Fitness, Wellness & Health

Cancer can occur in many areas of the body and behaves differently depending on its type and origin. Cancer consists of more than 100 different diseases, all characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Cancer is a major health problem in North America, striking an estimated 1.4 million people a year and rising. It strikes men, women and children in every country of the world and it is the second leading cause of death in the United States.

Every organ in the human body, the lungs, breast, colon, and brain, consists of specialized cells that execute particular functions, such as transport of oxygen, digestion of foods and nutrients, excretion of body wastes, reproduction, etc. In order for each organ to function as it should, exhausted or injured cells must be replaced or repaired. Normal and healthy cells have a code of conduct which dictates when they divide, grow, maintain, or execute a particular function. In healthy adult organs, an equal number of cells are produced in the body each day to replace dead or damaged cells.

In contrast, cancerous cells disregard this code of conduct, causing an imbalance between the number of new cells produced and the number of old cells that die and should be shed. This imbalance eventually leads to an overgrowth of cells that can cause damage in the body. Cancerous cells don’t necessarily grow faster than normal cells, but they live longer and can divide more often during their lifetime than normal noncancerous cells. As a result, cancer cells accumulate and compete for nutrients, space, and territory with normal healthy cells.

Cancers that seem to run in families may be hereditary or may signify similar family environmental exposure to substances that cause cell damage. The lifestyle we lead also has a lot to do with cancer development.

Cancer risk factors:

• Smoking: According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every three cancer deaths in the U.S. is directly linked to tobacco. Other than lung cancer, smoking is also a major factor in causing cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, and bladder. It is said that every cigarette you smoke, you are giving up 15 minutes of your life!
• Environmental exposure: Air pollution caused by industrial plant emissions and automobile exhaust fumes have been linked to cancer formation. Secondhand smoke is the strongest link to air-pollution cancers. Exposure to radioactive emissions from radon in uranium is known to be responsible for the increased risk of lung cancer. Recently, concern has been focused on radon exposure in homes due to airtight insulation; radon can enter the home from the soil, the water, or from building materials.
• Water pollution: Drinking water contains complex mixtures of known and suspected carcinogens including asbestos, metals, radioactive substances, and industrial chemicals. Even the process of treating water may in turn create small quantities of chemicals linked to cancer.
• Alcohol consumption: Excessive and regular consumption of alcoholic beverages increases the risk of cancer, particularly of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus. An increased incidence of liver cancer has been documented among people with cirrhosis caused by excessive alcohol consumption and alcoholism.
• Diet: Deep-fried, processed foods, high sodium, high fat, high sugar is the norm among most Americans diet today. It is clear that what we eat, or don’t eat, have profound effects on the chances of developing cancer. An estimate that death rates from all cancers in this country could be reduced by more than 33% with practical changes in our dietary habits. Eating at least 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day is the highly recommended.
• Sun exposure: Skin cancer is on the rise because of our love of the sun and a well-tanned body. Use sunscreen to help prevent skin cancers caused by either the direct rays of the sun or the results of tanning salons.

  Change bad habits and live healthfully. Quit smoking. Eat foods that help build your body’s defenses against cancer. Filter the water before drinking. Learn to relax and control stress.Take vitamin and mineral supplements. And most importantly, see your physician for regular testing and health screenings.

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.

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”).

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.

I get the Hill Health magazine every other month or so. They have some helpful information in this issue and would like to share with my readers here.

“Dash Diet

A recent study suggests the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet - known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol- also might be effective for losing weight and keeping if off. DASH emphasizes fruits, vegetables and fat-free and low-fat dairy and encourages whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts while limiting red meat, sweets and sweetened beverages.

For some， DASH can be hard to follow. If you’re struggling to stick to it, try one small change such as replacing high-sodium snacks for that apple instead of those chips, add more elements of the diet, such as increasing you vegetable intake and choosing leaner poultry and meats.”

Smokers and people with high blood pressure seem to benefit more than non-smokers and people with normal blood pressure with the high-fiber, low-fat DASH diet. You can find the DASH diet food pyramid from “How good is the DASH diet?”

DASH Diet is something women should take seriously, can reduce women’s risk of heart attack and stroke by 24 percent. Click the link below the post for the DASH diet plan.

Hope you find this piece of information helpful.

Did you know the average kitchen sponge is saturated with mold, bacteria and yeast, giving food pathogens free range to roam on kitchen counter tops, dishes, small appliances and eventually enter your mouth, according to the USDA Department of Agricultural Research? The result is often downright distasteful – stomach pains, cramping, and diarrhea.

The USDA team who investigated different methods to clean dirty sponges found that microwaving sponges for one minute or running them through a dishwasher on a heated dry cycle killed more than 99% of bacteria, yeast and molds. Bleach solutions, lemon juice or deionized water killed an average of 37-87% of these pathogens.

This is probably the only reason Ｉ　ｋｅｅｐ　ｍｙ　ｍｉｃｒｏｗａｖｅ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｇａｒａｇｅ．

My sister made a delicious fruity salsa for our Labor Day picnic. This recipe is loaded with antioxidant like vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C and lycopene. Easy to make.

