Jacuzzi in Spain

Jacuzzi in Spain
Advantages using a modern Jacuzzi in Spain to help provide
the solace and relief from the every day stress of today's
modern life. One has only to go back to past times and you
will see that of all the various and many leisure options
available that taking the waters or visiting a Spa and
thereby bathing in hot water often using naturally heated
water was one of the most important. The name spa comes of
course from the natural Hot Spring found at Spa in Belguim.

The Romans clearly one of the main fore fathers of Europe
as we know it today new that the beneficial effects of the
water was helpful to their general well being. This was in
Roman Times a key daily activity for men of every class and
indeed for many women. Personal bathing today is considered
very much a private activity carried out in ones home but
bathing in Roman times was of course very much a communal
activity carried out usually in public baths. One has only
to see and look at the Roman Baths that survive today to
understand that in many ways they resemble the health
spas of today although one imagines and hopes that they
perhaps they were not so expensive.

The acceptance of this form of communal bathing as the main
event in daily life belongs in many ways to the Roman way
of doing things and it has to be said that at the very
height of the Roman Empire, the term taking the waters or
visiting thermal baths embodied the ideal way of urban life
in Roman Times. Many Romans were able to set up a bath
house in their own town house or especially in their
country villas, even heating various rooms or perhaps an
independent building built especially for this very
purpose. However even so these Romans who must have been
wealthy to be able to afford such luxury would more often
than not attend the various facilities available to the
public in the various towns and cities that existed at that
time throughout the Roman Empire.

Even so it was very much the case that these small
bathhouses, which in many cases may well have been
privately owned, were often actually available to the
public usually for a fee which was often quite reasonable.

The very large public baths, were owned of course by the
state and often covered in terms of space the equivalent
today of several large city blocks. The fees payable for
both types of baths were in the main quite reasonable, and
usually within the budget of most free Roman males. As the
typical Roman workday would start at dawn work was often
completed by the early afternoon. About 2:00-3:00 pm, it
was the custom that men would visit the baths and often
plan to stay for several hours being engaged in sport,
bathing, and general conversation, usually after which they
would be well rested and relaxed to enjoy dinner. Today
whilst you cannot go and enjoy a roman bath so easily you
can still get a similar and indeed if not better form of
relaxation that is both Hydro therapy and Hydro massage
from a Hot Tub or Jacuzzi Style Spa.

The Hydro Therapy mixture of warm soothing water mixed with
massage and buoyancy helps to deliver a sensation that
relaxes the mind and body, but also helps to soothe and
heal.

With properly designed jets strategically placed in the Hot
Tub Jacuzzi Style Spa for maximum benefit, each & every Hot
Tub offers supreme therapeutic support in a carefree
setting. The Spa treatment Increases blood flow and aids
circulation, reducing & relieving muscle strain, soreness,
pressure and tension throughout your body. Clearly
something that the Romans were very well aware of.

----------------------------------------------------
The author Jacuzzi John supplies luxury Hot Tubs from
Estepona on the Costa Del Sol In Spain and for more
information his web site is at http://www.spas4you.com

Liquid Vitamins......Maintain Your Health through Nutrition

Liquid Vitamins......Maintain Your Health through Nutrition
High quality liquid vitamins and nutritional
supplementation is essential to make up the deficit of
nutrients in our food. The transition from pill form to
liquid vitamins and minerals is taking place and the wave
of the future for the health industry and nutritional
supplements is liquid vitamins. These vitamins are digested
as they pass through the intestinal tracts and the step of
breaking down the pills is eliminated. Liquid Vitamins are
much better absorbed than pill vitamins while pills are
more taxing on your digestive system and much harder to
swallow! They also help you achieve better health much
faster than pill form. A recent study showed that while 98%
of liquid vitamins are absorbed by your body, only 10-20%
of pill vitamins are absorbed. Are you starting to see the
importance of liquid vitamins and minerals?

When choosing your nutritional supplement, liquid vitamins
are definitely the way to go for maximum absorption. Why
should you use a liquid supplement? Instead of pills, which
sometimes don't digest, the liquid is absorbed into the
system fully. The main reason why liquid vitamins are more
effective than pills and tablets is due to the nature of
their liquid base. Medical studies have shown that pills
and capsules only have a 25%-40% absorption rate at the
cellular level, while liquid nutritional products exceed a
90% absorption rate. This is true especially in the case
of old people and children, for whom liquid vitamins are
available in a variety of flavors. Feed your 300 million
new cells the nutrition they need to thrive with a
complete,good tasting and powerful liquid vitamin
available. One disadvantage of liquid vitamins is that the
nutrients get destroyed when they come in contact with the
stomach acids before they can reach the upper intestines
where the absorption best happens. These liquid dietary
supplements are high potency formulas you can count on.
Multiples (in liquid form) give your body more daily
vitamins and minerals through whole food vegetation (than
pills).

Today's health and nutrition is not what it used to be and
is headed no where fast. Most people, healthy or not, STILL
don't get the proper nutrition they need to stay healthy.
Health is a major concern in the United States, from
vitamins and minerals, to the proper nutrition and intake,
it is hard to get the proper amount of nutrition you need
everyday from just the regular foods you intake. Like all
of us, we take vitamins with the intention of getting good
nutrition, but when they are pushed out of our system
virtually undigested then that creates a problem. with the
fast paced world we live in today, it's hard to get the
right vitamins, minerals, and nutrition into our body
everyday. Our cells are starved for proper nutrition,
vitamins, and minerals.

