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Archive for September, 2009

Joint Support

September 27, 2009 Leave a comment
Litozin for Joint Support

Litozin for Joint Support

A large segment of our population continues to grow with debilitating joint problems and most suffers look increasingly at finding joint pain relief. Since most people wake up in the morning with some kind of joint stiffness, a person must look for further symptoms that may lead to joint pain. Osteoarthritis has many signs and symptoms but the main symptoms are stiff and very painful joints.

While joint pain can sometimes be debilitating, there are some proactive step you can take that can keep your joint pain under control. If you alreday suffer from joint pain, the last thing that you want to happen is for that pain to continue to increase.

Joint support pain relief starts with knowing your limits and staying withing them. If you exceed those limits, you will pay the next day with more pain. If you have a list with ten items to be done by day’s end and you only get to complete five before becoming tired, the other five will have to wait until tomorrow or you will suffer. Learn to listen to your body and pace yourself so that pain does not increase.

Take time to relax and to rest. If you take this time just for you, you will have less pain to deal with tomorrow. Relaxing helps you to deal with stress, and we will talk more about that in a few paragraphs. Rest may let you get more done tomorrow than you were able to get done today.

BioCare Patrick Holford Joint Support

BioCare Patrick Holford Joint Support

Follow your doctor’s guidelines for exercise. Warm water therapy pools are often a great way for people who have knee pain to get the exercise that they need. It also allows them to become more flexible as well as to build strength. It can reduce pain.

Do not skip medications. Follow the doctors orders on medication to the letter. Many medications need to build up in your system to take effect and skipping a dose causes the body to feel more pain. Make sure that you get enough sleep. This helps to restore the balance of chemicals in your body so that it can naturally deal with muscle joint pain. If you are not sleeping then you need to talk with your doctor to see if he can prescribe medication to help you sleep.

Keep your body weight under control. By keeping your weight under control, joints have less stress. Adding more weight will give you more pain. Losing weight may help to reverse some of the pain you are already feeling, and will help to prevent further damage to already aching joints.

Protect your joints. Use any assistive devices your doctor has ordered. Wear the supports that prevent further damage to the joint. Use correct lifting procedures to protect your back and other small joints from further damage.

Take steps to lower your stress level. Pain and stress feed one another. While it is difficult at times to deal with pain, you can deal with stress. Exercise can help in the stress levels.

Do not become a pessimist. Find something that is important to you and focus on it rather than your pain.  Visit with neighbors. Let yourself be the bright spot in someone’s life. While being down about pain is normal, there comes a time that you have to decide to stop. Pessimists often do not comply with their doctor’s orders and find more pain.

Your pain may be a significant part of your life. Finding the correct medication can go far at preventing and relieving joint pain. The suggestions in this article can also help you in dealing with the pain that your experience so that you do not need to increase your medication.

Vega Maxijoint Formula

Vega Maxijoint Formula

Categories: Joint Support

Tinnitus

September 23, 2009 Leave a comment
Tinnitus

Tinnitus

Tinnitus or “ringing in the ears”, is the awareness of a noise produced inside the body rather than from an external source. There are many possible causes from exposure to loud noise, ear canal and nerve damage, to brain tumours and diseases to stress and side effects from prescribed drugs. The intrusiveness of tinnitus can be so bad that some suffers opt for suicide – its that bad. Anybody suffering from tinnitus is clearly aware of how difficult it is to live with the condition. The noise can be buzzing, clicking, ringing or even musical sounds. Everyone suffers differently, but the common factor is the noise drives everyone crazy.

Most tinnitus comes from damage to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. The health of these nerve endings is important for acute hearing, and injury to them brings on hearing loss and often tinnitus. During the day, the distraction of activities and the sounds around you make your tinnitus less obvious. When your surroundings are quiet, your tinnitus may seem louder and more constant. Otosclerosis is another condition that can bring on Tinnitus. This condition is a bony growth around one of the bones of the middle ear.

Some foods and substances can make it worse. Alcohol, caffeine and soda drinks can do this and some dairy products. Stress is another trigger for tinnitus. Stress causes high blood pressure and other problems which can dramatically increase the ringing noises. Reducing stress through yoga, mediation and exercise help. Being exposed to loud noise will for certain cause ear damage that CANNOT be reversed. The iPOD generation have an unpleasant time ahead of them. There will be an influx of tinnitus cases effecting millions of people around the world.

