Why Food Allergies and a Leaky Gut Can Make You Fat

Why Food Allergies and a Leaky Gut Can Make You Fat
Want to get rid of your gut? Then you need to fix your gut.

You see, your gut has an immune system. And when bugs in
your digestive tract upset that immune system, you gain
weight.

This phenomenon is triggered by the two main causes of
obesity and illness - toxicity and inflammation.

But today I'm going to tell how you can use the 7 keys to
UltraWellness (further detailed in my book The UltraSimple
Diet) to address these causes.

And it really works.

In my own practice, I've seen patients lose up to 30
pounds, just by eliminating food allergens and balancing
their digestive system.

For example, a 38-year-old woman suffered chronic
inflammation, fluid retention, acne, fatigue, and joint
pain, as well as irritable bowel syndrome with bloating and
gas. Nothing helped.

Then she stopped eating the foods that bothered her and
took healthy bacteria to heal her gut.

Before she knew it, she'd lost 35 pounds - and all of her
symptoms.

Powerful Evidence

But don't take my word for it. Now there's powerful
evidence that links inflammation to weight gain.

One recent study looked at children, half of whom were
normal weight and half of whom were overweight.

The researchers measured their levels of high-sensitivity
C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker for inflammation in the
body.

Then they looked for plaque or thickening in the carotid
arteries (the main arteries that supply the brain) with an
ultrasound.

Finally, they looked at blood tests for IgG, or delayed
food allergies.

The results were stunning.

The overweight kids had a 3-fold higher level of CRP and a
2.5-fold higher level of IgG antibodies to foods.

These rates were almost 10 times higher than what most
studies have found!

The overweight kids also had much thicker carotid arteries
- an early sign of heart disease.

When your gut is damaged, it becomes leaky and food
particles become exposed to its immune system.

The result? A full-body immune response that triggers
inflammation, which in turn leads to insulin resistance.
And insulin resistance leads to belly fat.

According to the study's researchers, eliminating IgG food
allergens could help treat obesity and prevent heart
disease. (1)

So you don't have to limit calories - just foods that cause
allergies and inflammation.

Another study looked at what causes a leaky gut.

The researchers of that study fed thin mice a very high-fat
diet.

High-fat diets promote toxin-producing bugs and cause the
"good" bugs to die. In fact, processed, sugary, fatty foods
totally change the gut's ecosystem.

And that's just what the researchers discovered. The toxins
produced in the mice triggered inflammation and obesity.

The researchers say that eliminating the bad bugs and
giving the rats antibiotics can prevent diabetes. Adding
soluble fiber to their diet can increase the good bugs and
decrease the bad bugs - leading to weight loss. (2)

It happens in humans, too.

My patients have had similar results when they take soluble
fiber called konjac root or glucomannan. The good bacteria
feed on the fiber and reduce inflammation.

Simply put, people with healthy bugs in their gut lose
weight, and those with bad bugs gain weight. (3)

What Can You Do?

Let me review.

The typical American diet promotes the growth of bad bugs
in the gut. These bugs damage the gut lining and produce
toxins that your system absorbs.

When your gut is leaky, partially digested food particles
can enter your bloodstream, where your immune system
reacts, creating inflammation.

Inflammation triggers insulin resistance - which makes you
gain weight.

Having an unhealthy gut causes inflammation and toxicity,
and you get fat and sick.

If you want to lose weight and feel healthy, try these tips:

1. For 3 weeks, eliminate the most common food allergens,
including gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, yeast, peanuts, and
soy. 2. Eat a whole-foods, plant-based, high-fiber diet. 3.
Take probiotics daily to boost the healthy bacteria in your
gut. Look for those that contain 10 billion CFU of
bifidobacteria species and lactobacillus species.

Give yourself just a few weeks, and you'll be astounded by
the dramatic results. You can feel better and shed pounds -
simply by healing your gut.

==> References: (1) Wilders-Truschnig M, Mangge H, Lieners
C, et al. IgG Antibodies Against Food Antigens are
Correlated with Inflammation and Intima Media Thickness in
Obese Juveniles. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2007 Dec 10

(2) Cani PD, Amar J, Iglesias MA, et al. Metabolic
endotoxemia initiates obesity and insulin resistance.
Diabetes. 2007 Jul;56(7):1761-72.

(3) Bäckhed F, Ding H, Wang T, et al. The gut
microbiota as an environmental factor that regulates fat
storage.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Nov
2;101(44):15718-23. Epub 2004 Oct 25.

