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Why Kidney Functioning Is Crucial To Your Overall Health

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:33:00 +0000

Copyright 2006 Stacey Zimmerman The urinary system is designed to eliminate waste from your body and without getting rid of this waste, your body would turn against itself and be poisoned from this build up of waste. The kidneys, bladder, and urinary ducts are all part of your urinary system that help your body to get rid of the waste. Your kidneys play the most important part in how the system works. Cleansing your kidneys is a way to improve how your kidneys function, as well as improving your overall health. The kidneys act as a filter that removes the toxins from your blood. The kidneys also help your body to maintain a proper fluid balance and regulates the amount of electrolytes in your body. These are substances, such as salts, that will disperse into ions when they are mixed with water. In order to be in good heath, you’ve got to have the right balance of water and electrolytes in your body. If your kidneys are unhealthy, the rest of your body will be, as well. Each of your cells produce a waste that is the result of your metabolism in action. This waste is dispersed into your blood and proceeds on to your kidneys where it is filtered out. When you take drugs or drink alcohol, it is all filtered through your kidneys. When the kidneys are not working properly, you may notice a pain in your lower back. Other symptoms of problems with your kidneys may be side pain, nausea, a strong smell to your urine, cloudy, urine, frequent urination, and even more serious, blood in the urine and a burning sensation when you urinate. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek your physician for advice and possible treatment immediately. Some people may even have kidney stones when their kidneys are not functioning properly. Kidney stones are formed when your body is not breaking down protein correctly and crystallized mineral deposits form in the kidneys. These can be very painful if eliminated through the urine and if they are large, they can even block the urine from being eliminated. Cleansing your kidneys will help to break down any crystallized mineral deposits that may have formed in your kidneys. To improve the overall health of your body and kidney functions, you’ll want to start on a cleansing program for your kidneys. Some of the herbs and ingredients used in a kidney cleanse are unfiltered organic apple juice, hydrangea root tincture, ginger root, gravel root, bearberry, and parsley. This are all organic and will assist to break down any kidney stones that may have formed and Vitamin B6 and magnesium oxide may prevent any more kidney stones from forming in the future. One of the most important thing you can do to help clean out the toxins that may have built up in your kidneys, however, is to double up on your water intake. The downside to drinking so much water is you will be urinating more frequently. However, by following this extra water regimen for a couple of weeks, you’ll notice a difference in how you feel. When you do not get enough water in your system, you feel sluggish, and some many feel nauseated. This extra water is giving your body what it needs to cleanse the toxins and allow it to function better. To make sure your kidneys are functioning properly, go through a kidney cleansing and you will notice the difference in how you feel. Kidney functioning is crucial to your overall health. You owe it to yourself to learn more about this exciting and new common sense approach to healthy weight loss. If you are tired of all the bologna flying around these days on weight loss and diets and have tried many things without much or any success, I invite you to visit my website for more information on this awesome concept that is literally transforming thousands of lives. I wish you all the best of success and health in your life. Sincerely, Stace Zimmerman

