eating well, we don't smoke, don't drink. Testosterone levels are dropping from when we were 20, why not raise them? If we want quality of life and fun, we have to take responsibility for our own health. Lower testosterone levels, coronary heart disease is associated with lower testosterone levels. It is not just erectile dysfunction and libido. To be healthy, men must have adequate testosterone. Estrogen dominance may cause cancer in men. When we check testosterone levels, were they normal for a 50 year old? or a 20 year old? D.H.E.A. is the most plentiful hormone in our body. It converts into other hormones like testosterone, causes a positive effect on brain, immune system, organs and muscles. DHEA drops off after 30 and can be negligible after 60. Saliva or blood tests for men will reveal levels - optimal level is between 250-450. Get tested.
50 milligrams DHEA a day is very safe (if a person has certain types of cancer, it may be a potential concern). Lower testosterone inhibits physical, sexual and cognitive functions, increase in abdominal fat and shrinking muscles, sense of loss of well being, fatigue, depression, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction (could be prostate and heart disease). All are related to hormone imbalances that are correctible with diet, exercise and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.
Most men shrink, run and hide from therapy or discussion of this nature. We don't want to suffer these side effects if we don't have to when all is not well. Hormonal decline is correctible. Andropause is the real loss of testosterone, DHEA and growth hormone, a slow decline - it takes men 10-20 years to drain out to a problem stage. This decline can be slowed or reversed with bio-identical hormone replacement.
Real hormone replacement improves the quality of life. Testosterone starts dropping off in early 30's, by 70 it is typical to have half the testosterone level. The erection is the last thing to go. Before that we lose vitality, are tired or worn out, belly expanded and your doctor starts telling you 'watch your cholesterol'. You go on anti-cholesterol drugs. These may actually work against us (may inhibit the brain making its own cholesterol, if you inhibit the brain from making its own cholesterol, that prevents its own neuro protective hormones from being produced that prevents Alzheimer's. Research shows people with higher levels of cholesterol have a lower incidence of Alzheimer's. Testosterone loss is serious stuff, it builds bone and muscle, it is vital to keep the heart muscle strong and pumping, keeps cholesterol and blood pressure down. A sexual desire is promoted - without it our muscles wither noticeably.
A man with loss of testosterone can work out all day and exercise without any results. Low levels can be reversed with replacement. It in part tells the brain that all is well. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy keeps your insides young and disease free. Why are men not taking advantage of this therapy? Maybe that doctors do not understand the male hormonal system. Of all declines, loss of testosterone is the most common deficiency of men over 40. Non-existent or low sex drive is the last symptom to show up. Before that, physical and emotional changes take place.
Optimal range for testosterone is between 6000 & 9000 pg/ml - the level you see in young healthy men. We feel best when levels are in the 99.7% range - free or available testosterone should be around 25-35 pg/ml. If your numbers are low, a doctor can prescribe bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, patches, creams, gels, tablets or injections. A prescription is required.
Treatment can restore levels, hormone decline will not stop if left untreated, it doesn't go away if ignored. Hormone replacement will need to be increased as you go along year after year.
*If one's eyesight decreases, you get glasses or laser surgery. If you get a disease, you operate or treat it. Why aren't we treating this?
Prostate problems begin without enough testosterone. A full complement of hormones and a man does not have to expect prostate cancer. One can head off prostate problems with bio-identical hormone testosterone replacement.
Estrogen to testosterone balance with testosterone replacement gives health benefits, protects against heart disease, mental decline, prostate disease and problems, loss of libido and deteriorating muscles. High testosterone levels are not a risk factor. High estrogen levels would be. Problems occur only in testosterone decline. Absence of testosterone takes away quality of life and it signals the brain that all is not well. We can put back what is missing and put back hormones into balance and stop the decline. Maintaining healthy levels is the one most important thing a man can do to protect health of the prostate.
In Europe, testosterone replacement is being used as treatment for prostate cancer with great results (Doctor Miller Life Extension Revolution). Young men make loads of testosterone and prostate cancer is rare among them. Testosterone must be replaced in the correct amounts with bio-identical hormones. Testosterone levels must be checked, also estrogen. Too much estrogen in a man's body becomes feminized, vitality diminishes, energy dissipates. Andropause can be corrected and treated successfully by determining the correct amounts to replace. Too much estrogen, not enough testosterone, dropping DHEA levels, low HGH levels are all correctable. The objective is not to push levels higher, but to return to the body's healthiest prime state. We don't want levels that are normal for our age (50 or whatever), those levels are on a decline. We want them as when we were at our best and healthiest (24-30). Men from 40-80's can have hormonal levels maintained similar to their healthiest physical peak.
Results can be spectacular. Hormone therapy is a creative, collaboration between doctor and patient using science, observation, intuition and insight. Hormones are not something one plays around with on their own. Right levels, right balance, makes us feel better than ever and have good energy. The best friend one can have regarding one's health is their doctor. No matter how far you have to go, your life and health are worth it.
In testosterone decline, estrogen will eventually pass testosterone production. We men get the estrogen we need from testosterone and DHEA. Estrogen levels go down slower than testosterone. Obese men have higher estrogen production and little or no testosterone. Men with higher estrogen have an increase in problems with heart attacks. Men who have middle age spread are high in estrogen, and are more at risk for strokes and heart attacks.
Statins: Cholesterol lowering drugs, in long term studies fail to show any improvements in the overall mortality rate. Statins could cause the brain itself to lower or stop its own manufacture of cholesterol which the brain needs to make its own neurosteroids. Statins could work against us. If you inhibit the brain from making its own cholesterol, you are inhibiting the brain from making its own neuroprotective hormones that control the Alzheimer's process. Low cholesterol means higher risk of Alzheimer's. Men start getting artery plaquing when their testosterone is declining well before they become deficient. Plaques don't form when hormone balance is healthy.
Some men have high testosterone but very little free testosterone. Check sex hormone binding globulin - aught to be in the middle range. If sex hormone binding globulin is too high, very little free testosterone is on hand, bring it back to the middle range. There are natural products or drugs to lower the sex hormone binding globulin which would make more free testosterone available.
Few people will find doctors willing to think along the lines of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. We have what we need at hand, we need a learning curve to replace declining hormones. Get your hormones fine tuned and experience the positive effects and get healthier. With balanced hormones there is improvement in overall mortality. Balanced hormones mean that you are going to be at your healthiest. Testosterone does not cause prostate cancer.
Testosterone deficiency is likely to be a primary contributor to erectile dysfunction.
Returning testosterone levels to the 20-30 year level is about getting one's life back and to improve the quality of life. Drugs such as cialis, viagra, etc. may have undesirable side effects, headaches, FDA reports sudden hearing loss. Testosterone drives the libido, increases desire so that drugs like cialis, if necessary, can be more effective. When testosterone is increased and hormones are in balance, viagra and cialis are usually not necessary. For some human growth hormone replacement does the job. Expense is a problem. DHEA is usually more cost effective. The goal is to extend and enrich quality of life, diet, exercise, vitamin supplements, replace lost hormones, sustain muscle mass, be leaner, healthier and keep up bone density. Testosterone and estrogen need to be kept in balance for this to happen and for one to have an improved sex life. Estrogen level should be 50 psa .2-.5(?) Add testosterone, see if results respond favourably. The second half of life doesn't need to be one of degeneration, low libido and low energy.
Get your doctor to check for primary or secondary hypogonadism, primary meaning that testicles are not producing enough testosterone. Secondary is problem with pituitary gland or hypothalamus gland - means testicles are not stimulated enough to produce testosterone. HGH replacement if deficient.
Bio-identical hormone replacement enriches life. Ongoing testosterone loss is currently being handled with viagra, cialis. Little by little the eventual loss shows up as cancer, heart attacks, Alzheimer's or all three. We're on our own unless you have a doctor who gets the point of replacement therapy. The search for the solution will ultimately save your life if you find and have balanced bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. You need to replace your hormones as needed to when they were at your 20-30 year old levels. Hormones that are normal for your age won't regain your sex life, nor sexual feelings back. Don't let your doctor sell you on 'your levels are normal for your age'. You want to be restored to your healthiest prime. If your doctor is uncooperative, thank him, leave to continue your search.
Andropause
If we knew we could replace our hormones, they would be flocking to their doctors. Bio-identical hormones: Why is it difficult to get doctors to come along with this thinking? Why can't we do something different? Generally, fear of criticism by our peers. We are exercising, we are eating well, we don't smoke, don't drink. Testosterone levels are dropping from when we were 20, why not raise them? If we want quality of life and fun, we have to take responsibility for our own health. Lower testosterone levels, coronary heart disease is associated with lower testosterone levels. It is not just erectile dysfunction and libido. To be healthy, men must have adequate testosterone. Estrogen dominance may cause cancer in men. When we check testosterone levels, were they normal for a 50 year old? or a 20 year old? D.H.E.A. is the most plentiful hormone in our body. It converts into other hormones like testosterone, causes a positive effect on brain, immune system, organs and muscles. DHEA drops off after 30 and can be negligible after 60. Saliva or blood tests for men will reveal levels - optimal level is between 250-450. Get tested.
50 milligrams DHEA a day is very safe (if a person has certain types of cancer, it may be a potential concern). Lower testosterone inhibits physical, sexual and cognitive functions, increase in abdominal fat and shrinking muscles, sense of loss of well being, fatigue, depression, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction (could be prostate and heart disease). All are related to hormone imbalances that are correctible with diet, exercise and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.
Most men shrink, run and hide from therapy or discussion of this nature. We don't want to suffer these side effects if we don't have to when all is not well. Hormonal decline is correctible. Andropause is the real loss of testosterone, DHEA and growth hormone, a slow decline - it takes men 10-20 years to drain out to a problem stage. This decline can be slowed or reversed with bio-identical hormone replacement.
Real hormone replacement improves the quality of life. Testosterone starts dropping off in early 30's, by 70 it is typical to have half the testosterone level. The erection is the last thing to go. Before that we lose vitality, are tired or worn out, belly expanded and your doctor starts telling you 'watch your cholesterol'. You go on anti-cholesterol drugs. These may actually work against us (may inhibit the brain making its own cholesterol, if you inhibit the brain from making its own cholesterol, that prevents its own neuro protective hormones from being produced that prevents Alzheimer's. Research shows people with higher levels of cholesterol have a lower incidence of Alzheimer's. Testosterone loss is serious stuff, it builds bone and muscle, it is vital to keep the heart muscle strong and pumping, keeps cholesterol and blood pressure down. A sexual desire is promoted - without it our muscles wither noticeably.
A man with loss of testosterone can work out all day and exercise without any results. Low levels can be reversed with replacement. It in part tells the brain that all is well. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy keeps your insides young and disease free. Why are men not taking advantage of this therapy? Maybe that doctors do not understand the male hormonal system. Of all declines, loss of testosterone is the most common deficiency of men over 40. Non-existent or low sex drive is the last symptom to show up. Before that, physical and emotional changes take place.
Optimal range for testosterone is between 6000 & 9000 pg/ml - the level you see in young healthy men. We feel best when levels are in the 99.7% range - free or available testosterone should be around 25-35 pg/ml. If your numbers are low, a doctor can prescribe bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, patches, creams, gels, tablets or injections. A prescription is required.
Treatment can restore levels, hormone decline will not stop if left untreated, it doesn't go away if ignored. Hormone replacement will need to be increased as you go along year after year.
*If one's eyesight decreases, you get glasses or laser surgery. If you get a disease, you operate or treat it. Why aren't we treating this?
Prostate problems begin without enough testosterone. A full complement of hormones and a man does not have to expect prostate cancer. One can head off prostate problems with bio-identical hormone testosterone replacement.
Estrogen to testosterone balance with testosterone replacement gives health benefits, protects against heart disease, mental decline, prostate disease and problems, loss of libido and deteriorating muscles. High testosterone levels are not a risk factor. High estrogen levels would be. Problems occur only in testosterone decline. Absence of testosterone takes away quality of life and it signals the brain that all is not well. We can put back what is missing and put back hormones into balance and stop the decline. Maintaining healthy levels is the one most important thing a man can do to protect health of the prostate.
In Europe, testosterone replacement is being used as treatment for prostate cancer with great results (Doctor Miller Life Extension Revolution). Young men make loads of testosterone and prostate cancer is rare among them. Testosterone must be replaced in the correct amounts with bio-identical hormones. Testosterone levels must be checked, also estrogen. Too much estrogen in a man's body becomes feminized, vitality diminishes, energy dissipates. Andropause can be corrected and treated successfully by determining the correct amounts to replace. Too much estrogen, not enough testosterone, dropping DHEA levels, low HGH levels are all correctable. The objective is not to push levels higher, but to return to the body's healthiest prime state. We don't want levels that are normal for our age (50 or whatever), those levels are on a decline. We want them as when we were at our best and healthiest (24-30). Men from 40-80's can have hormonal levels maintained similar to their healthiest physical peak.
Results can be spectacular. Hormone therapy is a creative, collaboration between doctor and patient using science, observation, intuition and insight. Hormones are not something one plays around with on their own. Right levels, right balance, makes us feel better than ever and have good energy. The best friend one can have regarding one's health is their doctor. No matter how far you have to go, your life and health are worth it.
In testosterone decline, estrogen will eventually pass testosterone production. We men get the estrogen we need from testosterone and DHEA. Estrogen levels go down slower than testosterone. Obese men have higher estrogen production and little or no testosterone. Men with higher estrogen have an increase in problems with heart attacks. Men who have middle age spread are high in estrogen, and are more at risk for strokes and heart attacks.
Statins: Cholesterol lowering drugs, in long term studies fail to show any improvements in the overall mortality rate. Statins could cause the brain itself to lower or stop its own manufacture of cholesterol which the brain needs to make its own neurosteroids. Statins could work against us. If you inhibit the brain from making its own cholesterol, you are inhibiting the brain from making its own neuroprotective hormones that control the Alzheimer's process. Low cholesterol means higher risk of Alzheimer's. Men start getting artery plaquing when their testosterone is declining well before they become deficient. Plaques don't form when hormone balance is healthy.
Some men have high testosterone but very little free testosterone. Check sex hormone binding globulin - aught to be in the middle range. If sex hormone binding globulin is too high, very little free testosterone is on hand, bring it back to the middle range. There are natural products or drugs to lower the sex hormone binding globulin which would make more free testosterone available.
Few people will find doctors willing to think along the lines of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. We have what we need at hand, we need a learning curve to replace declining hormones. Get your hormones fine tuned and experience the positive effects and get healthier. With balanced hormones there is improvement in overall mortality. Balanced hormones mean that you are going to be at your healthiest. Testosterone does not cause prostate cancer.
Testosterone deficiency is likely to be a primary contributor to erectile dysfunction.
Returning testosterone levels to the 20-30 year level is about getting one's life back and to improve the quality of life. Drugs such as cialis, viagra, etc. may have undesirable side effects, headaches, FDA reports sudden hearing loss. Testosterone drives the libido, increases desire so that drugs like cialis, if necessary, can be more effective. When testosterone is increased and hormones are in balance, viagra and cialis are usually not necessary. For some human growth hormone replacement does the job. Expense is a problem. DHEA is usually more cost effective. The goal is to extend and enrich quality of life, diet, exercise, vitamin supplements, replace lost hormones, sustain muscle mass, be leaner, healthier and keep up bone density. Testosterone and estrogen need to be kept in balance for this to happen and for one to have an improved sex life. Estrogen level should be 50 psa .2-.5(?) Add testosterone, see if results respond favourably. The second half of life doesn't need to be one of degeneration, low libido and low energy.
Get your doctor to check for primary or secondary hypogonadism, primary meaning that testicles are not producing enough testosterone. Secondary is problem with pituitary gland or hypothalamus gland - means testicles are not stimulated enough to produce testosterone. HGH replacement if deficient.
Bio-identical hormone replacement enriches life. Ongoing testosterone loss is currently being handled with viagra, cialis. Little by little the eventual loss shows up as cancer, heart attacks, Alzheimer's or all three. We're on our own unless you have a doctor who gets the point of replacement therapy. The search for the solution will ultimately save your life if you find and have balanced bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. You need to replace your hormones as needed to when they were at your 20-30 year old levels. Hormones that are normal for your age won't regain your sex life, nor sexual feelings back. Don't let your doctor sell you on 'your levels are normal for your age'. You want to be restored to your healthiest prime. If your doctor is uncooperative, thank him, leave to continue your search.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Tea is Healthy
Tea 'healthier' drink than water
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.
The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.
Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.
Healthy cuppa
These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage. Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.
They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut. Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.
Dr Ruxton said: "Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it."
Rehydrating
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating. "Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.
"Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth," she added. There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body's ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.
Dr Ruxton's team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day. She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before. "Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor," she said.
Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits. "The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers. "In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink."
