Arthritis and Natural Pain Relief

Arthritis and Natural Pain Relief
Arthritis is an inflammatory disease that typically attacks
the joints in the body. Even though it can happen at any
point in our life, arthritis typically occurs in those that
are older than 55 years of age. An interesting thing is,
however, not all arthritis is the same. In fact, there are
dozens of different conditions that fall under the term of
arthritis that would actually have different causes at the
root of the problem. This can make it difficult for
diagnosis and treatment as each individual must be treated
as unique.

Although medical science does not do much for us in the way
of treating our arthritis, natural medicine does offer some
solutions that many have claimed have helped in a large
way. The good thing about natural arthritis relief is that
it does more than treat the symptoms, such as inflammation
and pain. What it does is get to the root of the problem
and attempt to cure it from there. That is what most of us
are looking for anyway, a natural cure and not simply a way
to overcome the symptoms that we are experiencing.

One of the most popular natural arthritis cures was made
famous by radio personality, Paul Harvey. It is known as
the gin soaked raisins arthritis cure. It is a simple
matter of soaking a dozen raisins in gin overnight and then
eating them throughout the day. There is not enough
alcohol to have an effect on you but many have claimed
amazing results in a short period of time.

Another way to treat your arthritis naturally is through
the use of herbal supplementation. There are many
different herbs that are found in the wild that have
anti-inflammatory properties and may actually help to treat
your arthritis from the root cause. Even though none of
these herbs are proven to help, far too many people have
claimed that they have given them relief for it to be a
coincidence. The real problem lies in deciding which
supplementation routine you're going to take and then
sticking with it for the long term.

One of the easiest ways to do this is through the use of an
all in one herbal supplementation program. Not only will
this help you to be able to stick with taking the herbs, it
keeps them in the correct proportion. It may even contains
some herbs that you did not consider taking in the first
place and helps them all to interact with each other in the
proper way. Because your arthritis condition did not
happen overnight, you cannot expect to cure it overnight
either. Going with an all in one supplement will help you
to be able to take this for the long term and be successful
with combating your problem with arthritis.

Suffering from arthritis pain is not necessary, especially
when so many people have been helped by means of natural
supplementation. Because each of us are individuals and we
deal with our problem on an individual level, it's nice to
be able to find something that treats the root cause of our
inflammatory disease. By starting today and sticking with
it for the long run, you may be able to enjoy a pain-free
future.

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Learn more about Arthritis and joint pain relief at
http://www.1thinkhealthy.com/arthritis.html

Exercise is Nothing to Fear

Exercise is Nothing to Fear
Many people attempt to lose weight by cutting back on
calories and changing the quality of their diets. While
this is a vital part of the process of weight loss, it is
only one half of the picture. Beginning an exercise program
completes this picture and not only helps you to get where
you want to be quicker, but is a necessary requirement to
live a healthy life, so avoiding it could end up being a
costly mistake.

While changing your diet and making a certain reduction in
the calories that you eat will help you to lose weight,
there are many things a reduction in calories will not do.
It will not increase lung capacity, it will not strengthen
your heart muscles, it will not increase endurance or
strength, it will not give you that fabulous six-pack, and
it will not give your body that healthy toned look.
Eventually weight loss will grind to a halt through calorie
reduction alone. Simply because you can only reduce
calories so far, before it begins to have a negative impact
on your health.

Believe it or not but your body is actually designed for
movement and exercise. This is what you were born for and
your body thrives on it, because it is natural for it to do
so. Yet so many people are fearful of exercising. Many
people find it very difficult to raise the motivation and
determination required to exercise. The fact remains that
you will be sabotaging your attempts at weight loss without
exercising. One of the myths about exercising is that
people believe that they will have to grunt and groan in a
gym for long periods in gym to reach their goals. However
this does not have to be the case. Try to push yourself
beyond what you are capable of and you will in all
likelihood give up anyway.

The people that do incorporate an exercise program into
their weight loss goals, do so by rushing into doing too
much too soon. This is what makes exercise so difficult to
keep up. This is where the lack of motivation and fear will
eventually stem from. Because people are under the
impression that exercise is difficult, they will be wary of
doing any.