Tips and Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits in Your Family

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:38:00 +0000

Most of us have a pretty good idea of what healthy eating is: lots of fruits and vegetables and not too much fat and sugar. But when it comes to kids, knowing what is healthy is only the start. And even if you shop ‘healthy’ it does not mean that your kid will willingly eat it. There is hope. Kids need some extra encouragement and guidance along with a few of these strategies your kid is sure to eat healthy. Be a gatekeeper. It’s likely that the easiest way to get your kids to eat healthy is to remove the less-healthy options. Take control over what food and snack choices are in your home. If a kid is hungry they will eat it when there isn’t an alternative. Have you ever heard of a kid starving to death because his parents would not feed him potato chips? Keep healthy food in sight. As for those less-than-good-for-you foods, keep them in high cabinets and out of your kid’s reach. Arrange your refrigerator and cabinets so that healthy foods are the first foods that you see. If you choose to have some unhealthy options in the house keep them out of sight and you and your kids will be much less likely to choose them as an option. Make healthy food convenient. Wholesome foods, particularly fruits and vegetables require little preparation which is great for your ‘starving’ kid and you. Have a fruit basket at eye level on the counter at all times or have a container with carrots and celery sticks ready to go in the refrigerator. You might be surprised at how many more fruits and vegetables your kid will eat simply by having them visible and easy to grab. Make learning about food fun. Taking some of the mystery out of where foods come from can work wonders for some selective eaters. Prepare family meals together, have your kid mix the ingredients and serve the food to the rest of the family. Plant a vegetable garden as a family project and put your kid in charge of watering and picking the ripe vegetables. Kids that are involved are more likely to be a willing participant in the eating process. Keep an eye on Portion sizes. Parents often stress over how much their kids should be eating. Whether you are trying to get a selective eater to take a bite of anything green or limit the amount of dessert your sweet-toothed kid wants watching portions is necessary. Knowing the size of a healthy portion will give you some needed perspective. You can use the USDA’s Guidelines for Healthy Eating to learn about what a healthy portion is. Set a healthy example. Keep in mind that eating meals together isn’t just a great way to catch up on your family’s day it is also the perfect time to role-model healthy eating habits. Kids learn by watching their parents…That’s food for thought!

Get exercise and lose weight playing video games

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:56:00 +0000

I know what you’re probably saying right now. “Yea, right” or “what is this guy, some kind of a joker”. Well, ordinarily you would be right on the mark with those comments, but there is a video game out there that not only can be a ton of fun, but can also give you a pretty good workout and make you lose weight in the process. If you are a teenager or the parent of a teenager with a “Sony play station 2”, then you likely already know what game I’m talking about. If not, the video game in question is called “dance, dance revolution” or DDR for short. This is a game that started out in video arcades, but now there is the home version you can buy. Let’s look at how this video game can become part of a weight loss and fitness program. The game itself is played on a mat with four arrows pointing out in each direction, two out to the sides and one forward and one back. The corresponding arrows on your TV screen are your target arrows. When the moving arrows coming up from the bottom of your screen overlap the target arrows on the screen, you step on the appropriate arrows on the mat. All of this happens to your choice of upbeat music. The nice part of DDR is that there are skill levels ranging from beginner all the way to advanced levels. As you complete one song or segment, you get a score for it. You can then try again and again to continue to beat your scores. The fact that it is competitive in nature makes it a lot of fun, plus as you are playing this game, you are moving your body the same as you would doing dance aerobics. As with any aerobic exercise, it stands to reason that if you played DDR for 20 to 30 minutes per day, you would expend a lot of energy and burn fat. But as if logic alone wasn’t enough to confirm that this video game could give you a good workout and make you burn fat, there are people who use DDR making claims of losing anywhere from 5 to 95 pounds of fat! These claims are all coming from people who aren’t being paid to endorse DDR, but just people who are seeing these kinds of results from using it. Since you probably already have a TV set, all you would need to get started doing this is a “play station 2” and the game with the mat (the mat is the controller). If you already have a “play station 2”, you can get the game and mat for around $60.00. If you don’t have the “play station 2”, you can still get everything you need for under $300.00. If you enjoy music and dancing, and you are getting bored with jogging or riding the exercise bike, then DDR is a great way to get in some exercise each day, plus you’ll have a lot of fun doing it once you get the hang of it. If you are having fun while you are exercising, you will not only be more likely to stick with it, you will probably look forward to doing it, and if you don’t believe DDR can give you a challenging workout, just ask any teenager how they feel after 20 to 30 minutes of doing it.

