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| Resveratrol - Anti Aging substance |
Resveratrol is a natural phytoalexin found in grapes and red wine. It is an antibiotic substance and is used to fight the likes of fungi and bacteria on its health. Researchers believe Resveratrol helps decrease heart disease rates and may have other health benefits. Reseveratrol is found in Japanese knotweed which is commonly grown in China but other plants which produce Reveratol are peanuts, cranberries and in the skin of grapes.
There are many stories about Resveratrol, but the biggest concern for women is its beauty benefits. Some say it works for a successful diet. Others think it works for anti aging. You can hear all the good stories you want on the net. But it all boils down to what it does to YOU. You can only try and find out, really.
The good news is that there is no side effect or any bad thing. You can also find some free trial supplements also, thank goodness. Nothing to lose, and hopefully you gain something! |
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| Better health through herbal teas |
 Tea is a favorite beverage for many, but there are many varieties of tea, used for a wide range of purposes. While many people think of black tea when they consider a beverage tea, there are many other options that offer various health benefits. Many types of herbal teas are commonly available on the market to address different health and wellness concerns, often to better effect than the same herbs taken in capsule form. Blended teas are available as well, offering improved flavor as well as carrying the medicinal benefits of their various constituent plants. Another increasingly preferred choice are green teas.
Used for centuries as a wellness and beauty tonic as well as a daily beverage in most Asian countries, green tea has been growing in popularity in the US. Especially in recent years, more and more people are discovering its varied health benefits. Green tea's mild an pleasant flavor lends itself well to different combinations, making it a favorite base of combination teas. Green tea itself provides a large dose of antioxidants, which help promote health in many ways by protecting the body's cells from the damage often associated with aging and cellular metabolism. It is one of the richest sources of catechins (one of which is found in no other source) which may offer a high degree of protection against some cancers (even in the face of other high risk factors). Bioflavenoids are also in abundance in green tea, making vitamin C more complete and helping to boost immunity, protect the skin, and offering a host of other benefits.
 A segment of the population has been seeking green tea more widely for its metabolic-boosting ability. Drinking green tea every day has been shown to increase metabolism, and may also be useful to help reduce cravings. This makes green tea a very sought-after diet drink. Sencha, a very high quality green tea, is a good choice for this intended use. Oolong (sometimes spelled Wu-long), while not exactly a green tea, is another popular choice for weight loss.
Also growing in popularity are the number of herbal tea combinations made with green tea. Besides enhancing and complementing the flavors, combining herbs allows the one drinking the tea to experience the increased benefits from other plant sources as well. Acai tea mixed with green tea is a good example. A richer source of antioxidants than other superfruits (such as goji berry and mangosteen), acai is a good choice for preventing free radical damage to cells and improving cellular health. The high availability of antioxidants in acai offers a number of anti-aging benefits. With its complement of nutrients and other vitamins, acai also helps promote healing and boost energy levels. These properties make it a perfect enhancement to green tea for anyone who wishes to improve their health, fight aging, and feel better.
Take advantage of the easy availability of quality herbal teas and combinations available. Find teas you enjoy, and sip your way to increased health and wellness! |
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| Eczema |
Eczema can have a number of causes, and can also be a symptom of an underlying problem, such as hypochlorhydria (low levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach), leaky gut syndrome, or an overgrowth of candida. Many cases of eczema are allergy-related.
The allergy can be to something external. Finding the cause is an important step in treating the eczema. It may be necessary to change, at least temporarily, to non-allergenic shampoos, lotions, soaps, etc. and avoid contact with various chemicals, nickel, plants, etc. to see if there is any improvement. In some cases where contact cannot be avoided (such as a person who must be exposed to these things in the course of their work), the sufferer can wear nitrile gloves in order to prevent various substances from coming into contact with the skin. These gloves are latex and powder free, an important consideration since latex allergies are common. These can be purchased from a dealer in medical supplies.
Many other eczema cases are related to dietary allergies. You can try eliminating all common allergens at the same time, and adding them back in at the rate of one per week to find the triggers, or cut out one category at a time to try to find the culprit. Foods that commonly produce allergic skin reactions include eggs, peanuts, soy foods, wheat, dairy products, strawberries, processed foods, and chocolate.