Tinnitus Treatment

White noise generators are a way of ‘masking’ tinnitus. Some of the methods include running water, fan noise, air conditioner noise, ticking clock, white noise, pink noise, seaside sounds, and static radio noise.

Whilst white noise generators or maskers are not a cure for tinnitus, they can provide a great help and relief to suffers.

Categories: Tinnitus

Lowering Cholesterol

September 22, 2009 Leave a comment
BioCare Cholesterol

BioCare Cholesterase

Reducing cholesterol involves many factors, here are some steps to take to maintain a healthy cholesterol level. The importance of maintaining a healthy cholesterol level are simple, it can greatly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, in other words, protecting the heart that keeps us alive.

Cholesterol and what it means to us

Cholesterol is a fatty wax like substance that goes through our bloodstream. It requires a water soluble protein transport carrier from the liver to all the necessary parts of our bodies, and then returning to the liver for breaking down and elimination. Combined protein and cholesterol, known as lipoproteins, can be HDL (high-density) or LDL (low-density).

HDL cholesterol is referred to as “good cholesterol”. This type is responsible for returning extra cholesterol not being used to the liver, ready for the breakdown process. This cholesterol type is good only because it enables the excess to be disposed of.

LDL works in a different way. LDL is responsible for transporting cholesterol to all the necessary organs and tissues in our body from the liver.

So what does all this mean to my cardiovascular system?

LDL cholesterol is the problem type of cholesterol when there is more than needed and HDL cannot remove it from our blood vessels and arteries. When the excess amount of cholesterol cannot be removed, it builds up into a plaque-like substance and it starts to clog the artery walls. When this happens, this leaves a lot of room for diseases. With our arteries clogged, there is no possible way we are giving the correct transport of blood to all of our essential organs.

Without a clean blood flow, there is a chance the arteries will become clogged which results in higher blood pressure and can drastically affect our health. With clogged arteries, we are open up to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, a heart attack, strokes and paralysis.

Higher Nature Omega Excellence Organic FlaxSeed Oil

Higher Nature Omega Excellence Organic FlaxSeed Oil

How do we reduce cholesterol it to prevent diseases?
A correct diet and regular exercise is an excellent place to start. A proper diet is the first step to cholesterol lowering or even preventing high cholesterol. There are foods that we eat everyday that are good for us, but some of the foods we love most can cause the most damaging.Leafy green vegetables are a good source of nutrients to fight off diseases and to maintain a healthy protein level.

Reduce cholesterol by eating greens such as broccoli, spinach and green beans. Lettuce is also good, although there are not nearly enough nutrients in just lettuce alone. In order to get the most out of our greens, we need to chew them really well, extracting the natural nutrients.

Switching to healthier cooking oils is another step towards cholesterol lowering. Olive oil and walnut oil are the best cooking oils you can use.  Some other essential foods we can eat to help with cardiovascular disease are baked or grilled fish, fruits and berries and nuts; including walnuts, pecans and peanuts. Avoiding certain types of food is another way to help with cholesterol lowering. Red meats and dairy products that have not been reduced of fat may be the first thing to take out of our diet. Although there is protein in these foods, too much of a good thing can be too much.

Adding whole grains to your diet has been known for years to help reduce high cholesterol. The benefits of whole grain are that it is a soluble fiber that will lower LDL (the bad one) and raise the good type of cholesterol, HDL. Oat bran and other whole grain foods are not the only source to get a good amount of fiber into our bodies to lower LDL. Other sources of fiber include barley, beans and green peas.

Although there is almost no substitute to a proper diet, there are some excellent cholesterol supplements on the market today that have proven results in cholesterol lowering. Cholestrerol nutritional supplements, as in vitamins and minerals, can really help with cholesterol. Not everyone has the time or dedication to reduce cholesterol with a proper diet. When choosing a supplement, here are some of the ingredients to look for in a quality product targeted to lowering cholesterol.

