Monday, December 8, 2008

hello readers

We are going to start blogging again soon. We were hit hard last year because we broke the rules - we didn't know we were breaking the rules so we stopped. We have been hit 'twice' again. Blogger just contacted me - so hopefully everything will be okay and I can start blogging again.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Negative Calorie Foods

Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Fennel
Leek
Lettuce
Peppers
Tomato

Negative Calorie Fruit
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Mandarin orange
Melon Cantaloupe
Peaches
Plums
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Strawberry
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melon
Tangerine

Foods That Suppress Appetite

There has been a lot of controversy in the news over natural appetite suppressants. Hoodia has been in the news. It has been painted with an evil brush, but what most people do not understand is that it has been eaten as a part of people’s diet for centuries. It is part of a naturally growing cactus that just happens to have the ability to suppress the appetite.

This made me wonder whether other foods have any appetite suppressant qualities. The first thing I learned was that most people are not hungry when they ‘feel’ hungry – they are thirsty. Today’s diet has cross wired our brains messages. Most people feel the same whether they are hungry or thirsty. Next time you want to reach for a snack, pick up a bottle of water first.

If water doesn’t do the trick, then drink vegetable broth. The broth is better than juice. The juice may have starches added to make the drink thicker, smoother, or improve the color. Broth is primarily water and does are not ad calories.

Green foods will suppress the appetite. Any green or leafy vegetable will work. The simplest ‘food’ is apples. It works for people who are feeding their emotions, and it also curbs the appetite. Eat about 30 minutes before dinner and you’ll eat less food.

Another appetite suppressant food is a pickle. Trader Joe’s pickles have the benefit of having no added food coloring. But, read the ingredients. Some pickles are more ‘candied vegies’ than pickles. They have no dietary benefits.

If you must pop pills, then take fiber pills. Drink plenty of water with them. Without water they can cause digestive problems. Not only will they prime the digestive system so weight loss is easier, but the right ones will make the stomach feel full.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

How Important Are Symptoms?



The body has one method of telling us that something is wrong – it creates symptoms. In many cases, we take medicines that stop our bodies from giving us the message that something is wrong, or cleaning out the offending virus or toxin.

A runny nose, itching skin, sensitivity, weak nails can all signal toxins and a digestive symptom breakdown that can lead to disease.

Weight gain, acne and thinning hair, which are all common symptoms of Glucose allergies. Women may suffer from lack of libido, a deep voice, low mood - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome PCOS which can be controlled by reducing Glucose in our food.
Chewing ice, or a craving for ice, may signal the need for calcium.
Binging may signal the onset of Type 2 Diabetes.

The point is, you should pay attention to things that change in your body and health. They could be symptoms that something is wrong with your system. Pay attention. Don’t listen to people who say ‘don’t worry.’ Instead, research the symptoms and try to find what is the problem.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The Dangers of A Poor Night's Sleep

A Canadian study, published today in the medical journal Sleep, tested 276 adults between 21 and 64 years of age. They tested short and long duration sleepers. They found that 35 per cent and 25 per cent are more likely to gain 5kg (11lb) compared with average duration sleepers who maintained 7 hours sleep.
Short sleepers gained 1.98kg (4.3lb) while long sleepers gained 1.58kg (3.4lb).
The risk of developing obesity increases more than 27 percent for over sleepers.

Previous research suggested that sleep loss could disturb the production of hormones that control the desire for calorie rich foods. The level of ghrelin, the hormone released by the stomach to signal hunger, was 15 per cent higher in people who sleep five hours compared to those getting eight hours.

Lack of sleep leads to tiredness during the day, which reduces the level of physical activity.

The alarming statistics are for those who lack sleep. People who sleep five or fewer face a 70 per cent risk of dying from all causes - and twice the risk of death from a cardiovascular disease.

Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, said those whose sleeping habits exceed seven hours, or who regularly get less, should not despair. They are not at risk.