----------------------------------------------------
Mark Hyman, MD is a pioneer in functional medicine,
practicing physician and best-selling author. A sneak
preview of his book "The UltraSimple Diet" is available.
See The UltraWellness Blog for more on Food Allergies:
http://ultrawellness.com/blog/

WARNING Possible Danger In Coffee Shops If You're Pregnant

WARNING Possible Danger In Coffee Shops If You're Pregnant
Pregnancy is most often a joyful time, but it's also a time
when women must be careful of what they eat and drink. A
new study has found that caffeine can be dangerous for
pregnant women, especially during the first trimester.

According to a new study, released by The American Journal
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, those pregnant women who
intake only 200 milligrams, or more, of caffeine per day
have twice the chance of miscarrying than those women who
drink less or no caffeine at all. Two hundred milligrams of
caffeine is the equivalent of a 10-ounce cup of coffee or a
25-ounce cup of tea.

As a result of the study's findings, many medical experts
are advising that women eliminate caffeine from their diets
completely at least for the first trimester. However, some
physicians recommend that pregnant women cut out the
caffeine altogether throughout the entire pregnancy.

Caffeine isn't found just in coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
In fact, caffeine can be found in foods that contain
chocolate and even in some medications. Pregnant women
should be aware of the ingredients of food, drink, and
medications before ingesting them.

Caffeine is potentially detrimental to pregnancy for
several reasons. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it
naturally increases a person's heart rate and blood
pressure, both of which can be harmful during any stage of
pregnancy.

In addition, when a pregnant woman consumes caffeine, she
has to urinate more frequently which results in decreased
body fluids and, in some instances, dehydration, both of
which endanger the life of an unborn child. A pregnant
woman's body has the ability to handle the effects of
caffeine. A developing foetus, however, does not.

Because the foetus is still growing and her metabolism is
not fully matured, her body simply cannot metabolize
caffeine. As a result, a baby's sleep pattern and movement
is likely going to be effected in the second and third
trimesters. Caffeine, a stimulant, is going to keep both a
pregnant woman and her growing baby awake, a disadvantage
to both.

While there have been studies done on pregnant animals and
the effects of consuming caffeine, there have not yet been
studies done on pregnant women. What those animal studies
have found, however, should serve as a warning to pregnant
women and women who hope to become pregnant: Consumption of
caffeine can lead to birth defects, infertility, and
premature labour.

How much caffeine that is safe to consume daily is still a
point of contention for many in the medical community. Some
medical experts caution against having as little as 150
milligrams of caffeine every day while others assert that
more than 300 milligrams is far too much. Those pregnant
women who find it impossible to eliminate caffeine from
their diets are generally advised to speak with their
physician to determine the best course of action for their
individual needs.

Because caffeine can potentially have a detrimental effect
on developing fetus, pregnant women should discuss caffeine
intake with their physicians as early in the pregnancy as
possible.

----------------------------------------------------
Barry Share is the Founder and editorial director of "The
New Lifestyle Programme". Where you can get your copy of
the amazing..."Design for your Success" a 7 step plan to
achieving wealth health and happiness
=> http://newlifestylepro.com/dfs-s.html

Tamiflu and Amantadine - medicines against Flu

Tamiflu and Amantadine - medicines against Flu
Tamiflu is used to treat some types of influenza (flu) in
patients who have had symptoms of the flu for 2 days or
less. This drug works by stopping the growth and spread of
the flu virus in your body. Tamiflu helps shorten the time
you have flu symptoms such as nasal congestion, sore
throat, cough, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, fever,
and chills.

As the flu virus takes hold in the body, it forms new
copies of itself and spreads from cell to cell. Tamiflu
fights the virus by preventing the release of new copies
from infected cells. Tamiflu is taken in liquid or capsule
form.

Tamiflu can prevent the flu as long as you continue taking
this medication, but getting a yearly flu shot is still the
best way of avoiding the disease entirely. For older
adults, those in high-risk situations such as health-care
work, and people with an immune deficiency or respiratory
disease, vaccination remains a must.

If you have the flu, continue taking it twice daily for 5
days, even if you start to feel better. To prevent the flu,
take it once a day for at least 7 days. Protection lasts as
long as you take the drug.

If Tamiflu upsets your stomach, try taking it with food.
Shake the liquid suspension before each use. If you have
kidney disease, cut your daily dose of Tamiflu in half.
High doses of Tamiflu can cause nausea and vomiting.

Tamiflu works only on the flu virus. It won't stop
bacterial infections that may have flu-like symptoms or
bacterial infections that may develop while you have the
flu.

Most problems noted during tests of Tamiflu were
indistinguishable from the symptoms of flu. Here are the
reactions that showed up more frequently in patients taking
the drug.

* Side effects of Tamiflu may include:

Abdominal pain, asthma, bronchitis, cough, diarrhea, ear
infection, fatigue, headache, insomnia, nausea, nosebleed,
vertigo, vomiting.

If Tamiflu gives you an allergic reaction, avoid it in the
future.

