CAM- An Idea Whose Time Has Come

CAM- An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Complementary Alternative Medicine consists of many
preventive health measures. In other words, a proactive
person who thinks about their health, seeks to engage in
habits that will minimize the risk of illness. Great
examples include a healthy diet, fitness, drinking plenty
of clean water and attention to the reduction of exposure
to environmental toxins.

Philosophically, there is little to argue about for the
maintenance of good preventative health habits. These
problems are largely related to living in a fast paced
world that doesn't promote these habits. Our lifestyles, in
fact, seem to promote lack of health as evidenced by fast
food, stress, insufficient time to relax or engage in
enrichment activities, not to mention lack of time for
fitness or lack of time for healthy relationships.

Many people get introduced to healthy habits and lifestyles
only after they have taken ill. The need to eat well is
vital for an individual with heart disease or diabetes. And
these are but 2 examples.

The incidence of chronic illness is skyrocketing at an
exponential rate. 10 years ago there were virtually no
autoimmune disorders. Yet today, we all know friends and
family members, if not ourselves, who have been diagnosed
with fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and the
like. The incidence of cancer, even in children, continues
to escalate out of control. Psychotropic medications are
being prescribed to both adults and children at increased
rates.

Ask anyone with a chronic health challenge: a proactive
commitment to health is a must. Many with chronic health
challenges experience tremendous rejuvenation with any
ongoing commitment to healthy life choices.

Quality food choices, fitness and nutritional supplements
combined work towards a healthy lifestyle in body, mind and
spirit. Many engage a life coach to help develop these new
habits. There are some growing pains involved in the
transformational efforts required to build a healthy life.

Healthy living also involves a combination of these life
strategies with the treatments recommended by our
conventional doctors. Literally millions of us take or have
taken some sort of medication, as well as many of us have
had surgeries.

Part of any Complementary Health approach involves
knowledge about what natural products can be taken with
conventional medications. This also means having a thorough
discussion with one's primary care doctor or cardiologist
about designing a complementary fitness routine.

Complementary health approaches, such as natural
supplements are not designed to cure, treat or mitigate
disease, Treatment takes place between an individual and
their physician. We hope, however, by being open to
complementary/alternative medicine,you and your doctor may
facilitate the creation of optimal health decisions for you.

We wish you the best of health!

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Citizens for Health Reform is a grassroots health
empowerment initiative promoting patient centered
strategies that integrate natural health into mainstream
medicine. Data from a FREE ONLINE HEALTH SURVEY will
educate legislators and the public at large. Please visit:
http://www.citizensforhealthreform.com

The Importance of Fiber for Weight Loss and Health

The Importance of Fiber for Weight Loss and Health
We live in a time when most of our food sources are
composed of convenient, fast, and processed foods. In
addition to the chemicals and preservatives added, this has
resulted in food with less nutritional value. One of those
nutritional values is the lowered amounts of natural fiber.
One of the disturbing health concerns that has resulted
from this is that we have had an enormous increase in the
number of people, especially young people, wh are
overweight or obese. Excess weight leads to other physical
health concerns and also emotional health concerns, i.e.
self image and esteem.

People without excess weight concerns consume about 33%
more dietary fiber than people who suffer weight issues.
There are good reasons that people who consume more dietary
fiber do not experience weight concerns. When soluble
fiber combines with water, it swells the stomach giving a
greater feeling that hunger has been satisfied without
adding excess calories. Fiber slows the digestion process
resulting in feelings of hunger occurring less frequently
and providing our bodies with the time needed to properly
absorb nutrients. This eliminates the feeling of hunger and
feeling the need to continue eating which leads to excess
weight. Fiber reduces the occurrence of spikes in
blood-glucose levels which possibly leads to insulin
insensitivity and food cravings. Fiber may also reduce the
absorption of fat. Fiber also lowers cholesterol levels
which is a serious concern for people with excess weight.
High cholesterol in bile is responsible for the formation
of gallstones that lead to pain and gallbladder surgery.
Fiber lowers cholesterol as effectively as statin drugs,
which carry the risk of harmful side effects.

Most of us consume half of the dietary fiber that we need.
Lack of dietary fiber is associated with health concerns
such as hemorrhoids, cancer, diabetes, varicose veins, heat
dissease, appendicitis and chronic constipation. Chronic
constipation is a huge complaint of many people, especially
older people, and accounts for millions of visits to a
doctor and is among the most frequently given reasons for
the purchase of prescription or patient, synthetic drugs
with their possible harmful side effects. Antacids often
contain aluminum and synthetic painkillers and
antidepressants may actually cause constipation. Fiber
contributes greatly to the healthy function of our
digestive system by removing sludge, mucus, heavy metals
and fat and relieving constipation and/or diarrhea which is
essential for weight loss. Fiber protects against
diverticulosis by keeping waste soft and easy to eliminate.
Straining hard to eliminate waste contributes to
diverticulosis and also hemorrhoids.