Strategies To Conquer Your Fitness Anxiety

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 05:13:00 +0000

Paying for a gym pass you don’t use? Running shoes gathering dust? Do you have a fear of fitness? Don’t worry- you are not alone! Fear is one of the biggest reasons people give up on exercise, according to a growing number of sports-psychology and fitness authorities. Here are some simple strategies straight from the professionals aimed at helping you get over your fear and get on with your workout. Rethink your definition of exercise. Think of it as movement – you don’t have to do it in a gym. Gardening, walking the dog, or playing tag with your kids is exercise. Be environmentally conscious. Find a fitness experiences that makes you feel nurtured and accepted. Walk or jog in your neighborhood or on a trail – don’t try to keep up with fitness fanatics in the gym. Test the waters. If you’re interested in trying a new workout, borrow a video from a friend or the library, and try it at home first (before entering into a group situation.) Get one-on-one help. Almost all clubs now offer personal training to help you overcome your fear of incompetence, and often the first session is free. Know your triggers. If you like the anonymity of a fitness class, stay toward the back. Start with an activity like yoga that you can do on your own to lesson anxiety. Call out the cavalry. If you’re the social type, try activities in a supportive group to distract you from your fears and make the effort less intimidating. Focus on the positive. Think of the many things exercise can do for you: the goal is to workout to be optimistic, more energetic, and less stressed. Finding a comfort zone might be challenging in health club situations, so it is time to reevaluate the way you workout and conquer your fears. If your past attempts at fitness have left you running scared, focus on moving in these ways and your outlook may change.

Get Ripped Abs And Control Your Bodys Acid Levels

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:33:00 +0000

Keeping and maintaining a healthy diet is key, can be tough but like anything, it takes time and a little sacrifice. Whether you want ripped abs or you just want to look and feel great, taking preventative measures will increase your overall wellness and longevity. If at times you feel low in energy or simply fatigued, or even you just don’t want to get out of bed to go to work in the morning. Knowing the acidity of your body can drastically indicate and warn you about your body’s wellness. And it can also increase your levels of energy that we all so much desire. Acidic pH level in human body fluids are a prime environment for bacteria, virus and other undesirable dangers. Your body is needs to perform and In order for our body’s cells to function at peak capacity everyday , your body needs to ensure that its pH levels (especially your blood pH) are in slightly in alkaline state (that means with a pH of slightly over 7). Very important to consider the types of foods you consume and the amounts of plain water you drink. Acid forming foods are amongst others meat, dairy products, chocolate, bread and all kind of other yeast products, alcohol, carbonated drinks and coffee and tea. Try to avoid those foods, instead consume as much alkaline forming foods as possible, like vegetables, greens, sprouts, soy products and most kind of seeds. Though being so many recipes all over the Internet you shouldn’t have any problems makings high alkalinity meals you really enjoy. PH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. the lesser the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. Acidic PH levels destroy vital oxygen molecules and create a breeding ground for diseases. PH levels in healthy people as well as newborns is slightly above 7. Acid waste grows inside the body due to our unhealthy lifestyles. If our internal environment is too acidic, disease becomes inevitable. Alkalinity can be increased by consuming less meat and sweets and more vegetables and fruits. Although eating fruit to increase alkalinity may seem to be a contradiction because some fruits (especially citrus) are acidic outside the body, digestion uses up their acidic components, leaving an alkaline residue (ash). Alkalinity should be kept to 75. Alkaline-producing foods such as vegetables are eaten in much smaller quantities. Stimulants like tobacco, coffee, tea, and alcohol are also extremely acidifying. It is recommended that you test your pH levels to determine if your body’s pH immediate attention. By using pH test strips, you can determine your pH factor quickly and easily in the privacy of your own home. Taking these preventative measures can help you get the body you want, whether is ripped abs or simply great overall health and wellness.

Online Pharmacy

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Information on this site is provided for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. You should read carefully all product packaging. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Customer reviews are provided for informational purposes only. Customer reviews reflect the individual reviewer’s results and experiences only and are not verified or endorsed by drugstore.com, inc. Actual results may vary among users.

