Health 08 (Oct 14 - Jun 15)

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"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.

The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."

- Earl Nightingale

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The Truth About Alcohol and Fat Loss

By: Craig Ballantyne

So many readers ask, “Can I still drink while on a fat loss program?” The answer is yes, you just have to accept the consequences of your actions.

And what are the consequences of drinking?

Well, a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, and a shot of alcohol all roughly contain the same amount of calories, between 100-150.

But here's the kicker... A normal alcoholic drink adds fewer calories to your diet than most minor eating mistakes, such as:
- a cube of cheese
- two handfuls of nacho chips
- a few chicken wings
- half a giant bakery muffin
- or a post-drinking slice of greasy pizza

Of course, if you’re drinking a Jack and Coke or any mixed drink flooded with added sugar, you can expect to almost double your calorie intake…three of those in a night and you’re looking at almost 1000 calories – that’s REAL damage…but only moderate damage if you stick to three light beers, which would deliver around 400 calories.

The reality is that alcohol does NOT add that many calories to most people’s diets.

The truth is you need to stop blaming alcohol for your belly fat and look at what you are eating. That’s where your calories are probably piling up.

Source: ETR

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Coenzyme Q10 -- or CoQ10

Before Iraq and Afghanistan there was the Gulf War. And hundreds of thousands of veterans who served there are still suffering the consequences of that conflict.

The cause is now known to be exposure to a variety of chemicals and toxins. Exposures that damaged certain cells in their bodies, causing a wide range of chronic symptoms.

Even though these vets have been suffering with Gulf War Syndrome for over 20 years, and government agencies, doctors and hospitals have been looking for answers, not much has turned up that really helped.

Until now.

A just-published study has found that an easy-to-buy supplement has been able to achieve something that all the drugs and behavioral therapies haven't. And it's something that you're very familiar with.

Coenzyme Q10 -- or CoQ10.

Researchers at the University of California in San Diego found that 80 percent of the Gulf War vets they treated with just 100 mg of CoQ10 a day showed significant improvement in physical function.

That's right...just 100 mg a day!

Lead author Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a professor of medicine at the university, said that all the evidence "links Gulf War illness to chemical exposures.

"These chemicals can damage mitochondria, which generate the energy our cells need to do their jobs," she said. "When these powerhouses of the cells are disrupted, it can produce symptoms compatible with those seen in Gulf War illness."

Once that happens you become vulnerable to all kinds of symptoms and diseases.

The vets in the study had symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, problems with recall and muscle pain. And that all improved during the CoQ10 therapy.

Dr. Golomb said that since civilians and veterans alike can suffer from "toxin-induced health problems," this research is of importance to everyone.

We already know how valuable CoQ10 is for the heart.

But now it looks like this amazing antioxidant has found another way to serve.

Source: HSI

[winston]

healthy.png HEALTHY

Are Nuts Actually Making You Fat?

By Craig Ballantyne

This answer may surprise you. Research not only indicates that nuts are a rich source of nutrients and cardiovascular health protection, but also that eating nuts at least twice a week can put you at a lower risk for weight gain.

Recently, scientists from Purdue University did a thorough review of all the studies on nut intake and weight loss. Some of the studies found an inverse relationship between nut intake and body mass index (BMI). And others found that increasing nut intake did not cause weight gain.

It appears that nuts – which contain a lot of fiber – have an appetite-suppressing effect. And when your appetite is suppressed, that obviously makes it easier to stick to a diet. Nuts might also have poor bioaccessibility, meaning that not all of their calories are absorbed.

Source: ETR

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New evidence says this popular drink will wreck your health by Dr. David Eifrig

A new study published in the journal Nature this month provides more evidence to something I’ve said for years – diet soda will wreck your health.

A team of researchers studied the effects of a common zero-calorie sweetener, saccharin, which is found in artificial sweeteners like Sweet’N Low, as well as low-calorie or zero-calorie foods like jams, salad dressing, sugar-free gum, and many “diet” processed foods.

They fed a group of mice a high-saccharin diet and noticed the mice developed significant changes to the bacteria living in their guts. These bacteria are essential for helping our bodies break down food and keeping our immune system strong. Changes in gut bacteria can lead to serious health problems.

These changes left the mice unable to process glucose, causing the mice to develop high blood sugar levels – a major sign of diabetes. The research team then focused on humans. They first compared 40 humans with regular consumption of artificial sweeteners with 236 people who did not use artificial sweeteners. Those who used the artificial stuff were more likely to have problems like the mice had.