The Tea Council provided funding for the work. Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.
The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.
Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.
Healthy cuppa
These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage. Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.
They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut. Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.
Dr Ruxton said: "Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it."
Rehydrating
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating. "Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.
"Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth," she added. There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body's ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.
Dr Ruxton's team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day. She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before. "Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor," she said.
Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits. "The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers. "In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink."
The Tea Council provided funding for the work. Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Weightlifting and Supplements
Introduction to Wieghtlifting and SupplementsDo you remember what it was like when you first began lifting weights? Do you remember looking for info in all the wrong places? Or reading the entire body of weightlifting mags and looking for some clarity, hoping someone or something would say, "Here is the way to physical perfection"? No such luck, right? There was about as much chance of finding a common thread of knowledge in the bodybuilding mags as there was that Jerry Falwell would be caught dirty dancing with Bob Paris.
People in the gym weren't much help, either, were they? You might have gravitated to the biggest guy http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147in the gym for advice, the guy who looked like he just walked off the set of "Quest for Fire", but most of his progress was the result of pharmaceutical experiments so radical they'd make Mr. Hyde run screaming into the streets of London.
As the years passed, you learned a lot through trial and error, and you probably made progress, despite all the conflicting messages in the mags and on the street. We like to think that with the birth of Muscle Media 2000, some of that confusion went away and that the heavy oak door of confusion had been pushed open wide enough to at least let a beam of light come shining through
Sill, with so many conflicting messages from so many different sources - people arguing about what the best supplements, training programs, best everything are - you, along with all the other consumers, probably got more confused than ever before! Although there are a lot of things about building muscle size and strength that remain unknown, there are a number of very important things we do know. That's the intent and purpose of this Muscle Media 2000 special report - to avoid the speculation and the wildhaired theories and to tell you the facts you need to know to build muscle size and strength. If God had handed out an owner's manual with the human body, the chapter on building muscle would contain much of the same information as is included in this report.
This report contains 10 bodybuilding truths. Your initial reaction to some of the steps might be that they're simplistic, but sometimes you've got to go back to the basics to regain some clarity and get back on track.
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.
Okay, before you smack your forehead with your palm and mockingly say, "Damn, why didn't I think of that?" keep reading. We all know that weightlifting works, but what's the best way.
Muscle hypertrophy has to do with the breakdown of muscle proteins, creating conditions for the enhanced synthesis of contractile proteins during rest periods. The more breakdown of proteins— the more damage done to the muscle during work — the bigger the muscle will be when it heals (providing all other factors, like adequate rest and nutrition, are optimum). In endurance training, the intensities imposed on the muscle cells are very low, and since tensions are very low, fiber damage is small, and fiber hypertrophy is small. With weightlifting, more fibers are recruited, and tension levels are very high. Hence, fiber damage is high, and as a result, through biochemical sequences too complicated to even attempt to describe here, fibers hypertrophy and strength increases.
Along the same lines, too small a number of reps has a limited ability to induce hypertrophy. Too small a number of reps represents a minor amount of mechanical work, and the amount of degraded contractile proteins is small. In other words, one rep, even if it's done with a weight equivalent to the http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50rear axle of a Hum-Vee, isn't going to do the trick.
The question then remains: what's the optimal amount of reps to do? Of course, this is determined by weight. Studies have shown that the maximum amount of motor-unit recruitment occurs between four and six reps, and consequently, the total amount of degraded protein also reaches maximal levels in this same rep range. But there are different types of fibers in a muscle, and they're recruited systematically — the low-endurance fibers being I recruited immediately for high-tension (high-weight) lifts, and the higher endurance fibers being recruited later, long after the four- to six-rep set is done. These high-endurance fibers come into play when rep ranges of 8 to 12 are used, so ideally, and generally, both types of rep schemes should be used in a workout program. So, if you train with heavy weights in rep schemes of 4 to 12 reps, you can't go wrong!
Furthermore, the age-old controversy regarding free weights and machines (and the merits of each) still resurfaces periodically. Which is best? Both are. Nowadays, very few great physiques were built by free weights alone, and I venture to say that none were built by machines alone. The modern bodybuilder uses both to attain his/her physique goals.
Beyond that, if you focus on fundamental exercises like the bench press shoulder press, squat, and deadlift, you will get stronger bigger.
[Back to Top]
2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.
Easy to say, but what exactly is working out too often ? Well, you can measure blood levels of 3-methyl histidine and creatine kinase (two biochemical markers of muscle damage), but that isn't exactly practical, is it? The logical assumption is that we should work a particular body part when it's regained its pre-workout capacity. Again, easier said than done. Would we have been better off had we waited an extra day?
There are as many theories on muscle recovery rates as there are groupies outside Shawn Ray's hotel room door. Why is it so darned complicated? Well, largely because it's so individualistic. People vary in this regard as widely as they do in hair color, height, or any other trait that is regarded as genetic. And, to boot, there are countless other factors that fit into the equation. What's the subject's age? How much rest did he or she get? What's the subject's nutritional or hormonal status?
Lab studies show that some individual muscle groups recover more quickly than others. Calves supposedly recover overnight, whereas forearms could theoretically be trained twice a day. Larger muscle groups like the chest or back theoretically need 48 hours, whereas still larger muscle groups like the legs may need several days.
Barring any number of complicated blood tests, there's one way to determine how long it takes you to recover—soreness. If you're scheduled to work chest today but your chest still hurts from the previous workout, take an extra day off. Although working a body part when it's still sore is occasionally permissible, it will eventually catch up with you; i.e., you will tear down muscle tissue and regress instead of progress. Muscles adapt and become stronger during rest periods, not during exercise itself. Accept this fact, or you'll be caught in the revolving door of bodybuilding—moving a whole lot but not going anywhere.
[Back to Top]
3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently
Ever talk to some of these guys who skip breakfast — don't eat anything till noon — and complain that they can't put on any muscle? Or maybe some of those guys who eat great one day and then let their eating habits go to hell the next? Hey baby, you've go to give the mason some bricks if you want your house built! Eating your entire day's allotment of calories in one, glorious, pig-like sitting isn't going to cut it, either. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that your body will only assimilate a certain amount of calories per sitting; any more will quickly be put in the First National Bank of Flab-onia where there is a substantial penalty for early withdrawal. What's more, research has shown that with optimal protein intake, nitrogen balance varies directly with the number of feedings; i.e., there is greater nitrogen retention with more frequent feedings. In addition, when taking in fewer feedings, the body has the tendency to show adaptive changes like rapid intestinal absorption of glucose and fat, increased synthesis of glucose, increased lipogenesis, and higher serum cholesterol (Young, et al., 1976). In short, infrequent feedings bad; frequent feedings good.
Nutritionist Keith Klein has bellyached about this small but important fact for years. He has seen, time and time again, cases where bodybuilders were eating only four times a day stopped making progress as quickly as your grandma carrying a football and shuffling for a first down against the defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Likewise, these same bodybuilders made dramatic improvements when they started eating six times a day.
Now, eating by the clock is hard because it requires a great deal of discipline, perhaps more discipline than working out! It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not, if you're out with friends, or if you're on the road — when it's time to eat, you should eat. If you skip meals, eat irregularly, or try to make up for missed meals by having a Caligula-style Roman feast, you're throwing a lug wrench in the machinery of anabolism.
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4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.
The average old-school nutritionists love to talk about protein. They like nothing better than corner the neophyte bodybuilder and assail him or her with the cold protein logic of the 1950's: "Listen, what's the most muscle you could build in one day? A few grams here and there? And what's the amount of protein the body typically needs in one day? About 70 grams, right? So, in order to build muscle, you only need 70 grams, plus the few that will go directly to the muscle growth you've elicited through your workouts. Any more will be wasted!"
Ahh, too bad it isn't that easy. If growth and metabolism were as two-dimensional as the old-school nutritionists claim, then all you'd need every day would be a few extra grams of protein to build muscle. Unfortunately, the body isn't two-dimensional; it's three- or even four-dimensional. Granted, the average sedentary shoe salesman body needs about 70 grams of protein a day to repair the damage caused by everyday wear and tear, including the occasional bruised-from-having-a-high-heeled-shoe-step-on-it toe. Bodybuilders, however, need more protein. A lot more.
Muscles grow because of net protein synthesis — the difference between protein degradation and synthesis. In the average person, this net difference is zip — he or she isn't incurring any damage, so protein needs remain largely unchanged day to day. However, in the bodybuilder, there's so much muscle fiber disruption occurring every day that a microscopic tour of a muscle would look like Poland after the Germans blasted through in World War II. Bodybuilders need extra protein to repair all this damage. What's more, they need it at very specific intervals. In fact, timing of protein intake is just as important as quantity. The only trouble is, it's almost impossible to say exactly when in the muscle-building process we should turn the hose on. Instead, it's safer to give the body large, regular amounts of protein, so we aren't caught with our muscle-building pants down when we need extra protein.
There's evidence that we need extra protein right after a workout. There's evidence that we need extra protein about 30 hours after a workout, when muscle resynthesis is at its highest. There's evidence we need it before bedtime, to keep cortisol levels low, GH high, and to provide enough amino acids throughout the eight-hour fast we commonly call sleep. See what we're getting at? The bodybuilder needs protein throughout the day and night. Here's a short list of the times we appear to need extra protein:
1. Going to sleep means not eating, and not eating means that the body runs out of protein and insulin about halfway through the night, so you, in effect, stop synthesizing the protein you need for growth and repair. This compounds itself if your last meal was at 6:00 p.m.
2. Strenuous workouts compound the problem. Damaged muscles need more protein and more insulin to "carry" that protein to the muscle cells.
3. Strenuous workouts also cause a decrease in GH levels and an increase in cortisol levels, making it even harder to build muscle.
4. Muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a relatively long time after a workout, proving that additional protein is imperative.
The question that remains is, how much protein? There's some evidence that extremely high levels of protein can elicit muscle growth above and beyond what you might normally achieve. One particular study involving Romanian weightlifters showed that their lean body mass increased approximately 6% when they increased their protein intake from 275% to 438% of the US government recommended levels. This, however, may constitute overkill. Get at least one gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. For instance, if you weigh 200 lbs and have a bodyfat percentage of about 10%, you need at least 180 grams of protein per day, taken in divided doses (ideally 6 divided doses).
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5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain
Don't run right out and try to pick up a Dominatrix on Sixth Avenue who wants you to lick her 1 boots...that's not what we mean. You've all heard about intensity, but trying to explain it is as difficult as trying to explain why some people spend hours and hours downloading semi-naked pictures of Claudia Schiffer off the Internet (hey, I gotta have a hobby, don't l?). Intensity is probably the most important aspect of bodybuilding. After all, if you don't damage muscle fibers, you won't break down protein, and you won't cause the body to respond by rebuilding that muscle fiber bigger and stronger. There's an old saying in the coaching business: "Do as may reps as you can, and then do three more." There's no way to say it more succinctly.
Try this. The next time you're doing an exercise, say, dumbbell bench presses, do as many as you can, but wait! Don't put the dumbbells down. Merely let them rest for a moment in the down position while you regroup your thoughts, channel your concentration, and do another one. You can do it. It's amazing, but there's a certain point when the body gives up. Call it a self-preservation thing or whatever, but remember, the body doesn't have the final say in these matters. If it did, you'd either be eating, sleeping, or having sex—not working out. Tell yourself you will do another rep. It's during this extra rep when Mr. Pain will introduce himself: "Excuse me? I'm Mr. Pain, and if you don't stop doing the equivalent of poking me with a stick, I will make you regret it." Tell Mr. Pain to kiss off, because it's exactly at this point in bodybuilding time that you're exposing the body to the most muscle-fiber recruitment, the most metabolic and hormonal stress, and muscles will respond over time by becoming bigger. Hey, remember, no one ever said this sport was for sissies.
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6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate
HMB, CLA, DHEA, Co-Enzyme Friggin' Q-10, Endo make-me-stand-up-and-say-howdy Pro: all of these supplements are at the howling center of a great supplement tornado. I say Supplement A works. You question my parenthood. Magazine X devotes an entire issue to Supplement Z. I lose my lunch. The truth is, some of these supplements may indeed work. There is ample evidence to suggest that a couple of them, namely HMB and CLA, may help you increase muscle mass. There's also evidence that DHEA may help people over the age of 30 lose fat and gain some muscle. HOWEVER, the feelings are hardly unanimous.
There is one supplement, though, that is virtually universally accepted as being effective in promoting lean body mass and strength — creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring chemical that's one of muscles' main energy sources. Luckily for us, it's possible to supersaturate muscles with this compound by ingesting it. And, if our muscles are chock-full of creatine, our muscle cells are stronger, and they recover faster. Creatine also has a "cell-volumizing" effect. In other words, it causes the muscles to hold more intracellular fluid, and it's theorized that this promotes protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown.
What creatine will do is help you gain mass, quickly. It also makes you stronger. And, if recent studies are correct, creatine, more specifically, Phosphagen HP, may even improve speed (over a 100-meter run) and reduce fat!
Best results are obtained when creatine is "loaded" for a period of five days. The usual loading dosage is between 20 and 30 grams per day, followed by a maintenance dosage of 10 grams or so.
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7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout
After you're done working out, don't hang out by the Stairmasters and watch the "Thong-Butt Goddesses," à la Dan Duchaine. Granted, it may be intensely pleasurable, but it's not conducive to muscle growth. Go straight home and mix yourself a high-glycemic-index (Gl) carb and protein drink. There's strong scientific evidence that right after you get done training, your body needs nutrients. It stands to reason that the most important time to elicit positive adaptations in muscle tissue is right after an intense workout. And, from what we know about insulin, carbohydrate, protein, and muscle synthesis rates, it would be downright amazing if the post-workout drink didn't, over the long run, help you build muscle. A post-workout drink, made with the right ingredients, may lower cortisol levels, increase glycogen levels, and supply muscles with the protein they need to recover from the damage you've no doubt incurred.
Here's what a good post-workout drink should contain:
• Around 50-100 grams of carbohydrate (a mixture of high Gl and low Gl)
• About 40 grams of protein
• Five grams of creating monohydrate
This can be accomplished rather easily by mixing a meal-replacement powder in 12 to 14 oz of juice and adding a heaping teaspoon of Phosphagen (or Phosphagen HP to increase the carb dose).
Although some people might argue that this isn't a surefire way to put on muscle, we'd argue right back. We know this kind of drink is effective as we've seen its positive effects over and over again.
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8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent
Hey, if you want to play the game, you have to take the field. In bodybuilding, the gym in your playing field, and if you continually ride the bench, you're not going to make progress. In other words, if you go to the gym religiously for two weeks and then take two weeks off, you're not going to make much progress; it's more likely that inactivity will cancel out the activity, and the people who don't know your name in the gym will always refer to you as "you know, that guy who always looks the same, year in and year out."
Okay, that's pretty obvious, but along with consistency comes a methodical approach. Over time your workouts need to progress. As the weeks and months go by, you must gradually increase the workload so that your muscles are forced to adapt. It's called the overload principle, and it means that the stress placed on the muscle today must be greater than the stress placed on the muscle the workout before.
There are other ways to increase the overload principle, too. As Charles Poliquin pointed out in the July '96 issue of MM2K, there are 3 ways to incorporate progressive load increase:
Increased volume: more sets, more repetitions, more workouts.
Increased intensity: more resistance, more eccentric work.
Increased density: shorter rest intervals between sets, exercises, or workouts.
You must expose the muscles to a greater and greater work load, so they're forced to adapt by becoming stronger. In order to keep track of greater and greater work loads, you must keep a training journal. Carry it with you, and record every set and rep you do. Prior to your next workout, look over the numbers from your previous workout. Your goal is to beat those numbers. Instinctive training doesn't work unless you're so chemically enhanced that the mere act of sitting on the toilet will cause growth in your quads, hams, and glutes.
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9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.
Remember when you first started working out? You picked up some lame routine out of Men's Fitness and practiced it—without making a single change—for about a year, and you still made progress. Anything you did in the gym caused muscle growth. Too bad it's not that simple anymore. Experienced weight trainers need to change their routines often. You may be a creature of habit, but in the wild, creatures of habit get eaten by the big, slobbery-mouthed wolf that sits by the creek, knowing you'll be walking your very habitual sorry ass to the stream at 5:00 p.m. to get a drink. Change is good, particularly in bodybuilding. As you become more and more advanced, your body becomes more and more efficient in adapting to routines. In fact, many athletes adapt to the point of staleness in as little as three weeks.
Variety can be introduced in several ways. Short-term variations that can be added or deleted over successive three-week periods include rep ranges, type of contraction used, speed of contraction, range of motion, and the actual exercises themselves. These short-term variations are useful in that, done correctly and methodically, they exercise a muscle in all possible ways and that's what's necessary for full development of a muscle.