It is not known whether Tamiflu is completely safe during
pregnancy. If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant,
inform your doctor before taking Tamiflu. Tamiflu may
appear in breast milk and could affect a nursing infant.
Taking it while breastfeeding is usually not recommended.

Tamiflu will not stop you from giving the flu to others.
You should maintain proper hygiene, wash your hands
frequently, and avoid situations such as sharing cups and
utensils that can spread the virus to others.

Tamiflu does not replace the flu vaccine. You should
continue to receive a flu shot each year if your doctor
recommends it.

***Amantadine***

Amantadine is an antiviral. It is used to prevent or treat
certain influenza infections (type A). It may be given
alone or along with flu shots. Amantadine will not work for
colds, other types of flu, or other virus infections.

Amantadine also is an antidyskinetic. It is used to treat
Parkinson's disease, sometimes called paralysis agitans or
shaking palsy. It may be given alone or with other
medicines for Parkinson's disease. By improving muscle
control and reducing stiffness, this medicine allows more
normal movements of the body as the disease symptoms are
reduced.

Amantadine is also used to treat stiffness and shaking
caused by certain medicines used to treat nervous, mental,
and emotional conditions.

* Side effects

- Less common

Blurred vision; confusion (especially in elderly
patients); difficult urination (especially in elderly
patients); fainting; hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or
feeling things that are not there); swelling of hands,
feet, or lower legs

- Rare Convulsions (seizures); decreased vision or any
change in vision; difficulty in coordination ; fever,
chills, or sore throat; increased blood pressure;
increase in body movements ; irritation and swelling of
the eye; loss of memory; mental depression; severe mood
or mental changes; skin rash; slurred speech; thoughts
of suicide or attempts at suicide; unexplained shortness
of breath.

----------------------------------------------------
Vlad Kott from authentic sources.
The most necessary information.
Find out more about most effective medicines here =>
http://www.pharmacy-db.com

Gaining Muscle with Carbs

Gaining Muscle with Carbs
There are many questions rebarding the benefits of eating
carbohydrates, training, and gaining muscle mass.

There is a lot of information available to us on
carbohydrates and many are confused with the numerous
conflicting ideas.

I think perhaps the biggest mistake is that the majority of
the people try too many programs and don't give any of them
a chance to work.

Another common mistake for those trying to gain muscle
size, power, and strength is eating insufficient
carbohydrates. There are many trying to do a
low-carbohydrate diet to gain size. As nice as that would
be, it's rather difficult, if not impossible.

Granted, you can gain some size over a period of years on
low carbohydrates, but many want results much quicker.

Why carbohydrates are important

Carbohydrates are important if you want to build muscle
mass and strength. They are the primary source of energy
for activity, especially weight training.

Those who train heavy with maximum intensity deplete their
glycogen stores. This leads to a greater need of
carbohydrates for fuel and glycogen replenishment.
Carbohydrates are also necessary for digestion and
utilization of fats and proteins.

How to incorporate carbohydrates in your diet

For overall balance, combine your carbohydrate with a
complete protein to form a meal and to spare lean muscle
tissue during training. Carbohydrates and protein should
compose the bulk of your daily caloric intake, while
keeping fat on the lower end.

Choose unprocessed complex carbohydrates, such as oatmeal,
brown rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc. These are best
since they digest slowly and keep the blood glucose levels
stable. To ballpark your carbohydrate intake, (men)
multiply your bodyweight by 3, and women use your body
weight times 2.

Timing is everything when taking in carbohydrates

It is imperative to consume some complex carbohydrates
prior to training to fuel your heavy and intense workout.
If you don't have adequate energy, you will not train to
your full potential.

There is an anabolic window that occurs within 20 minutes
following training, when your muscles are depleted of
glycogen. This is the optimal time that your body can
utilize nutrients 100%. Not only is it is vital to consume
complete protein at this time, but also complex and simple
carbohydrates.

This immediate intake of protein and carbohydrates puts you
in an anabolic state. The sugar from the simple
carbohydrates will shuttle the carbohydrates, protein, and
nutrients to the depleted muscles. This post-training
nutrient intake also aids in recovery and growth by
enhancing tissue repair by delivering amino acids and
nutrients to the depleted muscles.

Understand that the body can only tolerate high glycemic
simple sugar to its advantage following an intense training
session, not all day.

While insulin is an anabolic hormone, it is also a fat
producing hormone, and when too much insulin is secreted it
can't be used properly. A constant supply of too much sugar
will result in insulin sensitivity, borderline
hypoglycemia, and fat gain.

Be sure your food choices are fresh and natural and you
will receive much better results in your training, muscle
growth, and fat loss.