BioCare Patrick Holford Essential Omegas

BioCare Patrick Holford Essential Omegas

One of the most known supplements is in the form of fish oils, called Omega-3 fatty acids. This is a stand alone supplement, yet it is in most of the cholesterol lowering supplements out there.
Vitamin B-6 and B-12 are also great supplements. Another proven B vitamin, Niacin, also reduces LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol. If you plan on taking this, take as directed as too much can cause damage to the liver. Vitamin E is a simple vitamin that will not cause damage in excess. In some cases, just a little extra vitamin E can reduce cholesterol levels.
If you feel you might have high cholesterol, please consult your doctor on how to lower cholesterol and for tests and before taking a supplement specifically for lowering cholesterol.

Categories: cholesterol

Essential Nutrients For Anyone Over 50

September 16, 2009 Leave a comment
Higher Nature True Food Magnesium

Higher Nature True Food Magnesium

The health and medical communities have long acknowledged the benefits of a daily multi-vitamin, particularly for those over the age of 50. Even Medicare has noted decreased costs in caring for patients who take daily multi-vitamins.

As we grow older, the absorption and digestion of proteins and minerals becomes more difficult leading to a variety of ailments such as osteoporosis, fatigue, and chronic illness. We can go a long way towards addressing these concerns by seeking out a few basic nutrients and health nutritional supplements.

Five that are essential for anyone over 50 include betaine hydrochloride, B-12, magnesium, Vitamin D, and adequate protein.

Betaine Hydrochloride
Our bodies digest foods less efficiently as we age, yet nutrients from our foods are a critical component to good health. Reasons for poor absorption include the side affects of acid blocking medications such as Prilosec and Prevacid. Another reason for poor absorption is that older people often do not secrete enough stomach acid in their gastrointestinal tract.

Stomach acid is required for absorption. Ironically, many people take medications such as Prilosec for reducing stomach acid, but in reality, stomach acid declines as we age. People think they have stomach acid problems, because their stomach acid backs up in the esophagus due to poor digestion caused by a lack of stomach acid!

Mnay people have cured their stomach acid problems by taking betaine hydrochloride capsules, and stopping their intake of acid blocking medications. This may seem paradoxical but the key is to do everything possible to improve your digestive function, and adding stomach acid (betaine hydrochloride) is a very good place to start.

Betaine Hydrochloride tablets can support digestion when taken with meals. A betaine hydrochloride supplement can be purchased at health food stores and may be taken in conjunction with digestive enzymes, such as pancreatic enzymes or vegetable enzymes. If you develop warmth or burning in your upper abdomen, then your dose is too high.

Vitamin B-12
Insufficient Vitamin B-12 levels can lead to fatigue, brain fog, and a higher risk of heart disease. Vitamin B-12 is particularly hard to absorb as we age, because we lack the biochemical called intrinsic factor.

Because Vitamin B-12 is difficult for the stomach to absorb, I recommend taking it sublingually (as a lozenge, or as drops under the tongue) so that it can be absorbed through the mouth. A reasonable daily dose for Vitamin B-12 is 500-1000 micrograms (not milligrams). Vitamin B-12 is water soluble, so it is extremely unlikely that you will overdose on this vitamin.

Magnesium
Magnesium is often overlooked and is essential to your cellular health. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables! Kelp provides a rich source of Magnesium. Look for a supplemental green drink that contains seaweed, especially kelp, at your local health food store.

If you are taking calcium, then you need to take magnesium supplements too because calcium competes with magnesium in the body. Your dose of magnesium should be at least as much as your calcium dose. Magnesium malate, glycinate or citrate are more absorbable than magnesium oxide. A reasonable dose is 100-300 mg 2x per day.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is another essential nutritional supplement. Not only is Vitamin D critical for bone health, but women who have optimal levels of Vitamin D have approximately 50% decreased chance of breast cancer. Studies have shown that most of the population living north of San Francisco is Vitamin D deficient.

Taking 2000 IU’s of Vitamin D 3 per day is a reasonable dose particularly in winter. Vitamin D toxicity has been a concern because it is a fat soluble vitamin. However in reality, Vitamin D toxicity is extremely rare. No cases have been documented of Vitamin D toxicity from a daily dosage of 2000 IU’s.

Protein
The final component for basic nutritional health is simply to include adequate protein in your diet. Choose foods that are rich in high-quality protein, such as organic eggs, free-range chicken and lamb, and ocean wild-caught fish.