Long-term variations, adopted perhaps a couple times a year, include descending sets, super sets, eccentric training (i.e., taking six seconds to lower the weight), and pre-exhaustion. All of these can be incorporated rather easily if you keep a log and take one hour every three weeks to map out your next mini training cycle.
Here's an example of how you might alter a chest workout: weeks one through three, begin with five sets of bench press (four to six reps), raising the bar to a count of two and lowering it to a count of four. Afterwards, you may do 3 supersets of incline dumbbell presses and incline dumbbell flyes (each for 8 to 12 reps), lifted to a count of 1 and lowered to a count of 3. Three weeks later, you might begin your chest workout with three sets of weighted dips as a pre-exhaustion movement, and then immediately move on to three descending sets of incline barbell bench presses.
Let's look at another example using the leg press. From mini-cycle to mini-cycle, you could change the starting foot position— high or low on the platform, feet narrow or wide—the angle of the back rest, and the actual tempo of the movement (lowering the platform to a count of four one cycle, and then lowering it to a count of eight another). In each issue of Muscle Media 2000 we give you fresh new training ideas to spice up your workouts!
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10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
Eccentric training is the opposite of concentric training. It means lengthening a muscle as opposed to shortening it. In other words, eccentric training on the bench press means deliberately slowing the descent of the bar. It's been shown to cause more muscle cell damage. Why? No one really knows for sure. It even puzzles muscle physiologists. After all, why should lengthening a muscle—the very act for which it was designed—cause damage? Nevertheless, it does, and that's why every workout should incorporate an eccentric component. Most novices in the gym train like the old ball and paddle game—they slap the weight up using a quick movement, ensuring lots of momentum, and watch as the weight flies up and then falls back, courtesy of gravity. Most novices just try to make sure it doesn't fly back and hit them in the face. The faster they go, the more intense they think they're working out. Pathetic.
The upward and downward portion of every movement must be slow and deliberate, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, research has shown that the lifting portion of a movement recruits the most muscle fibers when it's performed slowly. This translates to about two seconds for most movements. The eccentric portion of the movement should be even slower, occurring optimally over four seconds. This takes into consideration the fact that eccentric movements are easier anyhow, since they have the added advantage of having both friction and gravity to help them. Secondly, slow strength training provides more time to activate both muscle fiber types—fast and slow—resulting in greater force production. And thirdly, eccentric motor activities produce two to three times the force of concentric activities. Therefore, they cause more muscle damage and in turn provide the cellular signal to degenerate and regenerate a new fiber. Given that all other conditions are favorable, the muscle cell will grow back bigger and stronger.
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Conclusion
To recap, here are the ten surefire ways to build muscle:
1. Lift weights! Do heavy sets of between 4 and 12 reps.
2. If a particular body part is sore, don't work it until it's not sore.
3. Eat six, evenly spaced meals a day
4. Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day.
5. Do as many reps as you can, and then do three more.
6. If you're going to use one supplement, use creatine monohydrate.
7. Drink a high-carb, high-protein drink immediately after an intense workout.
8. Keep a training log, and try to constantly "one-up" yourself.
9. Use variety in your workouts.
10. Concentrate on using eccentric movements in your workouts.
Granted, there are other ways to make muscles grow, but the things described in this special report constitute a "unified bodybuilding theory." Eight out of ten coaches, gurus, and self-proclaimed experts will agree with them. If you follow the items laid out in this special report, you will grow, no doubt about it!
References:Mark Albert, Eccentric Muscle Training in Sports and Orthopedics, Churchill Livingstone: New York, New York, 1991 .
Richard Lieber, Skeletal Muscle Structure and Function, Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 1992.
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, Science and Practice of Strength Training, Human Kinetics Books: Pennsylvania State University, 1995.
People in the gym weren't much help, either, were they? You might have gravitated to the biggest guy http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147in the gym for advice, the guy who looked like he just walked off the set of "Quest for Fire", but most of his progress was the result of pharmaceutical experiments so radical they'd make Mr. Hyde run screaming into the streets of London.
As the years passed, you learned a lot through trial and error, and you probably made progress, despite all the conflicting messages in the mags and on the street. We like to think that with the birth of Muscle Media 2000, some of that confusion went away and that the heavy oak door of confusion had been pushed open wide enough to at least let a beam of light come shining through
Sill, with so many conflicting messages from so many different sources - people arguing about what the best supplements, training programs, best everything are - you, along with all the other consumers, probably got more confused than ever before! Although there are a lot of things about building muscle size and strength that remain unknown, there are a number of very important things we do know. That's the intent and purpose of this Muscle Media 2000 special report - to avoid the speculation and the wildhaired theories and to tell you the facts you need to know to build muscle size and strength. If God had handed out an owner's manual with the human body, the chapter on building muscle would contain much of the same information as is included in this report.
This report contains 10 bodybuilding truths. Your initial reaction to some of the steps might be that they're simplistic, but sometimes you've got to go back to the basics to regain some clarity and get back on track.
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.
Okay, before you smack your forehead with your palm and mockingly say, "Damn, why didn't I think of that?" keep reading. We all know that weightlifting works, but what's the best way.
Muscle hypertrophy has to do with the breakdown of muscle proteins, creating conditions for the enhanced synthesis of contractile proteins during rest periods. The more breakdown of proteins— the more damage done to the muscle during work — the bigger the muscle will be when it heals (providing all other factors, like adequate rest and nutrition, are optimum). In endurance training, the intensities imposed on the muscle cells are very low, and since tensions are very low, fiber damage is small, and fiber hypertrophy is small. With weightlifting, more fibers are recruited, and tension levels are very high. Hence, fiber damage is high, and as a result, through biochemical sequences too complicated to even attempt to describe here, fibers hypertrophy and strength increases.
Along the same lines, too small a number of reps has a limited ability to induce hypertrophy. Too small a number of reps represents a minor amount of mechanical work, and the amount of degraded contractile proteins is small. In other words, one rep, even if it's done with a weight equivalent to the http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50rear axle of a Hum-Vee, isn't going to do the trick.
The question then remains: what's the optimal amount of reps to do? Of course, this is determined by weight. Studies have shown that the maximum amount of motor-unit recruitment occurs between four and six reps, and consequently, the total amount of degraded protein also reaches maximal levels in this same rep range. But there are different types of fibers in a muscle, and they're recruited systematically — the low-endurance fibers being I recruited immediately for high-tension (high-weight) lifts, and the higher endurance fibers being recruited later, long after the four- to six-rep set is done. These high-endurance fibers come into play when rep ranges of 8 to 12 are used, so ideally, and generally, both types of rep schemes should be used in a workout program. So, if you train with heavy weights in rep schemes of 4 to 12 reps, you can't go wrong!
Furthermore, the age-old controversy regarding free weights and machines (and the merits of each) still resurfaces periodically. Which is best? Both are. Nowadays, very few great physiques were built by free weights alone, and I venture to say that none were built by machines alone. The modern bodybuilder uses both to attain his/her physique goals.
Beyond that, if you focus on fundamental exercises like the bench press shoulder press, squat, and deadlift, you will get stronger bigger.
[Back to Top]
2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.
Easy to say, but what exactly is working out too often ? Well, you can measure blood levels of 3-methyl histidine and creatine kinase (two biochemical markers of muscle damage), but that isn't exactly practical, is it? The logical assumption is that we should work a particular body part when it's regained its pre-workout capacity. Again, easier said than done. Would we have been better off had we waited an extra day?
There are as many theories on muscle recovery rates as there are groupies outside Shawn Ray's hotel room door. Why is it so darned complicated? Well, largely because it's so individualistic. People vary in this regard as widely as they do in hair color, height, or any other trait that is regarded as genetic. And, to boot, there are countless other factors that fit into the equation. What's the subject's age? How much rest did he or she get? What's the subject's nutritional or hormonal status?
Lab studies show that some individual muscle groups recover more quickly than others. Calves supposedly recover overnight, whereas forearms could theoretically be trained twice a day. Larger muscle groups like the chest or back theoretically need 48 hours, whereas still larger muscle groups like the legs may need several days.
Barring any number of complicated blood tests, there's one way to determine how long it takes you to recover—soreness. If you're scheduled to work chest today but your chest still hurts from the previous workout, take an extra day off. Although working a body part when it's still sore is occasionally permissible, it will eventually catch up with you; i.e., you will tear down muscle tissue and regress instead of progress. Muscles adapt and become stronger during rest periods, not during exercise itself. Accept this fact, or you'll be caught in the revolving door of bodybuilding—moving a whole lot but not going anywhere.
[Back to Top]
3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently
Ever talk to some of these guys who skip breakfast — don't eat anything till noon — and complain that they can't put on any muscle? Or maybe some of those guys who eat great one day and then let their eating habits go to hell the next? Hey baby, you've go to give the mason some bricks if you want your house built! Eating your entire day's allotment of calories in one, glorious, pig-like sitting isn't going to cut it, either. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that your body will only assimilate a certain amount of calories per sitting; any more will quickly be put in the First National Bank of Flab-onia where there is a substantial penalty for early withdrawal. What's more, research has shown that with optimal protein intake, nitrogen balance varies directly with the number of feedings; i.e., there is greater nitrogen retention with more frequent feedings. In addition, when taking in fewer feedings, the body has the tendency to show adaptive changes like rapid intestinal absorption of glucose and fat, increased synthesis of glucose, increased lipogenesis, and higher serum cholesterol (Young, et al., 1976). In short, infrequent feedings bad; frequent feedings good.
Nutritionist Keith Klein has bellyached about this small but important fact for years. He has seen, time and time again, cases where bodybuilders were eating only four times a day stopped making progress as quickly as your grandma carrying a football and shuffling for a first down against the defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Likewise, these same bodybuilders made dramatic improvements when they started eating six times a day.
Now, eating by the clock is hard because it requires a great deal of discipline, perhaps more discipline than working out! It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not, if you're out with friends, or if you're on the road — when it's time to eat, you should eat. If you skip meals, eat irregularly, or try to make up for missed meals by having a Caligula-style Roman feast, you're throwing a lug wrench in the machinery of anabolism.
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4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.
The average old-school nutritionists love to talk about protein. They like nothing better than corner the neophyte bodybuilder and assail him or her with the cold protein logic of the 1950's: "Listen, what's the most muscle you could build in one day? A few grams here and there? And what's the amount of protein the body typically needs in one day? About 70 grams, right? So, in order to build muscle, you only need 70 grams, plus the few that will go directly to the muscle growth you've elicited through your workouts. Any more will be wasted!"
Ahh, too bad it isn't that easy. If growth and metabolism were as two-dimensional as the old-school nutritionists claim, then all you'd need every day would be a few extra grams of protein to build muscle. Unfortunately, the body isn't two-dimensional; it's three- or even four-dimensional. Granted, the average sedentary shoe salesman body needs about 70 grams of protein a day to repair the damage caused by everyday wear and tear, including the occasional bruised-from-having-a-high-heeled-shoe-step-on-it toe. Bodybuilders, however, need more protein. A lot more.
Muscles grow because of net protein synthesis — the difference between protein degradation and synthesis. In the average person, this net difference is zip — he or she isn't incurring any damage, so protein needs remain largely unchanged day to day. However, in the bodybuilder, there's so much muscle fiber disruption occurring every day that a microscopic tour of a muscle would look like Poland after the Germans blasted through in World War II. Bodybuilders need extra protein to repair all this damage. What's more, they need it at very specific intervals. In fact, timing of protein intake is just as important as quantity. The only trouble is, it's almost impossible to say exactly when in the muscle-building process we should turn the hose on. Instead, it's safer to give the body large, regular amounts of protein, so we aren't caught with our muscle-building pants down when we need extra protein.
There's evidence that we need extra protein right after a workout. There's evidence that we need extra protein about 30 hours after a workout, when muscle resynthesis is at its highest. There's evidence we need it before bedtime, to keep cortisol levels low, GH high, and to provide enough amino acids throughout the eight-hour fast we commonly call sleep. See what we're getting at? The bodybuilder needs protein throughout the day and night. Here's a short list of the times we appear to need extra protein:
1. Going to sleep means not eating, and not eating means that the body runs out of protein and insulin about halfway through the night, so you, in effect, stop synthesizing the protein you need for growth and repair. This compounds itself if your last meal was at 6:00 p.m.
2. Strenuous workouts compound the problem. Damaged muscles need more protein and more insulin to "carry" that protein to the muscle cells.
3. Strenuous workouts also cause a decrease in GH levels and an increase in cortisol levels, making it even harder to build muscle.
4. Muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a relatively long time after a workout, proving that additional protein is imperative.
The question that remains is, how much protein? There's some evidence that extremely high levels of protein can elicit muscle growth above and beyond what you might normally achieve. One particular study involving Romanian weightlifters showed that their lean body mass increased approximately 6% when they increased their protein intake from 275% to 438% of the US government recommended levels. This, however, may constitute overkill. Get at least one gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. For instance, if you weigh 200 lbs and have a bodyfat percentage of about 10%, you need at least 180 grams of protein per day, taken in divided doses (ideally 6 divided doses).
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5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain
Don't run right out and try to pick up a Dominatrix on Sixth Avenue who wants you to lick her 1 boots...that's not what we mean. You've all heard about intensity, but trying to explain it is as difficult as trying to explain why some people spend hours and hours downloading semi-naked pictures of Claudia Schiffer off the Internet (hey, I gotta have a hobby, don't l?). Intensity is probably the most important aspect of bodybuilding. After all, if you don't damage muscle fibers, you won't break down protein, and you won't cause the body to respond by rebuilding that muscle fiber bigger and stronger. There's an old saying in the coaching business: "Do as may reps as you can, and then do three more." There's no way to say it more succinctly.
Try this. The next time you're doing an exercise, say, dumbbell bench presses, do as many as you can, but wait! Don't put the dumbbells down. Merely let them rest for a moment in the down position while you regroup your thoughts, channel your concentration, and do another one. You can do it. It's amazing, but there's a certain point when the body gives up. Call it a self-preservation thing or whatever, but remember, the body doesn't have the final say in these matters. If it did, you'd either be eating, sleeping, or having sex—not working out. Tell yourself you will do another rep. It's during this extra rep when Mr. Pain will introduce himself: "Excuse me? I'm Mr. Pain, and if you don't stop doing the equivalent of poking me with a stick, I will make you regret it." Tell Mr. Pain to kiss off, because it's exactly at this point in bodybuilding time that you're exposing the body to the most muscle-fiber recruitment, the most metabolic and hormonal stress, and muscles will respond over time by becoming bigger. Hey, remember, no one ever said this sport was for sissies.
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6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate
HMB, CLA, DHEA, Co-Enzyme Friggin' Q-10, Endo make-me-stand-up-and-say-howdy Pro: all of these supplements are at the howling center of a great supplement tornado. I say Supplement A works. You question my parenthood. Magazine X devotes an entire issue to Supplement Z. I lose my lunch. The truth is, some of these supplements may indeed work. There is ample evidence to suggest that a couple of them, namely HMB and CLA, may help you increase muscle mass. There's also evidence that DHEA may help people over the age of 30 lose fat and gain some muscle. HOWEVER, the feelings are hardly unanimous.
There is one supplement, though, that is virtually universally accepted as being effective in promoting lean body mass and strength — creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring chemical that's one of muscles' main energy sources. Luckily for us, it's possible to supersaturate muscles with this compound by ingesting it. And, if our muscles are chock-full of creatine, our muscle cells are stronger, and they recover faster. Creatine also has a "cell-volumizing" effect. In other words, it causes the muscles to hold more intracellular fluid, and it's theorized that this promotes protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown.
What creatine will do is help you gain mass, quickly. It also makes you stronger. And, if recent studies are correct, creatine, more specifically, Phosphagen HP, may even improve speed (over a 100-meter run) and reduce fat!
Best results are obtained when creatine is "loaded" for a period of five days. The usual loading dosage is between 20 and 30 grams per day, followed by a maintenance dosage of 10 grams or so.
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7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout
After you're done working out, don't hang out by the Stairmasters and watch the "Thong-Butt Goddesses," à la Dan Duchaine. Granted, it may be intensely pleasurable, but it's not conducive to muscle growth. Go straight home and mix yourself a high-glycemic-index (Gl) carb and protein drink. There's strong scientific evidence that right after you get done training, your body needs nutrients. It stands to reason that the most important time to elicit positive adaptations in muscle tissue is right after an intense workout. And, from what we know about insulin, carbohydrate, protein, and muscle synthesis rates, it would be downright amazing if the post-workout drink didn't, over the long run, help you build muscle. A post-workout drink, made with the right ingredients, may lower cortisol levels, increase glycogen levels, and supply muscles with the protein they need to recover from the damage you've no doubt incurred.