"There is a great deal of evidence now that sleeping less than five hours a night is linked with putting on weight," he said, "but it's a very slow weight gain over a number of years."

So, enjoy a full night’s sleep.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Is The Answer To Younger Skin Found in Soap?

How Does Soap Work
Soap helps remove dead skin. Believe it or not, the skin is the body's largest organ, responsible for removing toxins and waste from the body.

Soap is made to remove the dead skin from the top layer of skin - the epidermis - and the microbes that eat them. Soap should be used with a brush to help perform this task.

A toner will close the pores and prevent them from being clogged with dead skin and pollutants in the air.

A good soap will do both. The soap does not need to lather to do this. There are different types of soap. A good soap is made from oils and fatty acid. The oils are mixed with alkali to form glycerin and the salt of the fatty acid.

The surfactants (surface-active agents) in soaps remove grease and dirt because Surfactants have a molecular structure that acts as a link between water and the dirt particles. So the soap actually works like a magnet, or glue, that picks up the dirt and adheres it to the water which then drains away.

A good soap may contain a toner or astringent to tighten the pores, but adding moisturizers, perfume, colors, and scents may actually work against the process by being deposited on the skin and clogging the newly cleaned pores.

Soaps work because of the structure of water. Water molecules contain 2 hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom trapped between them. This makes the water molecule polar with a positive charge at one end and a negative at the other.

Ad an ionic compound like sodium chloride and the positive and negative parts of water are attracted to the positive ions and negative ions. This is what makes soap water soluble. The solubility of the soap depends on the strength of the attraction.

In this way, the fat in our skin, and on our skin are water soluble, making it easy for them to wash away. The epidermis needs a non-polar material that can be dissolved, moved, and then restored to its non-polar state, like a lipid, or triglyceride.

A lipid is made from two parts fatty acid, and an alcohol called glycerine. Both the fat and glycerine are water soluble.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like l lard and butter. Unsaturated fats are liquids at room temperature like safflower oil. While the unsaturated fat is healthier, liquid soap is not easy to handle.

Cleansing and astringent herbs may be added to the mix, to improve the scent and cleansing ability of the soap. When the soap dissolves, dirt and pollutants are trapped, and sloughed away with the water.

As the soap takes away pollutants, dead skin, biological contaminants, and waste, the skin works less to remove toxins from the body. Drinking lots of water improves this task, and keeps the skin healthier.

This could be one reason why we are seeing woman in their 50s who look young. They have 'good' soaps, and a good diet that keeps their epidermis working well. Like all 'organs' a healthy epidermis looks healthy - and a chemically damaged and abused organ looks wasted, damaged, and color spotted.

Avoid Diabetes Getting Out of Control As You Age

Most people don't realize that diabetes becomes harder to manage as you grow older. Our bodies start to metabolise food differently, our needs for calories decreases, and our vitamin needs change.

When it comes to managing diabetes, a small change makes a big difference.

Currently the diabetic epidemic affects 2 million Canadians, and costs $13.2 billion a year. Earlier prevention, earlier diagnosis, and aggressive treatment of diabetes that controls blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and lipid (i.e. cholesterol) levels are proven to prevent the damage caused by diabetes.

One of the problems is caused by binging at holidays. There is a group where you can find help and friends who can help. SparkyPeople.com Managing Diabetes Over 50

New Cancer Discoveries

It is amazing, how many new discoveries are found for today's diseases. I write a lot about prevention, but cures give hope. They are our future, the secret to long life, and a better life style.

A new test analyzes some mysterious cancers and may provide a short-cut for treating them. Israel-based Rosetta Genomics (ROSG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said its test, uses microRNAs, a genetic material that regulates genes that are involved in cancer.

Most cancers are named for the place they first develop:breast, lung cancer, or colon cancer. Even if they cancers spread, they are still identified by their primary origin.