Protein deficiency can cause muscle mass to decrease. Also, our brains need protein because the neurotransmitters in our brains are made out of the amino acids from protein. Nuts and legumes contain protein as well, but are not as concentrated as the protein found in meat and animal products.

Categories: Uncategorized

Creatine

September 13, 2009 Leave a comment
Creatine

Creatine

Creatine Monohydrate is the common name for methyl-guanidine-acetic acid but you will usually hear the term ‘creatine’ encompassing a wide variety of sports supplements. Creatine supplements account for a large portion of the sports supplement market and there are numerous variations on the theme.

Creatine is not a drug, steroid or artificial aid. It is made in your body and every single person carries a significant amount of creatine around in their bodies at all times, with around 95% of this creatine stored in muscle tissue. By 1992 numerous athletes had begun to utilise creatine supplementation to boost muscle levels and enjoy an ergogenic (performance enhancing) effect.

What is creatine?

Creatine is made up of three amino acids – Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. These amino acids can be synthesized in the liver to produce creatine. It is also possible to ingest creatine from dietary meat sources, though vegetarians and vegans will generally have lower creatine stores due to lack of meat ingestion. Today’s creatine supplements are not derived from meat however; they are synthesized in laboratories from the three amino acids to produce a simple format of creatine powder.

The average male weighing 160lbs in bodyweight will carry approximately 120grams of creatine in their bodies. 95%-98% of this is stored in skeletal muscle tissue, with the remainder in various organs, primarily the brain, heart and reproductive systems.
Vegetarians and Vegans will generally ingest no dietary creatine monohydrate and their stores are produced entirely by synthesis in the liver from amino acid sources. Meat eaters may ingest anywhere between a few hundred milligrams up to 3 or 4 grams daily depending on the meat sources chosen.
Supplemental creatine use allows users to ingest in the range of 5 to 20 grams of creatine daily without high meat consumption in a directly usable form.

The Purpose of Creatine

Creatine is directly involved in the ATP-PC (adenosine tri-phosphate-phosphocreatine) energy system of the body. The body has various energy systems available to it to power activity and processes. Systems such as the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems involve the creation of energy from synthesis of carbohydrate and fat stores and fuel sources, although these are more complex processes that are efficient but slow.

Other Athletic benefits of Creatine

There are noted benefits from using creatine monohydrate tablets other than the direct replenishment of ATP.

Cell Volumization – When larger than normal levels of creatine saturate the muscles from supplementation, this draws fluid into the actual muscle cells themselves, creating a ‘super-hydration’ effect. This is not to be confused with the term ‘fluid retention’ which is the bloat caused by water retained under the skin. In the creatine scenario fluid actually swells the cells of muscles.

Creatine powder

Creatine powder

Creatine Forms

Creatine supplements come in a wide variety of forms.
Creatine Monohydrate – This simple form of creatine bound to a single water molecule is the most common and widely available form of creatine. It is usually found as a simple white powder which may be mixed with protein shakes, beverages or come in specialised loading drinks which utilise fast action carbohydrates and other insulin stimulators to increase uptake of creatine to muscle cells.

Milk Thistle and Liver Cleansing

September 11, 2009 Leave a comment
Solo Nutrition Milk Thistle

Solo Nutrition Milk Thistle

Milk thistle is a plant whose fruit and seeds have been used for more than 2,000 years as a treatment for disorders of the liver, bile ducts, and gallbladder. Milk thistle is also called holy thistle, Marian thistle, and Mary thistle is indigenous to the Southern regions of Europe however today it can be found growing around the world. This herb has a long therapeutic history.

Silymarin has been identified as the active ingredient in milk thistle which gives it its therapeutic properties. Silymarin is a naturally occurring polyphenolic antioxidant flavonoid. This active ingredient is only soluble in alcohol and not water, thus making an alcohol extract the preferred medium of extraction. Silymarin contains 4 compounds: silybin (the most active), isosilybin, silychristin, and silydianin.

Silymarin extract has been studied extensively around the world. Today, several scientific studies suggest that active substances in milk thistle (particularly silymarin) protect the liver from damage caused by viruses, toxins, alcohol, and certain drugs such as acetaminophen (a common over the counter medication used for headaches and pain; acetaminophen, also called paracetamol), can cause liver damage if taken in large quantities or by people who drink alcohol regularly.