Gluten is an especially worth considering. Try eliminating gluten from your diet for 4-6 weeks and see if there is any improvement, and then re-introduce gluten-containing foods back, one food each week.
Helpful herbs include chamomile and pau d'arco. Both can be used either internally or externally. Aloe gel with a few drops of lavender oil applied in a thick coating over the affected skin can produce very good results. If the skin is very badly affected, you can mix goldenseal root powder (open a capsule) with vitamin E oil and apply that. Betaine HCl can be taken as a supplement to increase levels of hydrochloric acid (it should be avoided if your stomach is too acid). Vitamin E is another important supplement, and various EFA supplements - borage oil, flaxseed oil - can benefit the skin as well. |
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| Atmosphere for Healing |
An atmosphere for healing is especially helpful for people who are fighting illness or for those in addiction recovery. We are pleased to see facilities that concern themselves with the whole individual, rather than just an addiction. Natural surroundings that promote inner serenity help provide balance to the individual's emotions as they recover health. Nutrition is of prime importance in helping to regain health as well. Facilities that offer nutritious and fresh organic foods help build up the system and strengthen the body. Especially while going through drug detox, it is important to avoid the addition of further toxins from added pesticides and antibiotics.
An environment for healing is especially helpful in the case of dual diagnosis . More than 50% of admission cases have a concurrent psychosocial or emotional illness. For these people, the benefits of emotional serenity and natural surroundings are of even greater benefit. Nature helps relieve emotional stress and anxiety, and emotional healing can progress more quickly than it often does within a more artificial and clinical environment.
A variety of therapy options and personalized services allow a program to be tailored to suit an individual, giving every chance for success. Individual, group, and family therapy are part of the treatment process. Challenge and adventure therapy and equine therapy assist development and healing as well.
We are pleased to see programs that address the needs of the whole individual and are not relegated strictly to a clinical setting, allowing a fuller opportunity for healing of the whole person. |
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| Skin care products |
 There's a lot of hype and information today about a variety of skin care products and natural anti-aging formulas. It seems that many companies are interested in this high-dollar industry, one of the ones receiving a lot of press being Christian Dior's Dior Capture skin care line.
Manufacturers of course make claims for their products, but in deciding which are most likely to be beneficial and produce real results, it is important to understand the causes of skin aging. Some of these may be correctable while others are best prevented, and the jury is still out on still others.
One of the main reasons for an increase in wrinkles in aging skin is decreased levels of collagen. Many products include collagen in their preparations, promising that applying it to your skin will decrease wrinkles. The problem is that collagen molecules are larger than skin pores and cannot be absorbed into the skin, and simply spreading collagen on the surface of the skin is unlikely to produce any results at all. The only two natural ways of increasing the collagen in skin are to take it as a nutritional supplement, where your body can use it, but will decide WHERE to use it. Because collagen is also an essential component of joints, etc., your body may send it to the joints rather than to your face, where you had hoped to see results. The other method is to increase the body's own collagen production. There are some indications that Dermapril-SP's ingredient, Matrixyl 3000, helps to boost collagen production in the skin, along with Hyaluronic Acid.
Along with collagen and elastin, Hyaluronic Acid is one of the components of the matrix that supports skin tissue. Hyaluronic Acid helps maintain moisture in the skin in the same way that a sponge would do, by absorbing and holding moisture. Lower production of Hyaluronic Acid is also associated with aging.
One of the primary causes of aging is exposure to sunlight over time. This is the factor that is best prevented, and reversal is impossible. The number of burns over a person's lifetime greatly increases risk of skin cancers, as well as adding to the overall sun exposure to negatively impact the quality of the skin as a person ages. |
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| Basic diet - part 3 - Fats and Oils |
While some people who are dieting strive to cut out ALL fats and oils, this truly is not a healthy choice. Some vitamins are fat-soluble, and can only be absorbed and used when the body has access to fats. Fats are essential to building and maintaining healthy cells, and they are also a source of ready energy to the body.