Here's what a good post-workout drink should contain:
• Around 50-100 grams of carbohydrate (a mixture of high Gl and low Gl)
• About 40 grams of protein
• Five grams of creating monohydrate
This can be accomplished rather easily by mixing a meal-replacement powder in 12 to 14 oz of juice and adding a heaping teaspoon of Phosphagen (or Phosphagen HP to increase the carb dose).
Although some people might argue that this isn't a surefire way to put on muscle, we'd argue right back. We know this kind of drink is effective as we've seen its positive effects over and over again.
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8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent
Hey, if you want to play the game, you have to take the field. In bodybuilding, the gym in your playing field, and if you continually ride the bench, you're not going to make progress. In other words, if you go to the gym religiously for two weeks and then take two weeks off, you're not going to make much progress; it's more likely that inactivity will cancel out the activity, and the people who don't know your name in the gym will always refer to you as "you know, that guy who always looks the same, year in and year out."
Okay, that's pretty obvious, but along with consistency comes a methodical approach. Over time your workouts need to progress. As the weeks and months go by, you must gradually increase the workload so that your muscles are forced to adapt. It's called the overload principle, and it means that the stress placed on the muscle today must be greater than the stress placed on the muscle the workout before.
There are other ways to increase the overload principle, too. As Charles Poliquin pointed out in the July '96 issue of MM2K, there are 3 ways to incorporate progressive load increase:
Increased volume: more sets, more repetitions, more workouts.
Increased intensity: more resistance, more eccentric work.
Increased density: shorter rest intervals between sets, exercises, or workouts.
You must expose the muscles to a greater and greater work load, so they're forced to adapt by becoming stronger. In order to keep track of greater and greater work loads, you must keep a training journal. Carry it with you, and record every set and rep you do. Prior to your next workout, look over the numbers from your previous workout. Your goal is to beat those numbers. Instinctive training doesn't work unless you're so chemically enhanced that the mere act of sitting on the toilet will cause growth in your quads, hams, and glutes.
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9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.
Remember when you first started working out? You picked up some lame routine out of Men's Fitness and practiced it—without making a single change—for about a year, and you still made progress. Anything you did in the gym caused muscle growth. Too bad it's not that simple anymore. Experienced weight trainers need to change their routines often. You may be a creature of habit, but in the wild, creatures of habit get eaten by the big, slobbery-mouthed wolf that sits by the creek, knowing you'll be walking your very habitual sorry ass to the stream at 5:00 p.m. to get a drink. Change is good, particularly in bodybuilding. As you become more and more advanced, your body becomes more and more efficient in adapting to routines. In fact, many athletes adapt to the point of staleness in as little as three weeks.
Variety can be introduced in several ways. Short-term variations that can be added or deleted over successive three-week periods include rep ranges, type of contraction used, speed of contraction, range of motion, and the actual exercises themselves. These short-term variations are useful in that, done correctly and methodically, they exercise a muscle in all possible ways and that's what's necessary for full development of a muscle.
Long-term variations, adopted perhaps a couple times a year, include descending sets, super sets, eccentric training (i.e., taking six seconds to lower the weight), and pre-exhaustion. All of these can be incorporated rather easily if you keep a log and take one hour every three weeks to map out your next mini training cycle.
Here's an example of how you might alter a chest workout: weeks one through three, begin with five sets of bench press (four to six reps), raising the bar to a count of two and lowering it to a count of four. Afterwards, you may do 3 supersets of incline dumbbell presses and incline dumbbell flyes (each for 8 to 12 reps), lifted to a count of 1 and lowered to a count of 3. Three weeks later, you might begin your chest workout with three sets of weighted dips as a pre-exhaustion movement, and then immediately move on to three descending sets of incline barbell bench presses.
Let's look at another example using the leg press. From mini-cycle to mini-cycle, you could change the starting foot position— high or low on the platform, feet narrow or wide—the angle of the back rest, and the actual tempo of the movement (lowering the platform to a count of four one cycle, and then lowering it to a count of eight another). In each issue of Muscle Media 2000 we give you fresh new training ideas to spice up your workouts!
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10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
Eccentric training is the opposite of concentric training. It means lengthening a muscle as opposed to shortening it. In other words, eccentric training on the bench press means deliberately slowing the descent of the bar. It's been shown to cause more muscle cell damage. Why? No one really knows for sure. It even puzzles muscle physiologists. After all, why should lengthening a muscle—the very act for which it was designed—cause damage? Nevertheless, it does, and that's why every workout should incorporate an eccentric component. Most novices in the gym train like the old ball and paddle game—they slap the weight up using a quick movement, ensuring lots of momentum, and watch as the weight flies up and then falls back, courtesy of gravity. Most novices just try to make sure it doesn't fly back and hit them in the face. The faster they go, the more intense they think they're working out. Pathetic.
The upward and downward portion of every movement must be slow and deliberate, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, research has shown that the lifting portion of a movement recruits the most muscle fibers when it's performed slowly. This translates to about two seconds for most movements. The eccentric portion of the movement should be even slower, occurring optimally over four seconds. This takes into consideration the fact that eccentric movements are easier anyhow, since they have the added advantage of having both friction and gravity to help them. Secondly, slow strength training provides more time to activate both muscle fiber types—fast and slow—resulting in greater force production. And thirdly, eccentric motor activities produce two to three times the force of concentric activities. Therefore, they cause more muscle damage and in turn provide the cellular signal to degenerate and regenerate a new fiber. Given that all other conditions are favorable, the muscle cell will grow back bigger and stronger.
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Conclusion
To recap, here are the ten surefire ways to build muscle:
1. Lift weights! Do heavy sets of between 4 and 12 reps.
2. If a particular body part is sore, don't work it until it's not sore.
3. Eat six, evenly spaced meals a day
4. Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day.
5. Do as many reps as you can, and then do three more.
6. If you're going to use one supplement, use creatine monohydrate.
7. Drink a high-carb, high-protein drink immediately after an intense workout.
8. Keep a training log, and try to constantly "one-up" yourself.
9. Use variety in your workouts.
10. Concentrate on using eccentric movements in your workouts.
Granted, there are other ways to make muscles grow, but the things described in this special report constitute a "unified bodybuilding theory." Eight out of ten coaches, gurus, and self-proclaimed experts will agree with them. If you follow the items laid out in this special report, you will grow, no doubt about it!
References:Mark Albert, Eccentric Muscle Training in Sports and Orthopedics, Churchill Livingstone: New York, New York, 1991 .
Richard Lieber, Skeletal Muscle Structure and Function, Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 1992.
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, Science and Practice of Strength Training, Human Kinetics Books: Pennsylvania State University, 1995.
Ten Commandments of Bodybuilding
The Ten Commandments of Bodybuilding
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain.6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout.8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent.9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain.6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout.8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent.9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
Wanted Off Our Streets
WANTED
Drug Dealers from the beginning; have shown that they will not comply with the Law. The Law is easy to obey. They have to be forced to obey because it is in their attitude to refuse it, to oppose it and challenge it. That goes for any who are of a criminal attitude. We cannot accept it, and say we lost the war on drugs, or other crime.
But we must counter it by increased police activity, especially by the provision of more police, until it is brought home to their minds that compliance with the Law is each of ours necessary contribution to the common whole, and good.
Those who do wrong shall be punished; those who do good shall be rewarded.
OFF OUR STREETS
Drug Dealers from the beginning; have shown that they will not comply with the Law. The Law is easy to obey. They have to be forced to obey because it is in their attitude to refuse it, to oppose it and challenge it. That goes for any who are of a criminal attitude. We cannot accept it, and say we lost the war on drugs, or other crime.
But we must counter it by increased police activity, especially by the provision of more police, until it is brought home to their minds that compliance with the Law is each of ours necessary contribution to the common whole, and good.
Those who do wrong shall be punished; those who do good shall be rewarded.
OFF OUR STREETS
Toxins. Chemicals & Cancer in Today's Society
Toxins, Chemicals & Cancer
ä Educate yourself and work towards creating a healthy and safe environment at home and in your workplace.
ä Cancer - what's behind it?
ä One in two to three now have the probability of developing cancer.
ä Think about trespassing - they regulate, arrest, prosecute, we're real serious about it.
ä What about chemicals? They have entered our bodies and we have no rights against having chemicals enter us. Toxic chemicals are showing up in our bodies due to our society. Many of us are carrying around 100 different toxins.
ä PCB's biomagnify as they go in the food chain. PCB's are at 5 times the threshold limit in some Inuit women's breast milk. May 10th - Globe & Mail - "Nursing woman taking codeine for pain after childbirth, turned into morphine in her breast milk killing the baby".
ä Most of the toxic waste in the environment comes from sewer waste put out into the environment untreated - (VICTORIA).
ä Fire retardants on furniture, etc., release carcinogens when burned. Very hazardous to firefighting personnel as they respond to house fires.
ä Exposures add up over time. We need to be responsible about it ourselves.
ä How do we work with chemicals and keep industry running and our homes? We can find products that are not as harmful so that we can keep our jobs. Products may be able to be re-formulated. Even low doses matter as it all adds up.
ä Health & Safety Committees can eliminate known carcinogens and find replacements.
ä Janitors are often exposed because they are spraying and cleaning same as in our household. Substitute cleaners can be found.
ä In Canada our cancer rates are one out of every two or at least three people - 1930's one in ten; 1970's one in five; today one in two to three men and women. An increase of nearly 30% since 1970.
ä The chemicals we use are causing these cancers. We need to look at ways of stopping exposure.
ä The cancer industry is one of the biggest industries in Canada. Worldwide it is a 37 billion dollar a year industry that puts very little or next to none towards prevention.
ä They want to make their investors a ton of money off of cancer drugs. It is about growth and profit margins.
ä We have 100,000 chemicals on the market in Canada and less than 10% are tested for their toxicity. Many chemicals cause disruption to our hormones and are manifested into cancers, sterility and infertility.
ä We are seeing many things occur in our society and many toxic chemicals can be substituted and/or re-formulated.
ä Whales and fish washed up on shore many times have to be treated as toxic waste due to the high levels found in them.
ä We in the workplace have the right to know about chemicals. BC actually has some of the best regulations in North America. It may still do well for you to do more research using the Internet for home and industry concerns.
ä This is not so in the consumer end of things in the marketplaces. You have no right to know what chemicals are in products sold in stores. Sunlight has a known carcinogen, as does Mr. Clean Magic eraser, Fantastic spray cleaner may cause birth defects or infertility.
ä Products can be re-formulated. They can also have a large "C" on them to warn of cancer causing product. Cancer is expected to increase by 60% over the next 20 years, so it is a growth industry for the drug companies. We all need to become activists for life in the consumer market in the workplace and in the community. Chlorine, incidentally, used in water systems, mixing with organic materials (leaves, branches, etc.) produces formaldehyde, so that can make our water systems toxic.
ä To get rid of toxins, get rid of the exposures. We're still spraying like chemicals are the answer.
ä If you have a toxic substance, you must try to find a safe substitute. Next, engineer controls to stop exposure. Administrative control would be to remove the worker from exposure for periods of time and have the worker use proper personal protective equipment. PPE is a primary control when others are not practical. WCB and ourselves do not want to see mills shut down. We all want to help make things safer. PPE ought to be the last option to deal with chemicals on the worksite.
ä We must protect people, check MSDS's for "reproductive effects", "nervous system irritants". Often we need to take an extra step to look up more information for ourselves and our fellow workers' safety.
ä www.leas.ca www.scorecard.org - Chemical search sites that may be useful.
ä If manufacturers have in the MDSD 'no data available', one must assume that it is a worst case scenario - again research needed.
ä The essential point of all this is that we are seeing cancers increase and we want to see the cancers per person decrease We need to protect ourselves in the home, in society, at work and protect our next generations.
ä If we don't do something it will continue to rise.
ä Pay particular attention to "toxilogical properties" on MSDS's. If no information provided, then request it - that is a major concern.
ä www.2.worksafebc.com - Guidelines Part 5
ä Chemicals must be replaced with a material which reduces the risk, etc…
ä Some industries are always lobbying government that various chemicals do not get put in the carcinogenic category as this is not good for sales.
ä You may have to search a number of different websites to bring a lot of weight into your concern with chemicals in the workplace and consumer products producers.
ä We are accumulating toxins in our bodies and they are increasing. We need to find out why. There is more that we need to know.
ä "We can beat cancer" - is NOT the answer. We are not beating it, it is increasing. Our bodies are high on PCB's, cadmium, etc… and now it is considered normal. The Canadian Cancer Society doesn't see toxins in the environment as a concern. Don't smoke, eat fruits, vegetables, exercise, stay out of the sun, avoid chemicals in the workplace, don't drink too much. We know all this. We are doing this and cancer is still increasing. There is no real prevention being done. Questions are being asked , but no answers are forthcoming.
ä Canada is in a cancer epidemic now. One of two now are being told it is their fault, their lifestyle. We are not being told what the hazards are. The birth control pill is the largest single non studied cause of cancer ever. Canadian beef hormones, at least one hormone is carcinogenic and we are still eating it, Europe is not.
ä The Canadian Cancer Society is not there to save lives, otherwise they would try to prevent it. They just try to treat it after a person has it. Cancer is a huge business worldwide worth up to 37 billion dollars a year, big bucks are spent on drugs. There are no companies who are into prevention because there is no money in it. Why don't we treat the root cause of it, instead of just doing damage control? Cancer is increasing. We don't have enough drugs to treat people now. If it increases, the problem won't be dealt with. Cancer is a massive industry. European Union has removed carcinogens Canada still uses. They are requiring the listing of carcinogens, but not here in Canada.
ä There is lots of stuff we could be avoiding if we knew what to avoid - certain laundry soaps, pet products, personal care products, soaps, shampoos, make up. Those in the business of making these products say they are in safe doses. But remember, toxins build up over time. We live in a society that has too many chemicals in it. Why isn't the Cancer Society doing something about it? Our government and regulatory agencies are responsible to not put out products that are harmful for us. The Canadian Cancer Society is changing their position slowly on oral contraceptions and is supposed to put out a statement on it.
ä There are 2 types of people in the cancer camps, one is expected to live, one is expected to die. We really have to be more preventative.
ä Currently only 10% of cancer donations go to prevention and that is mainly on stop smoking campaigns.
ä Educate yourself and work towards creating a healthy and safe environment at home and in your workplace.
ä Cancer - what's behind it?
ä One in two to three now have the probability of developing cancer.
ä Think about trespassing - they regulate, arrest, prosecute, we're real serious about it.
ä What about chemicals? They have entered our bodies and we have no rights against having chemicals enter us. Toxic chemicals are showing up in our bodies due to our society. Many of us are carrying around 100 different toxins.
ä PCB's biomagnify as they go in the food chain. PCB's are at 5 times the threshold limit in some Inuit women's breast milk. May 10th - Globe & Mail - "Nursing woman taking codeine for pain after childbirth, turned into morphine in her breast milk killing the baby".
ä Most of the toxic waste in the environment comes from sewer waste put out into the environment untreated - (VICTORIA).
ä Fire retardants on furniture, etc., release carcinogens when burned. Very hazardous to firefighting personnel as they respond to house fires.
ä Exposures add up over time. We need to be responsible about it ourselves.
ä How do we work with chemicals and keep industry running and our homes? We can find products that are not as harmful so that we can keep our jobs. Products may be able to be re-formulated. Even low doses matter as it all adds up.
ä Health & Safety Committees can eliminate known carcinogens and find replacements.
ä Janitors are often exposed because they are spraying and cleaning same as in our household. Substitute cleaners can be found.
ä In Canada our cancer rates are one out of every two or at least three people - 1930's one in ten; 1970's one in five; today one in two to three men and women. An increase of nearly 30% since 1970.
ä The chemicals we use are causing these cancers. We need to look at ways of stopping exposure.
ä The cancer industry is one of the biggest industries in Canada. Worldwide it is a 37 billion dollar a year industry that puts very little or next to none towards prevention.
ä They want to make their investors a ton of money off of cancer drugs. It is about growth and profit margins.
ä We have 100,000 chemicals on the market in Canada and less than 10% are tested for their toxicity. Many chemicals cause disruption to our hormones and are manifested into cancers, sterility and infertility.
ä We are seeing many things occur in our society and many toxic chemicals can be substituted and/or re-formulated.
ä Whales and fish washed up on shore many times have to be treated as toxic waste due to the high levels found in them.
ä We in the workplace have the right to know about chemicals. BC actually has some of the best regulations in North America. It may still do well for you to do more research using the Internet for home and industry concerns.
ä This is not so in the consumer end of things in the marketplaces. You have no right to know what chemicals are in products sold in stores. Sunlight has a known carcinogen, as does Mr. Clean Magic eraser, Fantastic spray cleaner may cause birth defects or infertility.