Supplementation of liquid vitamin nutrition is the secret
to protecting you and your family against disease, staying
healthy and looking and feeling youthful. Whether it is
helping people to quit smoking (the #1 preventable cause
for sickness and death in the civilized world) -- Help with
solutions for weight loss and obesity (the #2 preventable
health threat) -- Cleaning up our endangered and
irreplaceable fresh water supplies with our extraordinary
laundry detergent alternative -- Or simply getting the
proper comprehensive nutrition to stay healthy with potent
liquid vitamins.In reality, most of us fall short of these
health goals resulting in an unhealthy diet often
critically lacking in even the basic nutrients required to
sustain proper health. The key is to eat well and to
supplement your diet with healthy amounts of a variety of
important nutrients. These nutrients also assist the body
in expanding oxygen production, assisting clear flow
through vessels, promoting healthy cholesterol and
homocysteine levels, as well as enhancing mental clarity
and recall. Along with an increase in productivity, feeling
better, seeing your family enjoy the best possible health,
and fighting off the potential onset of serious diseases,
vitamins are necessary in today's world! This gives
everyone a good idea of what their goal should be,
especially when it comes to the health of you and your
loved ones.

----------------------------------------------------
Another informative article from Chuck Arnone dealing with
our health & nutrition.
http://www.provitaminliquid.com

Creatine AKG

Creatine AKG
Creatine is the biggest selling, most popular and most
effective bodybuilding supplement on the market today.
Creatine monohydrate was the first widely available form of
creatine. Creatine monohydrate worked extremely well for
most bodybuilders, although it was a chalky, hard to mix
substance.

The main drawback for a lot of bodybuilders was that it
often resulted in intestinal distress and diarrhea because
it sat in the intestines, pulling in water. This problem
would subside in some bodybuilders over time, but it was a
problem nonetheless. Another drawback of the creatine
monohydrate form of creatine is the amount of carbohydrates
needed to induce the muscles to absorb it. This is due to
the fact that insulin is required to stimulate the creatine
transporter in muscle cells. It requires approximately 100
g of simple carbs for every 5 g of creatine. This amount
of carbohydrates taken before and sometimes after a workout
often leads to stomach bloat, not to mention unnecessary
sugar calories.

Better forms of creatine have hit the market over the past
few years in order to address some of these issues, as well
as increase absorption and its overall muscle building
effects. Some of these products are creatine malate,
creatine ethyl ester, creatine methyl ester, and buffered
creatine.

One of the newest forms of creatine is creatine
alpha-ketoglutarate, also known as creatine AKG. This form
is creatine bound to a molecule of AKG. This is the same
AKG that is used in the nitric oxide formulas (arginine
AKG).

Alpha-Ketoglutarate is a precursor of glutamine, which
means that with this supplement you are getting both
glutamine and creatine. The key benefit, however, is that
the intestines more easily absorb AKG, which will prevent
the diarrhea that most bodybuilders experience when they
take creatine monohydrate.

Another huge benefit of the creatine AKG, is that AKG
readily crosses into muscle tissue without creatine
transporters, which means that you no longer need to take
in 100 g of carbohydrates with your creatine!

Creatine AKG has one additional benefit in that it is used
in the aerobic pathway for producing energy, known as the
Krebs cycle. The Krebs cycle is used to replenish levels
of quick energy within the muscle cells in between workout
sets. Since creatine provides quick energy for completing
more reps, and AKG helps restore energy levels between
sets, the combination of the two is an extremely effective
way to keep your energy and strength levels high during
your workout.

Furthermore, since creatine AKG is absorbed more
efficiently into the muscle tissue, you don't need to take
quite as much as you would with creatine monohydrate.

Use a product that provides two 2- 5 g of creatine per
serving, and be sure to take it with your pre-workout and
postworkout shakes.

----------------------------------------------------
David Monyer has been involved in bodybuilding for the last
20 years, making most of his muscle gains in his basement
gym, as well as different clubs and gyms over the years.
For more information on training and recommended creatine
AKG supplements, visit
http://www.RockSolidBodybuilding.com/creatine

Do not read this if you are already thin and healthy...!!!!

Do not read this if you are already thin and healthy...!!!!
The South Beach Diet has become one of the most popular
diets in the public market right now. The diet, in addition
to the original book that explains how the diet works, has
inspired a number of companion books that include a calorie
counter and a cookbook. Originally published by Rodale
Press and authored by Arthur Agatston, the South Beach Diet
has surpassed all of the popular diets that came before it.

The South Beach Diet has three parts, or phases. The first
phase lasts two weeks. During the first phase hopeful
dieters do their best to eradicate their bodies of insulin
resistance by cutting out foods with high glycemic
carbohydrates. Instead of eating dairy products, candy and
sugars, fruits, grains, cereals and starches (mainly
potatoes and bread), dieters try to limit their food intake
to vegetables, eggs, meat, nuts and cheese.

The second phase reintroduces fruit, dairy and whole grains
back into the dieter's meal plans. Dieters must eat these
foods in small portions because the digestive system must
be retrained to deal with these foods. The third and final
phase of the South Beach diet involves adding three
servings of both fruit and whole grains to the daily food
intake (in addition to the three balanced meals a day the
dieters are already eating).

One thing that sets the South Beach diet apart from other
popular diets is that dieters are not required to count
calories. Instead dieters are told to eat until they feel
satisfied. By the end of the diet, dieters are eating six
smaller meals a day (three major, three snacks) and don't
have to worry so much about what they put on their plates.

Here is some information about the South Beach Diet you
might not have known: Here is some information about the
South Beach Diet you might not have known:

Tip #1 The South Beach diet is named after the South Beach
area of Miami Florida and was developed by Arthur Agatston.
Agatston, at the time the South Beach diet was developed,
was a cardiologist who believed that people should eat
carbs and fats... good carbs and good fats. A cardiologist
advocating carbs and fats carries quite a bit of authority
in the dieting world.

Tip #2 Kraft Foods conducted a study of the South Beach
diet. The study involved sixty nine research subjects who
were studied over a three month period of time. The
research study backed up the information that was found by
Agatston, who did his own study of the effectiveness of the
South Beach diet a year prior to the Kraft Foods study.
The results of both studies were favorable.

Tip #3 The South Beach diet promotes eating habits that are
low in "bad" carbs and "bad" fats. Examples of the good
and the bad of each food category can be found in the South
Beach diet books.