----------------------------------------------------
Karen Sessions has been in the fitness industry since 1988.
She is a nationally qualified bodybuilder and holds two
personal training certifications. She has written 6 ebooks
on fitness and has helped hundreds of clients transform
their bodies.

http://www.Iron-Dolls.com
"Use of this article is authorized provided it is
reproduced in full, and all web URLS are active hyperlinks
directed to the author"

Alleviating Insomnia in Eight Simple Steps

Alleviating Insomnia in Eight Simple Steps
If you've ever found yourself struggling through your
mornings, groggy and unfocused, you're not alone. According
to the National Sleep Foundation, more than half of adults
have experienced the frustration of insomnia.

Sleepless nights are more than a matter of frustration.
Having a hard time falling asleep eventually can lead to
depression, health problems and even lead to accidents.
Stress at work and stress over financial problems top the
list of most polls about why people toss and turn instead
of getting a good night's sleep. But you can break the
cycle of sleepless nights, and wake up feeling rested and
alert to make your days the best yet!

8 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

1. Stop worrying. Worrying over losing sleep only adds to
the accumulated stress from work, family problems or
finances that is keeping you awake in the first place.
Short-term insomnia lasts from a few nights to a few weeks,
and there are pro-active steps you can take to get a better
night's sleep. So stop worrying! If you still have insomnia
after a month, then call a doctor.

2. Don't exercise within two hours before bedtime.
Exercising immediately before bedtime, or even two hours
before, can thwart your efforts to relax. You want your
energy levels to be down, not up, so create a no-exercise
zone in those hours before you want to fall asleep.

3. Avoid stimulants. Avoid caffeine after noon, and avoid
alcohol and smoking, especially before bedtime. Instead,
try a soothing cup of non-caffeinated tea. Chamomile tea is
a favorite. Look for other calming teas that contain herbs
such as passion flower, skullcap or valerian.

4. Create a Sleep Comfort Zone. Your Sleep Comfort Zone
should be cool Studies suggest the optimum temperature for
falling asleep and sleeping comfortably is about 65 degrees
Fahrenheit. Make your Comfort Zone dark and quiet, turning
off all electronics. If you have a bedside clock that you
can hear ticking, buy another clock. Don't work, eat, watch
television or read in bed.

5. Drink fewer liquids at night. You don't want to wake up
in the middle of a restful sleep for a trip to the
bathroom. Make that one cup of hot tea instead of two cups.
Or switch to a half a cup of water instead of a glass of
water before bedtime.

6. Sleep only at bedtime. Taking long naps in the afternoon
after sleepless nights will only disrupt your goal to
achieve a normal sleep cycle. Stop yourself from the urge
to nap, and you'll look forward to a more restful sleep at
night.

7. Make the bedroom a No Worry Zone. Don't save your
worries for bed. Mentally create a time of the day to focus
on your worries, and think about or write down your worries
in another room of the house at that time. Visualize your
bedroom as a No Worry Zone. Write this new rule on a piece
of paper and place it on your nightstand to remind you.
Before you go to bed, say out loud: I will think about my
problems tomorrow.

8. Divert yourself. If you can't fall asleep after 15
minutes, leave the bedroom and do something relaxing. Take
a bath, read a few pages of a book or do some gentle
stretching exercises. Instead of tossing and turning
because you can't fall asleep, you are diverting your
attention to a pleasant, relaxing activity. After 20 or 30
minutes, go back to the bedroom. If it doesn't work, repeat
this exercise.

----------------------------------------------------
Ruth Klein is an award-winning business owner, best-selling
author and marketing and time management consultant whose
clients range from solo entrepreneurs to the Fortune 500.
To learn more about how to better manage your time, visit
Ruth Klein's catalogue of newsletters, books and seminars
at http://www.ruthklein.com .

Why Metabolism is Important

Why Metabolism is Important
Read through any diet success story and you will see the
true secret to that person's success. At some point, the
person always integrated exercise into their plan. The same
holds true the other way around. How many times have you
heard someone say that they work out all the time, but just
can't seem to lose those last ten or fifteen pounds?

The truth is, in order to achieve lifelong results,
nutrition and fitness need to go hand in hand to optimize
your metabolism.

What is Metabolism? Metabolism is the process your body
uses to break down the food that you eat, convert it to
energy, or store it. Your metabolism is based on several
cues that you give your body by the way that you eat and
the energy you use in your daily routines.

To achieve lifelong fitness, you need to raise your
activity level to start burning more calories, while
feeding your body the right amount of food to sustain
itself. That means eating enough throughout the day to let
your body know that there will be plenty of food around to
sustain a higher caloric burn. Once your body acclimates to
both of those signals, your metabolism will start to
change. You will be burning more calories by increasing
your activity level, but you will also increase the amount
of calories you burn when you are not working out - while
you work, watch television, and even when you're sleeping.

