A Family Fitness Guide

Mild to Moderate Depression: Take St. Johns’ Wort

I hope this article from Patricia Zifferblatt from Better Life Institute is helpful in coping with a mild to moderate case of depression:

“Extracts of St. Johns’ Wort are effective in reducing the symptoms of major depression, according to a new review in the prestigious Cochrane Systemic Review” the headlines from NutraIngredients stated on October 9, 2008.

The lead researcher, Klaus Linde and fellow researchers from the Centre for Complimentary Medicine at the Technical University of Munich, Germany and the University Medical Center, Freiburg showed that the plant extract of St. Johns’ Wort is effective against mild to moderate depressive disorders. This new study pulled together 29 trials involving over 5,000 patients of major depression, 18 of which included a placebo and 17 involved comparisons with synthetic standard antidepressants.

The team made the following statement in defending their research:
“The available evidence suggests that the hypericum extracts, i.e. St. Johns’ Wort, tested in the included trials are:
a. superior to placebo in patients with major depression
b. similarly effective as standard antidepressants
c. have fewer side-effects than standard antidepressants

And now a word of caution from Better Life: Because not all supplements containing St Johns’ Wort are manufactured under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) with the same amount of effective hypericum, we strongly suggest that anyone who supplements with St. Johns’ Wort purchase a quality product from a highly reputable supplier. As always, if you are under the care of a physician, get approval from her/him before adding St. John’s Wort or any other supplements to your diet.

Colds vs. Allergies

Well, the weather is getting cooler and that means the nasty cold, flu and allergies season is just around the corner.  Do you know the different between colds and allergies?

Many people (10-20%) of the population suffer from allergic responses to allergens. What can you do about it?

• Track the pollen count for your area;
• Stay indoors in central air conditioning with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter attachment when the pollen count is high. This will remove pollen from the indoor air;
• Get away from the pollen where possible;
• Take antihistamine medications;
• If medication does not give enough relief, consider immunotherapy (”allergy shots”).

Joint Health

Joints pain any one? Consider these strategies to encourage joint health.

• Strength training. Weight-bearing exercise builds strong bone density and protects joints by strengthening the muscles that stabilize them. Combine strength training and low-impact activities such as swimming or water aerobics.
• Stretch. Regular stretching keeps joints, muscles and ligaments limber and strong, while reducing injury risk, lowering stress and encouraging weight loss.
• Slim down. Every pound of your body weight places four pounds of pressure per step on the knees. Losing 10 pounds translates to 48,000 fewer pounds of pressure per mile walked.
• Glucosamine and chondroitin. Though study results are mixed. Some find glucosamine or glocosamine plus chondroitin helpful and they appear to do no harm. To determine if these supplements are helpful for you, try 1,500 miligrams of glucosamine and 100 miligrams chondroitin, twice a day, then evaluate your pain level after 7 days.

Links Between Gum Disease and Heart Disease

I got this article from my inbox and thought it was interesting and would like to share it with you.

“From a reader: “I went to my dentist and he told me I needed special cleaning of my teeth in order to prevent heart disease. Is he right?”

Answer: Your dentist is right–get your teeth cleaned as suggested by your dentist, and do it on a regular basis! Many dentists now use an ultrasonic device, which is especially effective at destroying harmful bacteria, to clean your teeth above and below the gumline.

And now, an explanation of how the gums, teeth, and body are connected. Gum disease is an infection in the mouth where specific bacteria can penetrate the gums causing swelling and bleeding–as well as bad breath that can be very offensive to people around you.

When a gum infection is left untreated, the infection can spread to the blood stream and travel to other parts of the body including the heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Recent research is proving that gum disease is a serious threat to a person’s overall health. In fact, many health professionals believe that there’s as great a risk of heart disease from gum infections as from high cholesterol!

Gum disease may have few symptoms, but regular dental examinations can help prevent an infection before it starts. It sounds like your dentist is suggesting good dental health for you, and as he said, it all starts with a thorough cleaning by a hygienist and good dental habits thereafter: daily brushing and flossing to help keep the teeth and gums healthy.