----------------------------------------------------
Nutritionist and Fitness Guru From London Reveals How 'You'
Can Turbo-Charge Your Metabolism, Burn Off Body Fat, and
Create Life Long Motivation In 21 Days, Or Less -
Guaranteed...!http://southbeachdietrecipe.org

Cut Through The Marketing Hype And Taurine Can Still Be Of Great Benefit

Cut Through The Marketing Hype And Taurine Can Still Be Of Great Benefit
Taurine is one of those perhaps lesser known amino acids
which are known to medicine as "non-essential". But
"non-essential" in this context simply means that it is not
essential to ensure a daily intake from diet, because the
compound can be manufactured by the body, albeit in fairly
small quantities. It should not be taken as lessening the
importance of taurine or the other non-essential amino
acids in any way.

Much publicity has recently been given to taurine as a way
of preventing hangovers and slowing or even reversing the
liver damage caused by long term excess alcohol
consumption. So taurine is commonly added with caffeine to
the energy drinks increasingly sold as mixers to take with
alcoholic drinks. Whilst it has to be said that the
"jury's still out" on some of the wilder claims made in
this regard, there is evidence that taurine may be
beneficial not just for the liver but for the heart,
kidneys and other organs which may become subject to
inflammation or the accumulation of fluid or fat.

Complementary medical practitioners are particularly
enthusiastic in using taurine supplements as therapy for
conditions including hypertension, macular degeneration of
the eyes, congestive heart failure, fluid retention and
asthma. Although these conditions may appear diverse, if
there is a common factor it is probably an imbalance in
body chemistry, particularly perhaps the relative
concentrations of potassium, magnesium and sodium within
the cells. And there is some good research evidence to
suggest that taurine's effect in restoring proper fluid
balance may be very effective in reducing blood pressure
and tackling congestive heart failure.

When taken in conjunction with magnesium, taurine may help
maintain good heart rhythm, and it is also an anti-oxidant
which helps protect against atherosclerosis and the
formation of potentially dangerous blood clots.

As a fat soluble anti-oxidant, taurine is also invaluable
in protecting the light sensitive cells of the retina,
which contain a very high concentration of fats, from the
free radical damage which can lead to loss of vision
through macular degeneration. Taurine's role as an
anti-oxidant has also been highlighted as a possible
protector of the lungs against free radical attack, with
potentially particularly valuable implications for
sufferers from asthma.

Finally, although it remains a matter of some controversy,
taurine's role in balancing cell chemistry is also believed
by some nutritionists to protect against epileptic and
other types of brain seizure. It is also found in very
high concentrations in the white blood cells which are the
key to a healthy immune system, and is believed to help
stabilise blood sugar levels.

To manufacture sufficient taurine within the body a good
supply of the essential amino acids is required,
particularly methionine. By far the best sources of these
are the so-called "first-class" protein foods, called
first-class precisely because they contain all of the
essential amino acids. Meat, poultry, fish and dairy
products are all within this group, and for the purposes of
taurine, shellfish are a particularly rich source.

A diet providing normal quantities of these food groups
will usually be adequate to prevent taurine deficiency, but
not necessarily to secure the maximum benefits for
sufferers from the conditions mentioned above. Those
following a vegetarian diet will also have to take
particular care to combine foods correctly in order to
obtain an adequate supply of the essential amino acids;
methionine especially.

Fortunately, however, there appear to be no toxicity issues
with taurine supplementation, except for sufferers from
excess stomach acidity or ulcers. So some nutritional
therapists commonly recommend therapeutic doses of up to
4,000 mg a day, particularly when treating the heart and
cardiovascular conditions detailed above, with no reports
of ill-effects. It's worth noting, however, that some
minor gastro-intestinal disturbances have been observed
when even higher doses have been applied.

But as always, when considering any program of
supplementation, it needs to be remembered that the body is
a holistically functioning organism, and that no one
nutrient can function 100% effectively in the absence of an
adequate supply of all the others. Taking individual
supplements of amino acids can create an imbalance, and is
not therefore recommended except in the short term, and is
in any case best accompanied by a comprehensive
multi-vitamin and multi'mineral regime. In the case of
taurine, however, it is also worth pointing out that its
action seems to be particularly dependent on good supplies
of vitamin B6 and the essential mineral, zinc.

----------------------------------------------------
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

Panic Attacks- Fear of Impending Doom

Panic Attacks- Fear of Impending Doom
Where did this monster living inside you come from? What
is happening? Between breathing rapidly and cloudy vision
and feeling like your heart is racing so quickly and
thumping so loudly, why can't you understand the cause of
all of this? And, what is this tingling in your legs, arms
and fingers? And now, your throat feels as if it is
closing up, your chest is tightening, and your head is
spinning. Usually your mind will wander to the absolute
worst conclusions. Plus, there is a scary thought of dying
or having a heart attack or stroke. Unfortunately, these
are not the only horrible thoughts going through your mind.
While these negative thoughts are overtaking the brain,
symptoms seem to escalate to the point of shock and horror.
These overwhelming emotions have caused lack of
concentration and movement, and the only thing logical, at
this point, is to escape from these fears and from reality
any way possible. The scariest thing of all is that it
literally feels as if you are dying.

Once the symptoms pass, and you can breathe easier, and you
are still alive, all you can do is hope that these feelings
never return again. However, they do come back. This fear
of impending doom reoccurs again and again. The thought of
experiencing these feelings again petrify you to the point
that it is endlessly on your mind. This, in turn, causes
you to have more panic attacks. Hence, a never ending
vicious cycle occurs!

Panic attacks-the most dreadful word to many who have
experienced it. Not only is it frightening, but it is
numbing. It is numbing to the point that it has wounded
your innermost spirit. Depression sets in and sometimes
even suicidal thoughts occur. The hope of ever feeling
normal again has vanished. You surround yourself with
emptiness and abandon those who care for you, so as not to
embarrass yourself. The way you used to experience life
has disappeared, now your life is empty. Sadly, your
existence has drastically changed to the point you just do
not want to remain in this life anymore.