ä Products can be re-formulated. They can also have a large "C" on them to warn of cancer causing product. Cancer is expected to increase by 60% over the next 20 years, so it is a growth industry for the drug companies. We all need to become activists for life in the consumer market in the workplace and in the community. Chlorine, incidentally, used in water systems, mixing with organic materials (leaves, branches, etc.) produces formaldehyde, so that can make our water systems toxic.
ä To get rid of toxins, get rid of the exposures. We're still spraying like chemicals are the answer.
ä If you have a toxic substance, you must try to find a safe substitute. Next, engineer controls to stop exposure. Administrative control would be to remove the worker from exposure for periods of time and have the worker use proper personal protective equipment. PPE is a primary control when others are not practical. WCB and ourselves do not want to see mills shut down. We all want to help make things safer. PPE ought to be the last option to deal with chemicals on the worksite.
ä We must protect people, check MSDS's for "reproductive effects", "nervous system irritants". Often we need to take an extra step to look up more information for ourselves and our fellow workers' safety.
ä www.leas.ca www.scorecard.org - Chemical search sites that may be useful.
ä If manufacturers have in the MDSD 'no data available', one must assume that it is a worst case scenario - again research needed.
ä The essential point of all this is that we are seeing cancers increase and we want to see the cancers per person decrease We need to protect ourselves in the home, in society, at work and protect our next generations.
ä If we don't do something it will continue to rise.
ä Pay particular attention to "toxilogical properties" on MSDS's. If no information provided, then request it - that is a major concern.
ä www.2.worksafebc.com - Guidelines Part 5
ä Chemicals must be replaced with a material which reduces the risk, etc…
ä Some industries are always lobbying government that various chemicals do not get put in the carcinogenic category as this is not good for sales.
ä You may have to search a number of different websites to bring a lot of weight into your concern with chemicals in the workplace and consumer products producers.
ä We are accumulating toxins in our bodies and they are increasing. We need to find out why. There is more that we need to know.
ä "We can beat cancer" - is NOT the answer. We are not beating it, it is increasing. Our bodies are high on PCB's, cadmium, etc… and now it is considered normal. The Canadian Cancer Society doesn't see toxins in the environment as a concern. Don't smoke, eat fruits, vegetables, exercise, stay out of the sun, avoid chemicals in the workplace, don't drink too much. We know all this. We are doing this and cancer is still increasing. There is no real prevention being done. Questions are being asked , but no answers are forthcoming.
ä Canada is in a cancer epidemic now. One of two now are being told it is their fault, their lifestyle. We are not being told what the hazards are. The birth control pill is the largest single non studied cause of cancer ever. Canadian beef hormones, at least one hormone is carcinogenic and we are still eating it, Europe is not.
ä The Canadian Cancer Society is not there to save lives, otherwise they would try to prevent it. They just try to treat it after a person has it. Cancer is a huge business worldwide worth up to 37 billion dollars a year, big bucks are spent on drugs. There are no companies who are into prevention because there is no money in it. Why don't we treat the root cause of it, instead of just doing damage control? Cancer is increasing. We don't have enough drugs to treat people now. If it increases, the problem won't be dealt with. Cancer is a massive industry. European Union has removed carcinogens Canada still uses. They are requiring the listing of carcinogens, but not here in Canada.
ä There is lots of stuff we could be avoiding if we knew what to avoid - certain laundry soaps, pet products, personal care products, soaps, shampoos, make up. Those in the business of making these products say they are in safe doses. But remember, toxins build up over time. We live in a society that has too many chemicals in it. Why isn't the Cancer Society doing something about it? Our government and regulatory agencies are responsible to not put out products that are harmful for us. The Canadian Cancer Society is changing their position slowly on oral contraceptions and is supposed to put out a statement on it.
ä There are 2 types of people in the cancer camps, one is expected to live, one is expected to die. We really have to be more preventative.
ä Currently only 10% of cancer donations go to prevention and that is mainly on stop smoking campaigns.
Top Ten Tips for Lifetime Health
Top Ten Tips for Lifetime Health
1) Stack the cards in your favour.
2) Body, Mind and Spirit need to be considered.
3) Stress and spiritual connection affect long term health
4) Adopt the characteristics of healthy living.
5) The spiritual aspect does have something to do with it.
#1 Health Tip: Exercise
Increases longevity. The basic thing is to be more active. Exercise decreases disease and cancer and increases the immune system. You must fit in more physical activity. It regulates blood throughout the day, decreases disease, increases bone density.
Increase your exercise so it is a little more than you are used to. Even just three 1 hour workouts can decrease the chance of cancer by 50% according to researchers. Walking can give substantial benefits.
Some high intensity exercise is being found to be more detrimental than the three times a week, one hour a day routine. Pushing, pulling type weight bearing exercises are very beneficial. Weight training can help us to function healthfully into old age. Lots of people are functionally comprised in their last 20 years of life. Weight training, even for people in old age, can help them regain bone density and muscle mass and increase overall strength by 50%-200%.
#2 Health Tip: Anti Oxidants
They are what protect us from free radical cell wall damage. DNA can get damaged and it may be a precursor to cancer. Anti-oxidants protect you and try to prevent cell damage. Essential fatty acids, omega 3 in particular, hemp nut seeds, walnuts and flax oil lower blood pressure, increase immunity and decrease pain. Put nuts and seeds into your daily diet. Fruits and vegetables - go for lots of colour - blues, reds, oranges, yellows and greens are all power foods. Get out to the farmer's market, etc. and get a variety of colourful foods. Experiment with them in salads and stir fries. Every day colourful vegetables, nuts and seeds are to be part of your daily diet. They are a good source of essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants.
#3 Health Tip: Damage Control
Reduce animal fats, meats, eggs, cheeses. These all increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. Reduce and/or find alternatives. Often we eat meat or animal products up to 21 times a week. Start ordering veggie meals, put more veggies into the lunch and only have meat one meal a day - that reduces it to 7 times a week. Animal fats contribute to clogged arteries. Our society is suffering from impotency. We do have drugs for it, however we can really help ourselves with a diet plan.
#4 Health Tip: More Damage Control
Eliminate coffee, smoking, alcohol, sugar. We have all heard this before. We get into a stimulation cycle where we are using these all the time. These cause free radical damage, aging and disease.
Solutions:
Get off the coffee and onto green teas and herbal teas. Even if you stick to one coffee or two in the morning, drink tea the rest of the day. It can be beneficial to our teeth, fight cancer and prevent disease. Green tea has five times less caffeine than coffee and a different caffeine.
Rooibos tea is becoming more popular in the health-conscious circles of North America, where it is appreciated for its high level of antioxidants and lack of caffeine. It has an anti-cancer effect.
Some researchers say that drinking extra tea gives the same benefit as having extra fruits and vegetables due to the anti-oxidant.
Hydrogenated fats are hidden in chips, cookies, salad dressings, peanut butters and margarines and other processed foods.
We will see more ingredient labelling this year or early 2007 in regards to ingredients that are harmful to your health.
#5 Health Tip: Use it or Lose It
The brain needs exercise as well as the body. Research is showing that brain neurons can be replaced/regenerated. Keep muscles in body and mind active to maintain health. Keep learning new things, take a night school course, study, learning something new every day if you can.
#6 Health Tip: Water
Clean water is critical for our health. Cells need it for health. The body needs it for chemical reactions that are needed to take place for optimum health. Lack of water can cause headaches, back pain, high blood pressure and hormonal imbalances.
Solution:
We've heard it before - 6 to 8 glasses a day.
You can, upon arising, drink 2 glasses of water first thing; water and herbal teas throughout the day, 2 glasses at the day's end but at least 4 hours before sleep and 1 hour before supper to avoid unnecessary trips to the bathroom during the night for a better night's sleep.
Water helps flush the liver and body.
Use a Britta water filter. A charcoal filter system is a good idea, although generally our tap water in BC is very good.
The make up and beauty industry are reliant upon women NOT drinking water so they can sell products for moisturizing their skin and dry hair.
#7 Health Tip: Stress Management
This is really important! Why do you vacation? Is it escapism? Escapism is not relaxing, it does not give you the tools to use when you get back into the stress situation or work environment. A stress management system is one that could involve any or some of the following: tai chi, yoga, prayer, meditation, spiritual retreat from which you learn and take away with you some tools for managing the stress in your life and letting it go. Stress lowers the immune system and can help develop heart disease, free radical damage can also result.
Breathing exercises, prayer, meditation, yoga, tai chi - putting them into practice will help you relax when faced with a stressed situation or person. Take a deep breath, relax, let it go… can be a learned response. This is critical for so many situations in our society, work and family life.
A mantra could be "I am herer to cooperate and get along with people." Learn to be flexible and easy going and comfortable with opposing views. You can change yourself, but you cannot change others directly. They can only be changed if they see something in you that they want.
#8 Health Tip: Humour
Laughter regenerates power, gives a sense of well being, enhances the immune system response, lowers blood pressure. Humour can actually heal and make ourselves well. Grab a funny movie, it is good for your health, find a funny friend, or just laugh at yourself. You are probably pretty funny with some of the stuff that's going on in your head. While daily living can get very serious, don't take yourself so seriously. Again, it's going to take a lot of forgiveness, compassion and mercy for all of us to make it through this life. You might as well have fun while you are going through it.
#9 Health Tip: Love Heals
Long living people generally meet in a community type event. It can add 7 to 15 years to one's life if you belong to a support group, community club, volunteer organization, sports club, religious community, twelve step group, or others. If you belong and practice some part of the group's skills or teaching, it can be a great benefit. It helps us to exercise our brain with continued learning and expansion of it.
#10 Health Tip: Embrace Change
Adopt the ability and attitude and acceptance of moving on. Embracing change is an ability that can free us from stress brought on by change. Look at change as an opportunity for a new learning situation and/or skill and personal development.
People who are willing to change will be able to do all sorts of awesome stuff. They will not be limiting themselves. It is not always easy making choices, but it is never too late to change. It can be done. Keep things fresh, new tricks can be learned, new ways of thinking and living can be adopted.
Commitment to what you are going to do on one's new health factor can do wonders.
Adopt one change at a time per week and it can become a habit that will stay with you. Bring things in a little at a time, something each week. Consider what you are going to do for breakfast, lunch, snacks and supper. We need to plan these things out, lest we take the more convenience type food that is not so healthy for us. If you are going to use convenience type foods, make sure you add to the meal carrot and brown rice as a balancing factor for nutrition.
Quality matters, avoid processed, high fat foods. Natural organic whole style foods, yogurts and cheeses are much better than the highly processed types. Processed yogurt and cheeses are not doing us a lot of good. Use alternatives with no artificial hormones injected into the animals that the food is derived from.
Soy foods are not exactly healthy due to the processing of them. Soy protein in some research has been found that it may raise the chance of breast cancer. More research needs to be done on soy products and supplements. We are still in the dark for the most part and have to keep on learning.
Increase the quality of the food you are eating, head towards the healthier choices as you can.
1) Stack the cards in your favour.
2) Body, Mind and Spirit need to be considered.
3) Stress and spiritual connection affect long term health
4) Adopt the characteristics of healthy living.
5) The spiritual aspect does have something to do with it.
#1 Health Tip: Exercise
Increases longevity. The basic thing is to be more active. Exercise decreases disease and cancer and increases the immune system. You must fit in more physical activity. It regulates blood throughout the day, decreases disease, increases bone density.
Increase your exercise so it is a little more than you are used to. Even just three 1 hour workouts can decrease the chance of cancer by 50% according to researchers. Walking can give substantial benefits.
Some high intensity exercise is being found to be more detrimental than the three times a week, one hour a day routine. Pushing, pulling type weight bearing exercises are very beneficial. Weight training can help us to function healthfully into old age. Lots of people are functionally comprised in their last 20 years of life. Weight training, even for people in old age, can help them regain bone density and muscle mass and increase overall strength by 50%-200%.
#2 Health Tip: Anti Oxidants
They are what protect us from free radical cell wall damage. DNA can get damaged and it may be a precursor to cancer. Anti-oxidants protect you and try to prevent cell damage. Essential fatty acids, omega 3 in particular, hemp nut seeds, walnuts and flax oil lower blood pressure, increase immunity and decrease pain. Put nuts and seeds into your daily diet. Fruits and vegetables - go for lots of colour - blues, reds, oranges, yellows and greens are all power foods. Get out to the farmer's market, etc. and get a variety of colourful foods. Experiment with them in salads and stir fries. Every day colourful vegetables, nuts and seeds are to be part of your daily diet. They are a good source of essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants.
#3 Health Tip: Damage Control
Reduce animal fats, meats, eggs, cheeses. These all increase the risk of heart disease and cancer. Reduce and/or find alternatives. Often we eat meat or animal products up to 21 times a week. Start ordering veggie meals, put more veggies into the lunch and only have meat one meal a day - that reduces it to 7 times a week. Animal fats contribute to clogged arteries. Our society is suffering from impotency. We do have drugs for it, however we can really help ourselves with a diet plan.
#4 Health Tip: More Damage Control
Eliminate coffee, smoking, alcohol, sugar. We have all heard this before. We get into a stimulation cycle where we are using these all the time. These cause free radical damage, aging and disease.
Solutions:
Get off the coffee and onto green teas and herbal teas. Even if you stick to one coffee or two in the morning, drink tea the rest of the day. It can be beneficial to our teeth, fight cancer and prevent disease. Green tea has five times less caffeine than coffee and a different caffeine.
Rooibos tea is becoming more popular in the health-conscious circles of North America, where it is appreciated for its high level of antioxidants and lack of caffeine. It has an anti-cancer effect.
Some researchers say that drinking extra tea gives the same benefit as having extra fruits and vegetables due to the anti-oxidant.
Hydrogenated fats are hidden in chips, cookies, salad dressings, peanut butters and margarines and other processed foods.
We will see more ingredient labelling this year or early 2007 in regards to ingredients that are harmful to your health.
#5 Health Tip: Use it or Lose It
The brain needs exercise as well as the body. Research is showing that brain neurons can be replaced/regenerated. Keep muscles in body and mind active to maintain health. Keep learning new things, take a night school course, study, learning something new every day if you can.
#6 Health Tip: Water
Clean water is critical for our health. Cells need it for health. The body needs it for chemical reactions that are needed to take place for optimum health. Lack of water can cause headaches, back pain, high blood pressure and hormonal imbalances.
Solution:
We've heard it before - 6 to 8 glasses a day.
You can, upon arising, drink 2 glasses of water first thing; water and herbal teas throughout the day, 2 glasses at the day's end but at least 4 hours before sleep and 1 hour before supper to avoid unnecessary trips to the bathroom during the night for a better night's sleep.
Water helps flush the liver and body.
Use a Britta water filter. A charcoal filter system is a good idea, although generally our tap water in BC is very good.
The make up and beauty industry are reliant upon women NOT drinking water so they can sell products for moisturizing their skin and dry hair.
#7 Health Tip: Stress Management
This is really important! Why do you vacation? Is it escapism? Escapism is not relaxing, it does not give you the tools to use when you get back into the stress situation or work environment. A stress management system is one that could involve any or some of the following: tai chi, yoga, prayer, meditation, spiritual retreat from which you learn and take away with you some tools for managing the stress in your life and letting it go. Stress lowers the immune system and can help develop heart disease, free radical damage can also result.
Breathing exercises, prayer, meditation, yoga, tai chi - putting them into practice will help you relax when faced with a stressed situation or person. Take a deep breath, relax, let it go… can be a learned response. This is critical for so many situations in our society, work and family life.
A mantra could be "I am herer to cooperate and get along with people." Learn to be flexible and easy going and comfortable with opposing views. You can change yourself, but you cannot change others directly. They can only be changed if they see something in you that they want.
#8 Health Tip: Humour
Laughter regenerates power, gives a sense of well being, enhances the immune system response, lowers blood pressure. Humour can actually heal and make ourselves well. Grab a funny movie, it is good for your health, find a funny friend, or just laugh at yourself. You are probably pretty funny with some of the stuff that's going on in your head. While daily living can get very serious, don't take yourself so seriously. Again, it's going to take a lot of forgiveness, compassion and mercy for all of us to make it through this life. You might as well have fun while you are going through it.
#9 Health Tip: Love Heals
Long living people generally meet in a community type event. It can add 7 to 15 years to one's life if you belong to a support group, community club, volunteer organization, sports club, religious community, twelve step group, or others. If you belong and practice some part of the group's skills or teaching, it can be a great benefit. It helps us to exercise our brain with continued learning and expansion of it.
#10 Health Tip: Embrace Change
Adopt the ability and attitude and acceptance of moving on. Embracing change is an ability that can free us from stress brought on by change. Look at change as an opportunity for a new learning situation and/or skill and personal development.
People who are willing to change will be able to do all sorts of awesome stuff. They will not be limiting themselves. It is not always easy making choices, but it is never too late to change. It can be done. Keep things fresh, new tricks can be learned, new ways of thinking and living can be adopted.