A word to the wise: FLOSS! Most people don’t like to floss their teeth, usually because of stupid reasons and excuses! Flossing every day not only helps to keep bad breath away, it also helps to clean between the teeth, and toughen the gums so that bad bacteria can’t find a place in your mouth to grow. So get into the habit of flossing and make it a part of your regular health routine!

If you have any questions, you can go online to the American Dental Association for information on gum disease and heart disease, dental hygiene, or ask your dentist for information.

Be sure you have your dental appointments set up–for you and for all your family members. It’s a great investment in your health!”

The Michael Phelp’s 12000 Calories/day Diet

With all of the excitement of the Olympic swimming events lately, one thing that has really seemed to capture everyone’s attention is the news about Michael Phelps 12,000 calorie daily meal plans. Here is what his typical daily menu looks like:

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

If you think about it, considering that the average person consumes between 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day, it is quite phenomenal to think that Phelps can consume 12,000 calories/day and still stay as lean as he is. This just shows the power of the amount of physical activity he actually does each day to expend all of those calories.

Now keep in mind that this is only his caloric intake during his most extreme periods of training… and he is also quite an athletic freak of nature. That amount of training that he does every day would be some serious overtraining and cripple the average person. SO, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Is Diet Soda Bad For You?

I’m never a soda drinker and especially dislike the taste of diet soda.  But if you love diet soda, take a few minutes to read this story, explaining why is diet soda bad for you.  May be it would change you mind the next time you are reaching for the drink.  My opinion? The most beneficial drink is water and it’s much cheaper when it is not packed in bottle.  Here is the story.

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick. She just knew she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter’s name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19th I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn’t find anything
on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda!
I e-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn’t feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind.

In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda.and literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life.
If it says ‘SUGAR FREE’ on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on ‘ASPARTAME,’ marketed as ‘NutraSweet,’ ‘Equal,’ and ‘Spoonful.’
In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant.

I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I’ll explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. e’ve seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, ‘If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME
poisoning!’ People were jumping up during the lecture saying, ‘I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?’ Yes! Yes! Yes!

STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem.

Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve ’tissue specimens.’ Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body! Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the ‘diet products’ and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control Thus diabetics may
suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage.

Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.
Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called ‘behavior modification prescription drugs’ (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these children were being ‘poisoned’ on a daily basis with the very foods that were ‘better for them than sugar.’

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome. Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy.

Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should. NEVER be given artificial sweeteners. There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.’

Herein lies the problem:
There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.

Sadly, MONSANTO’S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED!

There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a ‘piece of the Aspartame pie.’ I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is.

And isn’t it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians?

This has been recently exposed in the New York Times.
These organizations cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms.

The bill was killed.

It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public. Well, you’re INFORMED now! YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!

Know any one that is addicted to diet sodas?  Share this story, it may be the best thing you can do for him/her.

Alzheimer’s Disease

The following information on Alzheimer’s disease was released in May 2008 by Johns Hopkins Hospital, the #1 hospital in the US for over 17 years.

Did you know that:

• If they live long enough, one out of two men and women will eventually get Alzheimer’s disease.
• Scientists have discovered a gene that can lead to Alzheimer’s in people where there is a documented family history.
• Physicians now have three major drugs that can help delay the onset and slow the progress of Alzheimer’s when the disease is diagnosed at an early stage. These medications are Aricept (donepezil), Reminyl (galantamine), and Exelon (rivastigmine).
• Smoking should be avoided at all costs! Any individual over 65 years of age and still smoking is four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than people who don’t smoke.
• You’ve heard that fish is brain food? That may hold more truth than you realize. Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids including docohexaenoic acid or DHA for short. “What is DHA?” you might ask? Simply put, DHA is manna for the brain!
• Repeated fluctuations in insulin levels can result in high and low blood sugar. This fluctuating sugar level can result in cognitive decline. If you want to keep your brain sharp, keep your blood sugar stable.
• Hypertension can cause damage to blood vessels including those found in the brain. If you have high blood pressure, get it under control with diet, exercise, supplements, and if you need it, medication. You may not like medications, but I’m sure you like remembering who you are. Do what it takes and if that means medications, take them.