It is well documented by fitness and exercise experts that
exercise should be undertaken 3-4 times a week with each
session lasting anything from 30 minutes to an hour.
Because this is the advice people get, just the thought of
it sends them into a mild form of shock and deters them
from doing any. Now pay careful attention to the following
statement. EXERCISE CAN BE AS EASY OR HARD AS YOU WANT IT
TO BE. This is the answer to anybody's problems about
exercise.

If you are the type of person who has led a pretty inactive
life for a number of years, clearly your fitness levels are
going to be pretty low. So when you are told that you must
exercise following conventional guidelines, you will
obviously be concerned about your ability to follow such a
program. This in turn will lead to certain levels of
anxiety regarding exercise. Any motivation will vanish
fairly quickly. Let's face it; if you are not motivated to
do something, you are not going to do it.

One of the human body's greatest strength is its ability to
adapt. Meaning that if you impose something on your body
which it is just capable of handling, then it will adapt to
do this until it becomes easy for it. If you begin an
exercise program which is just enough to push you beyond
what you are used to, your body will adapt to that. Then
you push it a little more and your body will continue to
adapt. You just continue doing it in this way and bit by
bit you will get stronger and fitter. Your body will keep
changing to cater for what you are doing.

Stop thinking about 1 hour sessions of exercise when you
first start. Just start doing something which is going to
stretch you beyond what you are used to. Start small, it
does not matter where you start, even if it is only 5
minutes, it does not matter. The most important thing is
that you do start somewhere. Once you have started add a
minute or two the next time you do it. Add whatever you are
comfortable with but always make sure you add something, as
his will push your body a little more. This will be so much
easier for your body and you. It is far better to reach a
30 minute workout after a month or so, rather than trying
to do it all in the first week. Which may be too difficult
for you and will lead you to give up.

Finally keep an exercise diary and write everything you do
into it. How many, how long, and how often. This is really
important because it gives you a visual record of where you
began and how much improvement you have made. Regardless of
whatever little exercise you start doing today, remember it
is still more than what you were doing yesterday.

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Detoxify and Lose Weight

Detoxify and Lose Weight
Are Toxins Making You Sick and Overweight?

It's not surprising that toxins are all around us-in the
air, water and in many commercial products. You probably
know that these toxins can make you sick. Dust, mold and
chemicals can lead to asthma, allergies and other chronic
conditions.

But did you know that these toxins can also cause you to
gain extra weight and make losing it almost impossible?

Researchers at the University of Quebec have demonstrated a
link between environmental pollution and a decrease in
metabolism. In addition, toxins cause inflammation
throughout the body that can lead to leptin resistance.
Leptin is a naturally occurring hormone in the body that
helps regulate body fat. When leptin stops functioning,
leptin resistance occurs, leading to weight gain and
retention of excess weight.

Detoxification is the way your body rids itself of toxins,
a natural process that occurs 24 hours a day. You can
support your body's ability to detoxify through positive
lifestyle choices such as enhanced nutrition, limiting
toxic exposures, and exercise and stress reduction.

Do you ever experience lack of concentration, irritability,
mood swings, foggy headedness, or inability to lose weight?

Exposure to toxins at home, the office, and school or in a
store can trigger these problems. Everyday items such as
paint, printers, magic markers, and copiers can produce the
problems listed above.

Simple Steps to Reduce Exposure to Common Toxins

1) Paint. For your home or office, look for low VOC paint
which is less toxic.

2) Laser Printers and Copy Machines. Use a DeskJet printer
or copier instead.

3) Household Cleaning Products: Use all natural and
non-toxic cleaning products. We use baking soda and water
for most cleaning, and vinegar diluted with water for
windows.

4) New Clothing and Laundry. Wash new clothes well before
wearing to soak out some of the formaldehyde used to
stiffen new fabric. Avoid heavily scented laundry detergent
and fabric softener; these increase your exposure to
chemicals.

5) Stale Indoor Air. Indoor air pollution is recognized as
a common problem. With airtight buildings and homes, toxins
can build up. Get outside for some fresh air during
lunchtime.

6) Tobacco Smoke. Do not smoke and make your home, car and
office a smoke-free zone.

Detoxify with More Nutrition-Not Less

When we talk about detoxification we do not mean fasting,
purging or other procedures, and do not recommend these.
Fasting can be dangerous and undermines the body's ability
to detoxify naturally by depriving the body of adequate
nutrition.