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver that is caused by a virus. Chronic hepatitis C can cause liver disease, cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver cancer, and liver failure. Among people with chronic hepatitis C, most show no symptoms for up to 20 to 30 years; some have mild symptoms; and some have more serious symptoms. One acute viral hepatitis study reported latest out come measures at 28 days and showed significant improvement in aspartate aminotransferase and bilirubin. Also, two studies of chronic viral hepatitis both showed basic and histologic improvement with milk thistle supplementation.

More over, two animal studies on prostate cancer chemoprevention and treatment are ongoing, and a third phase trial in human prostate cancer patients with rising prostate-specific antigen also is under way with milk thistle. Several large, carefully designed studies in patients with liver disorders have found that taking milk thistle silymarin to be effective as a treatment and may in some cases have a laxative effect or cause nausea, heartburn, or stomach upset. A growing amount of information from laboratory, animal, and human studies suggests that milk thistle may help to lower blood sugar levels as well.

Research into the biological activity of silymarin and its possible medical uses has been conducted in many countries since the 1970s, but the quality of the research has been uneven. A summary of the research findings the results of scientific studies to date do not definitively find that milk thistle is beneficial in treating viral hepatitis C in humans so more research is needed to be conclusive.

Many professional herbalists recommend milk thistle extract for the prevention and/or treatment of various liver disorders including hepatitis, fatty liver associated with long term alcohol use, and liver damage from drugs and industrial toxins such as carbon tetrachloride. The German Commission E, which studies the safety and efficacy of herbs for the German government, recommends milk thistle for liver damage due to toxins, cirrhosis of the liver, and as a supportive therapy for chronic inflammation of the liver.

In conclusion, milk thistle benefits has been experienced in protecting the liver and to greatly improve its function. For over 2,000 years Europeans have used milk thistle seeds as an herbal treatment for liver disorders. So given all the research to date, one can do a systematic review of the evidence to clarify what is known about this herb, so one can make a informed decision as to treatment of their liver problems.

Can Serrapeptase Help with Cardiovascular Disease And Boost The Immune System?

September 9, 2009 Leave a comment
Serrapeptase

Serrapeptase

If you see the letters ‘-ase’ in the name of a chemical such as serrapeptase, it indicates that it is an enzyme. An enzyme is like a biochemical catalyst, that increases the rate of a biochemical reaction, or that even allows it to occur, without it being changed itself. Enzymes are generated mainly in the liver, and are essential chemicals in the biochemistry of life, without with life just simply would not be possible.

Serrapeptase enzyme is what is known as a proteolytic enzyme, or protease, that breaks down or digests proteins in the body, and it is developed in the intestines of a silkworm (hence serra – silk). It plays an important part in the metamorphosis of the silkworm as it is needed to break down the cocoon walls. Its major medical use is as an anti-inflammatory and it has been found to have a beneficial effect in reducing inflammation by basically digesting it. Inflammation causes many problems with health including inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and colitis, inflamed joints and muscle tissue, lung diseases, headaches and migraines, ear nose and throat conditions, to name but a few.

These have traditionally been treated with what are known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin. The glucococorticoids used in the steroidal treatment of inflammation can have a negative effect on the immune system and many other side effects including problems with bone development, and emphasis is placed mainly on the non-steroidal treatments.

The problem with NSAIDs is that they can cause gastrointestinal problems, including bleeding. Patients suffering bleeding have a 10% chance of fatality, and the drugs can also cause kidney damage, joint problems and many other unwanted side effects.

Some doctors take the patient off one drug and onto another NSAID when the side-effects appear. Each of the ten commonly used drugs has similar side effects and it simply a roulette that can end in tragedy. For years researchers have been seeking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that does not produce these side effects, and serrapeptase enzyme seems to tick all the right boxes. If there has been a breakthrough in ant-inflammatory medicine, then this is it.

It deals with inflammation in a natural way without causing any of the side affects normally associated with NSAIDs, and also digests blood clots, scar tissue (internal and external) and any dead tissues within the body. In many cases, symptoms are alleviated within two weeks. It is now used throughout the world and no side effects have been reported in 30 years. It had been used safely with children, pregnant women and even with pets without the prostaglandin inhibition that is the cause of the gastric problems of NSAIDs.