Understanding your metabolism is the reason that low
calorie diets don't work. When you feed your metabolism
your body burns more calories. A great example of this is
on a weight loss network tv show that the people who won't
follow their eating plan and kept eating less calories
actually gain weight. Your body will burn fat as your main
source of energy if you eat 5 small meals during the day
balanced with the proper calorie range.

One thing to keep in mind is that the faster your
metabolism gets and the more fat you burn the more you need
to eat. This concept is one of the hardest for people to
understand which is evidence why 60% of Americans are
overweight or obese. Without increasing your calories as
your metabolism increases you burn away your new muscle
tissue for energy which keeps you staying at the same
results no matter how hard you workout.

----------------------------------------------------
About The Author: Charles Carter, BS in Exercise Science is
Fitness Research Director for
http://www.everythingpills.com - visit the website for more
information on weight loss, diet pills, sport supplements,
and all your discount nutritional needs.

Don't Should on Yourself

Don't Should on Yourself
Many years ago, my wonderful friend Jan was explaining to
me how she counsels patients on making small changes in
their diets in order to lose weight. She told me that one
of the major stumbling blocks people experience with weight
loss is guilt. Not that they can't follow a specific plan
for eating, nor that they don't like to exercise. Well,
that's certainly part of it-but the main factor is that, as
a result of not being able to meet their goals, they feel
they have failed, because they didn't do what they "should"
have been doing.

Because her clients were constantly telling her "I should
eat better," I should exercise more," "I should not have
had those cookies, because now I am a bad person," she came
up with this wonderful phrase: don't SHOULD on yourself.

Isn't that a wonderful piece of advice? Of course, you need
to be careful how you say it and who's around when you are
saying it; but-when said correctly, it covers a lot of
feelings.

Think about it for a moment. How do you feel when you feel
you have done things you shouldn't have done? How do you
feel when you didn't meet your exercise goal? When you
didn't lose all the weight you thought you should lose in a
week? Probably not good. Why do you think this is the
case? Usually it's because you've set yourself a goal (run
5 miles every day OR never eat chocolate again) that is
impossible to meet. Then, when you don't meet that goal,
you feel lousy. For some reason, while we often say
"patience is a virtue", we are unable to apply it to very
personal situations, such as improving our health by losing
weight and beginning to exercise. We set amazingly
unrealistic goals (lose 25 pounds, run the marathon) and
expect to be able to accomplish these goals-yesterday. We
set high expectations for ourselves, goals that are
impossible to meet. Then, when we are unable to live up to
these expectations , we have failed-never understanding we
set ourselves up for failure in the first place.

Becoming "at peace with food" is a journey involving the
development of a new relationship with food. Instead of
being marked by frustration and disappointment, by fear and
competition between you and the food you eat, food
eventually takes its place as one of the many activities in
your life, along with family, friend, working and being
active.

When you are at peace with food, and at peace with
yourself, you find that the decisions you make about your
health are more realistic. You learn to move more slowly,
realizing that you are not in a race to become healthy.
Rather, you are developing a new relationship with
yourself, and new relationships, if they are to be good
ones, take time. You learn to set realistic goals,
starting off slowly and building up. For example, you start
by walking an extra five minutes three times/week, and
build it up to 25-30 minutes three times a week. You
realize that you are full after eating 2 cookies, so you
don't have to eat five. You learn to appreciate smaller
portions, because you know you are allowed to eat more if
you want.

Finally, you learn how to change behaviors because you
realize you want to, not because you should.

----------------------------------------------------
If you would like more information on becoming At Peace
With Food™, as well as access to interesting articles and
links to nutritional resource websites, visit=>
http://www.AtPeaceWithFood.com/freetips.html

The Golden Rule of Weight Loss

The Golden Rule of Weight Loss
To successfully lose weight and to keep it off for the long
term, there is one rule that must be followed. The rule is
a very simple one but it is rarely followed by most people.
This rule is that to lose weight successfully it requires
Time. That is it, there is nothing complicated about that
whatsoever. Unfortunately the majority of people that want
to lose weight ignore this golden rule.

Most people want to lose weight as quickly as possible.
However following this pattern almost always results in
failure. People are always on the lookout for a quick fix
that will enable them to shed the pounds and get the body
that they want in a couple of months. This would be great
if it was achievable in a safe and sensible way. The truth
is that quick weight loss is a gimmick. If it wasn't why do
so many people have so much trouble losing weight? People
never learn and they will continue to jump from one quick
fix to another, leading to one failure after another, until
they just give up.

The problem is that we now live in a society where we want
everything as soon as we possibly can. Patience is no
longer considered a virtue. This is true in our working
lives and in our own personal lives. When it comes to
losing weight people are not interested in what they are
going to look like 12 months down the road. They want to
look good now; they don't want to waste time in reaching
their goals. This is why people spend their hard earned
money on anything that promises them what they want to hear.