Then a group of seven human volunteers spent a week consuming the FDA’s maximum recommended level of saccharin. Four of them developed extreme blood sugar levels. Their gut bacteria was then collected and pumped into healthy mice. Guess what? Those mice had the same problems in breaking down glucose, too.

Studying the effects of diet sodas on people’s metabolism is nothing new. But this study hammers home the point that fake sweeteners can severely damage your health.

So the next time you want that soda fix, do what I do: Drink green tea instead. Green tea is calorie-free, lowers cholesterol, fights cancer, and keeps immune systems strong. One of my favorite brands is Bigelow.

Source: Retirement Millionaire

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Black Cumin - Life Elixir For Every Illness Except Death

Source: BeWellBuzz

http://www.bewellbuzz.com/healing-herbs ... fe-elixir/

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not vested

Aspartame

"Aspartame has a long, well-documented legacy showing it is both a neurotoxin and carcinogen that should never, ever have been approved to be fit for human consumption."

That's what a pediatrician in New Mexico is warning about the artificial sweetener.

But he's not just telling that to the parents of his patients. He's making his argument to the FDA.

Five years ago, Dr. Paul Stoller sent in a citizen's petition to the agency. He asked that the FDA commissioner "withdraw approval" for aspartame as it's been shown "and has always been known" to cause cancer.

Dr. Stoller included research telling how the artificial sweetener is a carcinogen. And he also detailed how GD Searle, the company that first put it on the market, did "fraudulent" research to get it there.

He also claimed that during the original aspartame studies, rats with brain tumors were not reported. Not only that, but their tumors were removed. And when the rats died, they were "resurrected" again on paper.

His petition also detailed lame Congressional hearings, botched FDA investigations and all of the other tricks that were played to get aspartame into our food supply.

Finally, at the beginning of November, more than five years after his petition was submitted, the FDA got back to him.

The agency said not to worry. That it's right on top of all the information, studies and reports about aspartame. And it has not seen a thing that will make it change its mind about the "safety" of the artificial sweetener.

And...that Dr. Stoller should send in more data!

Dr. Stoller called it "all subterfuge."

"They want me to spoon feed them everything so they can take five years to get back to me again...really?" he said.

But it looks like the toxic sweetener might be on the way out anyway -- only this time through the back door.

Consumer demand -- or lack of demand -- is causing more and more companies to ditch it from their ingredient lists.

But until the day when it's completely gone, you have to be your own watchdog.

Because there is no reason -- not one -- to ever touch a drop of aspartame.

Source: HSI

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Sleep Better for More Energy

By Jim Gorman

Source: Mens Health

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/Sleep ... rinter.php

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The Dangers of Eating Late at Night

By JAMIE A. KOUFMAN

Source: NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/opini ... .html?_r=0

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Grapefruit

For the millions of people who take cholesterol-lowering drugs, grapefruit is a no-no.

It can block an enzyme that breaks down drugs like Lipitor, causing extremely dangerous levels of these meds to be released into your bloodstream.

And grapefruit can interact with lots of other drugs too. The FDA even has a consumer alert page listing some of them.

But especially for those who take statins, having to boot this amazing citrus fruit out of their diet is a darn shame.

And that's not just because grapefruit is high in vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, biotin, and vitamin B and lycopene (which protects against prostate cancer and cell damage).

But because grapefruit, especially the red kind, can actually lower your cholesterol.

In a study, people who had high cholesterol and stopped taking drugs like Lipitor, but ate a red grapefruit a day had "notably" lower total cholesterol. And that included the "bad" LDL kind, too.

And those in the study who got the red grapefruit also had lower triglycerides. So it looks like grapefruit can have other heart-healthy benefits as well.

Now researchers aren't sure exactly what gives grapefruit this potent cholesterol-lowering effect. But it very well might be the same powerful component that can cause all those drug interactions.

And recently, in a study done at the University of California, researchers who gave mice grapefruit juice (mice will drink grapefruit juice!) not only lost weight, but had better blood sugar levels.

In fact, the reduction in blood sugar achieved with grapefruit was similar to that of the common type 2 diabetes drug metformin.

So here we've got an amazing food, one that can lower your blood sugar the same as an Rx drug, keeps cholesterol and triglycerides down, and yet for millions it's a forbidden fruit.

Source: HSI