A proteolytic enzyme is an enzyme that takes part in the metabolic processes of the body. In addition to ‘regular’ proteins, serrapeptase ‘digests’ excess fibrin that thickens the blood, many bacteria, viruses and fungi. By clearing all of this from the blood and lymphatic systems, and also clearing out mucus and inflammation from the body, it helps the body’s own immune system to work better and also effectively reduces its viscosity allowing it to flow better.

Apart from that, the immune system uses enzymes to destroy invading proteins and supplementing these with serrapeptase enables this process to occur more efficiently. Protealytic enzymes can tell what proteins should be in the body and what should not be, and remove the latter. That is basically how the immune response works.

It is its effect on the immune response system that makes serrapeptase such an effective ant-inflammatory. The inflammation is a response to an irritation, for example to pollen grains in the respiratory system. This triggers the autoimmune system to create a CIC, or Circulating Immune Complex, that moves to the site of the irritation. In destroying the source of the irritation, the CIC also causes inflammation and swelling. This then attracts other CICs and the cycle repeats itself.

What the proteolytic enzyme serrapeptase does is to digest and remove the debris created by the action of the CIC in destroying the original irritant that is now itself causing irritation and inflammation. Everything is cleared away and the immune system settles down and stabilizes ready for the next invader. It is a failure to clear away all the debris after an invasion has been dealt with that is the cause of much inflammation, and the result of the natural reaction of the body’s immune system can cause further damage unless it is given some help.

The same basic action of serrapeptase is though to be effective in fighting against cardiovascular disease. The late Dr. Hans Nieper used the enzyme to treat the blockage of arteries in coronary heart disease. It was reported to be considerably more effective in clearing away arterial plaque, then the EDTA chelation method used at that time. Incidences of strokes among his patients diminished, and the enzyme was reported to dissolve away blood clots and repair varicose veins. It is thought that the serrapeptase dissolved away the dead protein that bound the plaque cause the arteries to block.

It might appear that serrapeptase thins the blood, but it does not. It simply appears to do so by removing the debris that makes it thicker than it should be. In doing so, it will make regular blood-thinning drugs seem more effective, so you should take care if using blood-thinning drugs such as Heparin or Coumadin since your blood might be over-thinned.

While the official line is that more research is needed to prove that this enzyme has a definite curative effect on heart disease in coronary patients, and in reducing the incidence of fatal coronary failure, many people swear by its use. Serrapeptase benefits are experienced by many people when serrapeptase supplements are used and they have fewer allergies than prior to commencing its use. They also feel generally fitter due to their blood being healthier and more able to carry oxygen and nutrients round their body.

Categories: Serrapeptase

Resveratrol

September 7, 2009 Leave a comment
Resveratrol

Resveratrol

What Are The Health Benefits of Reveratrol

It has actually been more than decades since scientists first began looking at the possible health benefits of resveratrol, but since the ingredient only began to appear in news stories over the last couple of years everyone is convinced it is some kind of new discovery. Resveratrol however, has been the subject of much research in order to discover what its potential benefits to the human body are.

The benefits of taking  resveratrol supplements benefits have been discovered as being quite extensive. For one thing it decreases the activity of inflammatory cytokines, which indicates that it contains some sort of mechanism for reducing the mortality rate in from cardiovascular disease, and cancer. There is also a wealth of other ailments that this polyphenol is helpful in treating.

You may have heard the reports about heart disease and cancer, but it seems that very few people know that resveratrol supplements have also been found to be successful in inhibiting the replication of the herpes simplex virus. It also appears that it may be at least somewhat helpful in lowering your LDL cholesterol, and increasing the HDL cholesterol that you have.

Benefits 0f resveratrol dont end there. Scientists have found that it is instrumental in preventing cancer formation, it provides protection against free radical damage, may prevent or alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, alleviates menopausal symptoms, and prevents damage to blood vessels. This compound can provide you with a tremendous amount of medical help.

Resveratrol health supplements have been flying off the shelves since the announcements about what the scientific studies had uncovered but what people have got to realize is that no single compound no matter how powerful is the answer to every problem that you have. That is why you have to look for a nutritional supplement that has ingredients that cover a wide range of possible ailments.