There are many diets and weight loss products that claim
you will be able to lose anything from 20-40 pounds in a
month. People see these claims and common sense just flies
out of the window. This happens because the products appeal
to your emotional senses and when that happens, logic
becomes irrelevant. Now on the face of it many of these
claims will sound wonderful to you, but unfortunately your
body will not share this joy. Any sudden and drastic
changes to your lifestyle will lead your body to fight you
every step of the way. This is why after a short initial
period of weight loss, any results you may have been
getting will slow down to a crawl or more than likely stop
completely. This is such a common story amongst people who
try to lose weight.

Let us look at a couple of facts. Fact number 1 is that 1
pound of weight roughly consists of 3500 calories. Fact
number 2 is that if you wanted to lose 30 pounds of weight
within a one month period, then you would have to find a
way to remove and burn 26500 calories a week from your
current diet. This equates to 3500 calories a day. No mean
feat when you think that the average intake of calories for
a woman is between 1800-2400 calories a day. It would mean
a massive reduction in the food that you are eating and
taking part in long periods of intensive exercise. Do you
have any idea what this will do to your body, especially if
it is not used to such a lifestyle?

The human body is a hugely complex entity. Many people are
not aware of the fact that the human body is one large
defence system. Its main role is to protect you and to keep
you alive any way that it can. Everything is geared towards
this goal and it will not care in the slightest if you
think that you are overweight and need to diet. Your body
while very adaptive is also a creature of habit. For
example if you have lived life of poor nutrition and
little activity for a number of years, then this is what
your body has become accustomed to, and it will cater for
this lifestyle for as long as it can hold out.

When suddenly out of the blue you cut back heavily on the
food that your body is used to receiving and impose a
rigorous exercise program on it what do you think will
happen? Your body will think that it is under some sort of
threat, and it will try to defend against this attack. It
will do this by completely slowing down your abilities to
burn calories. Because it is not getting the food it is
used to, it will put your metabolism into starvation mode.
This means it will do everything it can to hang onto any
calories, simply because it thinks you must be starving.

On top of this as this new regime comes so suddenly, your
mind will also try to prevent you from continuing what you
are doing. It will do this by sending you constant messages
telling you that it is too hard, you cannot do this, let us
go back to the way it was, and so on. This is why after a
short period of time you will give up. How can you succeed
when both your mind and your body are fighting against you?

People must come to grips with the fact that a quick fix is
no fix at all your body and your mind needs time to adjust
to any changes that you make to your lifestyle, and it will
adapt more easily if you do things slowly and in stages,
instead of rushing headfirst into it. As time goes on add
more activity, but do it steps. Do it this way and your
body will accept the changes because it is capable of doing
so.

So Time is the golden rule for weight loss, and remember
that you are where you are today because of the choices
that you have made. If you want to be in a different place
then make different choices.

----------------------------------------------------
Find out how you can lose weight for good just like
thousands of others have at http://www.easierwayz.com
Successful Weight loss is much more than just exercise and
diet.

Lead Poisoning Linked to ADHD, Other Disorders

Lead Poisoning Linked to ADHD, Other Disorders
Lead paint and lead poisoning have long been known to cause
a host of health problems, including hearing loss, stunted
body growth and even reduced I.Q. But new research points
to another danger of lead paint and lead poisoning -
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

Boys at Greater Risk

The study proved that boys are at a greater risk than
girls, pointing to a specific variation in a genetic
dopamine receptor (DRD4-7). Children with this genetic
variation who have exposure to lead are at a greater risk
of developing ADHD. The connection between lead poisoning
and attention problems has long been known, and it was this
connection that spurred doctors to research a potential
link between ADHD and lead poisoning.

Doctors split the children studied into two groups - a
high- and low-risk category of DRD4 variation. Though
exposure to lead paint and other lead did not seem to
increase the risk for children with the high-risk variety,
the low-risk group was significantly affected by the
presence of lead.

A Series of Disorders

ADHD children are not the only victims of lead poisoning -
lead exposure can lead to disorders in almost every part of
the body. The nervous system is a common casualty of lead
exposure, with reduced strength and inability for different
body parts to effectively communicate with one another. The
potential for miscarriage is increased by lead exposure,
and sperm production can be endangered in men who are
exposed to lead paint or particles. Though there is no
conclusive proof that lead is carcinogenic (cancer-causing)
to humans, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has
determined that lead is a potential human carcinogen.

Protecting Children from Lead Poisoning

Children are by far the most vulnerable to lead poisoning.
Children ingest lead in a number of ways - through chewing
on paint chips in old houses, eating soil or dust that has
been contaminated with lead, or biting ceramics or other
objects that have been coated in lead-based paint. Young
children are at significant risk through their ingestion
habits, but fetuses and babies are at risk, too: premature
birth and even miscarriage are well-known side effects of
lead exposure.