Alzheimer’s Prevention Program
No one can guarantee that you’ll never get Alzheimer’s disease, but there are some things that you can do to reduce the risk.

1. Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables. The more colorful the vegetables and fruit, the better for you.
2. Eat lean sources of animal protein–fish, poultry, and lean cuts of beef and pork.
3. Exercise regularly. That means 30-45 minutes most days of the week, and preferably every day.
4. Don’t smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. If you do smoke, find a way to quit and don’t stop until you succeed.
5. Don’t drink alcohol to excess.
6. Learn to manage stress.
7. Take a dietary supplement that is high in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.
8. Consider taking a stress B-complex supplement that has 25-50 mg of all the major B vitamins and is even higher in vitamin B12.
9. Basic antioxidant supplements can complement the fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Bottom Line
Your brain is what makes you you–the knowledge and experience you have, the memories of friends, loved ones, and children, and much more. You want to remember them every day you’re alive. Put the odds in your favor: live a lifestyle that will keep your memory solid every day you’re alive.

Menopause

Menopause, also known as the change of life, is the time in a woman’s life when the ovaries begin to reduce the production of estrogen and progesterone. This is an indication that a woman’s childbearing years are ending, generally occurring between 45 - 55 years of age. Some women naturally go through their menopause in earlier years, and some women are thrown into menopause abruptly because of surgical procedures such as hysterectomies. It’s important to note that menopause is a normal function of living, not a disease.

While some women go through menopause with little or no problems, most women experience some or all of the following: hot flashes, night sweats, irregular bleeding, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, fatigue, depression, mood swings, anxiety, and bone loss. But the “fun” doesn’t stop here. Heart disease is the greatest killer of post-menopausal women, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease also rob older women of quality of life. All three of these diseases have been linked to the depletion of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body after menopause.

Since women are living longer and want to enjoy life everyday, finding a way to cope with menopause is uppermost in many women’s minds. Currently, the best means for working through menopause is a healthy lifestyle and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). You can adopt a healthier lifestyle on your own, but a health care professional is necessary for further treatment.

A woman experiencing any of the symptoms of menopause should consult with a healthcare professional-preferably one with expertise in woman’s health and menopause. The consultation should include a complete physical examination including test for hormone and thyroid function and with factors for heart disease and diabetes. She should discuss with her health care professional whether HRT is a necessary or desirable option. After the decision is made, she should then continue to check with her health care professional regularly to discuss how the treatment is working for her. Too many women do not communicate well with a healthcare professional, and if the first treatment plan doesn’t work, they do nothing. Good communication and a determination to enjoy the best of what life has to offer are a women’s right as well as her responsibility.

Lifestyle suggestions

• Consult with your healthcare professional for a complete physical that includes endocrine and thyroid function tests. Be sure to discuss options for H RT programs, as well as family history and personal risk factors.
• Eat a diet that includes soy and soy-based foods. They contain phytoestrogens that are very important for good health prior to, during, and after menopause.
• Exercise regularly to help keep hormones in balance.
• Eat high-fiber foods daily. Fiber foods help with digestion and regularity.
• Maintain your ideal weight. Being overweight or underweight for your age and height are potential risk after menopause, leading to debilitating fractures.
• Limit the amount of alcohol, caffeine, and sugar in the diet. Do not smoke.

Daily supplementation plan for menopause

• Vitamin B complex: 25 mg. Take natural and/or phosphorylated B complex

• Calcium: 1000-1500 mg. Take calcium that is synergistic with magnesium

• Magnesium: 300-500 mg

• Omega-3 fatty acids - fish oil or Veggie Omega Complex

• Fiber. Most persons need 5-15 g per day from supplementation in addition to dietary intake.

• Black Cohosh. Known to relief hot flashes, night sweats and mood swing when taken over time.

Nutrition for better health and better body

Too many people don’t establish a foundation of good nutrition before trying the “latest and greatest” thing — they look for a magic potion that will transform their bodies, instead of getting started on the hard work it takes. Let’s take a hard look at what supplements you may need to add and which ones you’re better off avoiding.

