Health 08 (Oct 14 - Jun 15)

[behappyalways]

ReWalk makes miracles possible
http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/08/technol ... d=HP_River

[winston]

Proof You Drink Too Much

About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. drinks alcohol excessively, the CDC found in a recent study.

It defines excess as consuming eight or more drinks per week for women or 15 or more for men; or any use of alcohol by pregnant women or people under 21—the latter a metric that may raise many a college student's eyebrows.

Excessive drinking also includes binging, or four or more drinks at a time for a woman and five or more for a man, according to the CDC.

Source: ETR

[winston]

2 Foods That Protect Against Diabetes

If you don't already eat these foods on a regular basis, consider adding them to your next meal.

These foods are packed with goodness that will protect you from diabetes.

1. Swiss Chard - Swiss chard is an especially exciting up-and-comer because it delivers some serious nutritional benefits without spiking blood sugar. It's low-calorie and full of fiber, calcium, antioxidants, and B vitamins.

Even better — it's super easy to add to salads and sautés, and its rainbow color can make even the dullest plate look more appealing.

2. Lentils - Both legumes and beans are high in fiber and good-for-you minerals like iron, magnesium, and calcium.

Since the soluble fiber found in lentils can slow digestion and raise blood sugar at a more stable rate, they're helpful for keeping you fuller, longer.

Try lentils in soups or use them as a meat substitute since these tiny beans pack nine grams of protein per half cup.

Source: ETR

[winston]

Vitamin D & Cardiac Arrest

Researchers have just discovered a critical link that could be the difference between surviving cardiac arrest...and not.

In sudden cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating due to an electrical glitch (unlike a heart attack where blood flow to the heart is blocked).

And anything that disrupts your heart's rhythm (including a heart attack) could potentially trigger it.

That's why this new research is so critical...and the solution is surprisingly simple.

A vitamin D deficiency increases the chance of never fully regaining your brain function back after cardiac arrest by "sevenfold," according to the study author, Dr. Jin Wi.

And even more disturbing, Dr. Wi found that 6 months after suffering cardiac arrest, just about one-third of the patients who were deficient in D had died.

But 100% of the people who had good vitamin D levels were still alive.

So you're probably wondering how you know if your vitamin D level is high enough to protect you. And there's an easy way to find that out.

Get your D levels checked. Now.

Because if you've never done that, you really don't know how much you need to take.

Vitamin D is measured in something called "nanomoles," which you'll probably see written as ng/mL.

And exactly what a good number is will certainly vary from doctor to doctor. But something all doctors absolutely will agree on is that if your D level is below 10 ng/mL you're so severely deficent that you must take immediate steps to protect your health.

In Dr. Wi's study, they defined a vitamin D "deficiency" at that level.

Now, considering how unhealthy a condition that is, it may well be the reason those people went into cardiac arrest in the first place.

Other numbers tossed around include being between 20 -- 30 ng/mL -- still called "deficient" by the Vitamin D council, but okay with the Institute of Medicine.

But perhaps the best advice came from researchers from the UK who came up with a level you should be over to protect your brain from dementia, which is 50 ng/mL.

Those researchers also said that if you're below 25 nanomoles, you're at a much higher risk for diseases involving your brain.

And, of course, your heart too.

Luckily, vitamin D-3 supplements are about the least expensive vitamins you can get -- and sunlight is free.

So get your D checked as soon as you can and start supplementing if your level is low.

Source: HSI

[winston]

Swallowing Pills

Even the best of us have encountered a pill -- or should I say a "horse pill" -- that's really difficult to swallow.

And of course some have problems with sending even regular-sized ones down the hatch.

If you do, don't think you're alone. Dr. Walter Haefeli, a pharmacology researcher in Germany said that one-third of us suffer from this problem.

And he wanted to help.

So he found 150 people with pill swallowing "issues" to test two methods he uncovered.

The first he called "the pop bottle." And around 60 percent of the people in his study who tried it said popping a pill was much easier this way.

Here's how it works.

Put the pill on your tongue and then put your lips tightly around a plastic bottle of water. Tilt your head back, and as you do suck some water out of the bottle and swallow.

The second method got more rave reviews than the first. Over 90 percent of Dr. Haefeli's test swallowers liked this technique, one he calls "lean forward." And it works best with capsules.