"But there is a group of patients who have tumors that appear in a metastatic site which, with the best imaging, you can't find a primary tumor," said Dr. Martin Raber of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"It either acquired the ability to metastasize so early in development that primary didn't develop. Or the primary never existed," added Raber, who specializes in such cancers and who was not involved in the research.

Identifying the primary origin is the key to treating cancer , said Raber.

"Today we have specific chemotherapies. We have therapies for colon cancer that don't seem to work in other settings," Raber said in a telephone interview. "You can no longer design one regimen that captures all tumors."

"This research demonstrates the tremendous potential of microRNAs as effective biomarkers, and is a significant step towards the development of the first microRNA-based diagnostic tests," said Amir Avniel, president of Rosetta Genomics.

Raber, said eventually such tests will become more refined.

"At the end of the day as a doctor I don't really care if my unknown primary tumor patient had breast cancer, colon cancer or lung cancer," he said.

"All I really care about is what treatment will my patient respond to. Some day we will have gene panels that predict responsiveness to taxanes or ... Erbitux or responsiveness to Avastin," he added. REUTERS

New Cancer Discoveries

It is amazing, how many new discoveries are found for today's diseases. I write a lot about prevention, but cures give hope. They are our future, the secret to long life, and a better life style.

A new test analyzes some mysterious cancers and may provide a short-cut for treating them. Israel-based Rosetta Genomics (ROSG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said its test, uses microRNAs, a genetic material that regulates genes that are involved in cancer.

Most cancers are named for the place they first develop:breast, lung cancer, or colon cancer. Even if they cancers spread, they are still identified by their primary origin.

"But there is a group of patients who have tumors that appear in a metastatic site which, with the best imaging, you can't find a primary tumor," said Dr. Martin Raber of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"It either acquired the ability to metastasize so early in development that primary didn't develop. Or the primary never existed," added Raber, who specializes in such cancers and who was not involved in the research.

Identifying the primary origin is the key to treating cancer , said Raber.

"Today we have specific chemotherapies. We have therapies for colon cancer that don't seem to work in other settings," Raber said in a telephone interview. "You can no longer design one regimen that captures all tumors."

"This research demonstrates the tremendous potential of microRNAs as effective biomarkers, and is a significant step towards the development of the first microRNA-based diagnostic tests," said Amir Avniel, president of Rosetta Genomics.

Raber, said eventually such tests will become more refined.

"At the end of the day as a doctor I don't really care if my unknown primary tumor patient had breast cancer, colon cancer or lung cancer," he said.

"All I really care about is what treatment will my patient respond to. Some day we will have gene panels that predict responsiveness to taxanes or ... Erbitux or responsiveness to Avastin," he added. REUTERS

Friday, March 21, 2008

Follow My Free Natural Holistic Colon Cleansing Program

This is a cross post from my blog www.healthafter40.blogspot.com This health blog is my most active, and ranks high among the blogging sites. I will be posting a daily journal there of my colon cleansing. I will not be posting the journal here - but in www.healthafter40.blogspot.com so you must go there to comment or follow my progress.


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My husband and I plan to start a colon cleansing program on April one. I will use natural foods and am aiming at 'cleaning out' the dangerous mucus build ups, not just restore my body's ability to create stools.

Feel Free to subscribe to follow this program. I am not going to become 'gross' or descriptive about my program, but I will tell you what I eat, the results, and how I feel.

I plan to do a full 7 day cleansing. At the end, you will have a basic understanding of the colon cleansing process. I will be posting articles within the next week to explain what I plan to do, and why.

The program will actually start a couple days early when I 'prepare' my body. Colon cleansing requires 'shocking' the body - but not making it ill.


USA Today, "Most people who eat the standard American 'goo and glue' diet have about 5-10 pounds of matter stored in the colon."

I will include fennel seed, flax seed, Psyllium but not senna. I will increase the fruits I eat, including (and most important) increasing the orange juice and adding rhubarb to my diet.