The point of detoxification is to help your body process
toxins by giving it more nutrition. The liver is the major
organ for detoxification. For the liver to function well in
its job of detoxification, it requires nutrition: adequate
protein is essential to this effort, and many vegetables
and herbs can help.

Foods to Help Detoxify

There are special foods you can eat that help the liver
function well to process toxins, such as these listed below.

Cruciferous Vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower

Sea Vegetables: hijiki, dulse, wakame (which are from
Japanese cuisine)

Dark Greens: kale, collard greens, swiss chard

This article is provided for general educational purposes
only and is not intended to constitute medical advice or
counseling, the practice of medicine or the provision of
health care diagnosis or treatment, the creation of a
physician-patient relationship, or an endorsement,
recommendation, or sponsorship of any third party product
or service by the sender or the sender's affiliates,
agents, employees, or service providers. If you have or
suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your
doctor promptly.

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Director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine, Leo
Galland M.D. is an award-winning lecturer and author of
over 30 scientific articles and several chapters for
medical textbooks. Jonathan Galland is a health writer for
newspapers and magazines. Their book The Fat Resistance
Diet has been featured on the cover of Fitness and Glamour.
For a free one-day meal plan and recipes, visit
http://www.fatresistancediet.com .

Fast Weight Loss Tips for Those Last Five Pounds

Fast Weight Loss Tips for Those Last Five Pounds
Are you stuck at that last five pounds? It happens to us
all. A half a size away from those jeans you've tried on a
dozen times at the mall and still, they don't quite zip.
Be patient. You'll get there!! But if your weight loss
efforts need a little kick in the pants to help you over
that hump, these fast weight loss tips will help!

If you've been following a healthful plan to lose weight
which includes a slow steady weight loss, you'll understand
when I say that these weight loss tips aren't going to get
you in those jeans by this weekend. That's okay! You
won't waste the 70 bucks either because once you get into
them, you'll be able to wear them for a long time.

Start by ramping up your work out. In the beginning of
your weight loss plan, you probably found you lost the
first pounds more quickly. That's completely normal, but
it can be frustrating when your body adjusts to your new
regime. The good news is that because you've been working
out, your body is quite ready for a push. If you were
doing two miles in thirty minutes, push yourself a bit more
to get another quarter mile in. If speed isn't your game,
extend the time. What's ten minutes more a day? Raise the
incline for five of those thirty minutes. These weight
loss tips will not only help you lose those last five
pounds, but they will put your body into peak condition.

Got fiber? Adding fiber to your diet could be one of the
best weight loss tips out there. Fiber has been shown to
aid in weight loss. Not only that, but research shows that
it is beneficial in lowering cholesterol and the incidence
of cancers such as colon cancer. The recommended daily
allowance for fiber is 25 grams. Most Americans do not
reach this goal. If you're eating a diet that utilizes
whole grains instead of refined carbohydrates, your chances
of getting that full 25 grams are better. Also, fiber
works best when it's a good mix of insoluble and soluble
fiber. Insoluble fiber is the stuff you'll find in whole
grains and roughage such as lettuce and celery. Soluble
fiber is found in fruits such as apples and pears. A bowl
of oatmeal contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. Kill
two birds with one stone, so to speak! Fiber supplements
that you can mix in with your coffee or tea in the morning
are a great way to sneak in another 3 grams or so. Just
don't rely on those for all of your fiber or you'll be
missing out on some other important nutrients. And go
slowly! Work your way up to 25 grams per day gradually.
Too much fiber too fast will leave you feeling a bit
bloated and gassy.

We all have a weak spot for something. Sweet, salty,
greasy or whatever your poison may be, there are certain
times that you are more susceptible to temptation. A
little treat now and then is not what I'm talking about
here. It's okay to have a piece of chocolate, maybe even
beneficial. What's not okay is to have a box of chocolate
in one evening. Nor a bag of potato chips. Think about
the last time you blew it. What was going on in your life
that day? Were you tired? Sad? Angry? Frustrated?
Stressed out? If you're a woman, was it PMS? Recognize
this and redirect your emotion from food into something
better. Now's not the time to allow yourself the piece of
chocolate. Your willpower is down and you're likely to
binge. Go for a walk. Call a friend. Meditate for five
minutes. Turn on the music and dance... anything that will
elevate your mood and help you through this rough spot
without binging. Weight loss tips like this will not only
help you achieve your goals, but they'll help you deal with
your emotions in a much better way than using instant
gratification.