Top 5 Red Flags Of Diet Scams

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:57:00 +0000

Have you wasted valuable time and money trying to lose weight? Then tried again and again? One thing Americans know how to do is market. The desire for quick and easy weight loss has created an ideal opportunity for modern-day snake oil salespeople to pick your pockets by selling magical diet products. One minute you’re innocently reading the newspaper and the next minute you find yourself ordering a sixty dollar, one month supply of diet pills. After all, those before and after photos look great and they say it works. Or you’re now the proud owner of the latest infomercial gadget that promises to wrap, buzz, sway, steam, lift, or glide you to slenderness. All too often you find it’s only useful for drying your clothes on. In our desperate quest to be skinny, we buy the strangest things. Next time you’re hypnotized by a diet commercial, remember these red flags: 1) The product involved putting anything non-food into your body. Pills, potions, chemicals, herbs. None have been proven to cause substantial, permanent weight loss. 2) Promised results require the purchase of any special gadget at all. The only thing you really need for physical fitness is a good pair of walking shoes. 3) The program is based on unproven fads like food combining, “forbidden” foods, or magical effects of certain types of foods. 4) The advertising promotes use of a product but the small print explains that the plan requires drastic calorie restriction and exercise to get results – so why buy the product? 5) Outlandish or miraculous claims are made of rapid weight loss, changes in body shape, or weight loss from specific parts of the body. The fact is that 95% of diets fail and the constant search for a quick fix is a sure path to disappointment. The human body is naturally healthy and strong. It doesn’t need potions and gadgets and certainly doesn’t need starvation. Listen to your body. Give it the food it wants when it’s hungry and stop when it’s full. Move in ways that feel great. Play more. All of these are completely free and will create vibrant, natural, long-term health that expands and enriches life.

Why Is It So Difficult To Lose Weight After 30?

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Have you tried to lose weight after 30? Wasn’t that more difficult than ever before? Guess what? It’s even more difficult after 40! Have you ever wondered why your body reacts differently to the same regimes you apply in different stages of your life? People that have never had a weight problem get flabbier after 30 without clear explanation. They start exercising and they don’t see any improvement. They eat less, and they still don’t achieve any significant change. What they don’t take into consideration is the aging impact on their body. Aging is a Reason for Gaining Weight and the Obstacle to Losing Weight There are more than 20 theories about aging but the most researched one is the “Free Radicals” theory. Free radicals are atoms or molecules in which at least one electron is unpaired causing an instability (a stable atom contains a balance of paired electrons which encircle the nucleus). This instability causes the electrons to be very reactive – they bond easily with healthy molecules and damage them. According to the free radicals theory, this damage is what causes you to age and to become vulnerable to certain diseases. The most common free radical is an oxygen radical, which occurs in the mitochondria when an unpaired electron interacts with oxygen. Mitochondria are your cellular power plants, the tiny structures in your cells that provide energy in the chemical form of ATP. This is your “fuel” for all your life functions. It helps your heart to pump and your lungs to distribute oxygen when you breathe. When free radicals are formed in the mitochondria, they reduce the power of your cellular power plants to produce energy efficiently. You are not running out of energy because you’re aging. You are aging because you are running out of energy. Free radicals gradually shut down your power as if you are slowly turning off a light dimmer. Free Radicals and Energy Reduction are the Roots of Most Aging Problems Without energy your metabolic rate drops causing you to accumulate more body fat. You are losing muscle mass, bone mass, facial collagen and you are tired even when you have over-slept. Energy reduction at the cellular level also decreases the hormone secretion in your glands. The most abundant hormone in the body is DHEA. It is known as the “mother of all hormones” because it is involved in manufacturing of other hormones, especially the sexual hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. DHEA peeks at the age of 20 but afterwards declines sharply so at age 45 you have 50% of your high peek DHEA, and at the age of 65 you have only 10-20% of what you had at age 20. As the mother of all hormones DHEA represents a decline in other hormones as Human Growth Hormone, (HGH), Testosterone (in men), estrogen and progesterone (in women). Studies show that as lower your hormone level is, as higher your tendency to accumulate fat. Weight gain after 30 is a result of a vicious cycle of aging. Aggressive free-radicals decrease energy production which decreases hormone level and your metabolic rate to levels that most diets cannot help. Anti-Aging Can Support Weight Loss by Neutralizing Free-Radicals The most common way to fight free radicals is by increasing significantly antioxidants in your body. Your body produces antioxidants naturally or it gets it from food like fruit and vegetables. Antioxidants are form of enzymes that attack free radicals by attaching to the unpaired electron and neutralize it. There are 2 kinds of antioxidants: The first type patrols the body, blocking the formation of free radicals. The second type disarms the already existing free radical before they bind with healthy molecules. Studies show that today’s fruit and vegetables are not rich in antioxidants as few decades ago. It is impossible to get the recommended level without supplements as multi-vitamin, vitamin C, and vitamin E in the right dosages. But this by itself doesn’t make the difference. No one lose weight just by taking antioxidants. Anti-Aging Can Support Weight Loss by Boosting Energy in Your Cells You can increase your cells energy if you exercise regularly and supplement your food with energizers. Energizers are vitamins and minerals that increase the energy production in your cells. Well studied energizers are Lipoic Acid, Chromium Picolinate, Coenzyme Q-10, and others. Cardio training is the best exercise to boost your cellular energy. Cardio training is what you may know as aerobic exercise like jogging, cycling, rowing or other activities that ramp your heart rate. Anti-Aging Can Support Weight Loss by Increasing Hormone Level and Accelerating Metabolic Rate An expensive and still questionable way to increase your hormones is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Hormone replacement therapy must be recommended and supervised by a doctor. But criticizers recommend staying away and not messing with the side effect risks of hormones. You can boost your hormone level significantly without a doctor and for free if you engage in resistance training like free weights, weight machines, bands, cables or even body weight. Studies show without a doubt that resistance training stimulates secretion of HGH and testosterone. But that’s not all. Resistance training has many other benefits. It helps to gain muscle and reverses the aging damage of losing muscle. The more muscles you have, the more fat you burn because mussel growth accelerate you metabolic rate. Aging is Not an Obstacle Anymore to Weight Loss You reverse your aging damages backward and slow your aging forward when you burn fat and gain muscle. You can accelerate this process by reducing free-radicals and increase energy production using supplements. But there is no way to achieve it without special exercises that boost hormone level and nutrition that decreases blood sugar.