Commitment to what you are going to do on one's new health factor can do wonders.
Adopt one change at a time per week and it can become a habit that will stay with you. Bring things in a little at a time, something each week. Consider what you are going to do for breakfast, lunch, snacks and supper. We need to plan these things out, lest we take the more convenience type food that is not so healthy for us. If you are going to use convenience type foods, make sure you add to the meal carrot and brown rice as a balancing factor for nutrition.
Quality matters, avoid processed, high fat foods. Natural organic whole style foods, yogurts and cheeses are much better than the highly processed types. Processed yogurt and cheeses are not doing us a lot of good. Use alternatives with no artificial hormones injected into the animals that the food is derived from.
Soy foods are not exactly healthy due to the processing of them. Soy protein in some research has been found that it may raise the chance of breast cancer. More research needs to be done on soy products and supplements. We are still in the dark for the most part and have to keep on learning.
Increase the quality of the food you are eating, head towards the healthier choices as you can.
About Medicines
I’LL BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW!
In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name.
For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a generic name of Acetaminophen.Aleve is also called Naproxen.
Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen.The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra.
After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that is has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin.
Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.Pfizer Corp. announced today that VIAGRA will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of "cocktails", "highballs" and justa good old-fashioned "stiff drink."
Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of:
"MOUNT & DO"
In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name.
For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a generic name of Acetaminophen.Aleve is also called Naproxen.
Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen.The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra.
After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that is has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin.
Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.Pfizer Corp. announced today that VIAGRA will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of "cocktails", "highballs" and justa good old-fashioned "stiff drink."
Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of:
"MOUNT & DO"
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Vitamins an Introduction
VITAMINS AN INTRODUCTION
There are many pros and cons to taking food supplements. There is only one way to see if they work for you. Try them for a few months, see if you notice the difference.
A short note on exercise, were talking weightlifting and if you can combine it with 30 or so minutes of cardio exercise so much the better.
It takes less than 30 to 60 minutes, two to five times a week to drastically change your body, increase your endurance, strength and vitality! All that for less than 1 to 3 hours. (Routines vary greatly, find one that suits you and your time schedule).
The body must have exercise or else it WILL deteriorate. If you exercise 2 to 5 times a week you will get better with each passing year. There are people who have exercised their entire lifetimes who at the age of 50 or 60 are in better shape than some people who are in their early twenties!
For all the benefits received isn’t it worth 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week?
You will obtain the exact ‘results’ in direct relationship to the effort you put into your diet and exercise!
One of the biggest excuses for not exercises is this: ‘I don’t have the time!’ Anybody can find the time for exercising, because it only takes a minimum of 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a week.
Decide which days you want to exercise and try to stick to that schedule, you can even if to busy during the week days exercise on just Saturday and Sunday. Exercise anytime it is convenient for you! Do it in the morning, before work, at noon or at night, it doesn’t matter. But what does matter is that you stick to the time you have decided on. Naturally there will be times you have to alter your schedule, but generally try to workout at the same time.
ADJUST YOURSELF MENTALLY FOR EXERCISING. This is the big secret in accomplishing anything worthwhile. Give yourself the right positive-mental attitude and you’ll love exercising. Think positive about it and you’ll look forward to each workout.
Each time you have an exercise session try to better yourself, try to do the exercise with perfect form. Do a extra repetition, but above all, better yourself with each training session.
DIET AND EXERCISE, A COMBINATION TO USE CORRECTLY. Make a decision, get a plan, take action and keep it up. Educate yourself, research, study and practice what works for you. Listen to the people who are getting the results you want.
WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU WILL BRING ABOUT. Dare to care about your own health, it’s all up to you, your choices. One thing leads to another.
TRAIN WITHIN YOUR LIMITS. Make sure whatever exercises you chose are well within your abilities. Too many people become impatient and try to reach their goals too quickly. The result is they strain themselves, causing extreme muscular soreness. Don’t quit if your muscles become a little sore, that will last only a few days! When beginning weightlifting, each exercise ought to be done easily and without any strain. As your strength increases so will your capacity to handle an increased amount of strain, and soon the exercises will become quite easy for you to do, and for your body to handle.
Simply do your best, soon your strength will pick up and you’ll find the exercises easy. Your training ought always be progressive, always try to do a little more. Concentrate fully on each exercise! This is a big secret in obtaining good results. Think about whatever muscle group you are exercising. Work for good form in all the exercises…concentrate on form.
IMPORTANT…Before starting any exercising or dieting, consult your Doctor. Show him or her the exercises you want to do…discuss what you are going to try and be sure to get a complete physical.
FOOD SUPPLEMENTS: Due to the processing and altering of our food that started about 150 years ago we started down the road to poor health. For these and other reasons we will read about it may be wise to add vitamin and mineral supplementation to your diet.
What are vitamin and mineral supplements all about. Well, every supplement recommended here is a completely natural food derivative; there is nothing chemical or artificial about any of them. In this article we’ll explain the properties and benefits of each of these extremely valuable nutrients.
DESSICATED LIVER: To save all you liver-haters the “torture” of actually having to eat the stuff, somebody was nice enough to have discovered the benefits of drying fresh liver at a low temperature in a vacuum chamber…preserving all the vital nutrients, and making it into a pill form. Dessicated liver is available in either powder or tablet form; you’ll probably prefer the tablets, however (you don’t even taste them), because the powder must be sprinkled over other foods or mixed in liquids. Dessicated liver is quite popular with vegetarians who like to make sure their non-meat diets can provide them with adequate nutrients.
But whether you eat fresh liver or use the convenient tablets, liver of every type is a fantastic source of complete protein, Vitamins A, C, and D and all the B vitamins (it contains twenty to fifty times as much Vitamin B12 as the muscle meats). Liver is extremely rich in essential minerals, too---calcium, phosphorous, lots of iron, copper (which helps conserve iron), and iodine. Liver is second to none when it comes to getting you going, speeding up your metabolism, and giving you only essential nutrients, and none of the unnecessary lumps and bulges left by other foods. (Another unexpected but pleasant benefit is its ability to reduce your appetite!)
Dessicated Liver may be consider an “anti-fatigue” nutrient. In a diet it can be fully utilized to produce energy and build a strong and healthy body.
Recommended Dosage: 5 – 500mg tablets with breakfast, and 5 – 500mg tablets with lunch or supper, or 3 – 800mg tablets 2 times a day.
KELP: Cut out all the sweet stuff and add kelp to your diet. What seaweed! Don’t worry, it’s nowhere near as bad as it sounds! The kelp, like the liver, has been dried and compressed into tablets, preserving the nutrients and giving it more appeal as far as consumption goes.
Why should seaweed be valuable to you as a food? The answer can be found in the mineral-rich garden which kelp grows in. Every nutrient necessary for sustaining life in its many forms is at hand in the sea, and that is why kelp is an ideal mineral supplement.
Although kelp is a great source of many vital minerals, it is especially noted for its over-abundance of iodine. And, while the body needs only a minute supply of iodine from day to day, it is an essential part of our diet. A body deprived of iodine will die---it is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland (which controls your weight), and most of the iodine in your body is concentrated there. Iodine stimulates the thyroid gland which, in turn, causes your metabolism to operate at maximum efficiency (in other words, iodine helps burn fat)!
And we can’t ignore the other beneficial properties of kelp. Analyses indicate that it contains up to twenty-one amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), twelve vitamins, and sixty minerals, all naturally balanced. And, since it’s only an organic sea vegetable and not a drug, supplementing your diet with kelp will not interfere with any doctor-prescribed thyroid medication. The properties of kelp help keep your blood tissues from becoming either too acid or too alkaline, and a fractured bone will actually heal faster when kelp is added to the diet! Just think what it will be able to do for you while you’re healthy!
A deficiency of iodine causes a condition known as goiter (a swelling of the thyroid gland in your neck). And, it until table salt was iodized, grossly enlarged necks were quite common. It’s not much of a problem today, though, because most people manage to consume a sufficient amount of iodine daily. Individuals on salt-free diets, however, should consult with a physician about obtaining another source of iodine---kelp, as well as iodized salt, should be avoided.
Recommended Dosage: 5 – 500mg tablets with breakfast, and 5 – 500mg tablets with lunch or supper, or 4 – 650mg tablets 2 times a day.
LECITHIN: Just a few years ago, cholesterol deposits in artery walls were found to be responsible for serious heart problems. The discovery gave everyone quite a scare, and since then it’s been estimated that nearly a quarter of the families in America have altered their eating habits to include less fatty foods and thus lower their cholesterol intake. It’s too bad that the authorities didn’t give the public the whole story.
A person on a diet high in animal fat (butter, cream, egg yolk, etc.) takes in about 800 milligrams of cholesterol a day. The normal human liver, however, produces 3000 milligrams on its own every day. So cutting your cholesterol intake isn’t really the complete answer---the body will continue to produce it. As a matter of fact, cutting out cholesterol would do you more harm than good, because cholesterol is necessary to form the raw material from which Vitamin D, the sex and adrenal hormones, and bile salts are made. And there is a substantial amount of cholesterol concentrated in the brain and nerve tissues, in the heart, kidneys, endocrine glands, skin, hair, spinal column and digestive juices---enough to indicate that it serves some important functions.
But to be able to perform these functions, cholesterol must be broken up into particles tiny enough to be absorbed into the tissues where it is needed. Otherwise, the large chunks will become “stuck” in the walls of the arteries, and build up, causing blood flow to become slow, erratic, or even halted.
That’s where lecithin comes into the picture. Fatty foods containing cholesterol have their own built-in “safety factor”---and that is lecithin. The number one important fact about lecithin is that it incorporates an emulsifying principle known to have a great ability to break up fats and reduce them into those very necessary small particles.
Lecithin allows the important fats to be absorbed into the vital areas of the body where they are most needed. It should be easy for you to understand, now, that fatty foods do serve a purpose, and that eliminating them from your diet deprives your body of necessary cholesterol, Vitamin A, and that essential agent to metabolism, lecithin.
Lecithin itself is a member of the fat family---a “cousin” to cholesterol. It is most readily found in natural foods: egg yolks, butter, vegetable oils (corn, safflower, and soybean) which have not been refined or hydrogenated, liver, wheat germ, beef, nuts, and seeds (barley, corn, melon, pumpkin, and sunflower). It can also be obtained as a food supplement in oil, granule, or capsule form (we recommend the capsules).
Lecithin, like cholesterol, can also be manufactured by the body---in the intestinal wall and in the liver---provided the right conditions exist. And it is to important to the body, that a low-fat diet (intended to cut cholesterol intake) may even be dangerous to your health---by limiting your fats and oils, you may cause your body to slowly “starve” by denying it the proper elements necessary to maintain good health.
Lecithin is found in every cell of the human body, and it forms an important part of the tissue in the brain and nerves. It is vital to the proper functioning of all glands, including the sex glands, and it is a natural diuretic (a substance which increases the flow of urine; unnatural diuretics---water pills---have a tendency to wash away the body’s potassium salts with the urine, and potassium is the very thing that prevents water retention in the first place). Lecithin helps relieve stress and helps quiet nerves. It also helps fill out the skin and makes it soft, and has been shown to be effective, in some cases, against skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Lecithin helps to digest, absorb and carry in the bloodstream the fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as cholesterol, which we previously mentioned.
Two of the hardest B vitamins to get---cholin and inositol---have their best source in lecithin. They are the magic partners responsible for cholesterol break-up and, as a part of lecithin, they may serve the most important functions.
The trick involved in getting cholin and inositol to actually help you lose weight is to take supplementary lecithin---more lecithin than what you are receiving in your fats and oils. That way, your lecithin supply will out-balance your cholesterol, and help to break up any unnecessary fatty deposits in your body. Supplement your diet with lecithin capsules to help metabolize fats.
Recommended Dosage: 3 – 1000 to 1200mg capsules, with breakfast, lunch and supper.
CALCIUM: Calcium is the key mineral. It is the most abundant mineral in the human body (it comprises more than 2% of your total weight)---your bones and teeth are more than two-thirds mineral content, and the dominant mineral is calcium. Calcium fortifies your bones and teeth, and gives them solidity---necessary for a long and healthy life. And, although 99% of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth, a very important one percent makes the rounds throughout the soft tissues and body fluids, controlling the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscles, helping blood to clot when tissues have been damaged, regulating the passage of fluid through cell and tissue walls, forming and rebuilding tissues, and stimulating the enzyme action necessary for efficient body metabolism. Every muscle relies on calcium for its power, and calcium induces sound sleep as well!
Calcium is usually found in close association with other elements in the body. Vitamin D (obtained from liver and exposure to the sun) is directly involved in the utilization and assimilation of calcium (Vitamins A and B are involved to a lesser extent); phosphorous and iron must also be present in sufficient amounts in order for calcium to be absorbed into the system.
Eggs, fish, meat and poultry are the best natural sources of calcium other than milk (try Soy milk). The best supplementary sources are tablets of either calcium gluconate or calcium lactate. Growing children, pregnant or nursing women, and elderly people naturally have a greater need for calcium.
Recommended Dosage: 1 – 500mg tablet with breakfast, lunch and supper.
Multi-vitamin: with Vitamin A, selenium, folic acid and iron in it’s makeup. The benefits of Vitamin A are not only normal vision, but resistance to infections, proper development of bones and tooth enamel, good appetite, normal digestion, reproduction, lactation, and the formation of oxygen-carrying red and infection-fighting white blood corpuscles all rely on a diet adequate in Vitamin A. This vitamin also helps to lower the cholesterol level in the blood, and has been found to reduce by 60% the incidence of coronary heart disease, and to reduce by 90% the severity of coronary attacks.
But where there are needs and benefits, there can also be dangers. Insufficient Vitamin A may show up early in the form of skin problems (scales, acne, possibly impetigo, boils and carbuncles), dry hair that lacks sheen and luster, dandruff and fragile nails. A more severe deficiency will result in varying degrees of night blindness and visual sensitivity to bright lights.
Vitamin A is also essential in the manufacture of the protective mucous lining in the nose, throat, sinuses, middle ears, gall bladder and urinary bladder. This mucous lining prevents bacteria and toxic substances from gaining entrance to the cells. But if Vitamin A is denied, the lining can no longer be an efficient guard. Thus, the body becomes susceptible to infections in these areas---kidney and bladder stones, as well as loss of taste, are possible consequences.
What does this important nutrient look like? From what can it be obtained? Vitamin A is one of the “fat-soluble” group of vitamins (the others being Vitamins D, E and K), “fat-soluble” meaning that it can stored in the body until it is needed. Vitamin A is colorless when found in human and animal livers (where it is stored), but when found in plants, it is yellowish in color, and is known as “carotene”. The processes of the liver then convert the carotene into usable Vitamin A.
If you obtained your Vitamin A from yellow and green vegetables in the form of carotene, you would have to eat twice as much carotene as you would Vitamin A from animal fats (butter, eggs, cream), liver and kidney, in order to end up with equal amounts of Vitamin A.
Since Vitamin A is not stored in the muscles, muscle meats such as steaks, chops and roasts are not sources of Vitamin A. And, of the Vitamin A-rich organ meats, beef and mutton liver have more of the vitamin than calf and lamb liver, because the older animal has had a longer time to store up more Vitamin A.
Now, remember earlier when we mentioned the interdependency of vitamins and minerals? Well, Vitamin A is a good example to show you exactly what we mean: Both Vitamin A and carotene must combine with bile salts and fat before they can be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the blood (here is another instance where a fat-free diet can do more harm than good). If the diet is low in fat, little or no bile reaches the intestines, and 90% of both the carotene and the Vitamin A may be lost through elimination.
If there is an inadequacy of Vitamin E in the diet, Vitamin A will be immediately destroyed upon reaching the blood, and any Vitamin E present will be quickly used up---Vitamin A needs Vitamin E to “shield” it from the oxygen in the blood, or else Vitamin A loses its potency and is rendered useless. (Doctors have prescribed Vitamin A to help ease acne problems in adolescents, but unless there is sufficient Vitamin E present, not only will the A-Vitamin be destroyed, but a Vitamin E deficiency will show up. The more Vitamin E in the diet, the less Vitamin A needed, and the more Vitamin A stored. And this stored Vitamin A can be called upon whenever your needs are inadequate.)
Another essential vitamin---cholin (one of the B vitamins)---must be present in sufficient supply in order for Vitamin A to be stored in the liver.
Vitamin deficiencies can be easily and unknowingly created. For example, there are many B vitamins and they all work closely together as a team known as B-complex. If you should happen to supplement your diet with only one or several, but not all, of the B vitamins, you would “create” a deficiency of the other B vitamins. You’ve already read how a lack of Vitamins E and B can cause a Vitamin A deficiency, as well as A causing and E deficiency by quickly using up the little Vitamin E you may have stored.