If you think you've already followed all the weight loss
tips out there and are still having a tough time,
re-examine your food intake throughout the week. You might
be surprised at what you forget to calculate into your
daily calories. A common mistake is the big lunchtime
salad. You may think you're eating far fewer calories than
you actually are. Creamy dressings such as honey mustard
can add a whopping 300 calories to that healthful salad.
Add into that choosing breaded chicken over grilled and you
may as well have had the cheeseburger. Taco salads can
have tons of calories. Just because you sprinkled a
handful of corn over the sour cream, seasoned beef and
tortilla chips (that cover the iceberg lettuce on the
bottom) doesn't mean you've eaten a low-calorie lunch. Oh!
If only it were that easy! Instead, go for the loaded
veggie salad with a bit of grilled chicken, maybe a
sprinkling of grated cheese and use a flavorful
vinaigrette. Some vinaigrettes have as few as 40 calories
per two tablespoons.

Following these weight loss tips will get you into those
jeans before you know it! Just remember to follow weight
loss tips that continue to promote healthy weight loss and
not just fast weight loss. Keep up the good work!

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From a sickly little girl to a healthy chef to the stars,
Darlene Nicholson transformed herself into The "Kick in the
Butt" Healthy Lifestyle Expert and creator of the popular
DVD "The Healthy Grocery Store Tour". Visit her website
http://www.lifechanginghealthysoutions.com or grab a copy
of her free ebook "4 Steps to Permanent Weight
Loss"...guaranteed to open your eyes to how easy weight
loss can be with the right plan of attack.

Serious Side Effects Associated with Accutane

Serious Side Effects Associated with Accutane
Since 1982, a division of Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. has
manufactured Accutane in the United States. It is used to
treat serious forms of cystic acne. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
is the prescription drug unit of the Roche Group, one of
the worlds leading research-oriented healthcare groups with
core businesses in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.

Accutane is a highly effective oral medication used to
treat severe recalcitrant nodular acne that has not been
helped by other treatments, including antibiotics. Nodules
are inflammatory lesions with a diameter of 5 mm or
greater. The nodules may become suppurative or hemorrhagic.
"Severe" by definition means "many" as opposed to "few or
several" nodules.

Accutane, and its generics, contain Isotretinoin. People
who suffer from the embarrassments associated with acne
need to be aware that Accutane carries a significant risk
of adverse side effects in certain patients.

Health complications and the legal issues surrounding those
caused by Accutane involve the use by pregnant women and
associated birth defects and the use by teenagers and
associated depression and suicidal behavior. According to
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), women who are
pregnant or who might become pregnant and women who are
breastfeeding SHOULD NOT take the drug.

Over the past two decades, Accutane has been linked to a
large number of dangerous, even life threatening, side
effects including:

* Birth Injuries and Birth Defects

* Depression and Suicidal Tendencies

* Psychiatric Diseases

* Central Nervous System Ailments

* Liver Disease

* Inflammatory Bowel Disease

* Hearing and Vision Problems

* Bone and Muscle Damage

* Pancreatic Damage

As with most prescription drugs, the side effects and
severity of complications associated with Accutane vary
from patient to patient and from case to case. Not every
fetus exposed to Accutane has resulted in a deformed child,
however, there is an extremely high risk that a deformed
infant may result if pregnancy occurs and the woman has/had
been taking Accutane even for very short periods. In
addition, there is an increased risk of spontaneous
abortion, and there have been reports of premature births
associated with the use of Accutane. There have also been
reported cases of IQs lower than 85 in some infants.

Similarly, not every teenager or young adult who takes
Accutane will experience depression or suicidal thoughts.
However, the potential for these side effects has caused
enough concern, and are serious enough, that the risks must
be addressed and taken very seriously.

Steps have been taken to help prevent Accutane's
potentially dangerous and undesirable side effects. Since
the introduction of Accutane, education has played a large
part in reducing and preventing the drugs' fetal risks by
reinforcing the importance of pregnancy prevention by women
using the drug.

Prevention has not stopped at educating patients. Frequent
updates and information on potential side effects of the
drug are provided to doctors and other health care
professionals. This includes notification to doctors that
Accutane may cause depression and/or psychosis, as well as
suicide, in some cases. This is to help ensure that health
care providers make educated and ethical decisions based on
the patients' history and personal needs. Doctors have also
been advised to monitor patients very closely for symptoms
of depression.