Since many of our processed and fast foods contain little
fiber, we can increase our fiber intake with the use of
supplements that contain additional amounts of fiber and
also contribute in many other ways to our health as well as
assisting us in reducing and maintaining our weight.

Oat bran fiber contains a great deal of soluble fiber that
forms a gel which produces a soft easy flow of the contents
of our stomach and small intestine. This helps decrease
constipation distress. The gel delays our stomach emptying
giving us a longer feeling of our hunger being satisfied
helping with weight loss. Oat bran fiber is also very
effective in lowering cholesterol levels by attaching to
cholesterol and eliminating it. People who consume oat bran
fiber are far less likely to become overweight.

Apple pectin is a fiber that can be obtained in supplement
form. It is a powder obtained from dried apples. Apple
pectin lowers cholesterol levels, helps prevent hardening
of the arteries, diabetes and may inhibit cancer
metastases. Apple pectin corrects constipation and
promotes digestive health including promoting the health of
intestinal flora. Apple pectin is tolerated by most people
with allergies.

Green foods can be obtained in supplement form and contain
good amounts of fiber. In addition, green foods provide
antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, active
enzymes, bioflavonoids, chlorophyll and other
phytonutrients necessary for cellular metabolism, repair
and protection, enhanced digestion and absorption of
nutrients, and detoxification. All this is vital for
health and weight loss. Most of us do not get a good
amount of green foods that we need because of our modern
eating habits.

Flaxseed oil is one of the best choices of high fiber food.
Mucilage is the unique soluble fiber in flaxseed that
absorbs moisture and forms mucilagenous substance that
cleans and soothes intestinal walls and relieves many
intestinal discomforts. Flaxseed oil contains many
vitamins, minerals and other elements that contribute to
balancing blood sugar levels as well as other benefits.
Balancing blood sugar levels is very important for weight
loss and energy as well as a feeling of well being.
Flaxseed oil lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. It
helps satisfy hunger with few calories and reduces the
absorption of fats.

Many of us have experience the benefit of using fiber to
lose weight.. We come to know the use of fiber for weight
loss as "fiber trimming" or "fiber thin". In addition, we
have experienced many other very important health benefits
from fiber beyond weight loss. The way foods are being
processed for convenient consumption, little preparation
and for long shelf life makes it difficult for us to obtain
proper nutrition and health benefit without using natural
health supplements. This is also true of our obtaining a
healthy amount of fiber in our diets. Green foods, oat
bran, apple pectin, and flaxseed oil are easily obtainable
in supplement form. The cost, economically and
emotionally, of obtaining natural health supplements to
gain and maintain good health is far less than the cost of
illness and medical care where we risk the possibility of
harmful side effects from prescription, patient, synthetic
drugs and medical procedures. Fiber each day, keeps the
doctor away. Prevention is far less expensive in so many
ways, than repair. We can lose weight, improve our health
and feel far better about ourselves with the use of
supplemental dietary fiber.

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Jenny has more than twenty years experience with all
natural health care products. More information about
natural dietary fiber for weight loss and other natural
weight loss products is available at =>
http://www.sweetmedicineessentials.com/natural-weight-loss-c
-3.html

Hot Tub - Why buy one

Hot Tub - Why buy one
Why should you buy a Hot Tub is the sixty four million
dollar question.

Hot Tubs are of course fun and luxurious and I am sure we
can all see our selves enjoying a Hot Tub with our friends
and family.

Many people use a Hot Tub as a focal point in their Garden
or on their terrace and it is a great place to chat and
enjoy the company of your friends and family. They do, of
course, make a great meeting place for the growing family
of all ages. While the idyllic picture that I am painting
is a very real one there are of course real benefits that
arise from owning a Hot Tub that go far beyond the social
and entertainment side of things.

With the ever increases in daily stress levels coupled with
the continual rising costs of medical care many people
are quickly learning to embrace or should I say re-embrace
natural healing such as Reflexology , Hydro massage and
Hydrotherapy of all which can be obtained from a Hot Tub.
Spas provide important hydrotherapy as a result of the
principles of buoyancy, semi-buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure
and that lovely warm water.