The ingestion of mineral oil can also cause a serious vitamin deficiency, not only of A, but of all the fat-soluble vitamins: D,E and K as well. Some people use mineral oil for frying, for salad dressing, or take it orally as a laxative. But mineral oil cannot be digested and therefore is not a food. Unfortunately, some 60% of it manages to get into the bloodstream and then circulates throughout the body, absorbing Vitamins A, E and K, and holding them, powerless, until the oil, along with the vitamins, is finally eliminated from the body.
Eating rancid fats will also cause vitamin deficiencies, especially in Vitamins A,E and K, and several B vitamins. And, although you may think you have never eaten or served rancid foods, you’re quite probably wrong. Any fat products---ham, sausage, bacon, mayonnaise, butter, packaged piecrust and cake mixes, potato and corn chips, popcorn, salted nuts, ground nuts and similar foods---stored too long at home or in the market, are often slightly rancid. And what about that container of grease drippings Mother used keep from week to week, and use for frying? You don’t do that like she used to, do you?
The amount of Vitamin A needed by healthy persons varies greatly with each individual. More Vitamin A is required in proportion to body weight, so naturally, adults need more than children. Men usually require more than women, and elderly people, who utilize their food less efficiently, need more of most vitamins than do younger adults.
Your occupation, your hobbies, and where you live all determine how much Vitamin A you need above the adult minimum daily requirement of 5,000 units. Work that requires heavy reading, or contact with bright lights, or hobbies and sports which take you out in the into the sun or on the water will demand a lot from your eyes, and thus more Vitamin A is needed. Likewise, if you spend a good part of your summer on a white, sunny beach, and some of your winter in a snowy, northern clime, supplement Vitamin A (taken with E of course) will help your eyes recover from the constant glaring reflections of the sun.
But just as too little Vitamin A is harmful, there is a danger of overdoing it. Amounts of Vitamin A greater that 50,000 units daily can be toxic if continued for days in succession with no let up (you’ll know if you’re getting too much Vitamin A if you start experiencing headaches, blurred vision, itching skin, thinning hair, sore lips.
Recommended Dosage: 1 – Multi-vitamin daily.
IRON: Your Multi-vitamin ought to contain iron. The national average shows the blood’s hemoglobin content to be about 15 to 30% below normal. Hemoglobin is the important element in blood which carries oxygen in the red blood cells to all of the other cells in the body, and then removes the carbon dioxide from those cells, transporting it to the lungs to be expelled. Iron is essential to the formation of this hemoglobin, and an iron deficiency results in a condition known as anemia (recognizable by nearly constant fatigue, pale skin, low resistance to infections, and in severe cases, mental disorders and heart failure). It has been found that more women than men develop anemia, and that 90% of American women are suffering from some degree of iron deficiency.
You’d think that, with iron being the fourth most abundant element in our environment, our bodies would be over-abundant in it---having rich, red blood to quickly, effortlessly and efficiently transport oxygen, vitamins, and minerals to all parts of our bodies, and just as easily remove the wastes. Americans should be a healthy people, but we haven’t done a very good job of eating the proper foods!
Iron is present in most natural foods, its richest sources being the organ meats (liver, kidney), beef, pork, lamb, egg yolk, clams, oysters, turkey, wheat germ, peanuts, soybeans and barley.
In several respects, iron is the most significant member of the mineral family, not only because it prevents anemia, but because of its energy-building properties. It has an important role in the body’s metabolism.
Recommended Dosage: Twelve milligrams of iron daily is the recommended minimum for men, while women should get at least fifteen milligrams---more if they are pregnant, nursing, or experiencing heavy menstrual flow.
VITAMIN C: Vitamin C is one of the “water soluble” vitamins---the body needs it constantly, but, since it can’t be stored in or produced by the body, it must be obtained daily from fresh fruits, vegetables, juices and/or supplements.
Vitamin C seems to have a hand in all the body’s life processes---your heart beat, your respiration, and the structure, strength and defense of all your body cells. Vitamin C is necessary for good bone formation (bones and teeth will not hold minerals---especially calcium and phosphorous---if Vitamin C is deficient); brittle bones and unhealthy teeth and gums are prevented by adequate Vitamin C, and when bones fractures do occur, Vitamin C assists in the mending and strong reconstruction of the break. The efficient absorption and utilization of iron, as well, is dependent upon the presence of adequate Vitamin C, and it is also responsible for regulating the cholesterol in the bloodstream, and figures prominently in the lowering of high blood pressure.
And, while acting as a mild diuretic and helping to maintain your eyesight, Vitamin C works as a detoxificant in your body---that is, it renders harmless nearly every bothersome or dangerous element that manages to invade your system: chemical additives, dyes, fertilizers, drugs, and allergens (dust and pollen) to name a few. Vitamin C will even detoxify harmful acetone bodies---the residue left behind in the tissues when your blood sugar falls below normal and the fats in your body are incompletely burned (acetone bodies are a major cause of fatigue).
In order to conduct these foreign and “home grown” toxins safely out of your body, Vitamin C “links up” with the offenders, and escorts them away to be eliminated. However, while serving the body in this manner, the Vitamin C is also lost, and must be replaced right away. That’s why physicians prescribe massive doses of this vitamin when infections set in---enough Vitamin C will then be on hand to help the body shake off the ailment, while plenty is left over to perform the essential daily services.
Despite the special need for a constant supply of Vitamin C, surveys show that approximately ¾ of our population do not get the recommended minimum daily allowance of 75 to 100 milligrams (one glass of fresh orange juice supplies 130 milligrams). The first signs of Vitamin C deficiency, other than fatigue, are a tendency to bruise easily, and sore, bleeding gums. But before you get to that stage, increase your supply.
It was mentioned earlier that Vitamin C can be found in all fresh, natural foods, and/or supplements. You can’t overdo Vitamin C because excesses are passed off in your urine. However, if you take an excessive amount over a period of a few days and experience diarrhea, simply cut back the amount taken. Recommended Dosage: 1 – 500mg tablet with breakfast, lunch and supper.
VITAMIN E: Before millers began refining all the nutrients out of whole grain flour, it’s estimated that the average daily intake of Vitamin E was most nearly 150 units a day (the recommended minimum daily amount is 140 to 210 units). Vitamin E is one of the “fat-soluble” group, so it can be stored in the body.
If adequately supplied, the pituitary or master gland, will contain 200 times more Vitamin E than any other part of the body. A Vitamin E deficiency will decrease the production of all the pituitary hormones, including the growth hormone and the hormone necessary to stimulate the thyroid and sex glands. (The fact is, the presence of Vitamin E prevents these hormones from being destroyed by oxygen---it does not stimulate the production of these hormones.)
One of the vital functions of Vitamin E is to prevent unsaturated fatty acids and fat-like substances (in your body as well as in the foods you eat) from combining with oxygen and being destroyed; these fatty acids and fat-like substances include Vitamin A, carotene, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K, as well as the previously mentioned hormones. In addition, essential fatty acids are now known to form, not only part of the internal structure and walls of every cell in the body, but also the connective tissue between all cells, and when Vitamin E is deficient, these cells and tissues break down. Viruses, bacteria, and allergens are thus allowed free access into the tissues. In blood vessels, this condition can cause clots to form, often resulting in varicose veins, phlebitis, strokes and heart attacks. A sufficient supply of Vitamin E not only keeps the walls of vessels and arteries strong, but serves as an anti-coagulant, dilating the vessels to assist in circulation.
Unfortunately, in preventing the destruction of other vitamins and essential fatty acids by oxygen, Vitamin E is itself used up. It acts as a “self-sacrifice,” so to speak, drawing the oxygen away from other potential “victims.” So, your Vitamin E supply should be constantly replenished.
But, just as Vitamin E is destroyed by oxygen in your body, it is just as readily in foods when they are exposed to air, heat, and cold, as well as when they are kept in extended storage. For example, frying in oil destroys approximately 98% of any Vitamin E present in a food, and not a single milligram of Vitamin E remains in refined oils, flour, and packaged cereal grains---once so rich in this vitamin. Lately, nuts, fresh wheat germ, cold-pressed oils, and stone-ground whole-grain breads and cereals are almost our only good, natural sources other than what can be found in fatty meats.
The minimum daily requirement of Vitamin E varies greatly from person to person---some individuals need as much as four times the Vitamin E as others, the need being increased by stress, oil consumption, extended deficiency of this vitamin, rapid growth (as is experienced by adolescents as they mature), menopause, and the taking of sex hormones.
Any excess of Vitamin E is stored in the pituitary, adrenal and sex glands, but it can be quickly used up, especially if you contract a virus or infection. Amounts of Vitamin E between 600 and 1600 units of Vitamin E should be taken after a meal containing fat, and ten hours before or after iron is taken. (A condition known as Vitamin E anemia exists which is difficult to distinguish from iron-deficiency anemia. Often, a physician will prescribe iron for this Vitamin E deficiency without first testing for lack of Vitamin E. And, unfortunately, most iron supplements, if not all, destroy Vitamin E---so allow plenty of time between your iron and Vitamin E supplements.)
Recommended Dosage: 400 to 1600 units daily.
(NOTE: Persons who have high blood pressure or hearts damaged from chronic rheumatic fever should check first with a physician before taking Vitamin E supplements.)
WHEAT GERM OIL: for vitality and energy.
There are many pros and cons to taking food supplements. There is only one way to see if they work for you. Try them for a few months, see if you notice the difference.
A short note on exercise, were talking weightlifting and if you can combine it with 30 or so minutes of cardio exercise so much the better.
It takes less than 30 to 60 minutes, two to five times a week to drastically change your body, increase your endurance, strength and vitality! All that for less than 1 to 3 hours. (Routines vary greatly, find one that suits you and your time schedule).
The body must have exercise or else it WILL deteriorate. If you exercise 2 to 5 times a week you will get better with each passing year. There are people who have exercised their entire lifetimes who at the age of 50 or 60 are in better shape than some people who are in their early twenties!
For all the benefits received isn’t it worth 30 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week?
You will obtain the exact ‘results’ in direct relationship to the effort you put into your diet and exercise!
One of the biggest excuses for not exercises is this: ‘I don’t have the time!’ Anybody can find the time for exercising, because it only takes a minimum of 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a week.
Decide which days you want to exercise and try to stick to that schedule, you can even if to busy during the week days exercise on just Saturday and Sunday. Exercise anytime it is convenient for you! Do it in the morning, before work, at noon or at night, it doesn’t matter. But what does matter is that you stick to the time you have decided on. Naturally there will be times you have to alter your schedule, but generally try to workout at the same time.
ADJUST YOURSELF MENTALLY FOR EXERCISING. This is the big secret in accomplishing anything worthwhile. Give yourself the right positive-mental attitude and you’ll love exercising. Think positive about it and you’ll look forward to each workout.
Each time you have an exercise session try to better yourself, try to do the exercise with perfect form. Do a extra repetition, but above all, better yourself with each training session.
DIET AND EXERCISE, A COMBINATION TO USE CORRECTLY. Make a decision, get a plan, take action and keep it up. Educate yourself, research, study and practice what works for you. Listen to the people who are getting the results you want.
WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU WILL BRING ABOUT. Dare to care about your own health, it’s all up to you, your choices. One thing leads to another.
TRAIN WITHIN YOUR LIMITS. Make sure whatever exercises you chose are well within your abilities. Too many people become impatient and try to reach their goals too quickly. The result is they strain themselves, causing extreme muscular soreness. Don’t quit if your muscles become a little sore, that will last only a few days! When beginning weightlifting, each exercise ought to be done easily and without any strain. As your strength increases so will your capacity to handle an increased amount of strain, and soon the exercises will become quite easy for you to do, and for your body to handle.
Simply do your best, soon your strength will pick up and you’ll find the exercises easy. Your training ought always be progressive, always try to do a little more. Concentrate fully on each exercise! This is a big secret in obtaining good results. Think about whatever muscle group you are exercising. Work for good form in all the exercises…concentrate on form.
IMPORTANT…Before starting any exercising or dieting, consult your Doctor. Show him or her the exercises you want to do…discuss what you are going to try and be sure to get a complete physical.
FOOD SUPPLEMENTS: Due to the processing and altering of our food that started about 150 years ago we started down the road to poor health. For these and other reasons we will read about it may be wise to add vitamin and mineral supplementation to your diet.
What are vitamin and mineral supplements all about. Well, every supplement recommended here is a completely natural food derivative; there is nothing chemical or artificial about any of them. In this article we’ll explain the properties and benefits of each of these extremely valuable nutrients.
DESSICATED LIVER: To save all you liver-haters the “torture” of actually having to eat the stuff, somebody was nice enough to have discovered the benefits of drying fresh liver at a low temperature in a vacuum chamber…preserving all the vital nutrients, and making it into a pill form. Dessicated liver is available in either powder or tablet form; you’ll probably prefer the tablets, however (you don’t even taste them), because the powder must be sprinkled over other foods or mixed in liquids. Dessicated liver is quite popular with vegetarians who like to make sure their non-meat diets can provide them with adequate nutrients.
But whether you eat fresh liver or use the convenient tablets, liver of every type is a fantastic source of complete protein, Vitamins A, C, and D and all the B vitamins (it contains twenty to fifty times as much Vitamin B12 as the muscle meats). Liver is extremely rich in essential minerals, too---calcium, phosphorous, lots of iron, copper (which helps conserve iron), and iodine. Liver is second to none when it comes to getting you going, speeding up your metabolism, and giving you only essential nutrients, and none of the unnecessary lumps and bulges left by other foods. (Another unexpected but pleasant benefit is its ability to reduce your appetite!)
Dessicated Liver may be consider an “anti-fatigue” nutrient. In a diet it can be fully utilized to produce energy and build a strong and healthy body.
Recommended Dosage: 5 – 500mg tablets with breakfast, and 5 – 500mg tablets with lunch or supper, or 3 – 800mg tablets 2 times a day.
KELP: Cut out all the sweet stuff and add kelp to your diet. What seaweed! Don’t worry, it’s nowhere near as bad as it sounds! The kelp, like the liver, has been dried and compressed into tablets, preserving the nutrients and giving it more appeal as far as consumption goes.
Why should seaweed be valuable to you as a food? The answer can be found in the mineral-rich garden which kelp grows in. Every nutrient necessary for sustaining life in its many forms is at hand in the sea, and that is why kelp is an ideal mineral supplement.
Although kelp is a great source of many vital minerals, it is especially noted for its over-abundance of iodine. And, while the body needs only a minute supply of iodine from day to day, it is an essential part of our diet. A body deprived of iodine will die---it is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland (which controls your weight), and most of the iodine in your body is concentrated there. Iodine stimulates the thyroid gland which, in turn, causes your metabolism to operate at maximum efficiency (in other words, iodine helps burn fat)!
And we can’t ignore the other beneficial properties of kelp. Analyses indicate that it contains up to twenty-one amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), twelve vitamins, and sixty minerals, all naturally balanced. And, since it’s only an organic sea vegetable and not a drug, supplementing your diet with kelp will not interfere with any doctor-prescribed thyroid medication. The properties of kelp help keep your blood tissues from becoming either too acid or too alkaline, and a fractured bone will actually heal faster when kelp is added to the diet! Just think what it will be able to do for you while you’re healthy!
A deficiency of iodine causes a condition known as goiter (a swelling of the thyroid gland in your neck). And, it until table salt was iodized, grossly enlarged necks were quite common. It’s not much of a problem today, though, because most people manage to consume a sufficient amount of iodine daily. Individuals on salt-free diets, however, should consult with a physician about obtaining another source of iodine---kelp, as well as iodized salt, should be avoided.
Recommended Dosage: 5 – 500mg tablets with breakfast, and 5 – 500mg tablets with lunch or supper, or 4 – 650mg tablets 2 times a day.
LECITHIN: Just a few years ago, cholesterol deposits in artery walls were found to be responsible for serious heart problems. The discovery gave everyone quite a scare, and since then it’s been estimated that nearly a quarter of the families in America have altered their eating habits to include less fatty foods and thus lower their cholesterol intake. It’s too bad that the authorities didn’t give the public the whole story.
A person on a diet high in animal fat (butter, cream, egg yolk, etc.) takes in about 800 milligrams of cholesterol a day. The normal human liver, however, produces 3000 milligrams on its own every day. So cutting your cholesterol intake isn’t really the complete answer---the body will continue to produce it. As a matter of fact, cutting out cholesterol would do you more harm than good, because cholesterol is necessary to form the raw material from which Vitamin D, the sex and adrenal hormones, and bile salts are made. And there is a substantial amount of cholesterol concentrated in the brain and nerve tissues, in the heart, kidneys, endocrine glands, skin, hair, spinal column and digestive juices---enough to indicate that it serves some important functions.