When it comes to increasing your nutritional intake for optimal performance, start with the basics: the nutrients that will provide you with enough energy to exercise at the level you want. This includes the macro nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, plus micronutrients related to optimal use of those nutrients, such as B vitamins and chromium - in other words, a healthy diet and a high-quality multivitamin-multimineral supplement. You may also need to curb your appetite, so herbs such as garcinia cambogia become important.

Another important group of nutrients will help speed recovery from exercise. the more strenuously you exercise, the more you need additional antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E and minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

As you stress you body with exercise, you may want to add nutrients that support the immune system and promote muscle repair and growth. These include vitamins C and E, protein, and carbohydrates, as well as fatty acid such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

But few people really need nutrients that can enhance training or performance. While they may benefit the competitive athlete, it’s important to balance potential for improvement against the cost and potential side effects. Supplements such as creatine, ephedra, and individual amino acids may benefit Olympic or professional athletes who are looking for a 1-2% improvement in a competitive athletic performance, but for the typical person who exercises, the research clearly shows that they are of little or no benefit, even for those who exercise strenuously.

Insomnia

Insomnia is defined as the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep during the course of the night. Insomnia effects 30% of the population - people are walking around chronically sleep deprived. Even when you spend enough hours sleeping but keep walking regularly, you suffer because your body and mind don’t have the deep sleep they need to repair.

Anxiety, stress, caffeine, alcohol, certain medications, aging, depression, and hormonal imbalances can all contribute to this condition. Anyone experiencing any type of sleeping problems should discuss them with a healthcare profession for advice and suggestions on relieving the problem.

The causes of insomnia very. Here are some things that interfere with sleep:

• Alcohol can help to make a person sleepy, but can then disrupt serotonin levels in the brain, interrupting sleep.
• Caffeine generally has a stimulant effect on the body.
• Some foods consumed during the early-to-late evening can lower blood sugar, contributing to insomnia.
• Some over-the-counter medications, including pain relievers and allergy medications, contain stimulants that interfere with sleep.
• Unresolved stress can lead to anxiety, which can lead to insomnia.
• Older people can have a difficult time sleeping deeply and well because of the gradual deterioration and decline in body function.
• Hormonal imbalances can cause insomnia in both men and women.

Therefor it’s important that anyone experiencing insomnia on a regular basis see a healthcare professional for a correct and complete diagnosis before taking any over-the-counter medications.

Lifestyle Suggestion:

• See a qualified healthcare professional for a physical examination and a treatment plan for the insomnia.
• Limit the amounts of sugary foods. Too much sugar can cause blood sugar to peak and fall, thereby affecting sleep patterns.
• In the evening, eat whole grains and good sources of protein foods, especially milk and turkey, rather than white-flour foods or junk foods.
• Discuss any over-the-counter medications you are taking with your healthcare professional to see if the medications are contributing to the insomnia.
• If stress is a problem, learn how to deal with it effectively by taking a program taught by a stress-management expert.
• Exercise regularly. Exercise can help reduce stress and can also help with positive changes in the body’s hormones. For many people, insomnia disappears when they begin a program of regular exercise.
• Establish a set bedtime and routine, and try not to vary them. Eventually you’ll train your body to become sleepy at that time.
• Eliminate physical barriers to sleep-make in investment in your health. If you sleep with a snorer, buy earplugs. If you need a new pillow or mattress, buy it. Try soothing tapes or nature sounds to help you drift off.
• Get a hormonal blood test to make sure this important system in the body is working effectively.

Daily Supplementations:

• Calcium synergistic with magnesium: 400-500 mg , take 1/2 hour before bedtime.
• Passionflower or Valerian root or Kava Kava root, take 1/2 hour before bedtime. These herbs have the calming effect. Try them one at a time to see which calm you best.
• Melatonin: Start with 0.5 mg and increase by 0.5 mg up to 3 mg until you find your effective dose. Take 1/2 hour before bedtime (Note: discuss with your doctor prior to use)