There is hope! You can eliminate these sensations or
feelings of impending doom from reoccurring. Hope is what
you need to conquer these attacks when they creep up on
you. Whether this is your first time researching about
panic attacks, or you have been studying them and just want
to learn more, you have come to the right place. The
purpose of this series of articles is to provide
information on the true definition of panic attacks, the
many different symptoms and causes, and tips for overcoming
and controlling them. Although you may have tried many
medicines and different kinds of therapy, and still cannot
get a handle on them, read on! Evidently, your feelings
of hopelessness are what brought you here to read these
articles in the first place. Take a few minutes to learn
some valuable information that could possibly change your
life!
____________________________________________________________
__________________

----------------------------------------------------
This article is for people who have had or know someone we
has had panic attacks. Please read the valuable information
and take control of your life. Please
visit:http://kevinr19.panicaway.hop.clickbank.net/

Herbs for Panic Attacks

Herbs for Panic Attacks
If you have ever had a panic attack, you don't look forward
to getting another one. The "fight-or flight" response in
your body is involuntarily turned on and your nervous
system signals your adrenal glands to start pumping out
stress hormones to get you ready to either run away or turn
and fight.

Your muscles tense, your heartbeat speeds up, and your
breathing becomes more rapid. You might feel like you are
smothering, get claustrophobic or experience an urgency to
get away. On top of that, you may get hot flashes,
sweating, and/or chills and trembling, plus numbness,
tingling sensations, dizziness, and nausea.

You become overwhelmed by an extreme sense of fear and
impending disaster and you lose your ability to think
calmly and clearly while experiencing a distorted sense of
time and a feeling of unreality.

In the face of a physical threat, accident, or natural
disaster, this type of response is normal and can be
life-saving. But panic attacks that occur unexpectedly in
the presence of normal events can be debilitating. They may
happen with no forewarning, at any time of the day or
night, and last several seconds or more than half an hour.

The triggers for panic attacks are unpredictable. Most
panic attacks are set off by some minor or major stressor.
But panic attacks can also be triggered by changes in
emotions, or as a response to certain drugs, foods,
allergies (including hidden food allergies), hypoglycemia,
and illnesses.

A panic attack is an example of an acute anxiety disorder
and can affect teens to middle-agers and beyond. Women are
reported to experience panic attacks twice as often as men
but some believe that is only because men are more reticent
to report panic attacks.

Recent studies point to a complex set of causes and panic
attacks are regarded as a treatable psychobiological
condition (i.e. having both psychological and biological
causes). Successful resolution of panic attacks requires an
integrated, multi-modality approach.

Even though panic attacks are not a simple condition and
there are no simple answers for their successful
resolution, herbal therapy can be useful as part of an
integrated, multi-modality approach.

When you experience anxiety, your body releases a set of
neurotransmitters called catecholamines, which stimulate
your central nervous system and activate your sympathetic
nervous system. Sometimes your sympathetic nervous system
(the high alert part of your nervous system) can get stuck
in the "on" mode leaving you in an ongoing state of anxiety
- a fertile ground for panic attacks.

A class of herbs called nervines helps to turn off the
sympathetic nervous system by gently facilitating the
functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system – the
part of the nervous system that prompts relaxation -
helping us to wind down and come off "high alert".

It is a good idea to experiment with different anti-anxiety
herbs before you are in a crisis or panic situation. Try
out several herbs in varying doses. Start with a low dose
and increase if needed so that you will know how the herb
affects you and how to use it when you need it.

Some effective herbal nervines to consider using:

Oatstraw (Avena sativa) – the green milky tops of oatstraw
provide a wonderful soothing, nourishing and gentle herb
for frayed and stressed nervous systems. Oatstraw has a
restorative effect on an exhausted nervous system reliably
strengthening the whole nervous system after prolong
stress. Oatstraw has both an immediate effect (useful when
experiencing extreme nervousness and anxiety) and a more
long-term restorative effect. Oatstraw is well tolerated by
even highly sensitive people and is used for nervous
debility, stress, weak nerve and energy force, anxiety,
depression, exhaustion, and general fatigue.

German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla/ Matricaria
recutita) – an all time favorite –because it works.
Chamomile tones the nervous system, relaxes your muscles
and calms nervous digestion. It has mild sedating
properties and is not as strong an herbal sedative as
valerian or passionflower. However, chamomile is a great
option for anxiety in children or teens and for anxiety
associated with mild sleep problems. If you are allergic to
ragweed, asters, or chrysanthemums you are better off
choosing another anti-anxiety herb.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) –has mild sedative
properties and is useful in conditions of nervous agitation
with sleep problems and digestive complaints. Lemon balm is
especially useful for over-anxiety that causes digestive
problems such as nausea, bloating, and colic like pains.
Traditionally lemon balm was used to lift the spirits and
encourage longevity. Lemon balm is a relaxing tonic for
anxiety, restlessness, irritability, and mild depression
and its actions will quiet the racing heart that often
accompanies anxiety. It has mild anti-thyroid effects and
is best avoided by people with hypothyroid problems.

Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia) –tonifies and relaxes
the nervous system and is useful for anxiety of all types
especially anxiety and irritability that is hormonally
based such as premenstrual syndrome. It is a sedative
nervine and has mild anti-spasmodic and anti-hypertensive
effects. Skullcap is a great herb to use when your anxiety
is accompanied by a runaway mind that is stuck on worry. It
is tolerated well by most people and has few side effects.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) – one of the most well
known anti-anxiety herbs, valerian is a potent herb whose
active ingredients, valepotriates, bind to benzodiazepine
receptors in the brain (similarly to the drug Valium). The
use of valerian does not, however, result in dependence or
the development of tolerance but instead tones the nervous
system.

Valerian can be used to improve the quality of sleep, and
relax both the skeletal and smooth muscles. Valerian should
not be used for those with chronic exhaustion, adrenal
fatigue, thyroid disorders, and depression as it may
increase anxiety, worsen present symptoms, and/or result in
excessive restlessness in these conditions.