All prescription drugs come with educational material
included in the packaging. Accutane's packaging advises
patients to watch for signs of depression, such as feelings
of sadness, irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite,
trouble concentrating, thoughts of hurting oneself or
suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately, many patients who take
Accutane due not consider the possible side effects, as
their desire for clear skin and their need to regain a
positive self-image takes precedence.

Due to the number of potential complications associated
with Accutane and the severity of the side effects, the FDA
now requires any potential user to sign a consent form.
Additionally, pharmacists must give users a detailed
warning brochure from the FDA called a Medguide (Medication
Guide). Only three drugs in United States history have been
required the use of a Medguide: Accutane, Thalidomide and
Mifeprex.

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For more information on Accutane and other various
prescription drugs, visit LegalView's practice areas at
http://www.LegalView.com/ . Here, individuals can find the
latest on FDA drug warnings as well as controversial drugs
like the Chantix side effects or a Avandia warnings. Also
learn more about the recent potential for Vytorin and Zetia
litigation, visit http://zetia.legalview.com/ .

Valentine Brain Fitness

Valentine Brain Fitness
A recent article in the New York Times highlighted new
studies directed at figuring out how long-time married
couples can keep their romance alive. The answer was very
simple. Do something different.

In one ten-week study, researchers worked with 53 couples.
They instructed one third of them to spend 90 minutes per
week doing familiar but enjoyable activities, like going to
dinner or a movie. Researchers instructed another third to
spend 90 minutes doing something exciting that they both
enjoyed. This group spent time doing new things or things
they didn't do very often. The final group received no
specific instructions.

After the study was over, researchers interviewed the
couples to rate the quality of their relationships. The
couples that spent time doing new things scored higher than
the other two groups.

This may all be common sense. The more exciting stuff you
do together, the stronger your relationship can get. But
it's interesting to look at the underlying brain science,
because it has implications for your overall brain fitness
as well.

The brain enjoys new things. New experiences crank up the
brain's reward system, driven largely by the 'pleasure'
signal, dopamine. This same circuit is very active early in
the intensely romantic part of a relationship. So, the
theory goes that doing new, exciting stuff together, may
literally help rekindle the brain circuits that drive
romance.

We have been promoting interjecting variety into your daily
routines, as good for your brain fitness, for some time
now. Beyond variety improving your relationships, it also
helps you make new brain connections that are good for all
kinds of brain functions.

Your brain is a web of about 100 trillion connections
between 100 billion neurons. When we do new things and
learn new stuff, the level of connectivity increases, and
not just in your pleasure circuits but in other parts of
your brain as well.

Increasing the connectivity between neurons in parts of the
brain responsible for memory, decision making and creative
thinking, is very beneficial to your long-term brain
fitness. The more connectivity you create, the more
defenses you have against cognitive decline as you age.

Think of an old tree with many branches. This is sort of
what neurons look like. The more you learn by experiencing
new things, the bushier the neuron gets and the more
connections it can make. In fact, neuroscientists use the
term 'arborization', meaning a tree-like appearance, to
define the amount of branches a neuron has.

The degree of arborization is an indicator of a neurons
health, especially in brain regions associated with
learning and memory. Although we can't directly measure
arborization in people, studies in rodents show that those
exposed to new environments on a regular basis have more
arborization in neurons involved in memory.

What we can do in people is use new brain scanning
technology to determine the level of activity in brain
regions, which has some correlation with the level of
connectivity and neuronal arborization in animal studies.

These brain-scanning technologies show that people in
long-term, high quality relationships have greater brain
activity in their pleasure centers when shown a picture of
their spouse. Researchers believe that interjecting new
experiences into marriage is one thing that helps maintain
these connections.

So this Valentine's Day, instead of visiting your favorite
restaurant, try a new one. Or get out and do something you
both enjoy but don't get the opportunity to do very often.
It will be good for parts of your brain that will help keep
your mind and your relationship young.

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Learn to control stress, improve your metabolism and boost
your intelligence with the four cornerstones of Brain
Fitness. Visit http://www.BrainFitForLife.com for FREE
Brain Fitness resources.