With a Hot Tub you can benefit from the very many health
benefits from your spa/hot tub for a lifetime - anytime you
want - in the privacy and comfort of your home and not only
that but of course, you can have great fun at the same time
while you're doing it by including your family and friends!

I think it is true to say that Stress increases every day
and sometimes it is difficult even just finding a parking
place or catching a train. With every day stress and
tension placing pressure on your muscles and tendons and at
the same time putting your and mind into endless knots?

What can you do? Well it is simple just slip in to a warm
naturally bubbling Jacuzzi style hot tub for an instant
dose of respite. Well the other sixty four million dollar
question is how does it provide health benefits well to put
it into simple terms the warm water provides some heat
which helps to dilate the blood vessels in the Human body.
This will also help to reduce blood pressure.

This means that the flow of blood and with it comes oxygen
and other nutrients whose flow is also increased and as a
by product this helps to increase the elimination of
poisons and toxins form the body.

The combination of warm water with jetted pulsating water
and air jets provides a natural environment that is able to
soothe the agitated mind and at the same time reduce aches
and pains in the body such as stiffness in the joints and
muscle soreness. Air Jets help to reduce blue veins in the
lower legs and feet by increasing the blood flow in the
area which is the furthest away from the Heart.

Not surprisingly, it has been suggested that by using a Hot
Tub regularly say a few hours before going to bed that this
greatly enhances the quality of ones sleep. It has also
been reported in a Medical Journal that soaking for say 30
minutes every day can help reduce blood sugar levels in
people with type 2 diabetes.

In summary I suppose that when you use a Hot Tub you have
to put everything else on hold - even if only for a short
time. Hopefully you will not get interrupted by your house
phone or your cell phone and you will not be sitting at a
computer or have your lap top on your lap!! That way your
whole mind and body can relax and whilst pleasant music is
nice when using a Hot Tub television, in my view, destroys
the idea of relaxation.

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The author supplies premium quality American Hot Tubs on
the Costa Del Sol In Spain and his web site is at
http://www.spas4you.com

3 Ideas for Overcoming Loneliness & your Fear of the Unknown

3 Ideas for Overcoming Loneliness & your Fear of the Unknown
Fear and loneliness are two very powerful, complex and
unpleasant emotions. As you are probably aware, both
emotions can manifest physically. For example, if you are
scared of snakes then you will experience fear at the
physical presence of snakes. However, they can also affect
you emotionally, often without you realising. In this
article I will be discussing the emotional fear of the
unknown, emotional loneliness and how to overcome them.

The fear of the unknown refers to fears that are based on
absolutely nothing but act as mental obstacles. It
prevents you from reaching your full potential in a number
of areas of your life. Everytime you approach
unfamiliarity in your life this fear of the unknown
manifests itself and prevents you from taking further
action. Instead you choose to do nothing and remain in
your own personal comfort zone. For example, maybe you are
used to being single. You start to get close to someone
but as the relationship develops you get scared and back
away. You may come up with a number of excuses but the
real reason holding you back is likely to be a fear of
entering into the unknown waters of a new relationship.
The fear of the unknown is not a dangerous condition but it
can limit you in multiple areas of your life.

Loneliness is potentially a more dangerous emotional state
which in the worst cases can lead to depression and
suicide. Emotional loneliness does not have to be
associated with physical loneliness. You can be physically
alone but still remain happy. Instead, the emotion of
loneliness is often linked with personal insecurities which
make you think that you are isolated from others. For
example, maybe you feel like a social outcast because you
do not have a partner. This is not true because lots of
single people are perfectly happy and are certainly not
social outcasts. It is just an emotional state.

So how can you overcome these two mental afflictions? Well
the first step is to identify that you are actually
suffering from them. If you are constantly affected by
feelings of rejection and/or have real trouble taking
chances in your life, the signs of emotional loneliness and
the fear of the unknown are present.

Once you have identified the problem you can begin to take
action. Below I have outlined 3 ideas to help you overcome
these emotional states:

1) TAKE UP AN ACTIVITY THAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO:-
Maybe you have always wanted to join the local soccer team
but you made excuses not to? Well now is the time to dive
in and do that special activity. Not only will this
involve taking a chance and help you defeat your fear of
the unknown, but it will also place you in a social
situation allowing you to bond with others and rise above
feelings of isolation.

2) GO TRAVELLING:- If we are being honest, most of us have
ambitions to see the world and go travelling. However, the
fear of the unknown keeps us trapped in a pretty routine
lifestyle so that this is never possible. Now I know for
some people going travelling is simply not possible but if
you sit down and think "is it really not possible or am I
just making excuses?" you may be surprised at the answer.
Going travelling represents a huge leap into the unknown.
Therefore, it is a great way to overcome your fear of the
unknown. Plus, you will meet all kinds of people on your
travels and start to feel accepted.

3) FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF:- This one is probably the most
important. If you cannot love yourself is it fair to ask
others to love you? If you do not accept yourself as a
person then it is no wonder you feel isolated. No matter
what your physical condition or your financial
circumstances, you need to start thinking about yourself
positively. Once you start to think about yourself
positively you will develop a new found sense of
confidence. This confidence will help you destroy the
feelings of loneliness and allow you to take more risks,
helping you overcome your fear of the unknown.

In conclusion, to overcome any potential problems you first
need to look at your behaviours. If you find yourself
behaving in a way that reflects loneliness or fear of the
unknown you then need to do something about it. The above
article lists 3 of the many potential solutions. Do
something that involves you taking a chance and lets you
meet other people, and in time you will forget these
negative emotions ever existed.

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The Free Fitness Tips Blog provides you with fantastic,
free advice on all aspects of fitness including mental
fitness. To find out more about dealing with emotional
issues such as anger, fear, grief, loneliness and worry
head over to http://blog.freefitnesstips.co.uk/

Whether You Hike or Walk, Keep Moving

Whether You Hike or Walk, Keep Moving
When we lived in State College, PA, my husband and I were
friends with a lovely couple we'll call them Joe and Irene.
We used to go walking with them in the hills of central
PA. These walks could be quite strenuous, but always fun,
and, good exercise.

Don't even suggest to Joe and Irene they were going to be
going on a difficult hike, though-they might bite your head
off. They would tell you they absolutely hated hiking and
refused to consider going on one. Yet they would walk for
hours and hours (and never called it 'hiking").

Why was this terminology so important to them? They felt
that "hiking" implied fancy expensive waterproof mountain
boots, hydration packs, trekking poles and freeze dried
food. All they wanted to do was take some water and a few
snack and be off for the day.

I always think of this couple when I talk to clients about
exercise. For some reason, to many people the word
""exercise implies buying a membership to an expensive
club, going to a fancy store and buying the athletic garb
to wear on the machines. Don't forget the headband to catch
the sweat and, of course, the most expensive
vitamin/mineral flavored water.

For many people, the whole idea of exercise is quite
daunting. It implies hours each day and dollars most
people can't afford. It creates pictures of people
climbing up and down (in place) on machines in the club
windows-you know you've seen them as you walk down the
street.

If you are one of those club members I see as I walk past
the fitness center, and you truly enjoy what your are
doing, I applaud you. I may even be a bit jealous of your
drive. I certainly encourage folks with the resources to go
ahead and join. But only if this is what you really want
to do, not what you think you ought to do.

For the others, however, I try to find a happy medium. It
starts with using the words "increasing activity" instead
of "exercise." To me, a body in motion as opposed to a
body at rest is being active. Using those large muscle
groups, like the ones found in your legs, takes a lot of
energy, and that energy is what burns calories. The longer
you use those muscles, the more calories you burn.

Personally, my favorite activity is walking. While it may
eventually require a more expensive sneaker (or "walking
shoes" as they are called), a regular sturdy sneaker or
shoe is fine for beginning a walking program. I encourage
my clients to start walking 5 minutes, 3 times a week.
Usually they say "but that's nothing." Of course I then
ask "so what's stopping you?"

Once they do this for two weeks, I suggest increasing the
time to 10 minutes, 3 times a week. Then, every two weeks,
adding five minutes until they are walking 30-40 minutes
three times a week-and lastly, adding an additional day, so
they are walking a total of 40-45 minutes 4 times a week.
This doesn't have to be at one time, especially if you
don't have that large a block of free time. Studies
suggest that walking 10 minutes 3-4 times a day may be just
as beneficial as a single 45 minute walk. I recommend the
"talk don't whistle" method of measuring intensity. This
means if you can whistle while you are walking, your pace
is too slow. If you can't talk while you're walking, your
pace is too fast.

So, whether you are a hiker or a walker, a club member or a
solitary biker, remember, words don't matter-staying active
does.

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For free tips to becoming At Peace With Food, articles, and
links to nutritional resource websites, visit
=>http://www.AtPeaceWithFood.com/freetips.html

5 Weight loss & Diet Myths Exposed

5 Weight loss & Diet Myths Exposed
Everyone wants the impossible when it comes to dieting and
weight loss! And most people will believe almost anything,
if it sounds like they'll be able to lose weight faster and
easier, even if it is a little far-fetched.