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) – a strong calming,
anti-spasmodic herb that is useful for severe daytime
anxiety. Passionflower is also the herb of choice for
middle of the night waking terrors, nightmares, and the
onset of sudden anxiety feelings. It acts as a central
nervous system depressant giving a calming, relaxing and
anti-anxiety effect and is specific for anxiety related to
insomnia, muscle tension, restlessness, and nervousness due
to worry, overwork, hysteria, or excessive excitement. If
you are taking an MAO inhibitor, you should avoid taking
passionflower except under supervision.

Stress Relief Tea

Here is a simple herbal tea mixture that I have found
effective in my private practice working with women having
mood and energy problems.

Mix together equal parts of the following dry herbs:

•Oatstraw

•Lemon Balm

•Skullcap

•Nettles

•Orange

•Chamomile

Use 1-2 teaspoons of the mixture and steep covered in 8 oz.
of boiling water for 5-10 minutes.

The use of herbal nervines as part of an integrative
program can help restore a sense of calm and well being,
soothe distress, stabilize a confused and overwhelmed
energy system, and foster clear thinking.

If you are taking anti-anxiety and/or anti-depressant
medications or other medications, have a diagnosed
condition or illness, are pregnant, breastfeeding, elderly
or very young it is important to consult a knowledgeable
health care practitioner before using herbs. A licensed
physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment
of any medical conditions.

----------------------------------------------------
Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood &
Energy Wellness Center for Women. With Master's Degrees in
Human Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann
is a Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic
Health Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician; and
a Health, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach. Reconnect to your
physical, emotional, mental, psychological and spiritual
natural rhythms at
http://evenstaronline.com

Overcoming life's up's and down's with AMP Vitamins

Overcoming life's up's and down's with AMP Vitamins
As I get older, I find that one of the precious resources
that I have at my disposal is my energy, and more often
than not, it could use a bit of a push in the form of
health food amp vitamins!

Life drags us through all sorts of trials and joys. To
overcome the rough times and to take advantage of the good
ones, you need a certain amount of energy just to keep up!.
There are plenty of reasons to take amp vitamins, but
perhaps one of the best ones is that they will enhance your
life in many different ways.

First, let's get one thing straight; health food amp
vitamins, though they do improve your physical performance,
are not steroids. They are not illegal, and they do not
carry with them the long-term, body-damaging effect of
steroids.

Amp vitamins provide your body with a natural increase in
your level of vitality. The energy that you get from
ingesting amp vitamins is an energy that comes from optimum
nutrition, not from dumping an excess of chemicals into
yourself!

Taking amp vitamins essentially increases your energy and
stamina, but while these are the main effects, they are by
no means the only ones.

Many people find that the use of health food amp vitamins
can help you perform in stressful situations, but this goes
so much further than just giving you the energy to stick it
out. When you feel confident that you have the energy to
handle something, you will find that you can keep going
quite cheerfully.

One reason why stress is so detrimental is that it is an
energy sapper and that it induces vitality-draining worry
and concern. When you aren't wasting your energy on
feeling stressed, there is a good chance that you'll feel a
great deal more in control, something which is invaluable
for any reason.

Because amp vitamins are so easy to use and natural
besides, you'll be able to enjoy your time with your family
without experiencing the energy drop that is associated
with socially acceptable drugs like caffeine.

You'll have more energy to spend on the things that matter,
like interacting with your family and keeping your
relationship running smoothly. In stressful situations,
you will be much less inclined to loose your cool and snap
out at your loved ones or at people who don't deserve it.

Whether you are looking to improve your performance in
terms of endurance or general energy level, the convenience
and efficiency of health food amp vitamins might be exactly
what you are look for. Take a look at some information on
amp vitamins today and find out what you've been missing
out on!

----------------------------------------------------
The discussion on health food amp vitamins continues at the
authors website:
http://healthfood-guide.com/healthfoodampvitamin.aspx where
the secret of truly awesome amp vitamins is revealed and
discussed.

How Methionine May Serve As A Natural Anti-Depressant

How Methionine May Serve As A Natural Anti-Depressant
Methionine is one of the 10 essential amino acids which
cannot be manufactured in the body, and must therefore be
obtained from the diet. Like other amino acids, methionine
is vital for the formation of the countless proteins which
make up not only the body's dry tissue, but many of its
vital enzymes. Logically enough, as it is an essential
component of protein, it is protein foods which are the
best source of dietary methionine. Meat, poultry, fish and
dairy products are known as first class proteins because
they contain all of the essential amino acids. A diet
containing a good supply of each of these food groups
should normally provide sufficient amino acids, including
methionine, for most purposes, but vegetarians can also
achieve satisfactory intakes through careful food combining.

Particular attention, however, has been focussed on
methionine as the precursor of s-adenosyl methionine, also
known as SAM or SAM-e, a compound produced naturally in the
body by the metabolism of methionine. S-adenosyl
methionine was isolated in Europe in the 1950s, and has
been used there as a prescription drug, but it has only
very recently been seen as a food supplement in the US. A
large number of biochemical reactions are known to require
its presence, including the transmission of nerve impulses
between cells. Conventional medical opinion insists that
healthy people should obtain all the SAM-e they need for
these purposes from their intake of dietary methionine, but
various clinical or sub-clinical conditions may affect the
body's ability to metabolise SAM-e in this way.

In particular, the brains of sufferers from depression have
been observed to be deficient in s-adenosyl methionine as
well as serotonin, the so-called "feel-good" hormone.
There is some good research evidence from Europe that
supplementation with between 800 and 1,600 mg per day of
SAM-e increased serotonin levels, significantly improved
the condition of patients suffering from moderately severe
clinical depression, and was also helpful in some more
severe cases. This research appears to validate the long
standing practice of methionine supplementation by
psychiatrists interested in the possibilities of
nutritional therapy.