There are two basic types of fat. The first is saturated fat -- any fat that remains solid at room temperature. Saturated fats include animal fat, lard, butterfat, coconut oil, etc. Most people get the highest levels of saturated fat in their diets from consuming animal proteins and from processed foods that use saturated fats in their ingredient list. Consumption of saturated fats leads to higher cholesterol, increased blood pressure, and laying down of fatty deposits in the arteries, all of which can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. It is of the greatest importance to know what kinds of fats you are consuming and cut down on the sources of saturated fats as much as possible.
An important factor to remember is that the food given to livestock will affect the levels of saturated fats found in animal products. Grass-fed beef is lower in saturated fats than commercially fed beef. Chickens allowed to graze on pasture lay eggs that are lower in cholesterol and higher in omega-3 essential fatty acids than those kept caged and fed a commercial mixture.
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, and include most plant oils. Popularly available products are olive oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, etc. Because they are liquid at room temperature, unsaturated fats also flow freely inside the body as well. These are the healthiest choice for dietary sources of fat. Among the most healthful choices of the ones we have listed above are olive oil.
Look for cold-pressed organic cooking oil. It is important to avoid heat-processing of oils, as that causes the chemical structure of fats to change. It is always best to use oils at the lowest temperatures possible as well.
Nuts and seeds are also good sources of fats. Whole fresh almonds are especially beneficial. There are also a wide selection of nut butters available (not just peanut, which isn't a nut at all!), although these typically have a shorter shelf life and must be mixed before each use, they are worth the effort.
Do check ALL labels for "trans-fat." In the US, all foods must disclose their level of trans-fat. However, be aware that if a serving provides less than .5 gram, it can legally be listed as "no trans-fat" which isn't quite true, and can still add up to health problems if you consume too much of a product. We will address this further in upcoming posts, since this series is intended to be a simple guide to nutrition, but watch especially for the most common causes, such as "partially hydrogenated" fats and oils.
Butter is also beneficial, in moderation. This is the key to all fat consumption (indeed, to almost all food consumption) ... moderation. The more variety you can introduce to your diet, eating all foods in moderation, the healthier you will be.
Our next post will include some information on minerals and vitamins. |
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| Basic diet - part 2 - Proteins |
Usually when someone says "proteins," most people think of meat. There are other sources of protein, however. Proteins are basically complexes that are made up of a variety of amino acids. Some amino acids can be manufactured by the body, while others cannot. The ones your body cannot produce on its own are referred to as "essential amino acids" because you must obtain them through food or your body simply won't have access to them.
Animal proteins contain all of the essential amino acids, which is why meat has come to be considered a primary protein source. There are several down-sides to consuming animal protein, however. Especially if you eat too much animal protein, the processing of it by your body will produce excess acid, leading to an acidic body condition. Acidic body conditions can lead to a whole host of problems, while simply keeping your body alkaline can help prevent many conditions. This is a rather complex issue which we will cover in more detail in future posts. Other problems linked with consuming animal protein are the high levels of saturated fats, and the high incidence of treating animals with hormones and antibiotics by the meat-producing industry, and the levels of pesticide that are often ingested through animal protein because of the treatment of feed crops.
Those who eat animal protein can help balance the pH of their body in several ways, but the most direct is to eat only as much meat as needed and balance that with alkaline-producing foods. Avoiding hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides is made easier by the availability of organic, grass-fed livestock. While the cost of organic meats is higher, if you consume only as much meat as needed, that will produce some dollar savings, and at the same time, you can avoid paying medical costs down the road and enjoy a healthier body. There are ways to save on organic foods as well.
Some plants provide protein as well. Different plants are made of different amino acids so that, when combining different types of plant protein (such as grains with beans), the amino acid complexes will complement one another and the body will have access to "complete" proteins. The body can store amino acids and use them later as needed to manufacture its proteins, so these foods do not need to be consumed at the same meal.
However, excess plant proteins can make the body over-acidic just as animal proteins can. For this reason, the same care should be taken to eat alkaline-producing foods to balance out plant proteins as well.
Good sources of animal protein include meats, fish, eggs, and dairy. Plant protein sources include beans and bean products, seeds, nuts, and whole grains.
Proteins are closely connected to the subject of our next post, which will cover fats and oils.
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Natural Health for Life |
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Information for increasing and maintaining health through the use of natural supplements, natural products, holistic services, sound nutrition and physical excercise.
The usual FDA required disclaimer: "The information on this site has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent any disease." |
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