You need to look for a high quality supplement that not only promises you the benefits of resveratrol but also offers you the services of other high quality natural ingredients such as essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, and a relative horde of various herbal extracts. You want enough ingredients to be present in your product as to make sure that all of your bases are covered.

Resveratrol Synergy

Resveratrol Synergy

You have to be sure to choose a reputable product that contains resveratrol and every other ingredient in only their purest forms. You want them to be of the highest possible quality in order to be able to ensure that you are going to reap the maximum benefit from each of the ingredients that have been chosen. You also want to be assured that the manufacturer checked the ingredients for contamination before using them in your product.

You have to do your homework in order to know whether or not a company’s product is going to provide you with all of the benefits of resveratrol health that you expect for your hard earned money. Once you find the manufacturer that can provide you with the highest quality product possible stick with them. Your health will benefit from it.

Supplements for Children

September 6, 2009 Leave a comment

Childrens supplementation is a key factor in today’s life style and should run along side a diet that is both nutritious and varied is the key to good mental and emotional health in children. Sometimes even the best diets do not provide adequate nutrients that are needed and some children need more of certain nutrients. Children may be very picky eaters. Never mind the challenge of providing meals, that are perfectly balanced in nutritional value and then overcoming the nay-sayer child.

Supplements for children are the most reliable method of ensuring your child is getting the appropriate levels of nutritional vitamins and minerals that are necessary for optimal nourishment. This is even more important if your child is having difficulty mentally or emotionally. Remember, there is an excellent range of vitamin and mineral supplement on the market. Just a small deficiency can have a significant impact on a child that is growing.

When Should Supplementation Start?

The minute you start to wean your child you should consider the inclusion of childrens supplements. Whilst a mother is breastfeeding she needs to be taking nutritional supplements, which then will naturally get passed on to your baby.

How To Choose The Right Supplements

When it comes to supplements for children, a parent should be looking at three areas all of which are broad multivitamins, essential fats, and mineral nutritional supplements that will incorporate all of the nutrients necessary for a child.

Supplements for children can be crushable, chewable, liquid, or soluble formulas depending on the age of your child and their preferences. It’s best to give a child their supplements with breakfast. If that proves difficult then an alternative option would be some time during the day but never last thing at night because Vitamin B is a mild stimulant, and for some children glutamine also is.

Children tend to be more at risk for vitamin toxicity than adults are, and while dosages are well below toxicity levels but for sensitive children this can still be too high, so don’t be tempted to give more than that recommended level unless you are under the direction of your doctor or nutritional therapist.

Best childrens supplements you will choose are probably a chewable multivitamin and mineral, unless you are correcting a specific problem and giving your child probiotics or glutamine powder. Usually you’ll be giving one for every two years, so by the time your child is six you’ll be giving three a day. Of course, it depends on the strength of the multivitamins and minerals, best spread out throughout the day. Most multivitamins don’t have enough vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. That’s because vitamin C is tart, calcium and magnesium make a chewable vitamin too crunchy, and zinc tastes metallic.

There are several ways to beat this problem. If you are giving your child ground seeds each day as recommended they will be getting a reasonable amount of calcium, magnesium, and zinc. You can also use powdered calcium and magnesium, which you can add to drinks. Chewable Vitamin C that uses calcium/magnesium ascorbate is great way to take care of all three. If your child isn’t sleeping well and you want to give them a little extra magnesium this is also a good option. The easiest way to give your child that little extra vitamin C is simply by making sure they get five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Broccoli, Peppers, citrus fruit, and berries are the best Vitamin C foods. If necessary you can crush a childs supplement and then add to diluted fruit juice or water. Supplements for children are as important to children these days as a stable, happy home environment and should not be overlooked.

Stress and the B Vitamins

September 4, 2009 Leave a comment
Stress & the B Vitamins

Stress & the B Vitamins

The connection between B vitamin complex and stress depression is well known; although why a good B vitamin complex can reduce stress is less well known. Before discussing the reason why a stress vitamin B can reduce stress, we shall first have a look at stress and what causes it. The term means different things to different people, and a stressful situation to one person might not be such to another.