Place the capsule on your tongue, and then while taking a sip of water, lean forward as you swallow it.

Dr. Haefeli said that the trick works because the capsules are lighter than the water in your mouth, which means they will "float."

When you "tilt your head forward, the capsule will move toward your throat" and make it go down easier.

Experts aren't sure why some people have trouble swallowing pills and others don't, but many believe it has to do with the size of our throat.

And of course, the size of the pill we're trying to get down our throat...

Source: HSI

[behappyalways]

Sugar is worse than salt for pushing up blood pressure, new research has found
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/11286 ... found.html

[winston]

Holiday Health Tip to Deal With Alcohol and Sugar By Dr. Osborne

The holiday season is the time of year we see the most gluten related flare ups and health issues. Some of the most common reasons include:
1. Increased gluten cross contamination
2. Alcohol intake is up.
3. Sugar intake is up.
4. Consumption of foods at holiday parties

The reality is that most of us will indulge and be less diligent with our diets. This situation can lead to a compromised GI tract.

It is no mystery that Gluten, Sugar and Alcohol consumption are big factors that alter your healthy gut bacteria and contribute to leaky gut issues.

Combine this with the fact that we will be exposed to more people in close quarters. Germ sharing will be on high. Leaky Gut + extra germs = increased risk for health problems.

If you aren't protecting yourself already, I strongly encourage you to do 2 things right now.
1. Check your vitamin D levels and make sure they are maximized (read more on this here).
2. Make sure you are taking Biotic Defense through the holiday season.

Source: ETR

[winston]

Walnuts

I recently told you how the humble walnut can help protect your brain against Alzheimer's.

Researchers found that mice who were fed a "walnut-enriched diet" showed big improvements in how they learned new skills -- and how they were able to remember them.

Now there's some more good news about walnuts -- and prostate cancer.

This study also involved mice, but the researchers said that their findings apply to people, too.

They found that eating a modest amount of walnuts daily could keep prostate cancer at bay. And what the mice were given wasn't some giant serving either, but translates to just 2.6 ounces for us.

And don't think if some "walnut drug" suddenly appears on the market that it will do the same thing. Because it's the whole nut -- not its extracts -- that provided the benefits.

In fact, the researchers tried several combinations, including one they called a "walnut-like" fat that contained omega-3 fatty acids. But it was only the real thing in its whole form -- the walnut -- along with some walnut oil that slowed the growth of prostate cancer.

A co-author of the study, Dr. Paul Davis of the University of California, said this shows it's not just the omega-3 that helps, but "a combination of the omega-3s with whatever else is in the walnut oil."

Dr. Davis also said that while walnuts "are high in fat, their fat does not drive prostate cancer growth. In fact, walnuts do just the opposite when fed to mice."

And that's another reason why the government's "crusade against fat" has "been to our detriment," he said.

Source: HSI

[winston]

New research shows this "superfood" could have incredible effects on your memory by Dr. David Eifrig

Maybe my grandmother should have been a doctor. She used to eat two or three Hershey Kisses a day… which, it turns out, may have been the secret to preventing memory loss.

A recently published study in Nature Neuroscience has shown what might be the first cause-and-effect link between compounds found in chocolate and human memory.

Scientists broke down cocoa to isolate molecules called flavanols – antioxidants found in plants – and created a drink packed with them. The 37 study participants drank the high-flavanol shake once a day for three months. A separate group drank a low-flavanol shake on the same schedule.

At the end of three months, the people who drank the high-flavanol mixture showed increased activity in the area of the brain responsible for memory. They also scored higher on memory tests than those in the low-flavanol drink group. Bigger studies are still needed.

I’ve written before about the benefits of dark chocolate on your blood pressure, but remember, moderation is the key. Gorging yourself on chocolate bars might counter chocolate’s benefits. Much store-bought milk chocolate is packed with sugar and calories.

And while they have flavanols, they are below the levels used in this study. So do what I do and indulge in a piece of dark chocolate once in a while… then get some extra flavanols by eating foods like pomegranates, apples, blackberries, cherries, and grapes.

Source: Retirement Millionaire

[behappyalways]

Could a diet supplement supercharge your eyesight?
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2014121 ... ost-vision