But to be able to perform these functions, cholesterol must be broken up into particles tiny enough to be absorbed into the tissues where it is needed. Otherwise, the large chunks will become “stuck” in the walls of the arteries, and build up, causing blood flow to become slow, erratic, or even halted.
That’s where lecithin comes into the picture. Fatty foods containing cholesterol have their own built-in “safety factor”---and that is lecithin. The number one important fact about lecithin is that it incorporates an emulsifying principle known to have a great ability to break up fats and reduce them into those very necessary small particles.
Lecithin allows the important fats to be absorbed into the vital areas of the body where they are most needed. It should be easy for you to understand, now, that fatty foods do serve a purpose, and that eliminating them from your diet deprives your body of necessary cholesterol, Vitamin A, and that essential agent to metabolism, lecithin.
Lecithin itself is a member of the fat family---a “cousin” to cholesterol. It is most readily found in natural foods: egg yolks, butter, vegetable oils (corn, safflower, and soybean) which have not been refined or hydrogenated, liver, wheat germ, beef, nuts, and seeds (barley, corn, melon, pumpkin, and sunflower). It can also be obtained as a food supplement in oil, granule, or capsule form (we recommend the capsules).
Lecithin, like cholesterol, can also be manufactured by the body---in the intestinal wall and in the liver---provided the right conditions exist. And it is to important to the body, that a low-fat diet (intended to cut cholesterol intake) may even be dangerous to your health---by limiting your fats and oils, you may cause your body to slowly “starve” by denying it the proper elements necessary to maintain good health.
Lecithin is found in every cell of the human body, and it forms an important part of the tissue in the brain and nerves. It is vital to the proper functioning of all glands, including the sex glands, and it is a natural diuretic (a substance which increases the flow of urine; unnatural diuretics---water pills---have a tendency to wash away the body’s potassium salts with the urine, and potassium is the very thing that prevents water retention in the first place). Lecithin helps relieve stress and helps quiet nerves. It also helps fill out the skin and makes it soft, and has been shown to be effective, in some cases, against skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Lecithin helps to digest, absorb and carry in the bloodstream the fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as cholesterol, which we previously mentioned.
Two of the hardest B vitamins to get---cholin and inositol---have their best source in lecithin. They are the magic partners responsible for cholesterol break-up and, as a part of lecithin, they may serve the most important functions.
The trick involved in getting cholin and inositol to actually help you lose weight is to take supplementary lecithin---more lecithin than what you are receiving in your fats and oils. That way, your lecithin supply will out-balance your cholesterol, and help to break up any unnecessary fatty deposits in your body. Supplement your diet with lecithin capsules to help metabolize fats.
Recommended Dosage: 3 – 1000 to 1200mg capsules, with breakfast, lunch and supper.
CALCIUM: Calcium is the key mineral. It is the most abundant mineral in the human body (it comprises more than 2% of your total weight)---your bones and teeth are more than two-thirds mineral content, and the dominant mineral is calcium. Calcium fortifies your bones and teeth, and gives them solidity---necessary for a long and healthy life. And, although 99% of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth, a very important one percent makes the rounds throughout the soft tissues and body fluids, controlling the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscles, helping blood to clot when tissues have been damaged, regulating the passage of fluid through cell and tissue walls, forming and rebuilding tissues, and stimulating the enzyme action necessary for efficient body metabolism. Every muscle relies on calcium for its power, and calcium induces sound sleep as well!
Calcium is usually found in close association with other elements in the body. Vitamin D (obtained from liver and exposure to the sun) is directly involved in the utilization and assimilation of calcium (Vitamins A and B are involved to a lesser extent); phosphorous and iron must also be present in sufficient amounts in order for calcium to be absorbed into the system.
Eggs, fish, meat and poultry are the best natural sources of calcium other than milk (try Soy milk). The best supplementary sources are tablets of either calcium gluconate or calcium lactate. Growing children, pregnant or nursing women, and elderly people naturally have a greater need for calcium.
Recommended Dosage: 1 – 500mg tablet with breakfast, lunch and supper.
Multi-vitamin: with Vitamin A, selenium, folic acid and iron in it’s makeup. The benefits of Vitamin A are not only normal vision, but resistance to infections, proper development of bones and tooth enamel, good appetite, normal digestion, reproduction, lactation, and the formation of oxygen-carrying red and infection-fighting white blood corpuscles all rely on a diet adequate in Vitamin A. This vitamin also helps to lower the cholesterol level in the blood, and has been found to reduce by 60% the incidence of coronary heart disease, and to reduce by 90% the severity of coronary attacks.
But where there are needs and benefits, there can also be dangers. Insufficient Vitamin A may show up early in the form of skin problems (scales, acne, possibly impetigo, boils and carbuncles), dry hair that lacks sheen and luster, dandruff and fragile nails. A more severe deficiency will result in varying degrees of night blindness and visual sensitivity to bright lights.
Vitamin A is also essential in the manufacture of the protective mucous lining in the nose, throat, sinuses, middle ears, gall bladder and urinary bladder. This mucous lining prevents bacteria and toxic substances from gaining entrance to the cells. But if Vitamin A is denied, the lining can no longer be an efficient guard. Thus, the body becomes susceptible to infections in these areas---kidney and bladder stones, as well as loss of taste, are possible consequences.
What does this important nutrient look like? From what can it be obtained? Vitamin A is one of the “fat-soluble” group of vitamins (the others being Vitamins D, E and K), “fat-soluble” meaning that it can stored in the body until it is needed. Vitamin A is colorless when found in human and animal livers (where it is stored), but when found in plants, it is yellowish in color, and is known as “carotene”. The processes of the liver then convert the carotene into usable Vitamin A.
If you obtained your Vitamin A from yellow and green vegetables in the form of carotene, you would have to eat twice as much carotene as you would Vitamin A from animal fats (butter, eggs, cream), liver and kidney, in order to end up with equal amounts of Vitamin A.
Since Vitamin A is not stored in the muscles, muscle meats such as steaks, chops and roasts are not sources of Vitamin A. And, of the Vitamin A-rich organ meats, beef and mutton liver have more of the vitamin than calf and lamb liver, because the older animal has had a longer time to store up more Vitamin A.
Now, remember earlier when we mentioned the interdependency of vitamins and minerals? Well, Vitamin A is a good example to show you exactly what we mean: Both Vitamin A and carotene must combine with bile salts and fat before they can be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the blood (here is another instance where a fat-free diet can do more harm than good). If the diet is low in fat, little or no bile reaches the intestines, and 90% of both the carotene and the Vitamin A may be lost through elimination.
If there is an inadequacy of Vitamin E in the diet, Vitamin A will be immediately destroyed upon reaching the blood, and any Vitamin E present will be quickly used up---Vitamin A needs Vitamin E to “shield” it from the oxygen in the blood, or else Vitamin A loses its potency and is rendered useless. (Doctors have prescribed Vitamin A to help ease acne problems in adolescents, but unless there is sufficient Vitamin E present, not only will the A-Vitamin be destroyed, but a Vitamin E deficiency will show up. The more Vitamin E in the diet, the less Vitamin A needed, and the more Vitamin A stored. And this stored Vitamin A can be called upon whenever your needs are inadequate.)
Another essential vitamin---cholin (one of the B vitamins)---must be present in sufficient supply in order for Vitamin A to be stored in the liver.
Vitamin deficiencies can be easily and unknowingly created. For example, there are many B vitamins and they all work closely together as a team known as B-complex. If you should happen to supplement your diet with only one or several, but not all, of the B vitamins, you would “create” a deficiency of the other B vitamins. You’ve already read how a lack of Vitamins E and B can cause a Vitamin A deficiency, as well as A causing and E deficiency by quickly using up the little Vitamin E you may have stored.
The ingestion of mineral oil can also cause a serious vitamin deficiency, not only of A, but of all the fat-soluble vitamins: D,E and K as well. Some people use mineral oil for frying, for salad dressing, or take it orally as a laxative. But mineral oil cannot be digested and therefore is not a food. Unfortunately, some 60% of it manages to get into the bloodstream and then circulates throughout the body, absorbing Vitamins A, E and K, and holding them, powerless, until the oil, along with the vitamins, is finally eliminated from the body.
Eating rancid fats will also cause vitamin deficiencies, especially in Vitamins A,E and K, and several B vitamins. And, although you may think you have never eaten or served rancid foods, you’re quite probably wrong. Any fat products---ham, sausage, bacon, mayonnaise, butter, packaged piecrust and cake mixes, potato and corn chips, popcorn, salted nuts, ground nuts and similar foods---stored too long at home or in the market, are often slightly rancid. And what about that container of grease drippings Mother used keep from week to week, and use for frying? You don’t do that like she used to, do you?
The amount of Vitamin A needed by healthy persons varies greatly with each individual. More Vitamin A is required in proportion to body weight, so naturally, adults need more than children. Men usually require more than women, and elderly people, who utilize their food less efficiently, need more of most vitamins than do younger adults.
Your occupation, your hobbies, and where you live all determine how much Vitamin A you need above the adult minimum daily requirement of 5,000 units. Work that requires heavy reading, or contact with bright lights, or hobbies and sports which take you out in the into the sun or on the water will demand a lot from your eyes, and thus more Vitamin A is needed. Likewise, if you spend a good part of your summer on a white, sunny beach, and some of your winter in a snowy, northern clime, supplement Vitamin A (taken with E of course) will help your eyes recover from the constant glaring reflections of the sun.
But just as too little Vitamin A is harmful, there is a danger of overdoing it. Amounts of Vitamin A greater that 50,000 units daily can be toxic if continued for days in succession with no let up (you’ll know if you’re getting too much Vitamin A if you start experiencing headaches, blurred vision, itching skin, thinning hair, sore lips.
Recommended Dosage: 1 – Multi-vitamin daily.
IRON: Your Multi-vitamin ought to contain iron. The national average shows the blood’s hemoglobin content to be about 15 to 30% below normal. Hemoglobin is the important element in blood which carries oxygen in the red blood cells to all of the other cells in the body, and then removes the carbon dioxide from those cells, transporting it to the lungs to be expelled. Iron is essential to the formation of this hemoglobin, and an iron deficiency results in a condition known as anemia (recognizable by nearly constant fatigue, pale skin, low resistance to infections, and in severe cases, mental disorders and heart failure). It has been found that more women than men develop anemia, and that 90% of American women are suffering from some degree of iron deficiency.
You’d think that, with iron being the fourth most abundant element in our environment, our bodies would be over-abundant in it---having rich, red blood to quickly, effortlessly and efficiently transport oxygen, vitamins, and minerals to all parts of our bodies, and just as easily remove the wastes. Americans should be a healthy people, but we haven’t done a very good job of eating the proper foods!
Iron is present in most natural foods, its richest sources being the organ meats (liver, kidney), beef, pork, lamb, egg yolk, clams, oysters, turkey, wheat germ, peanuts, soybeans and barley.
In several respects, iron is the most significant member of the mineral family, not only because it prevents anemia, but because of its energy-building properties. It has an important role in the body’s metabolism.
Recommended Dosage: Twelve milligrams of iron daily is the recommended minimum for men, while women should get at least fifteen milligrams---more if they are pregnant, nursing, or experiencing heavy menstrual flow.
VITAMIN C: Vitamin C is one of the “water soluble” vitamins---the body needs it constantly, but, since it can’t be stored in or produced by the body, it must be obtained daily from fresh fruits, vegetables, juices and/or supplements.
Vitamin C seems to have a hand in all the body’s life processes---your heart beat, your respiration, and the structure, strength and defense of all your body cells. Vitamin C is necessary for good bone formation (bones and teeth will not hold minerals---especially calcium and phosphorous---if Vitamin C is deficient); brittle bones and unhealthy teeth and gums are prevented by adequate Vitamin C, and when bones fractures do occur, Vitamin C assists in the mending and strong reconstruction of the break. The efficient absorption and utilization of iron, as well, is dependent upon the presence of adequate Vitamin C, and it is also responsible for regulating the cholesterol in the bloodstream, and figures prominently in the lowering of high blood pressure.
And, while acting as a mild diuretic and helping to maintain your eyesight, Vitamin C works as a detoxificant in your body---that is, it renders harmless nearly every bothersome or dangerous element that manages to invade your system: chemical additives, dyes, fertilizers, drugs, and allergens (dust and pollen) to name a few. Vitamin C will even detoxify harmful acetone bodies---the residue left behind in the tissues when your blood sugar falls below normal and the fats in your body are incompletely burned (acetone bodies are a major cause of fatigue).
In order to conduct these foreign and “home grown” toxins safely out of your body, Vitamin C “links up” with the offenders, and escorts them away to be eliminated. However, while serving the body in this manner, the Vitamin C is also lost, and must be replaced right away. That’s why physicians prescribe massive doses of this vitamin when infections set in---enough Vitamin C will then be on hand to help the body shake off the ailment, while plenty is left over to perform the essential daily services.
Despite the special need for a constant supply of Vitamin C, surveys show that approximately ¾ of our population do not get the recommended minimum daily allowance of 75 to 100 milligrams (one glass of fresh orange juice supplies 130 milligrams). The first signs of Vitamin C deficiency, other than fatigue, are a tendency to bruise easily, and sore, bleeding gums. But before you get to that stage, increase your supply.
It was mentioned earlier that Vitamin C can be found in all fresh, natural foods, and/or supplements. You can’t overdo Vitamin C because excesses are passed off in your urine. However, if you take an excessive amount over a period of a few days and experience diarrhea, simply cut back the amount taken. Recommended Dosage: 1 – 500mg tablet with breakfast, lunch and supper.
VITAMIN E: Before millers began refining all the nutrients out of whole grain flour, it’s estimated that the average daily intake of Vitamin E was most nearly 150 units a day (the recommended minimum daily amount is 140 to 210 units). Vitamin E is one of the “fat-soluble” group, so it can be stored in the body.
If adequately supplied, the pituitary or master gland, will contain 200 times more Vitamin E than any other part of the body. A Vitamin E deficiency will decrease the production of all the pituitary hormones, including the growth hormone and the hormone necessary to stimulate the thyroid and sex glands. (The fact is, the presence of Vitamin E prevents these hormones from being destroyed by oxygen---it does not stimulate the production of these hormones.)
One of the vital functions of Vitamin E is to prevent unsaturated fatty acids and fat-like substances (in your body as well as in the foods you eat) from combining with oxygen and being destroyed; these fatty acids and fat-like substances include Vitamin A, carotene, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K, as well as the previously mentioned hormones. In addition, essential fatty acids are now known to form, not only part of the internal structure and walls of every cell in the body, but also the connective tissue between all cells, and when Vitamin E is deficient, these cells and tissues break down. Viruses, bacteria, and allergens are thus allowed free access into the tissues. In blood vessels, this condition can cause clots to form, often resulting in varicose veins, phlebitis, strokes and heart attacks. A sufficient supply of Vitamin E not only keeps the walls of vessels and arteries strong, but serves as an anti-coagulant, dilating the vessels to assist in circulation.
Unfortunately, in preventing the destruction of other vitamins and essential fatty acids by oxygen, Vitamin E is itself used up. It acts as a “self-sacrifice,” so to speak, drawing the oxygen away from other potential “victims.” So, your Vitamin E supply should be constantly replenished.
But, just as Vitamin E is destroyed by oxygen in your body, it is just as readily in foods when they are exposed to air, heat, and cold, as well as when they are kept in extended storage. For example, frying in oil destroys approximately 98% of any Vitamin E present in a food, and not a single milligram of Vitamin E remains in refined oils, flour, and packaged cereal grains---once so rich in this vitamin. Lately, nuts, fresh wheat germ, cold-pressed oils, and stone-ground whole-grain breads and cereals are almost our only good, natural sources other than what can be found in fatty meats.
The minimum daily requirement of Vitamin E varies greatly from person to person---some individuals need as much as four times the Vitamin E as others, the need being increased by stress, oil consumption, extended deficiency of this vitamin, rapid growth (as is experienced by adolescents as they mature), menopause, and the taking of sex hormones.
Any excess of Vitamin E is stored in the pituitary, adrenal and sex glands, but it can be quickly used up, especially if you contract a virus or infection. Amounts of Vitamin E between 600 and 1600 units of Vitamin E should be taken after a meal containing fat, and ten hours before or after iron is taken. (A condition known as Vitamin E anemia exists which is difficult to distinguish from iron-deficiency anemia. Often, a physician will prescribe iron for this Vitamin E deficiency without first testing for lack of Vitamin E. And, unfortunately, most iron supplements, if not all, destroy Vitamin E---so allow plenty of time between your iron and Vitamin E supplements.)
Recommended Dosage: 400 to 1600 units daily.
(NOTE: Persons who have high blood pressure or hearts damaged from chronic rheumatic fever should check first with a physician before taking Vitamin E supplements.)
WHEAT GERM OIL: for vitality and energy.
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