In order to reduce the risk of lead poisoning for children,
parents should be vigilant about what goes in their
children's mouth. They should keep close watch on children
who chew or lick painted surfaces and keep cosmetics and
other lead-based pigments away from children. Frequent hand
and face washing can keep lead dust from getting in the
mouths and mucus membranes of children. In addition, your
child should be tested for lead at one or two years of age.

Legal Options for Lead Poisoning

If you or your child have been injured by lead poisoning,
contact a medical professional immediately. You may be
liable for damages due to your lead-based medical problems.
It is best to consult an experienced lead poisoning
attorney who can provide you with legal consultation and
support as you litigate your lead poisoning claim. You may
be eligible for compensation or damages to help pay for
medical bills and pain and suffering.

----------------------------------------------------
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How Hungry Are You?

How Hungry Are You?
People who struggle with weight often have difficulty
identifying the difference between true physical hunger and
head hunger. To lose weight, it is necessary to be aware
of the differences. Sometimes this is a challenge because
head hunger can be so convincing (loud) and persistent that
we believe it is physical hunger. We need a strategy to be
able to recognize them and respond accordingly in a healthy
way. A great tool in your weight loss strategy belt is to
use the chart below to rate your hunger. It will help you
to identify the type of hunger you're experiencing.

Physical hunger starts to occur about two to four hours
after your last meal. Symptoms include an empty or
rumbling feeling in your stomach. If you ignore this
signal you body sends you a stronger physical signals in
the form of a headache, dizziness or lightheadedness. This
type of hunger is your body's way of telling you it is time
to nourish it. The physical hunger gives you true physical
cues.

Head hunger occurs at any time and has no physical
symptoms. They may seem like physical cues but if you pay
attention, they really aren't. Thinking compulsively about
food, emotional situations, specific personal triggers, or
food cravings may cause you to think that you are hungry
when you're really not. Watching television, being bored
and wanting to eat is head hunger. Grazing is head hunger.
You almost feel as though you're feeding an empty hole and
can't eat enough to feel satisfied.

Think of your stomach as a fuel tank. Would you overfill
your vehicle's fuel tank? No! The same applies to your
body too. Visualize a food gauge similar to your fuel
gauge.

To help you to identify which type of hunger you're feeling
and what action you should take, the Rate Your Hunger chart
is helpful. Again, in using this chart, think of your
stomach as a fuel tank with its own gauge.

RATE YOUR HUNGER CHART:

1: Extremely uncomfortable, feel "starving" physically,
dizzy, irritable, headache.

2: Very hungry, empty or rumbling in your stomach,
feeling lightheaded.

3: Hungry and need to eat.

4: Signals of true hunger are starting to occur.

5: Content and satisfied, neither full or hungry
sensations.

6: Knowing that you have eaten and feel satisfied.

7: Feeling satisfied and physically don't need to eat any
more food.

8: Uncomfortably full, you are overly full.

9: Very uncomfortable, you need to loosen your clothes.

10: Stuffed to the point of feeling sick (similar to the
full feeling at Thanksgiving).

You can use this chart to rate your hunger. Check in with
yourself every time you want to eat. Is it head hunger or
true physical hunger? Listen to your body and it will tell
you. As dieters, we're not used to listen to our body.
Some of us don't trust our bodies. We're so used to a diet
telling us what to eat and when to eat it that we've turned
off the physical cues. When you're aware of your body and
use the Hunger Chart, you'll get back in tune with it.
You'll be able to distinguish the various levels in the
chart.

On the chart, if you're at number 6 or 7, you have satiety.
You're comfortable and feel physically nourished. If
you're above this number on the chart you have overeaten.
If you are at number 5, you are neutral, nether hungry or
full. If you are at a number 4, then you are beginning to
get hungry and need to consider eating soon. If you let
your hunger go for a while you will start to feel the
physical signs of hunger of number 3. To avoid overeating
because you're overly hungry, set a goal to eat at the
number 3 level. You will tend to eat too fast and eat
beyond a comfortable feeling of satiety or fullness to get
rid of those bad physical feelings. Pay attention and tune
into your body. Start eating when you're at a number 3 and
stop eating when you are comfortably full at a number 6 or,
at the most, a number 7.

Keep a log of your feelings of hunger using the Hunger
Chart. This will assist you to become more familiar with
your body's physical cues. You can identify if you are
waiting too long to eat or eating beyond a comfortable,
satisfied level. Also note what and how much you're eating
and the hunger rating when you started eating and the level
you at to and stopped.

Just as with your vehicle's fuel tank you are in charge of
how much you put into it, you're in control of your own
body's fuel tank too. By eating when you're truly hungry
and stopping when you're satisfied, weight loss and
maintenance will occur naturally.