So there appear to be encouraging grounds for believing
that methionine or SAM-e may be useful alternatives to
conventional drug therapies in some cases of depression,
and may offer similar benefits without the side effects of
drugs.

But depression is only one of the conditions for which
s-adenosyl methionine appears to offer therapeutic value.
There's also good evidence from European studies that
supplement doses similar to those used to tackle depression
may be useful in tackling problems with liver function,
including hepatitis and even cirrhosis. And given SAM-e's
apparent potential for boosting emotional and psychological
health, it has been suggested by some therapists that it
may be useful in the rehabilitation programs of alcoholics
and drug addicts.

At least one large scale study has shown the
anti-inflammatory effects of s-adenosyl methionine to
provide to relief from the symptoms of osteo-arthritis, and
there are some more speculative grounds for believing that
it may also be of benefit to sufferers from Parkinson's
disease and multiple sclerosis.

Orthodox medical opinion, however, insists that more
research is required before the potential value of
s-adenosyl methionine for any of the above conditions can
be definitively established. While these concerns may
appear to reflect undue caution, it is certainly true in
any case that supplements of methionine or any other amino
acid should not be taken in isolation for any extended
period of time because of the risk of creating an imbalance.

And importantly, in the case of s-adenosyl methionine, it
needs to be noted that there is a potential risk of
supplementation leading to a build up of homocysteine.
This is another amino acid produced naturally in the body,
but excess levels of which are known to be a factor in
increasing the risk of cardiovascular and related diseases.
Fortunately, however, this is a risk which may be easily
avoided simply by ensuring a generous intake of the B
vitamins, folic acid, B6 and B12. And, as always with the
B complex, these do not function correctly in isolation, so
that a good dietary supply of the entire complex is also
required.

With this important caveat, and although its potential
benefits have perhaps been exaggerated in the media, it
does appear that supplementation with s-adenosyl methionine
may be worth trying for sufferers of the specific
conditions highlighted above, whose natural levels of
methionine and SAM-e are likely to have been depressed both
by their condition itself and other factors.

----------------------------------------------------
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

Confucianism and Healthy Longevity

Confucianism and Healthy Longevity
Confucius, the great philosopher of ancient China, attained
great influence on Chinese civilization through his famous
teachings. Confucianism affected virtually all aspects of
Chinese philosophy, including health and longevity.

Confucius, a politician and scholar, lived from 552 to 479
B.C. His impact on healthy longevity consists of practical
advice for application in everyday life.

Confucianism advice on everyday healthy longevity includes
his exemplary daily living, such as the following:

He did not eat rice, meat, or fish that was spoiled (not
fresh) and badly cooked (medium rare); he ate meat in
proportion to the amount of rice consumed; he used ginger
to spice his food; he drank wine but only moderately; he
dressed for comfort and convenience; and he slept, curling
up his body, using his bent arm as a pillow (keeping his
spine in alignment).

Confucianism advocates mental health in the form of peace
and harmony. Confucius was against strong emotions of
anger, joy or sorrow, and pleasure - the stirrings of these
human feelings do not keep the mind in a state of
equilibrium.

Confucianism is expressed in two basic concepts of healthy
longevity living: "chung" and "yung."

"Chung" is "equilibrium" or "being without inclination to
either side." Confucius did not refrain from the pleasures
of life, such as eating and sex. However, he sought to
achieve balance between extremes, and to avoid excess. His
way of life was based on "the golden mean" concept of
equilibrium.

"Yung" is "persistence" or "continuing without change."
Confucius said, "The path may not be left for an instant.
If it could be left, it would not be the path. Therefore,
the superior person does not wait until he sees things to
be cautious, nor till he hears things to be apprehensive."
In other words, your pursuit of good health should be
persistent. Your health practices, whether they involve
exercise, diet, or meditation, should become your regular
habits of healthy longevity living. You do not wait until
you are sick to begin these intense efforts for healthy
longevity. Prevention is always better than cure. You
cannot reap their beneficial effects on a particular
occasion or after a short period of practice.

Confucianism was subsequently expanded by Meng Tzu
(Mencius), second only to Confucius as a Confucian sage.

Mencius went beyond Confucius in being concerned not only
with the physical aspects of healthy longevity, but also
with the spiritual. To Mencius, spiritual health is as
important as physical well-being. Mencius said, "To
preserve one's mind and to nourish one's spirit is the way
to serve nature (heaven). When a man realizes that there is
no real difference between a short lifespan and a long one,
and does not worry, but wait, cultivating his own personal
character, for whatever may come to pass - this is the way
he carries out his fate-ordained being."

Mencius also said, "The human will is the leader
(commander) of the 'qi' (internal vital energy). The 'qi'
pervades the body and moves it. The will is of primary
importance; the 'qi' is secondary. Therefore, maintain a
firm will and do no harm to your 'qi.' When the will is
concentrated, it moves the 'qi'; when the 'qi' is
concentrated, it moves the will."

By nourishing the spirit as well as the body, Mencius lived
to a ripe old age.

In Chinese medicine, 'qi' signifies vital energy that
embraces correct breathing, good blood circulation, and
mind consciousness through meditation.

In summary, Confucianism emphasized balance and harmony
achieved through the concepts of "chung" and "yung" in
everyday living with focus on spiritual well-being. These
health practices can be applicable in contemporary living
to attain healthy longevity.

----------------------------------------------------
Stephen Lau is a researcher, writing synopses of medical
research for scientists. His publications include "NO
MIRACLE CURES" a book on healing and wellness. He has also
created several websites on health and healing.
http://www.longevityforyou.com
http://www.zenhealthylifestyle.com
http://www.chinesenaturalhealing.com

How to Get 6-Pack Abs & Lose Stomach Fat

How to Get 6-Pack Abs & Lose Stomach Fat
If you want to know how to lose stomach fat and get 6-pack
abs, I can tell you in about 30 seconds. You don't need
complex six pack ab workouts containing hundreds of
crunches and dozens of exercises each week. The best way to
burn belly fat and start seeing your 6-pack is to spend
less time focusing on it!