Is Eating Right All The Time Causing You Stress?

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:21:00 +0000

Stress can stop your weight loss goals about as much as eating a family size bag of Nacho chips and a 2-Liter bottle of pop can. My approach to weight loss was in gaining my health. Losing 300 pounds was not the first thing that occurred to me, but rather “what could I do to get healthy and eat right”. It was a very strange approach given that I was obviously clinically obese and immediately needed some quick weight loss. I had no idea that our body used food in a very specific manor and that we could improve our energy levels by working with the body, not against it. There were some very specific rules to follow, so being the good student I followed them. It became a religion for me and as I preached it, I made many people quite crazy. I became an outcast because I had to prepare my food differently and would not eat with the gang at meal times. My food was prepared differently, eaten differently and eventually I even came to ask food servers to use different spatulas to flip my “veggie burger” from the grill. I followed the rules and I increased my energy. I began eating better and my energy levels increased enough that my weight loss began and I started to become lean and healthy. Then the stuff hit the fan Well, it hit their fan, not mine. Friends began to talk behind my back about wanting the old Rob back. In one instance, I was held down on a couch while cola was poured into my mouth against my will. They wanted their old funny, fat, life of the party friend back, not this health nut with all these food rules. I think I first became aware of being stressed about food at a birthday party I was asked to attend. It was a time of celebration, but do you want to know what I was thinking? “Do I or don’t I have a piece of cake?” “This is totally processed, unnatural food. No fiber, no wholeness and it contained sugars, lard and all kinds of other crap”. I had a whole bunch of thoughts about how this would affect my weight loss goals, my health and my eating habits. I was weighing the thoughts of being socially acceptable against the health choice of having this one little piece of cake. I thought about losing them as friends if I did not accept the cake and weighed it against the impact this poor food choice was going to have on my body. I had already lost friends because of my food choices and I really did not want to lose more. I’m sure you’ve been there yourself, having to make a decision based on your social status vs your health. It’s a very quick thought process, but you notice that your blood pressure goes up, your heart begins to beat faster, you begin to sweat… you know what I mean? I ate the cake. I felt like crap. I felt like crap on many levels and I was stressing about this excessively. I felt bad that I had to make that choice in this manner. I felt bad because the sugar was surging into my blood and I felt bad because I “thought about this way too much” At some point, you need to let go of it all. There is energy in food; in the love and people around you that prepared the food and the circumstances in which it’s eaten. Never eat a meal when you are upset or sad because you should be enjoying the meal and taking in all the goodness in what the earth has brought to your body. Take in all that goodness and let go of all the stress. Eat naturally as much as you can and increase the amount of whole foods in your diet. Make a choice to remove processed foods and beverages such as cola’s, fruit juices, coffee and traditional teas. Eat with a smile on your face and give thanks to everyone involved in bringing the meal, the nutrition and that energy into your body. Then when the time is right, have fun and enjoy the health you’ve created. There was a very dramatic shift in my life, my health and my weight loss when I made the choice to enjoy some foods again. I began to break my own rules and live my life. I began to have fun with food and fun came back into my life. Let go.