• 1 large mango or papaya, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
• Fresh lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill well. Good served with chicken, fish and baked corn chips.

From Doctor Chet Zelasko

Fitness is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Being fit means that you should have a certain level of muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body fat, and cardiovascular endurance. Let’s define some of these terms:

• Muscular strength is an indication of how strong you are. In other words, how much weight can you lift?
• Muscular endurance is how long you can sustain a muscular effort. For example, shoveling snow or digging in a garden requires that you lift a weight repeatedly, so it combines strength and exertion over time.
• Flexibility is the range of motion in a joint. Touching your toes or not is an indication of lumbar flexibility, while trying to touch your hands behind your back (at shoulder level) is an indication of shoulder flexibility.
• Body fat is the amount of fat you store for energy on a rainy day-or a month or two. It’s no surprise that Americans carry far too much body fat and need to reduce it.
• Cardiovascular endurance is a measure of the fitness of your heart and blood vessels.

While every area is important, your heart is critical to all other areas-if it’s got a problem, your body has a problem. That’s why you need to have a stress test before you begin to exercise strenuously.

A stress test is a maximal-exertion graded-exercise test (GXT). This type of test is usually performed on a treadmill-sometimes a bike-and begins at an easy level and takes you to a maximal effort in 8-12 minutes. During the test, a cardiologist or internist will monitor your heart patterns on an electrocardiograph for any abnormalities. While there are certain limitations to the test, it’s the only way to test how your heart will perform at maximal levels and whether disease is present.

More than identifying whether you have heart disease, a recent study on men who were referred for a GXT demonstrated that the men who were the fittest lived longer than those who were not as fit. The higher the fitness level, the longer they lived-whether they had diagnosed heart disease or not (1).

Who should have a stress test? Anyone who is considering strenuous exercise, such as running a 5K or doing a triathlon. Most professional health organizations, including the American College of Sports Medicine, recommend a stress test performed by an internist or cardiologist if you are a male 40 years and older or a woman 50 years and older. In addition to checking your heart for any signs of disease, the GXT provides a baseline for comparison if problems develop in the future. How would your doctor know what is normal for you if you had never been evaluated?

Getting fit is important, but getting fit safely is even more so. Schedule an appointment with your healthcare professional to discuss when you should have your GXT. Fitness is not an option in this life. Make it a priority for you.

Yes, calcium is the second most frequently sold supplement. Therefore, since so many people invest in calcium, let’s have a small discussion about the different sources of calcium and the best for you and your body.

What is calcium? Calcium is an essential nutrient for all animal and plant life. Most people know that calcium is necessary for strong bones and teeth. But do you know that calcium, found mainly in dairy products and dark leafy greens as well as supplements, is very important for the muscles, cells and nerves in the body, especially the most important muscle–the heart!

These are the different forms of calcium available today in supplements:

• Calcium carbonate can help stabilize stomach acids as well as help reduce the risk of colon cancer. This form of calcium may also provide relief from muscle cramps and PMS.
• Chelated calcium is calcium carbonate bound to protein. This form of calcium has been shown to help balance the ratio of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol.
• Calcium from bone meal works the best for strong bones and teeth. A form of bone-meal calcium known as MCHC, has been shown to help improve bone density when taken regularly for one year.

Here’s some important information about calcium absorption for strong bones. Not everybody absorbs calcium effectively. For the best calcium absorption and utilization, remember the following:

• Weight-bearing exercises and aerobic exercises can help to keep bones strong.
• Getting 20 minutes of sun in the morning or evening can produce vitamin D. The mineral magnesium as well as vitamin D helps with calcium absorption.
• Reducing the amounts of soft drinks and caffeinated beverages can help keep bones strong. Drink milk instead or if you’re lactose intolerant, soy or rice milk with added calcium.
• Don’t smoke. It’s bad for the entire body and interferes with bone production; it doesn’t do your teeth and gums any favors, either.

Regular supplementation with a calcium supplement is most important. Check with your physician to see how much you should take, but most healthcare professionals recommend 1,000-1,500 mg per day.  I have best result with the Nutrilite Calcium Magnesium and  Vitamin D, no constipation, best absorption.

This is another myth that has some basis in fact.

Walking burns more fat than running.

The basis for this myth is the estimate of what kind of fuel a person uses while exercising. The muscles prefer glucose (sugar) as a fuel because it can burn it more efficiently than other fuels. The harder you exercise, the more your body relies on sugar.

If you exercise slowly or less strenuously, the body shifts to burning more fat as a fuel. That’s the basis for fat-burning exercise: exercise slower and your body uses fat as a fuel.

While absolutely correct, it’s meaningless in the real world. You’d have to invest much more time in exercising slowly than if you go fast. It doesn’t mean that walking isn’t efficient–it is, but you’ll have to spend more time doing it than you will running or taking a spinning class.

Here’s the thing: it doesn’t really matter what type of fuel you use when you exercise because as long as you don’t overeat, you’ll burn up body fat when you run out of glucose. It may be hours later, but you will burn up the fat and that’s a fact.