What Causes Stress?
The biochemistry of stress is fairly complex, although involves the production and release of hormones into your bloodstream. When an event occurs that causes stress, the hypothalamus portion of your brain becomes involved. It releases cotocotropin releasing factor (CRF), a hormone that protects you from stress by raising your spirits. CRF sends signals to the pituitary gland causing the release of ACHT (Adrenocorticotropic hormone corticotropin) that causes cortisol to be released into the bloodstream by the adrenal glands. Cortisol speeds up the metabolism.

Coincidentally, the cells of the brain stem and spinal cord send a message that stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete epinephrine that increases the heart rate, breathing and alertness, ready for fight or flight. Both of these mechanisms then lead back to the pituitary gland and your new stress level can repeat the process or stop it, should your stress be reduced. If this cycle continues over an extended period of time it can have serious repercussions on your mental and physical health.

A typical stress supplement like vitamin B vitamins can help to regulate this biochemical function, and in doing so can reduce stress, and with it the associated anxiety and depression. In fact many of the symptoms of vitamin B deficiency are those that are also associated with stress: anxiety, nervousness, depression irritability and so on. There is no one specific form of Vitamin B that helps with stress, and there are eight in total. However, in saying that, the three members of the B vitamin complex that have most effect on stress are vitamins B 3, 6 and 12.

Every one of the B vitamins is involved in cell metabolism. Because they are soluble in water, they are quickly leached from the body so have to be replaced on a regular basis. The various B vitamins are needed by your body for specific purposes, such as Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is essential for the correct function of your nerves, brain and muscles. Although others have their own particular areas of responsibility, they are generally lumped together, not only because they are all soluble in water, but also because they each have a profound effect on the metabolism of your body.

Those mostly connected with the nervous system are Vitamins B3, B6 and B12. Vitamin B3 (Niacin) helps to maintain the proper health of your digestive system, skin and nerves, and B12 (cobalamin) is also needed for a healthy nervous system. Supplements for stress such as vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) along with vitamin B12 are the two principal members of the B complex that have an effect on stress, and a deficiency of these can make you more prone to this frequently debilitating condition. In fact many people that are suffering from a general Vitamin B deficiency have various forms of mental problems.

Because Vitamin B12 is available only from animal sources, deficiencies are common in vegetarians, and even more common in vegans who are advised to take a Vitamin B12 supplement. However, in general you are best to take a Vitamin B complex as opposed to a supplement of any specific member of the B family. This is because a surplus of any one could lead to a depletion of others.

It is thought that much of today’s stress is caused by an inadequate diet, and a diet deficient in various forms of Vitamin B is believed to render the subject particularly prone to stress and anxiety. People that have been suffering undue levels of stress over a protracted period of time can be helped by a regular treatment of vitamin B complex. In taking such stress supplements, however, you should also be aware of the various possible effects on your body that the causes of your stress can have. These are frequently neither understood nor recognized when they occur.

For example, if you are under stress due to a poor diet, or conversely, are eating a poor diet due to your high stress levels, you might be building up fatty deposits in your liver. Because of this your general health could be at serious risk in addition to your mental health. It is important, therefore, that you don’t just restrict yourself to a B vitamin complex, but also take a supplement containing inositol and choline bitartrate.

These can reduce the fatty deposit that a poor diet can cause to build up in your liver with consequent risk to life. Such deposits affect the ability of your liver to destroy the environmental toxins to which become exposed as part of your daily life, and which can be directly related to your ability to counter high stress levels.

In general, however, if you are prone to stress and get nervous and worried about the slightest thing that doesn’t go to plan, a B vitamin complex can help: vitamin B can reduce stress, although if your stress is sever you would be better advised consulting a physician than a health store.

Stress is a serious condition, and not one that should be treated lightly. It is possible to treat some stress conditions by using a stress vitamin like B vitamin complex, although should the stress be serious then you should consult your physician. Frequently the stress is not diet related, but due to personal circumstances that cannot be cured by any form of supplement.

However, there are few doubts that a course of stress vitamins – Vitamin B supplements – can help to overcome many of the metabolic causes of stress, and make up for any deficiency in these vitamins that leave your body almost as quickly as they enter it. Vitamin B can reduce stress, but only if your stress is due to a deficiency: and this is more common that most people are aware.

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