In my opinion, all you need to do to get 6-pack abs is
this...

Lose belly fat with nutrition, intervals, and resistance
training.

More specifically...

First, start by improving the quality of the food you eat.
No more processed carbohydrates, no more sugar, no more
deep-fried foods, no more fast food, and no more sodas or
juices. Simply making these changes will help you lose
stomach fat fast, and you'll drop your body fat percentage
in just days.

Next, you need to spend more time on the basic workout
methods, such as total body strength training and interval
training, and less time on boring, ineffective ab training
exercises. Doing hundreds of crunches won't get you
results. And doing long, slow boring cardio is also an
inefficient way to burn belly fat and see your 6-pack abs.

According to researchers from Australia, including
Professor Steve Boucher, the only way to spot reduce belly
fat is to use interval training. This exercise method burns
more belly fat than slow cardio workouts.

Once you've taken care of your nutrition, resistance
training, and interval training, you can start with basic
abdominal workouts. Here's what you need to know, and this
will surprise you!

1) Beginners should stay the heck away from situps and
crunch-type movements until they master the Plank, Side
Plank, and Bird Dog.

You have to take care of your back before you can start
pounding it with traditional ab exercises.

2) Here are some my favorite no-crunch ab movements for
intermediate exercisers...

a) the Stability Ball Rollout (also can be done with the Ab
Wheel or as a Barbell Rollout)

b) the Stability Ball Jackknife

c) the Plank with Your Arms on the Ball (which according to
research quoted in Mens Health, this exercise works your
abs 30% harder thanregular Plank - all without messing your
low back).

Okay, so I've given my controversial advice about what
beginners and intermediate fitness levels should do for
abs...now for my more advanced 6-pack ab recommendations.

But first, I want to mention some "unknown" ab builders...

a) The Elevated Pushup

b) Straight Arm Cable Pullover

c) Front Squat

d) DB Pullover & even DB Triceps Extensions with extra
stretch

All great total body moves to have in your program to burn
calories and build abs at the same time.

3) What do you really need to do to bring out your abs once
you have your body fat low?

My favorite advanced ab exercise is Cable Crunches, which
are without a doubt, the best resistance exercise for
building abs. There are several ways to do them, with one
version being safer but just as effective as all other
versions.

The big message I like to get across to clients is that
they can build 6-pack abs without ever doing a single
crunch while lying on their backs.

It shocks people, but it is true. If you want to lose
stomach fat fast and see your six pack abs, focus on your
nutrition, total body strength training, and interval
training before you even consider adding more reps to your
current ab workout.

----------------------------------------------------
Visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com to learn about the
dark side of cardio and Men's Health expert Craig
Ballantyne and his trademarked Turbulence Training home fat
burning workouts. Craig's workouts help you burn fat
without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment.

Best Weight Loss Diet Ever

Best Weight Loss Diet Ever
So, you have decided that you are going to try to lose some
weight. Who isn't trying to lose weight these days?
Everyone is looking for the perfect weight loss diet.
Everywhere you look there are books about dieting,
television shows about dieting, exercise programs promising
to "burn the fat", and more websites than you can
count...they are all promising to help you lose weight.

A healthy weight loss rate is a few pounds dropping off
each week, and to do this, you need to eat a healthy and
balanced diet (trade the McDonald's for a home cooked meal
is a good way to start) and you need to exercise regularly.
To lose one pound, you need to burn thirty five hundred
calories. Weight loss is basic math: if you burn more
calories than you take in, you will lose weight.

Before jumping head first into the latest weight loss diet
fad, are you sure that you even need to lose weight? What
is the reason for this decision to diet? Just because you
weigh more than you might want to, and just because you
might be bigger around than the latest stick thin
supermodel, does not necessarily mean that you need to lose
weight. Make sure to schedule an appointment with your
doctor and maybe a nutritionist as well. These two health
professionals will be able to help you figure out an ideal
(and healthy!) target weight and put you on a weight loss
diet plan to help you get there.

Once you have figured out your target weight, the next step
is to decide on a regular exercise regime. You don't need
to join a fancy gym or work out for hours a day. You simply
need to exercise enough to burn some fat and build some
muscle. It is amazing how many calories a simple walk
around the block can burn.

In the event that you feel like you might need some help
with your weight loss diet, there are a number of diet
programs out there that have large success rates. Jenny
Craig and Weight Watchers are the best. Not only do these
programs give you the support you need to hit your target
weight, they will teach you how to look at food and portion
control. You will learn how to eat to get healthy instead
of eating to get full. The points system used by Weight
Watchers has been especially effective.

What is important is that you are healthy. Being thin
should be an afterthought. Of course, if it happens in the
course of improving your health then you should be extra
happy!

----------------------------------------------------
Learn the 10 idiot proof Rules of Dieting and Fat Loss.
http://dietlossweight.net

FAT doesn't make you FAT

FAT doesn't make you FAT
In the 1980s we were all told that to keep our heart
healthy and to loose weight we need to reduce our fat
intake. Everyone with a pot belly had to cut back on the
bacon and fry ups to be able to avoid a heart attack and
all health professionals were promoting low fat diets to
keep our waist trim.

So why do we still have such large obesity rates?

Did they lie to us?

I wouldn't go that far but I believe back then there was
not enough research done to back the theory of weight loss
through low-fat diet. What they assumed is that fat
contains the highest calories (9kcal per gram) out of all
the macro nutrients and if it is cut out of the diet it
will result in the biggest fat loss by creating the highest
caloric deficit.

In the 1960s and 70s, scientists established a link between
high blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. And guess
what? One of the most important determinants of blood
cholesterol level is fat in the diet - not total fat, but
specific types of fat. Some types of fat are clearly good
for cholesterol levels and others are clearly bad. But
instead of explaining to us what are good fats and bad fats
they gave a bad name to all fats.

Time went by, people followed the advice they were given
and ate their low fat diet.