However, the truth is that there are numerous weightloss
and diet myths flying around. Here are some of the main
ones, exposed as incorrect:

1. You Do Not Need To Count Calories.

Without knowing your calorie intake and output, you can't
know if your output is exceeding your intake, which is
necessary for weight loss to occur. Calorie counting may
seem tedious at the time, but it is one of the most exact
ways to ensure you slim down to the size you want.

If you go over your calorie intake one day, though, don't
panic. Provided over the course of the week, your calorie
intake averages out to what it should be, it won't matter
if you're over or under your daily allowance. Interestingly
enough, if you cut down on just 100 calories a day, in a
year, your weightloss will be nearly 5kgs in a year.

2. You Should Eat A Huge Breakfast.

Whilst it is true, to ensure weightloss when on a diet, you
should eat something in the morning time, it does not
necessarily have to be a three-course meal! You need to eat
something that will tide you over approximately three
hours, such as oats, until your mid-morning snack (or
lunch, depending on what time you wake up). Simply put,
breakfast need only be a bowl of cereal and a piece of
toast.

3. You Should Not Snack Between Meals Whilst On A Diet.

Although some people do well on a strict three-meals-a-day
routine, others who are more active and have a faster
metabolism will benefit from having five or six meals a
day, providing the portion size is small. In fact, eating
more frequently does increase the metabolism, however great
care needs to be taken with the size of the portions to
make sure that you're not eating too much at each time,
otherwise you will defeat the purpose of your diet in the
first place.

4. Never Eat After Eight In The Evening.

This is one of the most well-circulated myths. According to
experts, there is nothing wrong with having a couple of
hundred calories in the evening time, provided you are
careful to account for them on your weekly calorie tally.
The problem lies when you start eating in the evening,
whilst you are doing something else, and lose track of how
much you are consuming. That's when your diet goes out the
window!

5. You Should Not Eat Treats Whilst On A Diet.

Going cold turkey is difficult for anyone, so don't do it.
Allow yourself a treat once in a while, so that you don't
feel completely deprived. You are much more likely to stick
to your diet and attain the weightloss goal you set for
yourself if you allow a little bit of leeway, and treat
yourself once in a while.

Most people who are dieting for weight loss reasons firmly
believe that their lives have to be completely interrupted
whilst they "lose the weight". In actual fact, the opposite
is true. By being a little careful with your portion size
of the meals you eat at any time of the day, you will able
to succeed at losing - and keeping - your extra weight off,
and looking fit and fabulous once you've done so!

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

Testicular Cancer and Your Life

Testicular Cancer and Your Life
Testicular cancer is diagnosed to seven to nine thousand
people each year in the United States alone and men have
about a 1 in 250 chance of having this type of cancer. The
most probable age group effected ranges between 15 and 40
years old. These tumors are more commonly found on
Caucasians and rarely found in men of African descent.
Testicular cancer is a tumor that is found on the testis at
its first stage. The good news about this type of cancer
is that it has the highest success rate of all cancers of
being cured. The cure rate is between ninety and one
hundred percent based on what stage it is discovered at.
Although success rates fall, testicular cancer is still
curable in later stages. This is due to the cancer cells
spreading to different areas within the body.

It is very important that people are aware that all lumps
are not tumors and this type of cancer is often noticeable
upon its first stage when it has the highest success rate
of being cured. Early detection is very important in
improving the success rate of curing this type of cancer
just as all others that are curable. Common symptoms
include one or more of the following: a lump on testis,
hardening of one or more of the testis, pain in the testis,
impotence, blood in semen, watery semen, a dull ache in the
groin or abdomen to name a few. Should you or someone you
know experience any of these symptoms it is very important
for them to inform their doctor immediately.

Treatment for testicular cancer includes surgery, radiation
therapy, and chemotherapy. The amount of treatment and
what type of treatment necessary is based on the stage of
the cancer. Generally, once the cancer is removed
surgically, radiation therapy and chemo therapy are used to
kill any remaining cancer cells to prevent them spreading.
Surgery is usually completed within a short time of the
cancer being discovered. Radiation and chemotherapy
treatments normally continue for several months after
surgery. Blood tests are normally requested monthly for
the rest of the patients life.

The reason of this article is to inform people interested,
worried about themselves or someone you may know. To stay
informed can greatly help people through such a disease.
Not only will understanding this type of cancer help spread
awareness if it but if a single reader uses this
information to detect cancer on one's body it could save a
life.

----------------------------------------------------
Read the personal testicular cancer blog of Aaron Amos at
http://wwwlumikancommycancerbattle.blogspot.com . Article
written and distributed by Steve Cancel of Secure Link -
http://www.slwebsolutions.com .