Is A Low-Carb, High Protein Diet really Effective for Weight Loss?

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:34:00 +0000

You may have heard that to increase muscle and to lose weight you need to increase your protein intake. When I first heard that I thought…wait a minute the same thing that is going to make you bigger is supposed to make you ’smaller’…I asked the trainer this question and he looked at me dumbfounded but it left me to thinking…”besides sounding absurd, will this method actually be safe?” Although we all know we require a certain quantity of protein every day to be healthy and because of propaganda to this effect, a lot of people view the daily consumption of high-protein foods such as meat and dairy as highly beneficial. However, judging from the failure of most if not all the people I have personally known attempting to lose weight on a high-protein, low carb diet, it may be time to revise our ideas about protein. From what I have seen (upwards of six cases I have been able to observe among friends, family and co-workers) it will be safe to answer the question heading this article with a simple No! Not only is a diet high in protein NOT the best at all for weight loss, according to many naturopaths, such a diet may even be detrimental to ones overall health. Because of its complexity, excessive protein along with fatty foods are the most difficult foods to digest and tend to leave one tired all the time. Moreover the common putrefaction of protein while being digested creates many acids in the body and has been known to lay the foundation for cancer. This is not to say that proteins and fats must be avoided, quite the contrary, what should be the goal in consuming these foods should be taking in exactly what the body needs and no more. The Max Planck institute has proven that, considering that the body recycles most of its protein for its own needs, 25g of protein a day is more than enough. According to T.C. Fry, a well known Naturopath and pioneer in drugless healing, there are several cultures such as the Caribbeans, who subsist on a Manioc-based (root-vegetable) diet and get about 12 g of protein a day. Quite similarly, an aboriginal tribe living in the Mountains of Hagen was discovered to live on about 80-90% of their diet being Sweet Potatoes, the rest mostly leafy veggies, bananas and the like. While I lived in Nigeria for 17 plus years, most people hardly ever even consumed milk or cheese (they were too expensive) and families strictly rationed the consumption of animal flesh to about the size of medium size lemon per person every other day. All these groups of people, with their root vegetable diets are obviously in great health, accomplishing great physical work. Moreover, Mother’s milk, which for a time is a baby’s perfect food, has about 1-2 % protein content. (Only fruits and veggies resemble it in their composition) Any reasonable person will be able to deduce that a growing baby needs more protein than a full-grown adult, yet human babies, just like with our distant cousins: the Apes in the wild, do just fine on breast milk and on the subject of apes who share about 98% of our DNA, do you know the Gorilla, the strongest primate, has been known to bench press upwards of about 4000 pounds! What does this creature live on? According to Dr. George Schaller and Dian Fossey, two great primatologists, this powerful relative lives on mostly fruits and leaves. Now, considering all the factors above, when it comes to the right diet for weight loss, I would recommend a Mucus-less or Mucus-poor (raw and cooked fruits and veggies) over any other mere fad in the quest of attaining fitness and health. Of course, if the consumption of animal flesh must be continued, I would also advise that it be done at a minimal quantity and only one kind of animal flesh every so often. In my opinion, consumption of fresh home-made salads, mono-meals of fruits, snacks on dried fruits such as dates, a few nuts and maybe even a short juice fast, as a choice for a diet (along with some form of exercise) will be the best path to attaining safe and healthy weight loss.