Supermarkets were more than happy to jump on the band-wagon
and start to produce low-fat products and offer 'healthy
cereals' for breakfast as we said goodbye to the fry-ups.
But the number of overweight people just grew.

All the time whilst we tried our hardest to stay slim and
healthy we have been doing the exact opposite.

Today adult obesity levels in the UK are soaring with 75%
of the population overweight and 22% obese. Over 30,000
deaths a year are caused by obesity in England alone.

Isn't it funny that people in countries that haven't been
reached by our western culture manage to maintain their
natural weight and stay disease free?!

Do they stay away from fats too?

Not exactly.

The diet of the people of Okinawa, who have the longest
lifespan on the planet, contains high amounts of fat (from
fish and soy) and carbohydrates (from vegetables and rice).
Eskimos live on very high-fat foods, but Eskimos have low
incidences of heart disease and arthritis.

Indeed, every society that has adopted western dietary
habits has suffered major increases in heart attacks and
strokes. People from diet-healthy societies who come here
and adopt our ways of eating get all of our diseases.

But before you start to panic you should know that there is
still hope and you won't need to move to Alaska either!

We just have to take a look what is wrong with the foods we
eat most of the time and where these foods come from.

Generally there are 2 types of fat: saturated fat and
unsaturated fat.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the two
unsaturated fats. They're found mainly in many fish, nuts,
seeds and oils from plants. Some examples of foods that
contain these fats include salmon, trout, herring,
avocados, olives, walnuts and liquid vegetable oils such as
soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower. Both
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may help lower
your blood cholesterol level. They are well known as being
good fats.

Saturated fat is found in all dairy, meats, animal fats and
coconut oil.

Saturated fats used to and in fact still do have a very bad
reputation. Medical professionals suggested that these fats
raise total blood cholesterol as well as LHL cholesterol
that are the main cause of heart disease.

Research has since shown this is not true at all. In a
Stanford University study that made recent headlines, women
on a high fat-low carbohydrate diet ended up with the
healthiest cholesterol levels and the best blood pressure
readings, compared to those on other diets, notably the
famous Ornish low-fat diet.

In addition, another recent Harvard University study found
that people who had the highest saturated fat intake also
had the least plaque buildup on their artery walls. The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition described the
findings as an "American Paradox."

If we have a look back at medical history we can find that
Type-2 diabetes did not exist 100 years ago, when the human
diet was very rich in saturated fats; it appeared when
trans-fats entered our diet. So what is trans-fat?

Trans-fat is the common name for a type of unsaturated fat
industrially created by partially hydrogenating plant oils.
These fats have a higher melting point making them
attractive for baking, and extending their shelf-life.

Unlike other dietary fats, trans-fats are neither required
nor beneficial for health.

As early as 1975 a group of scientists led by Mr Leo Thomas
at what is now the University of Glamorgan in South Wales
suspected that eating partially hydrogenated fats had a
connection with death from coronary heart disease. The
suspected link between the consumption of trans-fats and
this illness was subsequently investigated at the Harvard
School of Public Health in the US.

Here are some of the products that you find trans-fat in:
margarine, ready meals, soups and pot noodles, cakes,
candies, baked goods, confectionery, frozen food, pies,
waffles, pizzas,fish fingers, breakfast cereals, fast food,
fries, fried chicken, kebab, takeaway, crisps, crackers and
salad dressings.

Do you notice that these foods are all processed?

Processed food doesn't just contain trans-fat but most of
the time is high in sugar, salt and processed wheat
products too. These types of foods are usually preserved,
have added colourings and are cheap to buy.

There are processed foods ads everywhere, what these ads
forget to tell you is that these foods could cause weight
gain, mood swings, heart disease, diabetes and, in some
severe cases, even cancer.

So what can you do to avoid processed food?

At Lawrence & Rago Personal Training we get our clients to
stick to this simple rule:

If it wasn't around 10,000 years ago don't eat it!

Try to consume food that is in its original form like fish,
poultry, lean meats, fruits, vegetables and healthy grains
like brown rice and quinoa.

You don't see many Jaffa cake trees, or farmers out
harvesting their Cheerios field do you?

If you follow this simple rule you will start to feel
amazing pretty soon and weight will start to drop off.
Don't be surprised if you feel a bit light headed for the
first few days of your new transformation. It's just that
our bodies get so clogged up with the chemicals we have
been putting in them that it takes some time for the body
to adjust. Once your body is free of all those nasties you
will notice a massive change not just in your body but how
you will feel. Your bloating, fatigue and mood swings will
disappear and you'll end up with a healthy, happy and slim
you.

Some of our clients first reactions are that keeping to
these foods will make their diet very boring. It's the
exact opposite. Once your body releases the harmful
chemicals that you have been feeding it, you will have a
better sense of taste and good food will taste amazing!

Many people don't enjoy spending time in the kitchen but
learning new recipes and forming new healthy habits can be
satisfying and fun.

When I started to train my client Sam about 2 years ago she
was in great shape and had good fitness levels. She only
wanted to loose the last bit of fat around her waist area.
I told her about the principles we use at Lawrenece & Rago
and she was very sceptical. She didn't see the problem with
her calorie free diet soda and low-fat ready meals. I asked
her to forget about the calories and go for whole foods.

Sam's diet used to be: cornflakes in the morning, a
sandwich for lunch and a low-fat ready meal for dinner. As
a snack she had a 'lite' cereal bar and diet soda.
Basically one big processed chemical cocktail!

After following my advice she started to see changes not
just in her moods but her body too. Her afternoon sugar
cravings were gone and she had far more energy than before.
She didn't get bloated after meals anymore and within a
month she lost a dress size.

I can't tell you how glad she was that she got over her
scepticism and made the changes I recommended. She has a
new passion for good food and continues to enjoy her new
slimmer, healthier body.

Try it out for yourself the only thing you've got to loose
is your old body!

----------------------------------------------------
http://www.lawrenceandrago.com