----------------------------------------------------
Cathy Wilson is a weight loss life coach. Cathy lost 147
pounds six years ago. Her passion is helping clients
achieve their weight loss and life goals. Cathy works with
clients to create a weight loss life plan that is
customized to each client. Cathy is a member of the
International Coaching Federation, International
Association of Coaches, and Obesity Action Coalition.
Visit Cathy's website:
http://www.LoseWeightFindLife.com

Why Cat's Claw May Be One Of Nature's Most Powerful Healers

Why Cat's Claw May Be One Of Nature's Most Powerful Healers
Cat's claw, known as una de gato in Spanish, is a herb
derived from a vine-type plant which grows widely in the
countries of Central and South America, and is particularly
common in the Amazon rainforests and Peru. So vast and
botanically rich are the wilds of the Amazon rain forest
that many herbal practitioners still look to it as a
potential source of powerful, but as yet undiscovered,
herbal remedies. Although this hope might seem to some
like wishful thinking, the example of cat's claw suggests
that it may not be entirely fanciful; because although the
herb has only very recently become known in the West, it
has been used as health tonic and treatment by the
indigenous peoples of the region for many centuries.
But the claims made for the benefits of cat's claw need to
be treated with some caution, because there are those who
would have you regard it as something akin to a miracle
herb or universal panacea; and orthodox medicine, as
always, is rightly sceptical of the wilder claims of the
herbal or "natural" remedy lobby.

Rendered into liquid form, however, extracts of cat's claw
have been found to have potent adaptogenic,
anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, and these
are therefore used by herbal therapists to tackle a wide
variety of common ailments. The anti-inflammatory
qualities of the herb indicate potential benefits in the
treatment of arthritis, rheumatism and bursitis; as well as
digestive problems and ulcers, whilst as an adaptogen and
anti-oxidant cat's claw is believed to boost the immune
system, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and even help
in the fight against cancer.

Serious research into the benefits of cat's claw has been
underway in Europe since the 1970s, and although, as noted
above, conventional medicine remains reluctant to confirm
the herb's therapeutic value, the fact that cat's claw is
only available on prescription in certain countries is a
clear indication of its biochemical potency. Cat's
claw's power as an immune system booster appears to be
related to unique properties in the alkaloids derived from
it, certain of which appear directly to enhance the ability
of the body's white blood cells to destroy potentially
harmful foreign matter. These alkaloids also seem to
stimulate the production of the vital T4 lymphocyte and
leucocyte immune system cells which are crucial in fighting
viral infections.

One particular such alkaloid, rynchophylline, is also
believed to be of great benefit to the cardio-vascular
system in preventing blood "stickiness", or the potentially
catastrophic formation of clots in circulating blood in the
heart and brain. Like other anti-oxidants, cat's claw may
also help to prevent the oxidation of low density lipids
(LDL), or "bad cholesterol", and the consequent build up of
deposits inside the arteries leading to atherosclerosis.
Recent research also suggests that the anti-oxidant action
of cat's claw may also help to prevent the deposit of the
plaques within brain tissue which are implicated in the
development of Alzheimer's disease.

The many potential benefits of cat's claw make it a hugely
exciting prospect for advocates of herbal remedies. But
there is an important caveat in that most of the research
so far has been conducted in the laboratory rather than on
live human subjects. Against that, however, must be set
the many centuries of use of the herb amongst older
civilisations.

Orthodox medicine, moreover, is always keen to stress,
quite correctly, that the mere fact that a remedy is
described as "natural" or "herbal" does not mean it is
necessarily free of potential side effects. Herbal
remedies, after all, often provide the raw materials for
the manufacture of conventional drugs, and are highly
active biochemical compounds in their own right. They
could not be of any benefit if they were not.

But in the case of cat's claw the only contraindications
for its use appear to for pregnant women and those
suffering from disorders of the immune system. For all
others, the herb appears to be completely safe, although
very rare cases of minor gastric upsets and headaches have
been reported.

The inner bark of the plant is the source of cat's claw's
active alkaloid compounds, but the bark itself is
indigestible and poorly absorbed, if at all, by the human
digestive system. Fortunately, however, cat's claw is now
readily available in the form of easily absorbed teas,
tinctures and capsules, but it's probably best to start
with low doses to ensure freedom from any possible side
effects. And as recommended therapeutic doses vary
between 750 and 3,000 mg per day, it's always worth talking
things over with your physician or a reputable herbal
practitioner before beginning any program of
supplementation. But the potential benefits of cat's claw
appear so promising that this is not a herb you should
ignore.

----------------------------------------------------
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in
direct marketing and with a particular interest in health
products.
Find out more at
http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/In
formation.htm